GPS

[dennie]

Would like some assistance with getting the step-daughter a GPS. It would be used most in her car, but possibly some hiking use. Would also like to keep the price below $150.00. Any suggestions as far as reliability, accuracy, ease of use, etc.?
Thanx to all, and to all a Merry Christmas!
dennie

ps, might just get myself one also.

[jeepnik]

While I don't have any specific model designations, I'm pretty much sold on Garmin products. The car models I have have traffic info which comes in real handy with the driving I do. My "off road" gps is a quite old "color" model. It can be used for marine, road, or with the topo feature off road. It seems that most I see today are an either one or the other.

[Grizz]

dittos on garmin. I tried a magellan recently and took it back, it is very much inferior to garmin. it has lane management but the screen is very poorly lit, very hard to see in daylight, and has very poor feature colors in the mapping. something all garmins excel at.

the nuvi line has a battery and can be dismounted and used in a pocket on walks.

the screen visibility and colors are the best of any car type gps I've seen.

the new feature that I like, don't have yet, is lane management where the actual signage you are approaching is in view, with very clear directions showing which lane to be in, and when.

the counter "feature" that comes with the newer models is SPAM. That's right folks, the units that feature traffic advisories and rerouting also spam you with ads of some kind. I've not seen them, but the idea puts me off so much that I still use my old baseball version with the old receiver.

so about the garmin receiver, the new ones are beyond great, I know because my handheld garmin has that receiver. my old one has a receiver that occasionally loses the signal in bad wx or deep foliage. the new receiver does not.

the problem with the older units like the one I use, which has around 100,000 miles on it, is the mapping can be out of date. I could entertain for an entire evening describing adventures in northern virginia trying to avoid or use the beltway to avoid or access d.c. I think but do not know if my gps maps can be upgraded. it might cost more than a new gps.

I have looked at tom-tom and trying out their navigation features it takes MINUTES to calculate a trip to baja that garmin gets done in SECONDS. not something I want to deal with in traffic when I'm looking for gas and grub, and a safe exit back to the highway.

the problem I see with the newer is feature overload. they want to hook up to your cell via bluetooth. they want to be your music player. they want to have your foto album streaming pictures. and for all I know they want to provide other services.

garmin is my only choice. the voice direction feature is a life saver when going thru unfamiliar territory, except around the dc beltway with the old maps, should not apply to the new models. the road mapping uses the best color combos to differentiate primary and secondary systems. you can actually navigate thru cities on secondaries just by staying on the orange color roads....

if anyone knows which garmin HAS the lane assist feature WITHOUT all the other unnecessary stuff please let me know.

Grizz

[AJMD429]

I've been happy with my eTrex. $99 and does the job just fine for location, but if you want built-in maps and so on, I think you have to pay extra.

[cshold]

I Craigslisted and sold my two car GPS’s.
The smart phones are smack on & the wave of the future in GPS.
That said I will continue to keep and use my little Garmin Geko 201
for in the woods trekking.

[TMair]

Personally I think the new Magellan’s they are just as good as the Garmins, I have no problem with routing, speed or route to take, and have no problems with fast sat acquisition, they are less money, and give you more useful features such as traffic.
That said for off road I do use a garmin etrex.
My experience has been that GPS' that are good for routing on the hiway are not good for wilderness, even if you put them on walking for suggesting a track they still look for mapped roads to put you on.
Terry

[TMair]

I Craigslisted and sold my two car GPS’s.
The smart phones are smack on & the wave of the future in GPS.
That said I will continue to keep and use my little Garmin Geko 201
for in the woods trekking.

The problem with phone/internet based GPS programs is just that they rely on internet access, and if you find yourself out in the boonies as I am sure most of us do from time to time you have no GPS, been there done that.
Terry

[765x53]

Whatever you purchase, look for LTM (lifetime traffic and map updates)

[TMair]

Whatever you purchase, look for LTM (lifetime traffic and map updates)

Good advise!!!
Terry

[cshold]

I Craigslisted and sold my two car GPS’s.
The smart phones are smack on & the wave of the future in GPS.
That said I will continue to keep and use my little Garmin Geko 201
for in the woods trekking.

The problem with phone/internet based GPS programs is just that they rely on internet access, and if you find yourself out in the boonies as I am sure most of us do from time to time you have no GPS, been there done that.
Terry

Exactly why I said I kept my little Geko 201. Simple to use, fits
in a shirt pocket and works good enough to get yeah out of a
fix or remember a potentially awsome deer spot waypoint.

O and used more times than anything else to waypoint those secret Trout fishing
Holes I've stumbled upon.

[2571]

+1 for Garmin

Less useful for off road & mine has never held a charge very long. My Nuvi works fine when hooked up to car's power outlet, though.

[dennie]

Thanx guys, will seriously check the Garmins.
dennie

[Ysabel Kid]

I have the Garmin Nuvi, which I use for work travel. It is small, easy to carry in a sports coat, and very accurate. My company car now has one built in, but it is not near as accurate or easy to use. I have read a lot of articles though saying what casastahle said - stand-alone GPS units are on their way out. With people having GPS on their smart phones and now tablets, it is just a matter of time before these follow the VCR into oblivion.

That being said, I think the Garmin Nuvi is a better idea overall. Fooling around with a smart phone or tablet while driving is a recipe for disaster!

[Streetstar]

IThat being said, I think the Garmin Nuvi is a better idea overall. Fooling around with a smart phone or tablet while driving is a recipe for disaster!

Yes ---- plus my livelihood depends somewhat on my use of the phone at times ----- i am on the phone for a couple of hours on any given day -- sometimes more, and portions of that are while i am driving --- i could give 5 rips about "cellphone-driving regulations" -- if i can manage a few calls in transit, i get to go to bed earlier at night
---- if i have a separate device , i can still navigate in strange areas while continuing to blab away

edit:, but in fairness, the gps unit on my "not-so smartphone" is darn good and i use it as a backup a couple of times a month at least if my Garmin cant find an address

[madman4570]

I use a Sony (works good)and a Garmin etrex in unfamiliar woods.

But,I have to say I am very impressed with the TOMTOM
My brother showed me how TOMTOM has partnered with Google maps and I was stunned.The software how they interact was mind blowing.

Example: He says,want to see something cool??
Now here we are sitting in his den about 8pm(it was dark outside) he says watch this.He gets on google maps with his laptop brings up his property and zooms on it. Out on his 6 acre big landscaped lawn there is this small apple tree.He clicks on it and then plugs his TOMTOM into a USB slot.Hits a button and the TOMTOM imports it.(the coordinates)

He then says(grab your beer and follow me)pulls out the USB plug from his TOMTOM grabs the TOMTOM and walks to the backdoor.
He turns off the back deck lights(its totally dark out back)steps out,turns back on his TOMTOM and selects a quick selection.The TOMTOM then go into search mode and directs him right to that very tree.
If you tried to go off course even several feet it would guide you back on.

It was unreal.
What could you use it for? Well how bout plotting your say 50 acre parcel of property from Google Maps select it and you could very/very close(withing maybe a foot or two)do a survey of your land.(It would be very/very close to having it professionally done.

We tried it with mine(and mine is surveyed and it was astounding)

Another example:
About 9 months ago wife and myself was to meet him at Cornell University.He said here take my TOMTOM and do this(just select a couple selections) we did.
That TOMTOM directed us right into a reserved parking spot he had for us(and his car was parked next to it with him sitting in it when we arrived

And I thought of them being kinda of a lower brand item
he says his has been extremely reliable and just that feature tips the scales to that brand???

Think what he does is like what is described below???
http://gps.about.com/od/testcategory1/h ... e_Send.htm

[KirkD]

If she has an iPhone, get her the Tom Tom app. It comes with all the maps for North America. The iPhone already has a built in GPS antenna. Get her a mounting bracket and she's got a fully operational GPS. That is what I use and in my opinion, it has made the stand-alone GPS completely redundant.

[Old Ranger]

You folks make me feel way old! I still use map and compass in woods that I'm new to. Shucks, I used map and compass to guide myself throught jungles, mountains, and such in S.E. Asia for over two years and didn't get lost But that's why I'm an "Old Ranger"

I looked at those GPS gizmos a couple of times, but they did nothing but confuse me! One of the guys that works for me uses one in his car, but we have nicknamed him "Inspector Gadget" as he has nearly every new gizmo made by man! He tried to show me how to use it, but I was frustrated.

Give me a topo and a GI compass and I'll be just fine. Batteries not included, nor needed. Oh, I do have a watch that has a digital compass in it now. Does that count as hi-tech?

Well, just had to make an 'Old School' statement I suppose

Ya'll have fun with the gizmos.
Wade

[2571]

Ever see a mistake on a topo map? Current map for my farm shows an old lake that is not within the memory of a person now living -- CCC drained it in 1934.

I've done that machete/compass thing too, like a lot of us here have. I understand USMC issues more GPS units than compasses these days. Compass, topographic map & GPS each has its strengths & weakness and none of the 3 is intended as a replacement for the others.

[Streetstar]

. Compass, topographic map & GPS each has its strengths & weakness and none of the 3 is intended as a replacement for the others.

Traditional land nav skills will always have a place in the military i think --- if not in day to day use, at least the ability to do that when the chips are down

[cshold]

If she has an iPhone, get her the Tom Tom app. It comes with all the maps for North America. The iPhone already has a built in GPS antenna. Get her a mounting bracket and she's got a fully operational GPS. That is what I use and in my opinion, it has made the stand-alone GPS completely redundant.

+1

[williamranks]

I used this site to decide what to buy for hiking and linking to Google Earth. The do reviews and have 10 best lists for auto and for handhelds. They also have a link to free maps for Garmin.

http://gpstracklog.com/

[adirondakjack]

GPS apps for phones are not all dependent upon the cell system. MY Droid2 on Verizon has setting to choose "assisted" GPS using 3G or just the GPS when that's all ya want.

For a CAR it works great, as I can plug the phone into the car radio's "aux in" input, play my music stored in the phone, and the GPS will interrupt the music. I can also take a call hands free, the audio coming through the car speakers and hands free mic works well. Normally I can do all three at once. When taking a call, GPS will override and warn me of a turn I need to make. When the phone call is over, music comes back, and GPS overrides that as needed. It's a "must have" for long, solo drives compared to "where are we now?" and trying to use a map or multiple devices competing for attention....

I also have a free downloaded app that is supposed to be a GPS checker, but has the ability to do way points, and is perfect for fishing. It'll put me spot on top of a bit of structure as big as a refrigerator, etc.

No more garmin or tom tom here.....

I guess the point is, if ya already pay for a cell phone, why not use one that does all that stuff and more instead of a bunch of "onesie" devices. I use my Droid2 as a level, emergency mini flashlight, GPS, music player, internet access, watch, camera, and oh yeah, makes phone calls. The best part is this, ya already have the PHONE with you. I can and I have stopped beside the road and asked my phone "find Walmart" and it will take me there, even when I hadn't planned on needing GPS that day....

[Booger Bill]

I do a lot of trail rides in the boonies with a ATV. I have a garmin E-trex but it is very hard for me to see the little screen out in the open bright light. Next to impossible. Garmin makes a montana 650T that is very exspendsive, like $600s! It has a bigger screen, takes pictures and plots them on a map where taken etc. For my purposes, I like the way I can unload my e=trex on map world on my compuuter and it shows exactly where I was on map world. I recently found out how to do that, did it, and it showed about a 100 different rides I had done over several years, and a couple thousand miles of tracks I had made! Then I hit the wrong button and lost them all!
I wish I would have had a good GPS many years ago and knew how to use it. It`s fun to bring up the map on the computer and see everywhere you been where ever the GPS was turned on! I still think they need to be developed a little more as far as larger screens and readability outdoors go, and exspendse. It is possible to take a lap top computer with you and really see the maps well with the gps plugged in, but I am afraid of shakeing it apart bouncing it around on the quad. My outfit is the E-trex with the additional cost of the map world program, but as said for my eyes that little screen is hard to see.

[TMair]

GPS apps for phones are not all dependent upon the cell system. MY Droid2 on Verizon has setting to choose "assisted" GPS using 3G or just the GPS when that's all ya want.

For a CAR it works great, as I can plug the phone into the car radio's "aux in" input, play my music stored in the phone, and the GPS will interrupt the music. I can also take a call hands free, the audio coming through the car speakers and hands free mic works well. Normally I can do all three at once. When taking a call, GPS will override and warn me of a turn I need to make. When the phone call is over, music comes back, and GPS overrides that as needed. It's a "must have" for long, solo drives compared to "where are we now?" and trying to use a map or multiple devices competing for attention....

I also have a free downloaded app that is supposed to be a GPS checker, but has the ability to do way points, and is perfect for fishing. It'll put me spot on top of a bit of structure as big as a refrigerator, etc.

No more garmin or tom tom here.....

I guess the point is, if ya already pay for a cell phone, why not use one that does all that stuff and more instead of a bunch of "onesie" devices. I use my Droid2 as a level, emergency mini flashlight, GPS, music player, internet access, watch, camera, and oh yeah, makes phone calls. The best part is this, ya already have the PHONE with you. I can and I have stopped beside the road and asked my phone "find Walmart" and it will take me there, even when I hadn't planned on needing GPS that day....

I was talking about the mapping programs like Google for the GPS, not the receiver.
What program do you use for the mapping with your GPS receiver on Droid?
And I agree I do have Garmin on my Treo...yes Treo I love it, but since Garmin decided to get pissy about their Cell phone/PDA programs I don't know what is out there now.
Terry

[madman4570]

GPS apps for phones are not all dependent upon the cell system. MY Droid2 on Verizon has setting to choose "assisted" GPS using 3G or just the GPS when that's all ya want.

For a CAR it works great, as I can plug the phone into the car radio's "aux in" input, play my music stored in the phone, and the GPS will interrupt the music. I can also take a call hands free, the audio coming through the car speakers and hands free mic works well. Normally I can do all three at once. When taking a call, GPS will override and warn me of a turn I need to make. When the phone call is over, music comes back, and GPS overrides that as needed. It's a "must have" for long, solo drives compared to "where are we now?" and trying to use a map or multiple devices competing for attention....

I also have a free downloaded app that is supposed to be a GPS checker, but has the ability to do way points, and is perfect for fishing. It'll put me spot on top of a bit of structure as big as a refrigerator, etc.

No more garmin or tom tom here.....

I guess the point is, if ya already pay for a cell phone, why not use one that does all that stuff and more instead of a bunch of "onesie" devices. I use my Droid2 as a level, emergency mini flashlight, GPS, music player, internet access, watch, camera, and oh yeah, makes phone calls. The best part is this, ya already have the PHONE with you. I can and I have stopped beside the road and asked my phone "find Walmart" and it will take me there, even when I hadn't planned on needing GPS that day....

Gotta say those Droids are really something!
Daughter has the model DroidX ?? and like you said that thing about does it all.

[dennie]

Well guys, her Mom stopped and took care of the GPS search. She ended up with the Garmin NUVI 50LM. Got a good price at Staples. Thanx for all the help.
dennie

[adirondakjack]

GPS apps for phones are not all dependent upon the cell system. MY Droid2 on Verizon has setting to choose "assisted" GPS using 3G or just the GPS when that's all ya want.

For a CAR it works great, as I can plug the phone into the car radio's "aux in" input, play my music stored in the phone, and the GPS will interrupt the music. I can also take a call hands free, the audio coming through the car speakers and hands free mic works well. Normally I can do all three at once. When taking a call, GPS will override and warn me of a turn I need to make. When the phone call is over, music comes back, and GPS overrides that as needed. It's a "must have" for long, solo drives compared to "where are we now?" and trying to use a map or multiple devices competing for attention....

I also have a free downloaded app that is supposed to be a GPS checker, but has the ability to do way points, and is perfect for fishing. It'll put me spot on top of a bit of structure as big as a refrigerator, etc.

No more garmin or tom tom here.....

I guess the point is, if ya already pay for a cell phone, why not use one that does all that stuff and more instead of a bunch of "onesie" devices. I use my Droid2 as a level, emergency mini flashlight, GPS, music player, internet access, watch, camera, and oh yeah, makes phone calls. The best part is this, ya already have the PHONE with you. I can and I have stopped beside the road and asked my phone "find Walmart" and it will take me there, even when I hadn't planned on needing GPS that day....

I was talking about the mapping programs like Google for the GPS, not the receiver.
What program do you use for the mapping with your GPS receiver on Droid?
And I agree I do have Garmin on my Treo...yes Treo I love it, but since Garmin decided to get pissy about their Cell phone/PDA programs I don't know what is out there now.
Terry

For normal use, I use the Google maps integrated system In the Droid2. It works with voice command and the google web search to "find walmart" and provide turn by turn directions, or to tell me how far to "home" when I'm in the middle of a long boring drive on the interstate, where I normally don't need GPS, but may want to ask from time to time, or, as I did recently, "find auto parts" when I lost an (increasingly rare) glass rectangular headlight out on the road..." For fishing I use "waypoint" (free edition), which will put me on top a hot spot, or help me find a channel.... It also functions as a basic compass, along with giving me the numerical GPS coordinates.

I am told even if cell service is unavailable, google will default to a basic map set it digs out of the files stored in the phone....

Note, these "phones" are very powerful little computers. My Droid 2 WAS the hot ticket for like 10 minutes a year ago, sporting a 1GHZ processor. I just bought my kid a Droid X2 for Christmas, and it has a 1GHZ dual core processor. That's faster than the average home computer was not long ago....

There are literally dozens of apps available directly through Android Market, either free or for a couple bucks, and hundreds more available online. The thousands of fifteen year olds who write APPs just because they can are amazing.

[2571]

If she has an iPhone, get her the Tom Tom app. It comes with all the maps for North America. The iPhone already has a built in GPS antenna. Get her a mounting bracket and she's got a fully operational GPS. That is what I use and in my opinion, it has made the stand-alone GPS completely redundant.

Is using the phone like this cost effective now as opposed to having a separate GPS? I've got an iPhone & when I casually enquired, the GPS service cost more per month than the telephone service.

What happens when you get a call and it's GPS'ing? Can you use both functions simultaneously?

[Streetstar]

[ service.

What happens when you get a call and it's GPS'ing? Can you use both functions simultaneously?

Its a royal pain in the neck for me. I llike the GPS mounted on my dash or windshield right in front of me so i can see it and you cant do that with the phone. Plus you have to keep the phone plugged in as continuous gps usage really burns up a lot of battery life

I have a stand alone GPS to do "gps things" , an ipod to play my tunes/podcasts as i hate the phone to interrupt the music and start blaring through the car speakers -- i would rather just hit mute on the stereo and pick up my phone and leave the rest undisturbed , and a android phone for everything else - the phone also serves as a wifi hotspot so i can run my laptop with it if needed also ----- my truck has more hardware in it than my house does

Granted, the Android phone or an Iphone will do everything and would be all i ever needed if i didnt have an occupation that required me to live in my car for hours a day. Little "quirks" turn into big hassles when you use things a bunch

[adirondakjack]

If she has an iPhone, get her the Tom Tom app. It comes with all the maps for North America. The iPhone already has a built in GPS antenna. Get her a mounting bracket and she's got a fully operational GPS. That is what I use and in my opinion, it has made the stand-alone GPS completely redundant.

Is using the phone like this cost effective now as opposed to having a separate GPS? I've got an iPhone & when I casually enquired, the GPS service cost more per month than the telephone service.

What happens when you get a call and it's GPS'ing? Can you use both functions simultaneously?

Phone calls take priority I think.

GPS is already in the phone and the apps cost nothing for an iphone or android. The only "pay" gps is with lesser "feature" phones.

FWIW I "rooted" my droid so I don't pay for wifi hotspot use either......

[horsesoldier03]

+1 on using the Phone applications if they have a smart phone. IMO GPS definately beats a compass and topo map anyday. I purchased my own personal ITRAX GPS years ago while in the military. You cant beat them. The last time I was in Iraq, I had to be an escort for another unit and take them to a location that I had only been to 1 time, a week before, and I was there late at night. To make the problem worse, I was also taking them to the location at night. There is no way I could have ever escorted that convoy to that location if I had not mapped it on my GPS the week prior.