GPS Update... June 2008.

I've got a Nuvi as well... I saw Blaine's post about my Garmin and I keep forgetting to look at the model # when I go drive somewhere, but I'm pretty sure it's the 740 or 750 model. I love that thing. I never get lost thanks to that and I can always find a gas station when I need one. I only had a "poor reception" issue once and that's because I was driving through a long tunnel.

I remember reading a review of the model that I have and someone said they compared the built in GPS in a Mercedes vs the Nuvi and the Nuvi won hands down for them.

It does take about a minute for the unit to pick up a signal though, but that's not a big deal... I'm not sure if that's what other GPS' do.
 
I've come to the conclusion that yes, this producer must have had her little Garmin set up in the worst possible way. There's no way that every last bit of research that I've done could point to Garmin being the single best brand... and her unit functioned like it did.

So I thought I'd update the update.

The newest Mio units really turned me OFF in person. They use a totally different interface then the older units. If you like the older map look and the techy details of the split screen... then you want the 320 or 520... the new Moov 300 and 310(adds traffic) have made an attempt to dumb down the display and inputs... and they've succeeded. So I guess Mio is out unless I decide to buy another version of my old unit.

From there I've narrowed it down to the garmin 760... available from costco for 3 more days for $350+tax... until the 22nd. That's a great price for this GPS. It has traffic free for 3 months, and then $60/yr after.

Or else the Magellan 4250... for about $250 from various internet stores... and it's got free traffic for a year... so I'm considering that unit to be basically $200 in comparison to the Garmin... so this is tempting. My only caveat with the Magellans is that they don't look as nice or as logical as the Garmins... still... with the free traffic option and the super-low internet price available... I'm leaning towards this unit.

I'm intrigued by the TomTom units because of the look of the screen and the look of the unit... but I can't find any deals on them... and if I'm close to the cost of a Garmin then I'm just going to get a Garmin. So nothing much to report there.

My understanding of GPS brands is that they run in this order... Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, and then a tie for forth with either Navigon or Mio.

The Navigon units look GREAT... but I haven't found any reviews of them that SAY they're great... I keep reading that they're slow... as in "affects making your turn" slow... but on screen looks alone, I'd love to try one. To me that's the ideal display. Garmin makes no bones about the display... there's no way to change it... whereas with the Mio you can choose a bunch of formats for the map image... not just 2D/3D, but color schemes and appearance. I wish the Garmin had that function... I don't really like the purple route lines, but maybe this is nitpicking. Either way... today's probably the day I decide... and it's looking like Magellan 4250 for $250 shipped, inc. 1 year traffic... or Garmin 760 for $370 + $60 for year traffic.

One thing really worth mentioning... is that Garmin's battery life is way better then the competition... so if you find yourself removing the unit to use on foot... this is big... PLUS the Garmin units remember where they were last disconnected from power... so finding your car will always be easy.

I'm guessing that GPS is due for some major revisions and improvements... a couple years ago a 4.3" screen was only on the best models... and now there are units with a 5" screen... and I'm thinking that by this time next year maybe that will be standard on mid-range models... plus, with Moore's Law and electronics... I may be giving whatever GPS I buy to a friend by this time next year anyway... so... the odds are I'll give that Magellan a try... hmm... tough choice.
 
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It happened again today.....a parcel company called me in the morning to tell me that the speakers would arrive that morning, but it turns out that they couldn't find my house.... I need to do something, I don't know.
 
I've got the Delorme TopoUSA system with Bluetooth which runs on a laptop on a JottoDesk and now I run my Samsung BlackJackII with TeleNav. TeleNav is a subscription service, so I'll see how long I'm willing to pay for this feature.

The great thing about the BlackJack is that the GPS is a true SiRF III unit, so you can unlock it and use any mapping application within the WM 6.0 environment. I'm supremely lazy, so I'll probably continue to use the subscription service instead of a third-party mapping app.

Ah well.

e
 
Long post... sorry.

If at all possible... buy your GPS from Costco... GPS is one of the few electronic devices they sell which is still covered under Costco's lifetime satisfaction guarantee... so if your unit craps out in 3 weeks, or 3 months, or even 3 YEARS... you can get a new one, or get your money back. That's worth WAY more then the $100+ extended warranty plans you can buy elsewhere, because if you ever have a problem you get the issue handled IMMEDIATELY.

So I bought a Garmin nuvi 680... I did a bunch of reading about GPS units and I found gpslodge.com and gpsmagazine.com plus a lot of other reviews and resources... some knowledgeable sounding guys said the older 680 is better then the newer 760... and gave several reasons why... and since one of my main concerns was traffic reporting... the 680 seemed like a no-brainer with it's free one-year MSN traffic reporting... and you can even extend that another 6 months for only $9.95 more when you activate.

So far this traffic reporting seems to work VERY well in Saint Louis... so I'm totally sold on the MSN traffic service... that is going to be a priority for me from now on... I also like all the other side-info that you get as well... including best gas prices for your location, etc. All very cool.

The screen on the 680 is flat-out excellent... probably about the same for the 760 and I'd guess most other Garmin GPS models... and the graphic design of the display is growing on me, because of the blatantly cartoon-like precision of everything... the unit appears to be idiot proof.

Overall it definitely looks good and functions really fast... dragging the screen is snappy and it responds to input instantly.

There are a couple things I'm a little bugged by however... on the Garmin unit that we had on my last gig... I complained that the unit was behind us... if you watch the screen with the speaker muted (like when your producer is on the phone)... then you HAVE to look ahead on the unit's display... because you will pass the turn before the unit shows you passing the turn... by the time the side road gets to the little car, you've already passed the turn. I notice this on my 680 also... and this may be a deal breaker for me.

I've played with Magellan units (my brother also bought a Magellan) and in this regard they seem to work better at matching your speed to the map scroll... but the Magellan's freeze if you try to do other things while you're following a route... plus many inputs slow the unit down instead of allowing you to quickly move through menus... 2 inputs in and the thing needs a break to catch up. Also... as I mentioned before... the Magellan has taken some really bizzare detours off a main road... only to bring us back out to the main road... that left me scratching my head and putting them down on my list.

I'm beginning to see why most GPS sites say that "no GPS is perfect"... but I really couldn't believe that to be true... but it is. You actually have to decide what's the most important to you. I can't believe that Garmin can't just slam-dunk all the best features of other companies and just kill off all the competition.

Here's my little wish-list... what I like... and what I hate, about the GPS units I've used:

1) The unit must reliably and intelligently get you from point A to point B. It's too early to tell... but it appears that Garmin has the lead in this area... and I think that's why they're leading the industry.

2) I want the unit to be snappy in function... no screen lagging. Again the Garmin does very well in this regard... but ironically, the cheap Mio that I had previously was ALSO about this snappy.

3) I'm already loving the traffic reporting by MSN. I don't know how well the other service works, or if this will work that well in other cities... but it's amazing in Saint Louis. I can see accidents as far out as I want... on the other side of town it will report any lane closures... even in neighborhoods.

4) The Garmin switches to airplane view when you drag the map around... if you're on a route and want to see what's 2 streets over you must zoom out and lose detail... or drag your finger and get the view from 5K feet up. The Mio would immediately drag the world over in the exact same perspective... and pop a ghosted circle that says "follow" in the corner... and then when you got done looking around you, tap "follow" and the route resumes at your current position. This was way cool and way useful. As long as the unit responds quickly it's a really neat thing to have at hand... you can make decisions on the fly... about POIs or maybe you just feel like seeing what's over that ridge?

5) The Mio unit will slide in a side screen... with details like you'd have on a computerized dash... speed, time of departure, time of arrival, total travel time... and on that side bar there were tap points to rotate info... such as POIs and distance/direction... as well as other info. I drove with that sidebar showing about half the time... something about the wealth of trip info was comforting and made driving more satisfying.

6) The SPEAKER... oh my Lord the speaker... what the hell Garmin? I can't hear crap! Even at max volume this is insanity... you have to forget any other listening in the truck (I drive a truck, so if you drive a nice quiet car this is probably not an issue for you)... I can't believe how rediculous this is. On the Mio you could turn the volume to irritatingly loud... so that the voice prompt could be frightening. On the 680 you hear "murr-mur mphff mur"... and it's like "Crap! What was that?" and then I look at the display to see what I need to do next. Honestly I can't decide if this is a deal breaker or not... but I am amazed at this issue.

7) The TIMING of the unit seems off. If you're paying attention to the trip then this shouldn't matter, but I really liked how, on my last unit... when the arrow goes across the train tracks on the screen... you are crossing the train tracks in reality... when it said "merge onto highway" you were at the very end of the ramp and ready to merge onto the highway.

8) On the Mio unit ALL elements were on sliders. You could increment how much turn warning... map detail... EVERYTHING... was on a slider... so in effect there were 10 levels of options... for everything. I can't find more then one setting for most features of the 680... voice prompts are either on or off... It would be nice to have 2 prompts before a turn... or whatever.

9) Aside from the speaker volume... the TTS isn't very impressive on this unit. I didn't have TTS on my last unit and the voice was way clearer... I'd rather hear "turn right in 400 feet" and have it REALLY BE 400'... and hear that CLEARLY... then have a voice announce a street name that I can't make out as I nearly pass the turn.

10) The keys should gray out un-available choices! On the QWERTY keyboard in other units it gradually grays out the letters that can't be used in your search! This is WAY WAY handy when putting in an address!


So the conclusion is why say all this and not just get another unit like my last one? Because I really want to have/keep MSN traffic... and my last unit would take routing to the extreme... if you said "shortest distance" then the thing would include a section of ally in the trip... it gave the shortest distance as Batman might go.

Garmin is universally credited as having the best and most intelligent routing... but there's also no way to elminate roads from a route... as in "never take this road"... but I love the screen... including brightness and touch response... plus the unit is very snappy when inputting info... so man... it's definitely a tough choice.

Everybody else, besides Costco... has a 14 day return policy... AND they have a 15% restock!

So... there you go... I've pretty much decided that I will either keep this unit... the 680... OR I will return it and get the 760... and I'll be accepting the compromises... but I'm not really thrilled that no one company is leading in all areas of GPS.
 
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Sorry Matt, I didn't read the whole post, but I saw that you went with a Garmin. Great choice. I was about to tell you to steer clear of the Magellen, I don't know how well their street units work but their customer service is the crappiest I've ever dealt with. Garmin is fantastic. I love my Nuvi, like Tom said it does take a minute to grab signal, but that's not an iddue when it always gets me where I need to go. Plus, the Garmin Garage is a really fun feature. Check it out online.
 
I already got the tank and the vacation wagon... so yeah, fun is good... but I wish that the streets I was passing would be passing the little car at the same time they're passing my big car.

While I agree that Garmin is probably the best choice... there are some GLARING flaws that other companies have addressed... so going Garmin gives you the most candy, but they also kick you in the nuts by not including some obvious advancements that are common on most other systems.
 
You've given a really detailed and in depth review Matt. Thanks. After reading this I'm sure I will want to upgrade my unit to one that has the MSN traffic feature.
 
MattinSTL said:
I already got the tank and the vacation wagon... so yeah, fun is good... but I wish that the streets I was passing would be passing the little car at the same time they're passing my big car.

While I agree that Garmin is probably the best choice... there are some GLARING flaws that other companies have addressed... so going Garmin gives you the most candy, but they also kick you in the nuts by not including some obvious advancements that are common on most other systems.
Click to expand...

What are some of the things they left out? Just curious because this has been my first unit (besides the Magellan which wasn't a street unit anyway)

Also, I would like the traffic feature, as well as the warning for speed traps, cameras, etc...

On an unrelated point, I may have run a red light today. It went yellow, I thought "I can make it!" the car in the next lane stopped and my thought changed to "Oh, sh!t" and it went red but there wasn't enough time so I hit the brake and swung into the turn, quickly glancing around for any cops. I may have had all the wheels out before it went red, but I am not sure. Why did I say that, again? GPS...traffic...speedtraps...cops...red lights...that's right!
 
ConspiracyPenguin said:
What are some of the things they left out? Just curious because this has been my first unit (besides the Magellan which wasn't a street unit anyway)
Click to expand...

I'm repeating portions of the long post, but the Garmin lacks:

1) Black out letters as you type a street or city. Garmin makes you type out entire words.

Other brands remove letters from the keyboard. So if you live in Saint Louis and you want an address on Washington... it pops up "Washington Ave" after you only type w-a-s... and once you hit the w it blacks out all but the following letters that can apply... trust me this is HUGE on the speed of programming!

2) Forces airplane view when you finger-drag a map... this sucks. It's way nicer to be able to simply pull the visual off-course and with one tap put it back on course. Try it on another unit...it's way better.

3) Speaker is total crap compared to nearly everything else within $100 of the same price. No comparison here.

4) Upcoming turn notifications can't be adjusted. Other units allow you to choose how much interaction you want (not simply on or off).

5) No way to change map appearance for preference. Other units allow variable map choices in colors/fonts/style. I'd WAY rather be able to change the look of the map, then the look of the pointer. It's like having dozens of cool pointers for windows... and not being able to change preference of WINDOWS.

6) Unit LAGS on actual position... even though the screen itself is snappy and responsive. Meaning, by the time you see the little car passing the street you are TOTALLY past it... the unit trails reality by about 80' or so. My last unit was in sync with reality... the screen scrolled really fast and smooth... and when it showed the arrow in the center of an intersection, I was in the center of the intersection... no matter what speed I was going... it was always dead-on.

Because of this distance lag... the upcoming turn indicator (in distance) is less valuable. My last unit had a red bar that filled up... and when it was full it was time to turn. An arrow over that bar told you which way (in addition to the easily heard voice).

Unfortunately Mio bought Navman... and fired I-go... and revamped all their GPS systems to utilize a new interface... now their GPS also lags a bit (no more then the Garmin)... and in an effort to dumb the unit down they succeeded. Plus there aren't many units with MSN Direct traffic... so I guess I'll keep the 680.

I'd get the 760, but you gotta' spend another $110 to get MSN Direct for that unit... so even on sale it still takes another $100 to bring it around. $350 for a GPS is about as much as I want to spend... $450 is just too much to justify in this market. If Garmin could address my list 1-6 above... I'd be thrilled.
 
Matt, sorry...you didn't have to repeat anything. Next time just say "Hey, dumbass, I already explained that...take a look at that post you didn't have time to read earlier!" :grin:

I can understand/relate to all the points you mentioned except this one:

MattinSTL said:
6) Unit LAGS on actual position... even though the screen itself is snappy and responsive. Meaning, by the time you see the little car passing the street you are TOTALLY past it... the unit trails reality by about 80' or so. My last unit was in sync with reality... the screen scrolled really fast and smooth... and when it showed the arrow in the center of an intersection, I was in the center of the intersection... no matter what speed I was going... it was always dead-on.

Because of this distance lag... the upcoming turn indicator (in distance) is less valuable. My last unit had a red bar that filled up... and when it was full it was time to turn. An arrow over that bar told you which way (in addition to the easily heard voice).
Click to expand...

My Nuvi 200 (which I think I got for around $230 - it's all I need, although traffic would be nice.) always has me in the right place (with the exception of the first day I bought it it put me on adjacent streets, but now it never does that, I say it was just acclamating) I have checked and whenever I pass a street my little SUV icon is passing the same street. It must vary by model and/or location. Still, a great company with good products.
 
My nephew liked my last GPS so much that he didn't want to return it after borrowing it... so fortunately I may be able to post a little vid to explain what I'm talking about... because I seriously think this issue needs attention... and it was exactly the same in the little 200 I used last week.

Yes it properly identifies the streets, but streets haven't been passing IN SYNC with me... it's close enough that I can work around it, but the unit is definitely not as much in sync as my last GPS.

When I put 'em side by side I'm sure we'll all agree that the Garmin looks like the superior unit... especially on-cam, considering the bright screen and all... but this issue is strictly with the image being in true sync with me as I drive.
 
We have a winner!
6-20-08-knightridergps.jpg
 
Dude I thought you were punking me... but nope... that thing is... uh... real.

OK now I have to post a vid. I'm thinking that I OWE it to you...

What I'm saying... in case I'm not clear... is that when you pass a street... and it's FULLY behind your vehicle... do you still see it passing your little cartoon car on the Garmin? I have been... and in the other Garmin I used last week I was then also... and in the Mio when a street is physically behind you it's no longer showing on the forward 3D map. Maybe that's worse... hell I don't know... but I'm going to explain it.

Maybe we'll have the same revolution with GPS that we had with microphones... people need to start talking about this sh*t instead of saying in EVERY review... "well no GPS is perfect... but..."
 
I know exactly what you're saying here, Matt. The Garmin IS a bit slow in that respect. For me, though, I haven't used one like your Mio and I've gotten used to the way the Garmin works. When it tells me a turn is coming up, I pay attention to the readout in the lower right corner. I guess it's not that big a deal with me because I've become used to it and my mind deals with it...
 
Matt, I understood what you were saying totally but for some reason I don't have that problem. The display is always quite accurate to my position in relation to surrounding streets. But, to be honest, when I am driving I focus more on the voice than the screen since I don't know which car to install the dash board mount in, and thus I would have to look down to see the unit and risk getting into a crash. I will take an occasional glance and see the turn coming up and then watch for the street. So far the only time I got messed up was when it took me down a street that wasn't finished yet. :grin:
 
Ultimately... I think that Garmin probably still makes the best GPS... and I've completely personalized the 680... even though I'm still torn on keeping it versus getting the 760 instead. There are a lot of intelligent physical improvements on the 760... so when I get done updating the map on this thing... we'll see what it looks like... if the map has the subtle improvements that the 760 has... then I guess I'm done shopping.

Still... I'm gonna' revive this thread in a few days and show my point about some cool features that Garmin should put into future models.
 
Great post Matt! I just find it hard to believe somebody hasn't popped the top on one of these things and found the lag pot or delay loop.

Keep us posted what you decide to do.
 
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