Saturday, October 30, 2010

Order TomTom XXL 530S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator


The TomTom 530s is a deceptively dumb super high tech GPS. Once it sets a course its that way only no matter what, unless you force it to select an alternate route. So, if you are driving in dense traffic and notice a traffic standstill ahead and you turn off to take an alternate route, to get GPS help you have to tap the screen to get back to the main menu to select the alternate route and then confirm the alternate selection before it will display anything useful. I'm accustomed to the auto recalculation provided by Garmin and Magellan, so despite its 5" screen, the usefulness of the technology is inconvenient in circumstances where you least want to pay attention to programming the unit. After using this product several days, I'm returning it to the seller and buying out a Magellan 1700 (7" display) instead.

Get more detail about TomTom XXL 530S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

Purchase TomTom GPS 12V DC Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter Charger for TomTom One 125, One 125S, One 130, One 130S, XL 330, XL330S, Go 720, Go 920 (930, 920T), Go 920T, ONE 3rd Edition GPS Navigation System


This cable is actually way better than the one that comes originally with the TomTom. It is way sturdier which prevents cable breakage. I'm very satisfied. Get more detail about TomTom GPS 12V DC Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter Charger for TomTom One 125, One 125S, One 130, One 130S, XL 330, XL330S, Go 720, Go 920 (930, 920T), Go 920T, ONE 3rd Edition GPS Navigation System.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Buy Garmin Oregon 550 3-Inch Handheld GPS Navigator with 3.2MP Digital Camera


I have been a Garmin Customer since they introduced their first hand held gps, I have owned their GPS 12, GPS III, GPS V, E-trex, and my current model GPSMap 60cs. Garmin, as a company, has a ridiculous policy regarding their map products. I have over $700 of their map products and I can only unlock them to one GPS Unit, even though I own several of THEIR gps units. I was recently going to purchase an Oregon 550T, but when I contacted Garmin Support they told me I would have to PURCHASE ALL the maps I currently own AGAIN in order to unlock them to any new unit I purchased. Well, Garmin has lost a long time customer and I recently had two friends who were going to get a gps unit and I steered them away from Garmin and the way they treat long time customers. Good Bye Garmin.Get more detail about Garmin Oregon 550 3-Inch Handheld GPS Navigator with 3.2MP Digital Camera.

Buying GA-VENT: Garmin Nuvi Vent Mount for Garmin Nuvi 200, 200W, 250, 250W, 260, 260W, 270, 205, 205W, 255, 255W, 265T, 265WT, 275T, 500, 550, 680, 750, 760


This simple, little piece of plastic is the best thing since sliced bread. It works better than any suction or bean bag holder. It's not quick to remove so if you use your GPS in two cars, I suggest buying another vent holder and an extra cradle. Then all you have to move is the GPS.Get more detail about GA-VENT: Garmin Nuvi Vent Mount for Garmin Nuvi 200, 200W, 250, 250W, 260, 260W, 270, 205, 205W, 255, 255W, 265T, 265WT, 275T, 500, 550, 680, 750, 760.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Discount Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT 7" In-Dash Double-Din Navigation CD/DVD/MP3 with Pandora iPhone streaming


I have been using this receiver in my 2010 Toyota Tundra for several days now. I will simply go over the points that mattered to me:

- sound quality: excellent. Very happy in this regard. I have this connected at the line level to a JL Audio 400 watt amp and Morel Tempo speakers. Professionally installed.

- navigation: so far so good. The voice quality is great. The UI works well and I haven't found it slow when searching for an address or a POI. I like how it behaves as your drive. I do wish I could see what the GPS thinks my current speed is, however.

- iPhone integration: generally very nice. Both for video and music and phone contacts. The audio quality I am getting for better music files is what I had hoped for. I am using the Pioneer iPod cable. Bluetooth wise, no problems except for today when I turned off Bluetooth on the phone, then back on again and the receiver and phone no longer wanted to get along for making calls.

- voice recognition/control: absolutely useless. I tried everything, including holding the microphone directly in front of my mouth. Experiments to test the microphone quality by recording a phone call proved fine. It is obvious that the voice recognition software Pioneer is using here is just not up to the task. I have seen much better in other devices, including the OEM receiver this one replaced. Pioneer has no business selling a flagship receiver at this time with voice control that doesn't work at all. The voice used by this system is low grade computer generated. Not the same voice used by the navigation system. Horrible job of integrating these technologies into this receiver. I guess whatever you have to do to keep up? Try again please. Not that I will be trusting Pioneer with another $1400 of my money any time soon. Ironically, one cannot use the VR system without going into the navigation screen and touching an okay button. Yet the VR system uses a different voice and doesn't actually recognize very well. It kept wanting to switch the source to AM. When I was asking it to make a phone call.

So yeah, I tripped over that last point. But really, they should have done better before releasing this product. Or remove the feature. Or let users know. Hey, it's there but don't actually try to use it, eh?Get more detail about Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT 7" In-Dash Double-Din Navigation CD/DVD/MP3 with Pandora iPhone streaming.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Cheapest IG-PSTARA: i.Trek Garmin Nuvi Sticky Mount


It didnt work for me. Too bulky and stuck out from the dash. i ended up getting a magnetic mount and it works great.
Get more detail about IG-PSTARA: i.Trek Garmin Nuvi Sticky Mount.

Save Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 TomTom Go 720 OneXL


I ordered two of these, one for myself and the other for my father. I also installed both of them an our bikes and they work perfectly.

As far as installation goes, I would recommend using a fuse tap (such as an add-a-circuit) from and auto parts store so that the converter box in the line doesn't drain the battery if you don't ride for a while. You may find, however that your fuse circuit is still hot because you may have relays on your fuse box, in that case, I would recommend installing a switch with the hot wire running into the fuse tap so that all you need to do is flip the switch off and the converter box will not use up your battery.

I don't think the converter box uses up that much power, but if it is directly connected to your battery (or you have the fuse tap in a hot circuit ((by hot circuit, I mean that it is getting power even with the ignition off)) ), the converter box IS using power constantly, so that is why i recommend using a switch or a fuse tap to a switched circuit (meaning a circuit that is not receiving power when the ignition is off).

make sure you ground everything you install, or it won't work, and make sure every new line has a fuse (why i recommend the fuse tap).

If you install a switch, you will have to ground the switch as well as the converter box, or the setup will not work.

If you have any question for motorcycle install, feel free to ask... I know how difficult it can be to find answers to these questions, but fortunately i found a setup that worked for me and my dad.Get more detail about Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 TomTom Go 720 OneXL.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Low Price Garmin Marine Mount for Garmin GPSMAP 76


Good, solid product. I thought it had a suction cup mount for multivessel use, but now have to use stainless screws to mount in on the console.
Other than than, fits nicely and holds the GPS firmly.Get more detail about Garmin Marine Mount for Garmin GPSMAP 76.

Lowest Price Garmin FR60 Men's Red Fitness Watch (Includes Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick)


If you're a cross-trainer like me, you're out of luck as soon as you get into the water. The heart rate transmitter won't transmit a blip to the watch as soon as it's half an inch below water. This even if your watch is actually strapped to the heart rate transmitter (incredibly uncomfortable of course). One wonders then why they advertise the FR60 as being submergible down to 50 meters. I had this problem with the standard transmitter that came with the FR60 and thought a "premium" unit (advertised as being 30-meter-capable and sold separately) would solve it. Apparently not only was I wrong, Garmin knew this upfront (the manual says it won't work while swimming), took my money, and laughed all the way to the bank. What a poor, poor engineering choice to weaken the radio signal in the name (I suppose) of battery life. I'm very disappointed.Get more detail about Garmin FR60 Men's Red Fitness Watch (Includes Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick).

Monday, October 25, 2010

GARMIN CITY NAVIGATOR EUROPE NT ON MICROSD Right now


After initial delivery problem the seller made every effort to speed a second delivery. Merchandise was in perfect condition and I'm completely satisfied with the purchase.Get more detail about GARMIN CITY NAVIGATOR EUROPE NT ON MICROSD.

TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Box Version) Decide Now


I love my TOMTOM!!! I tease my BF sometimes that if it were down to him and my TOMTOM it would be tough for me to choose which I would take on a trip!!! I have used TOMTOM now in three different cities over the past two years and it has been amazing. I used it extensively in Eugene OR and Vancouver WA and also Spokane WA. I have also used it for long distance trips covering several states. I have used it to find my way to work and back home so many times . . . I can't imagine life without it now!! I have never had problems with the speakers - they are always plenty loud! I usually keep it almost all the way turned down now because I'm pretty aware of it when I'm driving and don't need to hear the prompts. If I'm trying to find a new place in the downtown of a city I usually turn my radio off and the speaker up a bit so that I can concentrate more. I love that you can look and see time estimates for when you are going to get someplace and also that you can change the views and what stats are shown. Also love the directions that you can see in text (just like mapquest) and that you can browse the map. Occasionally newer places it wont find. If you are trying to put in an exact address of a place you found and it doesn't have it I just save the cross street and my memory serves well enough the once I'm there I can find it again anyways. The battery doesn't last forever . . . I would guess about two to three hours. I just keep the charger in my car though and have it wrapped over my steering wheel (my TOMTOM is on the LT side instead of under the rear view mirrow) and it is super easy to just plug in the charger when I get in the car so that has never been an issue. You wont regret getting a TOMTOM!! I'm getting my parents one for Christmas this year!Get more detail about TomTom ONE 130 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Box Version).

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Garmin City Navigator Europe NT - UK/Ireland (010-10691-00) Order Now


We used the UK/Ireland map in Ireland for two weeks and must admit that it saved us a great deal of time in finding our way. The many small roads in Ireland most often do not have identifying signs and the GPS was accurate in most cases in directing us.

The one fault I would say the maps have would be the failure to differntiate between the types of local roads. Some roads we were directed to were not often used for vehicles and a better route was located nearby (as we found out from locals).Get more detail about Garmin City Navigator Europe NT - UK/Ireland (010-10691-00).

Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS Enabled Sports Watch Buy Now


I've had this product for two weeks now and have run with it four times. I only go for lap swims in a pool so I only use this Forerunner for running and have not tried its cross training aspects yet. Overall I really like this product, but I'll only rate it four stars until I get more time using it and I figure out how to maximize its features.

First of all, I knew that it looked big, but it is surprisingly light. Much like what others have mentioned, after you start running with it, you don't even know it's there. This is my first running computer so I did a little bit of research. I found Garmin's 405 and the 110 attractive in pictures because they look more like watches than a computer. But the 405 had some complaints about the quirkiness of the touch bezel interface, especially when one perspires, and the 110 doesn't give you a current pace. Many thanks to [...] and for DCRainmaker's reviews.

I had some difficulty installing the Garmin Connect. It took me about two hours trying to figure it out and sync the 310xt to my PC. There were directions to go to the site right away and register the device, but it was not intuitive what you had to do next to install the software and get the sync to happen. One of the big things is I had to first have a record on the 310xt prior to the sync. I found this out in the software version of the quick start manual. I haven't read the entire manual yet, but I find its menus/interfaces very intuitive. And the ANT+ sync-ing does work marvelously.

I like its vibration/tone alerts. For now, I set it for every mile. I don't have to look down anymore or look for trail markers.

I'm not sure how the algorithm performs its pace calculations, but I don't find it that accurate. I find that I can't just look down at any given moment and get a good reading on my pace. It's as if it only calculates your pace over a long distance and divides this over the time. I would prefer a more instantaneous reading since GPS does transmit timing and navigation data frequently. It wouldn't be too much to take your last position, subtract that from your current position, and then divide that by the time it took you to run that bit of distance; for example over one or two seconds. I'll continue to learn more and maybe update this rant...I mean review.

Anyway, I'm really happy with the 310xt and am motivated to run even more because it helps me keep better track of my training and I can see my routes over a map or satellite picture using Garmin Connect.Get more detail about Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS Enabled Sports Watch.