GPS Devices Life

Updated 12/25/06 Merry Christmas. I apologize for any confusion, but when I searched for a Nuvi 660 the day I tried my unit out, there were zero reviews written. I wrote the first one, but there was an error in how it was indexed, so now it shows up as a Nuvi 360. Just to reiterate, this review is for a Garmin Nuvi 660! Thank you.

Blah blah blah, Jerome’s obsessive history with GPS

(Go down to the asterisks if you want to read about the Garmin!)

I’ve been using this device for about 10 months and have been repeatedly frustrated by it. It seems to lack even basic points of interest. Yesterday, my son and I were headed to a state park about 75 miles away. I assumed it would have this POI no problem. It would not find it by name, zip code, or even street address. I had to go back inside and print a map from Google. This happens frequently, so now I am faced with very little confidence in the device. And that is the point of having a GPS. If I have to print a map “just in case” then why do I need this device??

The Mio C310 is a compact portable GPS car navigation system. Mio is the brand name of Taiwanese company Mitac, which has become quite well known as a supplier of GPS nav systems worldwide in the last few years. There are several different versions of the C310, depending on the software generation and the amount of memory installed. My version is a Mio C310SX, which comes with MioMap 3.2 software and 512 Mbytes of flash memory for maps. A 1 Gbyte C310X version with enough space to hold all the U.S. maps at once is also widely available. Memory capacity can be extended by adding an SD card.

I had purchased a ROAD ANGEL 6000 here in Australia (because of it’s supposedly great red light camera database) - which crashed or froze no fewer than 5 times over 3 days!

After looking around at products such as the Garmin Nuvi, I found myself won over by the Mio C310. Why? Well, because not only does the C310 have accurate turns (the RoadAngel 6000 was usually 100 - 150 metres off for turns in residential areas, and around 350 metres off a freeway!), but it has several “themes” for the look of the maps - both day & night mode - and you can have the backlight automatically dim for night mode, as well as have night mode switch on at a certain time that is calculated by the navigator itself!

I have always used some method to try to track my performance while working out. Almost all of my workouts are performed outside and it is not always easy to determine how far or fast I have covered the territory. I have used numerous pedometers, but they always seem to freeze up or the batteries die on me. I was surprised when I discovered the Forerunner 201 GPS Receiver and discovered that it actually worked.

Have had this GPS for 3 years, still one of the best available. The on-board capabilties and detailed maps are great. Great for long trips and lake navigation, I’ve logged over 6000 hours on this one and its still running strong. Tends to eat batteries, withonly about 30 hours per set, so I went with some NiMH and they seem to work okay, with about 20 hours per charge, but the 12v is the way to go if you want to use it in the car or boat. Pretty easy to use out of the box without reading the manual. Very good for synchronizing speedo’s (in boats or whatever) and has a lot of trip computing capabilities. I had a Magellan before this one, no mapping capabilities, took forever to sync up with 4 sats. This one is much faster.

I bought a Garmin GPS III Plus about 2 years ago and since have logged about 50,000 miles on it. I have found it to be one of the best companions you could ask for while traveling. I won’t go so far as to say that I never make a wrong turn but in times of indecision it usually is the tiebreaker. I like being able to glance at it and know exactly how many miles I have to go and how long it will take me to get there. Since the military has declassified the GPS constellation I have found myself desiring a more accurate base map. What I mean by this is that sometimes while driving down a road it will show you driving parallel to it. I also wish that Garmin would release some free computer software to link the GPS III Plus to a PC so that it would be easier to manage waypoints. I would recommend the GPS III Plus to anyone looking for a first-rate handheld GPS unit.

I got a Garmin C330 and Magellan 2000 at the same time because they are the same price. From the spec, the 2000 looks better then C330, but I am mostly to keep the C330.

Pro: 2000 is much easier to put into your pocket than C330. The difference is like the flat screen TV vs the old tube. It is also the cheapest SIRF III chipset that I can find. Meaning, 2000 can lock onto the signal in my basement when C330 tells me the signal has lost.

I waited in line at 4:00am in the morning on “Black Friday” to be one of only 4 people to get one of these and MAN was it worth it!

This GPS is great. The screen is nice and bright. Using the routing feature it gets you right where you need to go using clear verbal instructions. i.e. “turn left in 300 yards” etc…

It always locks on to satellites quickly when turning it on. (approx. 20-30 seconds at the most sometimes)

I picked up a new 2610 about nine months ago. One of the primary reasons is because I travel frequently and often arrive in a new city with only a street address and hotel name and limited directions. I figured that, instead of trying to read directions from Mapquest or Yahoo, I would listen to a voice telling me where to make turns.