I will have to agree with them 100% on the 3790 as one of their top choices. My 3790LMT is by far the best of the 7 Garmin's we have owned.
The 3790 just is so much faster, loaded with every feature I could ask for with plenty of built-in memory and the screen is so superior to all the others in both clarity and for use in bright sunlight.
-- Garmin Drive Smart 55 - Samsung Note 10 Smartphone with Google Maps & HERE Apps
I own two of the units on the list, a 2350LMT and a 3790LMT. I paid less than the posted price for either when I got them, but that's not the story.
They editors weren't particularly selective - they seem to have simply dumped in units from the top providers without regard to real performance. 3 Garmins, 4 TomToms and 3 Magellans. Magellan? I'm surprised they're still peddling navigators at all.
The 1700, for example has no claim to fame, not even the option of having traffic - you want a big 8" screen? Great because that's its ONLY redeeming quality. This is one case where size really doesn't matter.
And the detailed review for the 3790 is wrong - they claim you can't use the ecoroute HD device - well I don't use one but the device is supported by the 3790.
Then again, why is the 3790 on the list when there's it's replacement, the 3490, the same hardware with newer firmware hanging around out there? I'm not saying that the 3790 isn't good, but it is a 'previous year model', after all.
They also say that the traffic receiver is inside the navigator - of courser we all know that THAT's not correct.
So if they can't figure out what they have and which features they've got, then how can they determine which 10 are the best with any accuracy?
The editors weren't particularly selective - they seem to have simply dumped in units from the top providers without regard to real performance.
This is not at all unusual with "survey" articles. Actually doing an in-depth study of multiple models from multiple manufacturers would take a LOT of time, and the magazine is not paying the writer - who is almost certainly a free-lance writer - enough for the article to make the expenditure of that much time attractive to the author. They also try to find something to praise about at least one product from any company that is a significant advertiser.
bramfrank wrote:
Then again, why is the 3790 on the list when there's it's replacement, the 3490, the same hardware with newer firmware hanging around out there? I'm not saying that the 3790 isn't good, but it is a 'previous year model', after all.
That may well be an effect of the lead times for publication. Although things are much more current now than they were years ago, it is not unusual for an article to be written months before it is published. I have no idea if that is the case here, but I would not be surprised if that were true.
bramfrank wrote:
So if they can't figure out what they have and which features they've got, then how can they determine which 10 are the best with any accuracy?
They can't. As I mentioned above, it is not unusual for an author to just glance at spec sheets and publicity releases, and make "judgements" based upon nothing more than that.
I recall a "best of category" article many years ago that claimed to evaluate software for modem communication. (This was in the pre-Internet days). The "reviewer" severely criticized a downloadable shareware program that he said was absurdly bloated software that weighed in at over 500kb in size - clearly a very poorly written program.
I happened to use that program, and was aware that the Zip package that you downloaded also contained a very well-written PDF manual that comprised over 90 percent of that size. It was very, very obvious that the "reviewer" had never unzipped the multi-file package - if he had even bothered to download the package.
i had my 3490lmt just less than a month and I'm lovin it, i like its portability.. map upgrades and traffic update.. fast satellite tracking compared to my tomtom go 910.. its thinnest gps i think on the market , but it heats up quick.. I dont know if this is going to be an issue later, have not done any long drive yet.
Also noticed its graphics processing power is kinda slow on 3D mode, this is compared to my Tomtom of course.. anybody know how to speedup rendering here?
I have used Trapster and Waze between NY and DC. Not impressed with the stale data that was prevalent. Seems hit or miss depending on crowdsourced data. Am I missing something?
Note this list of top ten is for GPS's used for driving automobiles. They should have called it "The 10 Best GPS Devices for Automobiles". Just wanted to point that out.
Haven't bothered upgrading to any of the new ones, my 760 does all I want it to, plus I also get Google maps for free with the new phone for casual/pedestrian use.
Also, thanks to kingofkings for the tip on the 2300lm. I'm in the market for a new GPS and I'll put this into my comparison now.
FWIW, you may want to also look at the TomTom XXL540TM. This was officially replaced by a newer model last year, but they are still being sold new by a number of dealers, including Amazon. Since it is a discontinued model, the price is usually (it seems to vary from week to week) very attractive. I was able to get my XXL540TM for $99, and this model has lifetime maps and lifetime traffic, plus a 5 inch screen.
It does not have LIVE services like my GO LIVE 1535, but otherwise I consider it a better choice for several reasons. In my eyes, one of the biggest of those reasons is that the file system in the GPS is user accessible without special software.
Thanks to a lawsuit by Microsoft, the newer models from TomTom use a different file system that the user cannot access directly - special software from TomTom is needed. That software is free, but it is limited in function compared to what can be done with the tools that are available that can work with the DOS file system used in the XXL540TM.
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
I've experimented with the Motion X app for the app radio for Pioneer and I was pretty unimpressed. I'll stick to a dedicated in dash GPS or a PND for now. Even Google Maps with Navigation on my Android tablet dumps when I lose the cell signal so what good is it. Maybe down the road.
And soon even smartphones will be better than "app radios"
Preroll wrote:
lewc wrote:
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
I've experimented with the Motion X app for the app radio for Pioneer and I was pretty unimpressed. I'll stick to a dedicated in dash GPS or a PND for now. Even Google Maps with Navigation on my Android tablet dumps when I lose the cell signal so what good is it. Maybe down the road.
And the thing is...soon, even phones with Google Maps will have more capability--one of the things Google is planning to roll out within the next few weeks for Android is being able to download maps of particular countries to the phone (thereby pretty much making Google Maps a capable offline GPS app like Sygic or CoPilot Live or Navigon).
Then again, I've been decidedly Less Than Impressed with app radios in general.
IMHO (getting back to the thread)--the best GPSr is the GPSr that will do what you want it to on a reliable basis
funny u should say that - i passed that post thinking - oh a pcmag review - they don't know anything anyway.
NEXT
I have lost all respect for anything they have to comment on - their reviews r inaccurate - yes - and biased. They won't even review some products - which IMHO r the best on the market.
funny u should say that - i passed that post thinking - oh a pcmag review - they don't know anything anyway.
NEXT
I have lost all respect for anything they have to comment on - their reviews r inaccurate - yes - and biased. They won't even review some products - which IMHO r the best on the market.
There is nothing new in that behavior. That has been the case for many, many years. If you don't have an ad in the magazine, you might as well forget about having the existence of your product acknowledged, let alone getting a favorable review.
I bought and tested the Garmin nüvi 2460LMT and the TomTom VIA 1535TM. I ended up returning the Garmin gave my wife the TomTom VIA 1535TM. She isn't very technical and it was simpler to use. It also announced both the upcoming street name and distance prior to the turn. The traffic incidents seem a bit easier to follow, too.
I will have to agree with them 100% on the 3790
I will have to agree with them 100% on the 3790 as one of their top choices. My 3790LMT is by far the best of the 7 Garmin's we have owned.
The 3790 just is so much faster, loaded with every feature I could ask for with plenty of built-in memory and the screen is so superior to all the others in both clarity and for use in bright sunlight.
Garmin Drive Smart 55 - Samsung Note 10 Smartphone with Google Maps & HERE Apps
As it happens
I own two of the units on the list, a 2350LMT and a 3790LMT. I paid less than the posted price for either when I got them, but that's not the story.
They editors weren't particularly selective - they seem to have simply dumped in units from the top providers without regard to real performance. 3 Garmins, 4 TomToms and 3 Magellans. Magellan? I'm surprised they're still peddling navigators at all.
The 1700, for example has no claim to fame, not even the option of having traffic - you want a big 8" screen? Great because that's its ONLY redeeming quality. This is one case where size really doesn't matter.
And the detailed review for the 3790 is wrong - they claim you can't use the ecoroute HD device - well I don't use one but the device is supported by the 3790.
Then again, why is the 3790 on the list when there's it's replacement, the 3490, the same hardware with newer firmware hanging around out there? I'm not saying that the 3790 isn't good, but it is a 'previous year model', after all.
They also say that the traffic receiver is inside the navigator - of courser we all know that THAT's not correct.
So if they can't figure out what they have and which features they've got, then how can they determine which 10 are the best with any accuracy?
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T
Yup- what he said...
Yup- what he said...
nuvi 250 --> 1250T --> 265T Lost my 1250T
This is not at all unusual
The editors weren't particularly selective - they seem to have simply dumped in units from the top providers without regard to real performance.
This is not at all unusual with "survey" articles. Actually doing an in-depth study of multiple models from multiple manufacturers would take a LOT of time, and the magazine is not paying the writer - who is almost certainly a free-lance writer - enough for the article to make the expenditure of that much time attractive to the author. They also try to find something to praise about at least one product from any company that is a significant advertiser.
Then again, why is the 3790 on the list when there's it's replacement, the 3490, the same hardware with newer firmware hanging around out there? I'm not saying that the 3790 isn't good, but it is a 'previous year model', after all.
That may well be an effect of the lead times for publication. Although things are much more current now than they were years ago, it is not unusual for an article to be written months before it is published. I have no idea if that is the case here, but I would not be surprised if that were true.
So if they can't figure out what they have and which features they've got, then how can they determine which 10 are the best with any accuracy?
They can't. As I mentioned above, it is not unusual for an author to just glance at spec sheets and publicity releases, and make "judgements" based upon nothing more than that.
I recall a "best of category" article many years ago that claimed to evaluate software for modem communication. (This was in the pre-Internet days). The "reviewer" severely criticized a downloadable shareware program that he said was absurdly bloated software that weighed in at over 500kb in size - clearly a very poorly written program.
I happened to use that program, and was aware that the Zip package that you downloaded also contained a very well-written PDF manual that comprised over 90 percent of that size. It was very, very obvious that the "reviewer" had never unzipped the multi-file package - if he had even bothered to download the package.
With best wishes,
- Tom -
XXL540, GO LIVE 1535, GO 620
I like garmin than tomtom.
I like garmin than tomtom.
I also prefer the GARMIN's..
I also prefer the GARMIN's..
my tomtom upgrade is a garmin
i had my 3490lmt just less than a month and I'm lovin it, i like its portability.. map upgrades and traffic update.. fast satellite tracking compared to my tomtom go 910.. its thinnest gps i think on the market , but it heats up quick.. I dont know if this is going to be an issue later, have not done any long drive yet.
Also noticed its graphics processing power is kinda slow on 3D mode, this is compared to my Tomtom of course.. anybody know how to speedup rendering here?
Garmin Nuvi 3490LMT TomTom Go 910
#11 Best GPS would be
Smartphone with navigation apps like Roadmate, Waze, Trapster....
Garman
I have 2 garmins in my autos all my kids have them and i have 1 in my big rig along with my rand mcnally tnd 510 and i love them all
The 10 Best GPS Devices
I love my Garmin 340, but the Mapquest app on my iPhone is just as good or better.
Alan-Garmin c340
+1
Smartphone with navigation apps like Roadmate, Waze, Trapster....
Agree with this although it has taken quite some time for me to agree that PNDs are a dying breed.
Best GPS
I like the Garmin 2460
?
I have used Trapster and Waze between NY and DC. Not impressed with the stale data that was prevalent. Seems hit or miss depending on crowdsourced data. Am I missing something?
just got a nuvi 2300lm, its great gps for 85$
why spend more? all you really need is good maps and good routing and this gps excels at both.
"real achievement in life comes down to three key elements. preparation, timing and execution!" quote by president LBJ
Thanks
for the info
2597 Sometimes I wonder..."Why is that Frisbee getting bigger?"...and then, it hits me.
These are for DRIVING
Note this list of top ten is for GPS's used for driving automobiles. They should have called it "The 10 Best GPS Devices for Automobiles". Just wanted to point that out.
Nuvi 760 (died 6/2013); Forerunner 305 bike/run; Inreach SE; MotionX Drive (iPhone)
Thanks To All For The Useful Information
Also, thanks to kingofkings for the tip on the 2300lm. I'm in the market for a new GPS and I'll put this into my comparison now.
Haven't bothered upgrading
Haven't bothered upgrading to any of the new ones, my 760 does all I want it to, plus I also get Google maps for free with the new phone for casual/pedestrian use.
If you are looking for a good value in a new GPS
Also, thanks to kingofkings for the tip on the 2300lm. I'm in the market for a new GPS and I'll put this into my comparison now.
FWIW, you may want to also look at the TomTom XXL540TM. This was officially replaced by a newer model last year, but they are still being sold new by a number of dealers, including Amazon. Since it is a discontinued model, the price is usually (it seems to vary from week to week) very attractive. I was able to get my XXL540TM for $99, and this model has lifetime maps and lifetime traffic, plus a 5 inch screen.
It does not have LIVE services like my GO LIVE 1535, but otherwise I consider it a better choice for several reasons. In my eyes, one of the biggest of those reasons is that the file system in the GPS is user accessible without special software.
Thanks to a lawsuit by Microsoft, the newer models from TomTom use a different file system that the user cannot access directly - special software from TomTom is needed. That software is free, but it is limited in function compared to what can be done with the tools that are available that can work with the DOS file system used in the XXL540TM.
With best wishes,
- Tom -
XXL540, GO LIVE 1535, GO 620
Some of the newer, less
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
Not there yet.
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
I've experimented with the Motion X app for the app radio for Pioneer and I was pretty unimpressed. I'll stick to a dedicated in dash GPS or a PND for now. Even Google Maps with Navigation on my Android tablet dumps when I lose the cell signal so what good is it. Maybe down the road.
Garmin: GPSIII / StreetPilot / StreetPilot Color Map / StreetPilot III / StreetPilot 2610 / GPSMAP 60CSx / Nuvi 770 / Nuvi 765T / Nuvi 3490LMT / Drivesmart 55 / GPSMAP 66st * Pioneer: AVIC-80 / N3 / X950BH / W8600NEX
Interesting ...
I'm still using my Nuvi 660 and am very happy with it.
And soon even smartphones will be better than "app radios"
Some of the newer, less expensive, head units are called "App Radios". You buy, or they include, navigation software for your smartphone. The head unit uses your IPhone do do most of the work.
I've experimented with the Motion X app for the app radio for Pioneer and I was pretty unimpressed. I'll stick to a dedicated in dash GPS or a PND for now. Even Google Maps with Navigation on my Android tablet dumps when I lose the cell signal so what good is it. Maybe down the road.
And the thing is...soon, even phones with Google Maps will have more capability--one of the things Google is planning to roll out within the next few weeks for Android is being able to download maps of particular countries to the phone (thereby pretty much making Google Maps a capable offline GPS app like Sygic or CoPilot Live or Navigon).
Then again, I've been decidedly Less Than Impressed with app radios in general.
IMHO (getting back to the thread)--the best GPSr is the GPSr that will do what you want it to on a reliable basis
Interesting Read..
Thanks for the link.
Nuvi1300WTGPS
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!
boat ramps
Anyone know where I can get a POI file for Boat Ramps in Ontario Canada
.
Anyone know where I can get a POI file for Boat Ramps in Ontario Canada
According to the link description this site has a poi file http://www.boatlaunches.ca/ I just googled "poi boat ramps canada"
funny u should say that - i
funny u should say that - i passed that post thinking - oh a pcmag review - they don't know anything anyway.
NEXT
I have lost all respect for anything they have to comment on - their reviews r inaccurate - yes - and biased. They won't even review some products - which IMHO r the best on the market.
And what about the Rand
And what about the Rand McNally TND510? That one lets you find the place in the map book.
The 10 Best GPS Devices
HI...what am I missing here.. ? Old eyes and old brain.... Garmin nuvi 3790LMT - $194.99 ...
http://g.premiumstore.com/cat/23259-38000/Garmin-Nuvi-3700-S...
AMAZON..
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-4-3-Inch-Bluetooth-Portable-Nav...
Garmin nüvi 3790LMT 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates =Price: $305.
OK..just called premium store it is factory serviced...Anyone have experience with this vendor ?
Thank You..
PJG
interesting
I haven't seen any big breakthroughs that would cause me to upgrade from my 855, until there are or it dies, I'm staying put.
___________________ Garmin 2455, 855, Oregon 550t
Sorry, not familiar with that store,
But Walmart online still has the 3790LMT factory refurb advertised at $149.98. That will be hard to beat.
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon
The 10 Best GPS Devices
But Walmart online still has the 3790LMT factory refurb advertised at $149.98. That will be hard to beat.
AlanB..thanks...Great price and WALMART is easy for returns..
PJG
Nothing new there
funny u should say that - i passed that post thinking - oh a pcmag review - they don't know anything anyway.
NEXT
I have lost all respect for anything they have to comment on - their reviews r inaccurate - yes - and biased. They won't even review some products - which IMHO r the best on the market.
There is nothing new in that behavior. That has been the case for many, many years. If you don't have an ad in the magazine, you might as well forget about having the existence of your product acknowledged, let alone getting a favorable review.
With best wishes,
- Tom -
XXL540, GO LIVE 1535, GO 620
TomTom VIA 1535TM
I bought and tested the Garmin nüvi 2460LMT and the TomTom VIA 1535TM. I ended up returning the Garmin gave my wife the TomTom VIA 1535TM. She isn't very technical and it was simpler to use. It also announced both the upcoming street name and distance prior to the turn. The traffic incidents seem a bit easier to follow, too.
It was also a pretty good deal @ $130.
Garmin
I also prefer the GARMIN's..
I prefer Garmin and I own a 2350LMT, I have 2 Magellan GPS's, I like the Garmin's Junction View and lane assistance over Magellan's road assistance