Jan 02
I almost got an in-built GPS system in our cars, but couldn’t justify it since we know every road in Madison.
With a move to California, I thought it would be good to get a GPS for the car, mainly to empower my wife (I have an OK idea of the place since I have been there so often).
I have been really disappointed with the systems out there. I checked out the TomTom 9100, the Garmin line, etc and they all seemed so small, and the attachment systems were flimsy.
Now, I am not sure what to do. Maybe I just get my wife a nice new phone that has GPS built in (still small)?
If anyone has a good experience with portable GPS systems in their car definitely let me know!
January 2nd, 2007 at 10:05 am
I went with the TomTom 910. My first choice might have been a Garmin Nuvi, but I was buying one primarily for their European maps (I just moved to the UK.) The 910 was the clear winner (shipping with both NA & EU maps) in that respect.
I haven’t had any problems with it, or the mount. It appears to be a well designed, robust device. It has certainly made exploring a strange land quite a bit simpler. It’s hard enough driving on the other side of the road.
January 2nd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
I’ve got a Garmin Nuvi 350 and I’m pretty happy with it. Yeah, I agree that the attachment systems could be improved, but it’s no something that bugs me too much.
Both the 350/360 and TomTom 9100 are good devices.
January 2nd, 2007 at 11:43 pm
I recently had some fun with one in Germany. I blogged about being stuck in an infinite loop as the machine kept calculating a route that took us through a tunnel where is lost connectivity and then didn’t provide the right directions to get out (multiple exits). It was quite fun to listen to it squawking when I picked an alternate route to get back on course ;)
Afterwards I was talking to one of the TomTom developers. Everyone says it’s a small world… everyone except the people trying to troubleshoot GPS problems. I was told that they have a map that has pins in it and when they get a complaint, they put a pin in a map. When the get enough pins in the map they drive out to see what the problems is. Quite amusing if you ask me.
Cheers,
Kirk