What is Best Sat nav ?

paul.p911

I know this sounds like a straight forward question but ,infact it is not so easy to answere as some of you will be temted to say for instance," I have tom tom 1 and it works fine for me" But what i want is what really makes a good gps and why? What do you need from it and what apects are god, bad, and indifferent? I have run gps systems for years my 1st one costing about £1000.00. There are still grey areas within them. they are not perfect and don't compare to say good local knowledge.they get you buy but are not all what they are cracked up to be.I have a couple of gripes one of which is why oh why does it say bear left or bear right when infact you are staing on the same road and are not goint to turn from it but it will insist on giving you too much information. also it might have shortest or quickest routes but it doesn't have most sensible route. Let me explain if you need to go from A to B the other side of the city it will take you through the city wether quickest or shortest route is chosen.But if it had most sensible(or Likely) it would take you on the city ring road and get you there in best time avoiding the city centre.In shorteste quickest are not the only choices you would use.I also like the to hear that not only you need to turn right but to hear "urn right on oxford street". It might seem a all point to you but i think it is important.What points do you have I have others and i will add them at a later date when I see others are intrested in voicing opinions on this subject.They for sure don't take into account Traffic but they are at least doing something about that with certain add ons. The point of this should help people decide in what they want out of a GPS and help them with getting the most out of one,and also help with their budget and different platforms to have a GPS on. Well that's me for now, what say you?

rover

hi paul, i have a tom tom one, it has alot of software backup,just look round the net, its small enough to put in your pocket when you leave the car, regards rover

RedDevil_UK

I have to agree, Tom Tom is the best supported, most software etc

there may be better devices.... but will they last the test of time, go bankrupt or just go absolete?

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Morgans

Thank you,Paul for your information.You are 100 % right.I would consider also important another factor : Updates.
Some GPS are fine at the start,but soon you get trapped by old info.Others,already come obsolete out of the box...

paul.p911

I have 4 different units but the one I am most impressed with is not tomtom,but is Co-pilot.This unit I use the most as it offers everything you need from a gps.I particularly like the detour option.Get this, I am in slow moving traffic heading north on A1 and the traffic is banking up occasionally comming to a stop.There clearly was a problem going two feet evry few mins ect. SoI hit Detour and the gps guided me off at very next turn which looked no more than a farmers track took me on a detour around the hold up and brought me out back on the route beyond the troubled area and back onto the A1 where there was no problem at all. It tells you how much mileage the detour puts on your journey and it has saved me lots of frustrating hours and allowed me to get home quicker I'm sure.A great piece of kit,this is my favourite.I prefer this to tom tom as its less tackier and sets out a more professional piece of hardware.What do you all use and what do you think of them honestly?
regards
Paul

Artist 2004

A more flexible alternative which I am very happy with is to get a pocket PC with 5 inch screen and built in GPS. Then you are free to download whichever program takes your fancy. My PPC is HTC X7500 (aka Athena, aka Advantage) running WM6. Car mountings are available.

My favourite software is iGO Myway. The latest version, still in pre-release but available from share sites, has 3D mapping and buildings (rather few buildings at the moment, mainly famous landmarks in London, Paris etc.). I just love driving through the Swizz mountains in simulation mode! I've read that a lot of people who are used to TomTom have started to favour this, but I haven't tried TomTom yet so can't say.

paul.p911

Hi Artist 2004,
I have a couple of pocket PC,s the problem is with them that if they are allowed to fully drain the battery then you lose all installed software,so these need to permanently charged.of course a way round this is to install a program called "sprite backup" that will return your pocket PC to its last known form and return it to how it was will redeem this.They have a nice big screen but really they are meant as audio help with voice directions and not as a visual aid which can be dangerous if people are looking at their screens whilst driving. you say the latest software you are using is with limits regarding 3d mapping then not a lot of good as 3d software then is it? Some of us drive in other places than London. Personally i cant wait for the new European satalites to go online thats when the next level will be reached as these sats we are using at the moment can go offline at any time as they are old USA Military Sats`and are comming to the end of their cycle i think.

Artist 2004

Hi Paul,
The current version that I'm using doesn't install - it runs directly from the SD card, so it overcomes any potential data loss if you let your battery run down. When I'm on the road it plugs into my 12V system. The 3D mapping is great (compared with the 2D that we've had until recently, but low resolution compared with what we will no doubt see in the future). The limitations that I mentioned only relate to the quantity of buildings available at the moment but the terrain is in 3D, so when you want a visual representation of where you are, or in simulation mode what the road ahead will be like, you can see the mountains either side, the flyovers and so on. I don't drive in London by the way - I live in Turkey! Zoom out and you can see where all the mountain ranges are across Europe, rather like google maps.
This software is the same as you get on the dedicated in car satnav systems, so it really just boils down to personal preference and whether maps are available for your country, as to which way you go. I use the pocket PC for so many other things that it makes sense for me to use it for GPS too, but it's not not for everyone.