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
Posts Tagged ‘Street Names’
How to Compare GPS Units For Cars
December 27th, 2009GPS Review Comparison – How to Buy the Right Model!
December 22nd, 2009
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
A Comparison of Garmin and Magellan GPS Receivers
December 11th, 2009
If you’re like me, a comparison of Garmin and Magellan GPS recievers would really help you choose the right device to buy. Both of these companies are industry leaders, although Garmin has by far the most market share. Both make great products. So, how do you choose between the two? Read on to find out.
Before I launch into a discussion of these two companies’ products, let’s talk about what the basic features of any GPS receiver are, and also what are the main upgraded features.
All GPS receivers have a touch screen interface. They also all auto-calculate the best route to get you to where you want to go. In addition, they all have voice prompts that tell you where to turn, as well as a large database of Point of Interest (POIs).
With either Garmin or Magellan, you can get all of this for around $150!
If you want to spend more, then you can get the following features: wider screen, more POIs, actually saying the street names, Bluetooth integration, ability to hear your GPS device through your car’s audio system, and real-time traffic and weather.
You can get all of this with either Garmin or Magellan. Let’s talk about Garmin first.
Garmin is the industry leader. They’re really a powerhouse in GPS technology with about 70% of the current market share. Garmin also has a much broader product range than anyone else. As far as automotive after-market GPS receivers are concerned, their nuvi and StreetPilot lines offer an excellent selection along with a very large price range.
The Garmin 660 can give you all of the upgraded features I mentioned above for less than $350! Of course, you can get more by spending more.
Garmin’s 800 line, can do everything the 660 can but it also includes maps of Europe and can calculate multiple routes. That is, you can enter more than one destination into the device and it will calculate how to go from point A to point B to point C, etc. in the most efficient manner.
Magellan’s Maestro Elite line compares with the nuvi 600’s and above. Magellan’s prices might be slightly less for comparable features. But not enough for that to be the deciding factor.
Both Garmin and Magellan make an excellent product! You won’t go wrong with either company!
Since it’s impossible to write a complete comparison of Garmin and Magellan GPS receivers in 500 words, what you need to do now is get on an informative website where you can browse and check prices.
By: Lee Cole
