Thursday 22 October 2009

A Review of Popular Car GPS Systems

By Joseph Aaron

Motor Vehicles have been a handy means of getting around for years, but there have been trips when time and gas are squandered or destinations are bypassed entirely because of incorrect maps or poor directions. To eliminate these quandries and enable you to enjoy a rewarding driving experience, vehicle mounted GPS devices are now here to aid us and are quite affordable for most commuters. It is best to take a GPS device on road trips to be certain that the quickest route is available. The effectiveness of specific GPS devices varies by different manufacturers. To keep things interesting, extra programs are available on certain models to maintain market share and multiply the fun factor. Here are several of the more practical ones that warrant examining. A nice option to consider is the Garmin Nuvi 1350 Portable GPS Navigator.

Garmin Nuvi 265W

The problem with many of the budget Car GPS devices is that their feature list is so small that one is unsure whether the design is totally finished. The Garmin Nuvi is a stripped down piece of equipment, but it manages to retain all the more useful features and level of performance a person would expect from its better developed colleagues ? the 705 and 805 series. Voice generating software is incorporated so you will not need to read the screen while driving and it should prove remarkably simple to set up for the amateur. The cost might not work with everyone?s cash reserves, but with its powerful applications and minimal drawbacks, this Garmin Nuvi is a great value at any price.

TomTom ONE Classic and Routes edition

TomTom ONE devices look to have purchase prices that are well below their worth, but the Tom Tom?s functions and specifications show you just why this brand?s products are dirt cheap. The Tom Tom?s user friendliness is abysmal and several of the convenient features including Bluetooth and text-to-speech won?t be provided by the majority of the models. Although the older models weren?t particularly well-received by middle to lower income car owners, new ONE products were offered, including a few with widescreens and different models with advanced programming including advanced lane guidance, which is exclusive to the Routes edition. This brand?s classic edition comes without this feature, but the price might be friendly enough to make it attractive. Another model to look into is the Garmin Nuvi 1350 GPS Navigation System.

Magellan Roadmate 1212

The Magellan Maestro products are the most popular Magellan products as they hit the market first, although the Roadmate 1212 should very quickly eclipse the Maestro because of its slender dimensions and also its tiny price tag. The acceptable performance and the simple user interface easily makes this a practical purchase if you are willing to tolerate the slow menu button response. The text-to-speech program is additionally available, but using it too long can easily drain the battery which means you may spend your time charging the battery within 3 hours. A great alternative is the Garmin Nuvi 1350 Portable GPS Navigator.

Bottom Line

With regards to lower priced Car GPS products, you may understandably be forced to choose between price and feature list. Garmin Nuvi easily dominates with its few annoyances, but the Magellan and the Tom Tom are cheaper. The most practical thing to do is to invest in a Garmin Nuvi unless you plan on letting your GPS device get in the way of your driving.

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