Help Me Find Good GPS Navigator

[Markoman01027]

Hey Guys,


I am looking to buy my father an early Christmas Gift, and I want it to be a GPS Navigator. I have been looking at several, but have my eyes on this one:

http://amazon.com/gp/product/B0007LJHVA/ref=cm_gift_gg_dad_B0007LJHVA/102-8146142-4836123?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1RV9N8JND8QR4NAFC71Y&pf_rd_t=1001&pf_rd_p=293219901&pf_rd_i=gift-guides-R7K131UPYR4WK

My budget is between $150-$300. I am looking for a GPS navigator that easily mounts inside a car, able to plug into AC adapter, very good accuracy, and good voice features.

Hope you guys can help me out!

Thanks,
Matt

[Statica]

I don't know about that particular model .. but from what I've used this is what I've experienced..
The TomTom ones (I tried a couple .. dont remember the model #s) were garbage in my experience and extremely annoying! For example, it insists on telling you to "stay left" at every collector interchange .. and if you use it in a big city regularly you can understand how annoying the prompts can get. Accuracy was a bit short of desirable but it wasn't too bad. The points of interest on the model that I used was crap as well. I could be standing in the parking lot of a restaurant and it still didn't have it listed. (Incidentally, it was a Tim Horton's and if you've ever been to Canada, it's a staple for every long distance trip in the country).

I've used a Garmin Muvi 250. It didn't have the shortcomings of the Tom Toms but boy did it open another can of worms! The antenna on it was extremely weak. In most cities, it would either not be able to find out where it was (not exactly a desirable trait for a GPS) or it would steer you wrong, possibly because of signals bouncing off buildings. But once it got it's bearings correct it was very useful. The prompts were extremly efficient and the directions and points of interest very well organized. Personally, from a s/w perspective the Garmins were better than the others.

I like the slimmer GPS' .. ones that you can use in your pocket with a "walking" or "bicycle" mode. A really nice feature to have is a bluetooth capability to sync with your cell phone's address book. http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Nuvi-650-Personal-Assistant/dp/B000OH63MI/ref=sr_1_5/104-8831311-8671917?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1194444121&sr=1-5 or http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-C550-Streetpilot-GPS-Receiver/dp/B000EXU4YK/ref=sr_1_6/104-8831311-8671917?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1194444121&sr=1-6 have it, if your budget is a bit extendable. Lower end Tom Tom's seem to have BT connectivity (but dont work too reliably).

[mbossman2]

Garmin makes good products.

check out this site: http://gpsnow.com/

they do good side by side. feature by feature comparisons.

[glc]

I use a cheap generic USB GPS module with my laptop and Microsoft Streets & Trips.

[Statica]

There is a packaged USB GPS version of MS Streets & Trips .. I got it w/an older S&T version. When I upgraded to the latest MapPoint it worked well on it too.

[Markoman01027]

There is a packaged USB GPS version of MS Streets & Trips .. I got it w/an older S&T version. When I upgraded to the latest MapPoint it worked well on it too.




That sounds interesting. I do own a laptop, and would not mind using it in my car. Would it be cheaper to get a USB GPS and just plug it into my laptop with the MS Streets & Trips?

Thanks,
Matt

[Statica]

S&T w/GPS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116366 $86.99
S&T without GPS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116388 36.99
GPS (Pharos the one MS provides): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858179009 - ~$47.99


Paying 2 bucks more for a packaged solution .. priceless

[mbossman2]

the problem with doing it that way is that you tend to look down and away from the road (it happens to me with the never lost in hertz rentals) and that can really be an issue..that's why I like the ones that sit on the dash and are in your line of sight

[Statica]

The good news, though, is that S&T does offer turn-by-turn voice navigations. Either way, I think that if you have a windshield attached GPS it is highly advisable to pull over and then fiddle with them little buttons, same as a laptop. I agree .. the in-dash ones especially w/voice recognition are nicer.

[Markoman01027]

Hey Guys,

I purchased the M$ Street Map 2006 with GPS Receiver, because my dad's laptop does not have DVD or XP, but 2K.