Archives for November 2008

TomTom ONE 125 review

November 25, 2008 By Rich Owings 8 Comments

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.

The TomTom ONE 125 turned out to be one of this year’s Black Friday stars. Aggressively priced, the ONE 125 is identical to the TomTom ONE 130, except that it only includes maps of the U.S., and not Canada too (as found on the 130).

Filed Under: GPS Reviews, TomTom auto GPS Tagged With: TomTom ONE 125

Should I buy a refurbished or older GPS?

November 25, 2008 By Rich Owings 6 Comments

I'm seeing more refurbished GPS receivers advertised for sale these days. In many consumer electronics categories, such devices can be a good deal. But buying a refurbished GPS carries a special risk. Occasionally, some of these units come with outdated maps. Since there is no way to tell until you fire up the unit and look at the map version, I suggest you check the store's restocking / return policy if you go this route.

Filed Under: Garmin, GPS rebates and deals, Hardware, Magellan, The business of GPS, TomTom

Ranking Auto GPS Brands

November 24, 2008 By Rich Owings 5 Comments

At the risk of upsetting the nice PR folks who provide me with review units, I've decided to share my thoughts on what brand of GPS is best. Clearly this is subjective — its my opinion and mine alone. And things do change. However, based on models I've tested over the past year, this is how I see things shaking out.

Filed Under: Hardware

Navigating thru a winter wonderland

November 23, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Confusing signs in snow

There's a confusing enough array of GPS units on the market, but around the holidays the major manufacturers start throwing out units you've never heard of and have never seen reviewed. Some are exclusive to one retailer, while others are bargain-basement stripped down devices. Here's what the major manufacturers have on tap for the holidays this year…

Filed Under: Magellan, Mio, Navigon, The business of GPS, TomTom

Navigon 7200T review

November 21, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

NOTE: Navigon has pulled out of the U.S. market and we are no longer recommending their receivers. Check out our auto GPS buyers guide for our current recommendations.

The Navigon 7200T updates the Navigon 7100, adding 3-D buildings and a new interface. The 4.3″ wide screen navigator comes loaded with maps of the U.S. and Canada, and has text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “in one mile, turn right onto Maple Street” instead of just “in one mile, turn right.” Other features include Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use, lifetime traffic, voice destination entry, Reality View Pro, Lane Assist Pro, Zagat® ratings and reviews, Exit Guide and DirectHelp. Whew; this thing is loaded! But the question is, how well does it do all that? I’ll dig into those features in more detail shortly. First, let’s look at how it compares to other units in the Navigon family.

Filed Under: Auto, GPS Reviews, Hardware, Navigon, Navigon auto GPS Tagged With: Navigon 7200T

First looks at DeLorme PN-40

November 10, 2008 By Rich Owings 7 Comments

DeLorme PN-40 L

UPDATE: Check out my hands-on DeLorme PN-40 review

I'm fortunate to have a DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 in for testing, and I thought I'd share some initial impressions since this unit is due to become available in the next week or two.

Like the PN-20, this new model lets you view your position on aerial imagery. But a number of upgrades promise to make this an even more popular handheld than the original:

A dual-core processor makes map redraws and menu navigation very fast, and I can already attest to this; even at 60 MPH, map redraws were nearly instantaneous — I saw only brief flashes of blank areas on the screen
Tri-axial compass (meaning there is no need to hold it dead level)
Barometric altimeter
SDHC high-capacity SD card support
A more detailed base map

Filed Under: Aerial imagery, DeLorme, DeLorme handheld GPS, Handheld/Sport, Hardware

Garmin nuvi 765T review

November 9, 2008 By Rich Owings 58 Comments

Garmin_nuvi_765t_review

Hands on with the Garmin nuvi 765T

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.

The Garmin nüvi 765T is a member of the second-generation nuvi 700 series family, adding lane assist, 3-D buildings and lifetime NAVTEQ traffic to an already significant feature set. The 765T has a 4.3″ wide touch-screen, pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada, stereo Bluetooth and text-to-speech, so you”ll hear “drive one-half mile, then turn left on Oak Street.” instead of just “drive one-half mile, then turn left.”

Filed Under: Auto, Garmin, Garmin auto GPS, GPS Reviews, Hardware Tagged With: Garmin nuvi 765T

More free topo maps for Garmin receivers

November 4, 2008 By Rich Owings 28 Comments

Free_topo_maps

UPDATE: I’ve posted a more comprehensive set of resources for free topo maps for Garmin GPS receivers.

The list of states for which there are free high-resolution, Garmin-compatible topo maps continues to expand. The following are currently available:

Arizona
Colorado (sample image above left)
Hawaii
Idaho
Mississippi
Montana
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming (sample image above right)

Filed Under: Maps, Software

TomTom XL 330 review

November 4, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Tomtom_xl_330

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.

The TomTom XL 330 updates the TomTom ONE XL with a new design that includes a built-in mount, dubbed the EasyPort^TM, that stows on the back of the device. Other than the form factor and re-designed speaker though, this new entry level model is almost identical to its older sibling.

Filed Under: Auto, GPS Reviews, Hardware, TomTom, TomTom auto GPS

Consumer Reports rates GPS navigators

November 3, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

The December issue of Consumer Reports has new ratings for GPS units, including many newer models they haven’t reviewed before. 49 models were tested; the top 14 are listed in the magazine.

The voice command Garmin nuvi 880 was the top-rated unit. The following models were rated Best Buys:

Garmin nuvi 200 – Garmin’s entry level nuvi
Garmin nuvi 200W – A wide-screen version of the nuvi 200
Garmin nuvi 255 – A newer model, with more features
Garmin nuvi 255W – A wide-screen version of the nuvi 255
TomTom ONE 130 – TomTom’s entry level model

Filed Under: Hardware, The business of GPS