5 comments about Navman F20 GPS Navigator.

1. As many have said before me, this product is a very good value. If you are looking for a GPS system to provide directions, without many of the additional features such as bluetooth, MP3 playback, and TTS, it will be hard to beat. It may give you a little bit of trouble directionally when in parking lots and such, but it overall performs very well. If you can find it for under $200 as I did, I would highly recommend it.



2. I have owned the F20 for about 9 months now. I live in a fairly rural area of South East Texas, and sometimes have trouble finding the addresses that I need, although I imagine this would be a problem with any brand of GPS considering my area (I can usually plot a route by using a combination of Microsoft Streets and Trips, and my Navman... the "Intersections" feature really helps). However, I have to address the complaints of a lot of the reviewers here about the lack of the PC Connectivity Kit. Yes, it took Navman awhile to make it available here in the US, but it IS AVAILABLE NOW... I HAVE ONE. I have considered replacing my Navman with a Garmin or Tom Tom, but I believe they would have the same problems finding the addresses I look for in my area also. I will stick with my F20 until someone can prove to me otherwise...



3. I think some of the other reviewers here are getting a bit carried away. They seem to be forgetting it is an ENTRY LEVEL device, that's why you got it cheap. It is not meant to have all the frills of a more expensive model. Who cares about custom POI's, I just want it to get me from A to B and back again. I don't need to take pictures, listen to music from it (I have a car stereo for that), I don't need to customize the POI's or the colours or backgrounds. If you are in such dire need for all of that then you should have researched what you were buying or at least looked at the info on the box. If it doesn't say its in the box then it probably isn't so why are you all harping on about software and connectivity kits? A standard USB mini cable is all that is required (these cables come with most mp3 players and digital camera's) to connect it to your PC and can also be used for charging. If you were to buy a connectivity kit from Navman then you would be an idiot as you would be paying through the nose for a cable that you most probably have already or can get for a dollar at any accessory store.
   As for the software, why do you need that? You would only need it to update the maps and to update the maps you need to buy them from Navman (updates are not free) who supplies them on a SD card or CD's depending on the maps you require. The software you need to install them is supplied with them.
   The Navman F20 does everything it needs to do to get you where you want to go and it does it flawlessly. It was never advertised as anything other than a straightforward navigation device, isn't that what they were designed to be?
   The people complaining about the lack of features are probably the same people who want every single concievable feature on their cell phones but only ever use them to make a call. Why do you want mp3 on a satnav, are you going to carry it around in your shirt pocket all day? Ever heard of mp3 players?
   OOh I want a digital camera on my satnav so that when I get to a destination I can take a picture of a landmark there so that the next time I want to go I can just touch the thumbnail and it will take me there again. WHY WHY WHY....you already know how to get there right? You are going to look stupid pulling out your satnav/mp3/digital camera/fm radio to take a pic of the castle at Magic Kingdom aren't you?
   Get a life, don't buy something then complain about features you knew it didn't have. Read the box next time!



4. My Navman F20 broke 40 days after I bought it. The charger connection broke internally. I sent it to Navman for repair in accordance with their warranty, and Navman wants $149 to repair it, claiming, without explanation, that the repair is not covered by its warranty! How something so clearly a manufacturing defect not be covered by the warranty? I have never had such poor performance from such an expensive item. My advice, don't buy anything from Navman. They are dishonest.



5. I bought this entry level unit last black friday. It has served me well over this last year. I leave it in the car and it's been working fine, fast satellite acquisition - sirf star 3. Sure it doesn't have all the addresses, but it can find the general area where i'm looking for and that's all I need. I mainly use it to find my golf courses and it does have them. As for the connectivity kit. Don't you all have a digital camera or other digital device? Use that cable, i used it and downloaded the updates from navman, it connected and i upgraded the basic software. Now i'm not sure what else you can do with a real connectivity kit, but i'm happy with it for the price i paid. For the price the F20 works great, no problem in the Los Angeles/California area. I think this year they came out with S series, s20/s30 etc... As this company is in the UK, don't expect the same service as a company in the good ole USofA.

5 comments about Magellan GPS Companion for the Palm m500.

1. This is a great product that works very well with the Palm m500. The Rand McNally Street finder is very useful as well. However, I have encoutered problems connecting the unit the my Palm m500. It worked well for about 2 weeks, but now the two products do not snap together well and it is now virtually useless.



2. This thing rules! It took me an hour to get all the stuff installed and working, but it iz awesome. I don't know wut the other people were talking about when they say that the Mapping Software is bad, i think it rules! After some minor shaving, i got it so that my m130 works with it, how crazy is that? Espacially with the rebate, this thing rules!



3. The GPS device is cool, but the Rand McNally Streetfinder software is junk, really worthless. In the Northeast corridor where you would expect the data to be a little more precise, the software often says you are "off course" even when the position icon shows you exactly on course. And the plotted course route is often not the best route, sometimes it is dowright wacky. Should I mention that I am still waiting (six months later) for my mail-in rebate?



4. I compare my experience with the one of my co-worker with a Pharos PK012 Pocket GPS Navigator Kit for iPAQ.

   The Pharos seems to be faster with the position update. The Pharos cannot work with batteries and comes with a cigarette lighter adapter. If you want to use your GPS outdoors or on a motorcycle the Magellan for Palm will have a little advantage. Otherwise the Pharos has an advantage.

   I agree with many about the software from Rand McNally. I just don't like it. Even comparing it with the "no brand name" Ostia software, included with the Pharos, the Rand McNally immediately looks slower, harder to use and with way less features.
   With Ostia you can invert the route, select origin and destination from your contacts, recalculate a route on the fly!
   With the Rand McNally you have to prepare the route from your PC. The Ostia had a better way to display map and directions at the same time too (different ways to split the screen). Maps looks more readable on the Ostia.

   I noticed that using the Rand McNally software and relative maps from the internal memory produced better results than software and maps on SD card. I will pretty soon try to have software on internal memory and maps on SD card.
   My SD card is a Lexar 256Mb: does anybody know if maps will perform better on an original Palm SD card?

   I also did the mistake of syncing and opening on the Palm a bigger map of metro Philly and got stuck 10 minutes to wait the high level map to load... and I did not sync any POI (point of interest)!!!!




5. The StreetFinder software tends to have a problem when you have a large SD card attached (512MB - Even without map on it!) When you select the changing map option, the StreetFinder goes into la, la land (I only waited 5 min & soft reset). But if you pop out the SD card it will function normal again.

   I'll try a 128MB card with 60x write speed. Probably not going to make much difference. Anyone knows a work around on this?

No comments about Garmin Edge 305HR GPS Navigator and Bicycle Computer with Heart Rate Monitor (010-00447-20).

1 comments about SATELLITE RADIO/GPS TRAVEL CASE.

1. This is a great case. I use it to carry around an iPod and Creative Labs Zen Jukebox, along with all the cables, etc. All the cases that come with this makes it easy to organize and bundle everything up in a neat and organized fashion.

No comments about 3.5" touch screen Magellan Maestro 3100 Portable GPS Navigator with preloaded maps.

1 comments about Plenio VXA-2100 7-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. excellent product fast and very accurate very easy to use and with the huge screen you dont have to squint to see whats on the screen

5 comments about HP iPAQ Bluetooth GPS Navigation System for 1945, 2200, 3900, 4100, 4300, 5100, 5400, 5500 series.

1. I love it the ony thing better would have been ome of the new ipaqs with GPS built in



2. I want to mostly focus on the newest HP mapping software, which I bought directly from HP's web site in April 2007. But first let me add a few important points that might help potential purchasers of this HP iPAQ GPS Bluetooth system. First, even though it says on the HP Web site that it is only compatible with a few select iPAQs, in reality it will work with ANY Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ. I was a little worried after I had ordered it, only to find out that my model (HX 2495) was not listed as compatible. But it does work just fine.
   
   [...]
   
   Next, after installing the software to my PC and iPAQ, and loading the maps for Michigan and Ontario, the brand new software (version 2.02) froze my iPAQ every time, stalling on the Warning message and not allowing me click "I Agree" or do anything. That was frustrating. I called HP GPS Navigation Tech Support and found out that certain maps require a patch/fix to be installed. They e-mailed me a 12 mb zip file with directions and 6 compressed folders (one which had the step-by-step ReadMe file with the directions. Make sure you follow them precisely). After all of this was done, the software finally worked. I would think that Ontario and Michigan would be popular locations, so this large patch will probably be necessary for many users. There may be other cities and states that also require the patch.
   
   After this hassle, I am happy to report that the software is very good and very user friendly. It comes on 3 CDs which must be postal mailed (no downloading) by FedEx (expensive shipping). The entire state maps take a very long time to load, too. Up to 30 minutes in some cases, and being spread over 3 CDs does require you to have to stay by your computer and feed the different CDs in when prompted.
   
   I had no trouble with the Bluetooth connection. But work out a way to keep the GPS unit secure in your vehicle, such as the recommended velcro strip fastened to your dashboard and the back of the GPS unit. The closer you can get the thing to your windshield, the better. People having trouble with satellite reception probably do not have it close enough to their vehicle's windshield. The included vent mount for the iPAQ works OK, but not great. It is flimsy and I guarantee that your iPAQ will rotate a lot whenever you turn, and you will probably need to constantly turn it, but it's better than carrying it in your lap as you drive.
   
   Here are the best features of the software that haven't been discussed in other reviews:
   
   1) The ability to look up a specific route and then Demo the Current Route before driving. Demo Mode is a great feature. This can be done from the Pocket PC even without the GPS receiver being turned on.
   
   2) You can look up POIs (Points of Interest) within 25 miles of your current location (alphabetically or by proximity) without having the GPS unit turned on.
   
   3) You can save Favorite addresses in the Destination section of the software. Favorites are a wonderful feature, although you cannot organize them by folder or by topic, so your list may become very lengthy.
   
   4) If you have a thorough, updated Contacts list in Outlook, this will benefit you, allowing you to look up addresses from that list in the Destination by Contacts section. Just pick the contact's name(s) and it will navigate you to their house.
   
   5) Points of Interest do not include movie theaters (only playhouse theaters), and I found that certain major libraries are sometimes missing, so while being a very helpful feature, POI is far from perfect.
   
   6) You can look up restaurants according to what kind of food you like to eat, what nationality of food you prefer (the list is extensive), and it gives the phone number and address of each location.
   
   7) You can add one stop-over to each destination, even after you plan the route. So, if you decide to hit one of the major points of interest between here and there, it will allow you to add this, and there is also a Detour option (listed as an "Avoid Road" list). You just cross off roads that you want to avoid. Later, you can add these roads back again.
   
   On CD #1 (right-click on your CD drive or use Windows Explorer to open the folder, avoiding Auto-Play), you will find an excellent 114-page user-friendly manual on how to use the software. Included in this PDF guide there is even a picture of how the vent mount should look when assembled.
   
   Overall, I'm very pleased with the software. Once you get your GPS fix, you will rely on this system to get you where you want to go. It has saved me over and over, and it was worth the initial price and patching it took to get it running.



3. The product in theory is great -- and is great as long as it works ok. However, if you have a problem with it, you will be out of luck trying to get any support from HP. Establishing the connection between the GPS system and the iPAQ and also the partnership between the iPAQ and your PC or notebook can be finicky. In my case, it worked ok the first time I used it but then later the GPS, iPAQ, and PC refused to communicate with each other. I wanted to re-install my software and start all over again but the airlines managed to lose the bag that had my software and documentation. Nearly all manufacturers have web sites offering software downloads, updates, patches, etc. for their products. Not HP for this product. If you lose your manual or installation software, forget about the convenience of finding replacements online. HP's support link tells you there are no downloads available and to contact the vendor where you purchased the Nav System. I highly recommend that you check HP's web site for online support before purchasing this or any HP product to make sure they actually offer support.
   
   The concept of an accessory GPS unit for my iPAQ seemed like a great idea. However, after this I would only consider a dedicated self-contained GPS unit from a manufacturer that supports their products.
   
   One more comment that I almost forgot. My HP GPS System was obsolete when I took it out of the box. The first thing they wanted me to do was pay for updated maps.



4. We bought this because we have the Ipaq but quit often it doesn't work very well. To find the satelites takes long time. It is very sensible...we had to re-load everything... it works but I prefer next time to buy a seperate gps system....



5. I was looking for a solid GPS that wouldn't require the outlay of several hundred dollars. I already owned the IPAQ RX3715. Out of the box the IPAQ GPS unit was partially charged, the software was easy to install and sync with my IPAQ. The unit picked-up strong signals quickly.
   
   The maps are a tad dated and although there is an update for the software I have decided to keep the original for now. A savings play.
   
   The unit works great in the car, which is the reason for the purchase. You will want to purchase a mount for your IPAQ. The screen will get washed out in bright sun. With the voice command on, this is no problem as you still can hear where you need to turn in plenty of time to figure it out.
   
   Overall this has made a terrific GPS investment for the price.
   
   Comments are always welcome.

2 comments about Garmin StreetPilot 2610 In-Car GPS Receiver.

1. I have had this gps for several years now, and it work flawlessly in the car...I have updated the maps twice and it has only gotten better...
   
   It now has permanent placement on my motorcylce and it isn't the perfect gps for motorcycling...not because it is inaccurate, but because the touch screen is quite sensitive to swirling wind at highway speeds...that is to say that the screen changes by itself as you are riding along...you look at it and it may be on almost any of its many screen views. It is easy to get it to return to the screen that YOU want by using the BUTTONS, but it is an irritation.
   
   The touch screen also doesn't work well with riding gloves on, but that has really not been a problem...if I need to change something major on the screen, I simply pull off the roadway, remove my gloves, change whatever I want, put on the gloves and ride on...no big deal.



2. It is a little difficult to learn but has more features than many of the easier units. I bought my wife a 330 and this one recalculates alternate routes quicker than the 330. Also, it decides sooner than the 330 that I actually want to be on the alternate route rather than nagging me for miles about turning back on the original route.

5 comments about Nextar C3 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. I absolutely love this product.!!!!!!!!!! I drove down to my aunts in Tennessee and it guided me right to her home which sits on top of a mountain. It is surrounded by trees...and still it was accurate. I will and do reccomment this product to everyone I meet.
   Karen Albright



2. It works very good, lacks of some POIs like starbucks, and you have to wait around 5 minutes for the system to acquire gps signal. But it's a good gps to start.



3. I bought 2 nextar C3 GPS units. One for me and one for my daughter. Hers works fine. Mine worked well in the house except that it said my home here in the florida highlands was 37 feet below sea level. My home is actually 81 feet above sea level. I took it to my garage to check it out in the car. With the car engine off, I pluged it in to the cigarette lighter connection and it imediatly burned up.



4. You are better off spending more money and buying a GPS of a different brand that will actually last longer and doesn't have built in software problems. I bought one of these and used it for about a month during which it worked fine, until one day it suddenly froze and kept giving me a "fatal application error" message. I had Amazon replace it with a new one. The new one has worked for 4 months, until now when it has developed the exact same problem and keeps giving me a "fatal application error". Buying this unit has been a waste of my money, and the fact that the second unit they sent me developed the same problem shows that this GPS is simply not well made. As another reviewer mentioned the vehicle power cord is also defective. Mine literally fell apart the minute I took it out of the packaging and I am still waiting for the company to send me a replacement.



5. We've had the C3 for 10 months. When it works, it's usually very nice. Unfortunately, we've had numerous issues. First, it takes a long time to triangulate on startup (~3-5 mins). Second, we've had numerous times where the shortest route was actually much longer than the real shortest route (yes, we also tried changing the default settings and used a second GPS that had no problem finding the real shortest route). Thirs, the unit died on us twice. Once it wound up being the car adapter (although the battery capacity had drastically decreased). This past week it simply stopped turning on. It's definitely not the car adapter, so we've no got a dead unit.
   
   When it was working, the voice prompting was good and the screen was great. The local attractions menu is very nice although in need of a drastic refresh. One trip, we tried finding a nearby sushi place outside on D.C. We tried four hits for sushi restaurants and none were there. We would be directed to the address fine, but the restaurants either were long out of business or simply never there.
   
   All in all. It's a cheap unit and has many nice features, but It' worth picking up a better quality GPS for $50 more.

1 comments about Evesham NavCam 7000 - GPS receiver - automotive.

1. I found this product to be inaccurate with directions; I often could not even get a street or address to come up! I definately would not recommend this brand of gps. I discovered that it is well worth it to spend more money on a quality gps rather than get it cheap!