GPS

[Esther]

My husband is looking for a GPS for my Christmas this year.

Any suggestions?

Do you have one?

What do you like or NOT like about the one you have?

He wants one that can be updated.

[Pastor Keith]

Originally Posted by Esther

My husband is looking for a GPS for my Christmas this year.

Any suggestions?

Do you have one?

What do you like or NOT like about the one you have?

He wants one that can be updated.

I have the Garman Nuvi priced around $200, the only drawback is the small screen, but it's maps were more updated than TomTom.

[Margies3]

They did a news report here on the local news last week about GPS systems. They said if you have one in your car - especially a portable one - your car becomes a prime target for thieves to break into. When they get your GPS, they can get your home address from it. And then they go to your home and break in.

I don't know anything about how true that is, but thought I'd pass along the info just in case.

[MrsMcD]

Originally Posted by Margies3

They did a news report here on the local news last week about GPS systems. They said if you have one in your car - especially a portable one - your car becomes a prime target for thieves to break into. When they get your GPS, they can get your home address from it. And then they go to your home and break in.

I don't know anything about how true that is, but thought I'd pass along the info just in case.

This makes sense. I take my down until I travel.

I have a Garmin. I love it. I don't know how I ever traveled without it.

[RandyWayne]

I am looking for one myself (as a Christmas gift for my wife). So I would like a hand held type that can be carried with us during hikes.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Margies3

They did a news report here on the local news last week about GPS systems. They said if you have one in your car - especially a portable one - your car becomes a prime target for thieves to break into. When they get your GPS, they can get your home address from it. And then they go to your home and break in.

I don't know anything about how true that is, but thought I'd pass along the info just in case.

Yikes! However, your home address is on your insurance card, which is usually in the car as well.

[Esther]

Just received and very happy with my purchase. Set up is quick and very intuitive.

As others have said, if you don't want the extra bells and whistles of a MP3 player, bluetooth, and live traffic updates, I think this is the best product out there. Don't worry about the lack of text to speech, you won't even miss it. Voice clearly announces the upconing turns by distance, and the banner at the top list the street name of the upcoming turn anyway.

Widescreen is great with the touchscreen very easy to use and navigate. Except for initial startup, satellite acquisition seems fast, and accuracy seems excellent with turns as indicated within 5 to 10 yards at most.

I initially got interested in the Nuvi after a trip with a friend using the Nuvi 660. Looked at the Tom Tom I 3rd edition, and the Mio C220 in depth reading lots of reviews, and decided to go with Garmin Nuvi. I could not be happier with this selection, and heartily recommend the Garmin Nuvi 200W.


Found this on the net.

[Esther]

ANOTHER REVIEW

I wont bore you with what everybody else says about the 200W. It's a great unit and very easy to learn. I also own a Mio C220 GPS and as both GPS systems are similar, I would like to compare them.
Ease of use... Nuvi by far the best.
Picking up and holding satellites... Mio by far the best.
Sound volume... Nuvi by far the best.
Screen brightness... Nuvi by far the best.
Although the Nuvi has a bigger screen it lacks two features the Mio has and I miss them very much. The Mio has an arrow that always points to North, the Nuvi does not. The Mio shows the next turn on the screen, the Nuvi does not, and you have to touch the bottom right part of the Nuvi screen to see the next turn in advance. You do see the turn coming as you get to that turn on the Nuvi but it's nice to know more in advance then the Nuvi lets you know. With such a large screen it's hard to justify not having these two items on screen as I find them important. The POI's are much harder to program in on the Mio but the Mio lets you categorize your POI's, the Nuvi lumps them all into one category. Via points are basically unlimited in the Mio but not easily programed in, the Nuvi allows only one via point but is easily programed into the trip. The Mio offers a "QWERTY" key board to input information while the Nuvi has an "ABC" keyboard. This isn't a big deal but why not a QWERTY keyboard as everybody uses on on their own computers, and finding letters is much faster. Both are great GPS systems, the Mio is "meat and potatoes" while the Nuvi is "pheasant under glass". My advice is that although the Nuvi 200W is about $100 more than the Mio C220, its the one to get due to the sound volume and screen brightness and ease of use.

[Esther]

I have not owned the Lowrance iWay 250C, Magellan Maestro 4000, and Garmin nüvi 200W. I began with the Lowrance 250 but unfortunately it was stolen and I was forced to replace the unit. I bought the Magellan 4000 but returned it in a short period to purchase the Garmin 200W. In an attempt to summarize my thought on these units, I'll summarize my observations in a 'pro / con' format.

As a summary of the following, I was extremely impressed with the Lowrance iWay 250C's dependability and price. The Garmin Nuvi 200W has good navigation tools and a clear, large display. Finally, the Magellan 4000 was built in a quality manner but lacked basic navigational functionality.

Lowrance iWay 250C -
Pros:
1) Fantastic routing sequences. This unit has great navigational features and never misguided me at any time.
2) Can add personalized POIs with symbols using street address.
3) GREAT price for a solid unit.
4) Voice and sound quality excellent.
5) Overall very dependable unit with intelligent navigation and outstanding value.

Cons:
1) Slow to locate signal.
2) Small 3.5 inch screen.

Magellan Maestro 4000
Pros:
1) Audible chime to signify upcoming turns.
2) Large 4.3 inch screen.
3) Extremely solid construction with MANY accessories included (AC charger, etc).
4) Large touchscreen buttons which allow for easy control.
5) Voice and sound quality excellent.
6) Clear display of menu funtions and user friendly.

Cons:
1) Hard to read maps and poor general map display. Most roads are displayed very small and the map background colors are poorly selected.
2) Poor selection of routing preferences.
3) Adding personal POIs requires separate interface using latitude/longitude only. It is impossible to add personal POIs with the simple use of street address.
4) Several times this unit provided routes which were incorrect. Most errors occurred due to its inability to know that road medians have turning lanes.

Garmin nüvi 200W
Pros:
1) Can add personal POIs with symbols using street addresses.
2) Clear and large display.
3) Large touchscreen buttons which allow for easy control.
4) Clear menus displayed with intuitive and user friendly functions.
5) Overall good unit with clean navigational tools and ease of use.

Cons:
1) Power connection in rear of unit can be frustrating to plug/unplug.
2) No AC charger included.
3) It is not possible to display the remaining trip mileage as the route is being displayed. The estimated time of arrival is shown but switching this to the remaining mileage is not possible.
4) Some routing has been incorrect. These errors seem to occur due to its inability to know that road medians have turning lanes.
5) Very short device for windshield mounting.

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

I am looking for one myself (as a Christmas gift for my wife). So I would like a hand held type that can be carried with us during hikes.

We have a couple GPSrs and I would recommend a Garmin rather than a Magellan. Garmins are much more user-friendly. My GPSr of choice is my Garmin Rino 120. My MIL has the 130, and it is great, just the "newer model" than mine.

I use mine for hiking, geocaching, etc.