Looking to buy a GPS device for my car. What do you suggest?
- Good quality detailed US maps w/ ability to add ex-US maps if needed
- Accurate routing and quick re-routing with voice prompts
- Fast satellite recognition
- Lane guidance
- Ability to upload desired address from computer to device
- Ability to enter multiple "stops"
- Points of interest and car tours
I'm open to suggestions for other good features as well.
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M$6 Answers
Here are a few different devices at different price points:
GARMIN nüvi 1690 4.3" GPS Navigation with Garmin nuLink Service-399.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858108376
TomTom XXL 540-S 5.0" GPS Navigation with Advanced Lane Guidance - 299.95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858194085
Garmin Nuvi 785T 4.3" GPS Navigation with lane assist w/ 3D view -189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858108340
Anything under 189.99 isn't going to have the lane assist and some other features that you are looking for. Good luck in your search.
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M$-quote-
"Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
Price: $226.98
Technical Details
* Bright, 4.3-inch diagonal color WQVGA TFT touchscreen with 480 x 272 pixels and white backlight
* Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT
* Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling with compatible devices
* High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception
* NOTE: Model number on the box is 765T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 765 as the "T" in 765T refers to the additional component
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By Dodongo Dislikes Smoke (Boston, MA)
This Nuvi does several things very well, and I've yet to discover any serious shortcomings. My thoughts:
Navigation: Excellent, as is typical with Garmin units. On a couple of occasions the voice (right now I'm using Australian Karen) told me my destination was on the wrong side of the street.
Map: The map is clear, the refresh rate is fast, and all of the right information is provided on-screen, including details for upcoming turns and junctions, speed limit, and traffic alerts. It's annoying that I can't choose to switch the display of my current speed to some other piece of info. I already have a speedometer. The 3D buildings feature seems pretty gimmicky, and is implemented sporadically, even in downtown Boston. When there is coverage, most buildings are monochromatic blocks, and not the photo-realistic buildings seen in screenshots......."
-end of quote-
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M$
Oh ... I'm sorry for the mistake. Yesterday morning (my time) I got a message saying "1 day ago • Looking to buy a GPS device for my car. What do you suggest? will be decided in one day." So, I thought I had until this morning to decide ... thinking that deciding last night was in plenty of time. I hope the community picks your answer.
There were many good suggestions, but in the end I chose edwardclint's as the best answer because the device had the functionality and the answer included description of features, consumer rating, customer reviews, pics, etc.
For me it came down to the Garmin Nuvi 765T vs. 785T, but I chose the 765T because the 785T is now discontinued by Garmin and I wanted to go with something that was still fully supported ... plus, it made me wonder what might have been wrong with the 785T to warrant it's discontinuance.
There are no best answers yet, maybe your question expired. You are only given 3 days to decide for the 'Best Answer', after three days the community will vote.
Based on statements of Donald Signorino 'Don' of Bayville , NJ United States on amazon.com reviews he/she posted that : "I paired the 765 with my Blackberry Storm easily, and everything works flawlessly. My phone's contacts transferred immediately, and I can call Points of Interest and people from my contacts easily, with 1 touch. I do not have any of the bluetooth issues described in other places. No issues at all.
As for your query "can you look up your destination on the website and send it to the device", the Garmin 765T, can "transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator."
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-765T-4-3-Inch-Bluetooth-Navigator/dp/B001ELJER4?tag=mahalo-20
I clicked on the "Best Answer" button, but it doesn't look right. What did I do wrong? How do I fix it? Did you get your tip?
I hope so, thanks!!!
Is the bluetooth capability on the 765T any good? I will need to take business calls from the car occassionally and I will want good quality sound. Or should I be looking at specific bluetooth devices for that feature and really only consider the 765T for it's GPS/navigation features?
Also, the garmin website looks interesting ... can you look up your destination on the website and send it to the device (so you don't have to type it in to the device directly)?
This Garmin is sick. I like Garmin"s the best. But this is nice if you're on a budget like me.
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/779968/
It's cool, simply say, "Find the nearest Starbucks or McDonald's" and it will find it. You can say, "I wanna call (name of person) and it will call them. Then you say, "Details for number one" and it will show you the closest one. It will then show you the route and calculate it.
Pioneer makes a great navigation system for your car.
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M$
you have mentioned is the Garmin n�vi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
By Garmin
It got a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 705 customer reviews
Price: $229.99 $109.99
---quote--
Product Features
* GPS system preloaded with City Navigator North America NT
* 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 2D/3D mapping perspective
* Turn-by-turn directions with voice guidance and text to speech
* Rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot
* Includes JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more
First Rate Map Data
The nüvi 260W comes preloaded with City Navigator NT North America--road coverage for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and nearly 6 million points of interest. City Navigator North America NT gives you everything you need to travel North America. Powered by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality digital map data, City Navigator brings you the most detailed street maps available so you can navigate with exact, turn-by-turn directions to any address or intersection.
Easy To Use Interface
Garmin's interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip.
---end of quote---
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M$
1. Voice - higher end models will say the name of the street in their directions - "Turn Left on Main Street". Lower end will say "Turn left in 300 feet" Sometimes its hard to know exactly where they are wanting you to turn - so the named street option is nice. That said, they will sometimes mispronounce the street which can add to your confusion. And - I frequently turn the volume down completely as the directions can get annoying - so keep that in mind.
2. Map Updates - One thing I like about TomTom over Garmin - TomTom updates their maps 4 times a year. They also have a subscription service which makes it fairly reasonable to buy the updates. Garmin updates twice a year - and they want almost $100 for an update. With the price of GPS's coming down - it becomes almost cheaper to buy a new GPS every year.
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M$
1) Fast Information return
2) Easy Search
3) Voice Recognition
4) 3D Landmarks
5) 5.1" Ultra Wide Screen
6) Bluetooth Speaker Phone
7) U.S., Canada, And Puerto Rico Maps
8) Streaming Traffic Information
9) Weather Information
10) Gas Prices
11) Flight Status
12) Safety Camera Alerts
13) Google Local search
14) Phone book Downloads
Battery is 1100mAh Lithium Ion with Internal charge, all models are potable or can be professionally installed.
Here is Motorola's site you can check it out further if you would like
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/MOTONAV/MOTONAV-Overview
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M$
I looks like both of the Garmin's have Bluetooth Capability. The 2nd Garmin (189.99) is actually $110 off right now on Newegg.com. Originally $299.99, it seems like a great deal at $189.99. The Bluetooth is pretty easy to set-up.
Check out this (page 9 for Bluetooth set-up:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/nuvi785T_QuickStartManual.pdf
And this (list of supported phones):
http://my.garmin.com/bluetooth/phones.faces
I have the lower end Garmin and since I don't live in the big city anymore... it's more than enough.
*I just downloaded the Yeti voice, but I can't tell if AAKK means turn left or right.
I second the Tomtom recommendation. I have owned many and they are simply the best.
I have a very low opinion of Garmin as I've had several fail on me and the user interface sucks (in my opinion). But many other people like Garmin, so don't rule it out, but definitely try one out first before buying it.
If you have an iPhone, get the tomtom app - you can get it for various countries, just buy a new country when you need it. Grab the window mount too.
Oh no, I can't edit my comment....
Please, forget what I said about Garmin sucking.... I meant Magellan. Magellan GPS's of all type SUCK
Garmin is excellent. As far as car navigation goes, I would consider it 2nd best to Tomtom, but it's very close.
If you are ever looking for handheld hiking/fishing GPS's Garmin Kicks butt, they have the BEST handheld GPS's and I've probably owned at least 10 different ones.
Yeti voice is pretty cool but when are they going to do ghetto voice? angry lady would yell "TURN LEFT! I SAY TURN LEFT! YALL GONNA MAKE ME HAVE TO RE-CACULATE NOW!"
Thanks, colecchi, for these suggestions and for providing a range of options. Lane assist is important to my wife and we don't minds spending a little more to get a really good device, if the cost is worth it ... this is going in our new car and we turned down the $2k dealer "navigation package".
Looks like some of the higher end GPS devices come with bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling. Which of these 3 devices work best for bluetooth or should I be looking elsewhere for that feature and really only consider these for their GPS/navigation features?
@bunnyphuphu Yea I agree getting a low-end model is plenty for more rural areas. I live in the middle-of-no-where, Ohio and I am fine with Google Maps on my blackberry, didn't help at all when I went on a trip to Chicago though. Haven't tried the Yeti Voice on my dads Garmin, but it looks hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWRpAB4EKVE&feature=player_embedded@dholowiski TomTom and Garmin are most definitely the 2 top consumer brands for GPS. They both have high and low end models that are in every ones price ranges. From $99-$499, both Garmin and TomTom are excellent choices.