GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Mio GPS reviews.
I’ve been trying out the Mio C220
$185 $165 (and the price may drop even more between now and the holidays), this unit will likely be one of the market leaders in terms of budget car navigation systems.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nuvi 200W
UPDATE: A similar but newer model, the nuvi 205W, adds quite a few features, and has occasionally been selling for a little less than the 200W.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our TomTom comparison chart.
I’ve been trying out a TomTom GO 720
The TomTom GO 720 has attracted a lot of attention as the first unit to incorporate TomTom’s new Map Share technology, allowing users to update certain aspects of its maps. Beyond that, the 720 sports a 4.3″ touch screen, Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use, MP3 player, and a built-in FM transmitter. You can even control your iPod via the 720 (an accessory cable must be purchased separately). The unit has text-to-speech so it calls out street names — that way you’ll get “turn left on Highland Drive” instead of just “turn left.” An optional traffic receiver allows for live traffic info on screen. While TomTom doesn’t state the number of points of interest (POIs), the database seems similar to those touting six million.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Mio GPS reviews.
I’ve spent the last ten days or so trying out the Mio C520
Before we get into the details, lets talk about the basic feature set. The Mio C520 comes pre-loaded with TeleAtlas maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. It has a thin, flat form factor, 4.3" wide touch screen, SiRFstar III chipset, 6 million POIs, an MP3 player, Bluetooth for hands free cell phone use, and can be upgraded for live traffic. The C520 features text-to-speech, so you’ll get "turn left on Highway 128" instead of just "turn left." Heck, this device can even play videos! If you don’t want all those bells and whistles, be sure to check out the budget-priced Mio C220. To see how the Mio C520 compares to other units, check out my Mio GPS comparison chart.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
The Garmin nuvi 250W is a 4.3″ wide-screen version of the Garmin nuvi 250. Depending upon which side of the pond you live on, the nuvi 250W comes with pre-loaded maps of North America or Europe. This is a basic navigation device – no MP3 player, no Bluetooth, no text-to-speech. The one frill is the extra wide touch-screen. Yet even without the bells and whistles, it’s Garmin nuvi quality through and through. Like all nuvis, it comes with nearly six million points of interest (POIs).
UPDATE: A new model, the nuvi 255W, offers these features and more.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Magellan auto GPS reviews.
The Magellan Maestro 4050
Before we go any further, let’s take a look at the rest of the feature set. Like its sibling, the Maestro 4040, the Maestro 4050 has a 4.3″ wide-screen, the SiRFstar III chipset, Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone use and preloaded maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Both units also have 4.5 million points of interest (POIs) and they both call out street names for upcoming turns.
What separates it from the 4040 is the that the Magellan Maestro 4050 has live-traffic included (an option on the 4040) and the previously mentioned voice-recognition feature.
To see how the 4050 stacks up against other units, check out my Magellan auto GPS comparison chart.
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Magellan auto GPS reviews.
The Magellan Maestro 3140
The 3140 has pre-loaded maps of the entire U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, while the 3100 just has the lower 48 states. A big difference, in my mind, is that the 3140 has 4.5 million points of interest (POIs), versus an anemic 750,000 POIs for the entry-level 3100.
Moving up to the Magellan Maestro 4000 series gets you a 4.3″ wide-screen interface.
UPDATE: A newer lineup, the Maestro 3200 and 4200 series, is a little thinner and lighter than the original Maestros.
To see how the 3140 stacks up against other units, check out my Magellan auto GPS comparison chart.
UPDATE: A newer 3.5″ trans-Atlantic unit, the Garmin nuvi 275T, has recently been introduced.
UPDATE 2: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.
UPDATE 3: The latest trans-Atlantic navigators to be introduced are the Garmin nuvi 2475LT and nuvi 2370LT.
The Garmin nuvi 270
UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide or check out our other Magellan auto GPS reviews.
The Magellan Maestro 3100
I have not been very impressed with receivers with such a low number of POIs. Even units with 1.5 million POIs have frequently failed to turn up the store, restaurant, etc. that I was looking for, meaning that I would need to enter the address for navigation (if I even had it). Other reviewers, linked to below, didn’t seem to have many problems with the Maestro 3100 though. Perhaps they are in areas without as many new stores, etc.
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 XL
