Best Sat-Nav for USA and Europe?
Discussion
Guys,
Posting here as its deathly quiet over on the Sat-Nav area!
I mainly need a Sat-Nav for my frequent trips to the USA and less frequent trips to Europe - i don't really need it much for the UK!
Now I see that the Tom Tom brand seems to be very popular here in the UK - but whenever I rent a car with Sat-Nav in the USA it is always a Garmin "Where To" - and frankly they are OK but not great - I always seem to struggle to find the address in the directory - you cant input a ZIP (postal code) for example - you need to enter the street name - which can sometimes be tricky because of the Americans love of "North" and "South" pre-fixes to most street names etc.
So instead of incurring all these rental fees I want to buy an accurate and easy to use Sat-Nav system that will work all over the USA and ideally also Europe and UK.
Is there a system anyone can recommend??
Thanks guys!
Posting here as its deathly quiet over on the Sat-Nav area!
I mainly need a Sat-Nav for my frequent trips to the USA and less frequent trips to Europe - i don't really need it much for the UK!
Now I see that the Tom Tom brand seems to be very popular here in the UK - but whenever I rent a car with Sat-Nav in the USA it is always a Garmin "Where To" - and frankly they are OK but not great - I always seem to struggle to find the address in the directory - you cant input a ZIP (postal code) for example - you need to enter the street name - which can sometimes be tricky because of the Americans love of "North" and "South" pre-fixes to most street names etc.
So instead of incurring all these rental fees I want to buy an accurate and easy to use Sat-Nav system that will work all over the USA and ideally also Europe and UK.
Is there a system anyone can recommend??
Thanks guys!
I'm considering a Nokia 5230.
Okay, its primarily a phone, but it has GPS, 3G/HSDPA, and supports the now free Nokia Maps.
£99 at Vodafone, buy it from a CPW store and it'll likely be unlocked. Stick in a memory card, connect to a PC with the Nokia maploader and install maps for damn near anywhere in the world.
Okay, its primarily a phone, but it has GPS, 3G/HSDPA, and supports the now free Nokia Maps.
£99 at Vodafone, buy it from a CPW store and it'll likely be unlocked. Stick in a memory card, connect to a PC with the Nokia maploader and install maps for damn near anywhere in the world.
Don said:
All I can say is that I was hugely unimpressed by some of the North American (specifically Alberta, Canada) maps I got for my Navman. The European maps were great.
Specifically for North America I would read reviews on US sites and US motoring forums.
I've only got one of the more basic Navman devices (S30, I think). Its handy, but its an utter PoS, especially when compared to Sygic McGuider on my mobile.Specifically for North America I would read reviews on US sites and US motoring forums.
I was just in the US and contemplated taking a Sat Nav, tried to get maps for my Navman but they were stupid money, also looked at getting a cheapy in the US from Walmart or similar. Eventually I did not bother and saved my money, do you really need a Sat Nav in the US? Most roads are in a grid and with a good paper map it is near impossible to get lost, spend the money on a good meal instead.
cjs said:
I was just in the US and contemplated taking a Sat Nav, tried to get maps for my Navman but they were stupid money, also looked at getting a cheapy in the US from Walmart or similar. Eventually I did not bother and saved my money, do you really need a Sat Nav in the US? Most roads are in a grid and with a good paper map it is near impossible to get lost, spend the money on a good meal instead.
SatNav takes all the stress out of city navigation - especially in a city you don't know.Until it thinks a road going under a bridge joins up with the road above it (which it does not) and can't figure out how to get you to the hotel. Then it's stressful again.
cjs said:
I was just in the US and contemplated taking a Sat Nav, tried to get maps for my Navman but they were stupid money, also looked at getting a cheapy in the US from Walmart or similar. Eventually I did not bother and saved my money, do you really need a Sat Nav in the US? Most roads are in a grid and with a good paper map it is near impossible to get lost, spend the money on a good meal instead.
Its the prices that put me off getting something for the Navman. Well, that and the fact that its a pretty naff bit of kit.And its the prices that are making me consider a Nokia 5230, unless Nokia get their act together in the next few months and bring out the free version for anything other than their touch devices.
If when you get over there just head to the nearest Walmart and buy a refurbed Totom XXl 550 for around $55-$60 would be my advice. or if you want the european maps as well as USA then get the Go630 it's only a little dearer but has an SD Card slot so you can have the European maps on that.
StevieGee said:
If when you get over there just head to the nearest Walmart and buy a refurbed Totom XXl 550 for around $55-$60 would be my advice. or if you want the european maps as well as USA then get the Go630 it's only a little dearer but has an SD Card slot so you can have the European maps on that.
I think he may have already got one looking at the date of the original post....;)Gassing Station | In-Car Electronics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff