Anyone use portable GPS?

T

TigerMike

New member
Does anyone use portable GPS devices? I really do not know too much about them or which ones are regarded as the best and most accurate. If anyone has one, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the brand/model you use or what you've heard about other models.



I have heard some good things about the new TomTom devices as well as the Garmin, but really I haven't a clue if they are worth as much $ as they sell for.



For instance, in browsing through the selection at Crutchfield, I really have no idea which are the best.



http://www.crutchfield.com/S-MnPTQxtv3CX/cgi-bin/prodgroup.asp?g=252650&showAll=1





Are there any articles/reviews maybe comparing the popular models? I haven't really found any.



Regards,



Mike
 
I have used the Garmin 2720 http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2720/



It was great. :2thumbs: Works very well. I have used it several times (it's my grandfathers, he never uses it since his brain is an almanac) I really like the unit and the price has come down on it. It's still like $800 or so



I have not used any others so I cannot compare.



If I had the $$$ I would buy it. I don't really need it enough to be worth the $$$ though.
 
I have used (but dont own) two different Garmin units and a Tom Tom unit. As far as they go I like the Garmin units WAY better than the Tom Tom. They seemed easier to use, and I just enjoyed using them more. I'd like to purchase one for myself, but it probably wont be too soon. HTH
 
I use on hooked to my laptop. Cheap solution if you have a laptop already. I went that way because of cost ($99 Streets & Trips 2006 w gps) and how I am using it. I use it mainly when I go out of town and already take my laptop. I also use it when my wife and I go to yard sales lol.
 
Great, thanks guys for your help and info! This information should be a good starting point to figuring out these things and which one is right for me.



Thanks again,



Mike :)
 
Have owned Tom Tom and Garmin, and Garmin is definitely the best. Tom Tom does have better sound but that's not really an issue anymore because you can play most of the new Garmins through your car radios speakers. Make sure you look at the Nuvi's, they are one of best Garmins out there, bar none. They use the latest satellite technology and track to within 3 feet. I just picked up a Nuvi 660 last week and it comes on Friday. I'll be writing up a full review in a full weeks after I put it through the paces, but I'm sure it will be at least as nice as the Nuvi 350/360 is so it should be a winner :2thumbs:
 
I don't believe that the Nuvi is the best "bar none". I have a StreetPilot 2720 and a Nuvi 350, the Nuvi will definately get you there but lacks many of the features of the 2720 such as routes and tracks. These are features that I really like because I can download the tracks onto my PC after using the GPS and see the exact path that I traveled or upload routes from my PC to the GPS using Garmin's MapSource software. My Nuvi 350 will only let me insert one "via piont" on a route. Maybe the Nuvi 660 is different though.
 
BigTinVA said:
I don't believe that the Nuvi is the best "bar none".
Click to expand...

My neighbor has a Streetpilot, and it is nice (bulky but nice) but he's getting rid of it for the 660. The one via point that you mentioned is going to get taken care of in Garmins next update, probably before the end of the year when they also add Mac support. Many have mentioned the via points before, but it hasn't stopped anyone from buying a Nuvi as the Nuvi 660 has many other features that the SP doesn't have. They are differnet products for different markets. The Nuvis are selling so well that they are the number one GPS in terms of sales in Europe of any manufacture, and account for over 60% of Garmins sales across the board. The 660 is also the best value IF you're planing on adding the FM traffic receiver (comparing apples with apples) to the 350/360. HP is also coming out with a new GPS that is supposed to be really nice, but it won't be released for a few months now.
 
I've always bought Garmin's. I started out with a GPS III, GPS V, and a GPSmap 60CS. I now have a Garmin StreetPilot 2730 for the car.

The 2730 is a dedicated vehicle whereas all the others are handhelds with mounting brackets for everything. I use my 60CS on my ATV as well.

If I'm exploring new territory and want to see where I'm at on the map after I get home, I use my 60CS and "mark" any location I want to see on the map later. You can input the GPS coordinates you stored into Google Maps and see a map as well as a satellite view. Cool stuff!

Any GPS will give you coordinates, but the map software is what seperates the good from the not-so-good.
 
I just mentioned a couple of items that I found out about only after purchasing my Nuvi. It is a good thing that they are going to fix the one via point feature on the Nuvi as planning and storing an entire route before leaving the house is a feature that I like, but is not available on my 350. It is hard to beat the portability of the Nuvi, but for features I prefer the SP2720.
 
DO look at that gpsinformation.net site mentioned earlier. Those guys do exhaustive reviews. I have an older Garmin Streetpilot III. If you want it for the car, that 2610 if u can get it for $400 is a good deal. If ur in a metro area US it's City Navigator maps (or whatever they call them at that revision, are excellent. Ultimately if you want one for hiking AND car you'll want a separate handheld (like a Garman etrex varient) because you'll lose sooo much trying to make most handhelds do a great job of driving work. The portable car units in that SPIII & 2600 series do great in terms of routing you home, voice instructions etc etc yet they are NOT the thing for geocaching, hiking like the little portables excel at. good hunting!



Doug J
 
I'm liking the Garmin Nuvi 350. My dad got one for $650 or so at Buy.com. It definitely gets you where you want to go, and i absolutely LOVE that it talks to you every step of the way INCLUDING street names. That way in complicated intersections or where there are a couple streets very close to each other, it will tell me to "Turn right onto Wolf Rd." I believe all new Garmin GPS do this.
 
Don't have to spend $400 to get a nice (actually very nice) GPS mapping application and GPS receiver to work with most PDA's and/or smartphones assuming that the unit is equipped with bluetooth. A bluetooth GPS receiver can easily be found for less than $100 and I use Mapopolis which is a great application that will run you about $100 for the application and all US maps. There are several applications to choose from



I use this with a HP iPaq hx4705 and it works great...



A few great sites with additional details are gpspassion.com, pocketpcthoughts.com, smartphonethoughts.com, and mobilitysite.com



Check it out...
 
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