GPS Update... June 2008.

I use a Garmin StreetPilot 2610 in the car and on the bike.

No complaints; it's never steered me wrong or had route confusion, locks up signals rapidly and doesn't lose them unless indoors. The 2610 does have the blackout feature, when you're entering search terms. Mine seems to have a position-lag of about 20'; with upcoming-turn warnings this has never caused me any problems.

I learned to use it without cracking the manual, so I guess you could describe it as easy-to-use. It was also a bargain; got it new-in-box for about US$165.

If I were to suggest any improvements, it would be nice if it didn't rely upon external power (it's really a vehicle-only system) and maybe it could be slightly less bulky and heavy.

I believe the 2610 model is now discontinued, but the 2820 is a similar device with all the features you mentioned wanting. Although it also comes with a hefty price tag.
 
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At the current state of things... end of June 2008. FAR AND AWAY the best GPS is Garmin... no doubt.

I've tried them all... the OLD Mio kicked ass. If you can find an old Mio c320, c520, or c720 that runs the previous gen software... the Igo software... then it would be worth taking a look at. What is so cool about the old Mios is that they are basically OPEN SOURCE units! If you have a 220 or 230 or any of the others I listed... you can completely mod your GPS by plugging it into your computer and running free software of the net! Crazy fanatics around the world are writing programs and mods to your unit... so that you can easily add TTS to a unit that didn't come with it! Or you can mod the appearance of the maps way beyond what you can already mod them... look into it... you'll be surprised! You can choose any "skin" to your GPS OS as well... just TONS of cool things you can do.

Also... I want to add that the "look around" feature of the old Mios is incredible... you can look around, at any angle, with almost zero lag... just like you can explore a landscape in a video game... the Mio will let you go from any angle of looking across the ground... with names appearing close and off in the hazy distance... to looking directly down on the map... and anything in between!

If you have a Mio and check out the Mio hack communities you'll be surprised... you can have all the new maps... 12 MILLION POIs... and whatever you want. You know how your Mio has a ton of sliders for variable choices for things? Well you can add whole new dimensions... new windows of new sliders that do all sorts of cool stuff... just by plugging the GPS into your computer and downloading the files directly to your GPS.

So... I gotta' say... that the old Mios still rock!

BUT... I'm not paying $300 for the same unit that I sold to my nephew for $150... and even on ebay the old Mios are commanding a way higher price then the brand new models... apparentely everybody else figured it out also.

SO... I had decided that I'd just return my 680 and get a 200w... since the routing engine is the same... and I figured I could live w/o the extras... but on my way to Costco to return this unit... it warned me of a traffic accident... and the damn thing was dead on the money... it told me where the accident started and where it ended (the backup) and it was EXACTLY right...

OK then... decision made... I'm sticking with Garmin.

All the Magellans I tried... are laggy... I managed to freeze up TWO of them playing around in Best Buy! FROZEN... nothing moving not turning off... FROZEN. Go to the Magellan site and you can see "Maggie" the Magellan interractive helper... to solve your problem... and one of the most popular topics is "Help! My GPS is frozen and I don't know what to do!"... Um... might want to take Maggie off the predominant page there guys.

Next I checked out TomTom... and while it looks decent enough... I guess... it didn't seem anywhere near as snappy as the Garmin... with inputs, or tracking. This was looking at XL-S and 720, 920. The TomTom was also one of the only units I toyed around with where it was not intuitive to move about the settings and back to the map. All the other GPS I tried convinced me I didn't need an owner's manual.

The new Mio's? They pretty much suck... they have some of the old qualities... but they tossed (or lost) a lot of what made the old one's cool... in a way (as you can tell) it's tempting to just buy an old one off ebay... but that traffic warning convinced me like nobody's business! When I saw that backup on the road it warned me about (and avoided it)... I said "FREAKIN' SOLD!... Point Proven!" This was via MSN Direct by the way.

The one other area I gotta' comment is the browsing around on the map is much better on the newer Garmins... on the 680 if you drag your finger across the map it switches to an aerial view from a mile up... not good... but I found that the newest Garmins switch to an aerial view that is proportionate to the level of zoom your 3D map was at... which is good enough for me... so the plan is to get the 760 from Costco... and then toss the TMC and add MSN Direct.

As far as my contributions to this thread... that's it. I'm 100% convinced... I'm half-tempted to delete this thread because the Garmin has proven to be on a level so much higher then everything else I tried. I may STILL show my points with my old Mio (that my nephew is using)... but after today's huge time saver... I don't know if I even care.
 
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Well, i am in Germany, and here one of most popular units is NAVIGON !

gal-7100_3ang-LG.jpg


Those are kinda expensive in Europe, but i got nice model 7100 on US eBay for 260 bucks with free S/H ...

While i was on Florida i tested and working perfect !

http://navigonusa.com/products/7100

U use older Navigonmodel 6000T for fiew years and i really like it , and this upgrade make me really happy ...

I just load on 4gb sd card aditional European map and i can use in USA and Europe ...

There is also free Trafic Message service and free map upgrade ...


Regards !
 
I need to bring this thread back. I am driving across country and am in the market for a good GPS. Thanks to Matt, he's done most of my research for me. But, before I even revived this thread, I already had myself convinced to get a Garmin. The reviews on the Internet are just TOO Great. But in addition to the 4X3 screen that I would LIKE to have (not really as important as performance) I am interested in traffic. It's not necessary but chances are I will keep this unit long term and traffic is a great feature.

I was looking at THIS unit. Its the Garmin 255w unit. It seems to get the greatest reviews wherever I go on the Internet but the extra pricetag for the traffic receiver is disturbing. But then I'll see the Garmin 780 unit HERE and the Costco's price is right, plus it has MSN direct included but not sure if I want to pull the trigger yet especially since the 255w is getting better reviews. But the receiver price for the traffic feature on the 255w is killer. Might even be a dealbreaker. But it does have GREAT reviews.

My question is what is the difference in terms of performance between the FM TRAFFIC feature vs. the MSN DIRECT? I'm having a difficult time finding out some convincing information to choose 1 way or the other.
 
Garmin 780 from Costco for $249 this month.

Otherwise the Magellan one with the 5" screen for $199.

In my further experience... In STL... my brother's Magellan makes mistakes that the Garmin doesn't make AND VICE VERSA!

At this point I wouldn't mind trying a magellan next... I could go either way... but if I didn't have the one I have... and I was buying one right now... I'd get the 780 from Costco.
 
Man, I am going through the same agony you seemed to be going through last summer. Arrrrrgh! There. Just had to get that off my chest.

Initially, I was/(probably still am) going to go with Garmin. The online reviews seem overwhelming positive for that brand. Having said that, I will need to do some significant research on that Magellan. It has some sex appeal but I gather I will be losing some features. But, I do need to take a good hard look at it.

As far as the Garmin brands that are killing me are the 255w and 265wt. This is what annoys me. I cannot for the LIFE of me find any side by side comparisons or any documentations that will let me know that they use the same processors at least. Why is this so frustrating? Well, in looking at their specs, it appears that the 265wt is the exact same model for a few bucks more with UNLIMITED FM traffic and BLUETOOTH (a feature I'll probably never use). Yet...YET...the reviews I've found are considerably better for the lesser 255w model. Does that mean they are NOT using the same processor, thus giving the 265wt a lesser real-world performance? UGH.

I NEED to make this purchase TOMORROW. I have to pick something up so I can play with it, program it etc for my departure date next Tuesday. And, if I see a good price online, I'll spring for the overnight but I gotta buy something tomorrow. So, this decision has got to be made. Having said that...

Matt, you bring up the Garmin 780 unit. So the plot thickens. Is this unit the same as the 265wt only instead of LIFETIME FM traffic, it gives you 3mos.MSN traffic (which means no ADS, which I like), MP3 (not sure I see the point), Multi-point re-routing, and FM transmitter (again, i can't see the point). But, its apparent, considerably more features. So, if this 780 unit uses the SAME or BETTER navigational processor, this would be the better unit. I can live with the 3 month trial over the lifetime traffic (I'd cringe at first sight of the adware). But am I missing something? Is there an inherent difference in performance between the FM traffic feature versus the MSN traffic feature?


Man Matt, this must be Deja Vu for you....
 
Rick... just pick one based on price. In retrospect I'm ashamed of this thread, because I treat this thing like a toaster.

It doesn't always get things just right, but it's good enough to get me close enough... and usually it's perfect.

I never think about it anymore. Forget the processors, etc. You are buying FEATURES... period. The cheapest Garmin navigates the same as the most expensive.

My number one pet peeve with the Garmin is that it's turn warnings are sometimes slow... and the Magellan signals upcoming turns at a more appropriate time... by the time the Garmin tells me to turn, I passed it. (sometimes)

But basically... any of them will get you where you're going. I expected to have a much more involved "relationship" with my GPS... but seriously... I don't give a rip about it anymore. I'm now amazed that there are forums of people passionate about GPS.

If you don't feel like researching anymore then get a Garmin with verbal street names... if you want the traffic reporting then get the lowest model that has the longest free term. That's it. It's a toaster, ultimately.
 
MattinSTL said:
But basically... any of them will get you where you're going. I expected to have a much more involved "relationship" with my GPS... but seriously... I don't give a rip about it anymore. I'm now amazed that there are forums of people passionate about GPS.

If you don't feel like researching anymore then get a Garmin with verbal street names... if you want the traffic reporting then get the lowest model that has the longest free term. That's it. It's a toaster, ultimately.
Click to expand...

Matt, your current indifference toward a tech gadget is leaving me deeply depressed. What happened man, where's the passion!? :)
 
Yeah I often wig out about sh*t and then regret it later... I could spend a lot of time apologizing for over the top enthusiasm, but I've grown to accept it as a personality flaw that occasionally makes me more interesting. Good with the bad I guess...

The thing about GPS... is my Garmin hasn't been flawless in performance. It lags so much that it's annoying... and meanwhile my brother's Magellan always has timing right. My Mio (the previous model, not any of the current models) was awesome in that the screen scrolled with nearly the speed of video... but the maps were too outdated in my rapidly growing area.

I could go down streets that are a couple years old and the GPS showed me driving through uncharted greenspace... while the Garmin showed the street. This is why I went with the Garmin... I was imagining what it would feel like to be in a different city and have a GPS with no idea how to find a street...

So I accepted the screen lag on the Garmin.

For what it's worth the main reason I didn't try a Magellan is because even on several display models in several stores, I was able to get the Magellan to FREEZE by trying to enter info too fast or pull the map with my finger and before it caught up I pushed another button. So I'm standing there looking at the display model as it's locked up... thinking WTF?

I still enjoy the satisfaction and confidence that a GPS brings, but my plan now is to give this Garmin to my GF and either buy a higher model Garmin or else try that 5" Magellan.

The Garmin I have now is a 260 I think... it's the wide-screen one that doesn't say street names. I had the 760 and took it back because they all have the same processor and I paid twice as much for that one... but again... if I were buying one today... it would be the Garmin 780 or Magellan 5310.
 
MattinSTL said:
Yeah I often wig out about sh*t and then regret it later... I could spend a lot of time apologizing for over the top enthusiasm, but I've grown to accept it as a personality flaw that occasionally makes me more interesting. Good with the bad I guess...
Click to expand...

Yeah don't sweat it. This is Dvxuser afterall. I think 99.9% of the entire membership think its fun to talk about anything with a power button. We aint no different. Besides, this thread has some pretty helpful information...


I was looking at the 5" Magellan. Thing is, I'm a review whore. I think you have to be considering its such great inside info. I don't trust editors reviews so much but I think user reviews are key. That Magellan looks fine but is lacking some features that interest me (the MSN traffic for one). Also, the reviews don't really excite me. 3.5 stars out of 5 at Amazon (granted, only 33 reviews) and a few other blase' reviews around the net and it kind of gave me that feeling that if I had purchased this unit and wasn't overwhelmed, I'd have this nagging feeling of "well, what did you expect, dummy? you read the reviews".

What I cannot figure out is why the lesser model Garmins seem to outshine EVERYTHING else with respect to reviews. It makes me wonder IF the processor is the same. And, I'm not just talking about the processor that determines the speed of the thing, but the engine used to calculate the satellite information. The lesser models (anything in the low $100's seem to repeatedly get 4.5 out of 5 stars. That's an excellent endorsement. Had me sold on Garmin. It's just that the better, more souped up models seem to hover around the solid 4 or 3.5 range and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. If they are using the same processor(s), one would assume that the better models are just more of a good thing, no? Unless all those extra features bog it down.

It's just annoying how all cloak and dagger these electronics companies are (and I mean ALL of them, in every industry) with some real important information...they give you a name and a face of the feature without any information as to what is driving the technology, under the hood. This would help make decsions. It's hard enough trying to look at 4 different browser pages with the spec info from 4 different products, trying to do a mental check-down of what unit has what feature. None of them will be missing all of the key features yet none will have ALL of them. Its maddening.

Basically, it looks like the Garmin 780 has all of the features of the 255w and then some. At that price point, it looks like it cannot be beat. It's just confusing as to why the reviews would have you believe that the 255w model seems to be the "second coming" of GPS units.

I'm probably going to go to Costcos later today and pick up the 780 model. At this point, I'm convinced I'm buying it. I'm just looking for information on the NET to convince me otherwise.
 
I downloaded the Garmin app for the Blackberry Storm. It was $80, and it basically rocks. Turn by turn voice instructions including the street names, points of interest, and it's built into the phone so you don't need to carry another device around.
 
Well, I picked up the Garmin 780. Nifty little feature set though I've yet to get the hang of it. Not sure how to engage any sort of re-route feature (I would purposely go the wrong way), and the MSN direct should be much handier where I am going than where I am now. There is no MSN service where I am currently.

Basically, its an impressive looking unit but having that new electronic smell, I still can't give it a thorough review of any sort until I go through the online manual and try to customize it to my liking.

Thanks Matt for your input. And Barry...etc...



UPDATE: Well, I have had about a day to play with my Garmin 780. Or, as Garmin Inc. would like me to affectionately call her, American Jill. It's too soon to say that there will be wedding bells but this looks like the start of a long and beautiful friendship. She picks up a signal pretty fast and I'm not seeing the lag time that was previously mentioned on other Garmin units. The street names are clear and very easy to read. So you can see what you are coming up on and I hit the street RIGHT when Jill is showing me that I have approched the street.

Previously, I thought the FM Transmitter feature was going to be useless. I didn't see the point. I was wrong. Hearing the directions being read out loud and very clearly over my internal car speakers is way cool and very helpful. I can turn that puppy ALL the way up if I have to and hear what Jill is saying, even in a convertible. Bluetooth will probably be cool but I don't have a Bluetooth phone yet. My GF does and the GPS located it, but for whatever reason, could not connect. That's a bit disturbing. Perhaps its a settings thing. But, if I get that up and running, it will be very handy to talk in a handsfree/earjackfree environment.

A couple of times her directions were not the fastest route. But, when I'd go my own way, she'd correct herself and that would be that. A few times, she didn't correct herself but I have been going in non-stop to tinker with features (don't have too much patience for online manuals. Which is another thing. This unit came with no online manual) and might have changed a setting. Or, maybe not. Which would be a problem.

Also, I'm looking forward to getting to an MSN DIRECT area so I can play with Jill's traffic/movie times/weather/gas prices feature. There is a MEDIA player/SD card slot. This too seemed useless at first. But, without having to relinquish the charger port/cigarette lighter for the IPOD jack (this GPS's MEDIA DIRECT feature is supported but the antennae in the charger plug), I could see popping in an SD card and using the FM transmitter feature and listen to music over my car's internal speakers through this GPS unit. That's just dang cool.

There is a picture viewer for which I cannot see much use. But, like some of the other features, I just might not have found the right niche' for it yet. If I was a father, I suppose I would throw pics of my kids up there or something.

Then of course, there are the other features that are kinda neat and fun but considering I don't travel abroad much I don't see an immediate use for the Currency Converter or the World Clock, or the pretty sizeable BILINGUAL DICTIONARY with words, phrases, food and drink, and many variations of ENGLISH to (FILL IN THE BLANK) DICTIONARIES with pronunciations (if you can consider a GPS robot having a way with dialects). Having said that, considering this is a GPS unit, I think these features are a nice touch, not out of place, and kinda fun to have. I mean, you can basically hold this unit up to an attendant at an airport in MUNICH and have it say for you, "Kann ich den nachsten Flug noch schaffen?" Which means, "How large are your clown shoes?" I kid, I kid. It means, "Can I get the next flight?". When will this come in handy? Probably never. Again, just fun to have and makes perfect sense to be on a GPS unit.

So, for $250.00 bucks (considering this model was selling for $500-700 last summer) I think its a pretty good deal. I bought a nice soft case on clearance at Target for $4 bucks and I'm golden. Or as the very lovely American Jill from this GPS unit would say, I bought the case at "Ziel".

Sure, there are a BILLIONS things these units will eventually be able to do and many features can be added or improved upon but for now, I'm more than satisfied with her.
 
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Rick Meyer said:
What I cannot figure out is why the lesser model Garmins seem to outshine EVERYTHING else with respect to reviews. It makes me wonder IF the processor is the same. And, I'm not just talking about the processor that determines the speed of the thing, but the engine used to calculate the satellite information. The lesser models (anything in the low $100's seem to repeatedly get 4.5 out of 5 stars. That's an excellent endorsement. Had me sold on Garmin. It's just that the better, more souped up models seem to hover around the solid 4 or 3.5 range and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
Click to expand...

The processors ARE the same... look 'em up... maybe not exactly through a whole line or from a newest gen model, but as far as flat out get-you-where-you-want-to-go performance... you won't see a difference in the cheapest wide-screen Garmin vs. the 780 you bought (congratulations by the way)... I DO think the extra convenience features of the higher models can be worth it... especially at the point you jumped in. You're basically at the max value for the dollar with that unit, at that price... which leads me to the answer to your other question...

On line reviews are heavily biased towards economy products... across the board, for any product type. People inherently want to discuss and share (look at facebook, myspace, or this place... I rest my case)... and people ALSO inherently want to feel that they've made intelligent choices... or that everybody else should do what they did... and it makes people feel good when others endorse their choices... feeding the ego and social needs at the same time. (I'd like to think I'm an exception to this norm... I'm MORE then happy to point out strengths and flaws with equal bias on both.)

The thing is though... as the price of something goes up... so do the expectations... ESPECIALLY with GPS... and if you look at a price-chart... you'll see that the GPS you just got for $250... was $499 last year. In a week let me know how happy you are with it at $250... and then imagine how much more critical you'd have been at $500.

Anyway... congrats... you're going to love it. In my area the MSN traffic worked perfectly and saved me from a bad jam on the very first day I had it... I may get one of the 780's before the sale ends. :beer:

Also... if you do sign up for the MSN info... you may as well take the discounted longer-term option... I remember something to the effect of getting 2 years for 50% more upfront on the subscription... I'm telling you now so you can decide before that offer pops up and you panic. :)
 
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My only gripe with the GPS processors is that intutively, you would think that the 700's line of GPS units are more current than the 200's line. But, that would be too easy. That would be obvious. That would be like claiming that the Mercedes "C" class meant it was just an average car. Well, everybody but Mercedes Benz Inc., knows what a weak advertising campaign THAT is.

in the description on AMAZON of the 200's line Model of Garmin (i.e. 255w) there is a long list of new attributes. The bullets featured the new processing power of the new GPS.:

Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators



  • New-- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
  • New-- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
  • New-- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
  • New-- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
  • New-- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
  • New-- Add Enhanced MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger (Learn more)
  • New-- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
  • New-- Automatic Time Zone Transition
  • Text-to-Speech gives directions with real street names
  • 4.3-inch Widescreen shows you more of what's around you as you drive (Learn more)
  • Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)
  • Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of North America + Hawaii + Puerto Rico, including 6.5 million searchable points of interest (Learn more)
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)
  • Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
  • Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
  • Where Am I? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
Its THIS bullet I couldn't help but notice and want to see on the descriptions of the 700's line: New-- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns

Having said that, I am SO not worried about the speed of the 780 unit I bought. It has always been ahead of the curve, telling me whats coming up before I get there and alerting me as soon as I arrive at a decison; choice, etc. So, in that regard, I am VERY happy with it.

So, Yeah, when it comes to reviews you have to look at the context of the reviewer. If they paid $600 bucks for the product that just a few months later I paid $250 for, how satisfied are they? None too happy I presume. Actually, when I read reviews, I pay strict attention to the 1 star reviews more so than the 5 stars...just to see WHY they are pissed. If they are angry for dumb reasons ("I can't figure out how to turn this dang fangled thing on") I disregard it.

Anyway, I DO plan to sign up for the MSN feature. When I signed up for it (3 months come free automatically), it offered me 6 additional months for $19.95 (more than the $9.95 that was suggested on the Internet) and I declined. I need to check it out first. Besides, $20 bucks for what might be lame, is in and of itself, lame. Where I am going, is bumscrew but promises to be in MSN coverage, so I will have an opportunity to upgrade. I will pay their lifetime fee if its good. So, I actually hope its good. If its only mediocre, I'm sure they will offer some "deal" or "6 month limited time offer" to renew.
 
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