I always rationalize my w00t addiction by telling myself I can always sell it for more on eBay...

Please excuse my ignorance...

With this particular GPS unit, how do you get current maps? Is it like the Garmins, whereby you pay $75 for the most current map available?

FWIW, I have had my Garmin 2620 for ~3 years or so and paid BIG bucks for it back then (close to $$900). I have never purchased any updated map info., but probably should if I am going to continue to use it.

The thing is, today's woot GPS only costs the same as 2 map updates, my Garmin 2620 has no internal battery for outside the car use and it's about the size of a small brick.

I'm seriously considering this woot... HELP!

I have one of these - the voice is perfect. But - occasionally it gets froze up, you have to re-boot it & start over. ALso, if you are in rural areas the maps may not be accurate. It also has a mind of its own to get you from Point A to Point B: I've used to to get to a particular place, but IT'S directions would have taken me 42 miles longer out of my way.
Other than that, it is a very ribs item. PS - and I have used it in the city and it is dead-on.

Good price. Seem to have good ratings. I found out that his unit is quite popular in the UK (it also detects speed cameras over there). I've been looking at Mio GPS' but it does not offer Canadian maps which this unit does. I can't wait to stop getting lost!!!

Nice product description, No. 2

Sincerely,

Patrick McGoohan

Wasn't Evesham the place of a huge Medieval battle? I think it was where Simon de Montfort was defeated and beheaded. Henry II was the one doing the honors as victor. it was said that a spring bubbled out of the ground where de MOntfort was killed, not far from Evesham Castle. The water was said to be miraculous. Can't say as this thing be as miraculous. Anyone agree?

I don't have one of these, but I did buy a handheld Garmin GPS a few months ago. At the time my reasons were: geocaching, map replacement, hiking. I keep good maps in the car, but they're pretty cumbersome to deal with. One problem I have is that I spend a lot of time driving in areas that don't appear on nice laminated flip maps. So I need either a huge paper map or a spiral-bound map book. I'm always having to flip pages, etc. to figure out my route. Now I can have just a tiny screen.

What I was surprised with is how often I use it even when I know how to get where I'm going. Why? Because it computes an ETA for me. If I'm sitting there wondering if I'm going to be late, I pull out the GPS and there's my ETA. Now obviously it doesn't know about abnormal traffic, but otherwise it's been pretty accurate.

gnarf wrote:is it really that hard to use a map?

It can be when you are driving in rush hour traffic in a new city. I have a Garmin and it has reduced my stress level when driving by 10 fold.

pekozpub wrote:Why are these so popular? Do people really have that much trouble reading a map?

why use pen and paper? do people really have that much trouble with a chisel on a pretty little tree house wall?


good troll ......

pekozpub wrote:Why are these so popular? Do people really have that much trouble reading a map?

Good point. Why use the internet when you can research things at the library? Why use a calculator when you can just do complex math on paper? Why use e-mail when the US Postal Service exists? Pfft...technology...who needs it?.

So who went to the UK and motored to Leicester at 4:22 am to get the screen shot???

Can anyone tell me about this brand? I have never heard about it before. Is it as good as the other ones?

I believe that the maps are encoded as road sections with number ranges. The interpolation would be within that range, not for the entire street. The maps are usually pretty good with this.

I have navteq maps powering my car's builtin GPS system. I have not had too much of a problem with it interpolating street numbers. Sometimes its a bit off but fortunately I have a brain as a backup system, and said brain aids me in refining the search. With the help of other sensory input peripherals (eyes), the brain corrects for the error inherent in the digital maps and navigation software. Used together, the entire system is quite powerful.

Insouciant wrote:

LOL, not here! We have common roads that run for a few miles, abruptly stop [NOT combined with another road], shift east 3 miles, then continue on, sometimes with a jump in the numbers and SOMETIMES NOT! Then there's all the municipalities (NOT suburbs) who will give a single street overlapping numbers as it passes through their area. Eg. several "4000 blocks" on the same named street within 10 miles of each other just "down the road" a ways. I have a "chauffeur's" license and have gotten around very well without a GPS -- just don't want it to be a frustration if I get one. There is a very good map book (printed paper, bound) produced by the Gas Company here which lists street numbers in the index and municipality - haven't seen this in any national map brand/Atlas.

Comments in forums indicate a break in numbering can cause re-routing? uggg, serious mental note (probably applicable to all GPSes if they all guestimate numbering.)

Thanks omghax for the search URL. Might be fun to play with this cheap unit.

HOW DO YOU UPDATE MAPS. I WENT TO NAVTEQ SITE AND THIS DEVICE IS NOT LISTED.

Does anyone know if this would work for geocaching? I was actually going to buy a handheld gps today but this a better deal if it would work...

I have been using a magellan 300 unit & love it.. but the maps are geting a little dated. (as a Realtor, I use it to help find the newer streets). Anyone know if the base map is upgradeable? or the date of the maps installed here? needs to be late 2006 or 2007 most people would not rreally care but i need the latest.

Catbird wrote:Please excuse my ignorance...

With this particular GPS unit, how do you get current maps? Is it like the Garmins, whereby you pay $75 for the most current map available?

FWIW, I have had my Garmin 2620 for ~3 years or so and paid BIG bucks for it back then (close to $$900). I have never purchased any updated map info., but probably should if I am going to continue to use it.

The thing is, today's woot GPS only costs the same as 2 map updates, my Garmin 2620 has no internal battery for outside the car use and it's about the size of a small brick.

I'm seriously considering this woot... HELP!

i THINK that navtek gives free updates but could not prove on this they provide maps for alot of car systems looks good

meanska wrote:Looks like it only navigates to zip codes, not door to door (check the description). Also, saw a comment from a user online (was searching) who confirms you can't enter a specific address, only a zip code. Why would ANYONE put together a GPS that does only that?

This is correct. Street Addresses don't work. For some gawdawful reason, you can specify a street but not an address. Big Lots was selling these for $ 229 a few months ago, and they didn't work well at all. Even after a downloaded software upgrade. I returned mine when it kept telling mt to make a U-turn on the freeway.

Is there a monthly fee for using gps?? Sorry this is the toughest question I could think of.

Please be aware that unless the software has been changed, this unit WILL NOT accept street addresses. Just street names. It will get you to the street but not a specific address. Where I live we have streets running for 30 miles, which means it doesn't help.

Big Lots was selling these for ~ $ 50 more a few months ago. They didn't work well at all with various problems. So, a downloadable firmware upgrade became available. I applied it, and the unit still told me to make U-turns on the freeway. I returned it, as did most of the customers that had bought it. The hardware is impressive, but the software sucks wind.

Hammerofthegods wrote:

Really? With a very generous three hour battery life, just how far are you going to get? Within three hours of my house? Don't need a GPS for that.........

Plug it in to your cigarette lighter and drive across the country. Then you can get out and take it on a three hour hike. If you've ever renegotiated an unfamiliar woods you'd be glad you had one.

thats funny some one has posted from here on ebay allready

greenngld wrote:I use a Garmin c330 and love it. It isn't perfect...it once told me to make a right turn....directly into the Mississippi River.

hmmmmmm, now thinking of buying one for my wife.

:-))

smig52 wrote:Is there a monthly fee for using gps?? Sorry this is the toughest question I could think of.

No, GPS transmission is handled by the DoD. There is no monthly fee. All civilian GPS units do is read the unclassified version of the GPS signal. The price of GPS units comes from the quality of the mapping software.

pekozpub wrote:Why are these so popular? Do people really have that much trouble reading a map?

I map is good when you know where you are. When you don't, GPS helps. My wife gets lost all the time, and when she calls, the first huh?-question is usually "Well, where are you?"

Anyone know where I can find user or product reviews on this? I just bought one, so I'm doing this a$$ backwards I'm aware....

*sigh* another way for Big Brother to track us, see how far we drive, see where we shop... Still, wish I could let go of the money to get one!

Prisoner references gotta love em!

I have a GPS and love it, I always used maps before, but kept getting lost when following bad directions from relatives... such as turn left at the dunkin donuts (it was inside a freakin mall!!!! - not visible from the road) Since you can't safely drive and read a map, this basically reads it for you. Plus I use it all the time, just for it's estimation capability... setting it to tell me what time I will arrive at work, so I can tell how late I will be, obviously I know the way already...

I have a model from Teletype, which provides you with updated maps, but there is no internal memory on mine, so if I pull the 2Gb SD card to play a video or mp3's the maps aren't there. for the money? looks like a good deal...

Looks like a solid product that will get the job done. I'm in for one for a Father's Day present.

awheintz wrote:I may be dense, this i admit, but why on earth do i want my nifty satellite nav thingy to play music?

Good for you. Admitting it is the first step. j/k

But, more importantly, why WOULDN'T you want it to play music? I have five or six MP3 players, and I just can't get enough of them. I'm telling ya', if they ever put an MP3 player on a Roomba, I'll even buy one of those. (But that's the only way.)

I own one. I'm a social worker who is always in my car, trying to find my client's houses in some not-so-nice parts of town where I really can't afford to get lost. It works very well. I admit the volume can be difficult to control, and sometimes the voice startles me when I'm not expecting it. However, in the long run, this is a very minor problem. I use mine daily, and have yet to have it give me incorrect directions. For those of you mystified as to why this could possibly be better than a map, please allow me to explain. The last google map I pulled and printed referenced streets that don't exist, and had me lost for hours in the 'hood. My Evesham has yet to create that problem. Not to mention, I don't have to pull over and check the printed map (or ask the homeless guys for directions).

awheintz wrote:I may be dense, this i admit, but why on earth do i want my nifty satellite nav thingy to play music?

Converged devices are great things for bike riders.. though I prefer the GPS units that also work with my phone via bluetooth. For those that prefer maps... they don't work as well on a bike.

Hammerofthegods wrote:
You keep it plugged in to your car when you're driving. The battery is for when you need to use it away from the car. Duh! You go for three hour walks much?

KuoH

Away from the car??? Do you need GPS when you go for a walk??? Maybe on the plane just in case your captain has no idea where he is going? And with a lot of these Li ion batteries, leaving them plugged in while using them can cause them to get very hot. Spend a few extra bucks and get a better unit......

Umm ... how about you just plug it in when you need it? And if you're like me and can't afford spending upwards of $500 on a GPS unit, this is a very affordable option. I can also see using it away from the car when out wandering around new cities while on vacation. All in all, not a bad deal.

I am in for one. For the price, I am not expecting it to be on the same level as a Garmin, but if it just gets me close enough to my destination then I will be happy. Happy wooting, all!

w00t wrote:MP3 Playback and Photo Album Viewer

so when you're not driving, you can make it one of those irritating digital photo frames

Callaghan wrote:
Please be aware that unless the software has been changed, this unit WILL NOT accept street addresses. Just street names. It will get you to the street but not a specific address.

So what does this mean:

-Door-to-door navigation across the USA and Canada

smig52 wrote:Is there a monthly fee for using gps?? Sorry this is the toughest question I could think of.

nope

check this reference out

Ebay link

I have the MIO 310x...has some bugs: tells me to take a right when there is no right, consistently.
Also cannot search for points on state highways although they exist in the map by the same name I am searching for.
Anyone know if this eve's sham is better at this ?

brentnlaura1 wrote:*sigh* another way for Big Brother to track us, see how far we drive, see where we shop... Still, wish I could let go of the money to get one!

The system is receive-only, so it would be pretty hard for it to be trackable.