Most auto GPS units give you several ways to set your home address, as you can see in the image above. But a couple of problems can result from these methods. Addresses are generally interpolated – if your address is 167, your GPS probably estimates that to be 2/3 of the way down the block on a given side of the street. (My home address is 12, but I know from experience that 64 works better for most units.) And with houses in subdivisions being built almost on top of each other, using your current location can result in you being directed down a nearby street, and not the one that your driveway connects to!
Archives for July 2010
Tip: Avoid common problems setting your home address
Garmin GPSMAP 62s or Oregon 450?

UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s
Well, the Garmin 62 series has started hitting online stores, and we already know a lot about it, since it’s based on the same platform as the GPSMAP 78 series. So I thought I’d go ahead and take a stab at answering what is bound to be a common question over the next few months; should you get a GPSMAP 62s or the Oregon 450? Here’s my take on the advantages of each: read more
Garmin nuvi 3790T review

UPDATE: A new model, the Garmin nuvi 3490LMT, has superseded this one (despite the lower model number!).
Hands on with the best nuvi yet
The Garmin nüvi 3790T , introduced this summer, is Garmin’s latest and greatest navigator. With its 4.3” glass screen and minimalist 0.35” thickness, it resembles an iPhone more than past nuvis. In addition to most of the goodies found on previous models, the 3790T allows you to add a customizable wake up phrase for voice command, offers a gorgeous 3D terrain view, and is the first nuvi to use historical road speeds in calculating the fastest route.
Garmin GPSMAP 62 series hits the market

UPDATE: The 62, 62s and 62st are all now available from REI.com.
UPDATE 2: GPS City now has all three models in stock…
UPDATE 3: Check out my hands on review of the Garmin GPSMAP 62s.
UPDATE 4: I’ve also got pages up for the GPSMAP 62 and GPSMAP 62st.
At least one vendor has a couple of the much anticipated Garmin GPSMAP 62 models in stock. Hit the links below to grab one of these bad boys:
Garmin nuvi 1410 for Israel
Garmin seems to be getting good at these stealth introductions. This time it’s the Garmin nüvi 1410 for Israel for Israel – a 5“ wide-screen beauty for your next trip to the Holy Land. Oh, don’t count on it to get you to the airport though. While it’s sold in the US, it has no stateside maps; you’ll need to pony up a bit more to add those. So you may be better off buying a nuvi 1xxx or 37xx series model and adding City Navigator Israel
maps to it (apparently Hebrew isn’t kosher with the older nuvis). Either way, it looks like an expensive trip to me!
Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710 unleashed

UPDATE 3: Read my hands on review of the Magellan eXplorist 510.
UPDATE 2: Read my hands on review of the Magellan eXplorist 710.
UPDATE: Here’s some screenshots and a discussion of capabilities and accepted map formats.
As expected following the success of the Magellan eXplorist GC, the company today announced several new additions to their updated handheld platform: the Magellan eXplorist 510, 610 and 710.
Garmin Oregon 550’s getting a new screen?
When the Oregon 450 came out, I was surprised that the visibility was significantly better than the flagship (albeit older) 550 series. I found that odd, and it now appears that Garmin is remedying the situation, with newer Oregon 550 series production runs receiving the 450’s improved screen. At least that’s the sense I’ve been getting, the latest evidence coming in a recent Groundspeak post.
I gave Garmin the opportunity to comment, but received little more than what they told me when I asked about the improved 450 screen…
…we’re continually striving to make great products even better through continuous software and hardware improvements.
I’ll take that as a non-denial. I assume Garmin is doing this because they want to retain the 550 series as the top of the line Oregon model (for the time being anyway). But such a move creates confusion among consumers. If I buy a 550 today, which screen will it have? At least when they changed the chipset on the 60CSx, you could tell which it had by the firmware version. This could be good news if you really want the geotagging camera found on the 550 series, but good luck determining which screen you got, unless you can do a side by side comparison with a 450 or older 550 series unit.
Garmin nuvi 1450T
The Garmin nuvi 1450T is a relatively high-end unit in the 1xxx series line up, offering a luxurious five-inch screen and advanced features such as multi-destination routing, lane assist, junction view and lifetime traffic. The 1450T is also available bundled with lifetime maps
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Peak.AR review
Augmented reality for the backcountry
Peak.AR is a free augmented reality app for the Android and iPhone platforms, that allows you to identify distant peaks by simply pointing your phone’s camera at them. Pretty cool huh?
TomTom XL 325-S

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 325S is an entry level 4.3” wide-screen device in the TomTom line up. It includes preloaded maps of the entire United States along with text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “turn right, Oak Street,” instead of just “turn right.”
