Saturday, March 6, 2010

Order TomTom GO 930 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)


This is a powerful little device which has all of the necessary tools a GPS should have. I bought this device as I was traveling to Europe and didn't want to spend money on just a European GPS. This device comes with both North America and European maps. I have now used it for almost 4 months and I couldn't have been happier. I used the GPS extensively in Europe and it was spot on with it's directions and route calculations. Even in North America it was helpful and got me where I needed to go. Some of the Pro's and Con's for the device

Pros:
Has both NA and EU maps.
Nice sleek design with a wide screen
FM connectivity is awesome. I was able to put a 2GB SD card with my own music and played it through the Car speakers. It is nice option to have rather than carrying your MP3 player. Bluetooth Remote is a plus
Nice User interface which is very easy to use
Advanced Lane Guidance is very helpful when it is available, on very few exits. But the Regular Lane Guidance on the bottom left of home screen helps a lot when driving on unfamiliar roads

Cons:
Even though i bought the device in Sep 2009 it came with Maps from Jun 2008. It was a disappointment to have such outdated maps. But one can update them for another $100 dollars. I chose to stick to the old maps and it worked out well
The device takes longer than normal to reboot. I had to do a hard reset a few times

Overall, the device for $$ value is worth it. If you keep in mind that you are getting almost $250 off a new unit. The very few cons more than make up for it. I was a little skeptical about buying a refurb product but after using it I am glad I bought it.Get more detail about TomTom GO 930 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished).

Where To Buy TomTom GO 930T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Receiver


This is my thrird TomTom GO, and my last one.

Cons:
- Maximum display brightness is much darker than on my GO 920
- Bluetooth remote takes 10 sec to connect
- Bluetooth remote works for the first three times after turning the device on, then no longer. You have to reset the unit (!) for it to work again, very annoying!
- One button on the Bluetooth remote requires you to push it hard in order for it to detect you pressed the button.
- Accuracy of house numbers is not perfect - sometimes 0.2 miles away.
- TomTom seems to be reluctant to fix such issues and instead rests assured that nobody will return the product for 2 weeks repair since they may not be able to live without it for so long.Get more detail about TomTom GO 930T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Receiver.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Shop For Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)


I have this from Tiger direct with cheap price, but the good thing is I can update my map to lastest version for free that Garmin offer nowaday. Even thought refurbished product, It works great that I have tested so many routes. Thank Tiger direct.Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished).

Thursday, March 4, 2010

TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)


DO THE MATH BEFORE YOU BUY THIS REFURBISHED UNIT!

I've a TT LE (2d Ed.), like it & decided to upgrade to the refurbed GO 720. The unit has great features and the price ($119) was OK.
However, 'refurbed' to me means 'like new' and the major problems are AMAZON does not tell you that it carries only a SIX MONTH factory warranty and that the map is at least 21 months old (on my unit). Cost to upgrade to the latest map from v.7 xx is $47 plus $48 for 4 quarterly updates. So, you're looking at another $95 or $215 for a 'refurb' with a 6 months warranty. AMAZON should have full disclosure on their listings so the customer can decide! Another poster said they should be ashamed. How true! I may return it because of this. By the way, Staples 'Black Friday' ad will have a brand new TT GO 830 for $169 with an extra coupon discount of 10% on a single item.Get more detail about TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished).

Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech Review


This is my 3rd Garmin, I bought one for my daughter, one for my wife and one for me this was de first one I bought and it was so good that I bought the others.Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Top Quality


Not easy to use, cannot always easily guide you to where you want to go.
We had some frustrating times with this thing. After just two years the battery gave in and we customer support told me it was not worth changing it.
Although in once instance customer support patiently guided me through some updating issues, that was pretty much the only positive experience.
So, that was the end of it. I will not buy TomTom again.Get more detail about TomTom GO 920 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator.

Kenwood Excelon DNX9140 In-Dash Double-Din DVD Multimedia AV Receiver (Black) This instant


Sound quality exceeds expectations!
Navigation is above average - voice commands that work!

All the navigation options AND GPS SETTINGS can be set by voice command! The accuracy of voice command interface is very good.
In fact, all the settings for source monitoring (tuner, DVD, iPod etc) can be accessed by voice and many settings applied the same way.
As an example: changing map view from 3d to "north up" can be done completely by speaking commands.
Also it is noteworthy that while on nav screen the bottom of screen shows what song / source is playing - touching that line switches the display to
that source. (or can be switched by voice command) Switching back to navigation can be one button touch or say "view map" from any screen.
There are some videos on the internet showing the various functions - just search the web by model number to see them, the features are quite good.
I have a rear view cam as well, the backup cam image quality on screen is very high.

CONS:
*This is a challenging unit to learn to operate. NOT intuitive in the least. The saving graces for me were that I can get around
the settings by voice command - and the settings don't have to be changed often.
* Too bright at night even at the dimmest settings, a good 10 times brighter than the dashboard lighting - which is a problem
when driving long distances at night. Once away from urban lighting, it is extremely conspicuous.
(the display can be turned off while music / nav are still working - display comes back on with a touch of screen or any button.)
Make no mistake, i am talking about having it on "night" display and dimming with display settings also.
*Operating manual is painfully basic and lacks detail.

Overall the sound and navigation quality make it a keeper for me - be advised this is not a simple unit to learn though.




Get more detail about Kenwood Excelon DNX9140 In-Dash Double-Din DVD Multimedia AV Receiver (Black).

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Magellan Maestro 3250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Voice Command Immediately


This thing kept most of the the promises that it made in its product catalog. Only con though, I would say it takes time to understand the region change. We live in CA and went to FL. It took long time to understand where we were and returned the results really late. We had to enter the new address 4 to 5 times. Same thing happened when we came back to CA. Another con, though it says it takes voice commands, but this feature is pretty messed up. Very rarely it acts properly on voice command. Other than these I would say this is pretty nice with features like speaks the directions and Bluetooth some of the things we were looking for. Get more detail about Magellan Maestro 3250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Voice Command.

Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Best Quality


I bought this for a Christmas gift, havn't opened it yet. But from past expierence, because I own one, it is a great GPS. Very easy to use.Get more detail about Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Double-DIN Mulitmedia Station with Touch Panel Control, USB, and Built-In Navigation System Get it now!


I debated buying this NX409 but couldn't resist the price/feature list. While it's loaded with about every feature you could want not all of them work or don't work the way they should.

Navigation:
The GPS doesn't update fast enough so that the vehicle position indicator is not correctly displayed on the map relative to the cross streets especially at speed. The turn by turn voice guidance sometimes says to turn right when you actually are turning left. Many of the POI's are not accurate both for location on the map and also that some don't exist. If you can get beyond the robotic tone and poor text to speech pronunciation...the voice guidance also truncates some road names. Two of the features listed in the GPS menu don't work at all (like the alert tone option when you are approaching your turn). This may be a software bug as they won't even stay selected.

Sirius Radio:
Mostly works well except way too often you'll power the unit up and all the presets you spent time getting just the way you want are gone. That gets old after about the 5th time.

Ipod:
I plugged in my Shuffle to the USB port and it says "unrecognized file format". So I thought I'd check that it's on the list of supported Ipods on the Clarion site. Click on Ipod compatability list and gee..."page not found". At least there's some synergy between their products and the web site.

Other:
The Bluetooth BLT 370 option is a waste of money. Way too often when you start the car it will lock up the radio with a "phone in use" displayed( even when there is no cell phone within a mile of the vehicle)...you then have to shut off the ignition and open the door to get it to power down then restart the car. It sync's up with the phone great but everyone says I sound like I'm calling from the Mariana trench.

The clock setting can only be set manually. When you select your correct time zone and DST to sync the time using the GPS it's off by two hours.

Last but not least Clarion's support both on the web site and by phone is a waste of time.

On a positive note the quality of the audio is very good as is the DVD display.









Get more detail about Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Double-DIN Mulitmedia Station with Touch Panel Control, USB, and Built-In Navigation System.

Garmin nüvi 750 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) Buy Now


I bought a refurbished nuvi 750 about 9 months ago and it still does work as of today(sort of).The gps does get me where i need to go but sometimes in not the best route.Sometimes this thing makes me take routes that seem to be longer in my opinion.It will take me to a destination just to take me a different way on the way home.Dont really understand that.I have it set to the fastest time and it has taken me a completely different route on the way home.If the way home is the fastest route,then why isnt the route there the same way??I have also found that if your driving 65mph down the highway,the gps does not warn you quick enough when you need to turn.Using the gps on 3d mode which most people do,i found to be very inaccurate with the pictures.My destination will be 1/4 mile earlier than expected or 1/4 mile farther down the road.Using it in 2d mode is a bit more accurate for visual purposes.

I do enjoy the mp3 player on this unit,however sometimes the music actually skips(yes i said skips).Even the voice on the gps unit will skip quite often making it impossible to understand what "Jack"(Garmins English male voice) is talking about.The gps will also reset itself back to the "default" setting of no voice at all which kinda makes me think that "Jack" went to sleep!!I also have been having problems with the gps freezing up from time to time especially when first turned on when the maps are loading.I have my gps set to where i have to punch in a security code before it can be used but most of the time,the gps will work without having to type in the code.What kind of security is that??The power cord they sent me i also think is defective.Sometimes you actually have to wiggle it around in the 12v power outlet to get it to work.The suction cup mount on this thing doesnt work very well in hot weather.After the gps has been sitting in the sun,the suction cup will lose suction and the gps will fall which has happened to me over 20 times which cant be good for the gps.This is probably typical for must suction mounts.

conclusion--this gps does get me where i need to go but with some problems.If it werent for the mp3 player on this unit i would have bought another brand for all the small little problems i have had with this thing.I will be returning it to Garmin here soon before the warranty runs out,since i cant stand listening to "Jack" trying to give me directions with a stuttering problem and since the security doesnt really work on it anyway.Plus with all the other small problems ive had.Maybe i should have bought new instead of refurbished?!!?Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 750 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished).

Sunday, February 28, 2010

GiSTEQ TripBook TB-100 GS Mileage Logger Order Now


I bought it with high hopes.

The concept is simplicity itself: plug it in your car, then plug it in your computer. Once the software shows you the trips and stops you've made in Google Maps, all you need to do is write down if there was a business purpose for the trip so you can later justify to the IRS your mileage deductions. Exactly what I needed.

However I could never make its software work properly with my Vista 64 laptop. When downloading data into computer, it frequently locked up, which resulted in lost information (trips = $). I contacted support twice, and was able to promptly talk to someone who then emailed me drivers and updates, to no avail. Still the same issues, and in fact worse after the last update.

So now I don't use it anymore, resorting instead to the old ways of data keeping: pen and paper. I wish it worked, or that I had a XP computer to try it on - I'll bet it would work.

In fact, if you are interested in this product and have a XP computer, I have an almost new unit here in the office looking for a new home (or car).Get more detail about GiSTEQ TripBook TB-100 GS Mileage Logger.

Jensen Nav102 GPS Navigation System Add-On for JENVM9413 Decide Now


When I decided to get this unit, there was only 1 review that I could find for it. Even with the bad review, I decided to give it a shot.

I installed it on a VM9022HD unit. Install was very simple.. the hardest part was looking for a location to conceal the unit. No need for power since all is coming via the "bus" cable from the head unit.

Prior to closing up the unit in its location, I decided to test to see if it actually works. If you follow what the instructions say, it may take up to 5 min to work the first time. The unit has its GPS location in less than 30 seconds. The nav software is up to date according to the Horizon Nav website. The maps have all the newer streets that my 2 year old garmin unit does not.

I have tried the navigation sofware, and seem pretty good. In some aspects better than my nuvi 680. The only reason that I do not give it 5 stars is that unlike my nuvi, you can not get live traffic.

POI seem pretty current as well. Previous reviewer might have just a bad unit.Get more detail about Jensen Nav102 GPS Navigation System Add-On for JENVM9413.