in the market for a GPS thing... how to decide??

JEKKI

JEKKI

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I hear GPS makes a good father's day gift and my mother is getting all up on me to get one...

what are sum good ones at reasonable prices that do a good job??

Also what are the best features that GPS devices provide that make them worth the money??

I donno how to pick a good one coz I got good direction!! my brain is a GPS, but parents are different I guess...

thanks!
 
www.dealnews.com and type in GPS. I'm a big fan of the Garmins. And don't put too much in the whole "traffic receiver" nonsense - I have one and don't use it anymore. They're just not terribly accurate, and oftentimes I find the "accident" was already gone by the time I got there...or hadn't been reported yet and got stuck when it showed it was clear....
 
The Tom Tom One 3rd Edition is a nice entry-level basic unit. Plus you can find refurb units for under $100 that look and work as if they were brand new.

I bought one for my father for his birthday, and soon after one for myself since it was so nice.

The only downside to it is the battery doesn't last very long... about an hour. However it comes with a car charger so I just leave it plugged in all the time.

Check Buy.com or Newegg.com -- I think both places were running deals on these refurbs.
 
You can't go too wrong with Garmin or Magellan. They both offer products with very similar feature sets, so most of the time it's just a matter of personal preference.

You can get the Garmin 350 from Amazon right now @ $200:
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-nüvi-3-5-Inch-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000BKJZ9Q

On that page lists all of the different feature sets from the other Garmin models. The 350 is a very solid base model, and should make a great gift.

I recently picked up the Magellan Maestro 4250 ($260 @ Amazon):
http://www.amazon.com/Magellan-Maestro-4250-Widescreen-Bluetooth/dp/B000V4PZCI

I chose the Magellan because there are 2 features I personally like that Garmin doesn't offer:
1. A split screen view that shows the map on one side and what your next turn looks like on the other
2. The 'chime' - it basically makes a chime noise when you're supposed to turn.
 
I purchased the Tom Tom One LE on black friday for $100, and would suggest it over the others at the time mainly because theres no additional fees in that price range. Not sure whats out there now, but I would study up on additional/hidden fees and go with the cheapest if its for an entry level user. If its for someone who has no directional sense, Garmin has the best maps in the US and their tech support is out of this world. (Tom Tom has the best Europe maps, but Garmin is closing)
 
i have a Mio C220 and its great. simple, easy to use entry level GPS. it has alot of POI though the map isn't updated (which is a huge let down). Get a Garmin or Tom Tom if you want a good quality GPS and if your budget can reach upto $400. what i like lately is the dash express which could be connected over the internet for an added subsription fee but it does tell give you traffic updates. only usefull i guess for big cities like NYC.

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the thing to look at is price. like always, the most expensive GPS system doesn't always mean the best. you can get a dash that alot of gadget blogs are raving about and be satisfied. another thing to consider imo is POI (points of interest). to be able to search for anything and everything while youre in the car is awesome. i use my gps to get me places ive never even been to or even thought of going. read alot of reviews. amazon, newegg, & pricegrabber is the best place to find them.
 
that Tom Tom looks nice! the problem tho, at least speaking for my mother, is she has trouble seeing things on a small screen.

of course, my mother does not drive outside of town... but I dont kno about my father's vision.

hopefully my mother would kno how good my father can see.

even so, I like how it has both touchscreen and that it talks to you!!

btw budget this month is real tight!! $500 MGS4 bundle + trip to San Fran to get Kojima's signature... I gotta balance price and quality lol!!

thanks a lot!!

EDIT: hmmmm... that Garmin tho is looking like the smarter purchase...

at an extra $60 I thinking I should go for that... I needa make more money this summer >_
 
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