Sat nav/GPS?

[vanderlyle]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a budget Sat Nav. ? Are Garmin reputable?

Thanks!

[BrerGnat]

Interested in responses to this too, as I'm also in the market for a portable GPS for my car...

[Strmchsr]

I've been extremely pleased with my Garmin Nuvi 265WT. Traffic updates only occur around big cities, but the directions are usually spot on. Points of interest are quite as easy to spot as the TomTom but the directions seem better.

[Melanie]

We recently got a Garmin 1350T. Love it!!! Not sure what we ever did without it. :thumbsup:

[DizneyRox]

Does your phone support Apps?

Navigon for the iPhone is a FANTASTIC navigation device. And it comes with me, so I don't need to worry about theft, etc.

I do like the on board navigation systems, my Land Rover has one and it's great, but I don't use it all that much, not sure if the cost was worth it.. The handhelds are a cheap alternatvie, but I don't like the cords.

The phone app had been working out great.

Depending on that link that was removed, this may just be a spammer...

[Ed]

I've got a Garmin in my truck and a marine Garmin GPS/Fishfinder in my boat. Both have been exceptionally accurate and dependable.

[Briansmom]

My DH and DFIL both love their Garmins! Have had them many years.

My DD has a TomTom and likes it as well but hasn't had as extensive experience with it as she has only had about six months and I dont think she has gone on any long trips with it.

But all GPS units need 'ghetto avoidance' built into them cuz that is a SCARY experience! :bolt:

[laprana]

I have a Garmin Nuvi (don't know the exact model number :blush:) and I love it! I could get lost in a paper bag, so it really comes in handy for me. I've never had any problems with it and it's always gotten me to where I need to go! My sister also has a Garmin Nuvi and she loves hers, too. (She's also just as directionally challenged as I am!)

[DonLefNY]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a budget Sat Nav. ? Are Garmin reputable?

Thanks!

Reputable? Yes. Garmin has more than 50% of the US market.

We have 2 Garmins, 1 TomTom & 1 Magellen here. I actually have no problems with any of them.

[NotaGeek]

This was definitely a spammer. But I love my Garmin. :mickey:

[Ed]

Hey, fellow Garmin Nuvi owners - -

Just got a recall notice from Garmin:


This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

DESCRIPTION
Garmin has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain models of Garmin's nüvi® brand of portable automotive GPS products due to a potential risk of battery overheating. Garmin has identified potential overheating issues when certain batteries manufactured by the third-party battery supplier within a limited date code range are used in certain Garmin nüvi models with a specific printed circuit board (PCB) design. It appears that the interaction of these factors can, in rare circumstances, increase the possibility of overheating, which may lead to a fire hazard.

AFFECTED PRODUCTS
The recalled devices include a small subset of the following nüvi model numbers:
• nüvi 200W, 250W, and 260W
• nüvi 7xx and 7xxT (where xx is a two-digit number)

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
Determine your nüvi model and serial number by looking at the label on the back or bottom of your nüvi. You must provide this and other information to determine whether your nüvi is affected by this recall.

To easily and quickly determine whether your nüvi is affected, go to www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall

If you do not have access to the web site, call (866) 957-1981 toll free in the United States with your nüvi serial number to determine if your nüvi is affected.

RESOLUTION
If you determine that your nüvi is affected by this recall, you must immediately stop using the device and return it to the directed Garmin-authorized service center for service. The unit's battery will be replaced with a new battery and a spacer will be inserted on top of the battery next to the PCB. The insertion of the spacer will provide a uniform enclosure space for the replacement battery. When the battery is replaced and the service concluded, your nüvi will be immediately returned to you. You will not have to pay for any associated service or shipping charges.

Do not attempt to remove the battery yourself. Promptly discharge the battery in any recalled nüvi devices to eliminate the possibility of the battery overheating. To safely discharge the battery, perform the following actions in order:

1. Disconnect the nüvi from all power cables and mounts.
2. Turn on the nüvi. The top right corner of the nüvi main menu displays the battery symbol and indicates the current battery charge level.
3. Let the nüvi sit until the battery is completely discharged and the nüvi turns itself off.
4. Do not re-charge or continue to use a recalled nüvi.

After you discharge your nüvi battery, follow the instructions you received from Garmin for returning your nüvi.

CONCLUSION
This notice is being sent to you to correct the identified problem and provide the superior quality reflected in the Garmin brand products we are privileged to provide. If we fail to or are unable to remedy the defect at no charge within a reasonable amount of time, you may submit a complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590 or call the toll free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

We also take this opportunity to re-emphasize that Garmin's existing product literature for nüvi devices instructs and warns customers not to expose the products to extremely high temperatures by leaving nüvi units in the windshield while unattended because of the extremely high temperatures that can be reached on a car dashboard on a hot, sunny day. These high temperatures can cause the battery to swell, which could contribute to overheating risks.

Garmin sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience that this matter has caused. We value your business and your faith in our company and want to maintain your confidence in and support of our entire line of products. Even through our handling of this incident, we endeavor to retain and strengthen your trust in the future.

To easily and quickly determine whether your nüvi is affected, go to www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall

My own 260W is affected. Shipping it to Garmin tomorrow.

:(

[CanadianWDWFan]

I have had my Garmin Nuvi 350 for 3 years and have used it in California and getting to Florida and back home again. It has never let me down.

If I have to ever replace my unit I would not hesitate to get another Garmin.

[Disney4us2]

I just got a Garmin Nuvi 1300. I used it for our beach camping trip last week and it worked great. I will be using it again next weekend for our Labor Day camping trip.

I looked at one that was less expensive, but that one didn't give the street names... example: turn left on Balboa. It would of just said turn left in 100 feet.

[brownie]

Forget the GPS units, use your phone. I have an HTC EVO and the Google Maps navigation is great! It interfaces with my calendar and contacts, so it's a lot easier to bring up directions. Plus, it's one less piece of gear to have to worry about.

[kakn7294]

I have a Magellan Roadmate 1470 - it's much more reliable and accurate than the Verizon VZ Navigator which I get with my phone. It can't even find the local mall. I did get the special traffic link cord with it (came as a bundle) and that feature seems fairly useless but the directions have been great.

[Ed]

Agreed about the Verizon VZ Navigator - - it seems to pick odd routing, does not recognize many long-established addresses, and is a bit awkward to use, especially if you need to make or receive a call in the middle of a route.

I'll stick to a dedicated GPS for navigation, and the cell phone for communicating, thank you.

[Melanie]

I'll stick to a dedicated GPS for navigation, and the cell phone for communicating, thank you.

:ditto:

[DizneyRox]

Don't knock it till you try it, Navigon for the IPhone rivals my $3000 Land Rover option, gives me traffic, etc. The screen is a little smaller, but tons more useful features, like grabbing addresses from m contact list, etc. I haven't entered an address in forever.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I love my Garmin and bought my nephew one too. My sis just bought a Nuvi and it pooped out on us coming home from WDW last week. I think it might be one of the recalled ones as you could smell something burning. We just unplugged it and plugged in the one I had bought my nephew. Thank goodness we had the spare one! She took hers back to Target and they gave her a new one. I'll have to tell her to look and see if this is one of the recall ones.

[crazypoohbear]

Mine is not on the list, neither is my son's.
But the one that burnt up half way home from florida most definately had a burned electronic smell to it.
Mid way through virginia the screen went blank.
after about 10 minutes my son got it working again but then we could smell a "burning" smell, unplugged it a put it away.
Target has a 90 day return policy so when we arrived home I brought it back to the store and exchanged it.
I will bet that eventually Garmin expands the recall and the Nuvi 1300 is included because that baby was close to catching on fire!

[kakn7294]

Don't knock it till you try it, Navigon for the IPhone rivals my $3000 Land Rover option, gives me traffic, etc. The screen is a little smaller, but tons more useful features, like grabbing addresses from m contact list, etc. I haven't entered an address in forever.I'm not knocking anything but I have an iPod Touch which needs wifi to function - pretty much impossible on the road unless I pay for mifi service. I have no plans to change back to AT&T anytime soon just for an iPhone as their service in my area is marginal at best.

[magicofdisney]

We have Garmins. Both have been discontinued, but they continue to work flawlessly. In fact, despite the discontinuation, we recently purchased the lifetime maps from Garmen (right around $100). Theoretically, we should never need to replace them.

[caryrae]

One Garmin I like is the 1690 which uses the NuLink service which you get free for 2 years. It uses a cell connection which will give you movie times, gas prices, traffic, weather, local events, flight status, white pages, plus more. The big plus is it uses Google local search which is way better then the installed poi's. It has been out for a year or so. Amazon has them for around $250 which is about half of what they cost when I bought it last year.

I have an iPhone and much prefer using a Garmin for navigating instead of the phone.

[DizneyRox]

I'm not knocking anything but I have an iPod Touch which needs wifi to function - pretty much impossible on the road unless I pay for mifi service. I have no plans to change back to AT&T anytime soon just for an iPhone as their service in my area is marginal at best.
The touch doesn't have GPS does it? Navigon had it's own maps, so it doesn't download and would work without Internet access.

You do need something with a GPS receiver, the iPhone has it, I think it's a seperate accessory on a touch, but WAY overpriced. I wouldn't bother.

Many smartphones have GPS now, and they work quite well. I don't think I'd walk across the country with one, but for what I think most poeple need, and that's occasional use, many are more than adequate. If you travel for a living, well, maybe there are better alternatives, BUT being able to integrate your contacts with your device, with your e-mail, etc and there's not much better than the current generation of smart phones.

Now, the software is key... The iPhone has several options, Navigon, TomTom, RoadMate, etc. I've tried most of them and Navigon is hands down the best. The Google Maps that came on it is a joke, no turn by turn, etc. You need to pony up for decent software.

Now, the Androids are coming with a much better version of Google's navigation software, it's almost usable! The advantage of not storing the maps is that you can take it with you and not have to worry about loading the right maps. Navigon has the US and Canada, so I'm not too worried. Even my Land Rover has two DVDs, so if I actually drive from one DVD to another I need to stop, eject the DVD (under the passenger seat) and then continue.

I will say, navigation on my phone is going to be a deal breaker. If it's junk, I'll pass on that phone. Contract is up in a few months, we'll see what's out there. I don't mind making the switch off AT&T/Apple, but Google is going to have to step it up, the HTC Incredible seems to be leading the pack.

[kakn7294]

The touch doesn't have GPS does it? Navigon had it's own maps, so it doesn't download and would work without Internet access.

You do need something with a GPS receiver, the iPhone has it, I think it's a seperate accessory on a touch, but WAY overpriced. I wouldn't bother.

Many smartphones have GPS now, and they work quite well. I don't think I'd walk across the country with one, but for what I think most poeple need, and that's occasional use, many are more than adequate. If you travel for a living, well, maybe there are better alternatives, BUT being able to integrate your contacts with your device, with your e-mail, etc and there's not much better than the current generation of smart phones.

Now, the software is key... The iPhone has several options, Navigon, TomTom, RoadMate, etc. I've tried most of them and Navigon is hands down the best. The Google Maps that came on it is a joke, no turn by turn, etc. You need to pony up for decent software.

Now, the Androids are coming with a much better version of Google's navigation software, it's almost usable! The advantage of not storing the maps is that you can take it with you and not have to worry about loading the right maps. Navigon has the US and Canada, so I'm not too worried. Even my Land Rover has two DVDs, so if I actually drive from one DVD to another I need to stop, eject the DVD (under the passenger seat) and then continue.

I will say, navigation on my phone is going to be a deal breaker. If it's junk, I'll pass on that phone. Contract is up in a few months, we'll see what's out there. I don't mind making the switch off AT&T/Apple, but Google is going to have to step it up, the HTC Incredible seems to be leading the pack.IPods are WiFi compatible, not GPS compatible. Verizon sells the MiFi - a wireless router that uses the GPS mobile internet but it's expensive - something like $60 a month. My phone is 8 months old so it's mine for a while longer. And iPhones are not available at Verizon. It's ok, I like my Magellan.

[magicofdisney]

With the phone GPS systems, what happens if you're at a crucial junction and you get a phone call in the middle of directions? I realize you can always get back on track, but that would drive me bonkers.

[DizneyRox]

I believe with the iPhone, the call takes precedence, the audio on the GPS is muted and the phone connects. With the new iPhone iOS, this is the main reason for multitasking as your GPS will resume after disconnecting.

On my LR, the phone is an accessory to the GPS/Radio, so they end up talking over each other. When you miss the road, it squaks to get you back on track talking over the phone call even more, talk about driving you bonkers! I'm sure each GPS handles this differently, if you have your phone connected via Bluetooth to the GPS it would probably do the same. If connected to your car bluetooth, maybe different.

Am I correct that you can connect your standalone GPS to your car's radio for directions over the speakers?

Hopefully everoyne is using some sort of handsfree unit and not yapping on the cell phone with it up against your ear.

[kakn7294]

I don't believe that I can connect my stand-alone Magellan to my Jeep's speakers - I know the Jeep radio is not compatible but I think my particular Magellan model is not either. However, after using it for our recent trip to Disney, we wouldn't want play it through the speakers anyway. I had been playing with it to enter addresses and POIs and such so I had the sound muted when we started off on our trip. We discovered we like it muted since it's mounted in a spot where it was easy to see any upcoming turns that needed to be made.

And to clarify, I can get a number of GPS navigation apps for the iPod Touch (any of the same ones as for iPhone) but I would have to also get a GPS capable mobile wifi device in order to use it as a navigator - not worth it!

[DizneyRox]

And to clarify, I can get a number of GPS navigation apps for the iPod Touch (any of the same ones as for iPhone) but I would have to also get a GPS capable mobile wifi device in order to use it as a navigator - not worth it!
Yes, I think TomTom has a car mount for around $150 or so. It includes a GPS receiver that your iTouch would recognize and use for GPS. Like you said, not worth it. The iPhone for a little more (plus contract) gets you the same thing. I guess anything to make a buck. There are many many iPhones coming out of contract though, I intend on picking up a few to use around the house. They can make good remotes, streaming audio devices, mobile "movie" players, etc.

[brivers222]

I had a TomTom that i like for about 2 years but i never did upgrade the maps... Couldn't justify paying $79 to get a new map on a 2 year old system when i can pay $110 and get a new map and new system lol So i sold it on E-bay for $65 <-- who would have known lmao

My fiancee converted me to Garmins after using her nuvi255.

I bought a 265wt at costco back in July for $160 and used it for about 5 weeks before it started to talk in robot and freeze. The traffic was pretty nice along with the hands free cell phone thingy, but really i can do without those bells and whistles (just get me to my destination as accurately as possible) I returned it to costco with their no hastle policy.

Just recently I decided to take another plunge in the garmin pool and bought a Nuvi295w from costco.com with their new lower $119 price.

Its slated to be delivered tomorrow... so we shall see! I plan on using it for our trip in 3 weeks to Disney :)

[c&d]

We got a Garmin about 7 years ago and we love it. Never had any problems with it. It was about $900 and it was a gift.

[brivers222]

Just recently I decided to take another plunge in the garmin pool and bought a Nuvi295w from costco.com with their new lower $119 price.

Its slated to be delivered tomorrow... so we shall see! I plan on using it for our trip in 3 weeks to Disney :)

Had it for the entire weekend playing with it... I really like this Garmin... The internet on it is amazing! Its like an iPhone without the phone contract price tag :number1:

[DizneyRox]

Had it for the entire weekend playing with it... I really like this Garmin... The internet on it is amazing! Its like an iPhone without the phone contract price tag :number1:
You mean it's like an iTouch? It's WiFi only right?

[brivers222]

You mean it's like an iTouch? It's WiFi only right?

Yeah its the size of an i-phone/touch. It doesn't have the apps but really i like that it is slim in stature. The scroll screens on it remind me of my sisters iphone.

of course its not the exact same, but it reminds me of having a touch. Obviously the touch with a gps app would most likely make this garmin obsolete... but i like how it tracks walking trips as well... from what i tested in Detroit, it can pick up streets and paths in the big city while walking where the past garmins seems to get all spazed out.

I should have clarified that the size reminded me of an iphone with out the pricetag or monthly