POI Factory Files versus Garmins POI Files

POI Factory files are more up to date than Garmin. Garmins 08 map was probably made in late O6.

You can also add sound alerts and icons to some units. You are not able to do with the factory installed locations.

Miss POI

The truth is nothing. In a sense that both POI and factory installed POI are the same, equal up to the point of the LONg/LAT. No offense to anyone I think most people wants to contribute POI's to able to get the red light camera for free. Some are helpful answering question about each different unit.

The only advantage I see in some POI here is, they may had been updated to be on the extract entrance of the place while the installed POI you don't have a way to update them. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing which POI was updated after you loaded it to your GPS. The GPX or CSV file does not have any comment that they were validated. What I do is validated it myself before I used any of POI. If I found a problem, I report it to the original owner of the POI but on my copy I put a comment that it was verified so the next time I use it I know that that place will not drop me to nowhere.

As Miss POI have said you have a way to add alert, bmp icon, etc.

Also there are some POI here that I think is not part of the factory installed POI. Not sure which one but definetely there is.

POI Factory files can be off the beaten track, such as camp grounds, park ranger stations, scenic spots on parkways, hiking trailheads, and boat ramps - all stuff that I've put into my files for projects I've worked on in my section of the country. Garmin's POI files are more standard fare, like gas stations and hotels.

GC

Using the 2008 maps last year I called a hotel that was listed as a POI. The hotel said they had a room available for $100 or so (can't remember exactly). When I got into town I looked for a bank and, as I was driving, I passed the hotel I (thought) I had called. I was amazed that such a nice place had a room for that amount so I stopped in and tried to get the room. Not only was the hotel completely booked, their rooms were MUCH more expensive than what I had been quoted. It turned out that the POI info from Garmin had their OLD address and phone number. The hotel located at that spot and using that phone number was vastly different in quality.

This is the main reason I've updated to the 2009 maps. The newer and more up to date the POI info the better.

... The only advantage I see in some POI here is, they may had been updated to be on the extract entrance of the place while the installed POI you don't have a way to update them...

I second this sentiment. I know that when I make a POI file I'm meticulous about getting the exact long/lat numbers if at all possible. And like the writer above, I set the location to the parking area if applicable or to the front of the building just off the street.
Of course, using Google Earth isn't always possible if all I'm working with is a street address and I have no way to verify that address is actually where the building is. I'm not at all impressed with the accuracy of vendor-provided POI's.

Thank you all for your input, makes perfect sense now. If I'm correct in understanding the posts I can use the POI Factory files, which will be more up to date, to cross reference with the Garmin files. Through a process of elimination I can, for example, create a custom GPX file to correspond with my East Coast trip containing Hotels, Starbucks etc. etc. Obviously spending the time to create a custom file will cut down on the number of POI's in my favourites wich are limited, plus its great fun too!

Was hopeing to pick up map updates when in the States as the cost in Europe is pretty high.

Nuvi 370/Ireland

i use poi files as quick way of finding places i typically visit (such as major chains) or to find something that's been organized by someone else. it's a lot easier/faster to look up list of nearby circuit city stores via poi then to search for 'circuit city' and wait for garmin to give back results.

how do you get gpx files to show up in your favorites?

when i add them with poi loader they go into a custom poi folder on my garmin

Select the item in the custom folder, click on Map, click on Save, click on OK. It is now in your Favorites folder.

Usually that is how it was designed. Favorites as much as possible would be a few list. I don't think you want to load your favorites with thousands of POI.

Custom POI organize your POI that you get from here or you created by yourself.