New Purchaser To Be Questions, Please

Hello,

Guess I'm about to bite the bullet and pick up a gps unit for use in my car.

Seems like these are becoming a commodity level item; amazed at how many
models are out there, and how low the prices have become now.

Have a few very basic questions, please:

a. I guess Garmin, Tom-Tom and possibly Magellan are the "big" names in
these. Are they all equivalent Quality wise, or does one brand really
stand-out ?

b. Do all the models these days (automatically) pick up
the WAAS system ? If not, how can one tell ?

c. My eyesight isn't too great anymore, and was thinking that a 5"
screen might be the way to go. But, does the resolution truly increase,
also, for the bigger screen(s) ?

Or, is it that the same number of pixels are just spread out over a
bigger screen ?

d. Battery life pretty much the same on a 5" screen compared to a 4.3"
or 4.7" screen ? What's typical ?

Any "must have" options that I might not be thinking about, or factors
to consider ?

Much thanks,
Bob

(with clarity & insight):


I've used, to a degree, all of these, and Garmin's the one I stick
with. No doubt.


I've found WAAS signals are disrupted by trees, trucks, buildings,
etc., too often for it to work consistently in a vehicle. Not using it
hasn't been any kind of issue.


I've seen a 7" screen where it was clear the pixels were just bigger.
I'd just narrow my choices down then check the manufacturer's specs.


I've used a bunch of nuvi's in vehicles and never relied on battery
for more than a few moments, and the traffic data receiver for the
nuvi's is part of the DC power cord.


Lifetime map updates (life of the device, that is) can make a lot of
sense if you're in areas where changes happen often. Lifetime traffic
data, likewise, but that depends on local DoT's - whose quality of
data, I've found, varies from area to area. I'm currently working in
Chicago, and the DoT data here is very good.

Bluetooth can be handy, I've found. I'm currently using a vehicle with
MS Sync in it, so my phone's going there, but an alternative config
would be to have the GPS directions (along with MP3/Audible player)
feeding the car stereo (can also be done with a cable to an Aux
input).

On Fri, 21 May 2010 07:12:28 -0500, Wayne R wrote:

I as well. Tom-Toms do work and tend to be less expensive for similar
features sets, but they don't seem as polished in minor but annoying
ways. For example, one of the earlier ones I borrowed for a weekend was
insanely road-locked. It always showed you on the nearest road if there
was one within about a half-mile of your computed position. Would that
have mattered in any practical sense for a car GPS? No, not really. But
it still bugged me that the pointer would stick at the edge of Main St
as I drove into the parking lot, then suddenly zoom over to the edge of
1st Ave as I got closer to that than Main. Garmin have their quirks and
annoyances as well, but it feels like they're fewer and there was
usually an ATTEMPT to mitigate it in the software, even if it wasn't as
much or more than I would have liked.


But more directly addressing the question: It's hard to find a current
GPS that doesn't support WAAS, and manage it pretty harmlessly.


Generally for any of the current units, you're not going to get a huge
number of pixels no matter what.


Again, back to the actual question, a couple of hours is typical. Might
be two hours, might be four hours, but it's not going to be much more
than that for an automotive-oriented GPS. And if respectable screen size
is important, you're not going to want one of the longer-lifed hiker or
multi-use units.


It's probably LESS important if you're still finding your feet with GPS
use. Buying a new unit will always come with a newer map/POI set, and if
after owning a GPS for a while you end up with a much clearer
understanding of what features you use and what you don't, what appeals
and what annoys, and the background of use to research the next purchase
much better than this one, you may only keep a first GPS for a year or
two before buying a "keeper". Under that circumstance, lifetime maps on
the "starter GPS" may be unimportant since they won't really have time
to get stale.


Some units will also integrate an FM transmitter into the power rig,
similar to the aux input. That can be useful for people that (for
example) use several vehicles commonly, or rent cars a lot.

--
"This place is evil! We need weapons! Crossbows! Rocket Launchers!
Rent-a-zilla!"
-- L33t Master Largo www.megatokyo.com

Hi Peter

Thanks for your informative comments. Heck I have WAAS but did not know
anything about it. I bought a Garmin Street Pilot C530 at Amazon and
did not realize the quality of what I had bought. I guess I got more
for my dollar than I thought as it also had routing for large vehicles.
I guess I might be hard pressed to find an equivalent GPS when I have
to buy a new one. One within my budget that is.(grin)

--
Lee (in Florida)US Army Retired
Georgie Boy Cruise Master
Logitech VidCam & Skype lee.g.bray

I've used both Garmin and TomTom. The last two Garmins I've had have been
lemons!

On my wife's unit, it kept resetting.

On mine, the bluetooth won't connect about 1/2 the time, especially if it's
hot. From time to time, it will route you off the freeway onto the exit
ramp, then down the ramp, back onto the freeway... Very annoying.

The replacement unit for hers is a TomTom.. and except for a quirk in the
mapping database that calls an interstate by the wrong designation, it
seems fine.

When mine dies, I'll probably buy a TomTom. (I'd do it now, but I bought
the full meal deal on the Garmin with the traffic service... too much
money spent to chuck it just yet.

Garmin map updates are EXPENSIVE.
WAAS is a good thing... but for most instances non-corrected is pretty
good. Rarely will it be off by enough to put you on the wrong road.

I rarely use mine on battery, it's mostly plugged in to the cig. lighter.

Next time, I'm NOT going to get the fancy one, with bluetooth etc.

I'll get a separate bluetooth speaker phone.

Steve