Saturday, July 31, 2010

Garmin Mounting Cradle Review


There is no question this mount works. However it held it out from the dash too far to satisfy me. I ended up]
buying a magnetic mount which hold it right on the Dash.Get more detail about Garmin Mounting Cradle.

Purchase Kenwood Excelon DNX6960 6.1" In-Dash Double-DIN Navigation DVD Receiver


I originally chose this unit because I have a car with the Alpine IVA-W505 and although I like the quality the features are lacking extremely. I am a computer programmer and if I may say the user interface of the DNX6960 is awesome. Very well laid out, sources are easily accessible and the touch screen is very responsive.

The built in blue tooth is also awesome! I love the fact that I don't have to touch my cell phone when I get in the car and when the phone rings the caller id pops up on screen and the music stops. Everything integrates so well it is in my opinion an almost perfect blend of multimedia options.

The reason it does not get a perfect five stars is that using the equalizer is a little tedious and to get the best sound out of it is not that easy. The sound quality out of the box in my opinion is less than stellar and you are better off relying on crossovers on your amp etc. Perhaps good sound is acheivable within the unit itself but it is not apparent to an audiophile like myself.

Overall though it is still one of, if not THE BEST head units I have ever had and I have had them all from Pioneer and Eclipse to Alpine and Clarion.Get more detail about Kenwood Excelon DNX6960 6.1" In-Dash Double-DIN Navigation DVD Receiver.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cheap Garmin Edge 605 Bicycle Monitor with GPS


It's difficult for me to find the words to describe how much I love this thing. I use it to track all my workouts, I navigate long and complicated routes effortlessly, I explore new areas - it's opened up a world of cycling in unfamiliar terrain.

I initially hesitated at the cost - but after using the 305 for almost a year and having logged > 3000 miles on it - I did not hesitate to upgrade and spend twice as much to get the 705 for the additional features it provides.

Hats off to the Garmin folks for creating such a great unit.

I highly recommend this GPS.

About me: I'm a casual rider. I ride about 600 miles per month and use the Garmin to track my rides (I visually load my rides onto MapMyRide and into Google Earth), track my progress and data associated with my rides.

I also have been using the unit to help me navigate long, unfamiliar rides. In this case, I load a GPX file on the unit from any number of mapping utilities ([...], [...], etc).

Some of PROS:

- Weather-proof - you wouldn't swim with it, but I've ridden in downpours with it quite a bit
- Sturdy, solid construction - It's survived many drops
- Navigation - Turn-by-turn alerts based on a saved route works well
- Screen - Legible, precise, looks great - beautiful full color maps
- Backlight / Crip display - Very good illumination
- Battery - After over a year of solid use, I still get 12+ hours continuous (without backlight).
- Accurate GPS - works well in almost all parts of Manhattan, for example
- Customizable screens - chose the data points you'd to show across 2 customizable screens
- Heart rate sensor - has worked flawlessly for me (unlike the Polar sensors, which I'd had issues with)
- Barometric altimeter - accurate - love knowing how much I've climbed (even as an estimate) and the % grade is neat
- Support for workouts - intervals, etc and riding against your previous performance

Some of the CONS (the PROS greatly outweigh any of these cons):

- Maps are expensive (I believe I dropped $100 on maps for my cycling trip in France).
- Map feature display priorities - The map name prioritization doesn't make sense to me... I wish the map displayed town names over park names, for example.
- Calorie count is completely wrong (based on distance - does not take into account climbs or heart rate) - but then again, I didn't buy this unit to count calories.
- Packaged Software - It's not great, it's not bad - it does the trick.

Enjoy!Get more detail about Garmin Edge 605 Bicycle Monitor with GPS.

Buying TomTom USB Cable


This is just a cable specifically designed for TomTom GPS Devises for down;loading maps onto the unit.Get more detail about TomTom USB Cable.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cheapest TomTom GO LIVE Carrying Case and Strap for GO 740


I have owned quite a few GPS receivers and I usually buy soft cases for them, cases with a little bit of padding to protect the delicate electronics inside of the device. However, there are two disadvantages with soft cases: they are thicker and bulkier than hard cases and they offer only limited protection for your screen. I boarded an unusually small plane once and had to check the briefcase that I always carry on. When it was returned I later found that the screen on my brand new Garmin nuvi was cracked. Apparently they laid a large and heavy bag on my briefcase and since the GPS was in a soft case the screen was able to flex and then break.

When I received my TomTom 740 I wanted to make sure that it was protected better than the Garmin was. This hard case it just what I was looking for. It is a good fit for the unit, not too tight, not too loose. My only complaint is that the finish is soft and easily marred. Other than that I am very happy with it. If you need to put your GPS in a purse, glove compartment or briefcase this might be a good choice for you.

TomTom GO 740 Live 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable Live Internet Connected GPS NavigatorGet more detail about TomTom GO LIVE Carrying Case and Strap for GO 740.

Discount Garmin Dakota 20 2.6-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Navigator


I just received my new Dakota 20 and plan to use it primarily for geocaching. I discovered that it will neither send or receive caches, tracks, waypoints, etc. with Garmin MapSource mapping software. I'm VERY DISAPPOINTED that Garmin would come out with a new product that isn't compatible with its basic mapping foundation software. They heavily promote purchase of their Topographic software and/or City Navigator software to install on the Dakota (at about $100 each) which both require subsequent installation of Mapsource. Then, after you purchase and install the software you can't even send or receive (easily that is) all the basic geocaching functions, i.e., caches, tracks, waypoints. You're kidding me! The workaround that requires switching file types from .GPX to .GDB in BaseCamp (a separate, free Garmin software download) isn't satisfactory to me after spending several hundred dollars and after having been a loyal Garmin customer since the inception of geocaching. I also don't care much for having to install more software (BaseCamp) that does little more - and in my opinion considerably less - than Mapsource.
Read the "User Comments" to the Dakota 20 review here for more information: [...]


Perhaps there is some other resolution or fix for this problem that I don't know about right now, but until I find out what it is I'm thinking that this incompatability just sucks! At this point I would not recommend the Dakota series to anyone. I'd recommend the GPSMap 60 series instead (I own two of them).

I sure hope that Garmin doesn't make this same mistake with their new GPSMap 62 series.

I do like the touchscreen, paperless, etc. and all the other features of the unit. The brightness and sharpness isn't as good as my GPSMap 60 Series, but it's a different type and size of display so I'm okay with that. The display is a bit dim in low light (but still quite acceptable to me) and fine in bright sunlight although it sometimes it has to be turned "just right" to get good reflection. It's an easy remedy if hand handheld, but I would imagine not so easy in a bike mount (although I don't ride a bike). Night time is not a problem at all of course.
Get more detail about Garmin Dakota 20 2.6-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Navigator.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Save Garmin GPS Bundle Pack Combo: Smoke Silicone Skin, Black EVA hard shell case, and a Screen Protector / Guard with Lint Cleaning Cloth for use with Garmin Nuvi 200, 250, 260, 270, 205, 255, 265T, and 275T models


I really like this product. It came quickly and provides good protection for my GPS. The screen protector was just a tad too big for the screen. I tried to put it on without realizing that and by the time I realized it would need to be cut down to size just a bit it had already lost the stickiness and I couldn't use it at all, so I would suggesting testing it before you remove the protective sheets from the screen protector and cutting it with scissors first. Other than that, the product is great!Get more detail about Garmin GPS Bundle Pack Combo: Smoke Silicone Skin, Black EVA hard shell case, and a Screen Protector / Guard with Lint Cleaning Cloth for use with Garmin Nuvi 200, 250, 260, 270, 205, 255, 265T, and 275T models.

Low Price Garmin External Microphone for StreetPilot C550 (010-10804-00)


I could not see the difference when using the microphone and when not.
I have tried multiple locations on my car and the results were always the same. Maybe a noise cancelling mic will make a difference (just wondering...)Get more detail about Garmin External Microphone for StreetPilot C550 (010-10804-00).

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Garmin 400C Fish Finder with Dual Frequency Transducer Buy Now


Product works as promised and has been very reliable after a month of daily use, Reads bottom and fish well and is more sensitive than my last unit. Instruction manual is not as helpful as I might want, so you have to work at it a bit to get the most out of the unit.Get more detail about Garmin 400C Fish Finder with Dual Frequency Transducer.

Garmin nüvi 800 Series Rechargeable Battery Order Now


Love Garmin, especially their support, but a little disappointed with this battery. Find that if I keep it as a spare outside the gps, it loses its charge in a week or so. Maybe this is normal. Just didn't realize the need to swap batteries regularly to make sure the spare is charged. Let me know if this the norm with lithium ion batteries. Have a new netbook and I'm wondering if the same is going to be true for it.Get more detail about Garmin nüvi 800 Series Rechargeable Battery.