PatrickB

My NUVI 750 has a qwerty keyboard

The Dark Knight

iTrader: (1)

my mistake, thanks for pointing that out!

my nuvi 255w also has qwerty!

bigman

Magellan, because you can hack it's windows CE and run a movie player and other software on it.

wackura

Do cheaper Garmin units use the standard mini USB cable, such as the type used for the Motorola razr phone?

godfather2

i like my garmin nuvi 255w. relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and all the functions that i could ask for

Anachostic

I'm ever the unpopular one. Not only do I use Opera and have a Zune, but I'm a fan of Mio GPS's. I have a 320 and a 720. The 320 is hacked to do TTS, effectively making it a 350.

The split screen design of the UI is by far the best layout I've seen. It gives so much information at a glance, and if you don't like or need it, you can go to full-screen map.

The POI's are pretty good. 7M in the 320 and 17M in the 720. For Mio, you start by choosing a city, then enter the street name. The keyboard dims out characters as you type that would create an invalid match - nice touch. Once the list is narrowed to one page, you choose a street, or you can show the list of matches at any time if you don't know how to spell the street name. Finally you enter the house number.

The 720 has a media player so you can play videos/pictures/music off an SD card. Could be nice for bored passengers.

I have no problems with the routing capabilites of the Mio software. Isn't that logic pretty much commododized anymore? It's all about who has the most updated maps and POIs.

JnC

iTrader: (12)

Reviving an old thread, costco has a good deal on the nuvi 750

$199.99

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product..._-Garmin750GPS


I had to purchase another one since my 3 month old 255w got stolen from the GS.

synth19

which GPS states actual roads, rather then "turn right."

JnC

iTrader: (12)

255W is a great nuvi and it does say street name rather than "turn right" and so does the 750. The above link is a great deal since the 750 has the FM transmitter as well i.e. you can listen to directions through your factory speakers rather than just the voice through the nuvi speaker.

is300eater

most of the later models do now, even cheaper models, but their pronounciation could be really bad at times... to a point where you can't really understand

Myxomatosis

I use an old garmin, works just fine. I only use it if I get lost, they come in handy for that, but I dont trust them to take me on the "best" roads. I'm betting the new ones do this, but again, I'd rather not rely on them.

Mine is named Sheila. One or two of you guys might know the joke in that name. Regardless, it's nice to scream at the GPS when she sends me on some dirt road to deliverance.

Phlip425

I am now running a Nuvi 755t. I located the windshield suction mount on the driver side between the A pillar and the top of the gauge pod (in the corner there), then I had the power source hardwired to my ignition harness so I don't have to deal with the power cord dangling down my dash. It looks very clean when installed, and when I take the unit out, and remove the suction mount you can't tell it was ever there.

Love the unit, and I am still learning all the things it can do. Does anyone know where i can download a 3rd gen TL Avatar for a Garmin 755t?

is300eater

that's one of the ones I've been eyeing... not sure if I sure get the 765T or not.... Bluetooth on these things still aren't really worth getting.. at least that's been the case in the past....

Thirsty

I have the Magellan 4370. I don't like the response time for selecting things, changing zoom/volume or moving the map around with the finger. Bluetooth is nice but only if you use the FM modulator to get the voice through the car audio. The car windshield mount is very nice.

SG81

iTrader: (1)

i just got the Garmin 255w and it's awesome. everything i need in a GPS

Phlip425

My car already has bluetooth connectivity (factory HFL), so I wasn't concerned about having that feature on the nav.

P

is300eater

that was the OTHER model I was considering... hmmmmmm doesn't sound like you're too please...

I take it, you got it at Best Buy?

Infamous425

i just got back from a week long trip using my trusty garmin c530 (older model)... it doesnt have text to speech but has 6 million POI's... some things annoy me about it are that sometimes it tells me a turn way too late... sometimes takes a min or two to start up... recalculates slower than i'd like...

anyway so i decided to get a new gps to replace it... i wanted something with more features but also cheap.

i ended up buying a Sony NV-44 gps... yup, a sony. i didnt even know sony made gps but after reading some positive reviews i decided to try it out... it has text to speech, lane guidance, split screen, 5 million POI's and the other usual stuff... all this for $80 bucks! you cant find all those features on garmins/tomtoms for anywhere near that price. and if bought at best buy they also give you a $10 gift card with purchase.

after using it for 1 day so far i am liking it more than my garmin... its very easy to use out the box (though not as simple as garmins)... only thing i can't figure out yet is how to avoid highways but i still gotta play around with it some more...

is300eater

hey, can you tell me if the 755T (or the 7x5t series) look anything like this? I can't seem to find much video clips on youtube showing the 7x5T series...

this is a video clip from a gps company call Becker... they mostly cater to European countries... but my question is... does the 3D landmark graphics look something like this?

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KervQFrFQwo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KervQFrFQwo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

calgary2800

Out of the stock Everywhere. For 80 bucks it had to be!

gdubb

I got a garmin Nuvi 200 for Christmas. I like it BUT it did take me the long way (around Dallas instead of foing through downtown) to the in-law's and it was an easy 20 min added to the trip. Coming back it wanted to do the same but I went the way I wanted and it was shorter and easier.

So I am 50/50 on these things, I might just stick to google maps.

TS_eXpeed

Well it is one of the low end models. Not that that means it shouldn't take you the shortest route, but it's not crazy to think it may not behave as well as say the 760. I have the 200W; same as yours just the bigger screen. It's worked for me most of the time. It hasn't ever taken me the long way around things, but it has taken me to places that weren't there.

Also, lately, the damn thing won't stay on for more than 30 seconds unless it is plugged in. And yes, it's "charged", or been charged. Maybe the battery is ka-put?

calgary2800

I found a place to buy it.

Great price cant wait till I get it.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158NVU4...ck.html?tp=145

Infamous425

yeah i got the last one in stock at the best buy i went to.

i definitely recommend this Sony gps

SupaRookie

No Bestbuy location near me have this. I might have to bite on this. Some punk ass broke into my car New Year and took my magellan.

Saintor

I love my Garmin but I am pissed off that the updates are not free and available on internet, as on Tom Tom.

Phlip425

not that I have seen, but then I haven't messed with my settings too much.

P

calgary2800

My GPS has fallen twice off its suction cup on the windshied.

I had to buy this for it, Thank God no damage or screen scratch.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GPS-or-Cell-Phon...3%3A7|294%3A50

docboy

In a 2nd attempt to reviving this "older thread"....

It seems like Garmin gets the nods here as the portable GPS unit to get. I'm looking to pick one up for the wife. Costco here has a Garmin 265wt, a cheap Tom Tom unit for $99, and Meglan Roadmate series for $129 (4.3" screen) and $229 (7"screen).

What are the pluses/minuses for these models?

Renegade

Just buy a google phone and you get free nav

SG81

iTrader: (1)

i agree. the Garmin is awesome but now mine is saying i should update the maps and i don't want to pay for it, although i probably will as long as it's not expensive

Belzebutt

I bought a Magellan 1700. Love the 7" screen, it makes me feel like I have a built-in nav.

is300eater

IMO, Garmin is like Valentine 1 of radar detectors... people say they're the best, therefore most people buy them. And for most part, they make great GPS products... but that doesn't mean the rest aren't good. I DID buy a Nuvi once... and with that particular model... I was NOT impressed (got it at Costco, returned it within 2 weeks). There was a feature that it was lacking that I only find in TomTom units. But it was just me, and I wanted a certain feature.

I think if you buy any of the late models from the top 3 makers (Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan), you're be fine.

Gfaze

I've got the TomTom XXL 540S and it works great. Got it for $150 on black friday at best buy. Main reason I got it was because it had maps of the US & Mexico. It worked very well here and also did surprisingly well in Mexico. I was expecting it to freak out over there but it didn't. The only thing was that there really wasn't much street detail in most cities in Mexico. Overall it worked great.

mitch14

i've got tom tom 7 on my xperia x1, takes a little while to locate me since it's just a phone based gps system, but after that it works pretty good.
has quite a few POI's and is usually pretty accurate, also has about 100 available voices so you can get voice directions from someone that sounds like Arnold Swarchenegger or like KITT
also can use the querty keyboard to enter addresses POI's etc.
comes in handy for what i need it for, since i don't need to use gps a lot, maybe once every few months

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

I'm planning to get Garmin for my dad's oddy van.

What's the best? I know Costco has a good deal on 765T, but its user reviews do really suck.

The only must feature is the bluetooth capability, that's all. Nothing fancy, just GPS + Bluetooth will be good enough.

Thanks guys.

Jerzyboi

i just use my g1
thinking about eventually buying a downloadable gps map that doesnt require data for those long trips outside the city.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Anyone has experience with Garmin 265?

Newegg is having it on sales for $149.. I'm thinking of getting one.

TS_eXpeed

Well, that Garmin I bought I while back hasn't seen use in probably a year now.

iPhone FTW

charliemike

I have a Magellan 4030 (I think ... or 3040 ... whatever) and it sucks because the routing logic is horrible.