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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences?
- 12/14/07 1:05 AM
Mapping Software
by Donaldsc - 12/8/07 8:41 PM In reply to: GPS Systems by devondaveYou have to understand how mapping software in GPS units work and why different GPS units may give different directions to the same location. You also have to understand why a GPS can never have local knowledge. Until you understand this, you will suffer from the same frustration that Devondave suffered from.
All GPS units use one of 2 available map sets. What the vendors do it decide how they are going to use the mapset data to generate s route. I live in the US. Here, a GPS would normally assume that an interstate highway would be the best route, followed by federal highways, state highways, etc. You can not expect the GPS to know that an interstate or a motorway is jammed. That is local knowledge.
I had a Streetpilot GPS before I bought my NUVI 660. With my Streetpilot (which was a wonderful unit), it sometimes took the system miles to realize that I did not want to follow the recommended unit. My wife would go bonkers with the "Off route - recalculating" message. My new NUVI (which is also a wonderful unit) does it in a much faster time but if I insist on using a city street instead of a parallel Interstate, it persists in trying to get me to the Interstate.
That said, at least in the states, several units can connect your GPS via your car radio to traffic tracking systems so that they can tell you of traffic jams ahead and offer to detour you.
Maps and GPS units both have their functions and you should not throw away your maps just because you have a GPS. If the GPS gives you an "incorrect" route based on your local knowledge, go the way you want to.
Hope this helps.
DON
GPS
by paulrenec - 12/1/07 5:28 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mary Jane, I went through the sames question. WQhat I would suggest you do is look at whast your needs are and start comparing the units:
> will you be travelling in Canada? a lot of the unit does not come with pre-loaded maps of Canada or other areas that you might be travelling from time to time
>Real time traffic that might be usefull but required extra hardware
>Screen size
>size of the unit itself how much more are you prepare to pay to have a smaller unit
>How long will it go without charge?
>How easy is it to use the program?
>Pricing if this is your first unit I would go with the basic so see if you will get tired of it vs spending a additional $100 for the next steps and add all the features that you might already own: MP3 video player
Which GPS to buy
by flannigan - 12/1/07 5:29 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mary Jane:
I would need more information as to how you expect to use your GPS before submitting an opinion.
Do you intend to use it while walking ?
Do you intend to use it in your automobile?
Do you intend to use it in some other way ?
Regards,
Mike
GPS To have or Not to HAve
by Freemate - 12/1/07 6:07 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This reply to Mary Jane. As for Many GPS in the Market it hard to choose which is right for you..but GPS each brand come with different functuality, Features that work differntly.
Here is the Tips for buying GPs. consider these questions.
-Do you need MP3 player, voice control/guidance in your GPS?
-Do you need LCD large or small.
-Most GPS required Bluetooth Operation for performance , check Connectivity.
-Check prices some Telephone compnay required Service Fees for bluetooth.
- Check out Software for GPS, Quality and Warranty.
Each customer has different GPS Need? Assess which one is yours?
All the best
GPS gadgets
by nmnambe - 12/1/07 6:23 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mary Jane,
I am going to give you a lady's point of view of gps systems. I, too, have no sense of direction. I was on a road trip from PA to CO to TX. I thought it was the ideal time to buy one of these gadgets.
I think the increase in price has to do with how much bigger the screen gets and the resolution. I have the Magellan 4040 and the screen is nice. You can read it well as it sits on the dash. It has a bluetooth feature, so I can make calls through the GPS. It makes it easy and hands free while you are driving. It comes with AAA tourguide. I happen to belong to AAA, so this works for me.
The others may be cheaper, but I am sure the screen is smaller, thus making it harder to read. What sort of mounting ware comes with it? You will need to attach it to your car or else it will roll around. Does it sound good and can you understand the directions it is giving you?
More money means better features, but I am sure there is a middle ground that would work for you. Price alone should not be your only consideration and the GPS systems are getting cheaper. Hope this helped.
Elizabeth
Mary here is a common answer for you
by SargeAF - 12/1/07 6:24 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
All GPS's work about the same, GPS has been around for 30 years and used by the military until recently when they stopped using this current system that is being offered to the public. GPS units have 3 things a hard drive or flash drive, and software just like a computer, and an antenna. The Unit Hard/flash drive; this is the part that talks to the satilites, runs the software, analyzes the information. There are 6 satilites that are in stationary orbit around the earth (for our region, U.S.), each assigned to a specific area. Each satalite transmits and recieves signals from the unit you have in your posession, the more satalites that can recieve the signal the better the satilites can locate your unit with accurate positioning. 1 satlilite barely a signal no and/or barely having your general location while 3 to 6 gives a more accurate location of where you are through what is called triangulation, When 3 or more satalites (best 4) can see your unit. Lets use 3 for the moment, Imagine a triangle and you are in the center or any point inside it, each point of that triangle is a satalite and they are all talking to each other and to your unit, each satilite knows how far you are from it and the other satilites, that information is then computed to form a Y with you being at the point where the 3 bars connect. Now how does the satalites tell your unit its location; it has to do with Latitude and Longitude, these are imaginary lines drawn around the world, they run north to south and east to west or up and down and left to right and are numbered accordingly starting from the equator which is Zero. Now when the satilites locate your unit it gives those numbers for across and up and down and where they cross is where you are. Your unit then displays a picture showing where you are after using these numbers to place you. This is where the software comes into play, it converts those numbers to a picture for you. The better the information in the software the better the pinpointing your unit can do. The software is what draws the streets and buildings, terrain and such.
Now you ask what is the difference in the low price and more expensive units. Its the Hard drive and the software, mostly the software. The lower price units use cheap parts and minimal software to make their product affordable. Lower end software will only give your location within 10 mile radius, while the higher end software can locate you to within a few feet.
This is where the debate will start; Garmin is the one that has been making GPS units the longest, they started out with the military and then into NASA before becoming public, Lowrance came in after that with their stuff based on water usage, Rivers, Streams, Ocean. Then came Magellan which tried to combine the 2 but ended up mostly staying with Mountainous type units for Hiking and such. TomTom is the new guy on the block and because of that there is not much information on how good or bad they are. I have heard both good and bad about TomTom and most that I know that have bought TomTom gets bit by the GPS bug and have replaced it with the better of the units usually Garmin or Lowrance, which has to do with the quality of the product and its software and usage. One thing for sure in the last few months everyone of these is becoming more and more user freindly thanks to Magellan and TomTom.
I am a Ham Radio operator and have used Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance, and my preference between them is Garmin 1st and Lowrance 2nd. You definately want the best mapping software available and that is currently MapQuest which is used by all Garmin stuff, Lowrance in most of their better units. Advise from me, buy the cheaper stuff but dont expect alot out it to see if it is something you will like, if you do then expense for the better stuff, if not you have not lost much. But do compare the prices and make sure there is not extras you have to buy that is going to make the cheap stuff end up costing the same as the better stuff.
I hope this has been of some help to you.
Mark "Sarge" Hutchens
Corrections
by Donaldsc - 12/8/07 8:21 PM In reply to: Mary here is a common answer for you by SargeAFThe number of mistakes you have made in your post is beyond belief. I have marked just a few of them below -
The Unit Hard/flash drive; this is the part that talks to the satilites -- The unit does not "talk" to the satellite. It receives a signal from the satellite.
are 6 satilites that are in stationary orbit around the earth -- I know that the number is more than 6. It is, I believe, 23.
Each satalite transmits and recieves signals from the unit you have in your posession -- The GPS is a receiver only. Can you imagine how a satellite in space would deal with signals from millons of GPS units. Can you imagine the power it would take for a battery powered GPS that you can hold in your hand to communicate with a satellite hundreds of miles above the earth.
Its the Hard drive -- very few GPS units with the exception of car units have hard drives in them.
Lower end software will only give your location within 10 mile -- Any unit can give you an accurate fix within 20 - 30 feet. Most of the time, units are accurate to 10 - 12 feet. In fact, a car navigation unit is more accuate than that because the unit knows that you must be on a road so if the signal shows you slightly off the road, the software snaps you to the road. Even when the satellite signal was slightly scrambled (this stopped about 10 years ago), the accuracy was within perhaps 50 ft.
TomTom is the new guy on the block and because of that there is not much information on how good or bad they are -- TomTom may be a new vendor in the USA but they have been the major player in Europe for years. The fact that they have made a bid to purchase NAVTEQ shows how serious they are about GPS
MapQuest which is used by all Garmin stuff -- Garmin uses Navteq maps. That is why they were so worried about TomTom purchasing Navteq. However, Garmin and TomTom have signed an agreement to ensure that Garmin has access to Navteq maps.
Garmin 1st - This is about the only thing that I would agree w you about. Not because Garmin is best but because, IMHO, it has a very user friendly operating system. However, this may be because I have used Garmin units for years and am used to them.
BTW, your entire paragraph about how GPS has a minimal grain of truth to it but is basically technical garbage. About the only thing you have correct in the paragraph is that the more satellites you can "see" (not, as you say - can see you) the better your fix may be.
Mary - ignore everything that Sarge has to say.
DON
GPS question
by nagkre - 12/1/07 6:27 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a garmin and love it. Although they are a little more costly than some others, it resouces and set up make it very easy to use. My isiter in law had a Megellan and liked it until it broke. She used mine for a week on the road and bought a garmin.
gps systems
by billtalmadge - 12/1/07 6:44 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I don't know about the Magellan, but the tomtom was rated a "best buy" by Consumer Reports.
I copied the quick recommendation for you from their website.
I just purchased the TomTom and am currently reading and learning
about it.
Last weekend, they were giving a 100 dollar rebate. I got the gps for 125 dollars.
Don't be misled by the name.
By next week, I should know more about it.
CR Quick Recommendations Portable GPS Navigation
Portable GPS navigation systems can all provide nationwide route guidance to help you find long-distance destinations and local points of interest. Where they differ most is in ease of use and their features. For our ratings, we factor heavily the qualities that make it easy to input destinations and give the most helpful directions. The recommendations below break out the best performing models overall, and those that perform the core navigation chores well and do so at an attractive price point.
Other tested models may also appeal, if you place a high priority on secondary features, like MP3 playback and traffic services. It is worth scanning the ratings and reviewing the detailed model pages to find the right match for your needs.
The Ratings rank models strictly on performance. Quick Picks consider other factors such as features, reliability, and value.
Quick Picks
Best Overall:
• TomTom Go 910 , $500
• Garmin nuvi 660 , $700
• Garmin StreetPilot c580 , $550
All three models have text-to-speech technology, which means that they say the names of streets rather than simply say "turn left." Each can also report traffic delays, but the TomTom Go 910 must be paired with a compatible Bluetooth phone to get traffic services. The others have built-in receivers. Of the three, the nuvi 660 is the most compact, yet has a good-sized screen allowing larger icons and keypad letters--a plus for entering addresses. The Garmin c580 performs as well as the nuvi 660, but it has a smaller screen and its larger size makes it a little less portable. The TomTom Go 910 is another strong performer. It is less portable with a screen size between the nuvi 660 and the StreetPilot c580.
Best on a budget:
• TomTom One , $300, CR Best Buy
• Garmin StreetPilot c330 , $300, CR Best Buy
• Magellan Roadmate 2000 , $250, CR Best Buy
These three models are strictly navigators. They don't offer all the bells and whistles like music players or hands-free calling, but they do a good job and are very easy to use. The TomTom One is extremely compact, but it still has a 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen and is capable of traffic updates with a compatible Bluetooth phone.
GPS
by jlsquires - 12/1/07 7:40 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I bought a remanufacured Magellan 3000T on eBay for $213.50 which included shipping and it works just fine. I use it nearly all the time. I was surprised to see my actual speed (speedometer error) and things like elevation, direction, place names etc.The different levels of the maps give different levels of information. It would hangup from time to time but it was me not the unit!
Shopping for a GS unit on Black Friday
by geofbrewer - 12/1/07 7:42 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Welcome to retail's largest(?) day. First, the prices offered were "loss leaders". The hope was to get you in the door first, then have you spend extravagant sums of money on other things, or possibly buy one of those "feature rich" GPS units at the Sale, Retail, I'm going to Cancun on the commission prices. My tongue is firmly planted in my cheak. I'm one of those old geeks who happens to sell GPS units among other things. Moved a couple a hundred.
If you were looking for a basic unit to get you from point A to Z, with waypoints B-Y optional, yes they were a good buy. You'd be better off going to the repective web sites to compare features. A lot of the bells and whistles that drive up the price of GPS units are useful, but not for everybody.
Do you need a unit which has 46 language options? Do you need street names called out? Do you want voice programming? Do you want to look at JPG files on the screen? Want to hook up your MP3 player? Need truck routes? Do you operate in major metropolitan areas with traffic advisories broadcast on FM? And the list goes on and on and on.
If you like the comradie of this forum, you are in good hands. Ultimately, the web sites will allow you a side-by-side comparison. (That's 'Cntrl+N').
Features
by FernFerret349 - 12/7/07 8:59 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well the largest features that cause a difference in price are:
*Speaking road names - Would you like the gps to say "turn right in 20 feet", or "turn right in twenty feet onto Main Street"?
*Screen size - You need to find a nice balance of portable yet functional, personally I like 2.5-3.5, and in general the larger the screen size the greater the price.
*More detailed maps - You should look at how many Points of interest (POI) that each one has in addition to what maps it contains. POIs are locations such as Food, Gas, Sleep, Entertainment, etc that come pre-marked on the GPS. You can be driving along and say "I want to go to taco bell" and it will tell you the nearest taco bell. Some more expensive GPS devices have maps of us and Canada, while some come with European maps too.
*SD expansion slot - This expansion slot allows the upgrade of maps (Such as adding Europe to a device that does not come stock with European maps) at a later time or music storage.
**Bluetooth - Some GPS devices contain Bluetooth so that the gps device can answer your calls from your Bluetooth enabled phone
**MP3 Player - these GPS devices allow you to either transfer music via an SD card onto the device or plug the device in to put music on the internal memory
For those in the above list with ** two asterisks - I have noticed this feature is fading away but is put in expensive ones.
Hope that helps
Eric
sat nav/gps
by beltanefire5 - 12/1/07 10:38 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am amazed that you have not heard of TOM TOM PERHAPS THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS A DUTCH COMPANY,However tot like the name it is as far as everyone in the know the market leader in satnav and has grown to be an incredible force in the market.I t is so easy to use with regular updates POINTS OF INTEREST data base showing everything from the nearest MACDONALDS to 24 hour petrol stations etc,Warning s can be set for when you approach known road hazards (speed cameras ec)I havbe now used one for 5 years updated my maps ,in my case covering the entire breadth of europe,literally tapping in street name ,and number and the country and on one occcasion driven from my home cross english channel(by ferry)and then across 4 countries to arrive within 15 feet of the address totally touble free.At night changing to muted coulors to avoid glare and in fog using the 3 d display to warn of suden dips in the road etc.I t really means you can concerntrate on the driving not having to keep an eye on the street names,or turn off points on motorways etc Please remember though that qwhile your sat nav may say "at next junction go straight across*" check you have priority etc All this with it loaded onto my old ipaq 2200 with a bluetooth gps receiver.I tried others but TOM TOM IS THE ONE.Cheap versions are available but they tend to be versions with older maps or less features .I would adfvise nothing less than TOM TOM version 6.01.HOPE this helps and happy motoring
MP3 Player
by hitenrmehta - 12/1/07 10:39 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have used and own iPod Shuffle (512Mb:Solid State) and I have also used iPod (2GB : HDD). At present I use and own a Samsung YP-C1 (512Mb :Solid State) as well as a Samsung YP-K3 (2GB : Solid State). If you are looking to buy Excellent quality Music Reproduction, with ease of use (ease of transferring music viz. simple copy/paste) as well as MORE featuers for the same price, I would strongly recommend Samsung. As you urself mentioned in your question, iPod in my expoerience is more of a product to "flaunt" rather than an actual "value-for-money" in all other aspects.
Switch and Bait
by betteguadalupe - 12/1/07 10:44 AM In reply to: Aren't all GPS devices essentially the same? Why the price differences? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
When you hear those words "we are all sold out" usually means never had the sale product..walk out the door..most GPS sale for any where from $ 175 and up..Check Consumer's Report for Comparison Pricing.
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