Navigation Equipment

[JanGeo]

Hey I just ordered my Christmas present this monring to myself!

A TomTom GO510 GPS navigation - about time I upgraded from the old Garmin GPSIII+ that I have . . . this one talks to you and can avoid toll roads plus it contains all the roads in the USA so no blank spots like the limited memory Garmin. If they ship it out quickly I may have it before Christmas but it does not look so good. Weekend holidays really screw up shipping with UPS...

[BumblingB]

Haven't had any problems with my old Garmin Nuvi 350. They are dirt cheap now too! Just finally did a software update on it to for the first time in about 7 months. The difference is night and day from what it was when I got it and what it is now (due to the software updates). I just can't get over how much the price has come down in 9 months!

Be sure to tell us more about it once you get it.

[JanGeo]

Ahhh the tension - Fedex shows up before I get to my office and leaves a tag on the door - catchup wiht another driver for ground and he says to wait they come back later in the day and sure enough 13:26 I hear a heavy knock on the door and POOF there is my Best Friend with my Christmas present. Bit of a setup and then outside for some sat signal then off in the car to the house to see if it can tell me when to turn and SURE enough it does. Pretty cool stuff. Next problem is mounting on the dash next to the Garmin III+ to make it sweat a little . . . ha ha ha.

[BumblingB]

You're gonna love the Garmin over the TomTom I bet. I've got a TomTom as well and done a few "side by side" trips and like the Garmin best. Sometimes I like the TomTom for finding restraunts, not always though.

I just took a trip to Texas and went to Northern Tool Supply to see if they had some implement accesories for my tractor. When they didn't I left with my head held low and then it hit me once I got to the car, "I'M IN TEXAS! What about TSC (Tractor Supply Company)". Sure enough, I type in the key word "tractor" and in 5 minutes I was walking in the doors of TSC! Got all the parts I needed that are kind of hard to find ($$$) here in Florida. Of course, I found it with the Garmin as the TomTom is reserved for Metro navigation. Funny, I have a GPS in a Metro along with satillite radio - I keep forgetting - It's a GEO!

[JanGeo]

Well the TomTom wants to take me down some roads that have lots of stop signs and dangerous intersections - pretty stupid but what is weird is that it seems to be learning the routes I take and picks them now. Only really big problem is it crashed and would not turn on when I left it alone in the car for a few hours and it got a little cold - found the reset and it came back ok. It has one other bug that really is serious . . . I ran out of favorates already after entering 48 I went to add another at a friends location and it said it was full. Man - I have a lot more waypoints in the Garmin with a lot less memory and I also have full access to the Garmin data whereas the TomTom is pretty much just change the name by retyping it - no access to the Long and Lat info at all which really sucks. Especially when the location is a little "off" and you want to move it a little. It does find and lock into Satelites really quickly - the Garmin is taking more than 5 minutes sometimes ARG!!! Also no tracking in the TomTom as in the Garmin GPSIII+ but having the map for the entire country is great - hit some country roads on Dec 31 to get "lost" in the woods and the map was right there and led me out to my destination nicely. The battery seems to last a long time also - they spec 4 hours but I think I was driving more than that and is only came down a little from full charge - next is to get the lighter adapter connected - too many devices requiring that one stupid plug that shakes loose - when will that come up with something better! Another thing is that it is supposed to warn you when you are speeding - haven't heard a peep out of it yet . . . and no setting for that option? either. It is great for finding local spots and it has phone numbers also but will not link with the bluetooth in my T68i SonyEricsson . . . but then again nothing seems to like to the T68i. As much as I hate to say it - it may be time for a new phone . . . sniff sniff . . . naaaa it is only 3 years old and so what if the battery only lasts 2 days instead of a week! Anyway the rebate application is in the mail for my $100 back and it is a great deal with software on the laptop that runs it on the laptop (if you want a bigger screen!) Get one invoiced before Jan 6 for the $100 cash back from a non-excluded reseller!! I may finally get to Grandma's house on my trips through CT with this unit as it can tell me which way to go from where I am to get there.

[BumblingB]

One other thing I forgot to mention as a plus about the Garmin - they are constantly doing "product updates" making sure there are no bugs in their products. I did a update last July for mine and decided to check while I was in Texas and there had been about 8 updates since then with about 65 fixes/upgrades. If they find the slightest glitch, they are on it. That to me, is GREAT!

[JanGeo]

The TomTom checks for updates on the laptop connection at startup and shutdown of the software. I am not knocking the Garmin - some of their stuff is really impressive - buddy has the boat one for $800 with big color display and all the charts of the east coast. This was a bit cheeper - I still run the Garmin GPSIII+ all the time too.