GPS advice needed

[JR]

LOML's birthday is coming up. On a recent drive she indicated she might like a GPS for the car.

What's the hot tip on portable GPS units? What features should I look for? Where do I go for information (apart from here!)?

JR

[Uncle Cracker]

Definitely go for voice prompts. You do not want to be trying to read the thing while driving. Touch screen menus are pretty much a forgone conclusion nowadays. Bluetooth tie-ins and realtime traffic connections are a matter of personal needs, and the availability of reliable local data. Look for easily-removable mounting features, as leaving the thing on the dash will get your car broken into pretty quick in most places.

[gerti]

Bought a TomTom One half a year ago, I am quite impressed. If you are looking for a unit on a budget, I can recommend that one.

[stormdog74]

Bought a TomTom One half a year ago, I am quite impressed. If you are looking for a unit on a budget, I can recommend that one.

Bought my wife the same for Christmas and she loves it.

[drumpriest]

I have a Garmin, and it's pretty great. The new ones will take voice direction, so you can speak where you want to go, which is pretty awesome if you are trying to use it on the go.

[just started]

I have a Whistler I picked up on Woot a couple of years ago and it's great. I don't know how they do it but it's got streets in it that are just being bulldozed out of the trees now.

[Tom Hintz]

I have the Garmin Nuvi 350 and am very impressed with it. We just did a tour from Charlotte, NC up through Wisconsin, back down through Illinois, through Nashville, a stop in Georgia and back to Charlotte and it never led me wrong the whole way. It even suggested an alternate route on the way back that I had never thought of between my house and Hickory that saved time.

[RayintheUK]

Another vote for Garmin - I've got the Nuvi 660 which is great. Speaks street names, Bluetooth (so hands-free cell-phone calls), can be set up for the route away from the vehicle, used when walking, easily attachable/removeable, dynamic traffic info to steer you round accidents, congestion, etc., easy POI updating, SD slot for additional mapping, password protected, great display .......... can you tell I like it yet?

Ray.

[fbrend123]

Another vote for the TomTom One. My family gave me one last Christmas. Also, my son is an installer for a satellite tv company, and uses his to get to his jobs. Seems to be a good value from what I've seen. Found out one thing the first time we used it -- if you key in the wrong destination, it WILL guide you to the wrong destination. Suspect the same thing is true with the other brands, too.

[DaveSur]

Another vote for the Garmin Nuvi 660. RayintheUK pretty much covered it. You can get pretty good deals on it now on Amazon.com.

[JSUPreston]

Just my $.02 worth: I have been on a couple of trips with in-laws and their GPS (I think it is one of the higher end Garmin units). I have never been so frustrated with a piece of technology in my life, except for Windows Vista.

Last trip we took together using the thing, it had us driving 1 1/2 hours north to go south! When we got to road construction, it took us another 2 hours out of the way, when we could've gotten through the work zone in maybe 1/2 hour. I would've broken off an gone my own way, but we were in a caravan, and they had the hotel reservations. My FIL has no sense of direction, so he will follow it off a cliff if it tells him to drive there. Even my MIL hates the thing.

My wife and I both agree that the best thing to do is read a map and make a few notes. Maybe use the GPS, but don't trust it completely. When what it tells you defies common sense, use your common sense. Meanwhile, SWMBO and I will still use our maps.

Now that I've ranted a little, one positive to the model Garmin the FIL has is the ability to upload customized information, i.e.: know speed traps, good eats, etc.

[JR]

Thanks for all the input!

The bluetooth option is one I'll really consider. LOML doesn't have a hands-free attachement for her cell phone, so this could kill two birds with one stone. It looks like the Garmin Nuvi 360 has this where the 350 does not.

How about updates to the database? Can any of you comment on the mfrs update service? Cost?

JR

[Uncle Cracker]

On the TomToms, if you install the TomTom Home software on your computer, it updates periodically when you plug into the USB port. It doesn't cost anything. It also can update the satellite tracking data, so you can acquire sats faster when you hit the road.

[Chris_B]

Where do I go for information (apart from here!)?

The best site that I have found is http://gpsinformation.net/ for very thorough and unbiased information & very detailed reviews. They also have an extremely active forum that you can search for even more info.

FWIW, I have bought several Garmins (currently using a Nuvi 760) and have been very happy with the intuitive interface. The new receivers are simply amazing, and can acquire satellites while sitting in my living room! Stay away from the 7" screen Garmin models, though. They apparently have some major routing bugs.

[jaybee]

If you have even the slightest intention of geocaching, get a Garmin. www.geocaching.com supports direct download to Garmins. I use a nuvi 250w to get me close, and I have it set for shortest route and no unpaved roads (if possible). I have a magellan handheld to get to the cache on foot, the nuvi is way to easy to drop when used as a handheld. I will, however, be changing to a Garmin handheld as soon as all the other expenses lined up get their share of the bank account. [I'm replacing the glass in 75 year old windows this month].