GPS Navigation System
I am thinking of buying my boyfriend a Gps navigation system for Christmas as he's been wanting one for awhile now...Does anyone have a good brand/model they'd recommend? I dont know much about them and I want to truly suprise my boyfriend so I hate to ask him questions about it :)
Magellan or Navigon
I got my husband one for Father's Day this year (well the kids did) :) but I got him a Magellan Maestro. He really likes it. He's a satellite tech. so he uses his every day and he loves that he can search for a place by the zip code. His old GPS wouldn't do that. My dad has a Navigon and I guess it has a lot of same features as the Magellan.
Amanda
Independent Beauty Consultant
afruth@marykay.com
marykay.com/afruth
Budget model and work well...
I have a Garmin 250W and really happy with it and would been so lost with out it (I am not from here!)Everytime I am not sure where I am it tells me all attractions, services in the area and plus.
I just find this for you...
Best Budget GPS's from Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, and Navigon
6/9/08 2:24 PM
Garmin, Magellan, TomTom, and Navigon all make decent gps devices at the budget level.
Garmin's nuvi series is quite expensive but they make a few at the low end of the series that are quite affordable:
Garmin Nuvi 200w GPS: $189 - wider 4.3" screen
Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS: $159 - 3.5" screen
Magellan's Maestro series is another group that gets high reviews. One of the best values in the series is the 3210 which has preloaded US maps (like most) but also adds Canada and Alaska. Features include AAA TourBook which gives you info on Hotels, restaurants, and some destination info as well as AAA roadside assistance.
Magellan Maestro 3210 GPS: $139.00
TomTom's One series is generally affordable.
TomTom One 3rd GPS: $133
or
Refurbished TomTom One 3rd GPS: $99.49
The TomTom One 130 is the newest budget model - its basically the same as the TomTom One 3rd but has a built-in mount. The drawback is that it does not speak street names unless you jump up to the TomTom One 130S which is a little more expensive. I'd go with the 3rd edition since it's been on the market longer and thus has a more reduced price.
TomTom ONE 130 GPS: $149
TomTom ONE 130S GPS: $199
Lastly, Navigon has started to attract more and more users with their budget friendly models. The cheapest is the Navigon 2100. People say the Text-to-Speech works very well but I have not tried it:
Navigon 2100 GPS: $121
Garmin
Before I moved down here I bought myself a Garmin. I believe its the Garmin Nuvi 200. I paid 129 dollars for it on sale at Best Buy in July. I got the red one. I did a lot of research on them before I bought mine. My mom has a TOMTOM and I like hers but those models tend to be a bit bulker. My cousin has a Garmin but some 800.00 dollar job and I didnt want to pay that. I have used all three and quite honestly I didnt see much of a difference besides some of the features. Some have MP3 players and all that jazz in them. But all of them do have hiccups. Once in a while it will lead you down a strange road or you end up doing circles at some point. Im glad I didnt buy a real expensive one because I have now learned the area pretty well and dont use it as much as I used too.
But here are some tips. First off, when you buy a new GPS, the maps loaded on it are about 2 yrs old. So anything built or road changes after that are not going to show up on the GPS. New maps can be downloaded from each manufacter website. The only one that doesnt charge you is TOMTOM. They give you 30 days after purchase to download the newest maps. After that there is a charge of 69.95. TOMTOM gives you the USB cord with the unit. Garmin does not. Mine is rather small and I can slip it in my pocket. Its good for walking and I used it when I went to Chicago while walking around the streets. Another thing I didnt like about the TOMTOM was how you turn it on and off. It has one button and you press it down for several seconds. Then it kicks on. My Garmin has a on/off switch that you just slide over. I dont trust the window attachment so I invested in the sand bag thingy that sits on the dash. Your GPS clips into it and it doesnt move at all. But it was pricy. I paid 44 dollars just for the sand bag stand. Good luck!
I have done a bunch of
I have done a bunch of research on them too since I am getting one for Christmas. My friend has a budget line magellan and I like it a lot, but I really like all the features on the TomTom ONE 130S. Make sure you check this one out for sure when you are doing your research. I have not completely decided yet, since I am waiting for the black friday ads. However, I have seen QVC and HSN have great sales on gps on their websites.
Tracy Mappin
mappint@comcast.net
Yahoo ID: mappint
http://www.MyDailyCheck.com
http://www.MedBenefitsPlus.com
http://www.mygc.com/tracym