Best GPS navigator
- Thread starter Andrew_A
- Start date
TOM TOM
Look for loud voice directions, it amazing how in the shop it sounded loud enough but with the window down, radio on , kids screaming in the back, truck braking right next to you, you didnt hear the "turn left now" direction.
Large/bright screen. Sunlight glare on the screen is very annoying when your lost.
Easy to use, Some you will need a degree to use them.
Here's a link to a website/business I sold not too long ago.
http://www.gpsaustralia.net/
Look for loud voice directions, it amazing how in the shop it sounded loud enough but with the window down, radio on , kids screaming in the back, truck braking right next to you, you didnt hear the "turn left now" direction.
Large/bright screen. Sunlight glare on the screen is very annoying when your lost.
Easy to use, Some you will need a degree to use them.
Here's a link to a website/business I sold not too long ago.
http://www.gpsaustralia.net/
I agree...TOM TOM...I love mine. Used it in Canberra, Melb, country VIC and Brisbane so far and it's the best purchase I've made in a long time. Mine is the basic one (but with the slightly larger screen). You won't be sorry.
i've found a UBD roadmap to be far more cost effective.
1. It won't be cost effective if you travel to other cities.
2. Mine saved me money in a way I didn'y expect. I travel 30km to work every day. My Navman (base model) gave me a route which cut off 4km.
I got a VDO-Dayton for free from work. Not recommended at all. It takes about ten minutes to sync up to satellites when you first turn it on, the menus are confusing, I still haven't worked out how to set the "home" or "work" shortcuts.
To top it off, the voice whinges constantly (ie: a notice 2 mins before a turn, then 20 seconds before the turn, then at the turn) so I often put it on mute. When you turn it off/on again, the menu still says that it is muted but it actually isnt - you have to unmute it in the menu and then mute it again, to actually mute it.
Summary: Avoid VDO Dayton.
Also, ALL the guys at work who are into this stuff have TomToms.
To top it off, the voice whinges constantly (ie: a notice 2 mins before a turn, then 20 seconds before the turn, then at the turn) so I often put it on mute. When you turn it off/on again, the menu still says that it is muted but it actually isnt - you have to unmute it in the menu and then mute it again, to actually mute it.
Summary: Avoid VDO Dayton.
Also, ALL the guys at work who are into this stuff have TomToms.
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cheapie Garmin x 2
Ok, though a little slow, BUT a treat when in Europe or US, simply slot in the card for the continent bought from ebay and voila
ta
rolf
Ok, though a little slow, BUT a treat when in Europe or US, simply slot in the card for the continent bought from ebay and voila
ta
rolf
have a gps service on my nokia phone.
not that impressed with the fastest routes it chooses....60% of the time they aren't the fastest, just the most common.
also find the voice directions inconsistent. Sometimes they stop. Sometimes they are ambiguous or come too late.
maybe other services have more intuitive precise directions.
not that impressed with the fastest routes it chooses....60% of the time they aren't the fastest, just the most common.
also find the voice directions inconsistent. Sometimes they stop. Sometimes they are ambiguous or come too late.
maybe other services have more intuitive precise directions.
We have a Nokia Navigator phone - used to keep telling us we were in Antartica so we brought a real GPS.
We found Garmin Street Pilot 510 great - its a bit thicker than the Nuvi models but makes up for this by being quick & easy to use with simple menus. Also liked the fact that it tells us the name of the street we are turning into.
An elderly techno challeneged friend recently picked up a GPS from Aldi (no idea of brand) & I reckon learning to piloting a plane would have been easier! After playing with teh Streetpilot friend took theirs back & picked up a Streetpilot & loves it.
Cheers
Stella
so we brought a real GPS. We found Garmin Street Pilot 510 great - its a bit thicker than the Nuvi models but makes up for this by being quick & easy to use with simple menus. Also liked the fact that it tells us the name of the street we are turning into.
An elderly techno challeneged friend recently picked up a GPS from Aldi (no idea of brand) & I reckon learning to piloting a plane would have been easier! After playing with teh Streetpilot friend took theirs back & picked up a Streetpilot & loves it.
Cheers
Stella
Choice have tested many of them and they found the TomTom GO720 to be the best
RRPrice $549
City Very good
Country Good
Good points
Full route display automatically before each trip.
Excellent route display.
Excellent screen visibility in daylight.
Automatic change from day to night screen.
Excellent voice quality.
Compact, easy to carry in the pocket.
Quick-start guide and instructional CD.
Bad points
No printed manual.
Unit vibrates a little on rough roads.
RRPrice $549
City Very good
Country Good
Good points
Full route display automatically before each trip.
Excellent route display.
Excellent screen visibility in daylight.
Automatic change from day to night screen.
Excellent voice quality.
Compact, easy to carry in the pocket.
Quick-start guide and instructional CD.
Bad points
No printed manual.
Unit vibrates a little on rough roads.
Andrew
Also, looking at the screen quality and verbal instructions, the best ones are
TomTom GO 720
TomTom XL
TOMTOm ONE
Garmin 760
GARMIN 255
Features they (almost) all have
Colour LCD display in landscape format.
Touchscreen.
SD memory card slot except the TomTom XL and ONE.
English spoken instructions plus at least another two languages to chose from
Options to calculate fastest and shortest routes.
Option of two or three-dimensional display of the map.
Display of car speed, distance to destination, estimated time of arrival, street names and distance to the next turn.
Day and night mode; in the latter, the screen changes colour and turns down the brightness so it won’t blind the driver when looking at it in the dark.
Points of interest: Schools, police stations, car parks, petrol stations, airports and railway stations. ATMs and hospitals.
What to look for
Data entry: Keying in your favourite addresses and points of interest (POI) should be quick and easy. Also, check to see if it’s difficult to use your fingers to select points on the screen or whether you need to use a stylus.
Memory cards: Memory cards (either SD or microSD) may contain the latest maps or can also store images, music and video files.
SUNA support: for live traffic updates, may be available via an antenna attachment, or could be built into the latest models.
Display: The screen should be large and glare-free, and show the information you want to see, such as distance to the next turn, current street name, time of arrival and distance to destination.
Some car GPS devices offer the ability to show rendered versions of popular landmarks as 3D objects. However, don’t expect your car GPS to suddenly render your trip in 3D just yet, with only major landmarks rendered so far.
Voice instructions: Make sure these are clear and loud enough to understand over car noise.
Installation and portability: Check how easy the system is to install and how easy it is to remove and carry — thieves are more likely to target cars where they can see a shiny GPS system through the window.
Check they allow you to store your home address and to select a location on the displayed map.
Also, looking at the screen quality and verbal instructions, the best ones are
TomTom GO 720
TomTom XL
TOMTOm ONE
Garmin 760
GARMIN 255
Features they (almost) all have
Colour LCD display in landscape format.
Touchscreen.
SD memory card slot except the TomTom XL and ONE.
English spoken instructions plus at least another two languages to chose from
Options to calculate fastest and shortest routes.
Option of two or three-dimensional display of the map.
Display of car speed, distance to destination, estimated time of arrival, street names and distance to the next turn.
Day and night mode; in the latter, the screen changes colour and turns down the brightness so it won’t blind the driver when looking at it in the dark.
Points of interest: Schools, police stations, car parks, petrol stations, airports and railway stations. ATMs and hospitals.
What to look for
Data entry: Keying in your favourite addresses and points of interest (POI) should be quick and easy. Also, check to see if it’s difficult to use your fingers to select points on the screen or whether you need to use a stylus.
Memory cards: Memory cards (either SD or microSD) may contain the latest maps or can also store images, music and video files.
SUNA support: for live traffic updates, may be available via an antenna attachment, or could be built into the latest models.
Display: The screen should be large and glare-free, and show the information you want to see, such as distance to the next turn, current street name, time of arrival and distance to destination.
Some car GPS devices offer the ability to show rendered versions of popular landmarks as 3D objects. However, don’t expect your car GPS to suddenly render your trip in 3D just yet, with only major landmarks rendered so far.
Voice instructions: Make sure these are clear and loud enough to understand over car noise.
Installation and portability: Check how easy the system is to install and how easy it is to remove and carry — thieves are more likely to target cars where they can see a shiny GPS system through the window.
Check they allow you to store your home address and to select a location on the displayed map.
I like my Navman (base model)- I'm not quite4 sure what is wrong with it that nobody has recommended it.
Some thoughts.
.All of the main brands (Garmin, TomTom, Navman) use the same navigation system- "Whereis"- from www. whereis.com.au from a company called "Sensis" (who also provide the maps in the online phonebook- Whitepages and Yellowpages..
The route calculation, therefore, will not be different between those brands.
I steered clear of the Aldi/alternate brands because I wasn't sure of the map software (I have had varying success with Aldi electronic products- cameras good, universal remotes bad).
So the issues will be- ease of entry of destination; ease of use driving, and clarirty of screen and voice. These are things you can check out in the store.
If you do buy the product though- be careful. Sometimes it indicates roads incorrectly.
Earlier in the year, I drove from Melbourne to Benalla in a hired car- the Garmin was an extra hire.
It ignored the posted exit from the Hume Highhway, and told me to continue further north.
And to turn left onto a flyover which did not even have an intersection with the Hume Highway.
And it offered me a few other bad suggestions as I drove 50k over my travel distance, as I ignored the signs and followed my GPS.
I was in time for the wedding- but only just. As I drove on, I nearly collided with the bridal car as I was turning the corner into the church.
I would suggest, at this stage of development, that a standard Aus paper atlas be used for navigating between cities.
And the GPS used within a city.
Some thoughts.
.All of the main brands (Garmin, TomTom, Navman) use the same navigation system- "Whereis"- from www. whereis.com.au from a company called "Sensis" (who also provide the maps in the online phonebook- Whitepages and Yellowpages..
The route calculation, therefore, will not be different between those brands.
I steered clear of the Aldi/alternate brands because I wasn't sure of the map software (I have had varying success with Aldi electronic products- cameras good, universal remotes bad).
So the issues will be- ease of entry of destination; ease of use driving, and clarirty of screen and voice. These are things you can check out in the store.
If you do buy the product though- be careful. Sometimes it indicates roads incorrectly.
Earlier in the year, I drove from Melbourne to Benalla in a hired car- the Garmin was an extra hire.
It ignored the posted exit from the Hume Highhway, and told me to continue further north.
And to turn left onto a flyover which did not even have an intersection with the Hume Highway.
And it offered me a few other bad suggestions as I drove 50k over my travel distance, as I ignored the signs and followed my GPS.
I was in time for the wedding- but only just. As I drove on, I nearly collided with the bridal car as I was turning the corner into the church.
I would suggest, at this stage of development, that a standard Aus paper atlas be used for navigating between cities.
And the GPS used within a city.
I had never owned or wanted a GPS for my car so I never paid any attention to them or even noticed them in the stores.
Then at the start of this year I was in South Korea for 2 months, and EVERY car has a GPS (noone has street maps, and in fact I couldn't find anywhere at all that even published them).
So after driving around in Korea for 2 months I became quite fond of the GPS unit and decided I'd love to buy one for my own car once I got back to Aus.
Once I got back here, I was all excited to start shopping around for a new GPS unit, but on the first day of browsing my heart sank...
GPS units in everyone's car in Korea are around 8" across. I still can't bare to look at the tiny 3" or 4.5" screens here, and have never bought one
Let me know (in 10 years) once they get bigger here...
Then at the start of this year I was in South Korea for 2 months, and EVERY car has a GPS (noone has street maps, and in fact I couldn't find anywhere at all that even published them).
So after driving around in Korea for 2 months I became quite fond of the GPS unit and decided I'd love to buy one for my own car once I got back to Aus.
Once I got back here, I was all excited to start shopping around for a new GPS unit, but on the first day of browsing my heart sank...
GPS units in everyone's car in Korea are around 8" across. I still can't bare to look at the tiny 3" or 4.5" screens here, and have never bought one
Let me know (in 10 years) once they get bigger here...
