5 comments about Garmin Talking StreetPilot III GPS Deluxe Package.

1. My first GPS was a very old style that gave you longitude and latitude only. No roads. No water. Nothing. So the jump to the SP III was a big one.
   
   Had to struggle a bit to download the info (updated from the website) onto the unit. Tough for this first timer to get the hang of it initially, though it gets easier with time. Working with the unit alone is a bit more complicated as naming waypoints and such can take a bit of doing using the toggle switches. But again, I'm still new at this and am looking forward to working with it a lot more in the near future.
   
   My plan is to use it to have a constant knowledge of the location of gas stations between my home outside Philadelphia, and Sturgis SD for my motorcycle trip out there in August. I'm attempting to complete the 1,700+ mile ride in under two days and will need to stretch out my gas stops as much as I can. It's currently mounted on the dash of the bike for me to get used to it and play with its functions during my daily commute.
   
   I agree with others regarding its unnecessary rerouting when I've never strayed off course. Strangely, it even gives different directions although I don't change the route I take on a daily basis. Rerouting calculation takes a bit, but I seem to remember that the calculation time can be adjusted through the menu. Unfortunately, it also continually gives me a slower route than the one I know is faster even though it's set for highway use and the fastest time. Perhaps I can adjust the pre-set surface street and highway speeds to get it to work more appropriately. Less than 5% of the time, the crossroad names are incorrect.
   
   My other issue is the interference the unit seems to be getting from time to time from my satellite radio that's mounted on the handlebar less than a foot away from the dash-mounted GPS.
   
   I thought this GPS would be able to take me right to where I wanted to be, using the most efficient route, ALL BY ITSELF. If I have to set up specific waypoints on a specific route in order to get it to follow what I know is the fastest way, the unit is of no value to me. The only good point is that I didn't pay over $500 for it.



2. My Garmin 2610 has long been a terrific electronic unit. Now, for no known reason, the screen has shifted to the point where the touch does not allow you to enter text. Garmin wants $250 to fix the unit regardless of the issue. I think this is excessive for a unit that has been immaculately cared for and is quite expensive. Magellan next time for me...



3. This is an out of date GPS that has been discontinued by Garmin.
   
   I had a lot of problems downloading the driver into my notebook and desktop (both running Windows xp). I had to try several times (I am computer savvy). The memory card that came with unit was defective, I had to get a new one from Garmin, and you can easily damage it. You have to use their 12th century card reader to plug to your pc to download the software to the unit. You cannot hook the unit directly to your pc (unless you have an old serial port-male)
   
   The memory card (128mb) can only hold so much map data. While the LCD has an excellent resolution (that's why I am giving a one star rating), it will take you some time before you can learn all the features of the units and the map source.
   
   To sum things up, stay away from this gps, invest a few more hundreds and get a newer version.



4. This product was a last resort in a deparate situation. Me and my friends were looking to go camping and had been lost in the mountains for some time. Our mapquest directions failed miserably. After asking for directions, which were terrible, we found this device under the passenger seat. The StreetPilot III was very simple to use and delivered us to our destination with ease and much excitement. My friends and I are so grateful for this little GPS. It still works today. Thank god. Buy this thing!



5. Just putting this review to clear my account, I used to have this and it was great, traveled many roads with it. (have a Zumo 550 now)

No comments about i-Blue 757 Pro Solar Bluetooth Data Logger GPS Receiver.

No comments about Magellan RoadMate 6000T Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator and MP3 Player.

No comments about Garmin Automotive Mounting Bracket for GPS 60 Series (010-10457-00).

No comments about Wintec Easy Showily Driverless USB Track Data Logger GPS.

5 comments about Cobra Electronics Nav One 2500 Mobile Navigator.

1. I decided to try the 2500 after trying the 4500 and returning it (Why? I have no idea!) The unit is a small, but the interface is really bad. The 3D graphics are POOR! The unit does not tell you to turn when you are supposed to, at the actual turn, instead it beeps. If you are approaching a turn, it will tell you announce the following:
   "In 0.2 miles, turn left"
   When you get to the actual turn the unit just beeps, with no turn direction, so if you don't remember if you had to turn right or left when the unit announced it 1/4 mile back, tough luck. Look at the screen. The screen rendering is also bad. The unit I tested, when the route was claculated and displayed, all streets not on the route (side streets) were not displayed. Even though these units tell you to turn left right etc., sometimes two streets are close together and you need to glance at the display to see if you are turning on the first or second street. So if the side streets are not displayed, you have to guess which is your turn. Also, many times the unit will tell you that your destination is left, when it is on the right and vice versa. The maps are horribly outdated with many streets no longer in existance still being directed to. Also, a lot of streets already in existance for years are not on the system. Spend an extra $100.00 and get a Garmin Nuvi with text to speech turn directions and a whole lot of other stuff. Stay away from Cobra products. They make great radar detectors, but make horrible GPS units.



2. It's Simple To use and the voice is clear as a bell. It lets you know if you're turning left or right ahead of time so you're prepared and when you get to the exact spot for the turn it beeps. And... If it's so hard to remember what direction was told to you a minute ago, there's a directional arrow at the bottom left which points in the turn of your direction. If you miss your turn the system reconfigures to where you are and will direct you from there. Again, I like it.



3. I have had the cobra naveone 2500 for about 4 months now. I was looking for a lower end unit with a lot of points of interest and one that covers Canada and the US. Mine came with an ac adapter, 12 volt cord & windshield mount. Others have an internal battery power source that would have been a nice feature.
   As with many reviewers on other gps units this has similar flaws. In an area you are familiar with it seems to take you on round about routes at times to reach your destination. When you are in an area unfamiliar it will get you there.
   I mainly bought the Cobra because I heard it locked on to satellite fixes faster then some other brands. It will do this within 30 seconds most times.
   When driving through a tunnel it re-acquires the sattelite position in about 5 seconds when you have a view of the sky again. A couple of strange anomolies I have found occur everytime at the same locations. When driving on a Vancouver expressway in 2 areas the voice command tells me to exit but you can clearly see on the map its routing you off the exit, across the intersecting road and back onto the same expressway again. One intersection,the voice promt will always tell me, right turn ahead but the map and arrow indicate a left turn.
   Id say if you follow the map its 99% accurate, the voice command maybe 90% accurate so always refer to the map or turn by turn list.
   I updated the unit with Cobra the first week I had it. There were 3 updates issued in the time mine was manufactured and sitting on the shilf in the box.
   A Walmart store and the road into it that were built just over a year ago do not show up yet on the map.
   Another reason I chose this Cobra over the Magellan was that there customer service was good. Originally intending to get a magellan but once I started reading reviews , quickly heard nothing but horror stories about there customer service with Magellan.
   All in all the Cobra works well enough for me. It offers more points of interest stored in memory then most others in the price range and does aquire sattelites very quickly as I was told.
   I have read a lot of reviews from Magellan, Garmin, Tom Tom and other gps units and all have very similar complaints regarding routing and anomolies as metioned on my local expressway.
   I think gps units have a long way to go yet till they are 100%efficient.
   GPS units are not as good as I had expected but are still too valuable a tool to be without.
   I will be travelling across the US a couple times this year and will really be able to put the Cobra to the test.



4. If you travel the roads across the USA, please do not buy this unit. I am a professional truck driver, and I have had nothing but headache after headache using it. The GPS is too slow, so you are actually past an off ramp or exit when it shows up on the screen. It will take you off a major Interstate, drive through small town streets with stop lights, and then put you back on the exact Interstate it just took you off of. When it recalculates, it will freeze the screen, you cannot turn it off or change the touch screen, your only option is to unplug it. You have to watch the screen carefully, the voice command will tell you "bear right", when actually you go to the left, or it will tell you to turn when you make no turn at all.
   I could go on and on, I have updated it, returned it for a new unit, still the same problems, I paid way too much for it at a truck stop and they will not refund my money, so please do not buy this junk from Cobra.
   I only gave it 1 star because the software made me, if I could have I would have given it a -5.



5. Pros: Works most of the time. Will get you there.
   
   Cons: No internal battery, must be plugged in to be used. Slow. Unit shuts off for no reason. Some routes are definitely the long way around. Did I mention slow?
   
   I've owned the Cobra NavOne 2500 for over a year now. It is the first GPS system that I ever used. The unit is fairly easy to use, the menus are relatively intuitive with some quirks.
   
   In order to load a destination you must first pick a state then start entering the street address, number first. As you enter the street name the choices of letters on the entry screen adjust so that your chances of mis-spelling a name decreases, pretty good feature with the following glitch: the unit searches its internal state database as you're entering the name, in New Jersey, where I live it isn't a problem but when I travelled to Florida last summer it made address entry excruciatingly slow as the unit tried to match what I typed to its internal database. In some instances I thought the unit had frozen. After the street name is entered the unit then gives you a list of towns in the state that have that particular street name. Most of the time the town name is shown but sometimes you have to hit the "more" icon to get an additional list. It seems odd that the unit doesn't display all of the possible choices right off the bat. All of the previous destinations that you enter are saved. I haven't ran into a memory problem yet even though I have 10 addresses in the database.
   
   As with other users that have GPS units I checked its accuracy by using it around my area. Results varied WIDELY!! Most times it would find the most direct route and sometimes it would take me way out of my way. In looking at the wider map the roads that are the most direct route were in the database but the unit refused to go that way.
   
   Since this is the first GPS unit I owned I didn't realise how slow it is. When the unit is first turned on it takes over two minutes to start up then load the maps. When you make a turn that doesn't follow its instructions it takes anywhere from 30 seconds or longer to recalculate a route. In comparison, my daughter's Tom Tom flashes the new route in under 15 seconds.
   
   It's not a bad unit but there are better ones out there. I was surprised to see the price! Way too much for a unit that's a generation or two behind the times.

No comments about Garmin StreetPilot c530 GPS Navigator (Bilingual Version).

5 comments about Uniden GPS-352 MapTrax Automotive GPS Navigator with 3.5" Display.

1. This GPS is the same case as the Delphi GPS 200. My delphi completely quit after 1 month. If you look at other GPS models, you will see that many use this inferior case, NO RESET button? Excellent satt reception though, but longevity questioned, especially if it bugs out



2. The GPS352 does not support text to speech. It will not call out the street names of the turns or exits. It only calls out the distance and the direction of the turn.
   
   The maps are out of date. Roads that have been in my subdivision for 3 years are not on the map. As well as well known grocery stores. I would not trust this unit in unfamiliar areas. Of course that is the only reason to buy a gps unit...
   
   The routing determined by the unit is very poor. It directs me to take local 2 lane roads the cross several railroad tracks (which are always busy) instead of the main 4 lane road which leads straight to the main highway. The unit ignores the fastest route and prefer highway selections.
   
   The unit also replaces saved routes which are painstakingly created to avoid certain roads with the original calculated routes.
   
   The windshield mount allows the unit to vibrate and shake making it difficult to read. When not shaking, the display is good.



3. The item itself is very nice and helpful tool, however for a young person of 75 years, it is more than I need. I liked the product, but not who I purchased it from, as they would not allow me to return it because I found that it was too complicated for me when I opened the packaging.



4. This is the 4th Uniden GPS-352 that I have purchased - and it was purchased for a friend of mine who had seen the operation of one of the others which I own. I like the product, compared to others on the market, due to it's increased capability to Zoom in and out with the switch buttons on the face - as opposed to requiring a touch of the screen (which it also has) which can be difficult when the vehicle is in motion. Improvements could be made in the mounting of the unit, the mounting arm is rather bulky and window mounting is illegal in California.



5. This is email I received after asking about updating MapTraxx SD card. Sounds like present GPS352 units are out-of-date and will never up-to-date.
   -----------
   Uniden America Corp. has a development team focused on bringing new, innovative GPS products to the market. Recently we began developing software internally and plan to provide our own map updates for future GPS products. The GPS product you have does not have any map updates available and there are no scheduled updates for the future on that particular model. Uniden GPS units with updated maps are targeted to be available to consumers in 2009.
   --------------------

5 comments about Magellan RF980897-01 Refurbished Roadmate 2200T GPS System.

1. Works fine as advertised. Not programmable, POI stuff is hard to use, but maps are great, and addresses are easy to input. For short money, you always know where you are.



2. worked right out of the box...lacks updated streets but good for the price..can set a route to every address except 1 so far...



3. I recently bought myself a refurb. TomTom One 3rd Ed. and I like it a lot. I like the ease of use, the fact that you can upload voices for free (although no Aussie female, unfortunately), the points of interest is pretty large, it is easy to use and it navigates well. Price was under $100 after rebate.
   
   Then I decided to buy another ~$100 GPS as a gift. This time a Magellan 2200T refurb. with a free bean-bag mount add on. I did the firmware update and decided to try it out expecting it to be inferior to the TomTom (from ratings I viewed).
   
   Here are some comparisons:
   
   TomTom voice choices are far broader, but 2200T has a female Aussie voice standard! Who needs more?
   
   TomTom does not do text to speech while 2200T does and, further, 2200T gives a beep as you near turn point. A big plus for 2200T.
   
   Battery in 2200T lasts significantly longer.
   
   TomTom interface is better. 2200T is not bad, but it is a little rough around edges. TomTom ease of use slightly better as result.
   
   2200T accepts flash cards and can show images and play music. Who cares that TomTom cannot?
   
   TomTom lets you update your maps on purchase for 30 days for free, it appears that Magellan does not, although a firmware update was free. I get the impression that Magellan maps are older. TomTom maps are $100 while Mgellan are $80 with free marine upgrade.
   
   TomTom has one year warranty while Magellan is a silly 90 days.
   
   TomTom has a simple and not very good suction cup mount. Magellan's is a LOT better with a proper ratchet suction cup and double-jointed mount. I attached Magellan to my side window with ease; forget that for TomTom. Big plus for 2200T.
   
   TomTom will not lock on satellites indoors, Magellan has far better SIRF processor and you can use it indoors. Very senstive receiver.
   
   TomTom lets you add map corrections. Not 2200T.
   
   Overall, to my surprise, the 2200T is a better buy. Its minuses vs. Tom Tom One 3rd. Ed. are minor and the pluses (SIRF, text to voice, excellent mount) are significant. For the money, about $100, the 2200T is the better buy by a good bit. Short warranty is an issue, though.



4. This is not a bad unit and it would be a good unit except for one fact. It ships with (mediocre at best) maps dated August 2006 and Magellan wants you to pay $80 plus shipping for an update. If you buy the refurb and then the update disk you are at the price of a new Garmin Nuvi 350 which will have a one year warranty (instead of 90 day) and it will come with current maps plus it is a simply superior unit. (Consumer Reports Best Buy.)
   
   Do not buy this unit unless you simply must have obsolete maps, poor customer support (no excuse for not including a map update) and a short warranty.
   
   This is an intellegence test. Do not fail it!



5. I was in a small town where I've never been to. It couldn't find the way out. Just keep asking me to make truns in the same block, and couldn't take me back to major road/ heighway.
   Also, the interface is not very friendly to use. Not enough function is another thing I don't like.
   I used it once and returned it. Then I bought Garmin nuvi which runs perfectly, very accurate, lots of function, and friendly to use.

5 comments about TomTom GO 700 Portable GPS Navigation with Hands-Free Calling.

1. This product has proven to be just what the advertisment say it is. I have used it so far to travel from Maine to Boston, Maine to Atlanta, GA, Maine to Maxwell AFB, AL and all over Maine. I have been very impressed at how easy it is to set up and use. Everything you said would, came with the unit.
   
   I will be buying another one in the near future as my wife needs it to keep from getting lost on long trips. Thank you.



2. Well...this product looks great, but the love affair ended there. I was very shocked when I recently bought this unit and found out that the maps are very, very, VERY outdated. It seems as if they are from around 1990 as so many highway updates are not included. Subsequently, the device is more or less useless as every time it hits a new stretch of road or new on-ramp, it gets "lost" and stops giving directions.
   
   I contacted Tom Tom and even though they have newer maps and that they admitted that the maps in this piece of garbage are outdated--they had the audacity to tell me I had to purchase a new set of maps for $110.
   
   So, make sure you add $100 to trhe purchase price, because it will be completely useless out of the box!!
   
   I am a professional who drives daily over a 3 state region and will buy a Garmin and surely encourage you do the same!!!



3. I received a refund after ordering/receiving/returning two TomTom GO 700 as neither was the latest version. It would have cost me additional money to download updates on my new purchase.
   The company demonstrated prompt, efficient and courteous customer service.



4. We've used our GO 700, Gabby, extensively for about 12 months traveling throughout the upper midwest not only for finding backroad routes but motels and restaurants as well. We even hauled her to Washington, DC to help us navigate the labyrinth of roads to find the stuff we wanted to see. It's exceedingly easy to use and the features on their PC software, TomTom Home, make it a simple task to maintain currency of software, maps, POIs, etc. It even includes a feature to backup and restore your GO! And operate your GO from your PC!
   
   Our GO 700 broke today and I called TomTom Customer Service. I has already done the diagnostics prescribed on their website and getting an RMA number and instructions to facilitate an exchange took less than 30 minutes and both calls were people answered by the third ring. Based on other comments here, I think TomTom has dramatically improved their customer support.
   
   The BlueTooth technology is way cool! Say Gabby finds a motel we want to stay at for the night. She displays the address and phone number and will even place the call from our cell phone if we want her to!
   
   Even with maintaining software currency, Gabby has her quirks. For instance, you pull into a town and are jonesin' for Subway. Unless its nearby, Gabby won't find it. There's no facility I've found for keying in a particular restaurant. We were entitled to one map update after buying Gabby and it'd be nice if they included a one year map subscription update given how quickly things change and the lead time that must be required to get it on the Gabby map.



5. I am about to embark on my second struggle with TomTom customer support because my second unit just failed. Getting the first one replaced was a nightmare. It's difficult to communicate with support, they respond slowly and their products are unreliable.