GPS, Ask Engadget: Best GPS devices on the market?
By Paul Miller 
posted August 9th 2007 5:11PM
posted August 9th 2007 5:11PM
There was no shortage of opinion last week on Ask Engadget, when Ebzy was in search of some guidance in the digital camera market. You can get your own question answered by sending in to ask at engadget dawt com. Today Perry's in search of a GPS unit:"I'm thinking of buying a GPS for my car, and am totally confused with the options. I'm not interested in ones with JPG viewers, MPEG players... I just want the best GPS that I can get. What do you recommend in various price ranges, and if money were no object?"
So Perry isn't exactly into the frills, but can he find a top-shelf unit without them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The MIO C220. It has a 3.5 inch touch screen. The latest SirfIII chipset with 2007 maps. The best part is you can usually find it for $180 on Amazon or eBay brand new.
Isn't a 3.5" screen really tiny? I have a PDA with that size screen and TomTom loaded on it, but stuff gets really hard to see a couple of feet away. Where are the 4" and larger screens?
Teleatlas US maps (used by mio) are generally considered to be inferior to equivalent Navteq ones. That in my opinion is the only fault with the Mio. And a 3.5 inch screen is good enough as when driving the main aid for navigation is the voice prompt.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2006/07/navteq_vs_teleatlas_which_one.php
Get the Magellen RoadMate 3050T. It has a built in traffic reciever but you'll need a subscription. It's around $600, is easy to program, has a nice big screen and is pretty good with address and direction accuracy.
I have the non-traffic antenna version of this, the 3000T
It is really easy to use. And works well!
Both versions are on Amazon.Com. The 3000t is $345, and the 3050t is $485.00
I find the reatlime traffic subscription concept both stupid, and usleless. They do not have the whole US covered for the traffic transmitions. So you could pay for realtime trafic data, and not get the data. The data is transmitted via RF, so it is not imbedded in any starlight signal.
My TomTom One seems to work pretty well. I have a 7XX (I forgot the exact model number) that has all the Mp3 player/bluetooth jazz on it that I never use. The core navigation works extremely well and can be had for only $217 from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/TomTom-Portable-Vehicle-Navigation-System/dp/B000H866BM
I recently tried out several units myself. If you want a no frills unit at a good price try the TomTom ONE or ONE XL(big screen). They pack good navigation and lots of advanced routing/detour options w/o all the silly extras. You can see demo videos of the interface at http://www.brothersontech.com/product/tomtom-one-xl
If you want to pay a bit more for fewer routing options, a few silly frills, but IMO easier to use navigation to address or POI, you might like a Garmin nuvi of some type. You can see how its interface compares to the TomTom at http://www.brothersontech.com/blog/nathan/garmin-tomtom-interface-comparison
For my thoughts on the various units I looked at see http://www.brothersontech.com/blog/nathan/gps-shopping
I ended up with the TomTom ONE XL. Just seemed like more bang for the buck and I prefer all the info it provides on the navigation screen. I've also been using TomTom PDA software for awhile so I might be a bit biased.
Hope that helps!
I dont really know anything about GPS devices.. :\ I just wish I could tell where in the world I am when I'm on a long bus journey with out having to ask other passengers if they know..
The Mio P550 is the best PDA with integrated GPS for someone who dosen't want to spend a fortune but needs ale the features of a PDA.
The next HOT thing on the market will be the HTC Polaris which is a Windows Mobile 6 device with a 3.5″ VGA screen, quad-band, Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g and GPS + 3 mp camera with auto focus. It is roumerd to be released this October.
I have not tested current products within the past year, however I have been quite happy with my Garmin Nuvi series device. I purchased it at Costco online, but I'm sure you'd be able to find it cheaper from Google product search at a third-tier store.
All the manufacturers have really refined their devices in the past two years so you almost can't go wrong with their current top models.
I will say this...make sure you get one that announces the street names along with voice guided directions. HUGE help and well worth the extra money!
The Garmin Nuvis are the best I've seen. If you don't want the frills the new 200 series is what you want.
An addition question. What if I wanted to buy one that worked in Costa Rica as well as the US? Being new to GPS, do most of the major vendors allow you to buy the other data you need?
Obviously (I hope) the GPS part works equally anywhere, so your question is about map data. Any Garmin handheld that handles maps has a basemap for the continent where it's sold (NA, Europe, Australia (I think)). Garmin has a World Map product that may be adequate, but most of the world doesn't yet have GPS maps that really get down to what's available in first-world areas.
That Said, do you have a recomendation as to who has the most detailed maps of Costa Rica?
TomTom for PDA and free photo tagging software:
http://www.vodafonebetavine.com/web/SunsetGPSLogger/
Most of the old Magellen with lots of buttons are very confusing to use. Bought one and returned to get the Garmin StreetPilot 2702 which I love. Even my wife can use it with not problem. I also have the TomTom mobile 5.0 on my PDA and it is good as well. The Garmin model that I do not like are the cheap ones that do not allow you to browse the maps. I would say go for TomTom on short budget and Garmin if you can pay little more and get a high end model. I would avoid old version of the Magellen and cannot say much about the new ones.
i would ask the same question as Perry except i would add that the unit had to have awesome voice command capability... i dont want to touch the screen or look at it...
Extremely happy with my Magellan 4040. It's very fast and the maps are nice and recent.
I agree. Also, if you change the SD card it can work in other countries.
I would like to put in my vote for the 4040 as well.
-and if you aren't already aware, it's firmware is upgradeable to make it pretty much the same as the newer models, which is something they don't advertise.
I have no complaints about my TomTom one. Simple and clean interface. It has safely guided me on a few road trips over the last year. I have tested it with local roads in my home town, that i know well, and it generally makes the right choices for best/fastest route.
I recently purchased a TomTom One XL. I can purchase new content from around the world in addition to the onboard European mapping I have if I want to, I've customised the interface colour schemes for both day and night use and most importantly, installed the voice package that turns my TomTom into KITT from Knight Rider.
It really is a joy to use something so technically complex that is so user friendly.
I too have a TomTom and would like to get the Kitt (Knight Rider) voice. Can you tell us where you got it?
Thanks
VZ Navigator on most Verizon Wireless phones. I know it's not a standalone unit for the car, but it's an incredibly powerful application for VZ subscribers. Always available when you have your cell, only uses airtime when pulling down the route initially (or recalculating), can be used for local search, has the turn by turn voice directions, and is always updated since it's web based. Did I mention you can go online and input the addresses you plan to visit and send them to your phone. Just my $.02 worth.
The Sprint Navigation software (Telenav) doesn't use airtime at all, and is prettier than VZNAV.
Nuvi 660 is what I have. It is downright amazing.
I got my Nuvi 660 for $500 at Costco online, and it's great. I think the TomTom ONE XL is also a really great value, and sounds like what you're looking for, since you don't care about the extras.
I bought a TomTom 910 for $430 from Circuit City about a month ago, and I love it. It's fast, accurate, and Mr. T gives me directions. If I want to hear exact street names though I have to set it to a computer voice. It is basically the same as a TomTom ONE except more features, so if you don't need go for the TT One, which can usually be found for like $250
I personally recommend either the Averatec Voya 320 or the Magellan Roadmate 2000. Unlike the Tom Toms, these units will tell you if your destination is on the right or left side of the street when you arrive. This can be especially useful at night. If you want full text to speech try the Magellan Roadmate 2200T.
Anything that TomTom makes, top shelf stuff.
I too am looking for a GPS that is strictly a GPS device.
I want:
-Audible street names
-Auto rerouting
-Maps that cover ALL roads in the US
-Updateable maps
Money is no object.
The Garmin Nuvi lineup is the best thing going at the moment. It meets all of your requirements above.
I settled on the Nuvi 660 after trying all of the top-end Garmin and TomTom units last fall.
To make things simple...Go with a Garmin. I have a nuvi 680 which has a nice screen. Easy interface. Voice directions. Live traffic reports. And yes has jpg and music. The live traffic is a must have if you do alot of city driving. The main lesson I learned if the system tells me to get off the highway when I wouldn't expect to then listen and do it. If I didn't have a last chance I would have been sitting on the highway for hours.
I have worked my way up the Garmin product line ala Circuit City's "upgrade" program. I'm currently in love with the Nuvi 660. Its a great navigator, spot on with traffic and a nice bright screen. My only gripe is the 4" wide screen should be able to switch orientation (portrait, landscape) so you can make use of 3D navigation since all the routes are oriented top to bottom.
if money is no object, might i recommend fonzworth bentley riding shotgun with rand mcnally atlas of the US?
Uh? Garmin Nuvi 350/360 anyone? These are the best. Period.
Peace!
or the Garmin c5xx series... if you are on a budget and just want plain navigation.
i agree with everyone supporting the garmin nuvi series. it has the best interface and usability in my opinion.
I have a Magellan Roadmate 800 works great!
I currently have a Palm TX.
I was wondering if there was any way to use that as a GPS rather than buying a separate GPS and would it be:
Cost effective.
Just as good?
Any input is welcome.
TomTom 6
Actually TomTom 6 isn't officially compatible with the Palm TX. I use TomTom 5 with my TX, and it works fine other than the old maps. However, when I install version 6 the program crashes every few minutes. There is some incompatibility with the memory heaps.
I use a holux 235 bluetooth GPS with my Palm E2 for geocaching, I also have delorme street atlas installed on it. You have to download the maps though, the SD cards work great for that. The screens are a little small though.
Garmin Nuvi 660 is the best I've seen. It is tiny and full of features.
If you are a geek get an old version of Microsoft Streets & Tips with an USB GPS Unit (about 30$) throw away the CD then get a converter for the GPS to make it Bluetooth (about 60$), THEN get a Nokia 770 (around 150$ TigerDirect (yech) has them) throw in a large RS-MMC Card (25$ for 2GB). Install Maemo Mapper put the repositories for Google and such and download the maps you want thru Wi-Fi before trips. You spent 265$ (which is more than a lot of decent GPS), but you get so much more! Installingh Flite you even get voice directions which are... usable. Of course you have to download routes and maps, but you can do this through your bluetooth-enabled phone... provided your phone and your plan allow this. I know is hard, but I did it and my personal geek status increased a bunch. My Girlfriend still looks at me weird, but hey, we are not lost if we don't stop!
That's simply a terrible idea.
Mark, you're right on. This is one of the stupidest things I've read on Engadget.
What a nasty pair of responses to a potentially interesting little hack. Maemo Mapper on a Nokia tablet (esp. the N800) receiving GPS data via Bluetooth is a seriously intriguing and frugal alternative to a brand-new Garmin Nuvi or other similarly pricey out-of-the-box solutions. I'd love to estend the life of my non-Bluetooth Garmin eTrex Legend C if I could find a suitable Bluetooth adaptor. Meanwhile, guys: A credit card and an ability to order up the latest $400+ electrinket isn't a license to be contemptuous. Don't be creepy!
The Garmin units also have the best, most accurate maps available for the U.S. That was one of the major reasons I decided on the Garmin Nuvi 660 over the TomTom 910. Garmin's maps simply produced superior routes.
Apparently the opposite is true in Europe.
Garmin uses Navtec map data whereas TomTom uses TeleAtlas map data. TeleAtlas evidently does better with European maps where Navteq does better with U.S. maps.
I've had a couple of GPS units now from Garmin and Magellan (StreetPilot and Meridian series) and most of what you find on the market is fine for driving around.
Here are my must haves for a unit:
1) Color screen - Do not under estimate how much faster it is to read a color screen. You really want to be able to keep your eyese on the road.
2) Voice prompting - More of the eyes on the road thing
3) XM radio - The traffic updates can be a life saver if you are in one of the areas that supports it.
4) Remote control - So your passenger can update it while it sits in front of you. This is surprisingly handy.
My current car system is the StreetPilot 2730. Already discontinuted, but anything in the vein is great.