GPS Navigation?

Question

I'm not really into electronics but these new GPS Navigation things look neat. If you have I want your feedback. How often do you use it? what's it like? Where did you buy it and about how much should I plan to spend?

Answer 1

Stef26 -

We got the Magellan Roadmate 300 because it was the highest reviewed in our price range at about $350. We bought it shortly before moving to a new area and it's been invaluable because of the fact that all the streets around here are numbered. Only the location of the "SW" (before or after street number) give you any reasonable clue of the direction we're heading.

The device has functioned well. We're able to lock the device, requiring a password on startup, save addresses in the system, it has points-of-interest (banks, restaurants, etc.) and speaks the directions ("exit on your left in 1-point-five miles.")

However, Magellan hasn't made an map update available to us and the one that came with the machine is now a year-and-a-half old. So there have been times where I've gone out the car, tried to map a location and then had to run inside and look up Google Maps because the street just didn't exist in the unit. It's also directed us to non-existent Dairy Queens, a real frustration when my wife is jonesing for a Blizzard. It's also directed me to a freeway onramp that no longer existed.

That said, when you do get hopelessly confused in a large city with lots of one-way streets, it's helpful at keeping your bearing. Sometimes when you're in the midst of tall buildings, they say you can lose your signal (because it can't see the satellites), but we've only had that problem when under tunnels and stuff.

Because it just connects to the windshield via suction cup, it's illegal in California. It's also something we're worried about giving someone a reason to break into our car, so we always remove the device and the attachment arm from view whenever we leave the car, making it a little less convenient.

If we were to do it over, we'd place a much higher emphasis on how frequently the manufacturer provides updates (typically via download from their website). I'd also look for one that mounts lower on the dash so it (or at least its attachment arm) is less obvious to people walking by the car.

And I would certainly not buy another car without one built-in.

http://www.engadget.com/ shows probably 2-3 new add-on models a day. They don't always eventually make it to the U.S. market, but they show a hint of what's to come... the ability to play MP3s, function as a hands-free device for your phone, get traffic updates, download map updates wirelessly, etc., etc. The future of this type of device shows a lot of exciting potential to an electronic junkie like me.

Hope this has been helpful!
James