Hello everyone

 

I'm glad I found this site when I did. I have read through some of the posts and have found them to be quite helpful. I haven't purchased a GPS unit yet. I have been looking at different options for the last couple of weeks. I need to purchase one for my work truck asap. I am a mac user and it seems the only one that offers support is TomTom. Although I own a powerbook pro, so PC interface is no problem. Text to speach, detailed maps and extensive POI are a must. It seems all units let you add farvorite, these would be supply houses for me, so that function is a wash. Hands free would be nice, calling supply house for will call, talking to the boss, but not a deal breaker. Any help would be great. I like to get a variety of opinions from different people, especially from people who have used the products as opposed to a sales person who is just Regurgitating the information off the box. Thanks again for all your help and I look forward to being a member of this sight.

See also

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Don't let the tattoos fool you, I'm really a nice guy.

Nuvi 360/660

Most of the features you are looking for are available in the Nuvi line from Garmin. I'm pretty sure that Garmin will interface with Mac, but I could be wrong. The Nuvi line are some of the highest rated devices on the market today. All have text to speech, and all use the sirf 3 chipset for fast and accurate feedback. I've had 5 different devices from 3 separate manufactures, and I've finally found one that works in my Nuvi 350. You should check out the 360 or 660, as they have the Bluetooth (missing on the 350) hands-free calling feature you are looking for.
Hope this helps......

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"Sometimes, when I look at my children, I wish I had remained a virgin". Lillian Carter (Mother of Jimmy Carter)

Thank you

Thanks for that bit of info. The 660 happens to be my son's favorite, although he can't even drive yet. I did take a look at the 360 but the price tag "scared" me a little. I do want a quailty product but this is a work truck and would be worried about breaking such a nice unit. I wouldn't mind putting one in my durango though. FYI, as of this point, Garmin does not offer mac interface. Although, they are a keynote company at mac world, 01/08/07-01/12/07, announce that all garmin products will be mac friendly. it's been a long time coming. Thanks again for the input.

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Don't let the tattoos fool you, I'm really a nice guy.

Garmin Tools for Mac

It is my understanding that the Nuvi line will read custom POIs from an SD card and Simon Slavin has written a set of tools for Garmin devices for the mac. It is also my understanding that these tools will allow you to format the custom POI files properly and place them on the SD card. Hopefully this will allow you to select the Garmin device and await official support in the future. The link to Simon's tools is here http://www.poi-factory.com/node/271

Simon's tools

Simon's tools for the mac are also linked from the faq / help page:

FAQs / Help

JM

tomtom

I am pretty sure that both garmin and tomtom gps units will work on a Mac. I just spent about 2 days doing research on gps units (pretty much non-stop, I get a little obsessive when I'm about to spend 500-600 dollars). I had settled on either the tomtom go510 and the Garmin Nuvi350. I don't know what features you're looking for, so I don't know if any of this will be helpful to you, but these were my conclusions.

I ended up going with the Garmin (although it doesn't have the bluetooth that the tomtom had) because tomtom appeared to have poor quality control (at least for the Go510). A lot of people had to go through several units before getting one that worked (for more than a few days/weeks). I didn't want to risk having to go back to the store over and over again to keep returning it. That being said, whenever anyone had one that worked, they gave it great reviews. As far as reviews go, on circuit city's website, the tomtom had only 79 reviews and a 3.9 out of 5, and the garmin had 214 reviews and a 4.5 out of 5. Amazon has 330 reviews for the garmin, and it's still 4.5 of 5. (only 10 reviews for the tomtom on amazon.com, so I can't really consider the star rating there).

The Garmin Nuvi 350 retails for 100 dollars more than the tomtom (599 instead of 499), but if you look around you can find it for the same price. I ended up getting mine at target. I could have saved another 9-10 dollars or so if I went to Sears to buy it, as they do price matching plus 10% of the difference, but they were out of stock. I didn't want to wait.

Thanks again...

I noticed the post with the Mac link for the custom POI that was ingenious. I only wish I had that kind of savvy to do it myself. As far as choosing between the TomTom and the Garmin, it would be Garmin for one simple reason. I can type in the name of the place I would like to go i.e. Lowe’s, Boarders Books or Mac Media and abra-kadabra, it brings up the locations and I am on my way. A very handy tool if you only have a name with no location. And yes the Nuvi 350 is a great product. I’m holding out to make my purchase though for a few more days. I am hoping that the announcements at CES and Mac World will bring about good sale prices on the two units I am most interested in. The Garmin SP550 or the SP340. I’m almost too anxious though. Like waiting in line at a Star Wars movie. Thanks again for everyone’s input. This is without a doubt a first class sight with helpful and considerate members. That’s rare on the message boards this day. My hats off to each of you.

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Don't let the tattoos fool you, I'm really a nice guy.

Another 660 recommendation

Another 660 recommendation from me........

Curbcheck, I suggest you

Curbcheck, I suggest you take a look as some entries at alt.satellite.gps in the newsgroups. There are some good and bad experiences which maybe would help you decide on manufacture, and model. Good Luck with your decision.

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Garmin 660

Nuvi 660

I am leaving for CES in Vegas on Sunday and I know that the new Nuvi 670 and 680 will be there on display. From one of my sources, the 670 will be available in early Feb. and 680 I think will be available in April, retail price is $1000.00 but I am sure you will be able to find it cheaper at places like Costco or Sams Club.. You
NickJr
nüvi 670 preloaded for U.S. and Europe, full coverage, integrated traffic receiver, Bluetooth wireless, speaks street names, FM transmitter, widescreen

nüvi 680 preloaded, full coverage, MSN Direct content, Bluetooth wireless, speaks street names, FM transmitter, widescreen

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NickJr Nuvi 3597LMT

An update on the 670

I just bought one yesterday for $789 (no tax or del).