portable GPS for a car, suggestions? - Page 3

Ardentfrost · 01-06-2008, 10:00 PM

According to my garmin site, they're two different services. Here are the services offered through Garmin products: MSN Direct, FM TMC Traffic, and XM NavTraffic. There are only 4 Garmin models that support the MSN Direct service: StreetPilot c580, nuvi 680, 780, and 880. Then there are 4 different types of FM TMC service, 2 for both US and Europe, one for only US, and one for only Europe.

That's just info from the site. Some also come with the service, and others can get the addon receiver for the services which comes in the form of a car charger.

7960 · 01-06-2008, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

There are only 4 Garmin models that support the MSN Direct service: StreetPilot c580, nuvi 680, 780, and 880.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=8526

Compatible products for this item are:
nüvi® 5000
nüvi® 680
nüvi® 750
nüvi® 760
nüvi® 770
nüvi® 780
nüvi® 850
nüvi® 880
StreetPilot® c580

Ardentfrost · 01-07-2008, 12:08 AM

Garmin | Traffic

More specifically Garmin | Traffic: MSN Direct

I just posted the ones that it came standard with. The 750,760 and 770 are compatible with the receiver, which is $124.99 on their site. At least that's how I read it. They could have been including those three in with the 780 how it's laid out

7960 · 01-07-2008, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Garmin | Traffic

More specifically Garmin | Traffic: MSN Direct

I just posted the ones that it came standard with. The 750,760 and 770 are compatible with the receiver, which is $124.99 on their site. At least that's how I read it. They could have been including those three in with the 780 how it's laid out

I'm not arguing with you, I'm just finding different info. The products tab on this site https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=8526 says it works for all the other platforms, too.

Either way, traffic wasn't for me. We're using it to find fields and games and shit for our kids, not everyday driving. It didn't make sense for me.

Ardentfrost · 01-07-2008, 08:56 AM

lol, I know you weren't arguing, I was just offering the link I got my info from. It's from the same site, and it's two different sets of info!

It does have some cool features in finding stuff, but we tried to use it to find food the other day and Atlanta's food scene is just too big for it I think. It had some stuff on there, but it tried to send us to a culinary school at one point, and would drive us right by some really good restaurants other times.

7960 · 01-07-2008, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

lol, I know you weren't arguing, I was just offering the link I got my info from. It's from the same site, and it's two different sets of info!

It does have some cool features in finding stuff, but we tried to use it to find food the other day and Atlanta's food scene is just too big for it I think. It had some stuff on there, but it tried to send us to a culinary school at one point, and would drive us right by some really good restaurants other times.

friends drove from NH to buffalo and said it worked very well finding food along the way......but then again, they wouldn't know if it routed them 20 miles past a decent restaurant. All they know is they put in "mexican" and it found a mexican restaurant...it might have been the worst and farthest away.

I just thought of something. Do companies pay to be put in the database or is it pulled from a phonebook or something? Can Mom&Pop Restaurant *pay* to have their restaurant come up or is everything in the same category rated equally?

Ardentfrost · 01-07-2008, 09:57 AM

Dunno. Decent question. Google just pulls it from yellow pages-like information databases. Who knows what Garmin does.

Prometheus · 01-07-2008, 04:42 PM

I got a tom tom go 720 before xmas for 500 euros and now they are down to around 300 euros, feck.

Anyway I was proper rip-off fucked before that in april with a built in mercedes comand centre sat nav with a 6 or 7 inch screen and real shitty telemaps software, no voice, no touch screen, fuck all map coverage in ireland, just a huge pile of shite rip off for nearly 5000 fucking euros.

WickedLou9 · 01-08-2008, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I got a tom tom go 720 before xmas for 500 euros and now they are down to around 300 euros, feck.

Anyway I was proper rip-off fucked before that in april with a built in mercedes comand centre sat nav with a 6 or 7 inch screen and real shitty telemaps software, no voice, no touch screen, fuck all map coverage in ireland, just a huge pile of shite rip off for nearly 5000 fucking euros.

Didn't Clarkson ( from TopGear) have some problems with that system too?

Stylerod · 01-10-2008, 12:05 AM

Just ordered a Garmin Nuvi 360 for my wife. I want her to use the built in Bluetooth speaker phone and she sometimes gets turned around when driving and calls me for directions (she's a Realtor). I think this will be great for her.

7960 · 01-10-2008, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Just ordered a Garmin Nuvi 360 for my wife. I want her to use the built in Bluetooth speaker phone and she sometimes gets turned around when driving and calls me for directions (she's a Realtor). I think this will be great for her.

I saw that's listed at $350. Please tell me you paid less than $350 for it.

Because the nuvi 650 is the widescreen version of that and I got *that* for under $375.

Stylerod · 01-10-2008, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

I saw that's listed at $350. Please tell me you paid less than $350 for it.

Because the nuvi 650 is the widescreen version of that and I got *that* for under $375.

Yeah, but that doesn't have Bluetooth. The 660 has BT but is $120 more.

Delivery estimate: January 11, 2008

1 "Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator"
Electronics; $341.00

Sold by: Amazon.com

So $341 with free 2nd day shipping and no tax

Roonie · 01-10-2008, 05:35 PM

My Nuvi 660 has the traffic update as part of the package. It is done by the car charger and well the charger stopped working recently. I sent them my old charger and they sent out a brand new one. They said it is a $150 value for a little charger that gives you updated traffic conditions. No subscription service or anything. It might be the first year is free as so far both of my chargers have worked right when I plugged them into the car and began sending me immediate traffic updates. They give accurate reports too. Also when you do buy one go the the Garmin website and register your product. Once you do you can get a free updated disc of all the US maps for 2008 sent to your home. I did this and it took my Garmin to upload from my computer about 4 hours for all the new map information.

7960 · 01-10-2008, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Roonie

My Nuvi 660 has the traffic update as part of the package. It is done by the car charger and well the charger stopped working recently. I sent them my old charger and they sent out a brand new one. They said it is a $150 value for a little charger that gives you updated traffic conditions. No subscription service or anything. It might be the first year is free .....

It's free for a year or 14 months or something. It's fee-based after that.

Stylerod · 01-11-2008, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

It's free for a year or 14 months or something. It's fee-based after that.

Yeah, that's cool. But we live in High Point, NC. The closest "big" cities are Greensboro and Winston-Salem. We really don't need traffic updates

7960 · 01-11-2008, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Yeah, that's cool. But we live in High Point, NC. The closest "big" cities are Greensboro and Winston-Salem. We really don't need traffic updates

Traffic? What's that?

I drive 1.2 miles/day dropping the boy off at school. It'd be less if I didn't take a different route back to get coffee.

Roonie · 01-11-2008, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Yeah, that's cool. But we live in High Point, NC. The closest "big" cities are Greensboro and Winston-Salem. We really don't need traffic updates

Good point. If your in a big city it is priceless. The twin cities MN can get crazy at traffic time. Also there seems to be constant road construction going on and detours so it will tell you those immediately and plan alternative routes. The joke here is there are two seasons.... winter and road construction. Also with the bridge collapse the traffic is rerouted every which way. I used to take the bridge route primarily to get downtown.

WickedLou9 · 01-11-2008, 02:41 PM

Something lke that might be good for me. There really is only one major highway that goes from the Philadelphia area up to the Trenton/Princeton area and I have to take that highway to work. Sometimes I do 80mph the whole trip. Sometimes it's stop and go for 10 miles at a time.

Stylerod · 01-11-2008, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Something lke that might be good for me. There really is only one major highway that goes from the Philadelphia area up to the Trenton/Princeton area and I have to take that highway to work. Sometimes I do 80mph the whole trip. Sometimes it's stop and go for 10 miles at a time.

It probably would be good. If it works as well as people say it does. I wonder who inputs the information and how timely it is?

Ardentfrost · 01-11-2008, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

It probably would be good. If it works as well as people say it does. I wonder who inputs the information and how timely it is?

I think it varies from state to state. I'm guessing (based on the data the GPS unit supports) that it's receiving traffic data from GADOT in Georgia. GADOT isn't spot on as for timing, and sometimes a wreck will stay on there for half an hour after it's cleared, but for the most part it's good.