vehicle gps systems

1. Posted: Aug 29 2008

   I have had this unit for about a month now and it seems to work very well except I have noticed that some of the maps are out of date. I am still trying to figure out if there is a way to freely update the map set but, the instruction manual is very poor. Once in a while it will burp as I call it and be totally lost but it recovers rather quickly so it doesn't seem to be much of a problem. Over all it is a good little unit and hopefully the Europe maps will do the trick when we visit Italy this year.

2. Posted: Aug 25 2008

   I purchased the Garmin Nuvi 270 to have a portable unit which I can use in multiple vehicles and while a pedestrian and which I can also use in Europe. For its price of less than $230 at Amazon.com, I have found it to be an excellent buy and about what I needed. It is a very convenient size for portable use and its display is comfortable to view and manage. I have owned a number of GPS units since they became available on the commercial market and I find the performance improvements, over what this technology was capable of 15 years ago, to be remarkable. The receiver sensitivity improvements particularly allow the unit to lock to the satellite signals and operate in environments (under trees, in canyons, near tall buildings) far beyond the capability of previous receivers. The speed of acquiring and locking is typical of competitive units. The display is fine. The user is offered a choice of several map displays and details to suit preferences and conditions. I keep the brightness set at 50% which is adequate for most usage, but the display will wash out in bright sunlight. Setting at 100% improves bright sunlight use, but some shading is still necessary for sunlight viewing. The major power consumption in these instruments is usually the display, so I prefer to reduce the brightness when not required, important when operating away from charging sources. My fully charged unit seems to operate somewhat less than the five hours advertised by Garmin. Perhaps more like 3 to 4 hours. I purchased the AC charger and would recommend that accessory for anyone expecting to use the unit away from the car. A feature I miss is the ability to view satellite positions as the GPS searches and locks. When having difficulty acquiring, it is of interest to notice the required satellites are with respect to the horizon and mountains and buildings which may obstruct reception. The points of interest included in the memory are adequate and acceptable for most travels. Adding points is quite simple and convenient by simply touching the screen and saving. The touch screen works very well, but is tactilely very sensitive and the locking feature is very useful when in situations where the unit is being handled a lot. However, the lock button is contained in the on/off switch, small, and on the side of the unit, not easy to find and to operate by feel, particularly while walking, or in the dark! The data base, including the maps, is a few years old and no update is available at this time. I mention some of this as an advisory, not a complaint. I understand the challenge in keeping databases up to date; I just remind myself that I got all of the US and all of Europe for less than $230. The enunciator voice is quite pleasant and the volume can be adjusted or muted to suit conditions. Street names are not called out, only the distance to turns and points, and she can do this in 40 different languages, a few of which I have not even heard of. The navigation features work fine when traveling simple paths. For driving in cities, such as Los Angeles, consider the navigation help a suggestion and certainly not a recommendation. The algorithms generally direct travel over major thoroughfares, interstates and freeways which can often be the worst choice for many trips. The Nuvi offers a menu of avoidance selections (no U-turns, Carpool lanes, Toll Roads, Highways, etc.) but these really don't help. Suggest depending on pre-trip planning and common sense. In summary, I give the Nuvi 270 all around good marks.

3. ( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 18 2008

   I bought this nuvi mainly because my wife is from Germany and I always have a terrible time navigating around these towns. I didn't want a unit that I would only use for a few weeks a year when we are in Europe so I sought out something with a database in the USA as well. This is a simple unit. It doesn't upload traffic or current construction delays. It doesn't play music. It doesn't bluetooth. It doesn't play videos. It doesn't wash your socks. It just navigates and it does it very well. We travelled all over Germany, over to a small town in Poland, back to northern Germany, over to Norway (and all over the country), and then back to Germany. It found everything without a hitch. It even found these obscure little dirt roads in the wilds of Norway. Took us directly to airport terminals and ferry terminals. I am hugely impressed by this little unit. Nothing but good to say so far...

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1. Posted: Sep 3 2008

   This GPS gave me a quicker route to work that I would never have figured out myself. It recalculates pretty quick. I actually bought this for my fiance, but used it for myself the first day. :) He drives a lot in Atlanta, GA and it has helped him. The only "downfall" is that is seems like it takes you around the world to get you just across town. That can get a little aggravating, but it does get you there. Sometimes quicker than you expected. All in all, I am happy with it.

2. Posted: Sep 3 2008

   I love the wide screen. Very helpfull. I got a great price from Amazon.

3. Posted: Sep 2 2008

   This unit is easy to use, easy to read, fits in your pocket, and really saves the day when driving through unfamiliar areas. We took ours on a 4,000 mile cross country vacation and it saved the day many times. No more need for paper maps or even trying to read hard to understand directions. Verbal directions are easily understood as actual street names are identified. This GPS System has a lot of addition features for those who like to track total distance, average speed, miles to destination, etc. We liked it so well, we bought a second one for our daughter.

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1. Posted: Sep 3 2008

   Just a basic device, pretty reliable, no fancy functions. It doesn't have the function to direct you to the nearest restaurant or hotel, which I think are useful.

2. Posted: Sep 1 2008

   Great buy. Exceeds expectation. I could not be happier. My sister has another GPS by Jenssen. She is about to get a Garmin.Garmin n??vi 200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

3. Posted: Aug 28 2008

   I am very happy with this GPS. You don't need to spend hundreds on a unit. This model is basic but has all the main options anyone would need. It is accurate and gets me exactly where I want to go. These GPS units absolutely amaze me with their stunningly precise technology.

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1. Posted: Sep 2 2008

   So glad to order this Garmin product. Exactly meets our needs and performs beyond expectations. Would have paid more for more functions, but found they were not necessary. This product has already got me out of several situations of being lost in a nearby town and and also consistently and very accurately figured out the correct drive times to various destinations, despite road conditions. Wonderful functions, beautiful maps, lots of great functions and intuitively easy to use. Wonderful product!

2. Posted: Sep 1 2008

   This GPS works great. The announcements by street name is a big plus over previous GPSs. I have used it on several trips now and found it to be quite reliable, easily recalculates routes when needed. It also does a good job of determining your new location (ex: use it to get to airport in point A, fly across country to point B, it will determine that you are in point B now in under 5 minutes). I have used other GPS units that take a very long time, 30 minutes or more to make this determination. I would like to volume to be a little louder or have the speaker in the front. But this is not a big enough problem from my recommending it to others. I would buy the unit again.

3. Posted: Aug 31 2008

   Awsome product. It took about 30 mins to really figure this thing out but once I did it really works great. I love that you can bypass construction and it recalculates your route automatically. The bluetooth is awesome for hands free mobile. The website is great for all of your questions like "how do you get the thing to say the street names instead of turn left in 100 ft". Just change the voice and it says the street names. The thing fits right in my front pocket when I'm not in the car. I haven't quite figured out how to navigate on foot that well. I tried it once and it was a little difficult to follow. Overall I am completely satisfied.

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1. Posted: Aug 31 2008

   I bought this unit because I am interested in both automobile navigation and geocaching. I am very happy with this GPS. It is much better than the my previous (Ostia) GPS. The Magellan Crossover GPS works well in automobile navigation routing and re-routing, with good accuracy. The voice directions are accurate and clear with good volume. For geocaching, I have used it successfully to find three new geocaches. The only flaw that I have noticed in the Magellan Crossover GPS is a limited data base on points of interest. For example, for the restaurant data base it appears to list mostly fast food restaurants.

2. Posted: Aug 27 2008

   I purchased a Magellan CrossoverGPS a number of months ago. After not being able to get it to work, I have tried many times to get support from Magellan. I don't think they offer support. I have other Magellan products that work well, but this Crossover is a wreck. I would not recommend the Crossover to my ex-wife if I had an ex. If anyone can suggest how to get support from Magellan, please let me know. Thank you, Dave

3. Posted: Aug 19 2008

   The top reason to reconsider a Magellan unit is the old maps. I bought this unit a year ago when it first came out. You would think with the latest GPS hardware you would get the latest maps and software. Okay, no problem that they had a new version of software that changed the entire interface - it did make it easier. But the maps were OVER 2 years old. I didn't find that on the box, nor in any of their advertising, nor the poor support section on their website. I wrote immediately and they told me that there were no newer maps at the time, but they could be available anytime. It took them almost a year to release new maps AND naturally, they want you to pay $80 plus shipping/handling for the privilege of the upgrade. I've written them twice and explained that it seems unfair to pay for maps that should have been included when I paid $350 for the latest and greatest. Each note got a response in about a week that said, "We get the maps from Navteq, so we can't give them away, and anyway, you're gonna want the new maps and it's not like other electronics where you pay a subscription and get free updates." WHAT? First, you gave me old maps, so you need to make it right and I don't care where you get them. Second, of course I want the maps, that I SHOULD have gotten when I bought the unit. Third, You don't pay for something then call it free! Magellan also doesn't have any corporate information on their website, so I can't even write to someone further up the chain. The unit itself works pretty well and does all the things it's intended to. I especially like the announcement of street names so that I don't have to look at the unit to know where I'm supposed to turn and when. I can't recommend a Magellan unit however, because of their map update policy.

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1. Posted: Jul 24 2008

   The hardware and software interface is OK. But the map is out dated and there is no way to upgrade it.... I do not recommend this GPS unit.

2. Posted: Oct 15 2007

   It is very unfortunate that you cannot get map updates for this GPS. Overall I found it to be well built, easy to use and efficient. However, I have had the unit for over 2 years. The maps are in serious need of up-dating and there appears no way to do that. There are many places in the country that are constantly changing (Palm Springs, Las Vegas, etc.) On my last visit to Las Vegas this device was practically useless as the map software is so out of date. This is a dead horse. Definitely do not buy.

3. ( 0 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 28 2007

   The Navman 550 is an excellent transportable GPS product that is easy to program and easy to operate. Its precise voice instructions in addition to its easily read and understood graphics make it a joy to use.

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1. Posted: Aug 3 2008

   excellent gps. very easy to use and intuitive. boots and acquires position in just a few seconds.

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1. Posted: Aug 29 2008

   It worked great in my Canada trip. I had difficulty in entering address. As I have Magellen unit and Magellen allows you to enter only possible characters in city or street. One need to be careful entering french addresses for Montreal or Qubec, etc. Otherwise unit worked fine with price I paid $250.

2. Posted: Aug 29 2008

   I am a guy who has had GPS for many years now. I have had handhelds since handhelds came out in the late 90's. I have had expereince with the military GPS in the mid/late 80's when the GPS was the entire back of a Hummer!! But I digress. This is about the new Nuvi 370. I dont hate it, but I definately dont love it. It is small, but not compact. The screen is fairly bright, but still is hard to read in bright sunlight. The voice mispronounces "almost" everything she reads. You really have to pay attention to what she is trying to say. There is also a flaw in the design as far as it frequently "thinks" there is a turn if there is a bend in the road. It will say "keep left" for I-10, and this wont make sense to you because I am already on I-10... You dont need more confusion if you are in a new place. I would give this unit a C at best.

3. Posted: Aug 26 2008

   I like the features on this unite and it seems pretty easy to use. The only real problem for me is that many locations are not up to date. The strip mall down the street opened over 2 years ago and only around half the locations are in the Garmin. I did an update of their software and none of the locations missing came up. I realize there is some turnaround in getting this stuff mapped, but 2+ years should be enough time especially given that around half the businesses are there. They all opened pretty close to the same time. Pretty annoying to think that if I search for a restaurant while traveling that it might not show if it opened in the past 2+ years?

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