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Buying a GPS. Which one do you guys recommend?

S

stuff99

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 11, 2007
394
0
Hey everyone,

I'm in the market for a GPS and I'm not quite sure which one to get exactly.

I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS Navigation System - Black (Future Shop Exclusive) model and the TomTom GPS Navigation System with Voice prompt, BlueTooth And Text-to-Speech (GO920) at Futureshop.

The Garmin is $320 and the TomTom is $399.

Which one do you guys recommend? Is TOMTOM worth the bigger price tag?

Garmin Link: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...665000FS10099013&catid=25833&logon=&langid=EN

TomTom: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10094793&logon=&langid=EN

Thats a comparison of the two.

Thanks for your help.
 
stuff99 said:
Hey everyone,

I'm in the market for a GPS and I'm not quite sure which one to get exactly.

I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS Navigation System - Black (Future Shop Exclusive) model and the TomTom GPS Navigation System with Voice prompt, BlueTooth And Text-to-Speech (GO920) at Futureshop.

The Garmin is $320 and the TomTom is $399.

Which one do you guys recommend? Is TOMTOM worth the bigger price tag?

Garmin Link: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...665000FS10099013&catid=25833&logon=&langid=EN

TomTom: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10094793&logon=&langid=EN

Thats a comparison of the two.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

I have used both. Tomtom has real issues with alignment of the device. While my friend was driving I had the GPS in my hand. I rotated it a bit and it got messed up ! :mad: Recalculations are slow too !

I would suggest Garmin Nuvi 350/360. Reliable and simple !

Garmin Nuvi 350 for $199

Garmin Nuvi 360 for $249
 
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Definity said:
I've found the TomTom navigation is much much better.
Click to expand...

I travel for work and I have found the exact opposite.

I hate my TomTom One and it even has the most recent maps of europe and the US. I find that it is constantly taking me to the wrong place, or trying to drive me down one way streets, it took me to the wrong town once with clients in the car. I have double and triple checked addresses but it is wrong. The UI is great and it is easy to use but its mapping software is abysmal.

Garmin all the way.
 
I can really only speak for the Garmin nuvi, but I have one and it works very well. There are differences in how the maps are depicted, I think the 3D maps on Garmin are much easier to understand.

Dave
 
Depends where you're at. In Europe, TomTom & Magellan have an edge, in North America, it's Garmin and Lowrance. This has to do with the mapping software used (they don't produce their own), and the relative accuracy in the respective regions.

As far as hardware and proprietary algorithms, Garmin has a clear edge. They've been at this game from the launch of the GPS constellation, and are a prohibitive favorite in aviation (no small thanks to the buyout of UPS Aviation Technologies some years back), and have more than kept pace in land-use GPS systems for years.

Don't worry about non-navigation features, that's more marketing than anything else. If it doesn't relate specifically to finding your way from point A to point B more efficiently, then it simply a bell and/or whistle.

I use GPS's daily on a must-have basis, and upgrade about every three years, comparison testing across all lines. I have yet to find anyone that can outdo Garmin at all price levels, feature sets, consistency, and reliability in consumer-oriented sets. I currently have a Zumo 550 (I have a bike, too), and am thinking about a 700/800-series next year.
 
thanks for the input guys

i think im gonna go with the garmin one since that seems to be the popular recommendation
 
Well now that you got your answer OP, I'm asking a different one. Are there any GPS units that are portable that also display maps of lakes and rivers, and don't cost too much more than their auto counterparts. I'm looking for something I can transport to our boat and back to our car.

Thanks
 
I have the Garmin nuvi 205 and I love it. My mom uses the TomTom One, and by comparison, the Garmin was much better. It was more accurate, and had more places of interest.
 
macdim said:
Well now that you got your answer OP, I'm asking a different one. Are there any GPS units that are portable that also display maps of lakes and rivers, and don't cost too much more than their auto counterparts. I'm looking for something I can transport to our boat and back to our car.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Most any GPS receiver provider that has marine units as well has the charts (land = maps, water = charts) that can be loaded into a land-use receiver as well. I know pretty much any Garmin will accept them. The bottom line is it's a matter of the installed mapping software, nothing else.
 
stuff99 said:
Hey everyone,

I'm in the market for a GPS and I'm not quite sure which one to get exactly.

I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS Navigation System - Black (Future Shop Exclusive) model and the TomTom GPS Navigation System with Voice prompt, BlueTooth And Text-to-Speech (GO920) at Futureshop.

The Garmin is $320 and the TomTom is $399.

Which one do you guys recommend? Is TOMTOM worth the bigger price tag?

Garmin Link: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...665000FS10099013&catid=25833&logon=&langid=EN

TomTom: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10094793&logon=&langid=EN

Thats a comparison of the two.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...


I just got my wife the Garmin nuvi 760 from BuyDig (US $374)

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product....dium=cpc&utm_campaign=GRNUVI760&sku=GRNUVI760

We love it so far plus it has bluetooth pairing and a FM transmitter so that you can have your handsfree phone calls come through your radio. Very convenient when you do a lot of traveling and in rental cars.

Hickman
 
+1 for the garmin. My family and I have had horrible experiences with TomTom's, but have always had luck with garmin's.
 
To beat this dead horse a bit more: I bought a Garmin nuvi 200W earlier this year and have been really pleased with it. I know the more expensive models have some nice features, but for anyone who's looking at the less expensive ones, I can definitely recommend this model (which I picked up for less than $200 IIRC).
 
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