Looking for a GPS, help is appreciated

[Martinga]

I'm looking to buy a navigation system. Basically I'm looking for something that has a relatively good battery life (unless you can plug it into the car adaptor), that supports Mp3 files (I don't need video files, just the audio) and thats under $350.
Suggestions?
I've researched and hear the garmin ones are the best.....

[oldsnail]

i find - stock looking gps systems blend in with the dash the best.. but tehy cost and arm and a leg.

i use my black berry and google for maps. lol

[malaco0219]

from my experience, try to get the built in car ones, as they are a lot better since you dont have to worry about taking it in and out of the car when you leave, and i noticed from the cars i've seen they get signal a LOT better.

If you still like the portable ones..

AVOID IWAY! they are the worse ones. We got one at home, takes well over 10 minutes just to track our location, and is not even accurate, taking us through excessive routes, and the one we have, Iway 250, cant even choose other routes =.=

I would suggest Garmin or Tomtom.

[Martinga]

thanks for the replies
I'm planning on changing the car in a pair of years, so I don't wanna keep investing on the car.
Thats why i need the portable one
any links for any good ones?

[saku]

Many RFDers bought this one during the boxing week for $200

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?webid=642979&AffixedCode=WW

More discussion abt this device here

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370214&highlight=mio+c310

Myself, i got one and love it.:cheesygri

[bokchoy]

I should have bought this during boxing week. I'll keep waiting :mad:

[Martinga]

I should have bought this during boxing week. I'll keep waiting :mad:

I KNOWWWWWWWW
i regret it
$350 now

[Maxspeed]

if you can wait another 6 months, you probably dont need it anyway....

[Pete_Coach]

I bought a Garmin 330 and my daughter took it when she moved out west. I found t very simple to use and it worked very well.
I have since bought a Tom Tom One. It was on sale at Future Shop for $329 and it works equally as well as the Garmin. I think the software is the same or so similar that it is not noticeable.
Actually Tom Tom has a few features more than the Garmin 330. What I really like about the Tom Tom is its size. It fits in my pocket and I use it when I am in a strange (unfamiliar I mean, many cities are strange) city to find restaurants and gas stations etc.

[SkylineR34X]

If you ABSOLUTELY have to stay within the $350 budget, I will suggest the Garmin Streetpilot C330. Future Shop has refurbished online only for 279.99 plus tax.

BUT! The chipset in it is quite OLD. So the reception is not as good relatively speaking. Don't get me wrong, the unit is perfect as long as you are not under any overpass or in downtown high rises. But you will run into problems on those occasions. C330 DOES NOT PLAY MP3 though.

I would highly recommend the Garmin nuvi 350. The software inside is identical. However, it does have the new SIRF Star III chipset. Do a research on this, and you will see a night and day difference with the SIRF Star III! I can get a fix with proper antenna position in the basement!

If you are looking for a store, I would highly recommend radioworld.ca. It's at Hwy-400 and Steeles Ave. W. I just picked a nuvi 350 today (439.99 refurbished looked brand new) People there were very friendly and they know what they are talking about! They were much more professional than the guys a Future Shop where I got the nuvi 360 to test out! It's compact and it plays MP3.

In North America, it is better to stick with Garmin products in my opinion. Tomtom is good but it's more European oriented. Garmin's map is from Navtaq which is the best. They also offer annual updates at a cost, so you will have the option to upgrade maps and POIs. POIs in the Garmin is also way ahead of others.

So good luck with your purchase!

[Gogi]

Within that budget, I'd grab a C330.

If you can spend about 100-150 more, grab a Garmin nuvi 350 or even a 360.

[jumran]

This one is pretty good for its price. Can play videos and mp3s as well. I got one a few weeks ago and its working pretty good so far.

http://factorydirect.ca/catalog/product_spec.php?pcode=MY3050

[CanadianMoFo]

I got a Garmin 320 on sale at The Source last year. Main difference to the C330 is that the maps are not pre-loaded. Big deal.

Mounted on the dashboard with the included suction cup mount I have had absolutely no issues with signal reception. Sofware is easy to use. I'd definately buy it again.

Spare mounting brackets are cheap off eBay. I have a spare for my other car so I can just switch back and forth as needed. I routed the original cable through my dashboard for a clean install so I definately needed the second mount for the other car.

CM

[Rosico]

i had the 320 too - until it was stolen. Great unit - I miss that britsh accent!

[realestateguy]

I have a Garmin 530 and really impressed with the unit. I just discovered the British accent and really enjoy that too. Wish it had a scottish accent.:D

[gogoayane]

Saw this one at The Source today - Garmin C530 - any one used this before? This seems like a good product for $399.99

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&product=1917041&category=AutomotiveGPS&catalog=Online&tab=2#more

[robskot]

(Originally posted by me in FS DAY 4 sale, in regards to my activation code not working...)

So, I called TOMTOM this AM...only took about 10 seconds to get thru to CSR. Unfortunately, probably would've been better off just listening to the music.
What ended up happening, was I had to download a FLASH for the unit, and ended up FLASHING it 2 times before it finally worked.

So far, I am very unimpressed with this. I have been using it all day and I have been also trying the MIO from Staples for the last few days...so far, the MIO totally wins this battle based on the following so far:

SIZE - about the same
MENUS - off the bat ONE wins, but once you get used to it on the MIO it's fine
POI - way more useful on the MIO, as it automatically displays address and distance, where as ONE just does distance. Also, the MIO has a lot more Canadian POI's preloaded...ie, the TOMTOM didn't even know where IKEA in Calgary was.
BRIGHTNESS - in sunlight, MIO way better!!!!
MOUNTING - while the ONE's is very small, it kept falling off the windshield...MIO's has been stuck in same spot for 4 days no prob!
VOICE - if using one of the american voices on ONE, it always comments in miles, even thought it's set to display KMS. The only way to have it speak in METRIC, is to use a UK voice, with an annoying accent! MIO, once in KMS, it's all KMS

So, this is all after only 5 hrs use...MIO has me more impressed...and it's only $299 at Staples, but I used a $30 off and $20 (add something for $2 to ur cart to get it over $300) coupons online and only paid $250.

I am also playing with a Magellan 3000T from Costco ($320)...i will let you know how it goes...one thing, it is fricken huge compared to the other 2!!! Don't like that part already...but am curious to see if there is much of a differnce in between the mapping on it (NAVTEQ) vs the ONE and MIO (TELEATLAS).

[sportmiester]

Garmins have served me well (have 2 so far). They've not steered me wrong yet. Upgraded from i3 to C550; latter has SirfStar which acquire sat signals really quickly and holds on to them. Also has text to speech capability which is a nice touch. Mount's also very good - holds tight and does not droop. Tried Tom Tom and was less than impressed - the mapping sw is just not up to par. Would recommend Garmin.

[greg123]

(Originally posted by me in FS DAY 4 sale, in regards to my activation code not working...)

So, I called TOMTOM this AM...only took about 10 seconds to get thru to CSR. Unfortunately, probably would've been better off just listening to the music.
What ended up happening, was I had to download a FLASH for the unit, and ended up FLASHING it 2 times before it finally worked.

So far, I am very unimpressed with this. I have been using it all day and I have been also trying the MIO from Staples for the last few days...so far, the MIO totally wins this battle based on the following so far:

SIZE - about the same
MENUS - off the bat ONE wins, but once you get used to it on the MIO it's fine
POI - way more useful on the MIO, as it automatically displays address and distance, where as ONE just does distance. Also, the MIO has a lot more Canadian POI's preloaded...ie, the TOMTOM didn't even know where IKEA in Calgary was.
BRIGHTNESS - in sunlight, MIO way better!!!!
MOUNTING - while the ONE's is very small, it kept falling off the windshield...MIO's has been stuck in same spot for 4 days no prob!
VOICE - if using one of the american voices on ONE, it always comments in miles, even thought it's set to display KMS. The only way to have it speak in METRIC, is to use a UK voice, with an annoying accent! MIO, once in KMS, it's all KMS

So, this is all after only 5 hrs use...MIO has me more impressed...and it's only $299 at Staples, but I used a $30 off and $20 (add something for $2 to ur cart to get it over $300) coupons online and only paid $250.

I am also playing with a Magellan 3000T from Costco ($320)...i will let you know how it goes...one thing, it is fricken huge compared to the other 2!!! Don't like that part already...but am curious to see if there is much of a differnce in between the mapping on it (NAVTEQ) vs the ONE and MIO (TELEATLAS).

question on the MIO
with only 256 on board memory can you load all the canada maps on it?
with the car charger can you charge while your using the unit, mounted on the windshield?

[Ben Jr]

I've got the TomTom 910 and haven't had any of the problems listed above. Voices? I've got about 15 english speaking, in metric all the ones I've used.
Drooping? At the beginning TT had some issues, but free replacement mounts solved it.
POIs? Freely available on what must be hundreds of sites.
Updates? Haven't had any issues.

Again, I've got the TT910 and not the base model, so maybe they stripe the lower end models. The feature that sold it for me is the preloaded maps for North America and Europe. Its general consensus that Garmin software is superior in North America, TomTom in Europe. But both are not perfect.

[robskot]

question on the MIO
with only 256 on board memory can you load all the canada maps on it?
with the car charger can you charge while your using the unit, mounted on the windshield?

It has everything mapping avail load...and still room for more extra poi...plus, it has a SD slot if you ever needed more.
And yes, I have had it charging while in use/mounted...

As for the TT910...I just wanted a decent entry with a good price...and this is the diffenrence between $250 and $550.

Here's GPS Magazine's review of the 910...

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2006/05/tomtom_go_910_review.php

[Pete_Coach]

So, I called TOMTOM this AM...only took about 10 seconds to get thru to CSR. Unfortunately, probably would've been better off just listening to the music.
What ended up happening, was I had to download a FLASH for the unit, and ended up FLASHING it 2 times before it finally worked.

So far, I am very unimpressed with this. I have been using it all day and I have been also trying the MIO from Staples for the last few days...so far, the MIO totally wins this battle based on the following so far:

SIZE - about the same
MENUS - off the bat ONE wins, but once you get used to it on the MIO it's fine
POI - way more useful on the MIO, as it automatically displays address and distance, where as ONE just does distance. Also, the MIO has a lot more Canadian POI's preloaded...ie, the TOMTOM didn't even know where IKEA in Calgary was.
BRIGHTNESS - in sunlight, MIO way better!!!!
MOUNTING - while the ONE's is very small, it kept falling off the windshield...MIO's has been stuck in same spot for 4 days no prob!
VOICE - if using one of the american voices on ONE, it always comments in miles, even thought it's set to display KMS. The only way to have it speak in METRIC, is to use a UK voice, with an annoying accent! MIO, once in KMS, it's all KMS

So, this is all after only 5 hrs use...MIO has me more impressed...and it's only $299 at Staples, but I used a $30 off and $20 (add something for $2 to ur cart to get it over $300) coupons online and only paid $250.
.

I have the Tom Tom One. One of the reasons for buying it was it's ease of use. I bought it, sat in the car, gave it to my Wife and told her to find a route home. She did it in 10 minutes with a unit right out of the box. I am not saying my Wife is a Luddite but she is not far off :lol:
My American voice use the metric system.
I did not have to activate anything.
Why did you have to "flash" the unit?
I like the accent, especially the Australian one. I also like the Darth Vader and Yoda voice. (no, distance is not in light years)
Many free POI's available on the net for uploading.
The colour of the maps are changeable for various light conditions.
Anyway, I use this thing all over the Eastern seaboard (US and Canada), Quebec and have used it out in the Vancouver area as well and have been impressed with the amount points of interest. Having said that, maps are only as current as the latest version and a year old map may not have many roads on it as out cities are growing daily.

[Poy]

random but might work, if you have a Symbian series 60 3rd ed. nokia phone maybe wanna try tomtom or smart2go [free gps software] and buy a bluetooth gps receiver. This for me will be the uber cheap route. Least for me it will be :) thought it might help.

[robskot]

I have the Tom Tom One. One of the reasons for buying it was it's ease of use. I bought it, sat in the car, gave it to my Wife and told her to find a route home. She did it in 10 minutes with a unit right out of the box. I am not saying my Wife is a Luddite but she is not far off :lol:
My American voice use the metric system.
I did not have to activate anything.
Why did you have to "flash" the unit?
I like the accent, especially the Australian one. I also like the Darth Vader and Yoda voice. (no, distance is not in light years)
Many free POI's available on the net for uploading.
The colour of the maps are changeable for various light conditions.
Anyway, I use this thing all over the Eastern seaboard (US and Canada), Quebec and have used it out in the Vancouver area as well and have been impressed with the amount points of interest. Having said that, maps are only as current as the latest version and a year old map may not have many roads on it as out cities are growing daily.


I don't know why didn't have to get online for an activation code...that is standard practice for TOMTOM.
I had to flash it because it was a refurb, and someone had already activated it under a different code, so I had to wipe it...worked after the second time.

FS has the new LG LN730 on sale for $300 this week...i picked one up and will give it a try in the mountains on the weekend. One thing I have already notice that sucks with it, is that it will only give speed info when you actually have a destination loaded...that and no QWERTY keyboard. But nice volume! Well, better than a lot anyway.

[commie]

One major area to consider when buying an 'entry' level portable GPS is whether the units have Text To Speech functionality....
TTS is really really useful.

Some of the lower end units like the C320, TomTom One, Mio lacks the TTS feature.

[robskot]

One major area to consider when buying an 'entry' level portable GPS is whether the units have Text To Speech functionality....
TTS is really really useful.

Some of the lower end units like the C320, TomTom One, Mio lacks the TTS feature.


See, i have heard/seen others mention that, and I have tired it and really didn't think it was any great advantage having TTS.

"Take next right" or "Turn right in 50 Metres" is straight forward, and the street name isn't needed.

[Spud72]

IIRC, the Magellan Roadmate 360 is on sale at London Drugs again for $199.

It is a fairly basic GPS and the earlier version was not very well received, but they now have a full touchscreen and the software has been much improved. I bought one for my folks for a birthday present and they love it.

[commie]

See, i have heard/seen others mention that, and I have tired it and really didn't think it was any great advantage having TTS.

"Take next right" or "Turn right in 50 Metres" is straight forward, and the street name isn't needed.

When you are in some busy city center, especially in European cities, where the streets are very close to each other...the 'Turn right in 50 Meters' does not help very much.....there might be 2-3 streets back to back..and its really hard to figure out which one is the right one to turn....you will have to move your eyes to the GPS to read what the street name is.....Which can cause some dangerous driving situation.

With TTS, you can listen to the name of the street to turn.

[warpdrive]

"Take next right" or "Turn right in 50 Metres" is straight forward, and the street name isn't needed.

When you are in some busy city center, especially in European cities, where the streets are very close to each other...the 'Turn right in 50 Meters' does not help very much.....there might be 2-3 streets back to back..and its really hard to figure out which one is the right one to turn....you will have to move your eyes to the GPS to read what the street name is.....Which can cause some dangerous driving situation.

With TTS, you can listen to the name of the street to turn.

+1

I went from a non TTS to a TTS unit and I can definitely say the TTS is very helpful that I would definitely recommend the extra money spent on that feature. You spend less time looking at the GPS and more time looking at the road, which is a good thing in general for safety reasons.

For the OP, I recommend the Garmin units. I have a Garmin Nuvi and it's the perfect in-car navigation unit. Easy to use, good screen, nice extra features, compact to carry, and good accuracy and maps.

[robskot]

+1

I went from a non TTS to a TTS unit and I can definitely say the TTS is very helpful that I would definitely recommend the extra money spent on that feature. You spend less time looking at the GPS and more time looking at the road, which is a good thing in general for safety reasons.

For the OP, I recommend the Garmin units. I have a Garmin Nuvi and it's the perfect in-car navigation unit. Easy to use, good screen, nice extra features, compact to carry, and good accuracy and maps.

And again with the MIO, it will actually state, in the case of two or more intersections being close together, it will actually state "in 50 metres, make SECOND (or whatever case may be) right" Example of this very thing is in Calgary, SB on Hawkwood Dr, approaching Hawkdale PL and Hawkwood Rd.

LG and the ONE definatley don't do this. But, arguing that you spend less time looking at the GPS screen with TTS is fine, but then you are spending more time looking at/for street signs.

I just don't understand why you guys are so anti MIO?

And an update on the LG, last night it froze up twice and had to be reset...not good. And the lack of QWERTY is really buggin me. And no auto Night.

I agree the Garmins are ok...but for ppl not looking to spend more than $400...

Which Nuvi you using?

[mannyb]

The top 3 brands in North America are Garmin, Magellan, and Tomtom. I have a Tomtom GO300 (with the updated NA maps) and a smartphone HTC Artemis with Tomtom Navigator 6 software. I've also used a Garmin C330 and a Garmin Nuvi 350 and a Magellan Roadmate 300. I prefer the user interface of the Garmins and Tomtoms. However, for North America, the Garmin maps are more up to date to date then Tomtoms. Garmin maps use Navteq and Tomtom uses TeleAtlas maps.

If I were to choose a GPS within the OP's budget, I would either get the Tomtom One or the Garmin C330.

[commie]

And again with the MIO, it will actually state, in the case of two or more intersections being close together, it will actually state "in 50 metres, make SECOND (or whatever case may be) right" Example of this very thing is in Calgary, SB on Hawkwood Dr, approaching Hawkdale PL and Hawkwood Rd.

LG and the ONE definatley don't do this. But, arguing that you spend less time looking at the GPS screen with TTS is fine, but then you are spending more time looking at/for street signs.

I just don't understand why you guys are so anti MIO?

And an update on the LG, last night it froze up twice and had to be reset...not good. And the lack of QWERTY is really buggin me. And no auto Night.

I agree the Garmins are ok...but for ppl not looking to spend more than $400...

Which Nuvi you using?

Not anti-Mio at all...But for me, if I am already spending 200+ bucks on a portable GPS, I might as well spend the extra dollars to get a feature such as TTS that to me is critical in an GPS.

Also for me, I travel to Europe quite often, and the fact that I can get Europe maps on a SD card and still have the North American map on the internal Garmin memory is the deciding factor for me.
Not sure if the MIO has European maps???

I have been using the Nuvi350 for the last year and I travel every week to the US or Europe...and has served me well each time.

Now that the price of the Nuvi350 has come down,...its a no brainer for me...compared to the price of the MIO vs. Nuvi350...

[robskot]

Not anti-Mio at all...But for me, if I am already spending 200+ bucks on a portable GPS, I might as well spend the extra dollars to get a feature such as TTS that to me is critical in an GPS.

Also for me, I travel to Europe quite often, and the fact that I can get Europe maps on a SD card and still have the North American map on the internal Garmin memory is the deciding factor for me.
Not sure if the MIO has European maps???

I have been using the Nuvi350 for the last year and I travel every week to the US or Europe...and has served me well each time.

Now that the price of the Nuvi350 has come down,...its a no brainer for me...compared to the price of the MIO vs. Nuvi350...

Ya, but that's my whole point...for you, spending $600 on the Nuvi350 (current price on futureshop.ca) is worth it...were as I am talking about $250 for the MIO. To most, $350 is a big differnce. You are trying to compare 2 very different price points.

And as for the Europe, i can add the same SD support for mapping. This was a must for me too, as I spend time in Russia, which is now becoming avail for all units. And not even just for me, but my folks...they don't need anything more than what the MIO or other lower priced units provide.

And sure, having Blue Tooth would be nice too, but for the extra money, not worth it. Out of all I tested, the only one with BT was the ONE, and it has very limited compatibility.

PS, that LG crashed 2 more times...it sucks! Gone.

[forreal]

You can get a refurbished Garmin nüvi 350 from GPS Central (http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/nuvi.htm) for $420 + $15 shipping via Canada Post Xpresspost. A few days ago, it was $400.

[commie]

Ya, but that's my whole point...for you, spending $600 on the Nuvi350 (current price on futureshop.ca) is worth it...were as I am talking about $250 for the MIO. To most, $350 is a big differnce. You are trying to compare 2 very different price points.

And as for the Europe, i can add the same SD support for mapping. This was a must for me too, as I spend time in Russia, which is now becoming avail for all units. And not even just for me, but my folks...they don't need anything more than what the MIO or other lower priced units provide.

And sure, having Blue Tooth would be nice too, but for the extra money, not worth it. Out of all I tested, the only one with BT was the ONE, and it has very limited compatibility.

PS, that LG crashed 2 more times...it sucks! Gone.


Those are valid points...I had no need for blue tooth as well...or MP3 playback, etc....all those other enhancements.....I just wanted the GPS functionalities..

Also, as noted by the other user, the Nuvi350 has come down in price...shopping around you can get it for less than $400.....
So now the diffference is $100-150....
for TTS, slimmer design, faster/accurate chipset, more internal memory..etc...

[mannyb]

I've read that in Aug, Garmin will be shipping their units with the updated 2007 Navteq maps. The GPS units currently sold have the 2006 maps. It'll cost about $100 to upgrade the maps so see if you can wait till Aug. If not, then get one at Walmart, CAD Tire, Costco etc, and "return" it in Aug. CAD Tire and Walmart have a 90 day return policy and I think Costco's is even longer.

Of all the ones I've had a chance to use recently, I also prefer the Nuvi:

http://www.satellitegpsnavigation.com/top-ten-gps.php?gclid=CMD8lcC1s4wCFRrnPgodFknwXw

[warpdrive]

I'm very happy with the Nuvi. Sure it costs a bit more but to me it's worth it for the Garmin quality, better performance, support. The software and maps are first rate. They regularly add enhancements/bugs fixes to their software as they find them. For those who just need a GPS that works and works well, I still recommend them over cheaper second tier brands that may be unsupported down the road.

[commie]

I've read that in Aug, Garmin will be shipping their units with the updated 2007 Navteq maps. The GPS units currently sold have the 2006 maps. It'll cost about $100 to upgrade the maps so see if you can wait till Aug. If not, then get one at Walmart, CAD Tire, Costco etc, and "return" it in Aug. CAD Tire and Walmart have a 90 day return policy and I think Costco's is even longer.

Of all the ones I've had a chance to use recently, I also prefer the Nuvi:

http://www.satellitegpsnavigation.com/top-ten-gps.php?gclid=CMD8lcC1s4wCFRrnPgodFknwXw

In the past, as long as you don't register with Garmin until the new maps are out..Garmin will give you the updated map for free...good for 1 update of the map....

I got my Nuvi350 unit last summer with the older version 7 map, I registered the unit with Garmin in the fall, and ordered the version 8 update disk for free from them, and got the unlock code.

[kevinnashho]

Just got the refrb unit of Tomtom One from bestbuy.ca, got them to PM it with futureshop.ca when the unit was $279.99 and Futureshop was $199.95, so got it for $191. The unit so far is good, basically you get what you pay for. The only thing I don't like about it is you need to know the exact city of the address you are inputting and you cannot just put in the street name and pick from a list.

I'm thinking of trying out the garmin 350 since it's received nothing but good reviews from peers and sites.

[SoNgMaN]

i bought a tomtom one new edition in buffalo a few weeks ago for $200USD so far so good can't complain for the price. tigerdirect has refurbed units for $190CAD i think

[chrome_dout]

I tried out the nuvi 360 on my trip to NYC and the only good thing was the bluetooth calling. Many areas of NYC and NJ have a lot of interconnecting highways which seemed to confuse this unit. I missed my exits a few times, but luckily it would recalculate a new course for me. Definitely not worth the 560.00 I spent so I returned it. I would consider a Mio if they ever go on sale again.

[weedb0y]

I am very satisfied with my MIO C220s, love it, have used TomTom One and didn't like the interface when compared to the mio. One of my electronic purchases that I didn't regret for not even one second!

[weedb0y]

Just got the refrb unit of Tomtom One from bestbuy.ca, got them to PM it with futureshop.ca when the unit was $279.99 and Futureshop was $199.95, so got it for $191. The unit so far is good, basically you get what you pay for. The only thing I don't like about it is you need to know the exact city of the address you are inputting and you cannot just put in the street name and pick from a list.

I'm thinking of trying out the garmin 350 since it's received nothing but good reviews from peers and sites.

Not the case with MIO C220s, it lists the streets as well.

[SoNgMaN]

Just got the refrb unit of Tomtom One from bestbuy.ca, got them to PM it with futureshop.ca when the unit was $279.99 and Futureshop was $199.95, so got it for $191. The unit so far is good, basically you get what you pay for. The only thing I don't like about it is you need to know the exact city of the address you are inputting and you cannot just put in the street name and pick from a list.

I'm thinking of trying out the garmin 350 since it's received nothing but good reviews from peers and sites.

you don't have to know the exact city. and you can change the order you are prompted for the information in either the preferences or through tomtom home.