GPS Information

[Len-Det64]

My dad wants me to help him find a Portable GPS and trip finder. So far I think that I have narrowed the field down to:

Magellena Maestro 4050 and
Garmin Nuvi 660

He is retired and travels the country in his RV with my mother so the features beyond typical functions that he is intereseted in are:

1) Gas station locater
2) Rest stop locater
3) Camp ground locater. He has a couple of memberships to campground associations and would like those to be specific points included in the GPS.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[grncobra]

My cousin has the Garmin Nuvi 660 she says she has had no complaints. We used it when we went on a camping trip and it was pretty sweet.

[Len-Det64]

Originally Posted by grncobra

My cousin has the Garmin Nuvi 660 she says she has had no complaints. We used it when we went on a camping trip and it was pretty sweet.

Do you know anything about it's features? Is information downloadable for specific POI's?

[grncobra]

Originally Posted by Len-Det64

Do you know anything about it's features? Is information downloadable for specific POI's?

Has all the POI's you asked about and more. I am not sure about rest stops but I am sure since they are a major traveling POI it should be available. Very easy to use interface. All touch screen which was very nice. I can ask her again, it was last year that we used it. It was very compact and we used it while on foot and in the car.
I would pick Garmin over Magellan I like Garmin's interface better, but that is MHO.
The Magellan looks nice and smaller but you should really see them both in person.

[Nicholls9]

My buddy has the Nuvi 660 as well and absolutely loves it.

I'm not sure about the features though - I never asked.

[grncobra]

Hey I found a great article (TomTom vs. Nuvi vs Maestro). I skimmed it but they seem to think the Garmin is the winner.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/06/g...est_routes.php

[Len-Det64]

Originally Posted by grncobra

Hey I found a great article (TomTom vs. Nuvi vs Maestro). I skimmed it but they seem to think the Garmin is the winner.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/06/g...est_routes.php

Thanks for the information. As soon as the Karma feature is working again I willsend some your way.

[dgrycan]

In reading that review, other features of the units was never brought up. It sounds like the Magellan comes pretty close, and that one sheet states that it's the only unit that has voice recognition, which can be VERY handy for someone on the move by themselves that have to change routes on the fly.

The one thing I can say about our Magellan is that the company constantly adds functionality to their units far beyond their release. Most of the time they are free, but I have a roadmate 700, and was able to update it to all the features of the 800 for a fee, which included massive updates in both maps and POIs.

I'd also do some research on the actual mounts for these devices. Some are clearly more intuitive than others, and a poor mount (like some of the early Magellans, I'm told) can destroy the performance of any device.

[grncobra]

Originally Posted by dgrycan

In reading that review, other features of the units was never brought up. It sounds like the Magellan comes pretty close, and that one sheet states that it's the only unit that has voice recognition, which can be VERY handy for someone on the move by themselves that have to change routes on the fly.

The one thing I can say about our Magellan is that the company constantly adds functionality to their units far beyond their release. Most of the time they are free, but I have a roadmate 700, and was able to update it to all the features of the 800 for a fee, which included massive updates in both maps and POIs.

I'd also do some research on the actual mounts for these devices. Some are clearly more intuitive than others, and a poor mount (like some of the early Magellans, I'm told) can destroy the performance of any device.

Very true about voice commands. I think you need to see if it is a total voice command system or a limited command system. Best thing to do is have a look in person.
Here is some more info I found regarding the Nuvo.

Things that are fantastic about this unit:

* Garmin offers free software that allows you to load your own custom Points of Interest into the unit. You can then go to POI sites such as POI-factory.com and download free POIs to include in your device.
* This GPS device voice announces streets by name. Most others simply say “Turn left ahead…”, but this one says “Turn left on President Bush Freeway in 1/4 mile…”. This means that you almost never need to even look at the unit.
* The unit automatically dims the screen when the light goes down to save the strain on your eyes.
* Nuvi will connect to a Bluetooth enabled cell phone and you can use it as a handsfree speakerphone. It will even let you dial out using a touchpad, voice commands (if supported by your phone), or directly to one of the built in Points of Interest phone numbers.
* You can load MP3’s into either the available internal storage space on the device (over 600MB) or simply put it in a directory called MP3 on an SD card. You can then play them back while you are navigating and doing other things with the unit either through the built in stereo speakers - or you can broadcast them to an FM station for playback on your car’s stereo system.
* It will even pause MP3 playback when it makes directional announcements or when you take a phone call through your Bluetooth phone.
* Garmin offers an automated WebUpdater which noticed that my unit needed an upgrade and handled the transaction flawlessly.
* The boot up and satellite acquisition times are very quick compared to other GPS units I’ve used.
* The sound quality of the internal speakers is far better than any other GPS unit I’ve seen. The quality of sound transmitted through the vehicle stereo is good, and callers report that the voice quality through the speakerphone on the other end is quite good as well. Even while driving in a Titan at highway speed everything sounded fine on both ends of a call.
* The screen quality is excellent and the touch sensitivity is perfect.
* It is incredibly light. Not only is it small, but when you pick it up you expect it to be heavier than it is!

As much as it seems I am not a Garmin fan boy it's just that I actually used it once and was very please with it's ease of use and functionality.

I myself do not have a GPS unit. I bought a BT GPS receiver and use TOMTOM with my HTC tytn. Very convenient.

[grncobra]

Originally Posted by Len-Det64

Thanks for the information. As soon as the Karma feature is working again I willsend some your way.

Thanks but not a big deal. Hope you have good luck and finding the right GPS for your father.

[grncobra]

Originally Posted by Len-Det64

Thanks for the information. As soon as the Karma feature is working again I willsend some your way.

Thanks but not a big deal. Hope you have good luck in finding the right GPS for your father.

I got curious and started doing some of my own research and this is a interesting site I found.

http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_t...gps/index.html

Again good luck!

[DanteHicks]

Just poking around I've seen good things about the new LG models. Haven't tried any yet.

[Len-Det64]

Originally Posted by DanteHicks

Just poking around I've seen good things about the new LG models. Haven't tried any yet.

Do you have any links?