Garmin nuvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Garmin GPS was a godsend on our trip to Europe.If you have ever driven into cities or small towns in Europe you will know how difficult it is to navigate, while trying to read foreign street signs, dodging motor scooters and bicylists, finding the right exit out of a around-about all the while being pushed along by the very aggressive drivers behind you.But with the GPS most of that stress goes away as you know when and where to turn and you drive through towns like a native.I was very impressed that even going through the miles long tunnels of the alps the GPS must be programmed to keep the unit tracking without a satellite signal because several minutes later coming out of the tunnel it still provides instructions.I purchased the pricier model 270 because of the factory installed European maps.If you purchased a GPS with only North America maps and had to load the European maps the cost of those maps would be another $250.It's less money to get the 270 or 370 with maps already loaded. The windshield mounting is excellent and worked well in the rental car.The Nuvi series GPS is convenient enough in size to be carried in the pocket for walking around the cities.But it does not work as well for pedestrian purposes because it cannot keep bearings well as you tend to rotate the device and it looses it sense of direction. I read all the reviews on GPS's and chose the Garmin because of it's higher ratings for search engine, ease of use and maps. You will immediately become an expert user even without reading instructions with this device.It is literally that easy to use.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Garmin nuvi 270 3.5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
Navigate both North America and Europe without loading more maps with the affordable nuvi 270. This entry-level Personal Travel Assistant makes traveling so simple. For even more mapping options, nuvi 250 and nuvi 200 offer less map coverage at a lower price. Like all nuvi 200-series members, the 270 features an easy-to-use colorful touchscreen and ultra-slim design--perfect for everyday navigation.


The nuvi 270 comes preloaded with maps for North America and Europe, and features an easy-to-use touchscreen and ultra-slim design.

Configurable vehicle icons let you select car-shaped graphics.

nuvi 270 accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger. Smart, Powerful Design
The nuvi 270 is built with a high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 3.8 x 2.8 x .8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 5.2 ounces. The nuvi 270's 3.5-inch (diagonal) display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use.
Navigate with Ease
nuvi 270 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nuvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nuvi 270 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. nuvi 270 features many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the map. Optional plug-in SD cards for our line of Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nuvi for your travel needs.
Note: Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nuvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.

What's in the Box
nuvi 270, preloaded City Navigator NT for North America and Europe (full coverage), vehicle suction cup mount, vehicle power cable, dashboard disk, and set up and go guide.

Which nuvi is Best for You?

Note: All nuvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.
Device

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Magellan Maestro 4050 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (with 3 month free traffic) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Do you really need a GPS device?? If you are reading this review the answer is probably yes.

We have used them for a number of years and I'm now at the point where I wonder how we ever got along without one. No more trips to the computer for confusing Mapquest directions or frantic searches to find the car atlas after a wrong turn. Both facts leading to a significant reduction in "marital moments."

I could give many examples where GPS has "saved the day". Here is a recent one:

This summer my wife and our three small children traveled from Chicago to South Dakota for a wedding (I had to work). Like many rural wedding, each part of the event was in a different place. The church was in one town, the reception in another and their hotel in a third. After the wedding she wanted to visit cousins on their farm in Southern Minnesota, followed a stop in the Twin Cities. Lastly, she was going to travel to Northern Minnesota to spend some R-n-R at a lake cabin.

The night before the big trip I added all of the addresses in our GPS unit. I then labeled them: church, reception, hotel, farm, Twin Cities, cabin. Now all she had to do is press the right address and go. No worries about missing a turn or taking the wrong road, even on a pitch black rural night. If she decided to change her plans the Magellan would take care of it. GPS units figure out the route from where you are to your location, something Mapquest can't do. The peace of mind that the Magellan gave both of us was worth its purchase price alone.

I have to tell you that even a basic GPS unit could have done the above routing task. In fact, for most people, a basic unit is all that they need. However, sometimes you want something more. Does the Magellan Maestro 4050 deliver this "more?" Read on to find out!

Unit Overview

The Magellan Maestro 4050 is really an evolution of the popular Road Mate series. However, there are many significant improvements. First is the fact the 4050 has a large 4.3" screen. Although the typical 3.5" screen would work fine, I like the larger screen as I suffer from FFS or Fat Finger Syndrome. A bigger screen gives me a bigger on-screen keyboard when typing in an address. This results in less error and less growling on my part.

The icons have also changed with this series and now they have a friendlier, more polished look. The Maestro units use the very popular (and highly sensitive) SiRF star III GPS chipset which acquires signals quickly. Like other Magellan units, the underlying OS is Windows CE. The Maestro also has a built in battery that should allow a couple of hours of use. This would make it possible to use the unit outside of the car for a short period.

Routing

In my opinion, routing is the most important function of any GPS unit. Magellan units, in general, have always had excellent routing engines and the Maestro is no different. The maps on my unit are dated from late 2006 and so they are pretty recent.

Adding an address (or intersection) is a snap. Older Magellan units (like the Roadmate 300 series) ask for a street first. When you added a common street name like "River" or "Washington" you were forced to pick from a dozen or more choices ("North River," "River Drive," River Road," etc.). Later models, including the Maestro series ask for the city first eliminating a lot of confusion. It is amazing what a simple change can do to make a product more useable. Thanks Magellan!

I had no problems entering addresses, even difficult ones that have confused other units. I think that this is in part due to the fact that the maps are newer and therefore, more accurate. Magellan units always ask for your route preference ("shortest time," "least use of expressways," etc). Many other units require that you dig into menus and sub-menus to do this which often causes undesirable results. For instance, when traveling in a city during rush hour it may be easier to take regular roads in lieu of expressways. Since the Magellan always asks routing preferences this is easy to accomplish.

Naturally, it is very easy to exclude a particular street or routing direction (perhaps you know that street is under construction). You can also route up to up to 20 different locations using the "trip planner" option. The Maestro will then "optimize" the list for you making the trip more efficient. This option would be great for a delivery driver who has to travel to multiple locations on his route. The Maestro also tells you what side of the street your destination is on. Surprisingly, many other brands do not. Knowing what side of the street your destination is on can be really important, especially if it is on a busy, multi-lane street.

The unit can present map data either as 3D ("bird's eye view") or in a traditional 2D map view. It will automatically switch to a nighttime map at night. I really like the fact that Magellan products always give you a clear indication what direction you are traveling by placing your direction directly on the screen. This is much more convenient than using a "north pointing" arrow which other units have.

The Maestro is very good at giving your multiple, clear, auditory and visual indicators of your next maneuver. I have used other units (the Mio brand) where I couldn't even figure out what the maneuver icon was telling me (it looked like a letter from the Klingon alphabet). This has never happened using Magellan units (and I have used them for years).A really useful feature on Magellan units is the "locate" key. This function tells you were you are, the closest cross streets and even a computer generated address (when possible). When you are on an expressway it will tell you the last and next exits and their distance. The locate button is really useful if you ever need roadside assistance (or when you just want to know where the heck you are).

The Maestro also has a "detour" function. If you are traveling on highway at lower than expected speeds, the Maestro will ask you if you want to take a detour. If you agree you can choose the length of the detour in miles. The Maestro will then get you off the highway for the designated number of miles and return you back afterwards. Great if an accident is up ahead.

The Maestro features text to speech (or TTS) which will give your specific verbal directions, like street names. Professional reviewers love this feature. I think it is pretty cool, but units that don't have this function are perfectly useable too.

Like other Magellan units, the Maestro is excellent at recalculating your route where you go off course. If it can calculate a route based on the new road that you are on, it will do so. Other brands can sometimes insist that you need to take their original calculated route and they will tell you to "turn around" or "make a U turn" when you don't have to.

POI Data Base

If the heart of a GPS unit is its routing engine, its soul is its POI Data base. Virtually all GPS units have such a data base and virtually all have inaccuracies and omissions. With that said, using a POI data base can really enhance your trip. I think the Maestro has the best POI data base ever. It feels like the programmers were thinking of me when they designed it.

First, you have a standard POI data base, but it is huge at 3.5 million entries. Even more important, it is reasonably current. I didn't find stores that had closed years ago as I have in other systems (including some older Magellans). The data base is very extensive covering tons of categories beyond core POIs (gas stations, auto services, ATMs, hotels, restaurants). There are many categories perfect for people like me, who go on family car trips. Campgrounds, grocery stores, pharmacies and even veterinarians are listed (to name a few). When appropriate, a general category will offer subcategories. For instance, the grocery category includes grocery stores, specialty food stores, convenience stores and Liquor stores. Stores like Target and Wal-Mart are typically under represented on many GPS units, but well listed on the Maestro. I was able to find both when searching locally. The standard POI data base not only gives you distance but also direction from your location (some other brands do not). It may be easier to go to a store that is 20 miles ahead rather than backtracking 10 miles. Naturally, you can not only search from your current location but you can also search around another address/city, like your destination. Perfect if you have to reserve a hotel room.

Many Magellans, including the Maestro have a unique and useful feature called "exit POIs." When you are on an expressway you can search for core POI services at upcoming exits. The Maestro will tell you the distance to the exit and the core services available (like gas). Touching the gas icon will then allow you to look at the various choices for that category (like Shell or Mobile). Since it only gives you services around the exits, the "exit POI" function can be extremely useful when traveling.

The 4050 also has the AAA Tour Book built in. This is a fantastic resource that combines the power of GPS location with tour book data. Now, when you look for a restaurant, you not only get a name but a detailed description, plus a rating. The AAA Tour Book gives information on rated hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, approved auto repair shops and other information like special events that may be happening in a particular area. You also get a phone number so you can make your reservation. The Tour book will also tell you if you can get an AAA discount (for AAA members). It is a really wonderful and unique resource. No other GPS manufacturer has it.

In addition to all...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Magellan Maestro 4050 4.3 Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (with 3 month free traffic)

Product Description:
Re-engineered for easy use, the Magellan Maestro 4050 Portable Auto GPSSystem is the first portable vehicle navigation device to offer drivers the convenience of voice command capabilities. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road as you direct the Maestro 4050 with voice commands. Say "Nearest Restaurant", "Chinese Food", and select the restaurant of your choice. Then make a hands-free, Bluetooth call to order take-out and let the Maestro 4050 audibly guide you with turn-by-turn street name directions to the destination. With the Maestro 4050 at your disposal you're equipped to go to virtually any destination in the United States and Canada. And if you're concerned about traffic en route, you can maximize the Maestro's optional live traffic update feature -- just turn it on and you'll know which roadways to avoid.

Click to see a video on the Magellan Maestro 4050's Voice Command system.
View larger - Side view



Easy to use navigation features SmartDetour and auto re-route. View larger.

Access built-in AAA information from your GPS touch screen. View larger. AAA-enabled
With built-in AAA travel information, the Maestro 4050 gives you instant access to the most trusted source for trip planning, searchable AAA TourBook® listings, Show Your Card & Save® locations for member discounts, approved auto repair facilities, attractions, events, and more. The Maestro 4050 also provides AAA members roadside assistance details, with exact location and a toll-free number. Plus, the Maestro 4050 is Bluetooth-enabled so you can connect your Bluetooth cell phone directly to AAA for immediate help when you need it most.


Note: AAA member roadside assistance requires AAA membership.


Easy-to-Use Navigation
Enter virtually any address on the freshly designed graphical touch screen, or select from 4.5 million preprogrammed points of interested and get turn-by-turn voice guidance to anywhere in the entire United States and Canada, right out of the box. Just turn it on and go. SiRFstarIII gives you the fastest GPS position accuracy in the industry, while SayWhere™ text-to-speech tells you the street name for each maneuver so you can focus on driving. Smart buttons and Magellan's unique QuickSpell™ function enable error-free spelling to minimize steps and give you a customized route to your destination with just a few screen touches.


Bluetooth, Traffic Updates, and More
The Maestro 4050's Bluetooth wireless technology lets you make hands-free phone calls with your Bluetooth-enabled phone. The voice command and control function further enables hands-free operation so you can keep your eyes on the road. You can store or sync numbers and contact information through the easy-to-use touch screen, and even place calls directly through the Maestro 4050's integrated microphone and speakers. Add the optional Magellan TrafficKit™ to this device and you'll be equipped with live traffic incident reports, so you'll never get stuck on the freeway.


Additional Product Features

Voice command: Voice command control enables hands-free operation. The 4050 is the first portable GPS in the world with voice and command control
Sophisticated and simple: Streamlined touch-screen buttons minimize steps to locate a destination
Sleek design: Integrated GPS antenna provides excellent satellite reception in a slim and compact design
Graphical interactive maps: Maps and destinations for the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico are built-in, so you can travel all over the U.S. and Canada and always know where you are and where you're going
Traffic-enabled: Add the Magellan TrafficKit™ to your Maestro 4050 to get live traffic incident reports; activation and subscription fees apply
Bird's-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don't have access to power
Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around suddenly slow freeway traffic
Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
QuickSpell™: Easily enter addresses with unique auto-complete feature that even corrects spelling
Complete mobility: Transfer to any vehicle with no installation
4.5 million points of interest (POIs): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There's even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
Customizable route method: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
Address book: Create and store personal points of interest for easy reoccurring trips
Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

What's in the Box
Magellan Maestro 4050 Portable Auto GPS System, windshield mount and cradle, adhesive dash mount disk, cigarette lighter power adapter (12-24 watts), AC wall power supply/charger, quick reference guide, reference manual CD, USB cable, and a 3-month subscription to the Magellan's real-time traffic update service.

Product Description
4.3" Wide QVGA Screen / Sirf Star III / 4.5 Million Points of Interest / US - Canada - Puerto Rico / Rechargeable Battery / Voice Recognition / Bluetooth 4.3 WQVGA Color Touchscreen w/ Anti-Glare - Improved On-Screen Graphics for Easy Readablility SayWhere Text-To-Speech Technology Dictates Upcoming Street Name & Distance to Turn Bluetooth Enabled TrafficKit Ready Pre-Loaded Detailed NAVTEQ Maps - -50 States, Canada & Puerto Rico American Automobile Association (AAA) TourBook Travel Information 4.5 Million Pre-Loaded Points of Interest - -Search for Businesses, Restaurants, Parks, & More Multiple Destination Routing with Route Optimization QuickSpell Quick & Easy Address Entry Integrated Rechargeable Battery - Approximately 3 Hours Battery Life

About Magellan
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS, and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate series and the Magellan Maestro portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist and the Magellan Triton outdoor handheld navigation devices, and the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The Magellan Maestro series includes such unique features as built-in AAA travel information and voice command and control driving which no other portable GPS manufacturer in the U.S. or Canada offers. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications. The Company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with European headquarters in Carquefou, France.

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Magellan Maestro 4000 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First the good stuff.The GPS accuracy exceeds my expectations, it is usually accurate to within about 10 feet.The "directions" have been flawless so far.The voice prompts are clear and easy to understand.The screen is very large and easy to read.The menus are are breeze to use, and there is no "learning curve".
Now the bad stuff.There is no way for me to look up POIs on my computer, and download them; which is stupid since the unit has a USB interface.The POIs on the GPS are all "AAA" rated places, so you are limited to the places that "AAA" wants you to go to.I looked up restaraunts in my area, for which there are at least 20 "chain restaraunts" like chili's & applebees etc; however, it only listed one obscure restaurant in my area.The next closest place it listed was nearly 10 miles away!!!In my opinion the pre-loaded POIs are absolutely useless.And with no way to download them from my PC, I am forced to look up the address via internet and then MANUALLY enter them into the GPS (this seems like stone-age technology to me).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Magellan Maestro 4000 4.3 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
With built-in AAA TourBook® travel information and member roadside assistance details, the Magellan Maestro 4000 Portable Auto GPS System is the ultimate travel companion. Re-engineered for easy use, its fresh graphics and intelligent touch-screen buttons offer a superior, precise navigational experience. And with its error free QuickSpell™ software you only need to enter a few letters to find your destination. The Magellan Maestro 4000 makes driving more pleasurable and less stressful.


With fresh graphics and an intelligent touch screen, the Magellan Maestro 4000 is the ultimate travel companion.
View larger - Side view



Easy to use navigation features SmartDetour and auto re-route. View larger.

Access built-in AAA information from your GPS touch screen. View larger. AAA-enabled
The Maestro 4000 includes built-in AAA TourBook® guide travel information, giving you instant access to service details and Diamond ratings from the world's leading travel expert. Quickly find AAA approved lodgings and restaurants, AAA member roadside assistance details, and discounts available through the AAA Show Your Card & Save® program. Touch the tow truck icon and quickly access details for directing AAA member roadside assistance to your location.
Note: AAA member roadside assistance requires AAA membership.
Easy-to-Use Navigation
If you don't like reading directions, you'll love the Magellan Maestro 4000. It's simple to use and ready to guide you to virtually any destination in the 48 continental United States right out of the box -- just turn it on and go. Its thin, sophisticated design and attractive, intuitive touch-screen graphics make driving a pleasure. Enter an address or select from 1.5 million preprogrammed points of interest (POIs), such as ATMs, gas stations, and restaurants with just a few screen touches. SiRFstarIII™ gives you the fastest GPS position accuracy in the industry, which you can use to route on the 2D or 3D map. Finally, let Maestro's friendly voice guide you turn-by-turn while you enjoy the drive.

Additional Product Features

Turn-by-turn voice and visual guidance: Enter virtually any address or POI and get there quickly and safely
Graphical interactive maps: Built-in maps and destinations for the continental U.S. mean you'll always know where you are and where you're going
Bird's-eye 3D view: Clearly see your surroundings in 2D or 3D; also choose between Map View, TrueView™ 3D split screen, and Maneuver List
Rechargeable battery: Navigate even when you don't have access to power
Multi-destination routing: Select up to 20 destinations and choose the order that best fits your needs
SmartDetour™: Automatically prompts you to route around slow freeway traffic
Auto re-route: Never miss a turn and quickly get back on track whenever you make a detour
Auto night view: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing
Complete mobility: Transfer your Maestro 4000 to any vehicle, with no installation
1.5 million points of interest (POI): Optimized database to easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, and more. And with smart location you can search by name, category, and region. There's even a Coffee category so you can quickly find caffeine whenever you need it.
Interactive POI icons: Touch an onscreen icon for a nearby destination, see name and address, and get an instant route
Customizable route methods: Fastest time, shortest distance, least or most use of freeways, avoid toll roads
Route exclusion: Select streets and freeways to avoid so you can get there your way
Address Book: Create and store POIs for easy reoccurring trips
Instant locate: One touch shows your location; quickly advise roadside assistance or emergency services

What's in the Box
Magellan Maestro 4000 Portable Auto GPS System, windshield mount and cradle, adhesive dash mount disk, cigarette lighter power adapter (12-24 watts), AC wall power supply/charger, quick reference guide, reference manual CD, and USB cable.

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Magellan Maestro 3210 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Unit is small which is something I needed when fitting it in my bag.The USB car charger that comes with the unit will also charge your blackberry but you can't use any other USB charger to charge your GPS.(i tried my moto USB charger and my BB USB charger.A standard USB cable to connect to your PC might.

Unit works great in NYC and Philly.Which is known for poor GPS reception.I lost signals a few times in NYC but not for long.

The biggest problem is that the route color is green and often the map color is green.So...its hard to read sometimes.(don't judge colors in the pictures)You can't change map color options like you can in other models, (or i just can't figure it out).Also I have the 3200 model which is the same I think just lacking the AAA stuff.

The GPS is fast.Its not instant like some other reviews have said.It still takes 10 sec or more to find route or reroute.But the signal holds in major cities and the GPS has not randomly thrown me 500 ft in some direction when I am not.

Nice upgrade from older models.
Nice purchase if you are looking for something small.
Nice purchase if you love the Magellan UI compared to other GPS systems.
Nice purchase if you want a budget unit.

Bad purchase if you want all the latest features.
Bad purchase if you want to customise to your prefernces (like map color)
Bad purchase if you have a fuctional GPS and think this is a huge upgrade.
Bad purchase if you have a wind shield far away (tiny screen)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Magellan Maestro 3210 3.5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
The Magellan Maestro 3210 delivers a feature-rich navigationexperience at a highly affordable price. Its new industrial designis ultra thin and elegant, while its intuitive user interface guidesdrivers to their destination via voice and on-screen prompts.Essential features include 6 million searchable points of interest,pre-loaded maps of North America and Puerto Rico, multiplelook-up options, and more.

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TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Edited 10/5/2008
I've had a chance to use the 920 for about 6 months of heavy use and here's an update to my prior review:

1) Mapshare really works.It's great to get updates from users all over the country.What a great idea.
2) Map updates have refined the product over time.I got the 920 when it came with the original 920 maps.Mine had the 1 year map guarantee, so I have now gotten about 3-4 map upgrades (I forget the exact #) and with each update the maps have improved.The application has also improved.The latest 920 app and maps include Lane Assist and Intelligent Routing which come standard on the 930.

Lane assist is like Reality View on Navigons. You get a very nice highway view with clearly delineated flashing lanes that tell you which lanes to stay in.So, if you are on a 5 lane highway and you should stay in any of the 3 left lanes, Lane Assist will clearly show you that.

I have not had a chance to compare the IQ Routes to non-IQ routes as I just figured out how to turn IQ routes off in order to do the comparison yesterday; but the new routes have served me very well in terms of minimizing time. IQ Routes take traffic data from different times and days that are accumulated in a data base and use that to predict the best route.This isn't very intuitive to me, since I would think that the Traffic function would do that better; but maybe this works best for situations where there are no traffic sensors or you can't access the Traffic features.
3) Cell Phone Traffic.Let's you connect the TT920 to your cell phone (mine is Sprint) and downloads traffic in near realtime.I have noticed lately, with the latest mapset, that it is predicting delays, when in fact there aren't any; but don't know if that's because the traffic conditions are changing and there were delays.It is certainly possible because I find that this occurs in construction zones.It might also be a function of IQ routes.I need to investigate this further now that I can turn IQ routes off.

Biggest complaints:

Because of the primitive data entry interface described below, I have found the need to use my cellphone's GPS function to locate POI's and addresses, and then use the TT for routing on many occassions.This is so absolutely ridiculous for such an expensive and premium device in other ways. It's really a shame that TT can't / won't address these issues.

1) You need to know the something about your POI before you can search for it, so you need to enter the city, or the route first.You can't just search for Grand Canyon; you need to know it's in Arizona.

2) Brain dead address entry. This is where Magellan and Garmin are worlds ahead of TomTom.There are millions of address of the form ##A### such as 12W234 and these can't be entered into a TomTom. You won't be able to navigate to these locations; you'll need to know a cross street, perhaps, but how would you know that? Why can't they fix this?

3) Need to know a City to enter an address.Again, an absolutely dumb idea.In suburban areas, a street can pass through multiple communities.Needing to know the City to enter an address makes no sense.Both Magellan and Garmin figured that out years ago.

So, while TT has evolved in many positive ways, it is still very primitive in the way it handles some basic navigation data entry.

Edited 2/14/2008 TT Home reported a new European Map available for the TT920.So, in the process of downloading this I have some interesting observations.

1) A distinct TT advantage, and one I really hadn't thought much about since my 920 is only a few months old, is that Map Updates are downloadable.With Garmin you have to order a DVD.For my i5 it took weeks for the DVD to arrive.

2) But even more interesting than that is that the new Euro maps would not fit on my TT920.It said I needed to delete 110MB to free up enough space, but I didn't have 110MB of stuff to delete. So, now I thought I had a real problem.What I found out is that there is a feature in the TT920 that neither my Garmin 360 or Magellan 4250 have.

Specifically, I put in a blank 8GB SDHC card into the TT.I selected removable drive from TThome. I then downloaded the update to the TT DOWNLOAD folder on the HDD of my PC.

I then formatted the 8GB card to 4GB while it was inside the TT.I then went to Files on My Computer and ADDED the new Euro Map to the 4GB SD card.I copied the contents of the 4GB SD card to my HDD.I then removed the SD card from the TT and reformatted it to 8GB on my PC.I then copied the the contents on my HDD that I copied from the 4GB card to the 8GB card and inserted the 8GB card into the TT

3) At this point, TT920 recognizes Guam, North America and Western and Central Europe.

4) The real impact here is that I can hold 10GB of maps between the internal and removable flash.This is great news.On my Garmin 360, for example, if the North America maps exceed 2 GB, then you have to split the installation of Upper Canada and Lower 48 US.You can't just switch between them, you have to reload the maps.On the i5, I can drag and drop upper and lower maps, but again, can't have both on at the same time.

5) So, the SD cards on the two Garmins I have really serve no purpose for mapping and navigation, whereas on TT the SD card can be an extension of the internal memory.What a great design.

As you are probably aware, with the release of the 2008 maps, Many Garmin units ran short of internal memory to handle the larger maps, requiring the splitting of Upper and Lower north america.This is far less likely to happen on TT920's.SD cards on the Magellan are for backup only and custom POI's.
------
Edited 2/9/2008The i5 refurb is now $99.The Nuvi 360 is going for $249.Prices are dropping and this is very good!
-----
edited 2/7/08

Well, there is a serious problem with the TTx20's.This may be enough to take them off of your short list.I am debating what to do here.The situation has to do with address numbers.TT does fine with an address in the form of, say, nnn street address.Like 414 Janes Street.What it can't handle is any street number that has something OTHER THAN A NUMBER in it, like 55N123 Anystreet, Anytown, CO.There is no way to enter 55N123, because all you can enter are NUMBERS, not the letter "N".Now this might not be so bad, but I'd guess there are millions of addresses that either have a special character, like a hyphen "-" or a letter N, S, E, W, embedded in the street number.

Both the Garmins and Magellans referenced above, can handle the forms of address numbers that have alpha+numeric combinations.Others who have reported this to TomTom say that the problem is known, but there is no indication as to when or even if TT plans on fixing it.

So, if the TT920 didn't have that nifty Bluetooth Traffic feature, I would go with the Garmin i3... or the Magellan 4250. I can buy 4 i3's or 1.6 4250's for the price of 1 TT920.I should note that the TT720 has the same feature, but I got the TT920 for just about the same price as a TT720.The price has now gone up $90 on the 920 in the last 30 days.=======================================================================
ORIGINAL REVIEW

During a recent illness I think I read nearly every review of the most popular GPS's on the market.I also have had the chance to use

Garmin i5, 200, 360, 550, 680.
Magellan 4050, 4250
TomTom 720, 920
Navigon 2100t

I bought the i5 for my daughter, the 200 for my mother, and the 920 for me.Different markets, different needs.

After reading all reviews and using these products I have concluded that there is a cult-like following for GPS's.There's the Garmin, TOMTOM and Magellan Cults. Probably the Mio, Sony, HP and other cults that I am not following as well.They will banter and chatter on the relative merits and demerits of the various technologies.In the end, the following summarizes my analysis of the comments and products.Note that for the most part when you look at the distribution of Positive and Negative comments, there is almost always a plurality of positive comments for all units.I attribute some of this to the Cult-Status of GPS's

1) They **all** produce goofy routes at times, but overall work about the same.If you had the choice of either having any one of these or not having anything, I'd take any of them.One needs to acquaint ones self with the manual in order to get all of the value out of the products.They all do some things in arcane ways, at times, so it may not be obvious how to make it do what you want it to do.Even the easy to learn Nuvi's have some cryptic functionality.

2) None of the maps are 100% accurate, but all are pretty good. I don't see a big difference between products based on Navteq and TeleAtlas maps, considering all the chatter that is written about Navteq being better than TeleAtlas. There are probably differences in maps, algorithms, routing engines, etc. that all play a part in determining the optimal route, but they all do pretty good on average and badly at times.

3) The best value for a basic GPS is the GARMIN i3 which can be had for $100 refurbed with 1 yr Garmin warranty. The i5 is about $130, also a great deal. If you have expensive nails (ladies) it's nice because it has a touch wheel instead of touch screen. It also runs on 2-AA batteries... slick.

4) For simplicity, the Garmin 200 series is great. Rechargeable, Garmin Lock, nice form factor, fits in pocket or purse. Handy when leaving car with a...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator

Product Description:
TomTom's award-winning software and innovative features mean ground-breaking new technology for the ultimate driving experience. Switch on and go right out of the box. Just enter the address on the touchscreen or with voice prompted address entry and start driving anywhere in the US, Canada or Europe. TomTom guides you door-to-door with turn-by-turn spoken instructions, including street names. TomTom has the most accurate maps. With TomTom MapShare technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, and POIs on your own device. Branded points of interest and optional daily fuel prices service add even more efficiency to your travels. The GO 920 makes driving even safer with hands-free calling. And now, there are added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers.

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TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I really love the 720. I have tried the Garmin Nuvi and just didn't like the software nearly as much as the TomTom. Entering addresses is really fast and you only see towns in the state you are looking in. This means no more having to scroll through 30 different Springfields to get to the one you are searching for. You can hide the keyboard to see a long list of close matches so instead of having to type out the full city or street name you can just hit the first few letters and then pick from a list.

Mapshare seems like it will be a huge advance in the world of automotive GPS devices. Is a street marked as open when it should be blocked? Just correct the error with a few quick taps on the screen and it's fixed. What's really the big advance though is the ability to share my corrections with all other TomTom owners. I connect the 720 to the TomTom HOME software and it downloads corrections that other users have submitted.

What you see on the screen can be fully customized so that if you want the status bar on the side then you can put it there or you can leave it on the bottom. You can also decide what information is shown in the status bar. You can show or hide the time of day, remaining time, remaining distance, current heading, and your current rate of speed. If you subtract items from the status bar the other items automatically get bigger to take up the remaining space. You can also select if you wantto show the current street you are on and the name of the next street you will be turning on to.

Text to speech quality is very good and will say the directions so for example it might say "in 250 feet keep right, then take the exit right, 204B towards Westview." Or "in 200 meters, turn right South West Madison Avenue." You can choose from multiple voices although I think the Dave voice sounds the best of the bunch. If you don't want to hear the "keep to lane" instructions you can disable this feature although I personally like to have it on. You can also record your own spoken instructions so for example you could have your kid's voice tell you to turn left in 200 feet. I haven't tried this though.

The screen is very bright and easy to see even when I have my sunglasses on. The 720 can be set to automatically turn the brightness down as it gets dark thanks to a built in light sensor on the front of the unit.

The mount is pretty clever and super easy to use. Just push it up to the windshield and it sticks right on. The 720 then just slides right on and is held solidly in place. You can turn the 720 in any direction to get it exactly where it's easiest for you to see.

With all the great features of the 720, I think what will really set it apart even more from the other GPS units out there is the Mapshare feature. Being able to fix your own map and download updates automatically to keep the map up to date is one of those things that is so fantastically great that you wonder why on earth it took so long to make to a shipping product. Whether or not it can live up to the expectations remains to be seen. Even if you took Mapshare away it's still the best car GPS I've ever used. With it, there's just no contest.

My biggest complaint is that there's no case in the box. You need to buy one separately although I've been using the plastic holder it shipped in so far which is OK.

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom GO 720 4.3 Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
The TomTom GO 720 Color GPS Navigation System with Mapshare is one of the newest, and most advanced GPS navigators to date, from one of the most trusted names in vehicle navigation. The GO 720 features a high-quality finish with an extremely elegant and slim design that allows it to not only complement any car's interior, but also fit perfectly and easily in your hand or shirt pocket so it can go anywhere you do. Despite its sleek and portable size, the TomTom GO 720 is packed full of all the functionality you need to easily get where you are going, as well as a ton of features to make your trip as safe and enjoyable as possible.


Enjoy great functionality, including Map Share technology, traffic information, and a built-in FM transmitter. View larger. View top. View back.

Fits perfectly in your car, hand, or pocket. View larger.

The Tom Tom provides an optimal navigation view while providing extensive information. View larger.

Check current weather and road conditions for places you're visiting. View larger.
Top-Notch User Interface and Software
The GO 720 is operated via an award-winning, intuitive user interface, and is ready to go right out of the box so as soon as you switch it on you can start using it. This navigator comes with the latest and most complete maps of the USA and Canada pre-installed for door-to-door navigation anywhere across the North American continent. Providing easy and quick access to extensive information such as building footprints and live traffic information, the unit includes multiple information options for personalization to your needs. What's more, the 720 is fully future proof, with new maps and free software upgrades available through TomTom's "Home" service so you'll never be out of date.


Simple, Easy Navigation
TomTom's GO 720 uses a 4.3-inch, extra-wide, touch-screen LCD display that features anti-glare technology for easy viewing even in direct sunlight. Realistic and clear visual instructions are provided with high-quality 3D graphics, while spoken instructions tell you where you need to go in your own language. Using the latest technology, the 720 provides you with fast and accurate positioning, with fast route calculation and automatic re-calculation so it's virtually impossible to get turned around. You can even record your own navigation instructions, for either places you know best, or for planning out trips in advance based on the recommendations of others.


The GO 720 is as safe as it is convenient, and comes with a host of safety preferences. This unit helps ensure safe and efficient driving by doubling as a hands-free kit via Bluetooth technology, which is becoming essential as more states pass laws against driving while talking into a handset. With dual microphone support and a built-in high-quality speaker your phone calls are as clear as a bell, and with convenience features such as automatic call pick-up you can truly concentrate on your driving. However, if for some reason your concentration does lapse, this device includes a selectable speeding alert to keep you from accruing expensive tickets.


Extra Features
The GO 720 is full of functionality, such as a tip feature, a customizable status bar, an extensive guided tour, and even a 'Help me!' menu, so it guides you through its usage as much as to your destination. It also features a personalized shortcut menu, 'current location icon' options, and millions of POIs (points of interest) so you can find what you need wherever you are like a lifetime local was riding shotgun. Taking navigation beyond just convenience, the 720 lets you play your music wirelessly over your vehicle's stereo system via its built-in MP3 player and FM transmitter. Now you can enjoy your music on the 720, all while seamlessly providing navigation instructions and still handling your hands-free phone calls. This amazing navigation device even provides you with a document viewer and photo viewer, so you can take your work with you or instantly download and enjoy your holiday photos wherever you go.


TomTom Plus Services
The TomTom GO 720 is compatible with TomTom Plus services that allow you to check the current weather and road conditions on your route, and get up to five-day forecasts for places your visiting. This feature also allows you to take advantage of buddies functionality, TomTom Plus traffic, and the easy download of additional voices. What's more, as a new addition to the TomTom line-up, the 720 comes with TomTom MapShare technology. TomTom Map Share technology not only lets you add to, update, and personalize your maps instantly, but also share them with others so all your family and friends know the latest changes in your area. You can also download others' changes daily as one of many online services.


TomTom's GO 720 comes complete with TomTom Home software, an internal high-quality rechargeable lithium ion battery, and the capability to share content directly between other compatible TomTom GO devices. A Bluetooth remote control is available as a separate accessory. The 720 is also backed by a manufacturer's limited warranty.


What's in the Box
TomTom GO 720 navigation device, windshield mount, desk dock with USB cable, car charger, CD-rom with software and user's manual, quick-start guide, accessory/PLUS leaflet, TomTom safe driving leaflet, and warranty information.

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Garmin nuvi 250W 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This Garmin nuvi 250W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator is my first GPS unit. Having now owned it for several days, and with my wife and me putting it through its paces, I can definitely and honestly say that it is an excellent unit, one of which Garmin should be proud.

It is considered to be a "basic" GPS device.

This unit does the job, does it very well, and does it very simply.

It gets you there and it gets you back! You won't ever be lost when you use this device.

That is the reason for which you purchase an item such as this. This particular unit functions much like its competition except that, from what I have read, it really works much better than most of them. And from my own experience with it I can say that I could not be more satisfied.

The nuvi 250W (as well as the nuvi 250) come pre-loaded with maps of all of North America, including Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The nuvi 200W (and the nuvi 200) have maps only for the "lower 48" states including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. While that may be sufficient for many (probably most) people, I think the 250W offers much more for a relatively small difference in price.

To add Canada and Alaska maps to the 200/200W costs more than the price difference between the 250/250W and the 200/200W. The choice of which device to buy, of course, depends on where you plan or may plan to travel. Otherwise, the 250/250W and the 200/200W function identically.

The wide screen of the "W" units is, in my opinion, not a frill but rather an extremely useful upgrade in terms of visibility and usefulness. You can see much more of the surrounding area and this can be of great help when you're in an unfamiliar place.

Its wide screen is very bright in daylight, does not wash out, and can be set to automatically dim at night. This auto-adjust feature works very well indeed and is really welcome. Once set, you need not adjust the brightness any further. The sound volume control is fully and easily adjustable; I personally have found that the best setting for me is 70%. This level can be heard clearly over my radio/CD that I may have playing without "blasting," so I have left it at that level.

Obviously, in only a few days of ownership, I have not been able to explore all its capabilities, but I have found the Garmin web site to be of great help. (If you don't already know the URL of Garmin's site, just do a search. For some reason Amazon does not allow the URL to be posted here.) There is a wealth of information there. I was even able to update my firmware from version 2.60 (supplied) to the latest version 2.90. This was quite easy to do. (Of course, to do this you need a 6ft USBa/mini B Device USBa To Mini B 2.0 Compatible (#27005) or similar which, incredibly and disappointingly, Garmin does not include in the package. This particular cable, at Amazon's very low price, is well-worth buying, even if only as a spare. However, you may have one or more of these cables from other applications lying about your house, as I do.)

Garmin's site supports Apple Macintosh computers as well as Windows computers.

Entering addresses, saving them to if desired, and actually driving to a selected location is straightforward. I found the directions selected to be quite accurate. So far, I have tested the unit only locally and on locations known to me. But in every case it took me the same way that I would have gone myself. Distances tested have been up to about 20 miles. This unit also features a bicycle mode and a pedestrian mode, but I have tried neither as yet. (I understand that if you are parked in a crowded parking lot, you can switch to the pedestrian mode, mark the location of your automobile, and, after you are finished shopping or whatever, the unit will walk you right back to your car!)

I tried the function a couple of times, just for testing, and it worked flawlessly. The function also worked flawlessly.

If you miss an indicated turn, which I did deliberately, the device recalculates extremely rapidly. I am amazed as to how well it works in this regard.

Of course, NO GPS device is a substitute for local knowledge. None of them can know of, for example, closed roads, seasonally affected roads, or roads under construction. None can know that a "back road route" to a place which, even though slightly longer in mileage, avoids heavy local traffic, during local rush hour, for example, and so is actually much shorter in time.

Sometimes you may still have to ask!

But, in general, these devices, and this one in particular with its superb detouring ability, function very well indeed. Note that there is no limit on the number of times you can press . If you feel that the unit is taking you a way on which you do not want to travel, merely press the button again.

The number and extent of the pre-loaded "Points of Interest" is just staggering! There are 6,000,000(!) of them! I just can't imagine anyone not being able to find just what he is looking for! AND, additional customized points of interest can be added quickly and easily and mostly for free (see Garmin's site for information). This is amazing!

If you are moving to a new town, or are visiting an unfamiliar place, this "Points of Interest" function will show you just about every store,business, or place of entertainment you could desire. The unit can even indicate when you are near a "Point of Interest" which is contained within or programmed into its memory.

This unit also points out "speed zones" - both visually and audibly. The usefulness of this particular feature in unfamiliar locations goes without saying!

Unfortunately, the low price currently being charged precludes Garmin from supplying as standard certain items, in addition to the USB cable mentioned above, which, in my opinion, are necessary. While this may seem as though it's annoying "nickel-and-diming" (and it is!) the additional necessary items are, fortunately, not very expensive.

These are the several optional accessories that I should recommend (I purchased them all): the first two are the Garmin Portable Friction Mount for Nuvi, StreetPilot I Series & C530, C550(010-10908-00) (it is much, much better than the included window-mount suction cup - believe me, this "bean-bag" is a superb item - and it is mandatory in certain states), and the Garmin Carrying Case for Nuvi 660 (010-10823-01) (which I really wish were supplied as standard).

[Please note that, instead of Garmin's own carrying case, I now recommend the AmazonBasics Carrying Case for Portable GPS Units (Black) which is constructed just as well, perhaps better, than Garmin's own and is less expensive.]

Amazon carries both of these items as well as the unit itself and this season I have found their prices to be better than that of any other retailer. Their shipping service is top-notch as well.

There are two other accessories I recommend: 1) do NOT buy an AC Adapter for this unit; it is very expensive. Instead, buy an "AC Travel Charger with 12V Accessory Outlet" (formerly available from Amazon but now only available from PartsExpresscom); this alone will be all you need to allow the DC Power Adapter that comes with the unit to be used from any AC source.Merely navigate to PartsExpress' web site and enter the above description (in quotes) into the search box (without the quotation marks, of course). It is far less expensive (only $6.78) than an AC Adapter, and, of course, can be used with other DC-powered items as well. And 2) buy a soft side (padded) lunch box or fishing tackle box (I bought a cheap one at Wal-Mart) of suitable size to store the various accessories. This can be left in the trunk of your car out of sight when the GPS is not in use.

Obviously, you should NEVER - NEVER! -leave the unit itself anywhere in your car, at ANY time when the car is parked and you're not there, even if it's hidden away.

And you should NEVER - NEVER! - leave ANY of the attachments or accessories visible in your car when it is is parked.

In fact, you should NEVER leave any clue whatsoever that you have one of these devices. Thieves can be very clever! ALWAYS take the unit with you when you leave your car - every time!

It is probably safe to leave just the accessories as long as they are all carefully hidden away in the trunk or otherwise camouflaged (and no one has seen you hide them or place the items in your trunk! Be VERY careful!). I have heard that thieves even look for suction-cup marks on the windshield and, if they see one, they break into your car, figuring that you have a GPS device hidden in your glove box! GPS units are today's "hot" item to steal and sell.

You must employ common sense when using one of these devices, at least at the present time. You also want to make your car less "inviting" to thieves.

As a further aid in making theft somewhat less attractive, this Garmin unit has a feature that I really like - a security feature. One sets a 4-digit PIN AND sets this up at any particular desired location (generally your home). When you start up the unit, if you are at your starting point, the unit comes on automatically. If you are at any other location, you must...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Garmin nuvi 250W 4.3 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:


Wider screen lets you see more of what's around. View larger.

nuvi 250W accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger.

The nuvi 250W comes preloaded with maps for U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and features an ultra-slim design. The widescreen version of Garmin's nuvi 250 offers a large, easy-to-read screen (4.3 inches diagonally to the nuvi 250s 3.5 inches) at an attractive price point. Like its smaller sibling, the 250W comes with preloaded maps for the continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada and Alaska. If all you don't need Canada and Alaska, you can get the nuvi 200W at a lower pirce. If you want maps for Europe, you'll need to go with the smallernuvi 270, or you can purchase a set of European maps on SD Card or CD-Rom. While it doesn't have some of the more sophisticated features of higher-end nuvis, it does, like all nuvi 200-series members, offer a rock-solid navigation experience with an easy-to-use colorful touchscreen, 6 million points of interest (POI)s, and an ultra-slim design.
See More of What's Around
The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.



Smart, Powerful Design
The nuvi 250W is built with a high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 6.6 ounces. The nuvi display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use.


Navigate with Ease
nuvi 250W comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nuvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nuvi 250W accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.



Garmin's interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip.

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TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Here is the latest in TomTom technology.The TomTom 130.This latest development from TomTom will be perfect for first time GPS buyers who are looking for something simple, compact, and accurate.For previous owners of the TomTom One however, this is no reason to upgrade.

The product itself is as close to perfection as I've seen in a basic GPS device, hence the five star rating, but then again so is the TomTom One 3rd edition that was releasedlate last year.The TomTom 130 model is basically the TomTom One with a few minor upgrades.The most notable would be the new flip and fold mounting capability.Instead of the standard suction cup mount that TomTom owners are used to owning as a separate component (one that slides in and out of the back custom grooves of the TomTom itself) there is now an attached mount that folds into the unit for easy storage.This is convenient but in my opinion and like the other minor upgrades, no reason to toss out your old TomTom One in exchange.

iPod has set the standard for a lot of electronic thresholds, none being more noticeable than the size and depth of its products.To some it up...slim is in and the TomTom 130 is even slimmer than its big brother the TomTom One weighing in at a 6.1 ounces and only 1 inch in depth.Here are the some minor specs:

Unit Size: 3.8"H x 3.2"W x 1"D
Display Size: 3.5" (Diagonal)
Weight: 6.1 oz

Also worth noting is the TomTom 130 now boasts a 3 hour battery charge instead of the paltry 2 hour that left TomTom One owners completely dependent on the cigarette chargers in their cars.3 hours isn't exactly a wealth of time but it is an improvement and a little more realistic.

Also included with the product is TomTom's exclusive Map Share feature that allows users to make their own map corrections and share them with other TomTom customers through their online connection using the TomTom Home software on their PC.This service is free of charge.

Thishas been the subject of some confusion among TomTom users and should be pointed out.Some customers mistakenly think the Map Share updates they receive are entire map upgrades.This is not so.Although TomTom does provide its customers with Map Share updates free of charge these only include minor map modifications, such as dead end streets that weren't marked properly or points-of-interest that were marked out of place.These Map Share updates do not include the miles of new roads being built every year across America & Canada.In order to receive these major map updates customers will have to pay for them.

Of course the TomTom 130 will already come included with the latest Tele Atlas which is now version720.1802, and although TomTom has major map upgrades throughout the year most customers (including myself) will be content with just paying for an upgrade once a year.This guarantees that you will always have the latest maps with the newest roads.

Like the TomTom One 3rd Edition the TomTom 130 comes with a "Help Me" button which when pressed opens features such as "Phone For Help" which displays emergency numbers for the current location (such as and typically 911) "Drive To Help" which show you the quickest way to the nearest police station or hospital and a "First Aid Guide" which is provided by the British Red Cross.

Also included in the safety features is an option to sound a custom alarm if any of the following occur:

1. When approaching a school or church
2. When driving faster than a set speed
3. When driving faster than allowed

The 130 still uses the same TomTom touch screen user-interface so prior TomTom users will already be familiar with the controls but with such a user friendly design even new customers will have the hang of it in no time.The screen is a bright 3.5 inch full TFT color LCD with 320 x 240 pixels that supports 64K colors.

For first time GPS buyers this unit is perfect because of its price, portability, latest maps, outstanding user-interface, and simplicity.For someone looking to upgrade to something a little more advanced try the TomTom 130S with text-to-speech capability (verbal pronunciation of street names).

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom ONE 130 3.5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
The TomTom ONE 130 is easy-to-use personal navigation. TomTom's award-winning software means effortless navigation from point A to point B. Switch on and go right out of the box. Just enter the address on the touchscreen and start driving anywhere in the United States or Canada. TomTom guides you door-to-door with turn-by-turn spoken instructions. And 3D graphics help guide you to your destination, worry free.
Easy-to-use widescreen navigation. Click to enlarge.


TomTom's award-winning software means effortless navigation from point A to point B. Click to enlarge.


The ONE 130 is preloaded with millions of points of interest to enhance your traveling experience--easily find your favorite gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and more. TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you instantly can modify street names, street direction, points of interest, and more on your own device.


And with the "Help Me!" menu, added safety features enable you to easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals. The "Where am I?" feature pinpoints your exact location to give to emergency providers.


Award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car.


No activation, no monthly fees.


Go confidently.

ONE 130 Features

Maps of United States and Canada with TomTom Map Share
Fold & Go EasyPort Mount
Spoken Instructions

All TomToms Feature

Plug & Go--Works right out of the box.


Preloaded Points of Interest--Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more on your route.


30-Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up to date, off the shelf.


TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.


Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.


TomTom HOME--Always up to date.


Traffic Ready--Optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays.


Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

Why TomTom?

TomTom believes that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. TomTom develops smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions, innovations to make life easy.
Easy to Use

Award-winning navigation software
Plug & go

Best Maps

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee
Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share

Best Routing

QuickGPSfix
Traffic ready

Leader in Safety

Help Me! emergency resources menu
Safety preferences menu

What's in the Box

ONE 130 GPS device, EasyPort mount, USB cable, Adhesive Disk, car charger, and user guide

About TomTom

Founded in Amsterdam in 1991, TomTom has established itself as a global leader in navigation by being an innovative company with a strong brand, clear customer focus, and high-quality products and services.
TomTom is a leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further its commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so that the company can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.


TomTom has its own mapping company!


Did you know that every year, roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.

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Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently returned a new Magellan Maestro 3140 GPS unit that did not have traffic data as I decided that I needed the traffic feature. I was going to buy another Magellan product but on a whim I went to Staples early on Black Friday and I managed to buy a Navigon 2100T for $99. For a device with text to speech and lifetime traffic this is a great price.

I have been testing this Navigon device for the past few days to see if I want to keep it or if I will get rid of it and get the Magellan I was intending to buy. I have reduced my experiences into the following Pros and Cons. This is of course entirely subjective.

Pros

- Price - I just can't beat $99 for text to speech and lifetime traffic!
- Reality View provides 3D images of complex interchanges - congratulations on Navigon innovating in this way - it is a really great feature.
- Audio volume is plenty loud - I can hear it very clearly
- Audio instructions are good and accurate. It states the street name and turn in advance and then also says "now turn right" at the correct moment.
UPDATE: As is common on text to speech devices, some of the streets are mis-pronounced, but the timing and accuracy of the speech instructions are very good. I rely on them with confidence.
- Screen is very bright and readable in daylight
- Quick lock on satellites
- Quick recalculation if you deviate from the calculated route.
- Plastic housing is clean and sophisticated looking
- No MP3 player, slideshow viewer, toaster etc. I hate how GPS devices are trying to be iPods these days. Let's just get the GPS part right. Congrats to Navigon on leaving all the other crud off of this device.

Cons

- Crazy routing sometimes.
I have been driving some local journeys and comparing with the routes my Magellan previously offered. This 2100 comes up with some silly ways to get places. For example instead of driving ahead on a major road and then turning right onto another major road, this unit tried to have me cut through a bunch of slower local streets as some kind of shortcut. This would actually take longer (due to stop signs and lower speed limit).The Magellan never proposed this silly route. I know the area and so disregarded the poor Navigon routing. But my concern is that in a foreign environment I will have to trust the device and it might waste my time. I have tried changing the Route Profile settings (Fast versus Optimum) but don't see how they impact the result. I've never had to do this previously on a GPS unit.
UPDATE: It seems to me that some of the sillier routes might be for local/very short journeys. I have been using this device for 30+ mile trips around Los Angeles and the routes have generally been good.

- POI searching is much more frustrating than on my previous Magellan. On my previous device I could type in "Macys" and it would find every Macys for miles and miles around. If I want to find a Macy's on the Navigon but there is not one "nearby" then I need to scroll through a long list of every POI in the category (while repeatedly increasing the definition of "nearby - enlarge the radius...). There is an alternative search method: the unit expects me to know the city the nearest Macy's is in?! This is ridiculous. Enough already! Just let me type Macys and show me all of the results no matter how far away they are (or within a distance defined in Preferences). I could write a whole essay on this but basically the POI access needs an overhaul ASAP. I am sick of seeing "No POIS nearby found" (yes that is the message).
UPDATE: After a few weeks of use, my frustration with POI management has not subsided. (My latest fave: I must scroll past the POI categories of car dealers and auto mechanics to get to the more commonly used Shopping Centers category). I keep reminding myself that this is a value-priced GPS and I have pretty much given up on expecting good POI functionality. This device is mostly about point to point navigation where you know your destination address. I have been using Google Maps on my Blackbery to find POIs and then entering the address manually into the Navigon.

- USB/power connection on the bottom of the device. This annoys me to no end. This might not sound like a big deal but I don't want my GPS unit blocking the view out of the windscreen and so I usually have the suction cup in a position on the windscreen so the GPS unit sits on or just above the top surface of the dashboard. When I have the 2100 mounted in the windshield mount the device must sit more than an inch higher above the dashboard if the USB/power cable is plugged in because the plug is on the bottom of the device. Instead of plugging the power cable in on the left or right side (as is common on other GPS devices) you must mount the device over an inch higher just to get the power cable in to the hole under the screen. The only way to mount it lower is to run it off the battery (no power cable). Good luck getting the hours of battery life they claim. If you are in a big truck with a huge windscreen then you won't care. If you are in a sedan (or especially a small sports car) then this is a significant design flaw. Which genius made this decision?
UPDATE: I have uploaded an image to illustrate this problem. Have a look at the product pics at the top of the product info page.
UPDATE 2: I have uploaded a second image which shos how you can reduce the problem by buying a small adapter (thanks Peein Elmo for the tip).

- Keyboard "buttons" in the interface are very small. Hope you don't have big fingers

- Icons on the screen (battery etc) and the speed data font are too small. I can read it OK but do not give this unit as a gift to someone with less than perfect vision. At the time of writing this review there are no 2100 screen shots in the Amazon product info see what I mean. (The screen shot showing Reality View is from a 7100 - clever huh?) UPDATE: There are now some 2100 product images including the screen. Look at the size of the font showing the speed (on the right side of the screen) and compare that with screen shots of some Garmin, TomTom and Magellan devices.

- Not enough color on the maps. I understand this unit is "understated" in its design - and some other GPS devices go over the top with saturated color but this is just a little too "gray" for me. UPDATE: The screen shots shown in the product info at Amazon cleverly depict an area with official parks and forests - so you can see green areas on the screen. Unless you are driving through parks all day you will see gray everywhere on your device.
UPDATE 2: I have realized the reason this device seems so "gray" is because many of the user interface elements (buttons, scroll bars, windows etc) use shades of gray and then the map itself also uses gray as the default land color. I was driving by the beach the other day and the unit showed the ocean as bright blue. It looked great. Maybe I should live in a park near the beach...

Other comments:I have activated the traffic but have not used it yet so cannot comment.
UPDATE: The traffic feature has so far not proven very useful for me. I get stuck in traffic jams on the freeways in LA and the unit shows that I am in a slow area (which I already know...) but it lists no incidents on my route and does not recommend alternates. I am still learning about this feature. Also you need to have the power cable plugged in if you want to get traffic signal (on my device anyway...)

In summary this unit has high-end features at a very competitive price (even more so at the price I paid). However I think I'd rather pay more for a device that has more reliable routing and better POI management (and a power plug on the side, Grrr).Shame because I really want to like this device...

Click Here to see more reviews about: Navigon 2100 3.5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Product Description:
The NAVIGON® 2100 is slim, stylish, easy to use, and has features no other GPS navigator has. A brilliant touchscreen display, simple to maneuver menus and accurate coast-to-coast map coverage get you from point A to point B with confidence. Navigating the road ahead is even easier with spoken turn-by-turn directions including street names. Features like Reality View- ensure that you'll never miss your exit again by providing realistic 3D map view of complex intersections. With over one million points-of-interest pre-loaded, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and more are easy to locate. Accessorize with NAVIGON Lifetime Traffic and ZAGAT Ratings and Review accessories. Includes pre-loaded continental U.S. maps.

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TomTom XXL 540T 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)They do not tell you that you need to purchase the optional RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver to be able to use the traffic update function. Otherwise Tom-Tom's are great GPS. I had a Magellan and it was so hard to update. You had to download a file and then use a DOS program to update it. With Tom-Tom, you just plug in the USB plug, start the HOME program and it updates all the maps.

Click Here to see more reviews about: TomTom XXL 540T 5 Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic Edition)

Product Description:
Outsmart traffic with the TomTom XXL 540·T. With complete, five-inch widescreen navigation plus Lifetime Traffic Updates you'll always stay informed and minimize delays. Based on up-to-date traffic information, your device will recalculate travel time and suggest alternate routes. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions including street names will guide you to any address in the US, Canada and Mexico--including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest.
Five-inch widescreen navigation plus Lifetime Traffic Updates.


Expand your horizons with a five-inch, extra-wide touchscreen.


The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds into the back of the device for maximum portability.


Only TomTom has IQ Routes Technology* which shaves time off even the shortest trips by calculating the fastest route based on time of day you are traveling. You'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route and save time, fuel and money. Advanced Lane Guidance** uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.


TomTom has the most accurate maps and with TomTom Map Share technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds and turn restrictions on your own device.


The "Help Me!" menu provides added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers. The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car.


Maps of US, Canada & Mexico
Preloaded with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico. TomTom has the most accurate maps and with TomTom Map Share technology you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, and more on your own device and receive daily verified updates from TomTom. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions and 3D graphics will guide you to any address in the US, Canada and Mexico, worry free.


Lifetime Traffic Updates
Outsmart traffic and avoid delays for life with real-time information via your TomTom. Every three minutes, your TomTom will automatically update with the latest traffic information, recalculate your trip time and suggest alternate routes.


7 Million POIs
Preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories. Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and more on your route. Or, seek out a new tourist attraction, nightlife spot, or shopping center and navigate directly to it. Customize by adding your own points of interest.


IQ Routes Technology
TomTom IQ Routes Technology puts the driving experience of millions of TomTom users into your maps to shave time off even the shortest trips. Calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day. With TomTom IQ Routes you'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route. IQ Routes saves you time, fuel and money.


Traffic isn't the same during Monday morning rush hour as it is on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Heavy traffic, rotaries, traffic lights, and even pedestrians can slow you down. The route you need changes depending on the day and time, so the shortest route isn't necessarily going to be the fastest. With TomTom IQ Routes you'll always drive the fastest route.


Advanced Lane Guidance*
TomTom Advanced Lane Guidance gives you extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions by showing you which lane to take, so you won't miss your turn or have to make sudden, dangerous lane crossings. Photorealistic images and a pulsing green arrow indicate exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently.


Spoken Street Names
Announces turn-by-turn directions aloud, including street and place names.


Five-Inch Touchscreen
Expand your horizons with a five-inch, extra-wide touchscreen. A wide screen allows an expanded driving view and easier menu operation.


Fold & Go EasyPort Mount
The award-winning Fold & Go EasyPort mount provides maximum portability. The EasyPort mount folds neatly onto the back of the device, so both are small enough to fit into your pocket or bag. The EasyPort mount makes your device even more portable so you can take it with you wherever you travel.


*Feature only available in the US and Canada
**Feature available in the US only

What's in the Box
XXL 540T GPS navigator, EasyPort mount, USB cable, adhesive disk, car charger w/ integrated traffic, and user guide

All TomToms Feature

Plug & Go--Works right out of the box.


30 Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up to date, off the shelf.


TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.


Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers such as police, fire stations and hospitals.


TomTom HOME--Always up to date.


Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

About TomTom

Founded in Amsterdam in 1991, TomTom has established itself as a global leader in navigation by being an innovative company with a strong brand, clear customer focus, and high quality products and services.
TomTom is the world's leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further our commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so we can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.


We have our own mapping company!
Did you know that every year roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.


Why TomTom?
At TomTom, we believe that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. We develop smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions, innovations to make life easy.

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