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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Garmin GPS > January 2006 > How does "turn-by-turn routing capability" differ between units?
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How does "turn-by-turn routing capability" differ between units?
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| Hi guys,
I'm looking to buy my first- ever GPS which I plan to use (roughly in
that order) for bicycling, driving while on vacation, and perhaps
hiking/walking.
Browsing through Garmin's line, it appears that the Streetpilot, Quest,
and new gpsmap units might fit the bill. But what I can't figure out
(even after reading reviews) is whether these units are different in
their routing capabilities.
In other words: does the speed, quality, or comfort of directions differ
much between the different series? I can hardly imagine that Garmin
develops different software for each new device, but when I see that a
$1000 Streetpilot is neither waterproof nor battery-operable, can a $350
quest1 really give similar directions while driving?
Any input/experience much appreciated...
Ray
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| Colin Wilson 2006-01-18, 11:48 pm |
| > I'm looking to buy my first- ever GPS which I plan to use (roughly in
> that order) for bicycling, driving while on vacation, and perhaps
> hiking/walking.
> Any input/experience much appreciated...
In my experience, the difference between the City Navigator (CN) and
City Select (CS) range of software is, to all practical purposes,
negligible.
I can`t comment on the suitability of any of their hardware products
for anything other than driving (my unit - a Streetpilot 2620 doesn`t
have a battery, so its pretty much tied to a cigarette lighter), but
i`ve used CN in Canada and Florida, and CS in England (I live in the
UK)
CN is a slightly "stronger" product in some respects in that it knows
how many sets of traffic lights there are on a stretch of road, and
also about any specific time restrictions for use of the road, but in
my experience CS is just as usable - if not more so in some respects -
CN will tell you the road to leave by on a roundabout (you probably
don`t get many of them in the US !), whereas CS will tell you to take
whichever exit you need (i.e. "take second exit"). I prefer the
latter, as you`re not looking at the screen and can concentrate on the
road a little more.
Depending on where you want to go on vacation, check on the
availability and price of maps before you take the plunge !
Some units come with the mapping software on CD so you can install it
on your PC to allow you to plan routes ahead a little easier, but some
are not provided with any software other than USB drivers. The twist
in this is its often the more expensive units that don`t come with the
software !
As for the quality of data contained within either product, many
threads have been started pointing out missing roads that have been
there for years, and some of the waypoints are a little "specialist"
(ISTR there was a thread about all the gay and lesbian centres in an
area being listed, but no campsites).
I`ve also encountered difficulty getting my unit to find roads which I
have been able to find manually by scrolling around the area - but the
unit refuses to find on a search. When I arrived there, it correctly
displayed the name of the road, so it *was* in there, it just has a
crap search algorithm at times...
--
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| Hans-Georg Michna 2006-01-19, 5:48 am |
| On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:38:15 GMT, Ray wrote:
>But what I can't figure out
>(even after reading reviews) is whether these units are different in
>their routing capabilities.
>
>In other words: does the speed, quality, or comfort of directions differ
>much between the different series? I can hardly imagine that Garmin
>develops different software for each new device, but when I see that a
>$1000 Streetpilot is neither waterproof nor battery-operable, can a $350
>quest1 really give similar directions while driving?
Ray,
the most significant difference that comes to my mind is that
some devices speak to you, while others only beep and show
arrows or little maps to tell you which way to go.
Hans-Georg
--
No mail, please.
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| Seagull 2006-01-19, 5:48 pm |
| Colin Wilson <void@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> Some units come with the mapping software on CD so you can install it
> on your PC to allow you to plan routes ahead a little easier, but some
> are not provided with any software other than USB drivers. The twist
> in this is its often the more expensive units that don`t come with the
> software !
You can request the software if your unit doesn't come with it, and they
will send it to you. I just did this with Garmin and they are sending
me City Nav North America NT v7 on DVD at no charge. I own a 2730.
Cheers,
-+JLS
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\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)
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| Colin Wilson 2006-01-19, 11:48 pm |
| > You can request the software if your unit doesn't come with it, and they
> will send it to you. I just did this with Garmin and they are sending
> me City Nav North America NT v7 on DVD at no charge. I own a 2730.
No such luck with a 2620
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Please add the word "newsgroup" in the subject line of personal emails
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