Auto GPS » Magellan

GPS Buyer’s Guide

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:45:39 +0000

For drivers in North America who are tired of staring at maps and pulling into gas stations to get directions the new technology of GPS may be the answer. GPS or Global Positioning Systems are an inexpensive and reliable way of finding your exact position on the globe at any given time. For the driver this can mean never having to look a road map again. This is a brief introduction to the major brands of GPS units and some information about each.

Garmin offers two different types of GPS units and many models for each type. The larger of the two the Streetpilot is meant to be mounted in your car and provides street to street directions map and much more useful information during you trip. Some of the more recent models of the Streetpilot offer voicecapabilities and will vocally give a driver directions. The Quest offer many of the same features as the Streetpilot but it comes in a smaller handheld size and is battery powered. The Quest may be a better option if you often find your self leaving the car behind and need directions on foot.

Magellan is one of the oldest consumer level GPS manufacturers and they are still one of the finest. The Roadmates line of GPS units have been around for a while and the newest models are still in competition for the highest in quality. The newest models of Roadmates provide turn by turn directions to your destination with its internal speaker. This line of GPS units are powered by the cars cigarette lighter and mounts easily to most automobiles. The Roadmate 800 provides color 3-D maps on its 3” screen.

The newest brand of GPS unit comes from Tom-Tom. The Tom-Tom Go700 provides directions on it’s 3.5” screen which gives its display in 3-D. The Go700 can give vocal directions in dozens of languages. The most interesting feature about this unit is it’s Bluetooth capability allowing it to connect to cell phones to give weather, traffic and road conditions for your trip.

By: David Stone

How to Choose the Right Bluetooth GPS Receiver

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:34:31 +0000

When the first Bluetooth GPS receiver came out, honestly I thought that was something I didn’t need. Actually, I’m not one of those drivers who spends a lot of time talking on the phone. Later when I upgraded my GPS to a unit that had Bluetooth, I loved being able to talk “hands-free” so much I would never consider buying a unit without that capability.

Buying a GPS is sometimes difficult because there are so many manufacturers and they have so many products to choose from. If you’re focusing on a GPS that has Bluetooth, then you’re narrowing the field down some, but still, you have a ton of possibilities.

In this article I’m going to make the choice of the right Bluetooth GPS a little (how about a lot?) easier for you. Once you finish reading this, you’ll be ready to purchase the right unit for your needs and your budget.

One thing that helped me when I bought my unit was realizing there are three main manufacturers of GPS devices. Garmin is the industry leader with probably 70% of the market share. Tom Tom is fast catching up with great products and great prices. And Magellan certainly holds its own as one of the early pioneers with a lot of proprietary features.

I’m not going to tell you which unit I chose. I will tell you it was made by one of these three.

Let’s talk about each of these companies and their GPS’s that have Bluetooth capability.

Garmin

Garmin has a huge range of products. They have several GPS devices that have Bluetooth integration. Personally, I like their newer, sleeker nuvi line. The nuvis are replacing the StreetPilot as Garmin’s flagship line of GPS receivers.

There are several nuvis with Bluetooth. Their numbers are the 360, 370, 660, 670, 680, 760, 770, 780, and the recent arrivals the 880 and the 5000.

The 300s all have the smaller 3.5-inch screens. The main difference between the 300s and the 600s is the screen size. If you want a huge screen, try the 5000! It’s screen is a huge 5.2-inches along the diagonal.

The 600s also have what’s called FM transmission capability. That is, the sound from the GPS is routed through your car’s stereo system.

What the 700s offer above the 300s and the 600s is multi-destination routing. In other words, if you want to drive from New York to Calgary to Vancouver to San Francisco, you can enter all that information in your GPS at one time and it will calculate the best route to get you to all three places. (Unfortunately, it can’t make the drive shorter!)

Nuvis currently run from right around $200 for the 300s to $350 or so for the 700s. The 5000 is currently around $650, and the 880 runs about $1,000.

Magellan

I absolutely adore Magellan’s Maestro line! In that line, there are two GPS’s that support Bluetooth, the 3250 and the 4250. They are the same, except the 4250 has the larger 4.3-inch screen.

These devices are comparable to the Garmin nuvis. Magellan does have a proprietary thing with AAA, where they offer their Tour Book actually on the device. (You have to be a AAA member to access it.)

At the moment, the 3250 will set you back about $200. Believe me, that’s a lot of GPS for that amount of money. And the 4250 is about $250.

Tom Tom

Tom Tom is the newer kid on the block. And they have been aggressively gaining market share with great products and very aggressive pricing. The Tom Tom Go line supports Bluetooth. The Go 510 runs slightly less than $200 and the Go 920 runs between $300 and $350.

Unfortunately, no six hundred word article can tell you all you need to know about these great devices, even if you narrow it down to just the ones with Bluetooth. What you need to do now, is to get on an informative website where you can actually look at specific models and check their current prices.

By: Rick Cole

How to Compare GPS Units For Cars

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:46:54 +0000

There are several manufacturers who make GPS units for cars. Some of the bigger ones make a ton of different models with various types of features. You can buy a GPS for anywhere from $150 to $900.

For the consumer, this level of competition is great, but it does make for a confusing marketplace. Sometimes you feel like you need a masters degree in engineering to understand what you want to buy.

I’m going to try to simplify all of this for you.

Consumer Reports recently did an article listing their top GPS units for cars. They listed units made by just three companies, Garmin, Tom Tom and Magellan.

Personally, if I were in buying a GPS unit right now, I’d stick to those three companies. There’s nothing anyone else offers that’s not offered by one of them, and also they’ve sewn up almost 90% of the market. If you want your purchase to be supported a year from now, you’ll want to stick with the big boys.

As far as Consumer Reports’ recommendations…From Garmin, they recommended the nuvi 760, nuvi 660, and nuvi 350.

All three of these are great GPS units for cars. The nuvi 760 currently sells for slightly over $400 and can do everything, including saying street names, Bluetooth for hands-free calling, real-time traffic bulletins, and even multiple point routing.

The nuvi 660 sells for about $50 less, and can do all of that less the multiple point routing.

Both the nuvi 760 and the nuvi 660 are the wide screen versions (4.3-inches instead of 3.5-inches). If you want an excellent GPS unit but you’re not interested in Bluetooth, multiple point routing, or the wide screen, then you might really want to consider the nuvi 350. It’s currently selling at Amazon for just under $200.

The two models Consumer Reports mentioned from Tom Tom were the GO 920T, which is an all-inclusive GPS that sells for slightly over $400, and the Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition–probably the best entry level device currently on the market. The One, 3rd Edition sells for just under $150.

The only GPS from Magellan mentioned was the Maestro 4250. For a mid-priced GPS unit, the Maestro 4250 really can’t be beat! It sells for around $250. One thing I really like about it, besides the wide screen, is the deal that Magellan has with AAA where they offer the Tour Book right on the device. (For AAA members, of course.)

These are only a few of the top GPS units for cars. Just the ones Consumer Reports mentioned. There are others, to my mind. Like the Garmin nuvi 880, which can do everything except cook your waffles for you. (They’re working on one that can do that for next year.)

Kidding aside, before you go out and actually buy one of these, you need to find an informative website where you can look at individual models and check out their current prices. That way you’ll get the right GPS for you and your needs.

By: Rick Cole

GPS Review Comparison – How to Buy the Right Model!

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:59:00 +0000

The best way to get the right GPS device is with a good GPS review comparison! There are too many manufacturers and too many models to choose from. It all gets very confusing. You need a guide!

If you want to know what these wonderful devices do and how you can save yourself some money, then read on!

But first let’s talk about who makes GPS receivers.

There are a number of manufacturers, but the top three are Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. Garmin is the top dog; Tom Tom is the new kid on the block; and Magellan was the company that originated the whole concept. All three make a great product! That’s the good news. Because if you buy a device from any of these three you won’t go wrong.

The bad new is this. All three make a great product! Which, of course, makes it really difficult to understand which model to buy.

Hopefully, I can give you some assistance with that dilemma.

GPS devices have really caught on over the last two years! And with gas prices so high, I’m sure the demand is just going to grow and grow.

To really start to understand what you’re buying, you need to know how much these things sell for, what the basic features are, and how much upgraded features are going to cost. Let me sketch out an answer to those questions.

GPS receivers sell anywhere from $150 to $1,000. $150 will get you Garmin and Tom Tom’s basic unit. $1,000 will buy you Garmin’s top of the line model, which had a huge screen and all the bells and whistles.

All GPS devices have the following:

Touch screen interfaceAuto-calculation of the fastest or shortest routeA database of Points of Interest (POIs)Voice prompts (but that don’t say the street names!)Maps of the lower 48 United States

If all you want are these basic features, then get something like the Garmin nuvi 200 or the Tom Tom One. They can both do all of this and more.

For more money you can get:

Maps of Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and CanadaBigger screenBluetoothTraffic and weather delivered to you in real timeMuch larger POI databaseAbility to route you to multiple routes on the same trip

You can get a lot of these upgrades for under $350. The Garmin 660 currently sells for slightly under $350 and can do all of the above except for the multiple route calculations. That’s a lot of GPS for the money!

Obviously, there’s a certain amount of education you have to go through before you buy your first, or next GPS device.

Although I’m sure this short GPS review comparison helps, to learn more, you need an informative website where you can browse different makes and models and also get a feel for prices.

By: Lee Cole

Tips on Buying the Best Auto GPS Units, Part II

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:49:02 +0000

In Part I of this series, we discussed how much you can spend on auto GPS units, and how much you want to spend. In this part, we’re going to discuss the manufacturers and what features you need to be on the look out for.

Buy the end of this article, you should know enough about auto GPS units to enter the marketplace with knowledge and confidence.

What manufacturer’s product should I buy?

Since I just mentioned the top manufacturers in the United States, let me just say a few words about each of them.

Garmin has the broadest and deepest product line. I like their nuvi line quite a lot! They’re sleek and really have a lot of features for such a small package.

Tom Tom has been fast catching up in the United States due to very aggressive pricing. If you want a more fully featured model than the One, 3rd Edition, then how about the GO 920T, which was listed by Consumer Reports recently as one of the best GPS’s to buy. Right now, it will cost you a little over $400.

Magellan is sort of the granddaddy of the field. They were one of the first companies to enter the auto GPS market. I like their Maestro line the best for about the same reasons I like Garmin’s nuvi line.

Also, Magellan has a great deal with AAA, where they have the Tour Book pre-programmed right in their device. I’m a AAA lover. So, for me that’s a great selling feature.

Sure, there are other manufacturers of these devices other than Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan, but since these three control almost 90% of the U. S. market, I can’t see any reason to buy anything else.

Now that we’ve talked about who makes auto GPS units, let’s talk about what features you should be considering.

What do I want my new GPS to do–besides tell me how to get places?

In addition to showing you where you are and telling how to get to places, all GPS units also have touch screens, a database of pre-programmed destinations (called Points of Interest, or POI’s), and pre-loaded maps, usually of at least the lower 48 United States.

Other features you might want are:

More maps Actually saying street names (instead of just “Turn Here!”) Real-time weather and traffic alerts right on your device Bluetooth, so you can make hands-free phone calls while driving Multiple point routing, so you can enter more than one destination in for the same trip Bigger screen (4.3-inches instead of 3.5-inches–measured along the diagonal)

You can get the extra maps, saying the street names, and the real-time weather and traffic alerts (with subscription) for only about $200! The Garmin nuvi 350 can do this just fine.

If you want Bluetooth, then you can get this and the wider screen for around $400. The multiple point routing will cost you another $50 to $100.

There are certainly more features, but these are the main ones. There’s a lot of competition under $400 in the auto GPS marketplace. Above $400, it’s mainly all Garmin. So, if you’re willing to spend more, you really need to look at their nuvi 700’s and their 800’s.

Hopefully, this will help you wrap your mind around the market for auto GPS units a little better!

At first buying a GPS seems a little confusing and overwhelming. It’s not really. There are just a few things you haven’t thought about.

Use this article as a guide to help you better understand the marketplace.

What you need now is an informative website where you can browse and check current prices.

By: Rick Cole

Compare Top GPS Units

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:23:32 +0000

Cosumer Reports recently had an article where they listed the top GPS units. Not surprisingly all of the GPS units listed were made by the top three U. S. manufacturers, Gamin, Tom Tom, and Magellan.

But how do you know which one to buy?

Well, in this article we’re going to compare these top GPS units so you can get an idea of which one would fit your budget and your needs. Along the way, I’ll explain some of the cool features these things offer.

Consumer Report’s rated the Garmin nuvi 760 as their best overall system.

Right now, at Amazon, the nuvi 760 sells for just under $400. In addition to Garmin’s reputation for quality the nuvi 760 offers a ton of features for the money.

For instance, the nuvi 760 has maps of the whole U.S. plus Canada. It actually tells you the names of the street you’re turning on, instead of just saying “Turn Right,” or something to that effect. You can get a subscription to real-time traffic reports.

It’s got Bluetooth for hands-free calling, and what’s called “FM transmission” so you can hear the device on your car’s own stereo system. Also, it has multiple point routing, which means you can enter several destinations in at once, and it will plot your route to include all of them. In addition to all of this, the nuvi 760 has the wider, 4.3-inch screen.

Honestly, for under $400, it would be hard to beat all of that!

While we’re talking about Garmin’s top GPS units, Consumer Reports also mentioned the nuvi 660, the nuvi 350, and the nuvi 260 as excellent GPS systems, too.

The nuvi 660 is essentially just like the nuvi 760 minus the multiple point routing. It sells for about $50 less, too.

The nuvi 350 is a really great buy at $200! It doesn’t have the wide screen that the 760 and 660 have. And it doesn’t support Bluetooth. But it can do all the other stuff I mentioned.

As far as the nuvi 260, I’m not sure if Consumer Reports meant the nuvi 260 or the nuvi 260w. Personally, I can’t see a lot of difference between the nuvi 260 and the nuvi 350. The nuvi 350 is an ever so slightly older nuvi model. It has that flip up antenna thing on the back, which bothers some people. It was never much of a factor with me, however.

I could make the case for the nuvi 260w, because it’s got the wider screen. I like wide screens, probably because I drive a big car and my dash is father away than in a little car.

Don’t think that Consumer Reports left out the other two top U. S. manufacturers, though. Tom Tom and Magellan both had excellent devices mentioned in their article.

The Tom Tom GO 920T and the Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition were both mentioned. I wholeheartedly agree! Both of these are great devices.

The Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition is a great entry level device. Actually, as far as features, it’s not entry level at all–it just has an entry level price! It sells for just under $150.

The GO 920T is a direct competitor of Garmin’s nuvi 660 and 760. At just over $400, the GO 920T has a lot of features including Tom Tom’s own Map Share technology, which let’s users make changes in Tom Tom’s map database information.

As far as Magellan is concerned, Consumer Reports chose the Maestro 4250 as one of their top GPS units. I think the Maestro 4250 is without doubt one of the best deals on the market. It’s got the wide screen and a number of other great features. All this for only around $250!

Consumer Reports didn’t mention a number of other great top GPS units that are just as worthy as these are. For information on them, you’ll have to refer yourself to an informative website.

By: Rick Cole

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing an Auto GPS

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:54:19 +0000

There are many factors in choosing an GPS for your auto. Most depend on personal likes, dislikes and wants. Some factors do boil down to hard points.

They are:

· The receiver.

· The number of points of interest.

· Quality of the routes.

· Price

The receiver you want is the SiRF’s high performance. SiRF Star III chipset is a must have. This receiver enables you to get reception in areas you have not in the past, like behind tall buildings and in canyons. Reviewers have praised the SiRFstarIII chipset for its superior sensitivity and tracking capabilities. GPS receivers based on this chipset have routinely performed better than receivers based on other chipsets. All the models form the top manufactures utilize this receiver. However you co need to be careful. There are GPS units from top manufactures without this chipset still in the market place. Also some units with this receiver have been discontinued. Check out my blog to see a list of GPS units to avoid.

The next feature is the number of points of interest the unit comes with. This varies from a few hundred thousand to several million. These points of interest are important when you need to find a gas station fast. A general rule is the more expensive the GPS the more points of interest it will have. Points of Interests can also be added. The process varies by GPS. I know with some TomTom units you can add your own from your computer.

The quality of the routes is the heart of the GPS. The routes are why we buy and use GPS’s. Even with the same receiver and maps the routes will vary between units because of the algorisms used the route will vary. Garmin is ranked by most as the best. Magellan is ranked a close seconded. TomTom is ranked third among the top the manufactures.

Price is a factor because it affects the features you will be able to get. There are many excellent base units the do the basic GPS job. The base models are hundreds of dollars less than the top end models. For example, if you are willing to give up a FM transmitter and MSN for live traffic and you could save as much as $400.00.

The process of choosing a GPS for your auto should look like this:

· Set a maximum price to spend.

· Make sure you are getting the SiRF Star III chipset.

· Review the customer ratings. Every manufacture is capable of producing a poor model.

· Look at the number of points of interest included. Also research the cost of adding more points of interest to the unit.

Do these things and you should be able to find the best auto GPS for you.

By: Alton Morris

Tips on Buying the Best Auto GPS Units, Part I

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:43:05 +0000

If you’re in the market for a GPS, then a few tips on buying auto GPS units will be helpful.

There are so many makes and models to choose from! Without getting a masters degree in engineering, how do you decide what manufacturer to go with, or how much to spend?

Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered! With the tips I’m going to give you about buying auto GPS units, you can march confidently into the marketplace and spend your money, knowing you’re buying the best unit for you and your needs.

When you buy a GPS unit, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself.

How much do I want to spend? What manufacturer’s product should I buy? What do I want my new GPS to do–besides tell me how to get places?

Let’s look at each of these in turn.

How much do I want to spend?

Of course you can spend less than you’re budgeting. But to make sure you understand the answers to the next few questions on our list, you need to at least have a vague idea of your price range.

You can get a brand new GPS unit for $150! All the major manufacturers have an entry level model.

Garmin makes the nuvi 200. Tom Tom has the excellent One, 3rd Edition. Magellan has a great entry level model called the Maestro 3100.

All three of these units show you where you are on an electronic map and tell you how to get to your destination with voice instructions.

All three of these manufacturers make a great product. As a matter of fact, Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan are the industry leaders (in that order, with Garmin controlling about 50% of the marker share).

If you want more bells and whistles (which we’ll discuss in a moment), you’ll be spending anywhere from $200 to $400.

If you want to shoot the moon and get the cutting edge of current automotive GPS technology, then it’s $900 for the Garmin nuvi 880.

So, anywhere from $150 to $900 is the price range, and you can get excellent devices at all the price points. Before you dive into the marketplace, however, you need to get a handle on how much you want to spend.

In Part II of this series of articles we’re going to talk about what products you should buy and what you want your new GPS to do.

Another good thing to do, as you’re educating yourself, is to find a good, informative website you can browse around in and check prices.

By: Rick Cole

Who Has The Best Auto GPS?

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:01:11 +0000

The answer to that question is, like many in life: it depends. There are many individual factors. What is perfect for one person is not perfect for someone else. Factors to consider are the price, receiver, and quality of routes.

TomTom One is a good GPS. It has the modern receiver. The price is the best among the top 3 sellers. It does have two drawbacks compare to a Garmin or Magellan. First it tends to be less intuitive and more importantly the routes are less accurate. I read reviews that say their TomTom seems to be off by as much as a ½ a mile. But you can upload corrections to the unit from your computer and add points of interest.

Magellan is a very good unit. Its routes are as accurate as anyones. Most of the models have the modern receiver. The price runs between Garmin and TomTom. My concern with Magellan is the quality of the units. They recently pulled a few of the units of the market due to persistent bugs. I would definitely check customer feed back and any particular models I consider. They are a good buy for the money. Their best units are as good as anyone’s.

Garmin is considered by most to be the best overall GPS manufacturer. It route mappings are the most accurate. Reviewers like the how easy the menus are to figure out. Garmin GPSs are well made and dependable. Their only draw back is the price. If you can afford the extra money you will probably want a Garmin.

Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom all make good units. They also make units in different price ranges, with varying bells and whistles. Garmin is the best if money is not a concern. Magellan is considered to be a close second. Magellan is also generally priced cheaper than Garmin. The routes are as good as Garmin, but quality may be a concern.

TomTom is the cheapest. The routes tend to be less accurate than Garmin or Magellan. If money is a concern it will get the job done.

Like I said the best auto GPS depends on many factors. You need to consider you price range, the features you need, and the quality of the units in your price range. Be sure to check customer reviews on any units you are considering.

By: Alton Morris

Auto GPS Comparison Guide

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:39:35 +0000

When buying a GPS receiver, you need an auto gps comparison guide. There’s just too much to know about these devices. Also, the features they have and the prices they’re offered at change rapidly. If you want to save yourself some time learning about all of this, then read this article.

This article is specifically about after-market GPS receivers. You know, the kind you see on people’s dashboards. I’m not talking about the in-dash variety, nor am I talking about the hand-held variety–the kind you take hiking.

GPS receivers have really caught on lately. And with the spike in gas prices, I think they’ll be a hot item for quite a while. They sell anywhere from $200 to almost $1,000. But with gas at over $4.00 a gallon, that could easily pay for itself!

The best way to understand how to pick out the right GPS receiver is to do a quick auto gps comparison. Let’s talk about who the best manufacturers for these things are, and then about the features you get when you buy one.

There are three main manufacturers of GPS receivers, Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan. All three make a great product, and all three are very competitive with each other both on features and price. Garmin is the industry leader. Magellan was actually one of the first companies to figure out this technology, and Tom Tom is the new kid on the block.

When you buy a GPS receiver, you get the same basic features.

All GPS devices can do the following:

Show you were you are on an electronic map Tell you where to turn to get to where you want to go Interface with you via a touch screen Tell you where certain things are like gas stations, restaurants, and other Points of Interest (POIs) Include maps of the lower 48 US states Calculate the shortest or fastest route
So, even the cheapest GPS receiver can do all of this. If that’s all you need, then you can get a device that can do this for right around $150!

But before you buy, you might want to think about some of these cool upgraded features. For not too much more money, your GPS receiver can do a whole lot more.

For more money you can get:
More extensive maps, including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and Europe Bigger screen Bluetooth technology integrated in the system, for hands-free calling Real-time traffic and weather FM transmission, so you can hear your device through your car’s own stereo sound system Much larger and more extensive POI database Multiple route calculation, so you can enter more than one destination in at one time
These upgrades are worth looking into. You can get a lot of this stuff for under $350! That might be money well spent, because you’re going to be happier with your choice and want to keep it for a longer time–before you trade it in for a more powerful model.

Now that you’re read this auto gps comparison, your next step is to find an informative website where you can read about individual devices and learn more about prices.

By: Lee Cole