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Community weekly poll: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays?
- 12/7/07 1:55 PM
Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays?
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 12/7/07 1:55 PM
Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays?
- Yes (Which one?)
- No (Why not?)
- Maybe (What's holding you back?)
- I already own one. (Which one, and how is it working out for you?)
Who needs it?
by drkriley - 12/7/07 7:12 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As far as driving is concerned, I can always read a paper map or print specific instructions from MapQuest...what I would want is an off-road, back country GPS so I can find my way out of an area when I go back-country hiking/boarding...
GPS - Handheld
by jayRwv - 12/8/07 7:52 AM In reply to: Who needs it? by drkrileyHave you looked at Delorme GPS PN-20 GPS? I am curious as to why this package does not seem to get a lot of coverage. I love it. And it has streets, topographical and waterway coverages. I would suggest you go to www.delorme.com and read up on what they have to offer.
Re; Who needs it?
by tcavanas1525 - 12/8/07 10:32 AM In reply to: Who needs it? by drkrileyI agree, anyone can read a map, or instructions from MapQuest.
I recently purchased a Mercedes, and chose not to have a GPS installed. First, it would cost and additional $2,000. I purchased a Garmin 200, (On sale for $249) and it has come in handy many times. It's portable, and will help you find your way when back country hiking and boarding.
Drop it in your pocket when walking and sight seeing. Enter the location you are wanting to visit, and follow the GPS directions. I think it's a great device.
Garmin Nuvi
by Georgia in MS - 12/7/07 7:34 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've got the 660 and my two college kids have the 350. The Nuvi's are great. They are small so you can take them in and out of cars and even as a pedestrian. Garmin gives great support as well. They are definitely worth the money.
gps
by arebart - 12/7/07 7:52 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
yes i have a gps on my Verizion cell phone. what's nice is that you can shut it off and activate it only when you need it. i made a trip from IL. to Wisc. and it gave real good directions out there, plus to a street address where it is hard to find on a map. it also told me when i made a wrong tun and how to correct it.
Planning to buy GPS during holidays?
by Sir_Edward - 12/7/07 8:14 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I would have bought one by now but I don't know much about them. I would like to find out more about them so that I can buy a good quality one with a larger clear screen with voice. Any suggestions from the experts out there would be highly appreciated.
Thanks
Sir Edward
My GPS Experience w/the Larance iWay500c
by abietsch - 12/12/07 7:55 AM In reply to: Planning to buy GPS during holidays? by Sir_EdwardThe Subject unit has the largest touch screen I have seen, which provides both audio and visual directions. See my write up submitted earlier. Lawrance also provides a new model, the iWay600. They do have a web-site. The unit is portable (I have 3 vehicles). It has a power supply that allows you to program addresses in the comfort of your kitchen table. It also has an optional, I'll call a hockey puck, remote satellite
antenna that can be used to put the unit out of satellite reception area and still pick up satellite
information. If you have any questions I might be able to field, please ask.
Art Bietsch
PS: My unit cost $700.
I own the Garmin C580
by chip62 - 12/7/07 8:15 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I own the Garmin C580. It is loaded with useful features. Local gas prices, Weather, forecast, movie times, Traffic info, mp3 player,
It is really simple to operate. the bluetooth capabillty lets you use the phone hands free. Great feature. I love it!!!
Hikers dream
by mjd420nova - 12/7/07 8:27 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The only one I considered was a handheld device. I found one made by Garmin, the Geko 101. A very rudmentary device that doesn't come with loaded maps or the fancy direction options. Just a very simple device that lets me walk or ride anywhere and then backtrack to where I came from. A real hikers dream that allows me to set waypoints and then walk anywhere, in any direction and then point me home by the most direct route or follow my electronic breadcrumbs home or back to my car or campsite. I found it at Fry's two years ago for $50.00 on sale. Such a good price I bought two. I find it real handy for boating too, displays my speed and allows me to scout out different paths among many islands and inlets without getting lost. A very handy device at minimal cost.
I already have a Garmin eTrex Legend Cx and love it
by FaulstiR - 12/7/07 8:40 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I originally bought the thing to stamp my location of where I take my digital pictures (you sync the clocks on the GPS and camera, then use software to look up where at the time the picture was taken and stamp the coordinate metadata back into the picture). Therefore it was important to me for my device to be have the capability to record large and precise tracklogs (your location is stamped at regular intervals and you can follow your positioning over time.) The "x" in the Garmin models stands for "eXpandable." It uses standard microSD cards to hold it's maps, tracklogs, and POI. I put in a 1 GB card and can record my location - every second - for close to 30 days straight without running out of memory (and I can remove older tracklogs as needed). Also, the data is stored in the industry standard (GPX) format - which makes it very easy for various software applications to use the data (e.g. Google Earth, MapPoint, charting/logging, anything where it would be useful to have location info at certain times like my imaging sync software, etc. Software development is easier since you don't have to worry about proprietary formats between devices and software. Garmin also upgrades the device's firmware (free download) rather frequently and introduces new features/bug fixes to the device.
I keep it in my car and it has bailed me out of lots of jams.
My only peeves with this model:
1. It is taking longer to lock into satellites than when I first bought it.
2. The car mount kit (suction cup) started to lose it's grip to my windshield. It falls off earlier and earlier on a drive.
3. You have to pay for updated source maps and the software protection scheme is bulky.
4. You can download waypoints, tracklogs, etc. to your PC mapping software. You can also upload them to the device, however it is a "merge" situation. You can not remove items (such as POI's) from the device via computer - which can sometimes be painful using the GPS' interface to do so. One time the device "pocket-dialed" and recorded a huge amount of waypoints. I had to use the device to remove them all one-by-one (or backup the card data to the computer, wipe/format the device memory, upload only what I wanted back to the device).
DeLorme
by john3347 - 12/7/07 9:13 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been using DeLorme Street Atlas software for more than 10 years now. I am on my third upgrade with Street Atlas 2007. I travel with a laptop with all my favorite music which is played over the car sound system and have an internet aircard for email, etc. on the road. DeLorme software rounds out the travel package and does a beautiful job.
Tom Tom One
by Drcop2u - 12/7/07 9:17 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I bought a TomTom One 3rd Edition last Christmas and it works just fine. I also bought a 2 GB SD Card so when the map updates came out, which were basically free with only a $6 postage charge, I could upload the bigger map set with more POI's. It lacks text to speech but I don't really care much about that since with all the unusual street names here in Southern California, some of the units I've heard sound rather bizarre anyway. Very accurate, quick satelite acquisition (it has regular quick fix updates via computer that help it acquire signals faster and these updates are available about monthly) bluetooth compatible with some phones but not all, although traffic and plus services are not available in my area. The overall regular updates by TomTom are very good, although I like the old Home version for the computer better than the new one. In December 2006 it cost $299 with a case, home power supply, foreign AC adapters since we travel, and the map upgrades. Now you can buy it for about half that price, sans the case and AC adapters. A nice unit for the money.
Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holiday?
by jpprice47 - 12/7/07 9:24 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
-I already own one.
I have a Garmin eTrex Legend. I use mine on my ATV when I drive or in my pocket when I hike into unfamiliar territory. I absolutely love it.
would never be used
by rhomp2002 - 12/7/07 9:25 PM In reply to: Are you planning to buy a portable GPS during the holidays? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I tend to look up the way on the maps and then I am set for the trip. I would never use the GPS and see no reason to pay for one
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