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Here is my experience so far:Pros:Awesome GPS Locking (faster and never looses the signal)Text-Speech featureDirections okay (this GPS loves U turns - you hear them more in general)User Interface okay (some options need multiple clicks to go thru)Screen is clearly visible in both sun light and night timeDevice is lighter, smaller, fits into pocket very easilyGood dashmoard mountComes with wall charger and car chargerCons:Directions are not perfect sometimes (asks for too many legal U turns)Maps date back to 2007 (you can get the updated 2008 maps within 30 days from Magellan for free almost - $10 compared to $79 regular price)1.3 million POI (instead of 6 million) - you can download 6 million POI from internet free (Search for AnandTech) which I did and it is very easy I have had this for about 1 month. I would recommend this product.
The trouble is the maps cost $80, basically half the price of the unit (of course, this is still cheaper than the $300 to update the $2K built-in systems). 2) Buy one of those "non-slip" silicone pads for your dash. It will even name the icons as you touch them, and the letters as you type them. Entering an address starts with the city (and any letters that can't possibly be your next choice are blocked out--making it even faster).
If you know where you're going--don't use your GPS "just for fun" as you'll think it has chosen an idotic route. THIS WILL GET YOU THERE.I have friends with $2,000 GPS systems built into their Toyotas, Infinitis and Benzes, and they are all overly complex and so difficult to program they literally never use them. As for map accuracy--I've only seen two times when it wasn't accurate, and in both cases it had to do with current road construction. I find that the fastest route is inevitably the best one.Once you press GO, it calculates the route in a couple of seconds and you're ready to go.There are some fancy features, such as one that lets you enter several addresses and have it calculate the most efficient ORDER as well as route--this is great if you are flexible and want to save time--and gas.There's an address book that's easy to update and use, over a million points of interest including restaurants, gas stations, banks, libraries, and more. EASY TO HEAR: The voice in this unit can be turned up so loud I can hear it in a convertible with the top down. I just don't think it should ever tell you to make a u-turn unless you're on a dead-end street.BUT--This applies to basically all GPS systems.
It takes about 20 seconds to enter an address.There's a button to see a map of where you're going--just to make sure it's where you want to go--very handy.Then you can choose the fastest route, shortest route, most use of freeways, least use of freeways. Now--I have years of computer experience, I've written books about computers, and these expensive built-in GPS units were too difficult for me. If you don't like it, don't buy any GPS, because they all use similar routing systems. You always get there, but not always in the simplest most direct route. Sometimes they just give you screwy directions. The voice is pleasant and never gets annoyed when it says "calculating route." When I'm driving I rarely look at the map (I think it's helfpul to keep my eyes on the road), so the voice being clear--and reading street names is very important to me, and this delivers.This unit doesn't have bluetooth or traffic reports, but it also costs half of what those units do, and the GPS part is great.FAST:I especially appreciate how fast it calculates a route, because if you do manage to take the wrong highway offramp (still possible, even with the device telling you where to go)., this will calculate a way back on track in just a couple of seconds, so you don't have to stop and wait as you do with some other units.PEEVE:I have one peeve with this--if you don't listen to its directions and take another route, sometimes it says, "When possible, make a legal U-turn." Well, I don't want to pull a uey, I want you to look at the next street and tell me where to turn." And if you continue on, it finally will do that. They cost around $5 and will keep your GPS firmly in place when you corner--and they make the speaker sound even louder.A correction on someone else's post--you CAN update the maps using an SD card. One was a moved onramp to the 580 going to Richmond, the other is the mess of construction that's moved several offramps from the bay bridge going into San Francisco.But remember, in both cases, even if you miss an offramp, it will quickly figure out where you need to go to get where you're going--and the bottom line is--IT WILL GET YOU THERE.I highly recommend this GPS.
One time when I did manage to get the one in a Prius to work, it took such a convoluted route it surely added a half hour to the trip. And an "exit POI" button to use when on the freeway--this will tell you what wonders await you off the next offramp.While there are many features--the basics are so easy that if all you want to do is go from point A to point B, this is all you need.POCKET SIZE DEVICErst--this is so small you can easily fit it in your pocket. Just remember--it will get you there.SUGGESTIONS:Two recommendations: 1) don't mount it in your car--thieves look for these mounts--or suction cup marks on your windows, and even if you take the unit out of the car when you park (as you should do), this tells them you have one. So I avoided getting a GPS, even though I really needed one with all the driving I was doing.INEXPENSIVE: Then I saw this at Costco for under $150 and bought it knowing I could return it--but I won't return it, it's wonderful--easy to use, reliable, and so much better than the $2,000 built-in units (I have no idea why those have to be so difficult when this is so easy).BLISSFULLY SIMPLE:The interface is very simple, with big, easy to understand icons. That's how these things work. It takes no space to pack when you travel so you can use it in rental cars. Then the street, then the number. That means you can carry it with you from car to car--even to the cars of friends with GPS units no one can get to work.
Also, there are at least two routes that can be chosen to get to my house, so just to test it I skipped the turn it mentioned; it rapidly recalculated (I'd say in no more than two or three seconds), and had me turn at the next turn, the one I primarily use anyway. I'm having a bit of trouble setting up the cradle on the dashboard, but even just setting it on the seat beside me and listening has worked well for me. Minimally, it had to speak street names instead of just "turn right in 500 feet". Convinced me that if a turn is missed it's able to rapidly recalculate and keep you on your path. I could get lost in an empty room, but this unit explains the route as your going along very nicely. I just got this unit earlier this week, and I've been very happy with it.
I had a specific price range in mind, plus certain features in mind. All in all, I feel like I got a very satisfactory unit for the price, one that will meet my needs without difficulty. I'm not very technically inclined, but I've been able to figure out how to use it with little difficulty. I feel like I'm saving gas using this (and who doesn't need that these days)., because even when traveling between familiar points, I'll ask it to calculate the "shortest distance" between those points. I'd recommend it highly. I knew nothing about GPS units at the point where I decided I needed one, so did lots of research online and in stores.
And it was nice to discover that it "chimes" right before your turn (at about the point you'd turn a turn signal on).
Then moved up to the Magellan 3225. Returning home, it always goes 3 exits on the interstate past my home, exits, takes a u turn, and goes back 20 miles.
My last complaint is that it can't calculate more than one destination on a trip. Of course, I don't need this route but this is an example of its unreliability.
I originally had a Garmin 340 but it fell off the windshield once too often and died. Cons: smaller display images/letters than the Garmin - a problem for me as I need reading glasses to see it; biggest problem is that it gets the route wrong too often.
(You can program multiple destinations but it calculates them as separate trips).I miss my Garmin and plan to go back. I briefly had a Mio but I found it useless - nothing intuitive about the interface.
Pros: intuitive interface, often accurate, inexpensive, and provides good detail on how long the trip will be, arrival time, etc.
Wow. Hmmm, I thought. So I exited the call and went to the website - found that most of the map updates for other units are $79.99. I recently purchased the 3225 Maestro. I live in Raleigh, NC - lots of new roads and construction, so will look for something with more accurate maps - if I can find one. So, I called Customer No-Service and the Indian rep told me that yes, you can update the map and although it is not available yet it will be - someday. I finished reading all of the reviews and before I took it out of the box learned that you can't update the map. How much does it cost I asked - she said 79 or 99 cents - she wasn't sure.
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