Portable GPS Suggestions

[havighurst]

I am looking to purchase a portable GPS system for my parents to put in their car. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions, or has used one and could give me the pros and cons. I have been doing some research online and have read various reviews, but nothing jumps out as the best. I am looking for one that has multi-point destination and text to voice capabilities. I am not concerned about the cost, I am just looking for some guidance.

Thanks.

[25]

I've heard and read lots of good things about TomTom.

[atgcpaul]

I am looking to purchase a portable GPS system for my parents to put in their car. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions, or has used one and could give me the pros and cons. I have been doing some research online and have read various reviews, but nothing jumps out as the best. I am looking for one that has multi-point destination and text to voice capabilities. I am not concerned about the cost, I am just looking for some guidance.

Thanks.

I just bought a Garmin i5 from Amazon. Great reviews for it and I bought it
because of the reviews and relatively low price. It is very small, can be run
on AAs or car adapter (if you use lithium ions, it will charge them while
plugged into your car). The system navigation is mainly done through a
simple scroll wheel. The screen may look small but it's good enough for me.
All directions have been good. It does give voice prompts for turns but
doesn't say the street name--not an issue for me.

Although this doesn't fit all your needs, I highly recommend the Garmin brand.
If money isn't an issue, you have plenty to choose from.

Paul

[bfrikken]

www.woot.com has one today. They do a deal on one item a day. It's a pocket pc as well.

[onedash]

I have a magellin platinum that was discontinued but its pretty good and its great when hooked up to my laptop with streets and trips. With the addional software you get all the side streets and turn by turn directions (not sure if its a beep or voice or what because I never bought it) but its over $100.
If they are not to technically savy I would go with the kind that go in permanently with the entire US maps already loaded and good sized monitor that will talk to you..

[Anna]

I have the iQue 3600. It's a PDA/GPS combo. The screen is very nice and clear and the navigation is pretty fast. It did not come with a lot of accessories, so I ended up buying a better antenna and a car adapter.

There are updated versions, but I've gotten used to mine. Things I hate: the short battery life and the fact that Garmin does not support Macs (had to do a bunch of contortions to get the maps installed without actually teaching a PC, which was pretty bad because I ended up spending three whole days after Christmas trying to figure this out).

Also, my version of the software does not say the street names but rather the distance to the next turn. Try that in SF where you can have 3 streets crossing each other (confusing!), and you can imagine how many right turns you have to take to get back on course (SF has a lot of "no left turn" streets). Otherwise, I love it. It's become indispensable when going on trips. We've been sent on these really weird routes, so it makes sense to actually have an idea where you're going.

[sunset]

I've used several handhelds for a number of years and always had the ones with larger displays...and always "Garmins". When mounted on a vehicle dash I'd have to say the screen though is way too small. I've looked at their StreetPilot automotive units that come complete as a package...VERY nice! Better viewing size and touch screen to boot, very user friendly...that's what I would start with.