5 comments about TomTom ONE 3rd Edition Special-Edition Bundle with Leather Carrying Case and Home Charger.

1. I am pleased with this device so far. It's my first adventure into GPS units. I moved to Boston and realized why GPS devices were invented, so I grabbed one quickly. I think the TomTom ONE is a good deal for the price. Having true "text-to-speech" (by which I mean having road names voiced aloud) would be the extra feature I would wish for this device. Otherwise it holds its own.
   
   For any Linux users, I tried the HOME software with WINE, which installs, but the device isn't recognized as anything but Mass Storage Device. So you can't use all the fun features provided by the HOME software.



2. PRO's
   - If you are travelling in new territory, or need to plot your way around town for yard sales on saturday morning, this device can be useful! I loved it for driving around Toronto, Chicago etc.
   - It is a nice size, the voice is loud enough, and it finds satilites and routes quickly.
   
   CON's
   - The rural Canadian maps are pathetic! 25% of the time the arrow representing my car is in some forest or field, and the unit is trying to figure out how to get me back on the rural Hwy that I am already on.
   - TomTom need to improve the software for sharing map updates. There should be a mode where I (and others) record where we drive so they can fix the coordinates on maps.
   - I should also be able to add a street by pressing a button and driving down it! I would love to hand my TomTom to a friend so they can use it to find our cottage, but since the road does not exist, I am out of luck.



3. If you're a bit of a computer geek, you can do a lot of easy customizations to the pictures, voices, and distinations. The screen is also comfortable to view. The one minor problem with this unit is that it can take a couple of minutes to achieve a satellite signal, which is rather annoying, otherwise everything works well.



4. TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
   
   I've had a TomTom ONE 2nd Edition for a bit over a year. Have used it extensively on the West Coast and a bit in Florida and New England. It has recent but not the very latest maps.
   
   In short, it's a disaster. I've used it to navigate to popular tourist destinations in Florida (the Everglades) and Oregon and to many other destinations. The only reliable navigation I get is going to a built-in POI. When I enter addresses (for buildings that have been in their location for 15-100 years), TomTom misses by 0.1 mile to as much as 2.6 miles! Once it sent me ("fastest route") over rough gravel forest roads, ultimately ending in a closed road that forced me to retrace my track for 10 miles.
   
   The routing engine seems to have problems as well. It will go out of its way (that's my gas and time) to avoid some left turns. It also doesn't consistently know when [old] center dividers prevent turns (wasting more of my gas and time). Also, the unit is off by a factor of 1.5-2x when estimating trip times greater than 15-30 minutes. It's as though the unit assumes you always travel at exactly 30mph, even on interstate highways and freeways. Miserable for planning trips.
   
   TomTom support offered a solution: Take a chance and buy some new maps...
   
   Best way I've found to navigate with TomTom ONE: Go to Google Maps and get a map, then use TomTom to get you close and finish up with your handy Google map. Once you're at the destination, you can create a Favorite by marking your current location, and TomTom will navigate there reliably from then on.
   
   On the good side, I like its graphics and the fact that I can create my own POI categories. This is something important that I wish Garmin offered in their Nuvi. Also, satellite acquisition is very fast and route recalculations are acceptably fast.
   
   My TomTom also requires hard reset every several times it's used. TomTom's support had a good solution for me: buy a new TomTom.
   
   I'm sort of taking their advice: am buying a new unit, but it's going to be a Nuvi... I'd recommend the same for anyone considering a TomTom ONE.



5. This GPS is very much worth the price. It is probably the best GPS available for under $175 and I am VERY satisfied with the product after using it for about three months now.
   
   Why only four stars? Because this GPS does NOT read street names out loud. This means that instead of saying: "Turn left at Elm Street in 200 yards," it will say: "Turn left in 200 yards." Most GPS systems that read street names out loud cost over $200. TomTom does make GPS systems that can read street names out loud but they cost significantly more than this one. While this particular model does NOT read street names out loud, you can look at the screen to see the street name. While spoken street names certainly makes navigation easier, I have not found the lack of this feature to be too much of a problem (and I have been navigating completely new territory having just moved to a new state.).
   
   Other than the lack of spoken street names, I have nothing but praise for this device. It works great. The user interface is an extremely easy and intuitive touch screen menu. You can save favorite destinations, it automatically saves recent destinations, it calculates routes quickly, and you can change the voice. There are several cool voices available including a hilarious Austin Powers voice.
   
   All in all, I would highly recommend this GPS model because you simply won't find a better one for the price (believe me, I looked). If you absolutely need spoken street names, then this is not the model for you and unfortunately, you'll have to spend a bit more money.

5 comments about TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. The TomTom 130 is a great gps unit, with being able to download other peoples points of interest to add to your own for free, ease of use, reliability, and on top of it all it's only $150 with no subscription or service fees for navigation use.
   
   Pros- There are so many great features about the TomTom but the greatest features that I like in this unit is definitely the points of interest downloads you can find on TomTom Home for free, be warned that some may be off a little or not even there at all since they are points that people plotted and uploaded on their own and not actually the work of the TomTom company. The TomTom also recalculates a new route and displays it automatically if you missed an exit or a turn.
   
   Cons-There are only a few minor flaws that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating first being that the sound level is weak, you can hear it just fine as long as the windows are up and the radio is off otherwise forget it, but even then I am more a visual person and the on screen route guide is great. The other being that it takes just a second or two longer than I would care to show me the next turn on the display or to recalculate a new route if you missed a turn for when you are driving through a city and need results fast, even then it's not all that slow.
   
   I drove from Killeen, Tx all the way to Washington, DC just using my TomTom, finding places I wanted to eat and stay along the way not once looking at a map or getting stuck in traffic jams. Overall it really is one of the most useful toys you can buy and for only $150 I would gladly pay $250 for this thing if I had to.



2. I picked this up for a cross country drive and it served that purpose very very well.
   
   In the era of google maps and the iphone I often found myself expecting the device to allow me to slide the map around and easily search for places to eat in the area. It doesn't really do that, and isn't advertised as a device to do that. But just be warned that its easy to expect more nowadays.
   
   This is a bare bones GPS that performed flawlessly for me in that regard. There were a few times during my trip when it might recommend going around the block to get to a street when it was easier to just cross right over to it, but thats a pretty normal thing from a GPS and was in no way a show stopper.
   
   The audio is a problem. 1. The voice is too low to hear even over road noise, let alone while listening to the radio and talking on the phone. 2. When cranked to the max the speaker quality is so poor that what voice you do hear sounds like someone talking through plastic wrap. very distorted and very tinny. These complaints are well explored in other comments.
   
   My other complaint is the way you enter addresses is not standardized to the way we enter addresses on the internet, its all a little backwards. First you enter letters of the state and wait for it to offer closest matches, then you enter the city and wait for it to offer you closest matches, then you enter letters of the street and wait for it to offer closest matches, then you enter the street #. Would be nicer if I could just enter the address with a qwerty touchscreen keyboard as a full address and let it narrow it down from there. Would save a lot of time. The term 'a lot' being relative of course.
   
   The software is great, it updates easily. There's lots of other free voices you can download which is all pretty cool.
   
   Give me a dual-touch slide UI and the ease of google maps for local searching and I'll buy it.



3. This is my first GPS. It fuctions as advertised, and so far, nearly every trip has been correctly mapped out by the 130S. Just a few notes to be aware of: There is only one voice option that will allow text-to-speech, which means that if you use another voice option or a downloaded voice, you lose the street name announcements. For me, this means I am limited to the one voice. That's fine with me, but if you simply must have Mr. T give you directions, you will not hear street names. Also, the text to speech isn't perfect. "Br" - which is how the word "bridge" is abbreviated on the screen - is always pronounced "branch" by the 130S. Also, some words are so far off their correct pronunciation that they are unrecognizable, such as "Goethals Bridge", which comes out "Goot - halls - branch". But the text-to-speech is generally OK.
   
   My wife complains that the mount is hard to set on the windshield, and that it falls off. I have not had any problems with the mount.
   
   I had to call to find this out, but the 130S will charge off a computer using the supplied USB cable, so you may not want to pay up for the AC charger option.
   
   Recently, I was trying to find a street address in Brooklyn, NY, but for some reason, the 130S would not let me enter a house number. As soon as I entered the street name, it took me to the map. This only happened once so far, so I guess it's no big deal.
   
   Features I find useful: The variable volume setting, which increases or decreases speaker volume based on your speed. It works well. The "home" and "recent destination" options are quick ways to set up the 130S, and allows you enter the destination at home, shut it down, then retrieve the destination once you're in the car. Screen is very readable (I don't see why a larger screen is useful).
   
   TomTom customer support has been pretty good. You can get a live person quickly, and the one time I called, I got a knowledgable, courteous customer service rep.
   
   Finally, the 130S is fast - it locks onto the signal quickly, and can recalculate quickly, too, which is great if you miss a turn.
   
   The 130S is a great GPS and a great value!



4. Very easy to use. Everything makes sense right from the start. So far directions have been accurate. I live in a rural area that changed from routes to street addresses only few years ago, so some of the streets are missing, but don't need directions close to home anyway.



5. This product is amazing for the price -- works very well except for the last time , a week ago both Tom Tom as well as the GPS in my rental car directed me through [what they believed as the fastest route , though I have travelled in this city before and knew the roads well!!!!!]
   and finally I ended up in a roadblock where it was not easy to even turn around, finally I found that the road was blocked only a week before my trip.
   
   Otherwise I love this gadget-- no more print outs ,guess work , stop to check the maps or ask around.
   The voice command is great-- wakes you up [ if you happen to fall asleep behind the wheel]love it--particularly the Cleetus --cracks me up

5 comments about TomTom ONE XL-S 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. The Tom Tome One XL-S is the first GPS I've owned. What a useful, fun and easy to use piece of technology. Free map updates, a wide range of free sounds, voices, wallpapers and icons, an easy to use interface...what's not to like!
   
   I've read some of the complaints here, and honestly don't be swayed away. Most of the complaints are experienced no matter which GPS you are buying. If your device isn't leaving you enuf time to change lanes, you're driving too fast! The computerized voice isn't perfect, it mispronounces "bridge" as "branch", but it is well above 90% accurate in pronouncing street names. The cool thing about it is, the voice actually changes expression. Personally, the "famous voices" and other human recorded voices like the mullet man, are hokey and using the computerized voice to pronounce the street names is the whole point of buying this unit. Otherwise, you might as well buy the Tom Tom One or Tom Tom One XL.
   
   I did alot of research before buying. Everyone said.."Get the Garmin". Well, do the math and compare features and you'll come to same conclusion I did.



2. It's easy to use and I love the touch screen. I'd highly recommend getting a TomTom if you're interested in a navigator.



3. I bought the TomTom One XL-S for the larger screen and text to speech capabilities.
   I first tested a Garmin 260 text to speech model, but the screen was too small to see at windshield level.
   
   I was very surprised at the ease of use of the Garmin and the problems with the TomTom.
   Both acquire satellites and plan routes with good speed.
   
   However the TomTom One was full of undocumented software problems, omissions, inability to find correct routes and ordinary popular chain stores such as Walmart, Sunoco, and many others.
   
   More than 50 percent of the time the text to speech is garbled, and you have to guess the street name. The TomTom unit cannot adequately pronounce simple words such as "freeway" or "north high street", etc.
   "Verrazanno bridge" was totally unintelligible, as was about 30 percent of the streets and destinations.
   
   The brightest screen setting washes out in daylight, and is difficult to see. That is a serious problem.
   The night time screen does not always switch properly to the preprogrammed brightness level.
   
   The TomTom One XLS seems to be programmed to recognize only a very limited list of popular businesses, particularly Starbucks, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, but it misses more than it finds.
   You can forget about most of the small businesses. I found myself trying to think if an unrecognized location was near a Starbucks or Pizza hut, and used the nearest one to get to my real destination.
   There might be an update for this, but this is how it comes out of the box.
   
   When approaching a turn the unit verbally warns at 2 miles then 1 mile then half a mile then a quarter mile then 200 feet. However, at the turn it does not not use the text to speech to name the street. Annoying.
   
   If the GPS satellite signal is lost, it will not tell you in speech, and will take you to the wrong destination if you do not look at the screen and see the pale little letters "lost satellites".
   
   The point of interest menu is involved and difficult to use.
   Canceling the present route requires many steps and is a ridiculous feature, nearly hidden.
   
   There is a procedure for enabling text to speech.
   This must be done manually, the unit does not come enabled.
   The documentation does not tell you that if you select a preprogrammed voice first and then the computer voice second (which supposedly enables text to speech) the text to speech will never come on at all unless you reset the unit to default factory settings.
   
   The unit sometimes defaults to a lower volume probably because the touch area of the volume control overlaps the other screen areas, so when tapping the screen the volume is accidentally reset. Again, very annoying.
   
   Normal setting of the volume is simple; click on the lower left of the screen and the control comes up.
   However it can take a minute or more after increasing the volume for the volume level to respond, and then it suddenly jumps up. If you are riding alone, the shock value can be high.
   
   If you select a point of interest without selecting a particular city,
   the documentation does not tell you must select a city in order for the unit to search more than 2 miles outward for similar POI's.
   
   In tapping the screen, often the taps take you past the place you want to go, and usually there is no back button. You will have to do it all over again to go back.
   
   The altitude feature just simply does not work, varying several hundred feet driving on level ground.
   
   There is a lawyer/legal screen in which you need to agree to not use the unit during driving. Huh?
   A language problem?
   The TomTom company is located in the Netherlands (the Garmin unit is made in Taiwan), but the TomTom unit is made and assembled in China. I can only imagine the language iterations this unit has gone through in it's text to speech programming.
   
   The suction cup windshield mount holds firmly to the windshield, but will not in any way hold to the dash without the permanent mounting disk.
   The tongue and groove in the windshield mount holds the unit very tightly, but cannot be undone while it is mounted low on the windshield, necessitating removal of the whole suction cup, which is very, very difficult. I partially solved this problem by putting only one end of the unit into one grove, but this solution is very shaky. I considered putting velcro on the large base of the unit to mount it to the front of the dash, but the power cord enters at the base so this is not possible.
   
   Pros?
   Well, the Help Me! feature is nice, such as Drive to help, Walk to help,
   Where am I? etc.
   The Browse Map feature is good, and gives usable area maps.
   
   The Bottom Line;
   Anyone who has never used a GPS before might be impressed at their newfound capability with the TomTom GPS.
   
   Anyone who has used another GPS will likely be sorely disappointed and annoyed at the needlessly complicated and often non functional features.



4. This GPS unit seemed to fit everything that I needed: (i) it had a large screen, (ii) it spoke out turn by turn commands, including street names, and (iii) its software was available for macintoshes from the tomtom webpage. The product does all the basic GPS functions well, as do most modern units. These include 2D and 3D maps, spoken warnings for turns, and millions of points of interest. The additional "S" in this unit signifies that it has text to speech capability for road names, this comes at a $50 or so premium over the standard XL. The text to speech works well for most roads, but there are definitely times that the text to speech mangles the street name. The system phonetically pronounces the names of the roads, this can be confusing. This confusion is alleviated because I tend to only want to use this function when I am traveling in unknown areas, where I too would speak street names phonetically. I give this four stars not five, because the interface I wish were more snappy;as it is now, the animations can be choppy. I would rather the machine work smoothly than have millions of points of interest.



5. Since the voice I chose to use is female, I've renamed my TomTom XLS "Tootsie". We took this on vacation to New Jersey and were never lost. I also use this to get to locations in the "city" since I live in a suburb and don't know the city streets very well. And, OK, I'm directionally challenged and have finally admitted it. I now save face by showing up on time. The extra features I enjoy: car speed (apparently my speedometer is incorrect by 3 mph); estimated arrival time. I'd give this a perfect score except I wish it could pick up GPS signals faster when it's turned on, but that might not be a fault of TomTom.

5 comments about TomTom ONE XL 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. I wouldn't buy another TomTom. The company only provides a 14-day warranty against defects and failure. When I contacted them within one month of ownership, they basically told me "tough luck".
   
   I would switch to a company that prides themselves in the quality of their products.



2. As a former U.S. Army Ranger, I said that I would never buy a GPS. Then I got lost four times making a trip of about fifteen miles in an unfamiliar area. If someone had been selling a GPS on a corner for a thousand dollars, I would have purchased it then.
   
   I had bought TomTom Ones for my son-in-law and son-out-law, and they both loved the devices. When it came time to purchase my own GPS, because of my aged eyes, I opted for the XL, which I guess stands for Extra Large. The XL offered lots of customizing options, including route preferences, all of which were easily programmed. The first thing I did was to change the voice from the default voice to the sweet brogue of an Irish woman. She told me to get on the motorway rather than the freeway and that I was coming to a roundabout rather than a traffic circle. Her given name Kathy didn't sound very Irish, so I called her "Fiona". I also changed the cursor from a blue arrow to a little red sports car to make it more in keeping with my geezer mobile.
   
   Fiona shows me an oblique map of my route, and tells me when to make turns or change lanes. Of course the real test of a GPS is whether it gets you to where you want to go. I couldn't find many places around home to test Fiona, although when I couldn't find a COSCO on Long Island, I told her what I wanted and she led me to the door. On the other hand, she couldn't find a Starbucks.
   
   I decided that the ultimate test would be a 2000 mile road trip to the Gaspe Peninsula. I trusted Fiona enough that I didn't bring any maps. For the most part, she was reliable, except on a few occasions where the highway made a big arc around a small town, and then she led me across a chord through the center of town. On the other hand, when the highway would have led me all around the tip of Gaspe, she showed me a shortcut across the Peninsula that saved thirty miles. Occasionally, she seemed to lose a satellite and showed me driving through a field parallel to the highway, but she usually corrected herself within 30 seconds.
   
   Fiona can be programmed for a multi-stop trip, to a specific address, a town center or a point of interest.
   
   Her menus showed that she could be linked by blue-tooth to my mobile phone, presumably for traffic updates, but my phone told me it didn't support that service. I believe this service is not available in the US, but it would have been nice if the documentation had made that clear.
   
   Fiona's maps can be updated by computer, and while she came with U.S. and Canada maps, other maps are available. I wish that I had had Fiona when I rented a car in Japan that could only chide me in Japanese.
   
   Now I have 2 problems: my girlfriend is jealous of Fiona; and I have two women giving me instructions when I drive.



3. The TomTom works great and so far we haven't had any problems with it. Would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable device to get them around.



4. I bought this for my 60 year old mom in NJ. She found it pretty easy to use right out of the box. The only complaint she had is the address doesn't clear between uses. She'd forget to change the city and have to start over. Not a big deal but a little annoying.



5. I had to return this product ,wasn't what I was looking for.I just want people to know before returning READ the fine print on restocking fees and S&H fees which were about 40.00$. Everyone I know who has this is very happy with it.I wanted one with text to speech which this didn't have .....

5 comments about TomTom One Third Edition Auto Navigation System (Refurbished).

1. We do a lot of driving on family vacations and weekend trips in general. We purchased this to avoid some the hassles of getting lost in new areas. I've used it on one long distance and several short distance trips. It has been a great help. I certainly can get myself from one city to the next without a problem, but the Tom Tom system was a major help driving to various tourist attractions in a new city. The only problem I found so far, was on a trip to Chicago (which I know very well). It tried to direct us onto an expressway that runs through downtown when it was much less trouble and shorter distance to stay on the expressway that skirts the outside of the city. It does offer a couple different ways to plan routes so perhaps the route I drove was an option had I played with the Tom Tom more.



2. Overall quite satisfied with the product. The only drawback may be it has no memory card slot. Aquires position at start pretty fast. Rerouting is also done in a couple of seconds. It is very portable and easy to use either in the car or in your pocket on the street. But I guess the sensitivity of the antenna may not be so good, since it tends to loose signal if used in a downtown area with tall buildings around. Yet I like it a lot.



3. This GPS is definitely not the luxury unit which you can get for $500 or more. But if up to date maps and accurate routing is what you are looking for, this is the unit to buy. Okay, it does not switch to night mode when the sun set is there, the speaker does not sound as perfect as your radio, the graphics are kind of basic. In my opinion a well balanced offer for a GPS for the budget traveller.



4. I must confess, i did not shop around for a GPS on the internet extensively which i do when i buy any electronic item. Based on the price and a recomendation i brought this GPS.I must say i am impressed. The map is 99% accurate. No GPS can claim 100% accuracy. My requirment was simple take me from point A to point B in Fastest, shortest route. This does it nicely. The Point of intrest database (POI) is pretty good. This device has the text to speach ability. However does not read out street names. I think this not really required because even if you the names are read out, you will not be able to see the street names yourself. The only reason i gave this 4 star is , when i restart the GPS after a long time, he takes sometime to get the GPS signal. Once this is done it is pretty fast in figuring out the routes and recaluclating the routes in case you take a street which is not suggested by the GPS. The maps updates can be downloaded from tomtom website.



5. Not another TomTom for me! I have owned a TomTom130 for 2 months. It fails to turn on, fails to find the satellite 25% of the time, and gives wrong directions often.
   
   When I contacted the company, they told me "tough luck" on replacing this product or allowing me to pay the difference to upgrade to the 130s (the version that actually tells the street names rather than the number of yards to your destination.
   
   They really couldn't care less about earning your business.

5 comments about Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. I had a Garmin 330 which was a gift. It was stolen about 3 months ago and I was looking for a low end replacement.
   
   This is a low end replacement. Not bad but I guess I was spoiled.
   
   The operation is not very intuitive and can be frustrating.
   The voice prompts are very robotic sounding (vs. garmin you could actually change the dialect)
   
   It didn't seem as accurate; e.g. if you missed a turn it took a considerable amount of time to say anything.
   
   Pros
   Small and easy to transport
   good images, clear
   good choices for display
   icons for different POI's, like gas were clear and easy to see



2. I ordered this product on Sunday, the 13th from 6th Ave through Amazon. The price was great, $126! I just got it today however and that is my only gripe. I know it has nothing to do with the product which is why I omitted this information from my rating of this item. For all those considering this item it is definitely a great purchase, my only warning is to be careful of who ships your item and who you buy it from. I ordered the product from 6th Ave on Sunday and so I knew that the order would not process that day. But I was shocked to find out that my order wasn't processed until Tuesday night! In the defense of 6th Ave it does say that processing can take between 1 and 2 days but does this mean that someone who orders an item the next day doesn't get their order processed until Wednesday? I realize this is the process of doing business but it is also the 21st century and advancements in technology have been made. That said, I chose to have the unit sent 2nd day by DHL which was the fastest delivery speed available. The estimated delivery date was Thursday. Well Thursday came and went and after several phone calls with the people of DHL, two of which lied to me and said that my package was in-route, I found out that the courier had returned my package to the distribution center without giving a reason for not delivering it. Keep in mind this is 2nd day delivery guaranteed by 5 p.m. and it did not happen. Even after i paid the extra cash to have it sent express. Making things worse I had to postpone my trip a day and a half because of the slow processing on behalf of 6th Ave and the horrible shipping blunders of DHL. I ended up picking up the package from DHL MYSELF today, I had to do the shipping business for them since they are obviously incompetent. The unit was in good shape however and works properly and for that I applaud Navigon for such a fine product. I used it on my trip that day and was very pleased. I used the product that day on my trip and was happy with its performance. I would recommend this product to anyone, just not the seller and the shipping company.



3. The Good:
   1. Cheap
   2. Small
   3. Text-to-speech
   4. Decent navigation recommendations
   5. Nice pictorial highway signs on the display
   
   The Bad:
   1. Very slow interface. Hit a button. Wait 1-2 seconds before the device responds.
   2. The power input is on the bottom of the device and therefore prevents it from being operated flush on the dash when plugged in.
   
   The Ugly:
   1. I find it very annoying that when I plug the device into a mini USB cord connected to a wall outlet or computer USB, the screen shows a picture of a computer on the screen (like it is syncing with a computer) and prevents the user from operating the device even though it charges fine. Additionally, the car charger that came packaged with the device has a straight end on it. It should be a right angle like the TomTom One (which incidentally works with this device and does not result in the picture of the computer on the screen). I also tried to use a mini USB car charger for a Motorola phone and I get the same, annoying picture of a computer on the screen even though the product charges fine but is obviously not connected to a computer.
   
   In my opinion, this is the deal-breaker for me. Even though Navigon uses a standard mini-USB charging interface, you can only use their included car charger (or the TomTom One charger) if you want to operate the device and charge it at the same time.
   
   If the product uses a standard mini-USB charging interface, it should allow you to operate the product when any mini-USB cable is plugged into it from a power source.



4. Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator The maps used in this device are just horrible. Locally, routes are suggested that make no sense to anyone familiar with the area. Last week, we went to a cookout at a friends place and after being routed onto a dead end road, among other wrong directions, we finally found our destination. A friend, using a Tom Tom said his GPS took him right to the door... no problem. Last Saturday, we were going to another house we had not visited before. We were routed around in a circle that did nothing but waste time and gas and later directed to an interstate where the next exit was far beyond our destination. Avoid Navigon!!!!



5. I have been wanting to purchase a GPS unit for quite some time (years actually) but I waited to buy until the technology caught up with pricing, or vice versa, however you'd like to look at it. I just thought spending several hundred dollars on a unit was to much.
   I already have an Ipod, radar detector, CB and Sirius Satellite radio in my car so I really didn't want a unit that had all the bells and whistles. I wanted an "Entry level" unit that did what it was supposed to do and do it well, get me from point A to point B without a hassle. After months of scouring the internet and magazines for all the reviews I could muster, as well as interviewing friends and family, it was my determination that their simply is no such thing as a perfect unit. All units have Pros and Cons. It was simply up to me to weigh them out and determine what brand and model did what I wanted it to do. After much debate and late night internet surfing I obviously chose the Navigon 2100.
   I bought my Navigon from the TigerDirect retail store for around $200. The unit was $149. but after reading stories on how GPS units in general have a tendency to just "Die" I opted for the extended warranty for another $25, cheap insurance.
   Here are some of the Pros and Cons (Opinions) of the unit as I see it on a broad spectrum without getting into the bells and whistles:
   
   Pros -
   -Navigon utilizes the NAVTEC map database vs. the Tele Atlas system. I know this opening a can of worms but the research as I see it leads me to believe the NAVTEC database provides more straight forward mapping.
   -Ease of use. The Navigon doesn't ship with a thick ridiculous manual you will never read. This allows you to go to their website and download the PDF and read it at you leisure on a large computer screen vs. a small hard to read booklet. This also helps lower the price of the units themselves as no booklets are shipped. You really won't need a booklet anyway as if you are even slightly computer literate you can be up and running with the Quick Start Guide that is provided.
   -Design. The unit just looks good.
   -Accuracy. The unit is incredibly accurate. I haven't found myself stranded in the boonies or anything like that as I have read on several reviews of several units. At most, it may take you around a block going left when going right may have saved you 200 ft.
   -General simplicity. Everything is easy to use without even reading the PDF manual.
   -Speed. Some dis the unit's slow processor speed. I simply don't see it. I've never had an issue with speed or lack of it.
   
   Cons (Got to have at least one)-
   -The power connection is on the bottom of the unit. I have a VW Golf and have the unit low on the windshield next to the pillar almost resting on the dash and it has to be raised slightly to allow the cord to connect.
   -The mount. I wish it rotated even slightly. My windshield is not flat and it would be nice to be able to rotate it slightly.
   -I believe the unit should come with a home wall charger in addition to the vehicle charger. NAVIGON has to make some additional cash somehow I guess!
   -A case. It would be nice to throw in a carrying case to protect the unit during air travel or switching between vehicles. I did place a screen protector on mine before I even started the unit up.
   -I'm reaching here but downloadable voices would have been a nice option. A friend of mine has R2D2 give him directions.
   
   As you can see most of my cons are cosmetic, trivial, or just my opinion. Overall I really do love the unit and would not hesitate to recommend this unit to my friends or family. I hope this helps some of you reading this make a sound purchase in the future!!

5 comments about TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator.

1. Overall very satisfied with the GPS. Handsfree calling is good quality. Map has some minor issues but I'm hoping mapshare will fix those eventually. Similar issues were found in Garmin as well (don't know how I could have fixed in Garmin).
   Pros: TTS - as crapy or good it is, its still comparable to Garmin Nuvi750. choices of different color schemes (can have your own or download from web). Lots of points of interests (Garmin also has) & can download more from web (don't know if you can do that for Garmin). Lots of Flexibility of customizing the GPS to your preferences. This may also be somewhat confusing to user with non programming background.
   Cons: Cannot see distance travelled. I think this is one of the nice features that Garmin had, there was a separate window in which you can see current speed, distance to destination, distance travelled & max speed. TomTom provides other features but doesn't provide distance travelled which is the feature I would like to use if I just went out for a run or biking to see how far I'm since started.
   
   I recently used it for 1500 mile roadtrip and was very useful in finding tourist interests, food places & hotel locations. Overall I would have rated this product 5stars if I didn't know Garmin Nuvi750 as well. But Nuvi750 would have been 3stars compared to TomTom GO 920.



2. Yes this is a fair GPS Mapping device, should be much easier to operate and program for this kind of money. Additional maps are simply outrageously expensive. You have to use the enclosed CD of get to your pdf manual, not cool, very little written data and cannot load manual onto your computer for future use, not user friendly.
   Trying to change a route is excessively complicated.
   But I sent back two other vehicle navagators prior to this one!!!
   Oh but it does play MP3's for you and the company certainly makes it easy for you to navaigate to their web sight and spend your money!!!!!
   
   Wish I would have spent the extra for another brand, but my fault!!!



3. I have the TomTom 130. I wouldn't buy another TomTom. They do not back their products and want to end all relationships with end users after only 14 days.



4. EXCELLENT GPS UNIT. HAS REMOTE SO FINGERS DON'T GET ALL OVER THE SCREEN AND CAN BE PROGRAMMED WITHOUT REACHING FOR THE UNIT. ALSO THE SPEECH RECOGNIZATION WORKS GREAT. THE MOUNT LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED AND BOUGHT A FLEX NECK MOUNT WITH A BEAN BAG MOUNT.



5. Great GPS unit it has a long list of features and maps for more then just the USA. Everything is pretty easy to understand and use. Screen display is bright.
   
   Voice entry is hit or miss, short list of cell phones that will use all features (can not get it to read my text msgs) Does not include a carry case for the price it should.
   
   Overall I would tell anyone looking for a GPS unit this is a good one even as good as the newer model that just came out (the 930)

5 comments about TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator.

1. I am pleased with this device so far. It's my first adventure into GPS units. I moved to Boston and realized why GPS devices were invented, so I grabbed one quickly. I think the TomTom ONE is a good deal for the price. Having true "text-to-speech" (by which I mean having road names voiced aloud) would be the extra feature I would wish for this device. Otherwise it holds its own.
   
   For any Linux users, I tried the HOME software with WINE, which installs, but the device isn't recognized as anything but Mass Storage Device. So you can't use all the fun features provided by the HOME software.



2. PRO's
   - If you are travelling in new territory, or need to plot your way around town for yard sales on saturday morning, this device can be useful! I loved it for driving around Toronto, Chicago etc.
   - It is a nice size, the voice is loud enough, and it finds satilites and routes quickly.
   
   CON's
   - The rural Canadian maps are pathetic! 25% of the time the arrow representing my car is in some forest or field, and the unit is trying to figure out how to get me back on the rural Hwy that I am already on.
   - TomTom need to improve the software for sharing map updates. There should be a mode where I (and others) record where we drive so they can fix the coordinates on maps.
   - I should also be able to add a street by pressing a button and driving down it! I would love to hand my TomTom to a friend so they can use it to find our cottage, but since the road does not exist, I am out of luck.



3. If you're a bit of a computer geek, you can do a lot of easy customizations to the pictures, voices, and distinations. The screen is also comfortable to view. The one minor problem with this unit is that it can take a couple of minutes to achieve a satellite signal, which is rather annoying, otherwise everything works well.



4. TomTom ONE 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator
   
   I've had a TomTom ONE 2nd Edition for a bit over a year. Have used it extensively on the West Coast and a bit in Florida and New England. It has recent but not the very latest maps.
   
   In short, it's a disaster. I've used it to navigate to popular tourist destinations in Florida (the Everglades) and Oregon and to many other destinations. The only reliable navigation I get is going to a built-in POI. When I enter addresses (for buildings that have been in their location for 15-100 years), TomTom misses by 0.1 mile to as much as 2.6 miles! Once it sent me ("fastest route") over rough gravel forest roads, ultimately ending in a closed road that forced me to retrace my track for 10 miles.
   
   The routing engine seems to have problems as well. It will go out of its way (that's my gas and time) to avoid some left turns. It also doesn't consistently know when [old] center dividers prevent turns (wasting more of my gas and time). Also, the unit is off by a factor of 1.5-2x when estimating trip times greater than 15-30 minutes. It's as though the unit assumes you always travel at exactly 30mph, even on interstate highways and freeways. Miserable for planning trips.
   
   TomTom support offered a solution: Take a chance and buy some new maps...
   
   Best way I've found to navigate with TomTom ONE: Go to Google Maps and get a map, then use TomTom to get you close and finish up with your handy Google map. Once you're at the destination, you can create a Favorite by marking your current location, and TomTom will navigate there reliably from then on.
   
   On the good side, I like its graphics and the fact that I can create my own POI categories. This is something important that I wish Garmin offered in their Nuvi. Also, satellite acquisition is very fast and route recalculations are acceptably fast.
   
   My TomTom also requires hard reset every several times it's used. TomTom's support had a good solution for me: buy a new TomTom.
   
   I'm sort of taking their advice: am buying a new unit, but it's going to be a Nuvi... I'd recommend the same for anyone considering a TomTom ONE.



5. This GPS is very much worth the price. It is probably the best GPS available for under $175 and I am VERY satisfied with the product after using it for about three months now.
   
   Why only four stars? Because this GPS does NOT read street names out loud. This means that instead of saying: "Turn left at Elm Street in 200 yards," it will say: "Turn left in 200 yards." Most GPS systems that read street names out loud cost over $200. TomTom does make GPS systems that can read street names out loud but they cost significantly more than this one. While this particular model does NOT read street names out loud, you can look at the screen to see the street name. While spoken street names certainly makes navigation easier, I have not found the lack of this feature to be too much of a problem (and I have been navigating completely new territory having just moved to a new state.).
   
   Other than the lack of spoken street names, I have nothing but praise for this device. It works great. The user interface is an extremely easy and intuitive touch screen menu. You can save favorite destinations, it automatically saves recent destinations, it calculates routes quickly, and you can change the voice. There are several cool voices available including a hilarious Austin Powers voice.
   
   All in all, I would highly recommend this GPS model because you simply won't find a better one for the price (believe me, I looked). If you absolutely need spoken street names, then this is not the model for you and unfortunately, you'll have to spend a bit more money.

5 comments about Garmin nüvi 200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. Garmin nüvi 200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
   I ordered the Garmin GPS for my husband after recommendations from some friends. It is very user friendly and my husband is very satisfied as he had no prior experience with a GPS. He found this very easy to use.



2. I have no complaints. I love my garmin. Sometimes it takes a while to find a sattelite but I would imagine that happens sometimes.



3. Just bought my garmin 200. Has all the features you really need from a GPS. Does nto have text to speech which would be nice but you can read clearly the name of the street on the Garmin. Speaker is loud screen is beaituful. Very fast at picking up coordinates. A great deal.



4. I Purchased 9 of these for a small fleet of Service Electricians. They have all told me "wow I couldn't have found that job with out this thing" and "I don't get lost any more". I am very satisfied with this purchase. Thank you Garmin!



5. I helped pick the Garmin Nuvi for purchase by our company in order to provide staff with a more efficient way of making field visits; the goal being to reduce the amount of mileage and time incurred by faulty online directions or poorly planned trips. So far, I've been very impressed with accuracy of maps/directions, quick response time and especially the battery life.
   
   For the price, this unit provides great navigational capabilities. The Nuvi is pretty stripped down, but I don't think anyone needs a lot of bells and whistles to fool around with when they're supposed to be paying attention to driving. In response to one post that stated it does not come with a wall-charger - I agree that would be a downside, but I have found that plugging it into my computer with a USB cord works perfect for charging the GPS away from the car.

5 comments about Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad.

1. I have a TomTom One and it works great on this base. The Nav-Mat stays put on my 2007 Honda Civic's dash even though it is not entirely flat. This base sold for $40 in the stores but only $12 at Amazon. Plus now I am legal in CA since we can't stick the GPS on the glass due to clear-view laws.



2. This is a great product for your GPS systems. I have a TomTom One XL and it's fits nicely inside of the mat using the sunction cup. When driving the mat stays put and you don't have to worry about it winding up on the floor. I have had mine for approx. 7 months now and am completely satisfied with this product. I have given several of these as gifts.



3. I have the Garmin 650,which is a fairly large GPS.I did not think it would hold it properly. But after giving it a road test it worked great,no problems at all.Can't beat it for the price.



4. Used this for a couple months now, hasnt budged very stable and suction cups never come loose. Have a magellan maestro 4250 and this brings it closer,easier to see and use and you can easily toss it under the seat when you park, leaving no evidence of the gps. Own both a Toyota Corolla and Jeep Liberty and works well in both.



5. When I bought my GPS navigator ,I hated sticking the mounting bracket to the windshield this product eliminates that and seems to be more stable ,thumbs up for this product