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Automotive News & Views Navigation GPS Systems
1759 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 7:24 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: steve_ (Oct 16, 2009 7:25 am) |
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So my old Nuvi 200w was in need of upgraded maps, and instead of paying the $99 for map updates for life and keeping a model without text-to-speech, I decided to sell it instead, and upgrade. I sold it for $90. A single map update would have cost me $65. The new 265wt cost $190 at Costco. So the way I look at it, I paid $35 extra to get the upgrade. The 265wt model basically adds: * maps for Canada (200w was US only) * bluetooth wireless * text-to-speech * optional MSN Direct (if you want to look up gas prices) * Where Am I? feature (shows POIs close by) * photo navigation * liftetime free traffic via clear channel's FM service They pay for it with pop ups that are so small I can't read them without glasses, and they never appear when the vehicle is moving, nor when you're operating the GPS, so my concerns about intrusive pop-ups were put to rest. Bluetooth worked like a charm for me. My BlackBerry 8900 paired up right away and sounds pretty good. The speaker is a little tinny (better than the 8900's speaker phone, though), but the microphone is excellent, or so people who I've called have told me. Best thing is that now it pairs up automatically every time I walk back in the car and the GPS turns on. Very cool. I tried the voice commands - "Call [First] [Lastname]", and it worked on the first try. The address book looks just as it does on my BlackBerry, better in fact because the screen is much bigger. It can search my phone's address book, or you can call any POI's number from your GPS. Text-to-speech is nothing new because we own 2 other Garmins that have it. I chose the Australian English voice, Karen. Don't tell my wife but I have a crush on her.  The accent is so cool, "Turn left on BAT-tree Lane". Have not played with the Who Am I feature yet. Photo Navigation lets you upload photos to an SD card, and then have an icon for each of your Favorites. For instance, it could be a thumbnail photo of the person who lives there. Neat, I guess, for the die-hards who will invest the time. I may do a few for the ones I use most often. FM traffic - so far so good. I'm actually impressed with the accuracy and timeliness of the traffic info - it seems more current than what you get from Google Maps, for instance. I didn't have faith in it, and ignored a command to exit and avoid traffic, and then hit a small traffic jam. Rats. Should have listened to Karen.  It only reports on major roads, of course, highways and such. For some odd reason the Whitehurst Freeway is included, but the Clara Barton Parkway is not. I think the traffic will come in handy, though. So far, so good. I'd do it again if I had the chance. Bob may be disapointed that I didn't get the 1490T ($350 at Costco right now, and you get the big 5" screen), but I guess I was trying to justify the upgrade saying it wouldn't cost me anything. During setup I updated to v2010.20 maps, and that highlights perhaps Garmin's best advantage - very frequent map updates. I think for this GPS I will pay the $99 for lifetime map updates.
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Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 18, 2009 1:13 pm) Are you over your love of Becky from the Tribeca?? |
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Anybody else have this problem with their Bluetooth-equipped NAVI unit, be it a portable unit or a factory built-in unit? I've found it to be hit-or-miss in terms of voice commands. It's really a problem if your car transmits a lot of road and tire noise, as my WRX does. I suspect the "quieter" the car, the less this will be a problem. Worse still, if the GPS has trouble with your voice command, you end up repeating it several times, which means your concentration is on the phone—and not on driving. This will surely become a hot-button issue with safety advocates, as this is an accident waiting to happen. I have since learned to pick my driving spots very carefully (low traffic, straight and flat roads, etc.) when trying to use the voice prompt feature. One can only hope and pray other users will do likewise. Bob
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Replying to: rsholland (Nov 30, 2009 7:12 am) I'm pretty sure the GPS is just forwarding the audio to the phone, and the phone processes the request.
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Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 30, 2009 7:32 am) There were several occasions in which it asked me if I wanted to call other people in my cell's phonebook, as it couldn't understand what I was saying. I bet if I had asked it to call—while the vehicle was stopped—it wouldn't have had that problem. Bob
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Replying to: rsholland (Nov 30, 2009 8:30 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 30, 2009 8:34 am) The phone asks you to call a name, so it must be an open mic that picks up any noise, be it your command or otherwise. Bob
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Replying to: rsholland (Nov 30, 2009 10:09 am) |
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I saw several brands and models of gps units on sale this last week. What's a great buy on one for the beginner who does want one that massages my back while I'm driving or talks to me in soothing tones, but is now marked way down and will serve great?
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