Auto Archives - Page 25 of 48

TomTom XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition

November 1, 2010 By Rich Owings 2 Comments

UPDATE: A newer model, the GO 2535TM WTE adds Bluetooth and voice command.

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 XXL 540TM World Traveler Edition marries a luxurious 5” screen with preloaded maps on the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. On top of that, you get lifetime traffic and lifetime map updates (though Europe is not included in either).

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Phone navigation vs dedicated GPS receivers

October 29, 2010 By Rich Owings 21 Comments

Consumer Reports has a navigation faceoff story today, judging the contenders by six different factors. Dedicated navigation units were the clear winner in two, mobile phones in one, with the other three criteria giving results that were a bit muddied.

With apps that mimic your TomTom or whatever, and function as an all-in-one device, you’d think it would be a slam dunk for cell phones to win this one. But I’m going to take a different approach and say that their ability to do it all is in fact their Achilles’ heel.

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, Mobile

TomTom XL 335T

October 28, 2010 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

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 335T adds lifetime traffic to the TomTom XL335S feature set, and gives you preloaded maps of the US and Canada, a 4.3” wide-screen and text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “turn right, Oak Street,” instead of just “turn right.” read more

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, GPS Reviews, TomTom auto GPS Tagged With: TomTom XL 335T

Archived trip logs on Garmin nuvis

October 19, 2010 By Rich Owings 36 Comments

Most newer nuvis can record your trip log (AKA tracklog, and yes, that’s where this site’s name comes from). But did you know you can go back and view 200,000 points worth of data? Well, it’s all there, under Garmin/GPX/Archive.

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

Garmin nuvi 265W

October 18, 2010 By Rich Owings Leave a Comment

UPDATE: The nuvi 2×5 series has been officially discontinued. For current recommendations, see our auto GPS buyers guide.

The Garmin nüvi 265W is one of the second-generation models in the nuvi 2×5 series, which I dubbed the "best entry level GPS on the market." This series offers more mid-line features though; in addition to everything that made the 2×5 series a hit, the 265W adds Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use. It includes pre-loaded maps of the U.S. and Canada, has a 4.3" wide touch-screen and comes with 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, Featured, Garmin auto GPS, GPS Reviews Tagged With: Garmin nuvi 265W

Garmin nuvi 1450LMT

October 12, 2010 By Rich Owings 242 Comments

The Garmin nüvi 1450LMT adds lifetime map updates to the nuvi 1450T (which already includes lifetime traffic). Introduced in 2009 (here is a list of more recent nuvi introductions), the 1450LMT also comes with a 5” wide screen and multi-destination routing, lane assist and junction view (pictured above).

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Garmin nuvi 1390LMT

October 10, 2010 By Rich Owings 46 Comments

The Garmin nüvi 1390LMT adds lifetime map updates to the nuvi 1390T (which already includes lifetime traffic). Introduced in 2009 (here is a list of more recent nuvi introductions), the 1390LMT also comes with lane assist, junction view and Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use. All of the units in the 1200, 1300 and 1400 series come with customizable data fields and the ability to utilize the pedestrian and mass transit features on Garmin’s CityXplorer maps. They also have text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “drive one-half mile, then turn left on Main Street,” instead of just “drive one-half mile, then turn left.”

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Garmin nuvi 1350LMT

October 8, 2010 By Rich Owings 23 Comments

The Garmin nüvi 1350LMT adds lifetime map updates to nuvi 1350T (which just includes lifetime traffic). A mid-range unit in a line of Garmin GPS navigators introduced in 2009 (here is a list of more recent nuvi introductions), the 1350LMT offers lane assist and lifetime traffic. All of the 1200, 1300 and 1400 series models come with customizable data fields and the ability to utilize the pedestrian and mass transit features on Garmin’s CityXplorer maps. They also have text-to-speech, so you’ll hear “drive one-half mile, then turn left on Elm Street,” instead of just “drive one-half mile, then turn left.”

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GPS, bad maps and death

October 5, 2010 By Rich Owings 4 Comments

Well, it finally happened. A GPS with bad map data led someone into a lake at night, resulting in a drowning death.

Apparently, the GPS receiver showed an old road as passable, despite the fact that Spain’s La Serena reservoir was built in 1989. Fortunately the passenger was able to make it to shore safely; the driver was not so lucky.

Filed Under: Auto, Featured, GPS News

Garmin nuvi 1490LMT

October 4, 2010 By Rich Owings 106 Comments

The Garmin nüvi 1490LMT adds lifetime map updates to the nuvi 1490T (which already includes lifetime traffic). Introduced in 2009 (here is a list of more recent nuvi introductions), the 1490LMT also comes with a 5” wide screen and multi-destination routing, features not found on any of the nuvi 12xx or 13xx models.

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