Major Price Drop for GPS Units - Page 3

SilvaBimma · 04-13-07, 01:17

So any suggestions for a basic portable GPS system? Has to be really user friendly, as this will be my first unit. Broad question I know, hehe.

TigerMike · 04-13-07, 07:57

For those interested, Circuit City has a deal going on the TomTom One, this weekend only. Enter coupon code 7UATPXBAGZ at checkout for $50 off, making the One $249, and has free shipping I believe. Best deal I've seen on this unit.

Also, has anyone purchased or looked into the Mio C310x GPS? I have done a lot of reading on that unit, and it seems to get a lot of praise on the net for it's bargain price. For $199 (or less), I might give it a shot also!

Stu · 04-13-07, 08:45

I have been running with a NUVI for about a year now. Love it! I do a lot of communications work for the State of Michigan, which gets me to a lot of RF towers. I pre-programmed all the co-ord in, and the Nuvi girl tells me where to go

And she sounds so good telling me too! Great investement!
Stu

BlackElantraGT · 04-13-07, 08:59

I have no experience with the Mio, but this past Xmas I tried to get one because it was one of those Black Friday item, which of course was sold out right away. Most people bought that because it was cheap, but it's probably not in the same league as a TomTom or a Garmin Nuvi. For the average person it's probably good enough. IMO Black Friday items tend to just be so so. Price is their main strong point. If it was $150 like during Xmas? I'd consider buying it if I didn't have any GPS at all. But since it's still not cheaper than it's Black Friday price, I would spend extra to get a better unit.

mixxmstrmike · 04-13-07, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ctowner

Honestly Mike when it comes to route-recalculation, all of the top line GPS units are very similar. I would be very surprised if you could tell the difference between a Nuvi 350 and a TomTom ONE even if you did a side by side comparison. The ONE can basically recalculate faster than you can make a u-turn, which is all that should matter. Since recalculation speed is so similar, I think you have to compare these units by other features such as price, mapping, and how user-friendly they are. IMHO the ONE wins in all of those categories at moment. Does anybody have anything else to add? I love talking GPS and this is pretty well informed thread.

Thanks for the info... I eventually went with the Nuvi 360 per BlackElantraGT's eagle eyes on that Fry's ad. I've got a Hawaii trip and I'm inputting "a few" favorite addresses and it's simply a breeze to work with. I used a friend's Nuvi 350 last year and thought it was the coolest thing...

I didn't think I would use the bluetooth feature with my cell phone, but after using it the first time, I was hooked. I put a 4GB SD card in my 360 and it's now my IPOD, if you will. This will get hooked up into our Pilot which has an auxiliary input so I "should" be able to have phone conversations over the stock stereo speakers... at least that's my hypothesis at this point... We'll put that to the test over the weekend.

-Mike

OneQuickGT1 · 04-13-07, 10:44

I've got a nice unit for sale in the Trading Post if anyone is interested!

BlackElantraGT · 04-13-07, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by mixxmstrmike

Thanks for the info... I eventually went with the Nuvi 360 per BlackElantraGT's eagle eyes on that Fry's ad. I've got a Hawaii trip and I'm inputting "a few" favorite addresses and it's simply a breeze to work with. I used a friend's Nuvi 350 last year and thought it was the coolest thing...

I didn't think I would use the bluetooth feature with my cell phone, but after using it the first time, I was hooked. I put a 4GB SD card in my 360 and it's now my IPOD, if you will. This will get hooked up into our Pilot which has an auxiliary input so I "should" be able to have phone conversations over the stock stereo speakers... at least that's my hypothesis at this point... We'll put that to the test over the weekend.

-Mike

I'm glad you're liking the nuvi 360. I too, never thought I'd find the Bluetooth to be useful, especially since I don't use my cell as much as other users, but I don't think I'd like the unit no where near as much if I didn't have this function. I've been using it through the internal speaker because I live in the greater LA area so it's impossible to find a good weak signal for the FM transmitter. I do wish however that the FM transmitter was better, because I can get better reception with my Belkin unit than with the Nuvi's FM transmitter.

It's gonna come in really handy in Hawaii. I'm glad I ended up keeping it because I would have been lost in Hawaii without it. It was nice to be able to go anywhere I wanted to go in a completely foreign town without having to look at a map, print directions, or stop and ask for directions. Unfortunately, the FM TMC traffic does not have service in Hawaii.

Don't forget to have some shrimp from the shrimp trucks alongside the road!

mixxmstrmike · 04-13-07, 02:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackElantraGT

Don't forget to have some shrimp from the shrimp trucks alongside the road!

Uncle Romy's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku kicks butt! Garlic shrimp over rice, please!

I second the thought that it's a life saver on trips to foreign/unfamiliar places. You would think I was a local by the way I was taking side roads to get to where we were going. That's why I stress so much on the "recalculation" feature...

Often times, when I hit freeway traffic in Hawaii, I would take my nearest exit, and not the "pre-planned" route suggested by the Nuvi. Sure enough, the Nuvi is pluggin' away trying to figure out your next "move."

We'll be island hopping this trip so it'll come in handy not just in Oahu, but also in Hilo and Maui!

-Mike

Ctowner · 04-15-07, 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by TigerMike

For those interested, Circuit City has a deal going on the TomTom One, this weekend only. Enter coupon code 7UATPXBAGZ at checkout for $50 off, making the One $249, and has free shipping I believe. Best deal I've seen on this unit.

Also, has anyone purchased or looked into the Mio C310x GPS? I have done a lot of reading on that unit, and it seems to get a lot of praise on the net for it's bargain price. For $199 (or less), I might give it a shot also!

Wow $249 is a great price for the TomTom ONE good find! I don't know that much about Mio's but I have heard they have great maps!

Also wanted to add that I am happy to hear everyone is satisfied with their gps purchases! I don't see how anyone can live without a unit these days it definitely transforms your driving experience...and only a few short years ago they were considered a rarity… jeez

velobard · 04-16-07, 07:24

Does anyone have a favorite GPS that comes with traffic updates? Also, what level of updates are provided. Just highways? All major streets?

Krodad · 04-16-07, 08:17

I'm intrigued with the Nuvi 360, and the tomtom, but I really like the Bluetooth feature on the Nuvi.

Is there an audio output on the Nuvi that allows it to be plugged into an auxillary jack if the vehicle is so equipped? My question is whether or not I can be playing MP3's through my truck's speadkers using the Nuvi, then it would interrupt itself when voice prompts are given, or a phone call comes in, and will it let me hear a phone conversation on the trucks speakers if hooked up through an audio jack.

Sorry for the complicated question, but if I know a unit will do this, I'm buying one immediately.

Thanks

mixxmstrmike · 04-16-07, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krodad

I'm intrigued with the Nuvi 360, and the tomtom, but I really like the Bluetooth feature on the Nuvi.

Is there an audio output on the Nuvi that allows it to be plugged into an auxillary jack if the vehicle is so equipped? My question is whether or not I can be playing MP3's through my truck's speadkers using the Nuvi, then it would interrupt itself when voice prompts are given, or a phone call comes in, and will it let me hear a phone conversation on the trucks speakers if hooked up through an audio jack.

Sorry for the complicated question, but if I know a unit will do this, I'm buying one immediately.

Thanks

There's a standard headphone jack on the Nuvi. This can be used as an audio output. This worked like a charm for me over the weekend. I added an auxiliary port on our '04 Honda Pilot to accept an mp3 player and it works perfectly. I was able to play my mp3s from my Nuvi (added a 4GB SD card) and made/received phone calls via the bluetooth function. All the calls were routed onto the stereo speakers. At least for my scenario, it really helped maxing out the volume on the Nuvi and then controlling the volume of my car stereo. (Low volume from the Nuvi's headphone jack provided less than stellar results through my car speakers.)

Hope this helps,
Mike