GPS

[westie2]

My wife is wanting a GPS for her car for mothers day. I have looked at both Garmin and Tom Tom and would like to know others think of on brand or the other. The main thing she wants is the text to speech on the wone she gets and one that is fairly easy to use.

Thanks in advance

Charles

 

[rp2813]

My partner just got a Magellan for his car and he likes it. A voice prompts when a particular maneuver or turn is required ahead and a chime sounds when you get close to the spot where you need to execute. I think this is fairly typical. I have no idea how it compares to other brands but the price was apparently right. It will also provide information on businesses and restaurants, etc in the area.

Ralph

 

[moonvalleycacti]

I have a Garmin

CU rates them higer and they have much better mounts... Mine is simple. yabbers at me alot and is my good friend.. She gets me lost once in a while, but after using a magelln and a tom tom, its better..

 

[sikiguya]

Sony Nav-U

I have a refurbed Sony Nav U and it's great. Large screen, great info. Plus, it was only $80 at the Sony Outlet!

 

[countryguy]

I got a Tom Tom (with the 4.5 inch screen) and it is great. It has the text to speech function, warns you when to change lanes if your exit is coming up and you are in the far left lane and should be in the right lane, has restaurants, hotels, various other points of interest that can all be downloaded from the internet. With my purchase I got free map updates for a year. The customer support is very good, easy to understand instructions. I rarely use a cell phone but it can be connected to it so I can have hands free calling.

Gary

 

[petek]

I got a Garmin 250W last year. Mine doesn't have "text to speech" but it still talks and tell you to merge, turn right/left move to such and such lane etc in how many miles/feet etc. The "text to speech" only refers to announcing the name of the street you are to turn at. When comparing mine to a friends Garmin with "text to speech" I found mine withoug it actually had a better feater.. mine shows the name of the upcoming street across the top banner while the "text to speech" model announces turn right on such and such street in 1000 feet it doesn't show the street name across the top banner so you can't glance back at it to double check.

I actually bought two, my Garmin and a Magellen road something and tested them side by side in my car. I liked the Garmin better and returned the Magellen.

The W in the GArmin model numbers refers to wide-screen, without the W it's the smaller screen.

 

[cleanteamofny]

I don't need any of the above!

I use the navigation on my LG Voyager cell phone through Verizon with my bluetooth ear peice. It works very well.

 

[ironrite]

Sony NVU

I got the Sony NVU73T on Valentine's Day. It's easy to use and set up. The wide screen is readable in sunlight. I too wanted a simple unit as well, though you can easily customize screen, voices and such and get updates from Sony. I found the woman's voice easier to listen to.

Here's a link to it at Amazon.

Amazon.com

 

[toggleswitch2]

Garmin via Walmart.
Good and inexpensive.

Can't get the thing to tell me (on the display, even) in which direction the car is moving while on a hunt for an address/destination. But that may be user error.

One has their choice of language and even accent/inflection (country-of-origin) for the voice, i.e. American English, British English English, South African English, Canadian English an Australian English. But I don't think you can get a "male" voice. Also, I am blissfully unaware of regional accents within the US. *LOL* Now if I could get a Derreck and Romanine "accent" (vocabulary), I'd be tickled pink.

In mahnattan when the streets come fast and furious, it is "recalculating" quite a bit. Of course, on that grid one can find the streets (E-W)and Avenues (N-S)pretty quickly, but the thing does helps when you can't be bothered to anticipate which WAY the road you need goes (East to West or West to East, say), and the three rights or three lefts one needs to get there.

 

[animasinsulinpu]

Navigon

I got it from Ebay for $85.00. It warns me before passing the photo-radar cameras here. We have TONS of them and you'll get a $150.00 ticket if you go 6 miles per hour over the limit. I've never had one (yet)....Bill in Az.....

 

[nmaineman36]

When we went to Florida a couple of weeks ago a friend of ours had the TomTom. He was using the "Richard" voice. We got to Tampa and it was telling us to go here and there....now the road around the airport is nuts and under construction. Roadblocks here and there we went around in circles. I was seeing detour signs for 275 and "Richard" was being a total "Dick" so I had to take matters into my own hands and we finally got to where we needed to go. Damn thing wasnt updated and our friend said it has been awhile since it was connected for an update to a computer.
Finally when we got onto 275 and heading into the Tampa and up to 75 to the Sawmill in Dade City it was kinda helpful. Would I get one..I might but I am a map kinda guy.

 

[streakers]

Garmin Nuvi....

Heya folks - I'm in Australia - but we've had plenty of experience over here with units that weren't correctly set up for Aus use.... But we've ended up going with the Garmin Nuvi 760. It was the best we could get at the time for both standard streets - as well as topographical.... Hasn't failed - and I love her! We nicknamed her 'Cheryl! LOL LOL

 

[petek]

My friend Dave pointed out that on the Garmin at least using the British voice she sounds polite and pleasant but when you switch it to the American English it sounds bossy. Mine was always set at American english and when I switched it over to see it did sort of in coparison.. try it.

btw some of the words used on the British setting are different than spoken on the US/Can english setting like "keep right"

 

[jaxsunst]

I use either the iPhone (pretty good) or Onstar.

 

[westie2]

I think I will go with a Garmin but will let her make final decision. This is mother's day and anniversery (43 years) on 5/17.

 

[super32]

Congrats on 43yrs!

 

[sikiguya]

Wow!

Congrats on 43 years! We are only at 11+ years. Hopefully we will make it that long!

 

[laundrynut]

What's in a name?

I have an outdated TomTom for the car. Works OK for what I use it for. Didn't know the difference between a paved road and a tractor trail connecting potato farms in Northern Maine LOL. But whenever I get into an airplane, one name I see is Garmin. I see other brands in airplanes but Garmin is the only company that also makes GPS for cars. Take it for what it's worth. Happy motoring!