Garmin GPS - 2820, 2720, 2730 available space for mp3's

Author

2820, 2720, 2730 available space for mp3's

TAP

2006-12-06, 4:33 am

I am looking into getting the Garmin 2820, or 2720/2730 but cant seem to
find how much free space is available for MP3's or other data. does anyone
have one of these units that they could share this info.

Thanks for the help

Todd

Brad Bishop

2006-12-06, 7:33 am

"TAP" <ttap1@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:556dndHujYBryOv
YnZ2dnUVZ_tCdnZ2d@co
mcast.com...
>I am looking into getting the Garmin 2820, or 2720/2730 but cant seem to
>find how much free space is available for MP3's or other data. does anyone
>have one of these units that they could share this info.

It's 800MB

It's dumb, if you ask me. Bringing the unit in from the car, plugging it
into the USB connector and then adding/deleting songs that you want to
listen to seems like a hassle.

A better way would have been to allow for flash memory to be plugged in so
you can just load up and go or to skip the MP3 feature altogether.

If all you have will fit in that 800MB, though, then you're set.

Brad

Jack Erbes

2006-12-06, 10:33 am

Brad Bishop wrote:
> "TAP" <ttap1@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:556dndHujYBryOv
YnZ2dnUVZ_tCdnZ2d@co
mcast.com...
>
> It's 800MB
>
> It's dumb, if you ask me. Bringing the unit in from the car, plugging it
> into the USB connector and then adding/deleting songs that you want to
> listen to seems like a hassle.
>
> A better way would have been to allow for flash memory to be plugged in so
> you can just load up and go or to skip the MP3 feature altogether.
>
> If all you have will fit in that 800MB, though, then you're set.
>

Dumb is too kind a term for that.

It's another monument to Garmin's Department if Stupid Engineering.

The StreetPilots up through the now discontinued 2650 had CF card slots
in them. So they decided to remove that when that added the MP3 player
feature because that would have been able make extensive use of nearly
unlimited storage memory.

Making intelligent use of memory has always been a challenge for Garmin,
it you look across their product lines it seems to be applied on a hit
or miss basis. It looks like there is a hardware design department that
never talks to the software design department and neither department has
a clue about the other's plans.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA (jackerbes at adelphia dot net)
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine dot com)

Seagull

2006-12-07, 12:33 pm

Jack Erbes <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> Dumb is too kind a term for that.
>
> It's another monument to Garmin's Department if Stupid Engineering.

Considering the maximum usable memory size in a Garmin GPS is 2 GB,
replacing the built-in 2 GB flash with a CF slot wouldn't gain
you any extra space. Just the option to swap multiple cards in and
out. Supplementing the built-in memory with flash just makes the
device more expensive.

Of course, the 7200 and 7500 have this option, but they are overkill
for the average person.

Cheers,
John

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Jack Erbes

2006-12-07, 3:33 pm

Seagull wrote:
> Jack Erbes <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> Considering the maximum usable memory size in a Garmin GPS is 2 GB,
> replacing the built-in 2 GB flash with a CF slot wouldn't gain
> you any extra space.

Is that a limitation on the processor? That the receiver has 2 GB of
memory in it and cannot recognize or use any additional external memory?

I don't know much about Garmin hardware.

Some of the handhelds will recognize a 2 GB microSD card as external
memory in addition to whatever amount the internal memory in them is.

> Just the option to swap multiple cards in and
> out. Supplementing the built-in memory with flash just makes the
> device more expensive.

I thought that if any of the models that have MP3 players could could
use external memory cards it would be better in that users could use
that for storing more MP3 files.

If they had left the CF card slot on the 27xx or 28xx could it not be
used for storing MP3 files? If so, my point was that it was not smart
to remove the card slot if people that want to use the MP3 player
consider 800 mb of storage to be a barely adequate amount.

> Of course, the 7200 and 7500 have this option, but they are overkill
> for the average person.

Yeah, those are huge. I'm thinking we are evolving a group of drivers
that spend all their time watching the GPS, listening to music, playing
games, and being otherwise entertained.

They could take all the non navigation features off and it wouldn't
bother me.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA (jackerbes at adelphia dot net)
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine dot com

Seagull

2006-12-07, 10:33 pm

Jack Erbes <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> Is that a limitation on the processor? That the receiver has 2 GB of
> memory in it and cannot recognize or use any additional external memory?

I don't knwo if its a processor limitation or not. It's definitely a
limitation in the actually mapset image size and Garmin has suggested
that the CF card size is limited to 2 GB. Putting those two together
it's reasonable to assume a hardware limit, but that's just conjecture.

> Some of the handhelds will recognize a 2 GB microSD card as external
> memory in addition to whatever amount the internal memory in them is.

The 76Cx is like that. It is a nice option.

> Yeah, those are huge. I'm thinking we are evolving a group of drivers
> that spend all their time watching the GPS, listening to music, playing
> games, and being otherwise entertained.

AM/FM Radios have been around a lot longer than GPSr's. I suspect that
group of drivers has been here for a long time already. :)

Cheers,
John

--
\ carpe cavy!
seagull @ aracnet.com \
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/ \ (seize the guinea pig!)

Jeff H

2006-12-23, 10:33 pm

"Brad Bishop" <nntp.bsb@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:COidnUXS4YhUNuv
YnZ2dnUVZ_vOdnZ2d@co
mcast.com...
> It's dumb, if you ask me. Bringing the unit in from the car, plugging it
> into the USB .........> Brad
>
Isn't that what one would do to load waypoints?

Jeff

Brad Bishop

2006-12-24, 10:33 pm

"Jeff H" <azjeffh@cox.net> wrote in message
news:_aljh.35225$B42.12953@newsfe12.phx...
>
> "Brad Bishop" <nntp.bsb@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:COidnUXS4YhUNuv
YnZ2dnUVZ_vOdnZ2d@co
mcast.com...
> Isn't that what one would do to load waypoints?

Yes, the difference is that you load your waypoints once (well, in a great
while) and you're set. With MP3s I'd think you'd grow bored of a collection
that filled 800MB pretty quickly. If it was something like an external card
(CF/SD/etc) then maybe it'd make more sense because you could haul just the
card in and it could hold a lot more.

Brad

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