4 comments about Pharos 250 Drive 4.3-Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigator (Black).

1. If Pharos offered a better website with updates available for this unit, I would give it 5 stars. The slightly computerized voice does not know how to pronounce many street names so they sound strange. Screen is beautiful and mapping seems more accurate than my Garmin I-3. (But the Garmin has a much better voice). I have used GPS units of various types for about 15 years and this is the best so far for the price. You can test a route before you set out, in real time, to see how accurate it is... nice feature. Adding addresses to the address book is cumbersome and after many hours of playing with the unit, I still have not figured out how to save addresses easily. That is really the only big negative, but considering all the features and accuracy of routing, it is a keeper. It has Navteq maps and they tend to be quite accurate.



2. It's a nice unit especially with the black piano finish and the bright, clear 4.3" screen. The window mount is very strong but does require a little effort to lock it in place. The pronounciation of some streets was irritating since they were wrong. I got a great deal from Dell, if I get my rebate, but I sold it because of several different reasons. Here is a breakdown of the good and the bad.
   
   Good:
   Nice finish
   Large 4.3" screen that is vibrant
   Maps of the entire 50 US states and Canada
   Long life battery
   Both car and home chargers
   Cloth carrying case
   
   Bad:
   Somewhat difficult to use, at least some of the functions
   Adapter hole on the left side of the unit
   Doesn't show speed, distance, next street/road that you need to turn on, at the same time. It also doesn't show the road that you are on and where you will go on the same screen.
   
   Nice unit but not what I wanted.



3. The POI is too little to find any useful place, I even cannot Walmart just 3 miles away.
   Slow speed.
   ugly interface.
   Bad customer service.
   
   conclusion, you can find every bad aspect of GPS in this product!!!!



4. After considering the Garmin Nuvi and Magellan Maestro, I decided that I didn't need the extra features like Bluetooth, mp3 player, FM transmitters, etc. I have taken the Pharos 250 with me on several trips now, and it does a fine job of getting me to my destination.
   FYI, the Pharos 250 is exactly like the Pharos 150, except that it has a bigger screen
   
   PROS
   
   -very quick satellite detection: even on a cloudy day, it doesn't take more than 2 minutes to get a signal, avg time is less than a minute
   -good rerouting features
   -I can set my unit to automatically switch to night mode at 7pm, which makes for better viewing at nighttime
   -standby mode allows me to power up really quickly
   -good volume, I can hear the instructions quite clearly
   -comes with a pouch for the unit, USB cable, windshield mount, car charger
   
   CONS
   
   -limited points of interest: It doesn't know where to find the nearest Target or McDonalds
   -mechanical voice mispronounces street names
   -poor global map view: whenever I want to zoom out all the way to get an overview of the city, the Pharos 250 doesn't display the major street names. I never had that problem with my friend's Garmin
   -I initially did have trouble dismounting the unit from the windshield mount, but I found that if you remove it from the bottom edge first, and then pull down from the top edge, you would have an easier time removing it.

5 comments about Garmin 010-00401-24 StreetPilot c330 Asia/Americas Version Portable GPS Navigator.

1. If you don't know how to find the way home, its really help. But if you want to find some places new, then you may not rely on this GPS. As the map of this model is not new. If you want to get the latest map, you need to buy online for $69.99.



2. I bought this for my Taiwanese speaking parents and we just completed a 2 week road trip. It was disappointing that the Taiwanese is a direct translation of Mandarin Chinese, and word for word translations usually come out garbled. Some of the directions in Taiwanese were incomprehensible and in the end, my parents preferred the Mandarin version. However, the Mandarin voice is pleasant, clear, and very understandable. Some other criticisms:
   
   1) Turn in 200 ft is actually turn NOW!
   2) Not enough warning to get off when driving on the freeway unless you remember to look at the screen.
   3) The GPS doesn't announce the street name. It just says to turn in X distance.
   4) it's hard for people to read screens if they wear bifocals or are far sighted.
   
   Pros:
   1) Really easy to use out of the box and the touch screen interface is nice.
   2) Useful when really lost
   3) Can find gas stations or restaurants close to current or final destination.



3. this is a great product for my dad who doesnt speak english. very easy to use.



4. The user interface is excellent. The installation is nothing to it. Its problem is too many lost signals. I don't know if a booster antenna can help. It is frustrating that when you need it the most (e.g. making turns), it quits on you.



5. Good, but it is a little expensive and not very heavy on features or upgradibility. Wish it had Cantonese Chinese on it too.

5 comments about Cobra GPSM 2100 Portable GPS Navigator.

1. My Garmin 340C was stolen from my car and I took a chance on the Cobra. It works (sometimes) but software and graphics are far inferior to what I had gotten used to.
   
   On the plus side, some nice features like choice of a category and listing of all in that category in your area. The graphics, if you don't use the 3D version, are fairly good. And it's pretty sensitive in homing in on the satellites, even when you're indoors.
   
   But, the shortcomings leave me disappointed. For openers, when I set it for "home" in my driveway, it puts me on a street 1000' away that doesn't come into my area. So, if I set it with "home" as a destination, I wind up in someone else's driveway.
   
   The Garmin allows you to plug in a destination and when you let it calculate a route, it gives you mileage and an ETA before you start. Not so with the Cobra. Once you start, it will show an ETA but if there's a way to show the mileage to get there, I haven't found it. The Garmin "speaks" all roads you're directed to use. The Cobra "speaks" only Interstates but has a visual display of the names of all. Another annoyance is that the "zoom" feature keeps resetting itself to a larger area of display. May be a software glitch but not fixable by any of their downloads to date. Garmin offers all sorts of language options: Australian woman speaking with Finnish display; German man speaking with Spanish display, etc. But these are really gimmicks and not necessary.
   
   The Cobra is available for somewhat less than the Garmin. And it shows.



2. This is one of the most disappointing electronic devices I've ever bought. The unit works fine and for getting Grandma from one place to another it is a cute toy. I drive a tractor trailer and if any truckers are considering this unit, just don't. For one thing, the unit will not allow you to select an exit number on a given interstate as a destination. The exits are in the database, it calls off the exits when you have to use one, just doesn't let you find them. Truckstops are listed by interstate# and exit# (not street address) in the guidebooks. Also, very often industrial warehouse sites are not listed by street address and the unit can't find anything without a street number. I now have my old 2002 GarminV with it's outdated maps and impossibly small memory capacity sitting next to the new Cobra so I can use that interface to find exits and plan destination time estimates before moving (the cobra will not display eta times until you get to a spot where your next turn is more than a mile away). Very frustrating. I wonder if there are any parts sharp enough to damage my tire if I drive over it?



3. I tried to use the COBRA and was disapointed. We tried to look for restaurants and the three places we tried were not in the system. When we tried to enter a restaurant we knew was at a certain location, the COBRA did not recognize the place we were looking for. Also, the unit told us to go to the "highlighted street" after entering a selected restaurant but did not direct us (as a gps should) to the street. One street we were directed to was not an actual street and had rocks across the road so we could not drive down the street and had to redirect ourselves another way.



4. I bought this GPS for a trip from Maine to Florida. Although it took me on a good route through CT and gave me detailed info about upcoming turns, this thing took me through the middle of Washingon DC during morning rush hour. When I got to Florida, for some unknown reason this thing wouldn't tell me the next turn until I had passed the intersection. I'm better off with Mapquest.



5. i had gotten this as gift for my husband. he absolutely loves it and uses for long trips and occasionally for our short trips around the local area.
   
   his biggest kick is when he is taking a shorter and faster route to the main road and the cobra voice tells him to go another way.

5 comments about TomTom ONE Portable GPS Automobile Navigator (Refurbished).

1. I ordered a NEW TomTom One GPS from Amazon on October 2, 2007. I was sent a refurbished unit. I emailed Amazon 4 times starting October 3 to resolve the issue and had one "I am sorry" reply. I called and was told nothing can be done on the phone. I wrote a letter to Amazon on October 8, 2007 with copies of their ad advertising a new unit. It is now November 4, 2007 and I have had no reply of any type. The unit was charged to my card within within 8 hours of the order.
   
   I have a unit I can not review because I can not open the box without losing my ability to be able to return the GPS. I have no GPS that I can use and my money is gone.
   
   Amazon has made no attempt to reply to me in a month. No real service available. Careful what you buy - they do not reply.
   
   NO REAL REVIEW OF THE UNIT AFTER A MONTH AS I CAN NOT USE THE UNIT UNTIL THIS DISPUTE IS RESOLVED.
   
   EWB



2. TomTom One is an absolute delight to use in the Northwest area. Its fast, accurate, very easy to setup, and intuitive to use. But, I had to return the first two units to get one that worked. Despite the issues noted below, I would buy a TomTom again. They are really very good at what they do when they work.
   
   The first one locked up. After two hours of online trouble shooting, TomTom sent a replacement. This one worked but had to be reset after each use or it would not start. More online troubleshooting, and finally a replacement that worked.
   
   My online search indicates that about 15% of users experience the lockups and reset problem, even on new units. One gets the impression that failed units are being recycled with little or poor refurbishing. (Perhaps their repair work is outsourced?)
   
   Very well trained & friendly online support, but other than reloading faulty software, there is little they can do but authorize a replacement.
   
   If all you want or need is a simple to use get from here to there navigation without add-on frills and entertainment, you will love the TomTom One. It makes for a fun trip.
   
   However, be prepared for frustration with refurbished units. It would be smarter and much less frustrating and very worthwhile to search for a new unit at discount.



3. This GPS unit works fairly well if plugged into power, but it has unacceptable battery life. I charged the battery overnight twice but it still only holds a charge for about 10 minutes. The GPS functions are good, not great. If you don't arrive at your programmed destination, you are constantly alerted to keep moving unless you program a new destination. To end a destination early, you have to go several screens into the interface - very inconvenient. I ended turning off the voice directions most of the time. I bought a refurbished unit, and I have read several negative reviews of model One refurbs since, so I suspect Tomtom dumps their inferior refurbished products back on the market. Very disappointing. I will avoid refurbs and Tomtoms from now on.



4. I bought mine retail before X-Mas, so this is not a refurb review, but as far as the unit goes, it's great!
   
   I have been using it regularly in Texas since purchase and it has always given 100% accurate directions. Easy to use, love the voice navigation and the screen is easy to see in any light (including bright sunlight).
   
   We took it on the first big family trip last week and it performed like a champ. Took me straigt to every door we asked it to. We had paper directions as a backup but never had to pull them out.
   
   I have never used the traffic on it, but for navigation it's a winner in my book!



5. 
   This is one of the most featured-packed portable GPS system one can get for under $200.00. I did a lot of research and decided to buy a used or refurbished One rather than get the 3rd edition which lacks a lot of features like advanced trip planning and multiple via points. I have only been using my refurbished TOM TOM One for a week but so far so good. I highly recommend it for someone who wants a simple GPS with some advanced features that may come in handy for long road trips. It is definitely a better bargain than the Garmin Nuvi 200 or Maegellal Maestro. If you can't find a used/refurbished TomTom One or One (LE), go for the Tom Tom One XL. It is the same exact device but with a wide screen. My one complaint is that the suction cup mount arm is too short. When mounted, it is quite a stretch for me to interact with the device. I think I will have to buy a ProClip mount for it and my Jetta.

No comments about 3.5" touch screen Magellan Maestro 3250 GPS Receiver with preloaded maps.

5 comments about Remanufactured Magellan RoadMate 300 Vehicle GPS Navigation System.

1. I live in an area with a lot of high rises and the Roadmate 300 easially directs me where I want to go! I also purchased the antenna you mount on the roof which helped it aquire the signal faster, and I get blue (the stroingest signal ) almost all the time! I think its worth the extra $60 to get the roof antena. I did not have to download any maps from my computer as I purchased the SD card for my area. The voice navigation is verry acurate (within a block always), quick and easy to understand! The touch screen is very easy to use and works well all the time! The re-built one came with the latest firmware which is good to have. This machine rocks!



2. Hey Everyone,
   
   I purchased the Magellan 300 this past winter. I was very tempted by the 350 price (back then, now it is cheaper), and I could not justify spending 800 dollars on the higher models (that was back then also, now the 800 could be purchased online for 699 shipped).
   
   Pros:
   
   - Most affordable unit
   - Can sign up for a free pre-loaded 256 MB card from Magellan site only with the 300
   - Portabality is fast and easy
   
   Cons:
   - The menu may say that you can enter a location by Street name and City... but this is false. It does not accept cities. You actually must know the township. For example if I were in East Meadow, NY...You simply cannot just put in East Meadow, you must figure out that the town of East Meadow is really Town of Hempstead. This is the biggest turn off for me, because of this, i have NEVER found a place while driving. (Does this defeat the purpose of a GPS?). The Only way to get around this is by planning out whos houses or places you will go, and save it to the GPS via computer hookup. So now i have about 70 people on my GPS, and it will not find any other location in NY. I have a north east preloaded map btw.
   
   - Their support does not exist, when i purchased something from their online store.. they responded to me within a few hours. But when it came time to troubleshoot about my first "con", they were no where to be found. I even emailed them twice, and after 12 weeks of no response, I am finally drawing the line.
   
   - The other upper level magellan gps such as the 760 does not seem to have these problems. I guess its because that the 760 has a built in hardrive with everything pre-loaded. Thats what GPS is supposed to be. Just drive and find a location, not sit at home and program the thing for half an hour. Which brings me to the next "con"
   
   - The GPS is listed as a 128mb internal memory on Amazon... this is not true, it only has 80mb. And to upload 80mb worth of map, it takes about 1-2 hours. So imagine uploading a 128mb or 256mb map.. your computer would blow up. Magellan says to upload small amounts at a time to speed up the search time, this is their way of beating around the bush and saying... "programming the 300 is a waste of your time".
   
   I know this seems all harsh, but I want you all to be aware of the problems Ive had with it. Maybe those who do not live in NY, NJ, or CT dont have this problem. But if you live in the tri-state... DO NOT GET THE 300 series, pay more for the upper level ones.
   
   If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me about this product.
   
   Good Luck Future GPS Owners



3. I purchased this one last week and I am sending it back today. The unit is great and features are reasonable for price. Major issue is with MAPS. They are worng and they don't have many cities listed. I live in Long Island, NY and i couldn't get to many places here.
   
   I called customer support and got them on line with in 3 min ( not bad at all ) and the person who is on the phone was very nice and polite. He has verified and confirmed the locations where I wanted to go are not available in MAPS supplied with unit. As per him this doesn't have updates MAPS and they may not be available for next 3-4 months.
   
   I learned that every model GPS don't have same maps. More expensive models has slightly better maps.



4. Works good . . . when it works. This unit will work fine for weeks at a time, then inexplicably loose the signal. It can be literally days before it works again. I have contacted "customer service" at Thales, which is a waste of time. On the 2 occasions I contacted them about this problem, I got the same set of trouble-shooting steps, only what the second person told me was in complete reverse order of what the first person told me.
   
   The accuracy of the maps can be abysmal. I input an address in downtown Atlanta recently; the directions tried to put me off at an interstate exit that has not existed for over 12 years.



5. I love this product. The only thing is that is can only hold a small map in the internal memory. To get around that just buy a 2gig SD card and download the whole US to it then you will never need to download another map again.
   The unit is compact, comes with everything you need to get started, has great features, what else can you ask for? You can find resturants, stores, anyplace you want. Also the controls are easy to use, and the maps are easy to read.

5 comments about Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. MAGELLAN RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Auto Navigation
   
   I bought this a few weeks ago and am very pleased with it. Easy to operate, reliable, useful for anyone planning a trip.



2. I've had my Magellan Roadmate 1200 since February. It worked great at first and we had bought it as a 2nd navigation system for our two car/truck move from Florida to Indiana. Two days before the move the system gets stuck in an endless back and forth between two screens (settings), but will not let me access the actual navigation. After a long time on hold with tech support we send it in and end up using radios for our move in April.
   
   About 2 weeks after mailing it to Texas we received a new system (at least we believe it was new due to the screen protector on the device, there was NO letter or explanation or ANYTHING with the package, just a GPS)....
   
   Now, another 2 weeks later, it will not turn on. We were using it (with the car charger plugged in), made a stop and turned it off. When we returned to the car and tried to use it again it would not work and hasn't since, despite several tries to charge it at home, pressing the reset button etc. So it will be another call to tech support, this time not so pleasant.
   
   I highly recommend to get a TomTom, which we have had for over a year and never had a problem with (we only went for the Magellan due to price)!



3. This device is so much of a hassle that I actually leave it in my car overnight with the hopes that somebody will steal it so I have a reason to replace it with a tom tom or garmen unit.
   
   I am not a beta tester. If you believe what other reviewers say, this was rushed for black Friday, but people, I purchased this in May 2008. I guess its worth it to this company that continues to offer a sub $150 unit on the market not caring that they lost a customer for life.
   
   I have the same problems other reviewers have with the unit locking up, demanding me to insert the sd card when its in the slot, giving roundabout false directions with the 'shortest route' option. And whats up with that exit POI error?
   
   Maybe if they ever have a firmware update it may be worth the money I wasted but me, I'm sticking to my paper maps just to be on the safe side.



4. The title of this review says it all, but I'll expand on this a bit for the specific details of my usage experiences.
   
   Before I ever used a GPS navigator, I was a thorough user of printed road maps and Google Maps to the point where I thought I'd never need a GPS unit. I got a taste of the ease of GPS when I borrowed a friends TomTom. He loaned me one of the first TomTom units that was on the market, and I was amazed with the user friendliness of the user interface and how well the GPS unit routed me to my destination. TomTom seems to have thoroughly mapped the roads all across the USA to the point where the TomTom appeared to know the traffic density of even local roads. This allowed for fast navigating that always took the trunk routes across town that all the locals know about.
   
   When I purchased the Magellan, I somewhat expected the same experience as with a TomTom - maybe just in a slightly different "flavor" as the user interface would not be the same. I was in for a rude surprise with the RoadMate 1200. This GPS does not ever seem to give a quick, direct, or useful route to any destinations in my local city. When I choose the fastest route option, this GPS directs me down streets that I know to not be the fastest route - it essentially ignores several main thoroughfares in the city at the preference of trying to get me to use side streets which I know to have a bunch of stop signs that will slow you down. When I choose the shortest route option, this GPS directs me down clogged or slow side streets all for the benefit of saving maybe 100 feet off my total distance to my destination. I guess this technically is the shortest route, but I'd still like to see a little flexibility for this unit to avoid side trips that save such a short distance.
   
   Another beef I have with the unit is the length of time that the GPS takes to recalculate a route if you miss a turn. It seems there is a signifigant time lag before the unit detects that you have strayed from the appointed route. When the GPS unit begins to recalculate the route, the navigation screen freezes for several seconds until the new route is done. This has the side effect of meaning that there might be a new route that I can take by making the next right or left turn after missing the first turn, but by the time the route is recalculated I have then missed the next turn. If I am driving down streets with short blocks, the GPS unit does this recalculate-then-miss-a-turn stuff over and over again until I physically stop the car to see what the unit will direct next.
   
   After all this complaining, I'll hit on some good points. The unit is a good purchase price, so budget buyers will get a GPS that does give you directions that eventually get you to your destination. The screen is bright, sharp, and responds quickly to touches (unless the unit is in the middle of calculating something). The GPS reception is strong, and with WAAS reception it is always accurate to about 3 or 4 meters.
   
   In the end, all I can give this unit is a 1 star rating. It does get you to your destination, but never with a good route that takes traffic density or road capacity into account. The TomTom that I have used is far better in operation than this unit, so I'd recommend that any potential purchasers pay the extra $25 or $50 to get the entry level TomTom GPS unit.



5. I have been using the Magellan RoadMate 1200 for about a month now and it is everything I had hoped for. For years I rented cars from Hertz with a Magellan GPS unit and when I ordered the 1200 I hoped it would work up to the same standards as the Hertz units I had experienced. It is even better. Thanks, Magellan for putting out a great product at an incredibly affordable price. Now I can't wait for you to start selling upgrade chips so I can buy the chip for Italy. I know there is a RoadMate 1200 for Italy and look forward to being able to upgrade my 1200 for my trip next year. Thanks, again, for making this so affordable.

No comments about Sony NVU74T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech.

5 comments about Nextar X3-02 Gps Navigation System with MP3 Player.

1. I recently received this as a gift for Christmas.
   Positives: Music player - a little quiet but like an ipod with speakers; Can possibly save your butt when you're lost; Very portable; You can plug it in right out of the box
   Negatives: Sometimes take ten minutes to get enough signals to locate where you are; About half the drives I took it lost my position multiple times and repeatedly told me to take u-turns even though I was still on the correct route
   I live in the Boston Area - so maybe it works better in different regions. Good luck!



2. I cant find an update for the maps!! As advertised. The box comes with a cable to connect to the internet, I dont want to use the mp3 option. To put it lightly, I am a country boy in california who knows a lot about back roads, and this thing always tries to take me to the freeway, highway, or interstate! The options in the settings are: Major, Less turns, Fastest, Which some roads I noticed that have been established for 4+ years are not on this thing! Instructions in the book dont tell you nothing about "updating maps" We read it over and over and come up with the name of the program Nextar uses, but when you sign up for automatic updates..... nothing! Nothing at all, you have to choose your language, plus the product you bought.... which is not on thier list x3-02. I have been waiting several months for an update notice..... I guess I have to drive MY way and not the GPS way, and keep going "off road"--- "make a u- turn" untill the TTS gets its way!
   I will say, I sent my 2 girls to Sacremento..... everytime I plugged the address in, the TTS lady will get you there! I tried myself several times in the 2-3 months I owned it, TTS gets you there, but what about the roads that have been established for 4 YEARS? No Updates?????



3. This has been a great GPS system. We did have a problem with the screen after 90 days and thought that the company would not warranty it, but they were very responsive & actually sent us a new one right before we went on vacation.



4. I got it as a replacement for my broken C3 under warrant. I only tried it once and found the TTS works very well. For the GPS function, it's better than the C3 and my Tomtom one. For the price and service, Nextar is better than the Tomtom that I bought last year. Recommended.



5. Item lasted about 1 week. Sent it to Nextar for repair/replacement. They sent me a replacement and it lasted about a week and went dead.

No comments about NJ7500 Wide 7.0 Inch GPS Navigator - Bluetooth - FM Transmitter - map coverage of USA, Canada, Europe.