Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Well, I won't really need that particular feature anyway though my daughter swears that's how her friends find the house.
The one useful thing for me is that it gets Internet. I share a laptop with another daughter, age 17. You can figure the rest out. Otherwise the Droid has a music player (I already have an iPod thanks) a 5 megapixel camera (that could be useful) and, of course, a phone.
It's also hard to get a GPS signal. I've observed the same thing with my BlackBerry Bold 9700. I can get EDGE, 3G, easily, but even with a strong 3G signal at times the GPS antennae cannot position me.
I'm not ready to give up my Garmin until these phones work every time, reliably, and with a friendly interface.
I'd get a Blackberry (right now my phone is the basic freebie that you get for signing up) but my daughter is sold on the Droid and we promised her a phone way back at Christmas. Since the data charge is the same no matter what phone I guess I can live with that.
TomTom Adds Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates (Edmunds Daily)
Garmin is charging $120 right now but I'm sure this will pressure them to lower prices.
I have seen some Garmins "bundled" with lifetime map updates already. Not the models I want, but some.
The only thing is it also does blue-tooth functionality for handsfree calling via your cellphone.. So it may make your existing hands-free device redundant.
You can download and install other software. How about a tracker? At home you connect the tomtom to the computer, access a directory in the tomtom using google earth... and it shows you where you've been, how fast you've traveled etc.
do a google search for tomtom forums.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef14ab8/1717#MSG1717
I sold my wife's Garmin StreetPilot c340, which had v2009 NAVTEQ maps and needed an update. Got $40 for it, sold to a friend.
Then I found an open box 1490T, with a fully warranty, for $230 (lowest brand new price was about $300). So the net cost for us was $190 to upgrade. Maps would have been $65 or so, which offsets a portion of that cost.
I put the 1490T in my minivan and gave her the 260w, so we both got bigger screens (she went from 3.5" to 4.3", I went to 5").
Additional impressions:
* it lists speed limits, like my 265wt, but shows your speed in red if you exceed it
* the lane assist feature is neat if you're not in a familiar place
* 5" screen is huge, difference seems like more than 0.7"
Recommended. :shades:
I like them because they don't fall off the windshield in extreme heat/sun, plus they position the touchscreen (and microphone + speaker) closer to you.
It looks sorta like this:
http://i4.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/f5/e3/8e41_10.JPG
Last I checked the map updates were $65 for a single update, $120 for lifetime updates.
Tom Tom has better pricing on the map updates. I'm not sure about Magellan.
I like Garmin's simple interface, so I've been willing to pay the premium to get them. Plus I can copy my existing Favorites over.
Do you have a link to that review? Garmin's one a few reviews as well, though some are complaining that Garmin is de-contenting them lately (zoom in and you see fewer street names than before, for instance).
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Widescreen-Bluetooth-Portable-Navigator/product-rev- iews/B002771V48/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar-
Sounds like that was his 2nd Tom Tom, so perhaps he's more accustomed to their interface.
I'm in the opposite situation - I have Garmins before, so other brands seem less familiar. I do try to fiddle with them every chance I get (at Costco, for instance).
Some times the pros get too technical. I don't really care if it can play MP4 format from SD cards.
I just want to know if it gets the job done well, and with an easy to use interface. For me, the 1490T does that. I do use the bluetooth for my phone, which was simple enough to set up.
I have the traffic warnings on but NOT as an avoidance (I'd rather choose myself whether or not to detour).
Besides that I like the big screen and easy to use interface. I'll admit I don't always understand how things are categorized, for instance I still can't find the county dump!
My relatively inexpensive beginner TomTom XL 325 SE has been great. I've used it to find restaurants or businesses. It's updated with user-entered corrections to the maps when connected to the internet. TomTom recented added red light and speed camera locations to my data.
It even includes the speed limit and the speed I'm traveling and turns red if I'm 5 over the speed limit.
I thought the newer models come with lifetime map updates included.
http://investors.tomtom.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=434868
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I liked that TomTom made the red light camera and speed camera machines part of the listings with warnings--free. There was another map update or something that I didn't expect at no charge.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I will update when I actually head down the road with it. 3D is also nice. And the ladies voice is very pleasant.
Costco has a short time special of $179 for the Magellan Roadmate 1700. I think that is the current top of the line Roadmate.
Denso uses 2 DVDs, right? Some OEM devices take 3! There is some overlap so people with a short commute will never have to change DVDs every day, but on a long trip like yours you do have the swap discs. The DVDs have only the major highways, which is why the directions still work, but the gas stations don't.
By the way, NAVTEQ CitySelect North America v2011.10 maps just came out. Anyone who bought a Garmin in the last 60 days should be eligible to update to that.
That's very cool. I still haven't seen the McDonald's in Bridgeville, DE, in ANY GPS device, and I'd love to enter that merely because it annoys me that they miss it even though it's been there for DECADES.
$499 updates are absurd. Subaru charges $230 (Kenwood unit) and I think that's expensive. Some people split the cost, one takes the east coast disc and the other takes the west coast disc.
TomTom recented added red light and speed camera locations to my data.
Custome POIs are neat, I did that a while ago (and shared instructions in this thread). There are so many though, the alerts go off all the time. Question - do yours alert you even if you're at a cross-section near a speed trap for the other road, i.e. the road you're not traveling on?
It even includes the speed limit and the speed I'm traveling and turns red if I'm 5 over the speed limit.
My 1490T does that when you're 1 mph over, but the 260w and 265wt do not. The 265wt displays only the speed limit. They're pretty accurate, too.
I thought the newer models come with lifetime map updates included.
It may be bundled. I did see bundles when I was shopping, it costs a little more, but less than buying them seperately.
Nice that even these low-priced units put OEM features to shame.
It may take me a while to decide where to mount the Magellan in my Frontier. It comes with a suction cup for the windshield. Not sure I will like that. I don't want any holes in my dash. I like that mount you had pictured.
Looking on the website Mexico is a $49 option. It has an SD Card that I would assume you can load updates with. Have not gotten that far in my research. The multiple destinations is also a nice feature. I can put all my errand locations in at once and get the best routing. The screen is the same size as the one in my Sequoia. The whole device is not much bigger than the screen and less than a half inch thick.
I think you better to get a portable Garmin or Magellan than the factory nav systems. Just my two cents.
Personally, Honda and Acura have the nicest nav system, I feel and think it is worth the money. They typically give you a bigger screen, much better HD graphics, no lockout at all while the car is in motion, and have a much more complete destination and directional database from the get go!
Has anyone had any experiences with the German factory nav systems? I've heard that BMW's is pretty good but that in general, because of the long-term reliability issues and electrical troubles that plague the German makes, getting expensive nav systems with any of them is not really a good idea for financial reasons!
I think that's a great feature because of the extraordinary price for a new map for a current GPS. AFter I bought mine I was allowed a map within 30 days. Did that. And I believe I later downloaded a new map when I connected the GPS to my computer and the TOM TOM HOME program.
Then more recently I found the Red light and Speed cameras among the free updates and addons offered at no charge, so I downloaded that.
>Question - do yours alert you even if you're at a cross-section near a speed trap for the other road, i.e. the road you're not traveling on?
I'll test that as soon as I get mine back and set up again.
I bought a beginner's GPS recommended by someone on here as a good price on a unit with a Bing rebate and Walmart pricing--perhaps one of our hosts was the one pointing it out. XL325SE model from Walmart. I had a couple times when I connected to my computer for updates that it wouldn't properly put the files onto the TomTom. But everything worked fine as far as I know.
Yesterday, I tried again and it said it was full. I called TomTom after searching their website for FAQs that would help. I got a live person in a properly short time. They spoke English as well as most of us in the US; indeed I would bet they were within our legal borders.
On the third call back after trying what the first two said to do, the lovely young-sounding lady tried to have me save files and remove files from the GPS memory. It wouldn't clear certain files so it would reformat. It refused to be reformatted.
RMA. It's already in the UPS trucks in Hodgins, IL, outside Chicago. The email shows I'll get an XL330 as replacement when it hits their loading dock for return. The only thing they didn't do was offer to print a prepaid UPS label for me or send me a bubble wrap pack or box for shipping.
But for $8 shipping and the quality of help, in English that I could understand, I don't complain at all. In fact when I was reading this thread while trying to work with it yesterday, I was thinking "throwaway" and noting what model and where I would buy a next one. I think it's like power windows and seats on a car; once you've had them, you don't want to do without.
Assuming I get a new unit which is what the customer service rep kept calling it, or a reman unit, in a few days, I consider that speaking well for the company.
The only thing missing in the GPS unit is being able to look ahead clearly to see what's coming up in the way of restaurants and gas stations on the map. It presents it in a slanted view just reaching out from where I am located and distant exits look very distorted and barely visible.
I'd like to be able to take the map and slide it like GoogleEarth and see from overhead what is at exits 2 or 3 exits ahead which may be 20 or 30 miles. Do any offer that?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The new Magellan I am just now playing with will zoom in and out. I can go out to show the whole USA. Of course no roads visible. Looking at all San Diego County I get the freeways and that's about it. It has both 2D and 3D.
I like them because they don't fall off the windshield in extreme heat/sun, plus they position the touchscreen (and microphone + speaker) closer to you.
I was just reading a disclaimer. Windshield mounts are illegal in CA and MN. I ordered the only mount Mountguys have listed for the Magellan Roadmate 1700. It was $13.85 delivered. A company called ProClip sells vehicle specific mounts. Look like about $65 plus shipping. I think I will see if the one I ordered works.
Hated it. You had to go around and pick one letter at a time on a little wheel, and it just took forever.
Then it didn't have Miller Subaru (PA or NJ, not sure) at all. A friend and I were taking his S4 up to see the STI debut at a dealership, and we found out Audi removed all Subaru dealers from its database!
Hysterical that they are so paranoid.
We found the closest intersection instead. Took a good 20 minutes to get going, ridiculous! :mad:
That would be cool.
I'd also like to have the GPS know which direction I'm heading, and then find POIs that are less out-of-my-way, rather than by geographical distance.
That's something rsholland asked me. The catch is it would have to calculate the routes for each POI from where you were at that time. It would need strong processing power.
v2011 just came out. OEM will always lag behind.
I have the factory nav in my 2010 Maxima and while the graphics might not be as good as the new Acura HDD nav systems, this system is surprising easy and intuitive to use. Infiniti/Nissan nav systems only lock you out about half the functions while the car is in motion but there are many things you still can do and I've found I can still do some things without having to pull off the road, unlike Toyota or Lexus, and Nissan/Infiniti still has touch screen which I love and most others are doing away with!
No one to blame but myself.
Shop around on-line, I think you can get it for less from on-line dealers.
Sadly it's par for the course. Mitsu's got 4 years old before they updated to a 2 year old map, and now that 2011 maps came out they're already 3 years outdated. :sick:
Actually it probably only knows the roads to Poland.
I posted a long time ago - lambasting in-dash navi's. I recently had a brand new Acura TL loaner while my older TL was getting a warranty item fixed before the warranty ran out. I enjoyed the brand new TL for a day and put the navi and electronics through the paces.
I was impressed to see the detail was improved with the mapping and overall the in-dash navi was better but still not worth the big bucks.... If you're just floating in money go ahead and treat yourself but for the wise consumers - the portable navi's are still blowing the doors off anything that is in-dash.
Once again a friend of mine pointed out the most obvious point of getting a portable - it is not permanently affixed to the dashboard in an airport express lot - in-dash navi's are not much help when you really need them after your flight lands in a city your unfamiliar with....