Technical > Gadgets > Which GPS to get?

Which GPS to get?

I bought a Garmin nüvi® 1450LMT to help a friend's son in law navigate to and from various places to get supplies for a house remodeling. I bought a Garmin because I have an old nuvi that had done well. The kid loved using it. It is a better device at $250 than my 4 year old $800 nuvi. The Garmin you are looking at is more basic, but the essentials are the same. I used the new one once and it worked great. The big difficulty with Garmin is the time consuming map update website. A lot of buttons to click and sign ins. Once it gets going it works pretty fast. I heard that Tom Tom is easier to do map updates, but I cannot verify that from any personal experience.

reply to Johkal
»www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZX···i=507846

reply to Johkal
I have a Garmin1490LMT and EcoRoute device that attaches to my car's OBDII port

The GPS unit has what I need for travel. Its route are generally pretty good, although sometimes my experience dictates a faster or easier one. The response is good, real time traffic is a few minutes behind. It uses an FM receiver that's integrated into the power cord.

The US/North America maps have been updated three or four times this year, so I feel the lifetime updates is worth the extra money. (as a reference, I saw a one time map update for a built in GPS at my Toyota dealer "on sale" for $169).

The EcoRoute device is handy for me. It shows real time mileage as well as several engine operating parameters. I can also log fillups and mileage as well as pull CSV files of travels and fuel consumption.

I didn't find the phone Bluetooth connection to be very usable. For whatever reason, my LG phone connects then drops. My wife's phone stays connected, but the volume is so low that I can't hear the incoming conversation despite having the GPS at full volume unless I'm stopped and the engine is off. My car is an Avalon, so is pretty quiet.

Support;

If nothing ever goes wrong, this is irrelevant. However, if things do go wrong or you need help, it's important.

I was not impressed with the Garmin E-Mail support. It usually took two or three days to get a response. However, their phone support was very good. I had questions early on that phone support answered, They aren't script readers, and English is their first language. I believe they're located in Colorado.

Recently, coming back from Florida, the GPS started freezing up, spontaneously rebooting and wouldn't go into night mode. I called support after we got home and the guy went through a few checks and issued an RMA for a repair/replacement. Again, no hassle. I was on hold for a few minutes, but nothing like the 40-60 minute holds and disconnects I used to get with ATT business DSL support!
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reply to Johkal
I have used both tomtom's and garmins on long trips.
Go with the tomtom. It has the most efficient layout and interface for ease of use.
Just search online or try the demos in the store. The Tomtom layout is much easier to read with quick glances. The dashboard for miles left, time left, speed is organizaed very well at the bottom and road names are always in the top right corner.

I just bought a tomtom XXL 540TM »www.google.com/products/catalog?···Q8wIwAA# [I think that is what it is] (widescreen, USA, Canada, and Mexico) with traffic and lifetime free maps in June. It works great. I always use in 2D mode instead of 3D mode as you can see your route ahead easier. I paid $150 for it.

The one you linked two has europe, that is nice for traveling. I used mine in Quebec when I was there last month.
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reply to Johkal

Garmin

TomTom

The built-in navigation system (by Alpine) in our Honda shows a regular, overhead map display. I hate the perspective view. Do the standalone GPS units have regular map displays?

reply to aannoonn

Re: Which GPS to get?

reply to Johkal
Thanks to all who gave their thoughts.

I ended up getting the Garmin 1450LMT for $139.99 from Amazon (free shipping).

what do you think of it? How is the adverts for the traffic feature?
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Don't know yet. It's a Christmas present for my wife.