1 comments about Qstarz BT-Q1000 Platinum Bluetooth GPS Data Logger Travel Recorder.

1. It's a modern marvel. It's an incredibly reliable product. Easy to use. Fun to have. I use it mostly when traveling, for reviewing my routes and geo-tagging pictures I take.
   
   Remember some 10 years ago you had to buy a separate GPS for planes? Not any more. I always leave it on on a plane and later review the flight. Exciting!
   
   At ~$100 it's a steal. Some 10+ friends got one following my recommendation. No one is disappointed.

No comments about Magellan RoadMate 1212 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

5 comments about TomTom 1K00.180 Rider 2 GPS Navigator for Motorcycles and Scooters.

1. we did have a problem with our product. but when we called the 1800# we got very courtious answers and no problems they came to our home and picked up our idem with no charge to us and we had a replacement in three days. its great .........



2. 1. I have owned a Rider for more than 18 months.
   2. The first one I had, the dock broke in Texas while I was riding Route 66.
   3. I called TomTom from Texas (I live in Calif) and asked them to FedEx a new one.
   They said no can do.
   4. Once home, TomTom sent me a new Dock, but... it took them 1 month to get it to me.
   5. After a while I started to notice that the Rider was not charging while in the dock and on my bike.
   6. They asked me to send them my Rider back with all the accessories.
   7. Then after 4 weeks, they sent me a new Rider, with no charger and no accessories.
   8. The asked me to send it back.
   8. After another 4 weeks, they sent me another.... new Rider... with all the accessories.
   9. The dock didn't charge.
   10. After another week, they sent me a new dock. It works.
   
   There are known issues with the docks and charging, but TomTom won't admit it.
   It's manufacturering issue. I'll let you guess where they are made.
   
   The Tom Tom rider is good, easy to use. But if anything goes wrong, you'll be waiting many weeks for a replacement.
   Ad of course the wait time on the phone, plan on an hour with each call.
   
   I probably would NOT buy another one.



3. The TomTom Rider 2 is too expensive, but essentially a good product.
   - Screen is visible in sunshine
   - Menus are easily accessible, you don't need to study the manual to work the box
   - Navigation quality is good
   - RAM mount works fine (Ducati 1098 - mount on steering damper)
   
   The only negative is the price. In terms of value for money, this is not the product you'd be looking for. Yes, RAM mount works fine on all bikes, but there is nothing magic about it. Yes, the navigation quality is good, and the screen is well visible. But again, is that worth 500 bucks?
   
   I suppose it's a niche market and that makes it worth it.



4. excellent 99% of time ,we used on a 4400 mile trip but we were disapointed
   in the points of interest feature it did not even list Yellowstone Nat Park.Also it did not have gas stations listed unless it was Chevron or Texaco.



5. I bought a Tomtom Rider 2 at the end of May. It took a week and a half to receive it after they sat on my money for a week. I had the unit for less than 48 hours before it died. It left me stranded in a strange city. When I finally got to my destination, the screen had gone blank and I could not boot it up. I called Tomtom Support and they told me to do a hard boot. I did this with no success. They then told me to charge it for at least 4 hours. I did this and still no screen. They finally gave me a RMA and had me send it back. Because I was on vacation, I did not have a chance to send it back right away. If I knew then what I know now I would have sent that unit back for a refund right away. You only have 14 days to send it back.
   After about three weeks after I had sent it back, I received a new one in the mail. It was missing the SIM card, I waited another week to get that. I finally had it back only to have it do the same thing. This time it not only did it die, but it told me to turn into a ditch before it died. It had me going down roads that I know would not take me to where I wanted to go. The bluetooth also died before the screen went. It is a total failed unit. I called them and told them that I just wanted my money back. They told me that that was not possible because I had not sent it in within the 14 days refund period. I told them that I had done everything they said to do, but that doesn't seem to matter. I am so frustrated with Tomtom. For the money that I spent on this, I should not have to be sending it back time and time again. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!! If you do, just remember that you only have 14 days to return it if it is not working.

2 comments about Garmin GPSMap 376C GPS Navigator and Chartplotter.

1. Good product, but the required maps should be sold with the hardware. Buyres may be misled on the real cost of the product without the map software and unlock codes. The fact that you need to purchase seperate map softwrae to get the unlock code to use the product is frustrating. City Navigator Map software is expensive and it contains strange anomolies in some regions of the maps. The ability to plan your route on your computer and download routes is a real plus for this GPS Unit. The integration of XM radio and Weather maps is a useful feature. Integration of XM raido eliminates the need for separate XM hardware. The Weather Map feature is interesting however too expensive to subscribe to unless you use it on a daily basis. As a hobby product it is too costly to subscribe to the weather feature.



2. Great having the XM feature and other options. Problems were with power cord (on third) and battery (dies deader than dead). Having to buy maps was a problem but great for both car/truck and boat.

5 comments about Garmin StreetPilot i2 GPS Navigator.

1. I've had this unit about a year now and it still works great. This has the highest price/performance of any unit I researched. The black and white display is very visible in all lighting conditions.
   
   I just upgraded the maps to the latest (v9) from Garmin. It was $75.00 over the web. They ship the CD to you free and then when you try to install it, they let you figure out that you need to get a new unlock code. Still, $75 is cheaper than buying it retail.
   
   The complete North America v9 maps won't fit on a 1GB microSAN disk, so get the 2GB version. I ended up buying the microSAN (SDSDQ-2048-A10M) from Amazon because it was cheaper with super saver shipping.
   
   I tried some other mounting ideas, but just buy the friction mounting kit from Garmin. It works great and is easy to use: just flop it on your dashboard.



2. This is a great little unit. It is good for entry level in the GPS world. Now that I have a taste of using a GPS I would like one that is a little larger, color display and a touch screen.
   
   This one can be a little slow and cumbersome when entering in an address. If you are an occasional GPS user then this is the unit for you. Very accurate and easy to use. If you use this for work like me (real estate agent) then invest in a larger unit with touchscreen entry.



3. Save yourself a ton of grief and avoid the whole Garmin line. Product support is just sad.(NO joke) Nearly impossible to register and thier site is more into selling upgrades than provding service. The Streetpilot i2/i3 itself is buggy and not at all user friendly but far better than their 800 number. Get Tomtom or buy a map.



4. Great GPS unit for travel and confined spaces. This is a solid Garmin product that does as advertised. Routing and directions are clear and precise. Works well on a motorcycle with a small windshield or dashboard. Will not take up much space. About the size of a baseball. Suction cup works really well and can be hard to remove at times. Would give this a 5 if it had a color display. I own the i3 version of this as well and would give it a 5 rating if I had bought it here. This model can be found cheaper and works well if you want basic features. Get rid of the 128 Mb card, get a 1Gb card and load all of North America on it. (The OD green color may put some people off, but it works well with a darker interior or if you use it in a military HMMWV, it feels right at home. On that note, the monochrome grayscale screen is night vision compatible too.) Great little unit to have with you. AA batteries can be found anywhere and the only real downfall is the power cord does not recharge the batteries. The unit does not have a recharging circuit in it.



5. This is the best affordable navigator, this product is a low budget product, system is easy to follow, voice is clear and directions are easy looked at display.
   As first GPS is easy to program, Maps are not allways updated but has yellow book data base to find a lot of interesting places as needed.
   I used it to travel from DC to Pittsburgh and as a first road trip in USA it was easy and safe, this was my first time in DC and Pensilvania and had any problem driving there, it has a lot of interest places, restaurants, shops, bars.
   
   Best of the best for the price.

2 comments about Bushnell Onix400 GPS XM Receiver.

1. Great GPS unit! The ability to show either base, arial, and topo maps is really nice. With the XM functionality, you can see weather coming in on the radar, as well as 5 day forecasts. It takes a little time to learn how to download and manage the maps but once you get it down, it's a piece of cake. We use it while camping/hiking/fishing. It really comes in handy to have the arial views when you're visiting new parks. It helps to scout out new camping or fishing areas. The XM radio functionality is a nice extra but tends to eat the battery a little quicker.



2. This is one of those products that can either be a great thing or can be a great disappointment... All dependent on actual need / intended use.
   
   For me, it has been a great product that met my needs. I like to do a lot of camping and hiking in the middle of the woods and all I need from a portable GPS is just the basics. Let me mark locations, get me from the car to the camping site or marked locations and get me back. For this, I don't really need advanced features such as street routing, a POI database filled with restaurants, gas stations, etc. For that, I use the navigation system on my car.
   
   Having said that, pretty much, any of the portable GPS devices meet my requirements but what attracted me to the Onix 400 was the addition of the XM Weather receiver. That extra feature, for me was worth the price as it does come in handy to be able to see when storms are coming, their severity and to be able to estimate roughly when it will be on top of you and how long it will be before it passes once is on top of you.
   
   While the GPS with the Weather feature has been great on my outings, I do have a few complaints, which I did make sure Bushnell knew so that they can improve the product.
   
   1. While XM does seem to work during bad weather provided the device is out on the open, it is useless when one is stuck inside a tent while waiting for the rain to stop. The GPS does have a connector to allow peripheral devices to be connected, including an external antenna, but Bushnell does not offer such an antenna. The closest they have is a headset with an antenna, but is not designed to take the role of a real external antenna. Cable is short and because of it being a headset, I don't believe it will be a good idea to leave it out on the rain for any extended periods of time.
   
   2. The cost of extra batteries. Only Bushnell batteries can be used due to their design. These batteries are not cheap to be able to buy a couple of spares, so one has to trade real time info for battery life. Pretty much, to extend battery life, once you get to where you need to be (Camping Ground),turn the unit off and if the sky shows signs of bad weather approaching, turn it on, wait for the XM signal to update the Weather info, then turn it off again.
   
   For me, this has not been a major issue, as turning the device off is what I would have done anyway with any other portable GPS without XM and turned it back on when on the move. Just thought other users may want to be aware of this.
   
   In summary, if you are looking for a portable GPS specific to outdoor activities and would like to keep an eye on severe weather, this is a GPS for you.
   
   If you want to use it as an MP3 player or for urban door to door navigation...
   
   Have you looked at Tom Tom or Garmin?

No comments about Garmin Mobile Pc Software W/ Gps 20X Sensor - GPS Automotive - Mfr Part #010-00685-00.

5 comments about Mio c230 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. It should be good, but I am not sure. I bought it for a gift



2. I have only had my Mio for a few days but I am quickly learning how to use it. It is my first GPS experience and I love it. The only negative I can see is that updates are not available and some new addresses are not coming up.



3. I don't what some of these 5, 4 or even 3 star review people are using or where they are using them, but this thing is terrible!
   It constantly shuts down and restarts in the middle of a trip, usually at the most complex point of the directions.
   The directions it provides make no logical sense whatever. The Fastest setting is a joke. Google directions routinely save me 10 minutes per hour.
   It has directed me to turn the wrong way on one-way streets, driven me into dead ends and wants me to turn where there is no street.
   The time feature doesn't work. It is four hours ahead of my time zone in the Synch mode. If I manually set the time, the map color scheme still turns from day to night and back by the GPS time- not what I have configured.
   The spoken directions are annoying, repeating a turn constantly.
   Once I arrive at my destination, the unit does not know it. It even says "You have arrived at your destination." But then when I get back in the car and drive away, it recalculates my new position and keeps directing me back to the destination. I have to go in and manually delete the route.
   When driving in complex areas (an interchange with many options for example) it has no idea where you are and if you miss the option you should have selected you may as well pull over to the side of the road to wait for it to recalculate. Otherwise by the time it does give you new directions, you will have missed the next option and it has to recalculate AGAIN.
   It commonly has me turn off a main road and then directs me back on to the same road a block or two further on.
   
   Don't buy this!



4. I got this before a trip to Las Vegas. I had four address's to find, it located 1 out of 4. I think navigating by the stars would be more accurate. This thing can't even find my home address, it directs me six blocks away in town. I had a Niko GPS but broke the screen it was about the same price and 5 times the GPS. I got the Mio because of text to speech and that is good, but only for correct directions and that doesn't happen very often. Take a look at the Niko, you'll be smarter than me.



5. I purchased the Mio C230 to replace an old Magellan system that I had. The reason that I replaced the Magellan was because Magellan had stopped supporting my model with new map updates. I chose the Mio C230 because it was the least expensive model that would speak street names (rather than simply, "take the next right," for example). What a disappointment this has been!
   
   First, there is a software glitch in the C230 that doesn't allow you to enter an exact address for a destination. The "fix" according to Mio customer service is to add an address that is "close by" and the C230 will bump up or down the address so that, if you play with it enough, you can eventually get the system to find your desired destination. For example, if I'm looking for 224 Main Street and I enter that address, directions to 222 Main Street will come up. So if I really want 224 Main Street, I have to try 226 or 225 or 223 Main Street, and if I'm lucky, I'll get the right destination.
   
   Second, the map for my C230 was out of date right out of the box. I wrote Mio and was told that it was the most current map that they had, and there were no plans to update it. This device has been around for a couple of years now, and still no map updates!
   
   Third, if you go to the Mio web site and try to find downloads for the C230, this model is not to be found in most of the Mio pulldown menus. According to most of their support pages, the C230 doesn't even exist!
   
   Fourth, the image and information about your vehicle on the display is off from real time by about a second or so. So if it tells you to turn right in 500 feet, you probably should have turned right because you've already missed your turn.
   
   Fifth, I mapped out a return route from Raleigh to Winston-Salem recently. I requested the shortest route. What the C230 gave me would have taken me over ONE HOUR out of my way! What I eventually did was to pull out the free paper map from AAA and find my own route.
   
   Finally, I was in Radio Shak today and noticed that they were selling map and driver updates for the C230 for over $70!!! Had I known that the only way to get current maps and fixes for the many glitches in this thing was to shell out another $70 bucks, I would never have bought it in the first place.
   
   What a waste of time and money this thing has been!!! It's too late for me, but not for you! DO NOT PURCHASE A MIO PRODUCT!!!

5 comments about Garmin Quest 115-Megabyte Handheld GPS (010-00306-00).

1. You really need to do your research before buying a GPS. I've owned the Garmin Quest for almost three years now and I love it. It has features that you just can't find in the touch screen models. First off it's waterproof. I also use this GPS when I go boating and it almost always gets splashed with water. It has a breadcrumb feature that allows you to see where you've been. Great for boating, hiking, or exploring unmarked country dirt roads and you need to find your way back. It has an internal battery that will last 20 hours on a single charge. As with all GPS's there are some downsides to it. The screen is a little on the small side compared to today's models. It takes longer to enter in addresses than with a touch screen model. And you do have to plan your trip carefully and load the maps you'll need before you start your adventures. (The Garmin Quest II Handheld GPS Navigator comes with all the maps preloaded. It didn't exist when I purchased my Quest.) Because of these downsides, I've recently purchased the Garmin nüvi 650 Personal Travel Assistant for North America for my wife. It has a very large touch screen (wide screen version) which makes it easier to input addresses than the standard size touch screen GPS's (such as the Garmin nüvi 350 Pocket Vehicle GPS Navigator with Maps for North America). It has all the maps preloaded so she won't have to think about loading any. It's not waterproof, but she will never have a need to use it outside of a car. It doesn't have the breadcrumb feature that we love, but you just have to learn to accept there are limitations with all GPS's. Just do your research and purchase the one that's best suited for your needs and budget.



2. I Have been using Garmin Quest for the last 2 years. I think I am experienced enough to write a review for the product. This is a small, yet powerful, potential and very nice GPS that never let me down any time. I drive a lot, interstate driving and intercities driving incusive, and use my Questy regularly. It is ultimately portable, bright enough to view at any time of the day even during bright sun shine. The system gets ready in a matter of 4-25 seconds. I mentioned the maximum of 25 seconds since it took this long time twice so far (once in Cape May,NJ and the other time in Niagara falls,NY. Rest of the times, it always started in less than 10 seconds.
   
   Portability is a plus. Reroute is pretty fast and I would say instantaneous. As soon as I miss a turn, it gets ready with new direction very fast in a matter of couple of seconds.
   
   Takes a very small space to mount or store and is a very imporatnat and relaible asset I have ever bought.
   
   I will recomend this product for any one who is seriously thinking of a GPS with full featureqs, great quality, comfortable size yet superbly fast.
   
   Thanks Garmin and this is a studd for your products



3. I bought this item for more than a year already. It was and still is a good GPS that 90% of the time directs you to the right place. You just need sometime to get used to the command. The best thing to do is to first find a familiar place with this GPS and see how it directs you to the destination. However, I give it a three star because it is losing reception after one year of use for whatever reason. It used to only lose signal when I travel inside cities that have a lot of tall buildings. Now it just lose signal randowly and more frequently. Although I fix this problem by buying the external antenna, but I can only give a three star.



4. I bought this for my wife as a Christmas present and she loves it. She uses it all the time. It has saved us from going out of the way a couple and even when we couldn't see road signs it guided us in the right direction. Another great attraction is it's ability to find points of interest even if you don't have an address. All around it is a great value for the money.



5. First let me say that this is my first GPS, and was clueless as to which unit to buy. I completely relied on reviews posted on Amazon to help me learn about GPS from other owners. I wanted a unit that would be used more on the trail and kayaking then car use. But I needed a reliable unit for driving, I can only afford one unit. The Quest is small and fits a foward pocket on my backpack. Its waterproof for use on the kayak. Its recgargeable enough for day use. Only drawback appears to be it will not allow you to switch batteries on the trail. The battery is a lithium-ion battery which has a life of 8 hours of continuous use. After that recharge. So you have to concider that on your hike. The price is great, and the "city navigator" DVD I've inputed works fine. I paid only $216 for a factory "reconditioned" unit, and this unit also included the "city navigator" DVD, which is a must. The internal map that come in the unit is too basic, does not show streets, only main highways and interstates.
   So again the best thing about this Garmin Quest GPS is its compact, accurate, well made, a good value and expandable with 115 MB of memory. Could this be the best multi-tasking gps made? Maybe.

3 comments about Garmin StreetPilot c550 GPS Navigator (Bilingual).

1. Placed an order a month before I received it.. But it was worth the wait. The Bluetooth handsfree option makes this item a gem! It binds with your phone in no time and works flawlessly.
   Traffic receiver, a necessity in metro. city. For $5/month, this system shows you ways around traffic you never thought existed.
   Navigation so VERY easy to use, can't imagine how I lived without it!!
   This is a MUST BUY!!



2. I purchased this as my first GPS for a family vacation. Researched quite a few and decided upon the c550 because of brand name and simplicity. Overall a great little device, very intuitive, easy to use. Got us to where we wanted to go "most (99%)" of the time. Two preprogrammed locations, a Toy Train museum in PA and a restaurant in GA were way off. The first landed us at a very nice Amish farmers house - not many toy electric trains there and the second, for the restaurant, in an office park. Both locations several miles off. I'll report the details on the Garmin page to see if future updates make corrections. Only one additional trip point can be added to a trip but you can change them out as you go. Apparently with MapSource products by Garmin, purchased separately, you can add more - I'm not clear on this - still learning the difference between waypoints, trip points, points of interest, etc. At any rate I hope this is changed in future updates. The Bluetooth sync'd to my phone and works very well as a speaker phone. It has MP3 capability but in my opinion you get better sound quality from an old AM transistor radio and this is just a feature I will not use. The provided mounting is a bit cumbersome. I would prefer it come with a friction mount, an available option, but the suction devices do work. I'll be adding an optional friction mount... The voice directions are very computer like sometimes the pronunciation is off but is usually understandable. The GTM 20 Traffic Message Channel is extremely convenient and does a great job of helping to avoid traffic jams. Overall I really like my new gadget!
   
   Update: C550 GTM 20 Blowing its Fuse
   
   The following is a problem I am having with the GTM 20 integrated FM TMC (Traffic Message Channel) traffic receiver, antenna and cigarette lighter adapter supplied with the c550. I have reported this via email and telephone to Garmin. The Garmin Tech - who was very helpful - said this is a first and is exchanging the GTM 20 for one from the factory.
   
   Here is the reported issue:
   
   "The GTM 20 supplied with my new c550 blows its fuse every time I plug it into either of my vehicles, car and van, lighter outlets. The fuse blows with or when power is applied to the lighter outlet regardless of whether or not the c550 is attached. I returned my orgianl brand new c550 to Circuit City because after 2 weeks of flawless performance it started exhibiting this behavior. Now, out of the box this c550's GTM 20 is doing the same. All other 12v adapters for phone, etc work properly in both vehicles. As noted above the c550 I just returned worked perfectly for about 2 weeks, in both automobiles and now this new, out of the box c550s GTM 20 is doing the same thing."
   
   FURTHER UPDATE:
   
   I received the replacement GTM 20 for my c550 directly from Garmin and it is working perfectly in both vehicles, it has not blown its fuse yet.
   
   The first GTM 20 worked for about 2 weeks, the second failed right out of the box. Both units came from the same Circuit City store.
   
   While waiting for the replacement GTM I purchased a standard Garmin 12 volt car adapter and it works correctly in both vehicles.
   
   I'm sure Garmin engineers designed and completely tested the GTM 20 before going to production and that in the lab and all subsequent evaluations it performed to standard. If my latest GTM 20 continues to work then I believe Garmin may have a defective lot of GTM 20s out there. If this new GTM fails after a few weeks of use then I believe there potentially may be an issue with their manufacturer.
   
   I would encourage you to call Garmin tech support if you experience this, endure the wait - enjoy the on hold music, and report your issue. I spoke with a gentleman named Scott and he was very helpful. I did receive a response from the initial e-mail inquiry I sent their tech support and basically they said they had never heard of the problem, have a great day.... Telephone was the way to go.



3. Right out of the box this GPS was easy to use and very helpful. I just returned from Phoenix, AZ. and this GPS was so very helpful. I originally bought it for my other half who is very low tech. She even loves this GPS. I am thinking of buying another for our oldest daughter and me to share for when we have to go out of town. I am giving it 5 stars. This is the only GPS I have ever owned so I cannot compare it to anything else but why would I need anything else when I am happy with this one.