Sorry, I misunderstood. No, I have a Moto RAZR, so that won't work.I wasn't quite clear in my message. What I meant was, have you checked whether TomTom Navigator for PDA/Smartphone is available for your phone?
I also wasn't aware that TomTom's bluetooth function doesn't allow it to work as a speakerphone. That's pretty lame.
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Which car GPS to get?
- Thread starter danny_w
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I just ordered a Garmin Nuvi 200W for $347 from Abe's of Maine (it was $499 most everywhere else). I don't know why they were so much cheaper. Are they a bad outfit to deal with? I bought some memory from the but it must have been 8-9 years ago.
I just received my Nuvi 200W today and so far I am quite impressed. Display is MUCH brighter than on the Maestro, and the touchscreen works quite well. I'll try it on the way home tonight and see how it does.
OK, here are some observations based on my short time with this unit. I can see both pluses and minuses to both the Nuvi 200W and the Magellan 3100:
DISPLAY - The Nuvi wins because of its 4.3" widescreen vs. the Magellan's 3.5" display. Both are about the same brightness and touch sensitivity.
MAPS - The Nuvi has clear, easy to read maps using a highly-visible white background, while the Magellan uses muted pastel colors that make the map difficult to read. However, the Magellan shows POI's on the map while the Nuvi does not.
ROUTING - The Magellan wins because of more options, and because it does a slightly better job at recalculating the route should you take a wrong turn.
DIRECTIONS - The Magellan has slightly better advance warning of a turn, and more clearly displays the upcoming turn, even if it is 5 miles away.
POI Database - The Nuvi obviously wins with a larger database, but it is not quite as easy to use.
ADDING A STOP - The Nuvi can add one stop (via point), but the Magellan cannot add any. I don't know how useful this will be in the long run.
MOUNTING - The Nuvi has a much easier method of mounting (clips at top and bottom of screen). The Magellan used a dual T-slot which was difficult to get on/off.
Overall I am satisfied with the Nuvi, primarily because the maps are easy to see while driving (a clear advantage). I just wish it had some of the options of the Magellan, like displaying POI on the map while driving.
DISPLAY - The Nuvi wins because of its 4.3" widescreen vs. the Magellan's 3.5" display. Both are about the same brightness and touch sensitivity.
MAPS - The Nuvi has clear, easy to read maps using a highly-visible white background, while the Magellan uses muted pastel colors that make the map difficult to read. However, the Magellan shows POI's on the map while the Nuvi does not.
ROUTING - The Magellan wins because of more options, and because it does a slightly better job at recalculating the route should you take a wrong turn.
DIRECTIONS - The Magellan has slightly better advance warning of a turn, and more clearly displays the upcoming turn, even if it is 5 miles away.
POI Database - The Nuvi obviously wins with a larger database, but it is not quite as easy to use.
ADDING A STOP - The Nuvi can add one stop (via point), but the Magellan cannot add any. I don't know how useful this will be in the long run.
MOUNTING - The Nuvi has a much easier method of mounting (clips at top and bottom of screen). The Magellan used a dual T-slot which was difficult to get on/off.
Overall I am satisfied with the Nuvi, primarily because the maps are easy to see while driving (a clear advantage). I just wish it had some of the options of the Magellan, like displaying POI on the map while driving.
The Garmin c330 was always my favourite, and at under $300, good value for money. I tried a bunch of different brands, and Garmin was the one that came ahead each time because it "just works". (Kinda like the Mac ) Other interfaces had fancier options but were harder to use. I bought an off-brand one for my dad, but he never uses it. I regret not getting him the c330, as it would have been much easier for him to use.
In the end, though, I bought a handheld GPS unit (Garmin GPSMAP 60csx) and the streets CD, and mount that on a suction-cup mount. I take the handheld with me when I go geocaching, and clip it into the car when I need to do street routing. It does not have a touch screen and it doesn't talk to you, but I prefer the utility of being able to go off road.
) Other interfaces had fancier options but were harder to use. I bought an off-brand one for my dad, but he never uses it. I regret not getting him the c330, as it would have been much easier for him to use.In the end, though, I bought a handheld GPS unit (Garmin GPSMAP 60csx) and the streets CD, and mount that on a suction-cup mount. I take the handheld with me when I go geocaching, and clip it into the car when I need to do street routing. It does not have a touch screen and it doesn't talk to you, but I prefer the utility of being able to go off road.
Unfortunately the Garmin doesn't "just work" when it comes to acquiring satellites. The Magellan 3100 would quickly (within seconds) acquire in the middle of my house or on the seat of my car and get full signal. The Garmin takes multiple minutes to acquire, and must be placed on my dashboard; after it acquires I can move it to the seat and it seems to hold onto the signal, but the signal strength drops off from 4 bars to 1 bar. Why is the Magellan (which only has a Sirf II receiver) so much better than the Garmin (which has a Sirf III receiver)? If the Magellan had a readable map I would go get another one right now.
Garmins are great. But if you want similar functionality and cheaper price, the Delphi Nav Series is pretty good.
I just bought a TomTom Go 510 from Woot. I have been using my Dad's TomTom One, and I just love the menu system. It took a while to get used to, but now that I have been using it for a while, it is like a second nature. The XL looks good, I would go TomTom.
I'm beginning to wish that I had. How does the TomTom do at acquiring satellites? As I said, the Magellan would acquire within a few seconds, even inside my house or on the seat of my car. The Garmin seems to take at leaset a minutes up to several minutes and must be outside or on the dashboard; it never seems to work on the seat of the car.
I can't say I've ever found that to be a problem, but then, it depends greatly on where you are and what kind of reception you get. A pity, because I really do like the Garmin UI best.
Actually this is a problem for my TomTom One. It takes anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, though usually on the shorter side, to get a signal. Other than that, I completely reccomend it.
I can't swear to it, but it certainly seems to me that the Magellan 3100 started to acquire satellites as soon as it was turned on, and by the time you went to enter an address it was ready. The Garmin OTOH seems to not even start to acquire until you enter an address to route to, after which time it could be up to 2 minutes or so before it starts calculating the route. Why do they wait like this? Why not start to acquire as soon as it is turned on? Do they expect us to sit with the car idling for this long? How does the TomTom act?
EDIT: The Garmin does indeed start to acquire before you enter an address, it just takes a long time. I turned it on when I went to lunch and tried it several minutes later and it was ready to go by that time. Still, it is MUCH slower than the Magellan, which was ready by the time you could enter an address after turning it on. The Magellan also booted much faster (<5 seconds instead of the ~30-45 seconds for the Garmin). What a pity too, since I really like the Garmin menus and maps.
EDIT: The Garmin does indeed start to acquire before you enter an address, it just takes a long time. I turned it on when I went to lunch and tried it several minutes later and it was ready to go by that time. Still, it is MUCH slower than the Magellan, which was ready by the time you could enter an address after turning it on. The Magellan also booted much faster (<5 seconds instead of the ~30-45 seconds for the Garmin). What a pity too, since I really like the Garmin menus and maps.