Discussion
hiya
i need a new satnav
really has to have the following:
1. traffic info that works
2. uk and europe maps included
3. a SPLITSCREEN so that i can see map and turn by turn at the same time
4. an overview screen where I can see teh whole route on one screen and check that its not taking me some crazy route before I head off
5. the ability to turn auto zoom off
6. touchscreen so I can drag the map aroudn with my finger
7. easy access to change between 3d and 2d views
i've used these things for many years and I find that all the above items are almost essential.
in fact, unless I am mistaken, some of these points mean that all Garmins and Tom Toms are excluded. The best satnav I ever had was the old garmin streetpilot 2820 which had a myriad of features and options but they sadly dumbed the os down and tried to copy Tom Tom imo which was a huge mistake for the less casual buyer such as myself. my last Garmin was a 550 and whilst it was cleverly the first unit on the market to have in built traffic it fell down on numerous other counts, not least because its was way too simple and limited.
at the moment the only unit i think that covers all these bases is the viamichelin
i need a new satnav
really has to have the following:
1. traffic info that works
2. uk and europe maps included
3. a SPLITSCREEN so that i can see map and turn by turn at the same time
4. an overview screen where I can see teh whole route on one screen and check that its not taking me some crazy route before I head off
5. the ability to turn auto zoom off
6. touchscreen so I can drag the map aroudn with my finger
7. easy access to change between 3d and 2d views
i've used these things for many years and I find that all the above items are almost essential.
in fact, unless I am mistaken, some of these points mean that all Garmins and Tom Toms are excluded. The best satnav I ever had was the old garmin streetpilot 2820 which had a myriad of features and options but they sadly dumbed the os down and tried to copy Tom Tom imo which was a huge mistake for the less casual buyer such as myself. my last Garmin was a 550 and whilst it was cleverly the first unit on the market to have in built traffic it fell down on numerous other counts, not least because its was way too simple and limited.
at the moment the only unit i think that covers all these bases is the viamichelin
looked at a few today
the nuvi OS isnt much different, still cant turn off autozoom, couldnt see a route overview function and the 2d to 3d toggle is buried under various menus. The garmins are just too simlified for my use.. shame.
the Tom Tom 920 on teh other hand has some great functionality. providing they work (ive heard so many terrible stories about Tom Tom reliability and support) it could be a goer. BUT, the maps are just awful. All the roads are jagged, the colours are non-intuitive and it doesnt even look half as good as the Garmins lovely smooth intelligible mapping.
thing ill have to check out teh viamichelin 980T
the nuvi OS isnt much different, still cant turn off autozoom, couldnt see a route overview function and the 2d to 3d toggle is buried under various menus. The garmins are just too simlified for my use.. shame.
the Tom Tom 920 on teh other hand has some great functionality. providing they work (ive heard so many terrible stories about Tom Tom reliability and support) it could be a goer. BUT, the maps are just awful. All the roads are jagged, the colours are non-intuitive and it doesnt even look half as good as the Garmins lovely smooth intelligible mapping.
thing ill have to check out teh viamichelin 980T
I had a Garmin 660 and changed to a TomTom 920. It is outstandingly good and has caused no problems. Having used various generations of Garmin, Navman, and Copilot, as well as built-in systems in Jag, Land Rover, BM, and Merc, I simply find that it does the important things more easily and better than any other system I have used - entering destinations or routes, and guiding you to them.
By comparison with the Garmin, I agree that the graphics are much less pretty. I would like it to turn on when power is connected, as the Garmin does, and I would like the power connection to be via the screen bracket. However, I find it much better to use - in particular the moving map has no lag which makes it much easier to follow through complex junctions, and the voice directions are very clear. Features like voice destination entry and the bluetooth remote really work. I think it ticks all the OP's boxes except split screen - depending what you mean by split screen.
There is one odd aspect of the software - there is no scale on the moving map, so if you zoom you cannot judge what you are looking at.
I cannot comment on ViaMichelin.
By comparison with the Garmin, I agree that the graphics are much less pretty. I would like it to turn on when power is connected, as the Garmin does, and I would like the power connection to be via the screen bracket. However, I find it much better to use - in particular the moving map has no lag which makes it much easier to follow through complex junctions, and the voice directions are very clear. Features like voice destination entry and the bluetooth remote really work. I think it ticks all the OP's boxes except split screen - depending what you mean by split screen.
There is one odd aspect of the software - there is no scale on the moving map, so if you zoom you cannot judge what you are looking at.
I cannot comment on ViaMichelin.
in summary:
voice spoken commands
reality view
lane assist
poi on route
proper 3d view with altitude using a 3d gfx accelerator
etc...
and: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/tag/+8110/sea...
voice spoken commands
reality view
lane assist
poi on route
proper 3d view with altitude using a 3d gfx accelerator
etc...
and: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/tag/+8110/sea...
Edited by jackal on Wednesday 2nd April 20:54
jackal said:
in summary:
voice spoken commands
reality view
lane assist
poi on route
proper 3d view with altitude using a 3d gfx accelerator
etc...
and: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/tag/+8110/sea...
That looks good, has good reviews to.voice spoken commands
reality view
lane assist
poi on route
proper 3d view with altitude using a 3d gfx accelerator
etc...
and: http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/tag/+8110/sea...
Edited by jackal on Wednesday 2nd April 20:54
I use a Nuvi 660, it does split screen and all the other things you want. The only thing I don't like about it is that you can't plan a trip using preset points AFAIK.
Though the still picture of the Navigon looks good, I watched the video, and the on-screen demo ran very jerkily. I don't know if that is true of the real device, but as mentioned above one of the best things about the TT 920 is that the moving map keeps up with you, which helps you get a complex junction right.
Do you find the 3D display with elevations useful? How?
Do you find the 3D display with elevations useful? How?
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