GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
You’ve probably heard by now that Apple unveiled their next-generation iPhone yesterday and that it has GPS. So here’s a little roundup of what this may mean in terms of navigation and competition with personal navigation devices (PNDs) and the forthcoming Garmin nuvifone.
UPDATE: An even newer model, the TomTom GO 740 LIVE, adds connected services such as Google Local search.
UPDATE 2: This model has been discontinued. For a list of current TomTom models and their features, please see our TomTom comparison chart.
The TomTom GO 730
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 130
UPDATE: Garmin has updated their policy with their nuMaps guarantee, which gives users 60 90 days to register their device. Follow the link for more details.
It appears that TomTom and Garmin have both adopted a formal policy of allowing free map upgrades within 30 days of registering a unit. Wait 31 days and you no longer qualify. Hence, I am recommending that anyone purchasing an auto GPS register their device immediately to see if they qualify for a free upgrade.
I’ve written another article for Information Week; this time the subject is GPS tips and tricks.
For those of you coming here via Information Week, welcome! 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.
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 2100 max
The Mio Moov 200
Stepping up to the Mio Moov 210 gets you a one-year live traffic subscription, delivered via the Traffic Message Channel (TMC). The 300 and 310 models offer the same features as the 200 and 210, albeit with a wider, 4.3” touch screen.
A few days ago, stories started appearing online about an artist who drew a self-portrait with a GPS receiver carried around the globe by DHL. Trouble is, it was all a hoax. Wired does a pretty good job of debunking it, and now the artist has posted a disclaimer saying it was a "fictional work."
Okay, maybe that’s overstating it a little, but those nanny-state legislators are at it again. If they would just remove the prohibition on GPS windshield mounts, that would be great, but no, they want to limit where you can mount a GPS to "a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver" or "a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver."
I’m not even sure where to begin dismantling the problems in this legislation. Let’s start with my somewhat flippant title. Your choice, as a driver with a left-mounted GPS, is to use your left hand or reach across the steering wheel with your right hand. Southpaws rejoice.
I’ve been testing the Mio Moov 310
