Garmin nüvi 500 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin nüvi 500 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin 500 - Very Nice

The Nuvi 500 hundred works very well in the car and on the trail. The "Where Am I" function is very useful for saving the current location or for finding near by intersections and emergency services. The included topo maps are great for hiking and driving. I bought the Nuvi 500 because I like to hike and sometimes I need to drive to a coordinate instead of an address (rural locations or geocaching). The detail is amazing. If you need a multifunction GPS, I would give the Nuvi 500 a try.

Best value for an allround GPS

I puchased this unit for mountain biking as well as driving. I am happy to say that it does both very well. The mapping is great. It's waterproof. I couldn't be happier with the unit.

An Excellent Multi-Functional GPS

Let me start by saying that I currently own and use several different GPS units: Garmins Nuvi 750, Colorado 400t, Rino 130 (a pair) and a Dash Express (I've also owned Garmins 2720, 2820, Nuvi 350, and a 60CSx in the recent past). I have so many of them because I use them for different purposes: * Automobile navigation: I travel all over the country and always take a GPS with me for use in my rental cars. * Walking in urban areas: I love to stroll around great cities and a good GPS not only keeps me from getting lost, it helps me to find areas of interest. * Hiking in rural areas: As a birdwatcher I find a hand-held GPS receiver essential. Getting lost in the desert or the woods is no fun at all. * Bicycling: I love to just bike and then try to figure out how to get home later. A GPS makes it easy to find my way back. * Geocaching: A wonderful hobby that involves finding things that others have hidden using coordinates posted on the web. A GPS is an absolute necessity if you want to do this. So, why did I buy yet another Garmin, the Nuvi 500? It is a part of my eternal search for one GPS receiver that is appropriate for all of these endeavors. It is important to understand that no GPS is perfect, nor is any one model ideal for everything. However, some accomplish some tasks well but are useless for others. The Nuvi 500 (and it's brother the 550) are useful for all of my needs. Instead of comparing it to other models that are more specialized, let me grade the Nuvi 500 in how well in works ,right out-of-the-box, for each task that I wanted it for: * Automobile navigation: C+ There are much better units for this purpose if that is all you are going to use it for. Still, it gets you there. One major feature that I miss in the Nuvi 500 is Text-To-Speech (or TTS). This is where the unit pronounces the names of streets and roads. With it a GPS will say "Turn right on Broadway Street". Without TTS is will say "Turn right at the next street". However, the unit will give you the street name in writing on the GPS display screen. TTS is not something that I need when walking or bicycling, but it is really helpful when driving as it is not always easy to read and drive. Also, the display is somewhat small, especially if the dash is deep and far from the driver. Although you can buy an optional FM traffic receiver, some units, like the Dash Express, have this feature built-in, plus it can connect via the internet and get real-time traffic info. My Garmin 2820 has built in satellite radio, however it is pretty big and needs to be plugged in. * Walking in urban areas: A Here is where the Nuvi 500 shines. First, it is small enough to fit in a pocket (although I do wish that it was thinner) yet it's big enough to see the display without squinting. However, my favorite feature is the user-switchable batteries. Most GPS receivers use built-in rechargeable batteries; nice but when they run down you either have to find a place to plug it in and recharge it or you are stuck without a usable GPS. The Garmin Nuvi 500's back opens up and the expended battery can be swapped out with a fresh one. This is a HUGE benefit for anyone using a GPS in any place other than a car. Another nice feature for the urban tourist is that you can download photos from a special web-site and not only see them on the Nuvi it will give directions to where the photo was taken. Cool. * Hiking in rural areas: B The Nuvi is not as ergonomic as those units designed to be hand held. It is a flat, rectangular device without a textured surface, still it is very usable outdoors. What I like about the 500 is that it comes loaded with both City Navigator and Garmin's Topo Map (the 550 does has more North American coverage but does not have topographical coverage). Both units feature "digital elevation model" (DEM) mapping which shows you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, however, the Topo maps will show much, much more. Details like elevations, streams, small bodies of water, trails, landmarks and many other features that can really be useful when you are out in the boonies. * Bicycling: A I had my Garmin Colorado mounted on my Trek 7300 bike and although it looked funny (I have photos of it on Amazon's Colorado 400t page) it worked O-K. Still, it did not come with the same type of street maps that the Nuvi does (I could have purchased it for about $100 and downloaded it onto the Colorado if I wanted to) and it was not as intuitive to use as the Nuvis are. Also, the Nuvi 500 really looks nice on my handlebars. Since it is waterproof (as is the Colorado) you don't have to worry about a rainstorm. * Geocaching: B+ If you haven't geocached and don't ever plan on doing it then you might want to skip this part of my review. However, if you are on of the many thousands that enjoy this growing hobby (over 600,000 geocaches have been placed worldwide) this is a GPS that can take you from your driveway to the cache and back effortlessly. Like the Colorado (and similar models such as the Oregon) you can download cache information directly to the GPS. Other Garmins can download the coordinates but the Nuvi 500 (and the 550) will display the cache information, hints, logs and just about everything that you need to successfully find what you are looking for. You can also record the results of your search (found, did not find, needs repair, etc.) for later transfer to the geocaching website. I've used the Nuvi 500 to find caches and it took me right to it. I'll still use my Colorado but if I only want to take one GPS with me, it'll be the 500. Additional things that I like: The Nuvi 500 lets you change your mode of travel (car, bike or on-foot) from the main page. It will then customize you directions based on your mode of transport icon (for instance, you can navigate one-way streets much differently on bike or on foot vs. by car). Another nice touch is when you choose a destination a little tab slides out from the "Go!" icon on the screen which shows your Usage Mode (car, bike, etc.) the Distance and the Time based on your chosen mode of travel. My 750 does not have this feature. Another thing that I like is that you can easily program the Nuvi 500 for on-road or off-road use. If you are traveling on foot you are not restricted to directions that require you to stick to the streets. Somethings that I am not crazy about: The specs list the battery life as "up to" 8 hours. I set the backlight to 50% and got 5 hours of use. Still very usable and with a second battery (which I bought with the unit and highly recommend) you can get 10 hours of continuous use without needing to recharge it or turn off the backlight completely. I also wish that the housing had a textured finish on the outside edge, giving you something to help you to keep your grip. One final gripe: I can understand why Garmin does not include the AC charger with other Nuvi models but this one should really come with one. After all, it's billed as a multifunctional GPS, not an automotive GPS. I am very happy with my new Garmin. I will be recommending this unit to all of my geocaching, birdwatching and bicycling friends. If you're are looking for a GPS that does it all, so far this one is the best. UPDATE 12/03/08: The price has dropped a couple of hundred dollars since I purchased it only a month ago. Now the value is even better! Grab it while you can. TR

Amazing Crossover Device

Alright, so it could've had save-able tracks and it is NOT an Oregon for off-road but it is an amazing crossover system. I have uploaded 500 geocaches using the premium member feature from Geocaching.com: Pocket Queries. I set a point in a field behind my house using Google earth and then sent the coordinates via USB cable to the Nuvi 500. It got me within 20 feet. Not too bad, I would say. Even tiny family owned local stores show up on the Nuvi 500 maps. Its super easy to switch between road maps and the topo map feature, just click off of the road map to switch to touch navigated topo maps. The more you zoom in, the more POI's show up. As far as i can tell Garmin loaded every POI my hometown has to offer and if it isn't on the map, chances are you can search for it on the Nuvi 500 and find it. It's perfect for me, a young driver, going off to college with big interests in being out of doors and also wanting turn-by-turn directions to get where im going. I'm a new Geocahcer and the dedicated Geocaching feature seems flawless. At time the Nuvi 500 seems a little bogged down with processing information but settings of detail levels can help speed up the process. The compass feature seems to work decently, however i rarely us it, relying instead, on zooming in on the topo map as i get closer to a geocache to find my way. The Nuvi 500 hooks up to my Mac, is quickly recognized and then opens as a removable mass-storage device with just under 1GB of free space. (500 .GPX files takes up only 5-600Kb). There is a picture viewer, you can send addresses and coordinates from google maps straight to the device and the street level mapping even in large cities seems flawless. No new maps or major firmware updates are available yet. Overall, it is an amazing system and worth every 385$ i spent on it. (much cheaper than 500$ at best buy).

Keyword : garmin

Holux GPSmile 52 Voice GPS Navigation System with US & Canada Map, MP3 player, photo viewer.

Holux GPSmile 52 Voice GPS Navigation System with US & Canada Map, MP3 player, photo viewer.

Great bang for the buck, you just have to work a little for it

The GPSmile 52+ is a device that, on the surface, seems mediocre at best. The hardware itself is a gem, easily on a par with PNAs costing twice as much or more. There are no bells and whistles (Bluetooth integration, subscription-based traffic updates, etc) but the machine includes the venerable SIRFstar III receiver, a battery that actually lives up to its advertised capacity, and just a solid, high-quality overall feel. What really handicaps this unit out-of-the-box is the provided Smart2Go map suite. The software itself isn't bad - directions are reasonably good (though GPS directions should NEVER be completely relied upon no matter how good or expensive the unit) and the information display on the map screen is nice and complete. However, the maps themselves are terribly lacking in detail and the street names, which are squeezed into each road illustration using a small font, are almost unreadable with the GPSmile attached to your windshield. Ditto that for the compass, now that I think about it. That nice, complete information display also blocks up much of the screen to the left of your position cursor so unless you zoom way out (which makes the street names even harder to read) you can barely tell what streets are to your left until you've already passed them. The software also takes an unusually long time to calculate routes and the zoom function is very annoying - far too many zoom levels and an over-sensitive slider are a recipe for frustration. Hardware issues are much less problematic. The screen looks a little washed-out when "light" colors are on the screen (can be worked around a bit by tinkering with the backlight setting), and the GPS cold-start acquisition time is a lie (I've waited 2+ mins to get a lock before), though this seems to be a common issue not at all limited to the GPSmile. That's about it - as I said earlier, this unit is surprisingly well-made considering its price. It's obvious that Holux can sell this so cheap because they paid bottom dollar for the GPS software rather than cutting corners on the device itself. They're also apparently saving money with their "tech support," which is possibly the worst ever. No response to several emails I sent regarding map updates, which you're supposed to get one year's worth of for free, though if you're smart you won't be needing them anyway (keep reading). So after using the GPSmile with the stock software for awhile, one starts to feel like they got what they paid for - i.e. one of the cheapest PNAs on the market. But then you stumble across GPSPassion Dot Com and learn how to unlock this unit and suddenly everything changes. By simply swapping a few files on the GPSmile's SD card, you can get into the guts of the device and have it behave like kind of a stripped-down PDA. This will enable you to try virtually any navigation program that's designed to run on a WinCE 4.2 device, of which there are probably about a dozen. Route66 and Destinator 6 seem to be popular choices, though my hands-down favorite has been iGo 2006 (which is essentially the same program that comes with Mio devices as well as a few others). So in sum, if you don't want to unlock the GPSmile then you're going to get what you pay for, but if you want to spend a few minutes and upgrade to quality navigation software like iGo or R66 then you'll suddenly find yourself with a quality PNA worth about twice the amount you paid for it. Wouldn't be surprised to see this device building somewhat of a cult following before long. Good luck and enjoy!

With a little tweaking this is a great unit!

I appreciate everyone who writes a thoughtful review. Consumers need to stick together. At this time there is only one other review of this unit on Amazon. The other reviewer had some routing difficulties that are not unique to this device. These types of routing issues have been the subject of many comedy routines. It is almost a subplot in the Robin William's movie RV. Anyone who has used one of these car navigation units can identify with the comedy. I purchased my first portable moving map GPS, a Garmin 95AVD about fifteen years ago for our airplane. Since that time I have used several types of later generation units. Laptop based GPS software, and even moving map software that runs on my phone. While there are major differences between the units... everyone that I have ever used comes up with routes that must be overidden by the common sense portion of my brain. To me the software that comes on GPSmile seems about average. It is pretty easy to use, has tons of POIs (Points of Interest), the routing is not any worse than a lot of other units I have tried, it has a lot of information available on the main map page, and I actually like the slight British accent. I still admit however that I prefer some of the other mapping software. If one does a google search using the terms, "gpsmile 52 unlock", the first result that comes up today is a thread from the Gpspassion forum that tells exactly how easy it is to get to the WindowsCE operating system and install software that for me at least works better and easier. Every software package has it's own set of followers. Some actually prefer the Smart2go software that comes on the GPSmile. What you are buying here is a tiny windows computer with a sensitive GPS receiver and bright 3.5" touch screen display. Out of the box the unit has some pretty good versatillity. It also plays videos and music, and displays pictures and text files. But the thing to remember is that it is a computer and you can run what ever software you want. The software I added to the device is is just plain easier to use. It's so easy that after I demonstrated how it worked to my elderly mother... She wanted one. I purchased a second unit for my mother; she can sometimes get confused trying to find her way home. Once you add home to your favorite location list, it takes about three pushes on the touch screen menus to have the new software route you back home. It won over my wife also. This GPSmile not only has a beautiful screen, it plays video, music, and displays pictures right out of the box. With some tweaking it is capable of playing or displaying files of nearly any format. I am also adding other software. I love the device. Sometimes bigger is not better. The thing has a robust little suction cup mount that hold it in place just below our rear view mirror. The map is very readable but doesn't block your view. The thing is made in Taiwan and a reviewer on another site reported that they basically provide almost no customer support. I would ask however if anyone here has tried to call HP customer support lately? The last time I did I wasted several hours on the phone and finally had to figure the problem myself. It least with Holux I am not even tempted to try. I have one of their blue tooth GPS units also; I found the help to be almost non-existant.

No smiles for the GPSmile

On so many levels the Holux GPSmile 52 Plus looks like a winner. First is the stunningly low price. Second is all of the quality hardware. A nice 3.5 color touch screen, the wonderful SIFR III GPS chipset and a new speedy 400 MHz CPU. The sleek device even sports a hidden antenna and a battery that is reported (on the box) to last up to 10 hours. An initial look at the software suggests that it is not a slouch here either. The GPSmile 52 Plus can also be your media center with the ability to play MP3, video and even display e-books. You can customize your routes in many ways and even route multiple destinations in a single trip. Wow, this sounds like a no-brainer, right? Wrong! This is why I would not recommend this GPS unit: The unit clearly was designed for a British market. Although, the accent sounds interesting the actual language can be confusing. For instance, instead of saying "Turn right" it will say, "Next opportunity turn right." It also gives distances in yards while all other GPS units I have used give distance in feet. OK, so you saying the above is no big deal, how about this. The unit has a very strong tendency to stick to the street. When you are "off road" like in a parking lot, the unit will tell you that you are actually on the street closest to you. Sometimes these streets aren't even accessible to your vehicle leading to all sorts of confusion as the GPSmile 52 Plus will then calculate a new route based on this information and it will start to issue command like: "Turn left in 75 yards and then left." This is extremely confusing. Most other GPS units will say something like "off road" or "please proceed to the route." OK, if this doesn't bother you, how about this? The following three "experimental routes" were run. Route One. From an office building to my home, about 14 miles. The unit had been set on my regular route choice (fastest). First, it thought I was on the street instead of a parking lot and so the initial directions left out the first turn of the trip. The computer wanted to take me to the toll way (reasonable) which normally would be the fastest route. I chose to take some major streets instead as it was rush hour. Other GPS units might try to get you back to the toll way once but then recalculate the route according to the new directions. However, the Holux started to issue demands "Make a U turn" (mostly illegal where I live) and repeated it every single block for about 4 miles. I then stopped the car and cleared out the destination and asked it to recalculate. The Holux wanted me to back-track to the toll way. Here again it continually gave the command "Make a U turn in XXX yards" over and over again until I had gone about 2/3rds the way home and had passed the toll way. It was one of the most aggravating driving experiences that I can remember. I have used other GPS units in this same maneuver without any problems. Route Two. From the same office building I routed to my office about 6 miles away. This would not involve a toll way so I was sure that the GPSmile would get it. It correctly routed my trip. I made the last turn with my office about 2 miles down the street on the left. All of a sudden the Holux started to issue "in XXX yards, turn around." It did this several time which totally confused me. It was only when I reached my office that I realize that the unit wanted me to go a block past my office and make a U turn in an intersection so I would eventually be on the side of the street where my office was. This would have been an illegal and dangerous maneuver. Instead, I pulled into the parking lot at which point the GPSmile recalculated a route that ran me through several miles of residential streets. This was despite the fact that I was at the destination. What would most other units do? They would say something like, "Destination on the left." Route Three. From my office to my home, around 6 miles. I was in the middle of my large office parking lot so the unit didn't stick me on a street. However, when it calculated my route it placed me on the inaccessible residential court to the north of my office building. If I took the instructions seriously the unit would have had me drive up an embankment, through a fence and into a backyard. Then trough a house to reach the cul-de-sac. Not only useless, but dangerous direction. The GPSmile 52 Plus did not make me smile. There are may cheap GPS unit available that do work. Avoid this one.

Keyword : tom+tom

TomTom ONE Portable GPS Automobile Navigator (Refurbished)

TomTom ONE Portable GPS Automobile Navigator (Refurbished)

Greay Portable GPS for the Price!

This is one of the most featured-packed portable GPS system one can get for under $200.00. I did a lot of research and decided to buy a used or refurbished One rather than get the 3rd edition which lacks a lot of features like advanced trip planning and multiple via points. I have only been using my refurbished TOM TOM One for a week but so far so good. I highly recommend it for someone who wants a simple GPS with some advanced features that may come in handy for long road trips. It is definitely a better bargain than the Garmin Nuvi 200 or Maegellal Maestro. If you can't find a used/refurbished TomTom One or One (LE), go for the Tom Tom One XL. It is the same exact device but with a wide screen. My one complaint is that the suction cup mount arm is too short. When mounted, it is quite a stretch for me to interact with the device. I think I will have to buy a ProClip mount for it and my Jetta.

Couldn't be happier!

I bought mine retail before X-Mas, so this is not a refurb review, but as far as the unit goes, it's great! I have been using it regularly in Texas since purchase and it has always given 100% accurate directions. Easy to use, love the voice navigation and the screen is easy to see in any light (including bright sunlight). We took it on the first big family trip last week and it performed like a champ. Took me straigt to every door we asked it to. We had paper directions as a backup but never had to pull them out. I have never used the traffic on it, but for navigation it's a winner in my book!

OK operation, lousy battery life

This GPS unit works fairly well if plugged into power, but it has unacceptable battery life. I charged the battery overnight twice but it still only holds a charge for about 10 minutes. The GPS functions are good, not great. If you don't arrive at your programmed destination, you are constantly alerted to keep moving unless you program a new destination. To end a destination early, you have to go several screens into the interface - very inconvenient. I ended turning off the voice directions most of the time. I bought a refurbished unit, and I have read several negative reviews of model One refurbs since, so I suspect Tomtom dumps their inferior refurbished products back on the market. Very disappointing. I will avoid refurbs and Tomtoms from now on.

An outstanding GPS but unfortunately Refurbished units are a Crap Shoot

TomTom One is an absolute delight to use in the Northwest area. Its fast, accurate, very easy to setup, and intuitive to use. But, I had to return the first two units to get one that worked. Despite the issues noted below, I would buy a TomTom again. They are really very good at what they do when they work. The first one locked up. After two hours of online trouble shooting, TomTom sent a replacement. This one worked but had to be reset after each use or it would not start. More online troubleshooting, and finally a replacement that worked. My online search indicates that about 15% of users experience the lockups and reset problem, even on new units. One gets the impression that failed units are being recycled with little or poor refurbishing. (Perhaps their repair work is outsourced?) Very well trained & friendly online support, but other than reloading faulty software, there is little they can do but authorize a replacement. If all you want or need is a simple to use get from here to there navigation without add-on frills and entertainment, you will love the TomTom One. It makes for a fun trip. However, be prepared for frustration with refurbished units. It would be smarter and much less frustrating and very worthwhile to search for a new unit at discount.

Bait and switch

I ordered a NEW TomTom One GPS from Amazon on October 2, 2007. I was sent a refurbished unit. I emailed Amazon 4 times starting October 3 to resolve the issue and had one "I am sorry" reply. I called and was told nothing can be done on the phone. I wrote a letter to Amazon on October 8, 2007 with copies of their ad advertising a new unit. It is now November 4, 2007 and I have had no reply of any type. The unit was charged to my card within within 8 hours of the order. I have a unit I can not review because I can not open the box without losing my ability to be able to return the GPS. I have no GPS that I can use and my money is gone. Amazon has made no attempt to reply to me in a month. No real service available. Careful what you buy - they do not reply. NO REAL REVIEW OF THE UNIT AFTER A MONTH AS I CAN NOT USE THE UNIT UNTIL THIS DISPUTE IS RESOLVED. EWB

Keyword : tomtom

Navigon 2000S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Navigon 2000S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Navigation is reliable, but the unit has some issues

I bought the 2090s from Radio Shack. It is simply a re-branded 2000s. One reason I chose it was the included two year subscription for "Fresh Maps". Having accurate maps is essential and map updates are expensive, so the two year subscription has significant value. My unit came with a windshield mount, dashboard mount, car charger and USB cable. The latter is needed for installing map updates and can also be used for charging the unit. Regarding charging, at first it seemed like I had a bad battery until I learned that there's a difference between putting the unit into "sleep mode" (a quick button push) and turning it off. Sleep mode will save the current state, so if you're in the middle of navigating somewhere and make a stop the unit will pick up where it left off when you're back on the road. Sleep mode though continues to draw power from the battery. To prevent the battery from going flat you have to press and hold down the power button for 5-10 seconds - then the unit will properly turn off. This is not convenient and it is not explained in the minimal documentation. I learned about it by searching the support section of the navigon web site. I find the navigation function very accurate. I've been testing by programming local destinations and observing the route choices. The GPS does not always choose what I think are the best roads so sometimes I ignore it and it quickly recalculates the route. The map display is pretty bland much of the time which I think is good (less distracting). However it kicks in the color and animation during special transitions such as approaching freeway junctions. The display and voice commands are very specific about which lanes to use to stay on route, and the timing of voice cues is accurate. The screen has a day and night mode. The brightness for each mode can be set separately, and the night mode uses darker maps which is easier on the eyes. The switch between day and night modes can be set to "automatic" however the time cannot be set. The unit switches at 6 AM and 6 PM, and that doesn't correspond well with actual sunrise and sunset times. Fortunately, you can just touch the screen and instantly switch from one mode to the other. The only function that the 2090s handles poorly is "points of interest". It nicely displays POI icons on the map as you drive, so it's easy to pick up on gas stations, restaurants, etc. nearby, however it is not possible to search the POI database using the names of specific locations. For instance, if I want to find a Starbucks in my area I can't just enter the name. I have to drill down through category menus. If I choose the wrong category I don't find the listing even though it is in the database. Starbucks is easy because there's a "cafe" category, but other stores do not clearly fall into the listed categories. This is really frustrating and if the "points of interest" feature is important to you I would consider this a deal breaker. Generally I'm happy with the unit since I primarily use it for navigation, but I'm only giving it three stars because of the poor "points of interest" feature, the lack of included documentation and sleep/battery issue.

Cant ask for much more in an entry level GPS.

I was concerned with reviews of previous navigon models, however after hearing that some of the interface and response problems had been corrected in the new navigon line, I decided to give it a shot. This is a sleek, intuitive unit. It acquires a signal very quickly, calculates routes quickly and gives great voice commands and directions. I like to set my navigon to "fast route" as opposed to optimum or shortest route. The interface is easy to use and its easy to enter destinations. I calibrated the touch screen with a stylus and it is very sensitive. Smart speller is a great time saving feature. Auto day/night mode is also very handy. Reality view and lane assist are excellent navigation tools which I want in any navigation system I purchase in the future. My only major gripe with this model is that it is NOT compatable with lifetime traffic subscriptions according to Navigon USA. There is no USB to USB mini cable included for charging with the PC, but I already had one handy. If you want lifetime traffic, go with the 2200t. I got my 2000s for under 100 [...] but im thinking about upgrading. Im going to stick with this product line. It would be perfect for me if I only had traffic capabilities I would give it five stars.

Good unit with a lot of futures

The Navigon 2000S offers advanced lane guidance and other visual aids for complicated intersections. The portable navigation device also has text-to-speech functionality and improved general performance. Satellite acquisition somteimes is a little slow

Looks great on the screen but is lacking a lot.

I took a chance on this having no reviews yet. That was a huge mistake. 1. It will only charge when the car is running and mine would not hold a charge more than 60 sec. and it would turn off. 2. You don't get a USB cable so it can charge in the house. 3. They don't have tech support for this as it is the bottom of the line. I did get a guy to talk to me who told me mine was a dud and to order up a few models. 4. I tried to set it to take me home and it missed each turn and told me after we passed the street that now I needed to turn. 5. this one had no instruction manual in the box. there is a quick start card but it tells you nothing about how to assemble the mount and attatch the unit. You have to download it at the site. 6. You have to pay $99 fee for road updates via the internet but as I said you get no cable to do that with. So mine had to go back the same day it arrived. I did find another brand that is 95 five star reviews and went with that one as it comes with everything you need the USB cable, A/C adapter CD ROM, car charger, window and dash mount and instructions.

Keyword : navigon

Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

The Garmin 265WT is awesome

I really don't have much to add that hasn't already been said in the other 5 star reviews. The Garmin 265WT is a great GPS that is very user friendly.

Has some cripling functionality, but overall does what it is supposed to do

This GPS is fairly easy to use for a person that is somewhat intelligent. Meaning if you give it to a person who does not easily get along with electronics, person may have to read the manual couple of times as not everything is obvious. The menus, they are easy for someone that ever used a cell phone, but could have been simpler as some features I find burred within menus and require several clicks to get to. The construction of the unit looks good and not cheap. The best feature so far was Bluetooth which sounded pretty good for me and worked without any problems. The one thing to mention is if you dial the wrong number, hitting the hang up / disconnect button does not work until someone already picks up the phone on the other side, so about 5-10 seconds delay, oops :). I have used it first time on a local highway, going to a nearby furniture store. It took me the longer route as instead of making a right and a left into the shopping mall, it had me drive past it then all the way around, adding about 2 miles and extra 10 minutes in traffic. It did the same thing going from the store back to the house, so instead of making a right out of the mall and left onto the highway, all within 200 yards, it had me make a left and drive in a huge roundabout which was very frustrating. When driving on the straight road that I need to travel on for about 10 miles, there are no splits as it is a straight highway, it keeps telling me go straight 2 miles, then in two miles it will change and say go straight 1.5 miles, very annoying and hard to tell when to change lanes if unsure of where you are going. Last thing to mention which is a huge drag on the usefulness of the unit is that you CANNOT select East or West streets, meaning if you wanted to drive to 1 East Main Street, the unit puts you into 1 West Main Street automatically, and there is no way to tell it otherwise. As a workaround I ended up using the map to add a point where I thought that address would be and then the unit routed me just fine. So my suggestion is to look these up on Google maps first then enter the destination on the map before leaving the house. When coming out of my house, it maps the directions correctly, but then it puts me off the road on the map and keep telling to get to the local road that is about 3 turns, and 1/2 mile away, so if I were lost in the local street where i live I would be really displeased. Once I get to the highway, it starts working just fine. Overall, it is not a bad unit if you need it to navigate a familiar route in traffic (cause it has free service) or getting to a new destination without having to print Google maps, and be able to locate nearby points of interest when already on the go. It does have several good features and several malfunctioning ones as well, most of which should be possible to correct with a software update, if Garmin were to acknowledge and release working fixes this would be the best and most affordable unit with a feature set that is indispensable in every GPS.

So far so good...

I bought this for my boyfried for Christmas so he hasn't used it yet but I can say that I was told it would take approx. 5 days to arrive and I got it in 2! He specifically requested this model after doing some research so I have no doubt it will live up to expectations.

I din't think I had this much to say......hope it helps

I like this product. The screen is easy to see and understand. getting around the menu seems to be a challenge at times, I'm sure that if I could find the owners manual it would help me figure this out. The list of points of interest was fairly complete, it even had the general store / gas station in my SMALL town. I used this to travel from NH to Va (Norfolk) and wanted to go the way it told me to, but it sure would be nice to be able to change the route beforehand, if desired. The traffic updates feature was nice but I have not been able to use this info to aviod the problem area yet (I've really only used this on the one trip. I'm sure I will continue to learn to use all these features along the way.) I bought this model because I had used A Nuvi 350 for the same trip earlier in the year and was inpressed with that model but decided that this model had more features which I would like as I learn to use them. On some roads the speed limit shown on the screen does not match the posted speed limit, I doubt that Garmin will cover the speeding ticket.... Overall I trust the Garmin brand, my handheld GPS is a Garmin and it has worked great for Hunting, boating, snowmobiling, etc. In the future I plan to continue to purchase Garmin porducts, not that I hope to need any for a while.

Got me to all the addresses

I bought this GPS to use when I went on a house hunting trip to Panama City FL. It found all the addresses that I entered, inclucing some new streets (less than 2 years old). Pros: Found all the addresses. Cons: The new I-10 bridge from Pensacola to Milton, has been in place for about 3 1/2 years, and it showed me driving over water. Hwy 331 was reworked last year and it showed me in the woods, and kept trying to tell me find the road, nagging me bad. Other thoughs: You have to get used to the voice it uses. It has trouble with French names here in Biloxi. Big screen helps you when driving and trying to find an adress. Closing thoughs: I have a another GPS unit that I haved used and I like this one better. Got a good deal on it.

Keyword : garmin

Navigon 8100T 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Free Traffic Alerts

Navigon 8100T 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Free Traffic Alerts

Very Disapointed in This Unit

Navigon 8100T 4.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Free Traffic Alerts I had high hopes for this unit, I admired the panarama views and thought that this might be a good replacement for my Garmin Nuvi, I recieved the unit, very minimal instructions come with the unit, If you do purchase one download the full manual from the Navigon website. I followed instructions and first message I recived was APP Navigon.exe has performed an illegal error, not a good sign, I ok'd that message turned unit off and then back on again and got an memory allocation failure. left unit off all night called Navigon tech support the next morning and all they could do was send me a new SD card. I was needing the GPS that day for a road trip so I passed on that and just decided to return to Amazon. I wont say that you will have problems out of the box like I did but I was very disapointed in this unit.

Too many resets

I had this product for a little over two weeks and during that time I had to do a soft reset 4 times. The first time the bluetooth stopped communicating with my cell phone. The second time I had to reset it to get satellite acquisition. The third time was to get the speaker to work. The straw that broke the camel's back was when it started speaking in German even though it was set to English. A soft reset was needed again. I gave up and returned it today. Too bad, I really wanted to like this product but navigon couldn't give me a satisfactory answer.

Good Image Worst product

I bought 3 units of the navigon 8100T. Each unit can not receive the signal after at least 15 minutes driving. The worst one needs to wait 45 minutes. I have to reset every time to avoid the problem. The battery power ca not last long. I have to return then all.

A little GPS with big features

I've had a chance to play with the Navigon 8100T and it seems to be a solid performer. Graphically speaking, it features a graphics accelerator that allows for almost smooth scrolling in 3D mode and even more smooth scrolling in 2D mode. The visuals are very good, especially the 3D Panorama view where you can see surrounding mountains or hills in perspective with 3D shading. In 2D mode, the display is crystal clear with a lot of detail. One of the few gripes that I have is that the fonts chosen aren't the best and sometimes hard to read. Another is that the POIs aren't always easy to find if you do not know the exact city their located in. Fortunately, there is a feature called Direct Address which allows you to set up three POI categories for direct lookup without need of knowing the city. Upon choosing one of those direct address POIs, it will return all of that category that it has in its database for the surrounding area. The 8100T features millions more POIs than its 7200T relative (one of the glaring weaknesses of the 7200T), so consequently, there are POIS all over the place on your display if you are zoomed in at maximum. There are 32 categories of POIs each with its own icon, and fortunately you can choose which of these categories you want to appear on your display so that you are not inundated with them. The unit features an autozoom which zooms out the faster you travel and vice versa. The traffic features from TMC are very good. When the unit picks up on a traffic delay, they unit notifies you with an on screen icon with distance from the delay, plus a voice announcement. You also have a choice whether you want to be rerouted around the delay area. I'm not sure if this was a bug or something, but I was traveling on a surface street and the unit told me that there was a traffic delay ahead and wanted to reroute me away from it... I didn't think that they tracked surface street delays. The unit features quick recalculations and a choice of fastest time, optimum time & distance, and shortest distance routes. The routing seemed all right with no weird directions. It pretty much tries to route you in a straight line if it can depending on your routing choices. Bluetooth pairing was a little flaky when I tried going to it from my Palm Treo 700p. Apparently it has to be done a certain way otherwise it will not pair. I had to open my phone to discovery, then when the Navigon saw the phone, it asks you to input any 4 digit code. You then have to input the exact same code into the phone otherwise it will fail. All in all, this is a very promising device. If Navigon takes the suggestions given to it to heart, many of the weaknesses could be fixed. Personally I would like Navigon to add the 3D Landscape view that the 7200T has. The graphics system would easily be able to handle it. I don't know why Navigon chose to not include that in the 8100T (they probably thought the 3D Panorama view was enough). An interesting sidenote of sorts.... Since this device runs Windows CE, some enterprising individuals added Windows CE Explorer to it and then was able to load other GPS software like iGo, TomTom, and Mio to it and be able to select which one they wanted to run. See this link here at YouTube: [...] After playing with the 8100T, I would recommend it.

Device reboots when you try to enter Navigation mode

Device reboots when you try to enter Navigation mode. I have emailed Navigon to see if a fix exists or if they will replace the item, but have not gotten any response yet.

Keyword : navigon

TomTom ONE XL-S Refurbished 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

TomTom ONE XL-S Refurbished 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

TOM TOM ONE XL-S

I purchased this as a 'refurbished' unit and it works real good. I was as little disappointed that it did not pick up some new highways in our area and when I attempted to download new maps they wanted to charge $50+ for it. I guess that is the difference between brand new and refurbished. The product does work very well.

I love my TomTom One XL-S

This is my first GPS, though I have rented a couple others when renting cars after flying to other cities. I very much like that the map gets updates from users. This said after having gotten stuck on a class 4 road in Vermont when following the directions of another GPS. I notice the TomTom map doesn't include that road. I also like that if you don't like the route that the TomTom first creates for you, you can direct it to the route you like using the "travel via" feature or creating an itinerary. I like the wide screen which helps you see the "big picture" better, and the text-to-speech feature that announces the street name of the upcoming turn.

So far so good

I just got this gps the other day. Great product for the price. I was a little nervous with it being reburbished, but so far no problems. I did free shipping with Amazon and it arrived quickly. The text to speech is a nice feature...worth paying a little more for. I've just used this around town so far, to make sure it works...so far so good. I'll be taking a trip back home two states away, it'll be nice to see how well it works then. This is my first GPS and I love it.

looks and acts like new

Wow. I have had this unit for several days now. I could not even tell it was refurbished. With the text to speech and large screen this was a super deal for the price. I saw this exact model at a local store and the price was almost tripled. Thanks amazon. p.s I gave this a 4 because i think Tomtom could have made a better dash mount for this. The suction cup sometimes looses suction and it falls over. Other than that, great product.

Exellent GPS for a great price

This is my first GPS and I think I made the right choice. What I was looking for was a wide screen and TTS. Got both for just over $100. Even though this is a refurb there is no way to tell that it is anything other than brand new! I updated the software including the most current map (v8.15 as of 12/3/08). So far the routing and timing is perfect. Today on the way to work I heard the traffic report and selected the part of my route with traffic and told the unit to avoid it. I was quickly (less then a second) rerouted to get off the next exit and take back roads the remainder of my way to work. This is the exact route I would normally take when there is heavy traffic. Routing is very quick to calculate and rerouting when I make a wrong turn is very quick too. So far I have no complaints and probably never will.

Keyword : tomtom

Magellan RoadMate 1212 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Magellan RoadMate 1212 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Good GPS - Compared to a Magellan 4250

I have three GPS's - A Tom Tom one, a Magellan 4250 and the Magellan 1212. The 4250 is updated with the latest firmware (4.6). The 1212 I guess is a new model with much better hardware than the previous generation. Much to my surprise - the routing logic on the 1212 is the best of the lot. For example, both Tom Tom One and the 4250, give me highly suboptimal routing when I ask it to take me to the nearest Wal Mart in Mountain View from Sunnyvale without taking the freeway. I've given then identical starting co-ordinates. Only the 1212 gave me directions that were optimal (taking central expressway almost all the way) - and matched the directions from google maps. The 4250 had me take "El Camino Real" instead which would have been "Really Slow"..The Tom Tom one had me take Central expressway half way and then took me to Wal Mart using a mysterious detour. The 4250 had rev 29 maps while 1212 had rev 33 maps. I think it is unlikely that the map revisions would be a factor in the routing logic, since these area's haven't seen new road construction in decades. Another area where the 1212 excelled was in reception sensitivity. While the 1212 found 8 satellites (marked in green) inside my house, the 4250 kept next to it - found 3, but both were marked in orange and not green (un-usable data) (see posted photo). I found the smaller screen of the 1212 to be a bonus. It occupies less windscreen area - and hence does not hinder your view as much. It is also lighter and easier to carry around. The first 1212 I had purchased - I returned since I was unable to charge up the battery and thought it was defective. The same thing happened to the second one. After trying all the USB based chargers at home (I have 4 - 5 of them), I determined that only one of the USB chargers will activate charging on the 1212. All of them will power the 1212 with no issues - just not charge it. Strange behavior. All the chargers will charge the Tom Tom with no problem - or any other device (such as MP3 players). The interface, maps, visuals and options on the 1212 could be better (Tom Tom is better in this respect). I take away half a star from my rating for these factors. There is no QWERTY keyboard on the 1212 (or on the 4250). It baffles me as to why Magellan does not provide a QWERTY keyboard option? Half star taken away for this and the charging behavior. The TTS performance, map visual, and menu navigation was identical between the 4250 and 1212. The speaker volume of the 1212 is plenty loud for me - but could have had better fidelity (Tom Tom voice is very crisp). I have a gps primarily to take me from point A to point B in the most efficient manner. The Magellan 1212 does this better than the other 2 GPS's that I own and is the one to get.. I give this product 4 stars. Side note - Another reviewer stated that the maps on this are from 2007 and that he noted a lag after pressing the buttons. My unit seemed to have the latest map that Magellan offered as of Dec 2008(rev 33) and I noted no lag at all when pressing buttons. I also had no difficulty at all getting back to the map menu from any other screen. I rate the Magellan 4250 a "Do Not Buy" while the 1212 is a "Great Buy". Here's a tip - when you travel - charge up and take your GPS with you! A taxi driver can no longer run you around in circles. Again - a smaller GPS is easier to carry.

awesome

I love my Magellan. it has really helped to get me from A to B. The best part is that it announces street names.....doesn't just say, 'TURN HERE IN 50 FEET'. Good product.

Does amazing things for such a low price, and VERY easy to use

I'm not a GPS expert (this is my first one), but from what I have read in reviews and seen at stores, the Roadmate 1212 is awesome, especially for the price ($80 at BestBuy on Black Friday). It's hard to find a GPS that speaks street names for under $200 (most in this $ range only speak the turns - I found a Garmin 260WT for $189 that did this, but that was on a super sale). Don't be fooled by the specs on the Roadmate 1200 - it does not have spoken street names, just turns. The 1212 is the least expensive model that calls out the street names. The touch screen is very responsive, menus are easy and intuitive, and the features for this price range are great (points of interest mapping, POI off of highway exits, auto-rerouting if you miss a turn, accurate routing, easy detour and rerouting during current trip plan, etc.). 3.5" is plenty big so don't be fooled into thinking you need 4.3". In fact, bigger is not better, especially if you mount on your windshield - you want to be able to view the road. All-in-all, if you haven't had a GPS, or even if you have and you just want something relatively simple and that works, I highly recommend the Magellan Roadmate 1212. The 1212 is a great value, nice features for this price range (e.g., spoken street names), and very easy to use.

Entry level, but it works! And look how we can geocache with it.

Costco in Mesa, Arizona had a Black Friday sale for $100 on the Magellan Roadmate 1212 yesterday. My wife and I were out to get it at 9:00 a.m. On the same outing we saw and picked up a refurbished Magellan Roadmate 3100 at Pep Boys for $69. So we tried them both out and discovered the refurbished 3100 didn't pronounce the street names (Text-to-Speech), and though it had something like 160 million Points of Interest vs. the 6 million in the 1212, the 1212 had our local Target store, while the 3100 had no Targets within 8 miles. So we returned the 3100 and kept the 1212. One thing we noticed in testing the 2 devices was that Text-to-Speech really makes for safer driving and is reassuring when you get off course. We turned into a neighborhood and the 1212 got us right back onto course via a way unknown to us. Hearing it say "Turn left on Capri Street" was very reassuring to us, and was the deciding factor in returning the 3100 in spite of the price difference. (I also knew the 1212 was newer technology). Lucky us! I learned later that day online that the refurbished units aren't eligible for a one time map update. We would not have been happy customers under that scenario. So I thought it would be neat to see whether we could do any Geocaching with the Magellan Roadmate 1212, which is a car gps, NOT a trail GPS. Initially I was discouraged. Nowhere in the menus is the least hint of the ability to enter Lat/Lon destinations. I got online and read the users manual, which mentioned the ability to create Points of Interest on my PC and import them with an SD card. That intrigued me because the SD slot had been taped over at the factory. I installed the included CD and sure enough, got a program called Magellan POI File Editor. With it I created the following: -File: Geocaches.mgln -Category: Home Geocaches -Point of Interest Then I copied the .mgln file for it from the My Documents folder to the SD card and stuck the card into the RM 1212. In the RM 1212 I did the following: -Cancel out of any current route -Points of Interest -My POIs -Change POI File -Select a POI File -Pick my file "Geocaches" from SD card -Choose categories to display (Home Geocaches) -Go back -Select category from file (Home Geocaches) -Pick Nearest -Select the POI I entered on my PC -Save I'm still not sure how I got it to exist in my address book once I removed the SD card. That was weird. But it does. Sorry I'm not more of an expert. But I'm pretty happy that I can geocache reasonably with this entry level Roadmate 1212 from Magellan. Other stuff: -Vehicle mount: good -Car charger: good -Wall charger: none -USB cable: none -Speech volume and quality: good -Navigation: OK (well, astonishing), but keep in mind we are in Arizona, where that's not much of a challenge. Your mileage in the eastern US may vary. -Display: bright and clear -Menus and controls: easy, simple, and optimized Should I have given this 5 stars?

Great, inexpensive and a little odd...

I purchased the 1212 from a big box store recently and so far I like it. It is very easy to use and the interface (Windows CE Core 5.0) is easy to use and the voice direction is clear and easy to understand. There are a few quirks though.... 1. Sometimes the system lags when you press a button and you have to press it again or wait. 2. If you enter into a submenu from the map or route screen it is difficult to get back to the original map menu. Though the system seems to still keep you on track and let you know about turns etc... 3. The included software link and software on the installation package are not very useful. You get a standard PDF version of the user manual which contains a good amount of information on the operation of the product and was useful. The software POI (Points of Interest) editor allows you to enter additional points of interest and upload them to the GPS. Only one problem with this software. Unless you know the longitude and latitude coordinates of the place you want to add you won't be able to and the software is very basic in that you can only enter known information and there is no way to look it up or select it. Other software Vantage Point and Mapsend and mapsend manager are not for this unit and therefore do not work. 4. This may not be a problem with the routing algorithms of the software but it insist that I take a turn into a oneway street to get to my house which is not possible. On the upside is that if you turn around and go another direction the unit quickly calculates a new route for you. Same thing it does if you miss a turn. As a side note: the maps for this unit according to the magellan site are from 2007 and the site lists the unit as a new product and there are no updates for it. I have not contacted magellan asking them about an update but the other products seem to have one so eventually we'll see one for this one. In the box: The unit comes with a suction cup windshield attachment kit and a power cord to plug into your car lighter. If you want to connect it to your PC you will have to purchase a separate usb to usb mini cable. Some other neat features it has.. -You can edit (from the unit) and add your own points of interest. -The unit contains a SD card that you can backup and restore saved information on. -the unit can be carried with you around town and so if you are walking it will tell you where you are, direction etc... - the screen has "+" and "-" buttons to easily adjust the topview detail. again the lag sometimes hits here. -It is sensitive to where I am moving and even vertical direction when moving around just inside my home office here. -If you touch and drag your finger on the screen it will move the map accordingly though with a slight lag. When purchasing this unit I also looked a the comparable Tom Tom 130, I chose this unit because the text talk (where it speaks the street, destination and road names). The tom tom unit had that as an add on for ~$100 All in all for the less than $200 that I paid for this unit I think I got my money's worth and I like the unit so far. Only time will tell if my needs out grow or the maps become dated too quickly. I you are looking for a unit under $200 and are willing to put up with its little quirks then you will be quite happy using this little gem. One thing you might consider before purchasing any GPS unit is to figure out where you want to install it. I have not found the perfect position but I am thinking that on the drivers side near the door on the windshield near the dash. So I would have to operate it left handed. But that seems the most out of the way. I also tried installing it way up by the rear view mirror but it seems a little close to my head to read easily. The windshield attachment is fully adjustable and is about 6 inches long fully extended.

Keyword : magellan

Magellan Maestro 3225 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Magellan Maestro 3225 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Dead on Arival

The referb unit showed up and I took it out of the box, charged it and everything looked great, but... Never will acquire satelite signal. Called Magellan, they said I had to send proof of purchase via email, and then they would get back to me within 24 hours. I called 36 hours later and resent the proof of purchase. Now 48 + hours later I am still waiting to hear from them about a RMA. So much for having this gift in time for the holidays.

Don't buy

Magellan Customer service is the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. They offer a free 30 day map update since all of their products ship with out of date maps. This would be a good thing except it is in the fine print of their products and their customer support email address that their website list is the wrong address. I had to get through to their customer service by posting a bad review on their website. By the time they responded my unit was beyond the 30 day limit and they refused to give me the update. This is a bad business practice. Garmin has a 60 day guarantee which is posted directly on their website in plain view.

Great price, great product!

I purchased this as a christmas gift for my father who is really into any sort of technical gadget, so I thought this would be a neat thing for him to have. When I recieved the item, I opened the box and the item looked brand new! It was in great condition, and works perfectly. The screen is bright and clear, and the touchscreen works great. I give this GPS 2 thumbs up. A great gift for anyone! I definitely recommend it!

Excellent cheap GPS!

The Magellan 3225 GPS that I received looked brand new, eventhought it was refurbished. It worked perfectly, just like the one that I broke!

Great value!

For all the technical details, you can check the review of the new unit. This Refurbished unit is nice. I can't tell it was used. Shipping from Amazon is fast, even I used free shipping. The price is awesome. I like it a lot more than the TomTom, but TomTom usually have more updated map.

Keyword : magellan

Magellan Maestro 4350 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

Magellan Maestro 4350 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

So far, Excellent

This is my first GPS although I have borrowed others to use for some long trips. I travel quite a bit with my hobbies and interests. My wife is a horrible navigator that can't read a map and many times I am driving by myself. I find it hard to read the map and drive particularly unknown territory. In the few days I have had it, it worked like a charm. I made a trip to a friend's house in the middle of nowhere that I haven't driven before. It got me there with the exception of me turning down the wrong dirt lane which I figured out didn't lead to his house even though it looked like it did. I definitely need and want to get more familiar with using it's features. I am really impressed with the POI feature. I can't believe it has the samll town restaurants in my town. I am sure I will be hooked on this as time goes on especially in areas I am not familiar with. I picked this unit over the Garmin because of hearing so much about the lack of volume in some of the Garmin's I was interested in. I also liked all the extra features like lane assist multidestination. And the biggest being getting this unit for $250.00. I do think the documentation could be better and is definitely lacking. I can't speak to the Bluetooth feature since I am not interested in that. On a meaningless note... It would be nice to have the ability to download different voices like the other brands, but I would rather have a unit that performs than just cool features that don't really matter that much. At this point I am totally happy with this purchase.

Pleased But Cautious

My Magellan Maestro 4350 is my first GPS device. Naturally, I'm impressed with all the capabilities and I'm enjoying it. I'm looking forward to a 300 mile trip to a neighboring state in a couple of weeks when I'll give the GPS a real test....all road conditions and plenty of changes in the route. While I hate to say the product has been anything but perfect, I have to confess that I've had a problem or 2 and it wasn't like I wasn't forwarned. I've had software lockup issues. The most common is that the screen just freezes. This is remedied by a "hard" off, my term for the action of turning a regular computer off by depressing and holding the ON button. When I turn it back on, it goes through a full software boot similar to the out of the box boot. I use it approximately 3 hours a day and this has happened about every other day, maybe a little less. Then, I had the grandaddy of freezes. I actually had a Windows error box indicating that a program module had failed to close. Didn't matter what I did, I couldn't get the thing to reboot. I called customer service and probably had the best experience I've ever had with mfg. help. The advisor was polite, knowledgeable and very helpful. Most importantly, he was honest. I don't like smoke blowers...I'd rather have someone tell me the truth. I accept that not all goes well in product development and manufacturing. The gentleman told me that the 4350 and the 4xxx were new models and they were continuing to assess the issues that had been encountered...that my call would be useful in helping Magellan rectify problems...that if I encountered any additional problems please call under the refernce number I was given..etc., etc. The resolution was to "reset" the device. I'm keeping the device, comforted by the fact that I have a year to work out the bugs and believing that there will probably be a software update at some point in the next few months.

Very good GPS

I have had this gps for 2 months now. It's a replacement for my broken Sony GPS. It is fast and accurate. When I miss a turn, it takes only 3 seconds to detect and reroute. It also shows landmarks and buildings on the map. These features are particularly useful when driving in a crowded city like Washington DC. There are 2 features on my old Sony that I like it better than the Magellan. The Sony tells if the destination is on the left or right. I found this feature very useful especially when I look for a new address at night. Secondly, the Blue Tooth feature on the Sony is much better. The Magellan 4350 Blue Tooth simply terrible. There are lot of static sound and very loud. The volume control for Blue Tooth doesn't change the sound level much from max to min level. I had to go back to my Blue Tooth ear piece.

I love my new Magellan Maestro 4350 GPS

I received my Magellan Maestro GPS and am extremely happy with it. The directions and graphics are great. I particularity love the 3D screen and the easy options it has. This unit tells you the speed limit on expressways, show you the exit signs well in advance, lets you know if you are exceeding the speed limit if you want it to and the voice quides you to your turn. The search features to restaurants, gas stations, airports, etc etc are easy to use. When traveling on a main street, it displays the numbers of the buildings as you are riding past. This unit comes with a three month free trial of traffic conditions. I activated it and it actually re-directs you somewhere if there is a traffic tieup on the main route. I called Magellan for help programming my bluetooth phone into the unit. I was connected to a tech in one minute. The tech was very helpful and even told me how to add my songs from my ipod. Whoever designed this greatly improved system knew that they were doing. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a great GPS system

A great full featured GPS

I bought the unit at a Black Friday sale for under $200.00. I tried it out on two different routes the first week and it took me where I was going with very little discrepancies in the route. It may look at shortest route to get you there. I like the idea of doubling the warranty if you are an AAA member. Also the many AAA features included in this unit make it worthwhile when you are in an area you are not familiar with. If you can get used to using the cd for instructions, use it. Otherwise print the manual for on the go reference. Great unit with a 4.3 screen.

Keyword : magellan

Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech

Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech

Limited usability for Favorite Destinations

on the plus: -very short boot time (almost instantaneous) -excellent screen on the minus: -on occasion the suggested route is not optimal -the way it handles the Favorite Destinations: . - you can only set 4 favorites . - if you need to deal with more than 4, your only options are to: . . - search in a list of recent destinations (but these can not be renamed - so you need to remember the address!!!) . . or . . - start the search from the beginning every time -the option to "Save This Location" does not save the actual address, it is meant to be used as a phonebook entry, which can be confusing the first time you use it. As a side note, with Garmin 650 you can rename as many of your previous destinations as you want, making it a lot easier to find a place that you visited. R.

Pretty Good GPS

This GPS, overall, is a guite solid, and works as intended. My only gripe is far is the route the GPS calculates. One really needs to review the path because the route may not be as efficient. As an example, I planned a trip from New Jersey to West Florida. At north Richmond, the GPS calculates a path South 95 to 295, then back to South 64/95. Why didn't it just continue South 95? That's over 10+ miles to take that route. Bottom line, be sure to check the route and add some intermediate destinations to force the GPS to follow your route.

Has everything I need including wonderful GPS!!!

This one is really great! I used TT and Garmin. Now, I have Garmin 5000 which is 5.2" screen. But, this new Sony high-end gps is much better than others. Bluetooth works fine. Choosing map color. Speaker is good. Nice finishing!

Best GPS For Us!!!

Everything that it says it does, it does. Wonderful! We bought a Magellan 4250 before and it was slow, hard to use, and if we wanted to check out POI's we had to cancel our route first. Not user friendly at all. But the new Sony is everything we need and lives up to our expectations of a GPS system.

This is the best

Just bought this Sony GPS and I have tested it and it is awesome. Sony is the best that I have seen, everything works perfect as stated. Watch out Garmin!

Keyword : sony+gps

Garmin nüvi 765T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin nüvi 765T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Excellent Feature-packed GPS

I love my Garmin! This is my second Garmin GPS unit and I have to say that I am impressed. I upgraded from a Garmin nüvi 660 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator and this is definitely a step up! Not that the 660 is bad. It's a great GPS especially at the prices now. But if you're looking for a premium GPS, this is the one to get! And I wouldn't even consider any other name but Garmin. They are the best in the business! First off, the build quality on the 765t is great and the new black matte/shiny finish makes it look much more expensive. Most of the body is now rubberized except for a thin strip along the sides, top and bottom that's shiny. That offers protection against scratches on the body and the black color looks great! The large 4.3" screen is bright enough in the sun and is a big step up from a 3.5" if you've used one of those. The nuvi 765t locks onto satellites quicker than my old nuvi 660. As with any other Garmin, the navigation is top notch and the best among all manufacturers as many tests have proven. Not only that, the interface is the easiest out of all GPS manufacturers. How can it get any easier than two big buttons that say, "Where To?" and "View Map"? I have not had any problems with the navigation or maps except there aren't some new roads that just came within the last year. This is typical of any maps from the major map companies (NAVTEQ or Tele Atlas). On the map screen, the right field is now customizable and can show direction of travel, elevation, time, and more. The vehicles are also customizable and can be downloaded at Garmin.com. This is a novelty, but cool none-the-less. You can download new voices as well. The new 3D view is also more of a novelty to me and wouldn't be that useful. In certain situations it would be, but overall, it's just cool to have. I also like that it shows the current speed limit on many streets. The data however comes from the map manufacturers and I have seen several incorrect speed limits in my area so it might not be as useful to you. The sound through the internal speaker is loud enough for freeway driving. You can also use the FM transmitter (which I don't like to use, but it's nice to have) or run a 1/8" cable from the headphone jack to your auxiliary port if your car has one. Also, the volume on the bluetooth is perfectly fine for me after I upgraded the firmware. Just go to Garmin.com and upgrade the firmware. It took a while to get it to pair with my old Samsung but after I got it paired, it connects flawlessly. And the volume is loud enough on the freeway. I couldn't use my nuvi 660's bluetooth because the volume wasn't loud enough but the 765t is just fine. Some other new features I like are the free lifetime traffic (subsidized by subtle advertising) and the lane guidance. These were the main reasons why I bought this new line from Garmin in addition to the fact that I love Garmin's navigation. Both features are really only useful if you do lots of freeway driving. This is normally where the traffic data and lane guidance comes in (even though I've seen traffic data on some surface streets). Overall, the Garmin nüvi 765T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator is highly recommended by me and is a great buy if you're looking for advanced navigation from the best name in GPS! If you don't need the new features, I would just get an older model like the Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator or the Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator and save some money. You're still gonna get great navigation from Garmin. Just make sure you get text-to-speech. This is an absolute must-have! If you don't need bluetooth, get the Garmin nüvi 755T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator instead. If you need European maps, get the Garmin nüvi 775T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Actually 3-1/2 stars for this "Made-in-Taiwan" GPS powerhouse with glitches.

I'm going to try to make this review as short as possible (knowing I'm far too long-winded). I'll placed my full, expanded review in the comment section after this review is up (for those who may be interested). I didn't want to subject people to a long, boring review (unless readers specifically wanted to see it and sought out the comment section). Just remember, your experiences may differ from mine for a variety of reasons, including where you live. Pros: 1. Great new feature set, especially hotfix and lane assist (coverage varies), lane assist is a terrific aid for anyone traveling complex freeway interchanges. 2. Solid construction and attractive, 3. Garmin trademark: simplicity even with a unit with a lot of bells and whistles, 4. Nice map screen that's not at all overwhelming, 5. Free (ad supported) FM traffic (simple, easy to understand and informative), automatically reroutes you when there is heavy or stopped traffic, 6. Automatic time zone change, 7. Turn arrow now available on map screen, 8. Ability to customize "arrive" window with 1 of 5 different settings, 9. Many other bells, such as "Where am I / Where's my car", kwerty keyboard, powered cradle, better map update policy, posted speed limits, and multiple-point routing just to name a few. Cons (even after the update): 1. FM transmitter is junk and unusable in high volume FM traffic areas such as SoCal (this is a well-known problem with ALL Nuvi units), 2. Bluetooth problems (varies depending on your cell phone), callers hear their voice when talking to me (echo / feedback), couldn't download and create phonebook from my contact list, constant troubles pairing phone, 3. Getting started and registration was kind of a PITA, 4. Screen no better than my 260 (although a bit brighter), washes out quickly when tipping it down, darkens gradually when tipping it up or side to side, 5. Flakey touch sensitivity even though it was suppose to be fixed with the update, touches don't respond at times and accuracy can be all over the place, 6. Speaker volume not as loud as my 260, but I find it adequate, 7. Can't input more than one phone number when creating an address, this part of the input scheme not well engineered, and trying to get back to the main menu is cumbersome, 8. Garmin continues to refuse to give customers the ability to exclude a particular road/street/highway (even on their top units), 9. 12v adapter very difficult (for the first several times) to seat into cigarette lighter or auxiliary port (it's okay now, however), 10. Typically bad and uninformative quick-start manual (haven't bothered to downloaded the standard manual because past experience tells me it's not worth the effort). I REALLY like this unit, and it is a GPS with a whole slew of new features (hotfix and lane assist are especially wonderful, and the traffic feature could really help), but this unit has several frustrating problems that just shouldn't be there. However, it has so many solid advantages over my 260 that I rate it a bit higher than I did the 260 and give it (between 1 and 10), a marginal 7 (or barely 3-1/2 stars -- since I couldn't do this, I decided to give it 4 stars instead of 3 because of certain features that are really great). If Garmin would have tested this a bit more thoroughly and not rushed it out the door (and not use us as beta testers) and caught some these problems, I wouldn't hesitate to rate it a 9 (a marginal 5 stars). Hopefully, Garmin will resolve some of these issues quickly, but the FM transmitter will remain pretty much hopeless.

Superior GPS

The amazing feature set on this unit is what really sets it apart from all the rest. Disregard the reviews claiming bluetooth instability and mapping problems, these issues have been corrected via software updates through Garmin. Overall great product.

Nice upgrade from nuvi 660

I received my 765T and was anxious to use it so I darted to Cleveland. I have to admit I was curious to see the road signs on the screen which I didn't see going in spite of being on major freeways but I did see them coming back. I put on "go home" and when I was on the freeway & it would have a box in the upper left corner with arrows for each lane and the ones I was suppose to be in were white and the bad lanes were grayed out (on major freeways). Nice feature. It also has the way you will be turning with the mileage in that same corner for your next turn. This is a nice addition from the 660 which only told you which way to turn 0.9 miles before. Another nice feature was there is a speed limit sign in the bottom left cornor for non-side streets. I don't know how many times I've wondered what the speed limit was in unchartered territory. As far as the FM turner issue, I didn't use it because I didn't like it with the 660. I prefer the radio to listen to music not static & the lady in the box. I did notice the british lady now says drive for Dr. and not doctor. That made me crazy. I hope she says street for St. and not saint! I would definately purchase the 765 or any 5 series over the "0" series. My main gripe is it doesn't come with a case. I purchased this by Abt Tech through Amazon and am very satistied with their delievery. However, you do have to sign for the package.

Great so far

I received my 765T a few days ago and love it so far. After reading some up and down reviews, I wasn't certain what to expect. I am pleasantly surprised. To start, the unit's volume is plenty loud, even at highway speeds. The screen is readable at all times, and automatically changes to a darkened "night mode" at night - very easy on the eyes. You can force it to day or night mode, if desired. The map's movement and fluidity is tremendous. It has a very natural looking motion at all times. Garmin claims the unit updates at 10fps, and it seems to be about that. I am still deciding if I prefer 3D or 2D mode yet, but both are great. I tested routing on a few trips and the navigation worked perfectly. Directions were given in plenty of time, and repeated at appropriate intervals. When just driving (not navigating) the green bar at the top displays your current road, and even displays the next exit when driving (not navigating) on major highways. This was unexpected for me and really cool! The voice on the unit is clear. The overall feel of the software is great. The menus move quickly and seem logically laid out. You can add categories to your favorites to better organize them. This helped a lot, since favorites are sorted by default via distance from your current location. Creating folders for your favorites works very well. You can even add a picture (and phone #) to your favorites. Very nice! As for Bluetooth: 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. So I'm either lucky or maybe there is some inconsistency in the hardware. More likely, different combinations of cell phones and GPS units lead to varying results. IMPORTANT: I did update the unit to it's latest firmware, which many say have helped their bluetooth connections. I haven't been to an area with a traffic reception signal yet, so I can't comment on the traffic function. All the other niceties work well for me also: The picture viewer, MP3 player, etc all work as advertised. I even put 1 of my pics as the startup image. In conclusion, I am very pleased with the product so far. This is a great product that I would highly recommend.

Keyword : gps

Navigon 2100 max 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech, Lifetime Traffic and Fresh Maps - Special Bundle

Navigon 2100 max 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech, Lifetime Traffic and Fresh Maps - Special Bundle

Very attractive but very disappointing POIs

I received the Navigon 2100 Max today and will return it to Amazon on Monday. I really wanted to like the unit with it's slim widescreen design, lifetime traffic, and 2 years of map upgrades. I like to march to the beat of a different drummer and tried this over a Garmin or even my beloved TomTom. I can not comment on accuracy, re routing, or overall performance of the Navigon 2100 Max. My low rating is related exclusively to the limited POIs. It was unable to locate Wal Mart, Best Buy, and a host of other well established long standing businesses in my area. By comparison, my TomTom One XL-S located all of these business that the Navigon 2100 max failed to list. Locating commonly used sometimes desperately needed POIs is as important to me as accurate navigation. When I am on the road in a strange area and I need to locate a Starbucks or Target, limited POIs is a serious flaw. To make matters MUCH worse with the 2100 Max, you can not input a business name, you can only browse POI categories. It lists very nicely lots of quick mart places, gas stations, some stores but is woefully inadequate next to my TomTom comparing them directly at the same time in the same location. I'll reiterate, unlike my TomTom, the Navigon 2100 Max does not allow you to type in any business name such as "Office Depot". A visit to the Navigon website indicates that the Navigon 5100 has this very important name search feature while the 2100 does not (something I did not even know I needed to look for based on my TomTom and Honda Odyssey experience. How does someone develop navigation with no ability to search business names?). If POIs and POI searches are not important to you, the 2100Max looks to be well built, may perform well, and has high ratings from others (I really don't like to be all negative). Another serious flaw is the cumbersome search for POIs. Under the POI search, one has to keystroke the down arrow 8 times before getting to the shopping category! Appropriately, Gas stations are listed at the top of the POI search while the all important shopping category is in the 11th location on the roster. You will scroll through rarely used categories like "motorcycle dealers", "railway station", "ATM", and "airport" before finally getting to the shopping category. It would make far more sense to put shopping in the top spot or right behind gas station or food. The listings are simply idiotic and Navigon can't even use the excuse of "they're alphabetical" to explain this away. Has anyone at Navigon used this in the real world? Why on earth would I need to scroll past motorcycle dealers in order to find a Target or a Home Depot in the shopping category? Sadly, as much as I wanted to experience the 2100, it's poor POI list, lack of POI name search, and idiotic POI icon listings renders this thing useless for me. It is going back to Amazon ASAP in exchange for another TomTom which is I am thrilled with.

My First GPS And Its Great!!!!!

This GPS does everything the $400.00 & $500.00 GPS systems do plus an whole lot more. FREE traffic updates for life & 3 years of free maps that can be downloaded whenever you want. it knows all the school zones and warn you before you get to them. The P.O.I. in this thing is the best on the market right now. The battery last an long time and getting an GPS signal at startup is real fast, less then 10 secs here in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida. The Text-To-Speech works great and is very clear even at max volume. Lane assistant and Reality View will blow your mind. If you like me and don't need the bluetooth or MP3 player build in then this GPS is for you. This is my first GPS and now I am an Navigon fan for life. Thanks Navigon for making such an great GPS and thanks Amazon.com for shipping it to me fast.

Best GPS Ever!

I just got this Navigon for my wife because the Tom Tom one she had broke down. So I wanted something new that has a nice look and work efficiently. Well this Navigon 2100max does it all. The glossy and thin look will make you think you got something very expensive when I actually paid for a very low price! The LCD screen is big enough, the map graphics and colors are excellent! Very smooth and fast! You won't have to wait for 1 min or 2 for a GPS signal! It even shows you the name of the restaurants as you are driving down the road, it shows real fast food and gas station logos. The turn to turn direction is 100% accurate unlike other GPS telling you to turn when you aren't even there yet. This machine will show you the speed limit on any road and will warn you when you go way over the speed limit, will even tell you about upcoming traffic jam and change route for you. I don't even want to mention about Exit guide! This thing can tell you what kind of restaurant or gas station or if there is a rest area in the next exit when you are on the freeway! What else can you ask! Get your money's worth with the Navigon 2100max. You will also get free update maps for 2 or 3 years! I just got another one for my sister in law and about to buy a 3rd one! Also one more thing for business people, this Navigon can log your business trip mileage! Very good for taxes purpose! I have said enough ! There are a lot more to it but I will let you guys discover it! Nick ;)

Very pleased!

I am using it for about six months. I can't find anything wrong with this unit. No problem going through NY. Highly recomded unit.

I'm very happy

I returned a previous GPS because it was slow calculating routes. The Navigon 2100 Max is much faster even re-calucating routes takes seconds. I have no problem hearing or understanding the voice commands. I am able to get traffic alerts, which is appreciated esp. since I live in a large city. I am very satisfied with my purchase. This is a lot of product for the cost.

Keyword : gps

Garmin nüvi 850 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin nüvi 850 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin Nuvi 850

Does everything as advertised, yet some features not as thought out as Magellin products. A remote control button is needed to access voice commands? Why not just have that built in all the time? The menus get too many layers deep to do many of the functions. So many features that you can get lost in the menus trying to do the simple and frequently needed items. The voices available give you lots of choices, but none are really clear and easy to understand. The data is missing some pretty important info (LAPD's stations near my place, several of my fave restaurants). But the screen is a jim-dandy winner, music and book playback are great on long trips or just waiting at the airport. The built-in FM transmitter could use a wee bit more power to be useful in a dial-crowded city environment.

sweet gps for the price i paid off online seller

One problem is known to exist on this model , and that is it doesn`t turn off sometimes when you think it does and the battery dies.But sense its for the car it plugs in and charges itself while you drive, so unless you use it on foot there is no problem.This gps will find anything if your looking in the right catagory.(THE RIGHT CATAGORY IS KEY). ok voice rec system (one of the best i`ve seen) ........FM reciver mp3 player etc is static full so you won`t be using that ethier, but who makes a gps thats better then that..lol ..gps is what its called and that is what it does...

POI severely out of date. Voice recognition turns itself off. Crashes.

I bought the 850 nuvi last night. Before taking it out on the road, I spent a few hours learning how to use it and read the forums. First off, I installed the latest firmware. The new Garmin software makes that extremely easy. Here's my major gripes so far: 1) The speech recognition turns itself off after entering several voice commands and I have to keep turning it on every few commands. THIS DRIVES ME NUTS AND IT'S NOT SAFE. There's nothing in the manual that explains that. Yes, I read the entire manual. I reset the device by turning it off for 8 seconds. That didn't help. For me, voice recognition is extremely important. I nearly drove off the interstate once when I was using my fingers to access an old GPS navigator. I stopped using it that day and never used it again for driving. 2) The POI are seriously out of date. I asked where the nearest hospital is and the nuvi returned hospitals 5+ miles away but there's a hospital one mile away that's been there for over 4 years. I asked where the nearest police station was and the nuvi returned just a few of the major police stations. There are numerous police substations here, one is nearly within walking distance. I'm guessing that the maps are about 5+ years old. And Garmin wants *me* to pay for a map update. No, I don't think so. 3) The nuvi 850 CANNOT be used when it's plugged into the USB port. 4) The accuracy of location is woefully lacking. I have 7+ year old Garmins that are accurate within 10 feet. The Garmin nuvi 850 says that my house is 200 feet away from where I set my home location. We have very good satellite access due to lack of mountains and buildings. The satellite indicator has all bars lit up. 5) Keeps crashing. This has already happened several times. The system is completely frozen and I have to reboot or it reboots itself. When this happens, some of the values that I set are reset to the default values. This is unforgivable. 6) When navigating, the unit doesn't display the destination. If I accidentally enter the wrong address from my favorites whose locations are somewhat near each other, I won't know about the mistake until I'm there. I've tried every button to find to display the destination location but it's nowhere to be found. If it's a matter of knowing a secret set of steps, then the product was poorly designed. This too is unforgivable. 7) The screen dimmer intermittently goes bright then dims again. I have the unit sitting untouched on my desk and it alternates between dim and bright. Minor gripes: My last two old Garmins came with cases, manuals and wall-plug rechargers. This came with nothing. I searched on the Garmim site for the manual and couldn't find it. Eventually I found it by using "Garmin 850 manual download" into Google. The web site sucks. I wouldn't have a manual if I didn't have access to a computer. I found a location on the Garmin site where I download vehicle icons. After an hour of searching, I never found that location again. I should have bookmarked it. On the positive side, it seems that the voice recognition is pretty good (at least in my quiet office). I can mention part of the street name (e.g. just Northway instead of Northway Court or Northway Drive or Northway Street) and it will bring up all of the possibilities. Still, that requires you to look at the menu instead of the road. Volume and clarity seems pretty good (at least in my office). By accident, I came across a feature that I didn't find in the manual: You can scroll the screen with your finger like an iPhone. Move your finger across the screen and the map moves but it's not nearly as smooth as an iPhone (and the iPhone is a lot less expensive). On another note, I've been reading the debates in the forums regarding the practicality of the "anti-theft" mechanism (a misnomer since the thief is going to steal it anyway if the unit or mounting bracket is visible). I decided to use the PIN since I don't have to enter my PIN if I'm already at home, BUT, it takes quite a few seconds for the Garmin to acquire enough satellite data to know that you're at the "security" location so it's faster to just manually enter your PIN. While the PIN won't deter theft, it's nice knowing that they only stole a useless brick.

Worth the money...

I have a 2004 MB E500 that did not come with Navi, BT or Sat Radio as an option. Since that time, Mercedes has made them available as a after-market upgrade to the COMMAND unit... for $5,000!!! After many hours spent searching for the best alternative, I've decided to go with the nuvi 850, a jawbone earpiece and my Samsung Nexus 50. This is not the perfect scenario for me as I would have preferred an integrated solution, however, the unforeseen benefit is that each device specializes in a job well done instead of picking one device that does a mediocre job at one of the three. As for this Navi device. The speech recognition works fairly well in a quiet environment. This is common for any speech recognition software today. Most any new car with this technology will require the same. Functionally, I've had no issues. I travel often and have been impressed with the accuracy of the maps as well as the easy to use GUI. I would recommend this device to anyone looking for the best-in-class performance.

Disappointing

This unit has some major flaws, most of which Garmin is aware of and seems to ignore because you see the same complaints on all their products. The biggest source of issues is the map. The points of interest are critically lacking; I'm not just talking about new points of interest that haven't been added yet, but also old points of interest that are omitted. For example, in my hometown the biggest bank in town has been here for well over 100 years, and in the EXACT same location for the whole time. The Garmin map doesn't show it. But the same bank has a smaller branch on the edge of town which has only been there for 3 or 4 years, the map does have that. Immediately adjacent to that bank is the towns largest gas station which has been there longer than the bank; the map doesn't show it. The largest grocery store in town is also curiously absent. I was waiting at a four way intersection in a neighboring state, the map showed no points of interest at the intersection, while in reality there was an enormous gas station with a mini-mall behind it. The fact that gas stations are missing is inexcusable. Before I got the unit my father asked if the only points of interest the map would show are of businesses that paid to be included, I hypothesized that a manufacturer which wanted to earn customer trust and loyalty wouldn't do that. Imagine if you were in a town you had never been to before and desperately needed gas. You ask the GPS for the nearest gas. Which answer do you want; the nearest gas is half a mile this way just around the bend, or the nearest gas is 10 miles the other way (because our map sucks), oops, sorry, you only had enough gas to get you 5 miles, tough luck. Whatever the reasoning, that is what you get with Garmin. The feature where the unit can talk to you and tell you directions is less than worthless; it's actually a liability. If you rely on it, it will actually get you lost. For whatever illogical reason, the voice feature does not mimick the on screen directions, it tells you much less so eventually it will forget to tell you about a turn you needed to take. The logic for routing you to your destination seems good, but one time it did an absolutely foolish route for me as I was testing it near home. I was driving on road A, and to get home all I had to do was turn on road B and drive a tenth of a mile to my house. Instead, the Garmin wanted me to drive past road B to road C, then drive down road C to where it intersected road B at the opposite end, then drive down road B a number of miles to my house. How it differentiates one road from another also leaves you confused sometimes. If you have a road in a town with a specific name, but once that very road leaves town it has a different name (usually a number) and that second name is how most people refer to the road, the Garmin will refer to the road by the wrong name. Also, sometimes it will tell you that you are getting on a different road, or you are exiting, when ABSOLUTELY nothing has changed from the driver's perspective. This even happened on a section of interstate highway where the road didn't even change numbers. Also, on a road with a fairly sharp bend, it will treat the bend as a "turn," this leads to more confusion as you spend time looking for an actual turn, not just a bend. This factor also changes distance measuring because the road after the "turn" is now a new measurement. The opposite has also happened; the Garmin has told me to "keep left" when I was actually turning from one road to another. Lastly, and I've only seen this once, it wanted me to drive on a road that has not existed for over 30 years! It was someone's back yard! (That could have been entertaining) For obvious reasons it doesn't work in tunnels. In most tunnels this doesn't matter because there are no turns or exits. But in some cities (Boston, for example) the tunnels have multiple exits and merges. It would be really handy if they could figure a workaround for this, as tunnels can perhaps be the most intimidating places to be lost. Two ideas would be short range auxiliary GPS transmitters attached to the ceiling or walls of the tunnel, or a simple gyroscope in the unit itself to estimate accurately enough where you are in the tunnel. Garmin has failed to win my loyalty, in the future I will try one of the other brands. If Garmin wants to keep me or win me back, they can update their maps DRAMATICALLY and give current owners free map upgrades. Update 12/2/08 Navteq does the maps for Garmin, and if you visit their site (navteq.com) they have a feature called the "Map Reporter" which allows you to submit changes to their maps. I've submitted a number of them today, so I don't know how they handle submissions yet. But it's certainly worth a try.

Keyword : garmin