Suggest a GPS for a rookie

There are many that will fill your initial request, but the best way to be able to recommend points of interest will be through building your own list. This sounds daunting at first, and does take a little time but in the end it will be a lot more useful than a factory installed list.

Many locations in a factory list are flat out WRONG. Places close, move, and then some of the addresses aren't the location of the business, but for the business or management office not connected to the retail location. The factory supplied list may also be many years old, so new locations are not shown.

With whatever unit you decide upon, it will have the ability to save a location. Dumping this list to a computer will allow you to build a set of custom POI that will be more correct - and certainly more up to date than any list provided by the manufacturer.

The two brands that best meet your requirements are Garmin and Tom-Tom.

If you are thinking about a Garmin go to https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134 .Located on left you will see features.Check off what you would like to have in a unit and see what comes up.

I have the map version 2010.40 on my 775t and I find that a lot of the addresses and/or locations are on the wrong side of the street. I was looking for a restaurant the other day and Nuvi said it was on the right, when it was actually on the left side of the street. I would have missed it entirely if I didn't have my son with me.

Garmin Nuvi 1490T...

It seems I'm seeking for impossible.
Do you have this problems even in Manhattan?
Because that's where I'll use gps mostly.

Do we have to wait for a map update? Isn't there some 3rd party updates?

Personally, I like the Garmin 765t. I love the features (auto route, Bluetooth, MP3 player, FM transmitter). You can get a refurb one (has new unit warranty) on Ebay for less than $200.

I wouldn't say impossible, but trying to fill a very definite set of requirements with the state of current commercial units is very difficult. Think of it as trying to buy a house. There are many different ones available, no two exactly the same and all have features you would like along with a bunch you either don't want or don't need.

The best solution is to buy a good unit, learn how to use it, then customize it to bring it much more closely to your requirements. Most of us have owned several different units and have changed them out as our understanding of any particular unit's capabilities grew and our own needs matured.

I would start with a middle of the road unit from either Garmin or Tom-Tom that does the basic requirements such as speaks street names with text-to-speech. Then I would look for a unit I can easily capture locations with and save those locations. These units go for around $150 - $180.

Once you have used the unit for a few months, you will begin to see changes in your usage as you both adapt to the unit limitations and your requirements mature. Once you are certain of what you actually require and the capabilities of the various units, then upgrade to a more sophisticated unit that more closely matches your revised wish list. At this point, i wouldn't necessarily recommend changing manufacturers. You will have gotten accustomed to a particular manufacturer's way of doing things so here familiarity is a good thing.

One final word - stay away from the cheapies and the off brands. Even with their warts, Garmin and Tom-Tom usually garner the better reviews so I would stick with one of these brands.

As you will see on the POI Factory posts there are many problems with the 765T that have not been resolved. Not saying not to get one but saying be careful. I personally had two new units from Costco that would not operate properly. Took them back and got a 1490T.