Reply With QuoteAnother Tomtom with LIVE — HD Traffic in particular has matured into a really excellent service.
My old Tomtom seems to have given up the ghost.
Do you have any recommendations for a portable satnav unit to take on my travels?
It must have UK, Europe & USA maps.
Another Tomtom with LIVE — HD Traffic in particular has matured into a really excellent service.
we've got a Garmin Nuvi205 which was pretty cheap and has done the job well for the past 2 years. You can get the same model with a widescreen too.
I work for Halfords in between term times at uni, (someone has to!) and I would only ever recommend TomTom or Garmin.
Problem is, and I havn't been at Halfords for a good few months so its likely that the stock will have changed, but we stopped stocking any units with USA mapping a long time ago.
Take a look on the manufacturers websites and you'll be able to narrow down your options very quickly by seeing which ones come with, or can support that much mapping info at once.
As for differences between Garmin and TomTom - there are hardly any.
The TomTom live system is very good and very clever, but there is an £8 a month subscription which I personally wouldn't pay. I think it's only worth it if you do a LOT of driving.
Garmin use a little more eye friendly interface (prettier colours on the map) but they work in exactly the same way.
TomTom have a more OS map looking screen, so many people prefer that.
The only large benefit of buying one and not the other I can think of is surrounding the warranty.
If your TomTom breaks, it has to be sent back to TomTom for repair, this is usually a 3 week turnaround.
Garmin, however, try to fix the problem over the phone, and if they can't, 9 times out of 10 they will let the store give you a brand new unit.
Cheers Will, I'll give Garmin a look......
I've used Navman, Garmin and TomTom - In my opinion TomTom is the best.
As has been said earlier there aren't many differences between TomTom and Garmin so it might be worth having a go of both if possible to see which user interface you find most intuitive.
Paul.
If you have a smartphone Co PiLot Live 8 is very good. I use it on my HTC Desire.
Rod
Another Garmin recommendation here. We have used our widescreen "Nuvi" all over Europe and it has been excellent. We also did a few comparisons with a TomTom while we were in France with friends last year and the Garmin seemed to have the edge in terms of both the ability to find address locations and also a better POI database.
I agree, I use it on my iPhone and at the time it was a quarter of the price of a standalone box, without all the extra hassle of having an extra box in the car.Originally Posted by Rod
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
since my TomTom unit broke, i have used the TomTom application for iphone and have had no faults or complaints. Have tried some of the others, but i keep on getting drawn back to good ol TomTom :P
Same here. I use it on my LG Optimus 2X. Works well and is (obviously) extremely portable :wink:
Major plus point is that the maps can be downloaded via wireless at home so the phone's mobile data doesn't have to be used in operation.
Jake
Plus you can transfer it to another phone as long as it's the same operating system. It's as good as Tom Tom in my opinion. :)
Rod
Same here. I have it on my Samsung Galaxy S, even though it has Google Maps, and it works a treat. I got the live services as well, only £10 a year subscription.
Never thought of using my iPhone!
I don't incur ridiculous charges when overeas to use it as a satnav do I?
My everyday car has a fitted unit, so I only need this for my travels......
I use a Garmin Oregon (200 and 300) for walking and cycling. They also have a driving mode. The little portable uniits seem to be more expensive than the car units. However, they are great for sightseeing, and finding one's way home again. The Oregon has a transflective screen. I turn the backlighting off, and get a lot of use from one set of batteries (2 x AA). It seems to last about 15-20 hours, with the GPS and screen on all of the time (with backlighting off).
For maps, I use the Openstreetmaps.
Best wishes,
Bob
Just switched over to a Garmin after finally giving up on Tom-Tom.
I use a sat-nav everday at work and for the money the Garmin Nuvi 1390 is great (its on special offer via amazon)
only disadvantage with the garmin is that the power cable is a bit to bulky compared to the tom tom.
think the TOMTOM one XL is pretty economical, the 9 series is the top of the tree with phone function and auto re-routing or live updating depending on accidents.........
just obtain the software for the iphone, turn data roaming off and you should be ok
My new car (on order) also has a factory fitted unit, so my Tomtom 740 LIVE (which has nearly a year's LIVE subscription left on it) will be on the SC soon...
As a stand alone unit then Tomtom is the way to go. They just work. For when I'm abroad in cars other than my own I've got Navigon's system installed on my Android phone and that works really well considering it takes up no space. The software isn't as good as Tomtom's though.
The app contains all the maps so is quite large (408mb) so nothing needs to be downloaded. I think if you pay it can go online and get live traffic info, but I've not turned that on. Be aware though that it comes in different flavours - UK, UK & Europe, etc - and I don't think it's possible to upgrade, so make sure you buy the correct one to start with.
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
You can buy additional maps for CoPilot Live v8 using their App. CoPilot Central v 2.0 on your computer, or from their website. You can also buy live services for the region you want.The app contains all the maps so is quite large (408mb) so nothing needs to be downloaded. I think if you pay it can go online and get live traffic info, but I've not turned that on. Be aware though that it comes in different flavours - UK, UK & Europe, etc - and I don't think it's possible to upgrade, so make sure you buy the correct one to start with.
Can anyone recommend a decent in car holder for the iPhone 3GS if I go this route?
I find Tom Tom's after care service utterly useless. I recently bought a new unit (after my second Tom Tom unit failed - both after around 13 months).
It was supposed to have a free map download but when I tried to do this it said the system was 4 quarters out of date and wasn't eligible! :evil: After emailing Tom Tom I had to wait about a month before finally getting my free download. Even that was a hassle in itself. Once this packs up I am certainly leaving Tom Tom.
I once used a Garmin and didn't really get on with it (Tom Toms are easy to use) but Tom Tom's service is so bad, and reliability questionable in my experience that I feel Garmin deserve a go next.
Tomtom's is good if pricey, and boosts the GPS reception as well as working as a hands-free. Otherwise, check out Brodit's.
I have a cheap generic phone holder that suckers to the windscreen from Halfords coupled with a combined charger and FM transmitter from a named brand, but I can't remember which, probably Griffin or Belkin. For short journeys I don't bother with the charger and just attach the phone holder, or just let my wife hold it, assuming she is travelling with me.
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
Another vote here for CoPilot, and for Brodit car-holders. I have an HTC-HD2 running WM6.5 with CoPilot-8 UK and Europe. It sits in a Brodit holder, with a sucker-type screen attachment, and is the perfect complement to my built-in satnav. The built-in unit is easier to use on the road, but is outdated (because I won't pay the exorbitant charge for a new DVD) and it doesn't do post-codes.
CoPilot is bang up-to-date, and has a great system for post-code location. It also can use any address from my phone's contact list. Very quick and easy to set. Excellent value at £25 one-off charge. You can add other regional maps for a small charge.
if i remember correctly a site called techkings.org have the answer to your problem, an up to date download for tom tom maps for free, as i am having a bad week my info my not be correct.
You could try one of the refurbished ones Tomtom sell on their website ? They claim with up to 40 % discount...
http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/to ... /index.jsp
BMW use Garmin, so that's good enough for me :wink:
I thought they used VDO?
I have the TomTom holder which boosts the satellite signal and acts as a hands free for the iPhone whilst charging it. It also allows me to play my library through my cars stereo. Not the cheapest around but very good.
Remember folks, this is for on my travels, my everyday car has a fitted system....
The TomTom 9 series has been superseded by the 1000 series for some time now. Be aware that people have had many problems with these, as TomTom utilise a new, web-based system, to configure the devices (to prevent piracy, which nearly killed TomTom as a company) and appear to have launched it before it was quite ready.
Just be aware that the refurbished units do not benefit from TomTom's "Latest Map Guarantee", and sometimes have much shorter LIVE subscriptions included than full priced models (e.g. 3 months vs 12 months).
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/ is probably the best web resource if you want to know more.
If it's just a standby system you want, then one for your phone sounds like the ideal solution.
I use Navigon on my iPhone, and I've purchased the full postcode database, 3d mapping, and live traffic add-ons too. I use it as the full time system in my car in a brodit mount and holder. Power comes via my x-car link so that I can use iTunes through the car radio etc, and voice instructions also come via the car speakers if I want.
The good news is, as you've always got your phone with you, you've always got nav even if you're in somebody else's car as a passenger like I was the other day. I held it and gave directions etc.
For holidays, a generic window mount is all you'd need.
The Tom Tom for iPhone also looks good.
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