Other auto GPS Archives

Built in GPS Disappoints Customers

November 8, 2016 By Mary G. Leave a Comment

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Technology in the world today is advancing so fast that it is sometimes hard to keep up. With that being said, more and more cars are coming equipped with a built-in navigation systems so that consumers won’t need to use a stand alone model or their smartphone.

Unfortunately, while the technology is becoming available for the public, not many people are utilizing it. In a survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, it was revealed that about 1/3 of people who had built-in navigation gave up on it after less than 2 weeks, and more than half never used it at all. Additionally, almost 2/3 of people with the built-in navigation said that they continue to use their smartphone as a GPS at least some of the time. read more

Filed Under: Featured, GPS Navigation, Other auto GPS

Truckers hitting bridges; Senator wants to regulate GPS

September 25, 2012 By Rich Owings 9 Comments

New York Senator Charles Schumer says too many trucks and buses are hitting bridges and that the government should do something about it. He may want to talk to Apple; they seem to be finding out that the mapping business is pretty complicated. Seriously, there are always going to be map errors, but perhaps it should be illegal for truckers and bus drivers to use consumer GPS, as opposed to a device that at least attempts to consider height and other restrictions. read more

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, Other auto GPS Tagged With: GPS for trucks

Auto GPS FAQs

July 23, 2012 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

Here’s a list of posts covering a wide range of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about auto GPS receivers: read more

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, Garmin auto GPS, Other auto GPS Tagged With: FAQs, Tips

The state of live traffic reporting in the US

January 14, 2011 By Rich Owings 2 Comments

A GpsPasSion forum member has posted an excellent piece on the state of live traffic reporting in the US, with historical background, a look at the various ways traffic is reported, and even a ranking of number of probes for the key players. Google tops the list BTW, thanks to their Android coverage. There are a couple of pieces missing (NAVTEQ sources, iPhone probe data sent back to Apple – and no, I don’t have the answers to those), but overall this is the best summary of its sort I’ve seen. There are a few shoes left to drop – Apple’s predicted mapping solution, the fact that Garmin will soon have a lot of probe data as their mobile apps take off, and (as the article notes) RIMs massive network of probes.

Filed Under: Featured, Other auto GPS Tagged With: Traffic

Motorola MOTONAV TN765t review

April 29, 2010 By Rich Owings 17 Comments

Hands on with the Motorola MOTONAV TN765t

The Motorola Motonav TN765t has a whopping 5.1” display, voice recognition, Bluetooth, lifetime traffic, text-to-speech, lane guidance, and pre-loaded maps of the US and Canada. I’ll get into the details of many aspects of this feature-laden unit shortly, but first let’s look at how the TN765t differs from other models in the current MOTONAV product line…

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, GPS Reviews, Other auto GPS Tagged With: Motorola MOTONAV TN765t

Insignia NS-CNV10 review

January 26, 2009 By Rich Owings 3 Comments

The Insignia NS-CNV10 is a connected GPS navigator available exclusively from BestBuy. It includes a one year subscription for connectivity which gives you access to Google Local search, live traffic, and gas prices. The CNV10 is a 3.5” model with text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “in one mile, make a left turn on Main Street,” rather than just “in one mile, make a left turn.”

Filed Under: Auto, GPS Reviews, Hardware, Other auto GPS Tagged With: Insignia NS-CNV10

Insignia GPS first impressions

October 20, 2008 By Rich Owings 29 Comments

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UPDATE: Read my full Insignia NS-CNV10 review.

I've been spending the past few days getting to know the Best Buy Insignia NS-CNV10 GPS. This 3.5" model, like its bigger brother, sports text-to-speech, a cellular connection, Google Local search and no connection fees for the first year. The 4.3" model is pictured above, but except for the phone button (Bluetooth is found only on the NS-CNV20) it gives you a good idea of what it looks like.

The Insignia appears to utilize deCarta's Connected Navigation (CNAV) service. So far, the device has been fairly intuitive and has done a good job of navigation, recalculating quickly whenever necessary. And I love having Google Local search at my fingertips. I also like being offered multiple route options, though it sometimes takes a couple of steps to get to them.

Filed Under: Auto, Hardware, Other auto GPS

Dash Express becomes the first GPS to learn your shortcuts

June 30, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

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Dash Express users will be getting a major software update today, delivered wirelessly of course. There are lots of changes, so we’ll delve right in and start with the most important.

MyRoutes automatically learns your preferred routes

How long have we pined for a GPS smart enough to learn our favorite shortcuts? Well wait no longer boys and girls — the Dash Express gets bragging rights as the first GPS to do this. The MyRoute shortcut is shown in pink in the image above. Some details…

Filed Under: Auto, Dash, Hardware, Other auto GPS

New Internet content for Dash Express

May 14, 2008 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

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Dash Navigation is announcing today that they are opening their API to third party developers. Bringing Internet-based content to your car, the first five “DashApps” are:

Filed Under: Auto, Dash, Other auto GPS

Dash Express review

May 6, 2008 By Rich Owings 6 Comments

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UPDATES:

Dash has discontinued manufacture of the Dash Express
The price on the Dash Express has now been reduced to $299.99
Read about how the Dash can now learn your favorite routes

I’ve had the Dash Express for over a month now and have been enjoying testing it out. The Dash is a revolutionary new type of GPS navigation device that brings Internet search to your car along with crowdsourced live traffic. The cellular connection built in to every Dash unit sends anonymous location data to Dash servers. This data is then translated to traffic flow speeds that are updated on all Dash units every 15 minutes. If there are enough Dash users on the road in your area, you will receive traffic data superior to that offered by any other GPS device available in North America.

In this review, we’ll look at the Dash service plan, their hardware, interface, how well the crowdsourced traffic feature works, the unit’s Internet search capabilities, and how the Dash Express compares to other GPS navigators in terms of features. I’ll conclude with a list of pros and cons, as well as a recommendation on who should consider purchasing a Dash Express.

Filed Under: Auto, Dash, GPS Reviews, Hardware, Other auto GPS