1490 as a replacement for a StreetPilot

This thread discusses my thoughts regarding my recent purchase of an 1490LMT
as a replacement for my aging, but still working, StreetPilot 2610.

I purchased the 2610 new about seven years ago for ~$500 and upgraded to a
2 gig CF memory card for ~$150. I did updated the maps several times over
the years for ~$75/update. The 2610 still works well but Garmin no longer
provides firmware updates and I believe the current MapSource software is no
longer compatible with StreetPilots of this vintage. That said, I am
contemplating a cross country trip next summer and need a reliable GPS for
the trip. I purchased the 1490LMT last week for $170 and added an 8gig SDHC
for $9. Both purchases were "Christmas Specials" but the price distinction
prove Moore's Law.

I updated to the current version of MapSource. The process was a four hour
download/installation effort that was completely automatic and required no
manual intervention. The "LM" of the 1490LMT allows free, quarterly map
updates. then took the 1490LMT for a test ride.

I am impressed with the 1490. The screen is much larger, the display is
crisper, and the lettering is easier to read. The turn announcements that
now include the spoken street names are beneficial. I do notice differences
however. Specifically....

The 2610 is a highly customizable unit and I had configured four tabs along
the navigation screen that would display: the distance to next turn, time to
next turn; current street address; and ETA at final destination. These
tabs could hold other values but these are what I had selected. Each tab
could be collapsed/expanded individually. The 1490 has a similar four-tab
option but some the values (time/distance to next turn) I had used on the
2610 were not among the available options. Also, the four tab display was
an all or nothing, the individual tabs could not be collapsed/expanded.

The 2610 had a Find button that would allow search selection by address,
POI, Waypoints, etc. and the search criteria could be restricted (along
current route, near destination, etc.). The 1490 has a Go To button that
has a similar purpose but I think the search criteria restrictions do not
seem to be as powerful. In fairness, this opinion may change as I become
more familiar with the 1490's approach.

All of that information is easily available. They laid it out
differently, that's all. RTFM.



Sadly, in this case, I don't think so. I went from a GPS-10 with
software running on a Windows CE device over to a Nuvi; the software
than ran on the WinCE device had those same search features as your
StreetPilot, but my Nuvi does not. The Nuvi has some of them but not
all. I do miss the searches along current route and near destination.
Not to have those is, IMNSHO, silly.

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote on Dec 26, 2010:


Are you sure about this? My Nuvi 765 gives options to search near, "A
Different City", "My Current Route", or "My destination".


--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

Well, maybe post-360 they added that stuff.

I replaced our 2610 with a nuvi 855. What I miss about the 2610:

Truck routing (we travel fulltime in a large motorhome)

A list of upcoming exits

Rest areas displayed on the map

Elevation and other information that can be continually displayed
on the map while driving. With this particular model nuvi, I
can't control what displays on the map screen.

The ability to search or display ALL points of interest, not just
those in a particular category. We liked that when we pass by an
interesting set of buildings or other feature. With the 2610, I
could display all POIs sorted by proximity, which would usually
tell us what the mystery feature is.

The ability to force it to immediately recalculate a route when I
fail to take a turn the GPS wanted me to.

The nuvi diplays much less detail on the map than our 2610 did.
The names for only the closest and largest streets display.

Some of these features may be present on the 1490, but they
aren't on our 855. But the beautiful screen, spoken street
names, Lane Assist, Junction View, speed limit display, etc.,
make the tradeoff worthwhile. Also, it doesn't lose the
satellite signal (or at least admit to it) and recalculate the
route frequently when driving though canyons and wooded areas the
way our 2610 did.

--
Dave