Hi everyone,

I need to buy a GPS navigator. The problem is, there are so many out there and I don't know which one to choose. There are some that come with "Where is" or something else. There is TomTom, Navman, Garmon...etc. I want something easy to use with uncluttered maps (TomTom normally is like this I think) and of course reliable. Something that will not get you lost. The ones that tell you the street names are nice. Any ideas? What's your opinion?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

I did a bit of research and looks like I'd be going for MIO DigiWalker C520 as it has the best reviews out of them all

I have a Garmin c340 and love it. They're super cheap now and you can get a c5xx for a good price. My second choice was a Mio, but when I played with it compared to the Garmin, it just kind of melted away in comparison. The Mio is nice, don't get me wrong. It has alot of tricks but it just doesn't stand up to the Garmin for me. I don't like TomTom, I swear to God they'll send you through buildings if you're not careful.

I've only gotten lost with my C340 ONCE and believe it or not that was today, when I went into a 'new' neighborhood and it sent me to a road that is now closed and just could not find the path that I needed through roads, HOWEVER, I saw the address point on the screen and zipped around on another road (that it didn't have in it) and found the place. In this case it's not a big deal, as there's a map update I need to buy for 2k8.

I have no idea who or where the Mio mapdata comes from and with a GPS it's really the processing speed and map data that make the unit. You don't want something that tells you to turn AFTER you fly pass it or way too soon. The Garmin measures your speed and tells you at the appropriate time. It also says street names perfectly.

Hey Neopromal!

Thanks for your valuable input. I've seen the C320 but it's a bit too bulky.

When I went on a business trip to Texas, I rented a Garmin when I picked up my rental car. When I got home, I bought a c330. The one I rented was a c340. The difference being that the 340 will speak street names to you, whereas the 330 will say Turn Left, not Turn left onto XYZ. I'd recommend a 340 or higher. I've only gotten lost once (and that was with the 340 in TX) and have nothing bad to say otherwise. I just bought one for my sister (340) for just under $200.

My cousin has a Magellean (spelling?) and she loves it, but I've never used it or seen it in action.

I have the Garmin Nuvi 350 and it is great. I think they have it at a pretty good price, like $300, in Costco. Don't get the Mio, I had one and the software is not too good. Get either a Garmin or TomTom. I have owned both a TomTom and a Garmin. The Garmin I have now I like becaiuse:
Pros:
* Text to Speech - It will say the street names like - "Turn left on Main Street". Other just say, "Turn left in 20 yards".
* Traffic Receiver - It is sold separately. It is great cause it lets you know of any accidents, delays and so forth.
* Easy to use

I would say that the only thing that TomTom has over the Garmin is the software is better with TomTom. For example, the TomTom will give you a better route than the Garmin. But, Garmin's maps are more updated that TOMTOM. Also, tomTom has trafffic option however, the way that it receives traffic updates is via your cellphone. So, to use TomTom traffic, you have to have 1) a Cell phone with Bluetooth, 2) A cellphone compatible with the TomTom GPS unit, and 3) a cellphone data plan. With Garmin, it uses Radio channel to get traffic so all you need as a traffic receiver that you simply plug into the GPS unit. So, I would say go with the Garmin, Nuvi of course. Hope that helped.

If you don't want 'bulky' then the nuvi is the only other garmin option for you. The main difference between the Nuvi and SP (StreetPilot) are things like route sorting and offroad mapping in which the nuvi has that capability (in higher models) over the SP. Both units are generally similar when it comes to giving directions. The Nuvi also has a couple 'extras' in any comparable similar product to the SP, but also commands a 'premium' price. The Nuvi can accept routes whereas the SP can't, and by inputting and sorting routes, you can end up at your destination ALOT faster than just choosing between 'faster time' or 'shorter route'.

If you do get the Mio, let us know how it works out for you.

I got a Hitachi MMP-501B with 5" screen A little bit bulky.

It has its own antenna, a square one that you pull from the back of the unit. It picks up satellites very easy even indoor in my house. I guess because it has its own external antenna it makes it easier. It has text to speech, red light and speed camera alerts, AV IN channel, media player and it's very user friendly. The person at the store even told me it has TMS but I need to do something....When you make a mistake, the re-routing calculation is very fast, in about 5 seconds it gives you new directions. So this is a BIG PLUS. One thing I noticed is that with some road names, instead of the street name it will tell you its code, e.g: S90 instead of, Hamilton RD etc...This is my first GPS.

Now, I don't know if this is common but some of the directions are pretty weird. For example, it will take me through a few different streets to take me to point B when in reality all I have to do is turn right in about 500 meters. This one took me to the left, then right, then straight, right, left BUT it did take me to point B. I just don't understand why can't it just say turn right in 600 meters etc...Is this normal?

Here is a review and a pic: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/07/hitachi_...screen_gps.html

You can see the antenna on the left sticking out when it's pulled out. Also, it's very precise when it comes to measuring the meters. The counter goes to 0 literally when you are in front of a street that you need to turn into.

What else, when you need to make a U-turn in a round about, it will say: "Take the exit on the round about to <street name>" and <street name> is the name of the street that you are currently on to. So that's the only thing you need to get use to. When you need to turn left or right on the round about, it will tell you "Take the exit to <street name> on the round about in 300 meters" and there is an arrow showing you where you need to turn.

Of course it has hands-free via Blue-tooth. Looks like a solid device....The mounting is extremely easy. It has a suction thingie that you stick on the window and once you stick it, it has a handle that you need to push down (I think) to create a vacuum so that it stays on the window. There is a bracket that attaches to this that holds the device.

Please tell me what you think.

I suggest the MIO DigiWalker C520 because it is the best in the market right now. A lot of sites gave it their best reviews. Try checking the reviews in other sites related to GPS Navigators.

if you live in the US, take a look at the DASH I've beta tested it and it seems promising.

I tried getting into the beta. No luck. I was actually looking forward to testing it. How would you compare it to the Garmin StreetPilot series (if you can, of course)?

I cant compare it to a Garmin or a StreetPilot because i have never used any one of those units side by side a Dash. If Dash sets out what it is planning to do, and from what i've seen using the beta dash, you won't be able to compare any GPS unit to the dash because the dash unit is updated on the fly through cellular and wireless plus its GPS. with the dash unit, i can get real time information such as gas prices from all the gas stations around me, or in another city. heck i can even get a sale price of a house while driving down a neighborhood. Send to unit is also a nice feature, where you're able to send information via computer to a dash unit, and the dash unit could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The list goes on and on. What I like about the dash is it doesn't feel like a preprogrammed device, for some reason the more you use it, it seems to evolve, it learns from you via your driving habits, other dash units, and from direct input. I have not seen that in other GPS units.

Oh, did i tell you its an excellent GPS unit too?

Well as mentioned above, I already bought the Hitachi one and it seems like it does the job but I still haven't tested it fully. Just a few days ago I noticed there is an option after you type the address. You are presented with a "Go" button as usual but on the same screen you can also choose between "Quickest" and "Shortest" referring to the route. Last time I chose "Quickest" and I was pleasantly surprised. In other words, I trully liked it. More testing will be done with different locations.

Well, quickest/shortest is a setting you can change in the StreetPilot series, as well as nixing toll roads, highways, etc.

What you say about the Dash, though, NvySeal, that sounds pretty damn amazing...

The Dash is a very nice concept but it's $600 and $100 a year for the 'service' as of current pre-orders....it's awesome because it's essentially an internet connected GPS. I certainly hope it gets into the $300 or so region. I don't think I could make myself spend that much on a GPS.

If I was really willing to spend that much money, I'd've bought a high-end Nuvi or an SC 500+

Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech is best.