Final Topic : 255W or 340-S

 

This is my 3rd topic about chosing a GPS. Sorry about giving you headache but this is what I do while buying electronics.

I eliminated other candidates and set a final game between 255W and 340-S.

Actually I was sure about getting 340-S because I loved MapShare and IQ Route function. I'll use GPS 7/12 in Manhattan. I was planning to use MapShare function against street closures.

On the other hand, there are lots Garmin fan. They say Garmin has better map, graphic quality and more accurate navigation.

To be honest, Garmin maps have better design than TomTom.
Do you think the visual features overcome navigation functions?

What would you go with?

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You are clearly into the 'choose whatever you like best' area.

Garmin folk will almost always choose Garmin over the competition. Tomtom disciples will preach their chosen brand.

Each has it's advantages and disadvantages, but whatever you choose would probably be best to be equipped with a traffic receiver for the freeways.

Note that in downtown 'RF canyons' GPS can get pretty spotty - so long as you apply common sense to filter some of what the device is telling you, your experinece should be positive, no matter which brand triumphs.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

Thanks but....

I think I'm looking for a push, a command to choose a brand. grin

I feel safe when I close to Garmin but shiny features of TomTom seducing me.

I like Garmin for 2

I like Garmin for 2 reasons.The maps,and TTS quality,but if you choose TomTom check the 540.S.it's selling for $135

Tomtom XXL 540S 5" Portable GPS Navigation for a low $135.00 Free Shipping

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/209223

which ever unit

Which ever unit you choose you will always wonder "what if..."

From what you have described your needs are, no standalone GPS will do what you want. I still think a smart phone with a GPS app and Internet access will be a lot closer to your requirements. It's not the routing you want, it's the look-up of what's near the destination. A GPS without Internet access just won't cut it. Come tax time, a smart phone with a GPS app and Internet will be a business expense. A standalone GPS isn't after year 1.

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ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

.

I personally do NOT like hte idea of combining my navigator with my phone (except perhaps to have the navigator serve as my speakerphone), if only partly because of limitations on using one technology while accessing the other.

Garmin's had a couple of kicks at that can and the results have been disasterous - the G60 is now being packaged up as the GSM-less Nuvi 295 to get rid of the leftover manufacturing inventory and to try and recoup some of their investment - that's how bad it was.

That, plus limitations on battery life, screen size and such, not to mention the fact that navigators are downright CHEAP make it a no brainer.

I am (sort of) a Garmin supporter. However my support ends with the Nuvi XX0 series, after which they rmeoved much street detail and the naming of upcoming streets in the upper banner box and made the product overall less reliable.

Besides, you can buy 760s, 780s, and similar for cheap and plug in a lifetime traffic receiver that you can either purchase or pick up from someone who bought a 765T (or whatever) and has subsequently replaced their navigator -no ads either.

Notwithstanding that it is deductible, it still costs money and in the end it is all about the totality of the solution.

I'd personally buy a 780 (which comes with a 3 month Microsift MSN Direct subscription, after which you can get a traffic receiver) or a 760, which has a 3 month traffic subscription included.

Tomtom has traditionally not had as good mapping in North America as Garmin, though the gap is closing on both sides of the pond, where Tomtom had better maps than Garmin did.

The Mapshare feature is neat in concept, but requires that YOU deal with the bad spots and then upload the information to the web each day. I don;t know how effective the system is, not owing a TomTom and not having played with the technology.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

255w or 340s

i still like my 255w , not only because i got it at an unbelievable price but the ease of use still amazes me . i believe garmin is a jump ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to ease of use.
mike

OMG!!

nycabbie wrote:

This is my 3rd topic about chosing a GPS. Sorry about giving you headache but this is what I do while buying electronics.

I eliminated other candidates and set a final game between 255W and 340-S.

Actually I was sure about getting 340-S because I loved MapShare and IQ Route function. I'll use GPS 7/12 in Manhattan. I was planning to use MapShare function against street closures.

On the other hand, there are lots Garmin fan. They say Garmin has better map, graphic quality and more accurate navigation.

just choose Garmin, and stop thinking so much about it! I've got 6 of the damned things, all Garmin, and I love them all. By the time you finall make up you mind on which one has finally won your heart, Garmnin and all the others will have come out with a whole new fleet of the latest with all the bells and bells and wishops

To be honest, Garmin maps have better design than TomTom.
Do you think the visual features overcome navigation functions?

What would you go with?

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"Backward, turn backward, oh time in your flight, make me a child again, just for tonight."

JMKTHIRD

jmkthird wrote:

OMG!!

Let's put it this way. If nycabbie doesnt like the unit he can always say he got bad advice because he couldn't make a choice and bought what a bunch of strangers who have no real clue over his real needs recommended a unit that doesn't do the job he needs it to do.

OBTW bramfrank, I'm not one of those that normally recommends a converged device either, but for his purposes - which really isn't navigation as much as it is being able to say what's in the neighborhood, an iPhone or Droid would probably be the better choice. He wouldn't have to worry about POI - he could look up the neighborhood on the 'net.

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ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

Either

You're not going to go wrong with either choice. The question you need to ask is which unit has the features that you will use on a routine basis and functions the way you like.

While I like several features in the Garmin units, my personal preference is TomTom, primarily because of the way it choses routes. I don't just mean IQ Routes, although I certainly like those. Let's say you are route planning (TT calls them "Itineraries") and you want to force a route through a town. Garmin will route you to the center of the town. TT will route you along the main highway you are traveling on, so you don't end up going out of the way. That's an important feature for me, but may not be important for someone else.

Another feature I like is being able to make (some) map corrections instantly, like blocking or unblocking streets, changing or adding speed limits, and changing or making streets one-way or two-way. You cannot, however, instantly add a non-existing street.

Look at both units. Which one can you set up the way you want to see the data? Which one handles route recalculations the way you want?

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Shooter N32 39 W97 25 VIA 1535TM, Lexus built-in, TomTom Go