GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
A few weeks ago, I was asked to write an article for Information Week. The resulting
GPS Buyer’s Guide to Car Navigation Systems was published yesterday. Here’s a big welcome to all you Information Week readers.
If you’re interested in GPS, this is the place to be. As the tagline says, GPS Tracklog covers GPS news, reviews, tips and tricks. So make yourself at home and look around. If you like what you see, you can subscribe and get posts by email or via an RSS feed.
UPDATE: Read our full, hands on, Dash Express review.
Launch day for the Dash Express has finally arrived. I’ve had a unit in hand for a couple of days now, so I’ll give you my first impressions. Before that though, there’s other Dash news today…
Dash Express price drop
Dash has lowered the price of the Dash Express. You can get it now for $399.99 at Amazon
I received a Garmin nuvi 5000 to test recently and the first thing I did was to check out the custom route avoidances on it. Some manufacturers have had this feature for a while, and though Garmin is often late to the party, you can usually count on them to implement features as well or better than anyone. (UPDATE: Several commentators have noted that this is not a new feature for Garmin, just a new feature for the nuvi series.)
As far as I can tell, these custom avoidances are not going to be included on the upcoming nuvi 800 series. I suspect that Garmin is simply testing it out on the nuvi 5000, a unit bound to see low sales volume, if for no other reason than its lack of an internal battery.
I’ve been spending some time on the trail with my Garmin Colorado 300 and have been testing it against the Garmin 60CSx. Some folks have asked questions about satellite reception, since the Colorado reportedly uses a proprietary chipset and not the SiRFstar III found in the 60CSx. The image above compares tracklogs from both for the same mountain bike ride. Topography was steep in places, with canopy varying from deciduous trees to some mixed evergreens. Not the most difficult conditions but challenging enough that older receivers would likely have dropped out numerous times.
UPDATE: I found a better mouse trap bike mount. Read my post on how I configured a RAM mount for my Colorado.
Now that my move is over and the baby is a little older, I’m getting back out on the bike and putting my Garmin Colorado 300 to the test. I really like the Colorado, but at this point I can’t recommend it for mountain bikers, due to the backcountry navigation issues I posted earlier this week, along with problems finding a decent mount.
A reader recently asked, "How can I program my gps nuvi 350 for my Utah streets? We have numbers for street names like (Harmon’s Grocery Store, 1189E 700S. The gps will not accept it. Help!!!"
This is an excellent question; a quick Google search and a search of the Garmin site didn’t turn up any answers about grid addresses. So I emailed Garmin support and got the following response…
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
This past month I’ve been testing a Garmin nuvi 5000, which at 5.2″ is the widest screen nuvi to date. The 5000 adds several other new features not previously found on the nuvi line. These include:
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had comments from truck drivers asking for a GPS receiver designed to fit their needs. Most major GPS manufacturers allow you to choose truck routing, but there hasn’t been a device that explicitly routed for bridge heights and clearances, load limits, one-way road designations, left-hand turns, etc. Until now, that is.
I discovered a new nuvi trick today while perusing some YouTube video reviews. Say you’re deep into the menus, perhaps entering an address, and you want to go back to the main menu. Instead of hitting the "back" button numerous times, just hold it down.
UPDATE: Read our Navigon 2100 max review
The Navigon 2100 max is being announced at CeBIT today. This update of the the Navigon 2100 offers a wider 4.3" screen, and DirectHelpTM, seen above, which pinpoints the user’s location and that of emergency services. Like the 2100, the "max" includes Reality ViewTM at complex interchanges, text-to-speech, and multi-destination routing. The 2100 max will include maps of the continental U.S. and will retail for $299. The 2120 max will be available in Canada for $329 CAD and will feature both U.S. and Canadian maps. The units are expected to hit store shelves in late March or early April.
Navigon is also announcing FreshMaps, which allows users to download up to 12 NAVTEQ-based map updates in three years. FreshMaps will cost $79.99 and will be available for all Navigon 2100, 5100 and 7100 series models as of April 2008.
