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Author Topic: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?  (Read 3955 times)

Justan

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Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« on: September 26, 2010, 11:14:13 am »


What features are desired?

Thanks in advance!

Joe Behar

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2010, 12:25:02 pm »

Text to speech....if you're getting directions such as "left turn in 300 meters" you won't be trying to look at a 3 inch screen to decipher road names while driving at 80km per hour.

Another feature which should be forced by law is that the screen should not be visible if you are travelling at more than 20km per hour. Texting or e mailing while driving is only slightly more dangerous and crazy than looking at those stupid screens.

Can you tell I've run into more than a couple of idiots that try to use and program their GPS while driving?

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RSL

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2010, 12:49:14 pm »

Justan, I mostly agree with Joe. I have two Honda Odysseys with nav systems whose screens are considerably larger than the three inch variety Joe's talking about and I love them both. The down side is that I used to stay pretty well oriented after a glance at a map. Now I've learned to depend on the nav system, and if I drive a rental car without one I'm lost most of the time.

I agree with Joe that voice directions are an absolute necessity. In heavy traffic you don't want to have to watch the display to know where to turn. I absolutely agree with Joe that texting or emailing should be outlawed everywhere. I'd add being on the phone while driving. Most people can't drive worth a damn even while not texting, emailing, or talking on a phone. When they're doing any of those things they're deadly.

I only partly agree with Joe about shutting down the screen at a certain speed. I'd restrict the shutdown to areas of heavy traffic, and I'd take into account the range currently displayed on the screen. If I'm outside of town, driving at 70 or 75mph across the wide open spaces of Kansas or southern Colorado with the screen set at a resolution of roughly 15 miles per inch I don't want the screen shut down. I want to be able to see where I am, and be able to read the distance to my destination or the next town. But I'd agree with joe when I'm in the city.

I've seen the same kind of idiots Joe's seen. It's disconcerting at best, terrifying otherwise.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2010, 03:07:49 pm by RSL »
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2010, 01:04:13 pm »

My pet peeve would be the time required to acquire a satellite signal and/or inability to do it in a skyscraper-dense urban environment quickly (or at all). By the time my several years old portable GPS grabs a signal (if at all) I would be already desperately and cluelessly circling around in a big city. And as Russ pointed out, I was pretty good at reading maps, until I got spoiled by GPS. The worst combination is when the GPS grabs a signal, starts directing you, then loses it and starts MISdirecting.

Peter McLennan

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2010, 06:35:19 pm »

I agree about voice instructions.  (unless you have a co-pilot)

A small laptop, a GPS USB antenna and $100 software (Streets and Trips or equivalent) is a better solution than a 3" screen GPS, IMHO.

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AndrewKulin

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2010, 07:35:56 am »

I also have an Odyssey with Nav and:

- have only had an issue with GPS in the big City maybe a couple of times in 4.5 years (and that was being offset on the map by maybe 100-200 m)
- agree that voice is a good thing to have but in the Honda I generally keep it turned off as it is annoying to me (it over-rides radios/CDs when listeneing to these) - I use it when I am really going into unknown areas for me
- I also have one of the Garmin Nuvi's (775 I think) which has a smaller screen and voice as well - used that in France last year and smaller screen size was not a problem and voice was on all the time.  For what is is worth, a GPS is an absolute must in Europe in my opinion, at least for us N. Americans used to somewhat grid-like road networks.
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RFPhotography

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2010, 08:24:12 am »

Voice instructions aren't really an absolute necessity.  Mine has audible sounds for different events.  It's a handheld that can also be used in the car.  It sits in a cradle on the dashboard.  When I hear a sound, a quick glance to the right tells me what's happening. 

The one thing I would caution based on my experience is to make sure that if you're programming a route on your computer and loading that route into the device that the device will follow the same route you set up in the computer.  I found out the hard way that mine doesn't always (Garmin eTrex Vista HCx - not an inexpensive unit when I bought it 3 years ago).  I've been in situations where I've programmed a route on the computer, loaded the route and map information into the device and then had the device take me on an entirely different route.  Garmin hasn't been able to determine why it happens (not entirely comforting) but do acknowledge that it can happen.  I don't believe this should be an issue with the dedicated car units.  The problem can be worked around by adding waypoints into the route when setting it up on the computer but that takes additional time. 
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NikoJorj

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2010, 04:18:25 pm »

Something not yet as widely advertised but far more crucial than for computer screens : brightness. Many GPS screens are very dim in the sun.
Add a glossy finich on top of that and you can use the device to refresh your makeup - so neat!

Otherwise, a test-drive of the software interface may be useful - I like iGo's one much, but it's a matter of taste.

About Text-to-speech, I didn't find any that could really reliably read french streets names so I prefer to shut it up ; a quick glance at the screen, with the (imho much more needed) large direction signs and lane indicators, makes it for me.
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2010, 03:44:47 am »

I have an original TomTom One, about five years old. Other than being a little slow to acquire a signal, it's excellent. Over long distances it can sometimes choose odd routes, so I tend to look at a map, but in towns it's a fantastic help and I have learned to trust it. I've used it in the UK mostly, of course, but also extensively in France, Switzerland, Spain and South Africa. I've had no problems with being able to see the screen (although I imagine if you have an open car it might be difficult) and the French female voice I have selected is even reasonably pleasant to listen to. I've used a Garmin, which I didn't find anywhere near as good.

FWIW

Jeremy
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NikoJorj

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2010, 06:04:30 am »

I've used a Garmin, which I didn't find anywhere near as good.
I did too and I'd agree, even if they made some progresses with the last nuvis.
I'd say the 3 major navigation softwares are iGo, Navigon and Tomtom these days (in no particular order, the best is to try them).

In the desirable features, I didn't mention the TMC (real-time traffic information through FM reception, might have another name in the US) - it can be handy sometimes.
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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Justan

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2010, 09:01:59 am »

Thanks all for this feedback!

Are some GPS systems optimized for vehicle use? I ask as a friend said she has one that doesn’t give enough advance notice. She gave an example of being within about 100 yards of a freeway off ramp when the gps said it’s time to turn.

About what is the service cost for a GPS? Is there a monthly or annual fee to connect to the satellites or use the services?

Also has anyone used the iphone/droid version of smart phones? I'm vacillating between a dedicated GPS and a latest generation smart phone with GPS abilities, but don’t know if a dedicated device will provide a better end result.

My use for one of these is strictly to help around town, while in one of my vehicles

NikoJorj

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2010, 09:39:33 am »

Are some GPS systems optimized for vehicle use?
Most are, at least the few names I mentioned.

Quote
About what is the service cost for a GPS? Is there a monthly or annual fee to connect to the satellites or use the services?
Satellites signal use is free until newer notice, but you shall take into account the map update costs : sometimes included in the buying price, sometimes not.
TMC service is often but not always costly, depending on the country and level of service (it may also be included in the unit cost).
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Nicolas from Grenoble
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2010, 01:31:15 pm »

Are some GPS systems optimized for vehicle use? I ask as a friend said she has one that doesn’t give enough advance notice. She gave an example of being within about 100 yards of a freeway off ramp when the gps said it’s time to turn.
She certainly wasn't using a TomTom, then. On a motorway, mine tells me about a mile in advance that there's an exit ahead and gives me at least two further warnings.

Jeremy
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PeterAit

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #13 on: October 20, 2010, 11:19:01 am »

The option to specify "use highways" or "avoid highways." Our Garmin does not have this and always gives you the shortest route even if it involves winding through residential areas.
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RFPhotography

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Re: Anyone use a GPS in their car or truck?
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2010, 12:29:55 pm »

With respect to turn notification, there may be something in the settings that will give more notice.  I can do that in mine.  I set two notifications.  One for about 1.5km and the second for about 200m from the turn. 

I've tried the mapping functions of my Blackberry but don't like those.  There are no turn notifications and the map doesn't scroll as you drive out of the current area.  RIM has told me this is a flaw in my device but they can't seem to address it.
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