Saturday, March 27, 2010

Nextar I4BC 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Back-up Camera Best Quality


The unit works fine, I bought it mainly for the back up camera, which I will not connect until spring, when I will use it to hitch to my camper. The GPS is easy to use and all functions are easy to understand. That being said, the maps are nearly worthless. MANY of my local POI's do not appear, which leads me to wonder how many POI's are missing or incorrect elsewhere. After trying all the different routing options, it never chooses the best roads to travel on. I have a Garmen and I must say it is superior when it calculates routes. The Nextar website is not so easy to use. After reading the instruction manual, I thought I could update the maps with the supplied USB cable, but thus far am unable to find any map updates on the web site. Get more detail about Nextar I4BC 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Back-up Camera.

Magellan RoadMate 2200T Portable GPS Navigator, Silver Get it now!


This thing is awesome, a real life saver on a recent trip to san diego. Get more detail about Magellan RoadMate 2200T Portable GPS Navigator, Silver.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Magellan Maestro 5310 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Buy Now


We've own this Magellan 5310 now for about a year now and are very happy with it. And we're pretty pleased with it because it has taken us from point A to point B very reliably. We live in the Snohomish County in the State of Washington and whenever we drive in to Seattle it is like hell on wheels. After our more than 50 trips into Seattle we are now sort of comfortable with the city's layout but not really. Our Magellan gets us in and out of Seattle to clinics and restaurants to theatres in surprisingly quick routes. When our Magellan says we have arrived, "quoila" there it is. Always to our surprise! And we are surprised because we get to our destination by simply following the voiced instructions and the easy to read directions on the screen. It has audio prompts to indicate when to actually make a turn and instructions as to how far your are away from making those turns with eg.'right turn in 3/10th of a mile'. It also handles multiple turns quite well too. For example it lets you know that you will be making a right turn and another right turn right after the other. So it prepares you quite well without the stress that use to accoompany our trips into the unknown.
I cannot comment on the customer service because I have never used it. The battery does not last very long so it requires it to be plugged into the cigarette lighter at all times. The unit that we have has completely dropped the map from its memory when the battery completely depleted itself and to get it back it lets you know that you should go to the Magellan site to recover full functionality in a matter of seconds after making connection. We are quite computer and device savvy however.
One more comment I would add is that when you look at the customer review ratings between Tom Tom, Magellan and Garmin the graph depiction from excellent to poor is about the same. Didn't the smart phone business have about the same graph shape just before Apple showed up with the iphone?Get more detail about Magellan Maestro 5310 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

Garmin nüvi 260W Mexico 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Order Now


Folks,

I just wanted to comment on the shipping from BlueProton. It was amazingly fast!! I ordered this Garmin GPS in the wee hours of October 1st, and I just received it this morning, October 3rd.

I am familiar with the Garmin GPS units, I purchased this particular one, because I am planning to drive thru Mexico to Costa Rica. There should not be any problems with the unit, I plugged it into the car and it works.

Am typing this as I wait for it to charge.Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 260W Mexico 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

5.65"W x 3.71"H Garmin touch screen Nuvi 5000 with preloaded maps (010-00639-10) Decide Now


I regularly ride in a friend's shiny new 2009 Porsche and I have to say, their GPS sucks by comparison! You'd think a $100k+ sports car would have a killer GPS -- NOT! The maps were sparse, the colors muted, the speech barely audible and the user interface convoluted and unintuitive. Now I know Porsche's primary concern is the car, not the GPS, but for a top dollar luxury product, you'd think their GPS would be equally cutting edge. I honestly prefer my Garmin Nuvi 5000. The difference is stark! Its no wonder Garmin is widely considered to make the best GPS units on the market.

I zeroed in on the Nuvi 5000 primarily because of the larger screen and that it's one of the few GPS units to support a backup camera. For those of you who don't know, a backup camera is a tiny video camera (mine is the size of a dime) that mounts on the back of your car, often the license plate, with a video cable run to a monitor or GPS mounted on the dash. Then when you put your car in reverse, the cam turns on and you get a live video image of what's behind your car! Very helpful when parallel parking or backing up and you see so much more than with a rearview mirror alone! It's one of those things that once you have it, you wonder why it took so long or how you ever lived without it!

Backup cams aren't just for big SUVs or trucks. I have mine on a sedan and really love the extra perspective it gives. It's such a luxury to be able to SEE everything with no blind spots!!! LOVE it!!! As more cars come standard with GPS units, I could see backup cams becoming standard issue. It's so much safer to backup with the extra visibility and virtually no blind spots!

Setup was easy. I got a vent mount for the Nuvi itself since windshield mounts are illegal in California. But I actually prefer the vent mount anyway since it places the Nuvi at the perfect level without obstructing my view of the road. Then I mounted the tiny cam above my rear license plate. Hooked up the ground and power wires to the rear tail light - the one that lights up only in reverse -- then ran the cable through the trunk, behind the rear seat, along the floor panels and to the Nuvi. It's not as hard as it sounds and there are videos on YouTube that can help clarify. It took me about 90min to hook it all up. And I even hardwired the Nuvi to the car's fuse box so it automatically turns on and off with the car's ignition.

The GPS itself is stellar. The colors are vibrant and inviting. The satellite response time is lightening fast and the interface is easy, intuitive and very user friendly. I was able to use 90% of the functions without even reading the User Guide. It's that easy and straightforward. I even set up specific routes I like to take to work and other destinations so the Nuvi can take the roads I prefer and get me back on track if I take a detour to avoid traffic and such.

The "Points of Interest" feature is amazing!! Just type in what you're looking for - a specific grocery store, department store, drugstore, gas station, etc and the Nuvi finds all the nearby matches! I haven't searched anything yet that it can't find! Very thorough database and up to date too!

While navigating, the verbal cues are loud and clear. And the screen itself had loads of useful info. I like the estimated time of arrival feature. I like how it changes the color scheme automatically for night and day making it easier to read in both cases. I love being able to play solitaire while waiting for someone to come out of a store. I love feeling like I'll never get lost or have a problem finding anything in a big city like L.A.! But most of all, I love the backup cam!! And be sure to setup a security code so no one can mess with your settings; a thief, valet or anyone else.

It really is such a luxury to have a quality GPS!! Sometimes I just use it as a live map depicting where I am without inputting my destination. It's helpful to have a live visual confirmation of where you are and what streets are nearby.

For my first GPS, I have to say I'm quite impressed with the Nuvi 5000! Welcome to the 21st century!!! Definitely get one!! You'll be glad you did! Get more detail about 5.65"W x 3.71"H Garmin touch screen Nuvi 5000 with preloaded maps (010-00639-10).

Garmin nüvi 885T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct Service (Factory Refurbished) Right now


This is my second Garmin. I also own the nuvi255. For navigation, there's no difference. Was disappointed that my phone was not compatible with the bluetooth. You should go to the [...] website to see if your phone will work. Also, the voice recog does not work that well. Unit worked fine after I downloaded the new maps from [...]. Unit arrived quickly from seller. I recognized that the initial software was causing response delays. That cleared up with the new download.Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 885T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct Service (Factory Refurbished).

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Lowest Price Garmin nüvi 650 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator


This is an outstanding GPS that I bought for my mother for Christmas last year. I've owned the the Nuvi 350 for years and as long as they continue to offer maps for it, I will not upgrade b/c it's that good. The 650 basically is the same but with a wide screen. I'm not going to further review the product since I purchased it as a gift but I felt compelled to post a review when I saw the price of this unit compared to my last year's purchase. I bought the same "new" unit last year for $198.00 and I see that this year it is selling for $499.00. I've also noticed the Nuvi 350 is being sold for $359.00 when last year it was sold for $159.00. Granted, mine was purchased directly from Amazon, LLC. and these are being sold by third parties but for those who may be price conscious, it may be of value to know that these are actually Garmin's older units. They were first introduced when I purchase my Nuvi 350 four years ago. There are newer Garmin units for half the price. As good as this unit is, I would either buy one of the newer ones or wait for the price to come down. Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 650 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

Low Price Pioneer AVIC-F700BT In-Dash Navigation Audio Receiver with CD Playback and Advanced Voice Controls


Bottom line up front: Get this unit!! Its cheaper than the F900bt and it has literally all of the same features! Initially, the unit suffers from some buggy software but Pioneer really pulled it together and released software upgrades that made this unit FAST, ACCURATE, and EXCELLENT! The unit connects flawlessly to HD radio, Satellite radio, and plays the standard formats very well. The unit accepts a wide variety of media including SD cards, USB thumb drives, and CDs. There is no stopping this unit and it sounds incredible. If you are debating on getting this unit, you cannot go wrong. Just make sure you install the software updates. It makes all the difference. [...]Get more detail about Pioneer AVIC-F700BT In-Dash Navigation Audio Receiver with CD Playback and Advanced Voice Controls.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Save Magellan Maestro 3220 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech


I ordered the Magellan because 1) it was on sale, 2) I was about to take an extended road trip and thought that a GPS would come in handy. When it arrived I looked for the instruction manual. There isn't one. It comes with a CD to put in a computer and you can print your own instruction manual. You pay for a product and the company asks you to use your paper and ink to see how to use it. Well, the CD said to simply plug the unit into a 12 volt outlet and go. I took it to my car, plugged it in and got the message that the battery was at critical low level and to recharge the unit. I took it back inside, looked through the package for the charger but there wasn't one. I put the CD back on the computer and it had no mention of a charger. So I went online to Amazon and found that you have to buy a charger separately. In my experience, even cheap electronic devices usually come with a charger. So I order one and when it arrived I plugged the Magellan into the wall socket. I gave it a day and it was still at critical low level. I gave it 2 days and it was at critical low level. So I plugged it back in my car hoping it would charge up as I drove. It charged up enough to enter my destination for my trip, but upon hitting the road the unit kept shutting itself off due to a critically low level with the battery. I contacted Magellan's online support department but never recieved a response. I sought to get a replacement from Amazon and found that there were no more in stock so I got a credit to my account instead. A very disappointing experience. Get more detail about Magellan Maestro 3220 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech.

Discount Kenwood DNX7140 6.95-Inch Wide Double-DIN In-Dash Nagivation with Built-in Bluetooth USB/iPod Direct Control/DVD Receiver


The Kenwood DNX7140 is the second most satisfying consumer electronics product I have purchased recently. (The first is the LG BD 390 Network Blu-Ray Player). Both are, feature laden products, that--unlike many such complex gadgets--get more things right than wrong.

The Kenwood manages to pack an extraordinary number of features into a relatively compact package, enabling vehicle owners to eliminate a whole host of separate, discreet components. It has GPS, a bluetooth receiver for handling cell phone calls, AM/FM radio, DVD, player, iPod/USB music and video inputs and is HD/satellite radio-ready.

The Kenwood's sound is very good and, for me, the interface was fairly logical and user friendly and did not require a huge learning curve.

There are a few nitpicks:
* The cooling fan in the unit can be heard at low sound levels when the engine is off but was not audible to me while driving.
* The USB input is at the end of a cable that cannot be conveniently mounted on the dash without the use of some sort of custom adaptor. This means most people will hide it in the glove compartment, adding to clutter.
* The radio display is the least intuitive part of the GUI and makes it somewhat difficult to switch from station to station without the remote control or taking your eyes off the road for long periods of time. Kenwood could solve this problem by having a row of soft buttons at the bottom of the display when a particular station is displayed rather than requiring a user to press the "list" button first to list all of the stations. That way the Kenwood could emulate station presets on current push button head units.
* Similarly, the hard buttons on the radio for volume and input selection are way too small. At least for volume control and mute, I'd recommend and addon kit so that you can control those critical functions from the steering wheel with bigger buttons.
* The smallish remote control is really terrible not really useful for navigating the unit.

There is a Youtube video here [...] that demonstrates the Kenwood but really doesn't give a good feel for the interface.
Get more detail about Kenwood DNX7140 6.95-Inch Wide Double-DIN In-Dash Nagivation with Built-in Bluetooth USB/iPod Direct Control/DVD Receiver.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Cheapest Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator


I ordered a Garmin Nuvi 285wt for my husband on black friday; the delivery it was supposed to be on december 2nd; I waited all day long and UPS didn't come to my house. I got the GPS next day (december 3rd.Can somebody tell Why on the BOX of the GPS says Garmin 285wt and not on the GPS (it says garmin 285w)Is it the same?.

Thank youGet more detail about Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

Cheap Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)


Don't waste your money on this thing.
It is a piece of junk. Ordered this because my 2004 GPS need an update, Hope this new GPS have up to-date information. Entered the address hoping this thing will show me the direction, I ended up arrived in a totally wrong places. It happened not once but twice. The second time happened when we ere on road trip...what a mess. My old one (build in Toyota Prius) works much better than this.

Get more detail about Magellan Maestro 3100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished).

Sunday, March 21, 2010