Portable GPS recommendations...

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TomDac

TomDac

former MLO owner/operator
Joined
Dec 27, 2004
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Hi all,

I'm shopping for a portable GPS unit to replace my Palm Pilot Tungsten T3 which was running Mapopolis software.

Mapopolis was great.. inexpensive and easy to use with my Mobile Crossing bluetooth GPS receiver.

Unfortunatly they are no longer providing updates.. I think they got purchased or are going under... anyway, my maps are several years old now and while in Dallas earlier this week for a conference, my beloved unit failed me.

So, I'm looking for something new. The ONLY reason i've even kept my Palm Pilot was for GPS.. My smartphone does pretty much everything the T3 did and then some. But, the T3 still functions great and I hate to throw it away, however, the new breed of handheld GPS thingies are pretty slick...

I like the looks of the Garmin Nuvi 750... I see there is also TomTom and Magellan. Anyone give me some feedback on any of these units, I would appreciate it.

Tom.


PS.. There was a similar thread on the site regarding this, but it was back in 2005. I deleted that thread because these things have changed so much in the last 2 years... :)
 
DTB300 said:
I am very biased here, but for GPS I would not purchase anything but a Garmin.
Click to expand...

I agree, with some caveats. I have TWO Garmin units- an older Streetpilot 2610, which still works well, and a Garmin Nuvi 260 that I just got for my wife (pocket-sized form factor and includes spoken street names). We used the Nuvi in Denver at RMAF, and it messed up a couple times with crazy routes. Not sure if it was a Navteq or Garmin error. It seems to be working OK in Tampa. Another issue is that Garmin has essentially DOUBLED their pricing for map updates recently, in that they used to allow TWO map unlocks per map set, and now only allow ONE. Lots of folks (myself included) are not happy about that.
 
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Go Garmin as far as standalone units are concerned. Garmin's software is much faster at searching for POIs or entering addresses than any of the competitors I tried such as TomToms and Magellans.

Garmin's software for Palm, OTOH, may have issues. Check out related posts in the Garmin forum at Brighthand.

Likewise, I was disappointed in both iGuidance and Mapopolis running on a Dell x50v under Windoze Mobile using a BT Sirf III receiver. Too slow, too unreliable, too much hassle. Useless.

Conversely, while each have their own specific flaws, my 3 Garmins: iQue 3600, StreetPilot C330, Nuevi 670, have served very well.
 
Tom, Very satisfied Garmin user here as well, c330.
 
I need a GPS system for my upcoming residency interviews and glad I stumbled onto this thread. Garmin will be high on my list for sure.

Any thoughts on Tom Tom?
 
Joey_V said:
I need a GPS system for my upcoming residency interviews and glad I stumbled onto this thread. Garmin will be high on my list for sure.

Any thoughts on Tom Tom?
Click to expand...

I won a Tom Tom as a door prize to a CIO Mag. roundtable discussion. I've been very happy with it. I thought the monitor would be too small but it works just fine. I plan to buy one for my daughter.
 
TomDac said:
Hi all,

I like the looks of the Garmin Nuvi 750... I see there is also TomTom and Magellan. Anyone give me some feedback on any of these units, I would appreciate it.

Tom.


PS.. There was a similar thread on the site regarding this, but it was back in 2005. I deleted that thread because these things have changed so much in the last 2 years... :)
Click to expand...

I have a Garmin Nuvi 360 and it has been fantastic. I went Pheasant hunting last year in South Dakota and the place we went was in the middle of a corn field with only a gravel road going in to the town. The Nuvi took us right to the place we were staying without a hiccup! I have never updated the maps or even had it hooked up to my computer so the stock maps seem to be excellent.
 
Hey Tom,

I have a Garmin Vista-C that I attach to my dirtbike handlebars for rides in the Rocky Mountains. It is small and accurate. I also have a dash mount and powercord on my 1993 4-Runner dash for going camping and 4-wheeling.
Here in Iraq I use the Garmin GPSmap76S, it is much larger but easier to read on the move. On my Armored Suburban I use the external puck antenna with this model.
My Range Rover and the Wife's Mazda have built in GPS, love the ease of use.

Lee
 
Guys,

Does anyone have a good GPS enabled cell phone to recommend? Is there any reason not to get one (ie very poor quality or something)? Thanks, Im not much of a tech-geek believe it or not. My phone is starting to go... and I thought, gee, those I-phones are pretty slick. But, I think I would rather have a unit with GPS. btw, I would find the need for GPS only rarely (but I really have wanted one for certain situations, albeit, rarely experienced events)....

Thank you and much appreciated!
ps If there is a unit that I should wait a little while for, thats fine by me too. Thanks again.
 
Thanks Cherian, I appreciate it. I would prefer an all-in-one unit, if there are any good ones around. I'll just browse and ask some more... :D
 
Kerry got me a Garmin Nuvi 750 for my birthday and gave it to me today, even though it's not my birthday yet.

WOW.. it's really intuitive and easy to use.
 
sleepysurf said:
This new Dash two-way GPS sounds awesome! Think it'll be my next unit! Watch out Garmin!
http://dash.net/index.php
Click to expand...

I would not rush in to get a Garmin. My wife's iPhone is sooo close to a Garmin when it comes to functionality most people care about, less speech. With the new iPhone coming out shortly, Garmin as a company may be biting the dust.
 
Smartphones, including the iPhone are great for occasional use, but can't compete with a full-featured unit. The Dash is in a GPS class by itself... live traffic/route updates from other cars on the same roads, live map updates, internet connectivity for latest POI searches, etc. Unless Garmin, Magellen, and TomTom have similar technology in the works, I think they're toast!
 
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