Dec

6

Easy to use and requiring no installation, the Harmon Kardon Guide + Play™ GPS-31O is the ultimate all-in-one navigation and entertainment system for vehicle or personal use. Just power it up and follow the simple color-coded touchscreen menus. With your music, and our state-of-the-art control and navigation system, you�ll always know what you�re doing, where you�re going and what will be playing along the way.

4″ Widescreen (480 x 272) touchscreen

Plug-and-play simplicity

Text-to-speech voice directions with street names

Complete, preloaded maps of the U.S. and Canada

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Piece of junk
DO NOT BUY THIS JUNK!!! THERE IS NO SIGNAL AT ALL!!! AND U RISK “RESTOCKING” FEE AS WELL.

1 Star Disapointing product
I had been pricing gps’s on Amazon with text-to-speach in which the actual street name was announced. I came across this Harmon Kardon model with a very reasonable price point. The delivery was prompt and right on the money. As per the instructions I charged up the battery, opened the locking device outside, and received the gps signal. I entered a destination and was on my way. The gps worked like a charm with turns and actual street names being announced. The second time I tried it the gps read waiting for gps signal. I’m still waiting. The so-called manual or operator’s guide that comes with the gps has only the basic start up instrictions. It is vague and does not supply enough enfo. I could not find a support site for Harmon Kardon on the web. I’m extremely dissapointed in this product and hope that Amazon investigates these short comings for me. Amazon once again has backed up their return policy and has aloud me to return the gps for a full refund.

1 Star Not Realy good As Its Name
Take time for intial set up and hard to use.

Not really as good as it brand name

3 Stars harmon kardon gps 310
Well satisfied with the instrument so far EXCEPT that though the voiced turns are geographically correct the naming of NUMBERED streets is at times way off. E.g. a left turn onto 84th street might be VOICED as a left turn onto 144th street. Can be confusing if one is completely unfamiliar with the area in play.

Have asked the company for their comment but received no reply.

2 Stars Low quality product
I don’t like the product mainly because of two reasons:

- It takes a very long time (1-5 min) till it finds the satellite connection.

- It cannot really pronounce street names. It’s not helpful to hear street names, but it’s more trouble.

Also, it does not function if it gets sunshine for a while or is left in the car when the temperature is around 60s.

I do not recommend this product.

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Dec

6

Garmin StreetPilot c340 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

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Garmin StreetPilot c340 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

If you’re looking for vehicle navigation that’s powerful and simple to use, the Garmin StreetPilot c340 is just the ticket. Right out of the box, this unit helps you make the right turns wherever your travels take you. With an easy-to-use touchscreen interface, text-to-speech voice commands, a brilliant display that shows the way with 2D or 3D animations, and a massive points of interest database, the c340 has all the basics covered. Plus, you’ll find some great additional features that make it a must-have companion.

Look Mom, no buttons! Garmin has taken simplicity to a new level with the c340.

The c340 is designed with simplicity in mind, although Garmin hasn’t forgotten to add a touch of class. With a weight of under ten ounces and a width of 4.4 inches, the c340 is ultracompact and easy to transport. To keep confusion on the road to a minimum, the only buttons are a rotary volume knob and an on/off switch. The bright 3.5-inch-diagonal display features a touchscreen, making it a snap to input routing information and make quick selections on the road. The c340 sports dual integrated speakers for high-quality voice prompts, a USB port for PC connectivity, and an internal lithium-ion battery that provides power when you’re planning your routes outside the car (approximately 4-8 hours battery life). In addition to an included 12-volt power adapter for in-car power, there’s also an SD memory card expansion slot for use with other Garmin MapSource mapping products. The unit is secured by a suction-mount cradle that fastens to the windshield, allowing for easy portability between vehicles. You can even customize the c340’s appearance with optional colored faceplates that suit your style. While the c340 has an internal GPS antenna, it also has an MCX-type connector for hooking up an optional external GPS antenna.

Finding your way with the c340 starts with inputting a location on the touch screen. Next, the unit’s text-to-speech feature speaks to you just like a back seat driver, telling you the names of streets and when to turn and in what direction. And if you happen to miss a turn–don’t worry, the c340 automatically calculates a new route to your destination. Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings help you navigate more quickly while keeping your eyes on the road. You can also choose between a 3D mapping perspective or 2D overhead view.

The c340 offers clear, easy-to-read 3D directions.

Another time- and frustration-saving feature of the c340 is the database of preloaded maps and points of interest. Gone are the days of uploading partial maps from your computer to your GPS device: the c340 has them all built in. The unit comes preloaded with Garmin’s highly detailed City Select NT street data of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Finding points of interest along your route is made easy with the c340’s huge built-in database of nearly six million hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions. Garmin has also made it easy for users to upload custom points of interest–now you can add school zones or safety cameras to your database. You can even turn on a proximity alert to notify you of upcoming custom points of interest.

Garmin really kicks the power of the c340 up a notch with the addition of real-time traffic information. This optional service will display congested areas on a color-coded map, allowing you to avoid traffic by simply pushing a button that calculates a new route. All this wizardry is made possible by the new Garmin GTM 10 receiver that connects to the c340 and other select Garmin products. Note that while the GTM 10 receives digital data from specific FM broadcast stations in select major metro areas throughout the United States and Europe, note that these traffic services are available only in select cities where coverage exists. The service requires the GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver and, in some cases, a subscription to enable these traffic capabilities.

What’s in the Box
StreetPilot c340 receiver with built-in antenna, dual internal speaker system for voice guidance and alerts, vehicle suction cup mount with 12-24 volt adapter, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, preloaded City Select North America NT database, and quick-reference guide.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars So Easy to Use!
Ok, so I am a little technologically challenged - but my StreetPilot is soooooo easy to use! It is great for long trips, but also invaluable for local travels such as finding a Drs. Office in the city, etc. Most of all I LOVE to use it for finding addresses to garage sales! It works great and does everything I need it to at a reasonable price.

5 Stars Great and Very Practical GPS
This is a great inexpensive GPS. The touch screen is clear even in daytime. The interface is great and very easy to use. Wife, who hates reading manuals is very happy with it. During the night, it automatically switch to nightmode which is very important so as not to distract you while you drive. Nightmode is less bright by turning the color to a dark background. Audio is very easy to understand. It tells you in advance when you are about to turn. At the top, it tells you the street you are in and the next street you will need to turn. Once you start the car, sattelite connection speed is pretty decent. The screen is large enough for visual. There is a built-in rechargeable battery with the unit which last for several hours. But ideally, the unit should be used plugged-in with the included cigarette lighter adapter. This senses when you start the car and automatically turns on the GPS which at the same time starts charging the internal battery. The GPS can also be charged through the included UBS cable through a computer.

We own this for a couple of years now. It was purchase at that time for 299$. Purchased a 2nd one, a refurbished unit for 199$. Both are still working.

Rooms for Improvement:

-There is a small round plastic with adhesive at the bottom to stick to the dashboard where you press the suction cup; or you can stick the suction cup directly to the windshield. Either way, the suction cup will fail and the GPS might fall or slide off your dashboard. Could be dangerous when it happens when you are driving.

It is much better to get the accessory where you put the GPS on top of the dashboard instead of using the suction cup that comes with the unit. This accessory is not cheap though - around 39$ at the of this review.

-Can be made smaller in size

5 Stars Wonderful Basic GPS Unit
We were looking for a basic functionality GPS system that offers reliable satelite connection, text-to-voice speech, and a bright screen (enough to shine thru the brightness of the mid day sun). To our delight, this Garmin offers just that. It offers a reliable and quick sat. uplink when you are outdoors, while indoors it may easily loose connection.

The screen is a good size and the on screen navigation is user friendly. The maps that come on this unit are out-dated, however work efficiently in our Greater Chicagoland area. If you contact Garmin Customer Support, they will more than likely offer a 50% off for a map upgrade.

Battery power is decent. PC connectivity is great; for those people who like to upgrade the GPS voice system to something like Celebrity Voices, you will be out of luck since I have found no one to support this unit for such upgrades. Even tho customization is very limited, you CAN upload your own start-up screen with Garmin’s propietary software available for free off of their websites.

A great purchase for someone that wants a solid GPS unit without the fluff.

2 Stars Maybe I just got a lemon
A friend of mine has a low end Cobra and I was impressed with its performance, even though its reviews were terrible. I bought a Garmin 340C after reading the rave reviews. My Garmin arrived in its factory box with all the papers and supposedly the latest map updates.

I suspected something was amiss when it indicated my home address was at the other end of the block. I solved this by having it regester “home” as my driveway rather than my street address. I used it on a 200 mile trip to Dallas after inputting my destination as the address of a friend whom I always stay with when I go to Dallas. The Garmin took me to a house in another block on the correct street across a major boulevard. The street address didn’t match.

My bigest gripe, however is the display, which is impossible to see clearly on a sunlit day, even with the brightness turned to the maximum. I also thought the female voice sounded more monotone like a robot, and was not as natural and understandible as the female voice of the Cobra.

Lastly, the Cobra had every tiny dirt country driveway in its memory, but the Garmin totally missed several paved side streets that had been there for years. I was not impressed but will likely keep the Garmin because I don’t need the hassle of repairs or returns.

I will likely replace the Garmin with a midrange Cobra. I don’t mean to offend any happy Garmin owners. I’m just relating the experiences I’ve had with mine.

4 Stars A O K
I PURCHASED THIS PRODUCT A YEAR AGO. I AM THRILLED WITH THE WAY AND THE EASE OF USING IT. I HAVE LOANED IT TO SEVERAL FRIENDS AND EVERY ONE OF THEM WAS IMPRESSED. NOW I JUST PURCHASED 2 MORE OF THEM. ONE FOR A FRIEND AND THE OTHER FOR MY 79 YEAR OLD DAD. MY DAD IS NOT VERY ELECTRONIC MINDED AND HE LOVES THIS THING. HE COULDNT BELIEVE HOW SIMPLE IT IS TO OPERATE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. GREAT PRODUCT

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Dec

5

Fast and Portable International 2 HR AA AAA Nimh Battery Charger for HOME and TRAVEL w Car Adapter Cord and World Plug Kit Includes 8 Premium 2700 MAH Ni MH Batteries

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Fast and Portable International 2 HR AA AAA Nimh Battery Charger for HOME and TRAVEL w Car Adapter Cord and World Plug Kit Includes 8 Premium 2700 MAH Ni MH Batteries

Accessory Power Smart and Super Fast International charger is great for either International or Local User. It comes with 4 snap-on plugs suited for 160 world locations. Its compact size allows you to keep it in your pocket or we have provided you with convenient scratch guard protector Bag for Storage and Transportation. The charger comes with FOUR 2700 AA Rechargeable Nimh Batteries that are currently the most powerful and longest lasting batteries available. Can be recharged up to a 1000 Times! Forget about your camera ever running out of power or any other electronic device charged with AA/AAA batteries. It simply makes your life and travel Simple. Fully compatible with these products and many more: CANON EOS Rebel Xsi PowerShot A410 A430 A460 A470 A520 A530 A540 A550 A560 A570 IS A580 A590 IS A610 A620 A630 A640 A650 IS A700 A710 IS A720 IS S2 IS S3 IS S5 IS SX100 IS FLIP Video F130B F130W F160W Video Ultra F230B F230G F230P F230W F260B F260N F260P F260W FUJI Clear Shot MII IS-1 FinePix S1000d S5600 S5800 S6000fd S6500fd S700 S8000fd s8100fd S9100 S9600 HP Photosmart E327 E337 E427 M425 M437 M447 M527 M537 M547 M627 M637 M737 Mz67 KODAK EasyShare C310 C433 C503 C513 C530 C533 C613 C643 C653 C663 C703 C743 C813 C875 Z1275 Z650 Z710 Z812 IS Z885 NIKON Coolpix L10 L11 L12 L14 L15 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 P50 L16 L18 P60 OLYMPUS FE-115 FE-130 FE-140 FE-170 FE-180 FE-210 FE-270 FE-310 FE-500 SP-320 SP-510 UZ SP-550 UZ SP-560 UZ SP-570 UZ PANASONIC DMC-LS80 DMC-LZ10 DMC-LZ8 DMC-LS2 DMC-LS70 DMC-LZ3S DMC-LZ6 DMC-LZ7 POLAROID a300 a500 a515 i1032 i1032 i532FBDL i532RC i533 i534 i630 i631 i633 i634 i639M i733LP i735 i739 i830 i832 i832W i834 i835 PDC-303 SAMSUNG SC-X300 SC-X300L SC-HMX10C SC-MX10 GX-1L GX-1S S85 S1000 S1030 S1050 S700 S730 S800 S830 S850 Digimax A302 A4 A40 A402 A403 A50 A502 A503 A55W A6 A7 S500 S600 S800 SANYO VPC-S5 VPC-S6 VPC-S60 VPC-S7 SONY DSC-H1 DSC-H2 DSC-H5 DSC-H5/B DSC-S40 DSC-S600 DSC-S650 DSC-S700 DSC-S730 VIVITAR ViviCam

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars AA AAA smart fast charger and its AC DC
Nice charger that comes with 4 AA2700 mah nimh rechargeable batteries. It will power the Flip real well. Better to recharge then use alkaline throw aways. It also comes with a 3 year warranty and 8 Premium 2700 Mah batteries

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Dec

5

Navigon 2120 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

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Navigon 2120 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star I wouldn’t buy anything from Navigon again
I purchased the Navigon Mobile Navigator 5 in Germany for use in Italy. I wanted a TomTom but they were out, so I purchased Navigon. What a waste. Not user-friendly at all–have to continually refer to manual for the simplest things as it just doesn’t make sense.

Had to call customer service in the USA just to get it to work (had to transfer an executable file…why do I have to do that?) I could understand it telling me to “turn right” when there is no road–because maybe that’s what the Italian maps have told it. But no one else with different brands around here are having the same problem (TomTom and Garmin).

I will never waste my money again with Navigon.

2 Stars broken
I ordered my product over a month ago and when I received it it was broken. The screen only turned white. I sent it in for repairs, and I still have yet to get it back; therefore, I still have no idea how well this products works.

5 Stars Navigon 2120…a GPS with maps of all USA and Canada
A well made, competitively price GPS unit.

This unit is the same as the 2100 except that the 2120 has all the USA states (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico) and Canada. It comes with car charger and your choice of either windshield suction cup or dash-top adhesive disc for displaying your unit.

What is MISSING in this particular product (and included as standard features on the 5100 and 7100 series) are…

1.)A home charging unit

2.)No instruction booklet or DVD. You have to go online to download a PDF file and go from there.

3.)Neither accessory card is included; the Traffic Activation Service* and Zagat POI (points of interest) must be bought separately.

the good…

1.)the unit is well sized; my initial concern was that it was small, but once on the windshield it was big enough to easily read without blocking your vision.

2.)easy to program routes with the ability to put in various way points in between your start and finish. (however, see con: 1.) below)

3.)if you ’save’ your destinations, way points, etc., you have the ability to ‘rename’ them; this may not sound like a big deal but you might find it more helpful to have the I-81 north of Harrisburg PA named as such (for ease of recall at a later date) than named the ‘Veterans Highway’ with no indication where it is.

4.)I liked the snap in/out device that actually holds the GPS; this made the unit easy to put up and take down if you didn’t want to leave the unit in your car while unattended.

5.)3D viewing is available for all usages as are voice directions; larger, more detailed maps are used in larger intersections, cloverleafs etc.

6.)the level of luminescence is variable for daytime/nighttime driving; a very nice feature as the daytime brightness is extremely bright at night.

7.)There is a toll free phone number for customer support; I had a question about my unit and called ’support’, after a couple redirects from the automated answering machine I was connected to a ‘real’ person…impressive.

8.)once you register your unit online, any updates that are available for downloaded may be added to your unit through a computer connection.

the cons:

1.a)because there was no manual with this unit, learning to program this unit (although in hindsight, this was not particularly difficult) was more complicated that it should have been.

1.b)in route planning, I found the unit invariably would find a somewhat different way to get from point A to point B than I’d expected. It would get me to my destination, but just by a different (and sometimes more circuitous) route.

1.c)if you are following a preprogrammed route on this unit and you miss hitting a waypoint on your route, the unit will continually try to turn you around to ‘hit’ the waypoint (or until you delete this waypoint). A somewhat annoying feature. I eventually found it much more effective to put in short routes, rather than longer routes with multiple waypoints.

2.)the accessory cards (Traffic* and Zagat’s POI) are only useful in selected major centers.

3.)the connector cord to the unit from the cigarette lighter charger went straight into the bottom of the unit. This means you need to have 2 or 3 inches of space between your unit and the dash top or else you could possibly kink the charger cord. Motorola makes a right angle adapter (SKN6182)that solves this problem.

4.)the unit’s battery (when used without charger cord) only lasted about 4 hours.

5.)the computerized voice had an unpleasant tinny pitch to it and quickly became VERY annoying; fortunately, it can be turned off.

Conclusions:

1.)A reasonably priced, basic GPS that works well.

2.)It is very useful in finding and directing you to particular spots once you are in the general area, e.g. a specific address, a certain restaurant, an ATM or gas station etc.

3.)I found it less useful on planning long trips as it tended to suggest routes and turnoffs that were less than optimal for my chosen trip.

Overall…4 1/2 Stars

*Also, please note that if you plan to use the Traffic Activation Service you must use the in-car charger cord as it acts an the antenna to receive traffic information for both the 2100 and 2120 units.

Addendum: April 28/08

A new software version 1.2 has been released and is available for download from the Navigon website for registered owners of the 2100, 5100 and 7100 series. Hopefully this new software will improve the route selection process used by the GPS and make its suggestions more useful.

5 Stars GPS
Works great! I had a tomtom before but broke it(my Fault). I like this gps a little better. Looks better and has 3d mode. Worth the money.

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Dec

5

TeleType 710060 WorldNav Truck Routing 7 Inch Portable GPS Unit

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TeleType 710060 WorldNav Truck Routing 7 Inch Portable GPS Unit

WorldNav Portable GPS based on TeleType’s award winning navigation product line. This advanced touch screen Truck Routing GPS for professional truck drivers, bus drivers, and RV’ers. Insures that routes will follow roads that are suitable for truck travel, and yet the commercial driver can rely on the routing as it takes into account commercial truck restrictions such as bridge heights and clearances, load limits, one-way road designations, left-hand and dangerous turn restrictions, and allowances. For example, a typical set of restrictions for a semi-trailer could be entered as 13′6″ height, 80,000 lb weight, 53′ length, and 96″ width.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star REFUND MY MONEY
Do not waste your hard earned money on this piece of junk.It does not do what it claims to do.I paid $473.00 and am trying to get my money back.Kenworth now puts gps in their trucks,why don’t they use worldnav,because it don’t work.The company sent me a new card to update the system and it still wasn’t any good.About 30-40% did it find the destination.I now have a Sony NAV_U 83 and Though not for trucks it out shines the world nav system by far.I want to return the system to ANTonline,the won’t give me a RMA#.They asked if I opened the box,DUH.Looks like I will have to dispute the credit card co.DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS GPS UNIT!!!!

5 Stars Very good Truck routing gps
I got the system about 1 week ago and took it on the trip with me. This is the first GPS portable unit that was specifically designed for truck drivers.

I looked forward to get it and I am very glad I ordered one. This unit routes me taking into account restrictions that otherwise I would be running into. It did not put me even once in its route on Parkway or any restricted road. Finally I do not have to worry about low bridges. It took me as little as couple of min to set up the unit. I am not very computer literate but setting this system is very easy. I put it on my windshield with suction cup and let it rest on the dash then I put the power into cigarette lighter adapter. Once you hit I agree you select the size of your truck and hazmat that you carry. I think it is well thought system. I recommended my boss at the distribution center. I am planning to add to the unit rear view camera. There is a jack AV for it. Hope it is as easy as setting up the routing. Unit also have spanish voice in addition to enlish. I can change languages and hear turns and names of the streets with right pronounciation. Not Bad!!

4 Stars Smart purchase!
Well, it took longer to get than I expected but overall this is a smart buy especially for truckers! I’ve had a few problems with it routing me to non-truck routes but the company, Teletype, has been nothing but helpful to get the “bugs” worked out. I have to say, just in the month or so that I’ve had it now that it has kept me out of trouble several times already. I’d recommend it to any trucker.

1 Star great concept!
Great concept! Too bad they didn’t apply the technology to this product. It does everything but navigate. The card had no info on it, we had to request a card with maps so the thing could actually navigate, then it still didn’t work. If we had followed the directions it gave us in our semi, we would either be stuck in an alley in Greece, or somewhere in the Pacific ocean. We returned it. Thank goodness Antonline is good about refunds! We’re back with Garmin and are getting around just fine.

5 Stars Truck Routing on a nice size screen
I used to have a lap top navigation system in my truck. I think having all in one unit is a lot simpler. No booting time. WorldNav start right away as I start my truck. Routing comes up slower slightly then on the laptop but I understand why. The unit has most if not all restricted roads and low bridges.

Here is what I think

Advantages of the system

1. Easy to set up. System comes with all the maps for Truck Driving and for Car navigation

2. From the manual I can see that it is very easy to update. They send you a new SD card and you send the old one back

3. Screen is large

4. Rear view camera ready

5 FM transmitter to my radio in the truck

6. No need for external antenna although there is a jack for one

Cons

1. Screen has to be kept away from the sunlight or you will not see well

2. Warranty is only 1 year although I see that they offer extended warranty for 3 but you have to pay for it

3. Updates after 90 days are not free

I gave the unit 5 stars because although it can be improved they unit is the only one now on the market that offers truck routing and RV routing for such a low price.

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Dec

5

Magellan RoadMate 2200T Portable GPS Navigator Silver

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Magellan RoadMate 2200T Portable GPS Navigator Silver

If you don’t own a car with its own navigation system, and you’re tired of looking up destinations on the internet and printing the results–or even worse, stopping to ask for directions–the Magellan 2200T make be just what you’re looking for. Its sturdy and easily portable design, simple operation, and multi-function capability make it a great choice for any journey.

Small, rugged, and powerful; the Magellan 2200T packs everything you need for navigation, and nothing you don’t. View larger.

Select from a huge database of POIs. View larger.

Navigate to a tasty snack in a jiffy. View larger.

Use the address book to store your most important destinations. View larger.

A user-friendly browser lets you search through and display your photos. View larger.

Design
The Magellan 2200T is compact and solid, making it easy to bring along wherever you go, as well as providing a sense of confidence that it can survive the bumps of bruises that come with the mobile lifestyle. It measures just 3.7 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 7.8 ounces, making it only a little chunkier than your average PDA or Smartphone. The first thing you’ll notice on its exterior is almost complete lack of buttons. This is because all interaction with the 2200T happens between the touchscreen and your finger. In the interest of simplicity, there is not even a stylus that can fall to the floor and roll under your the seat of your car. The only button you’ll find on the device is the recessed rubber power button on the top right.

All other connections are protected by rubber covers that can be peeled away for access. Below the power button you’ll find ports for USB, headphones, and the external power supply. On the left is an SD/MMC card slot, a reset button, and a handy hold button that puts the device in a temporary power-saving mode.

Setup and Interface
Setup is as easy as turning the device on, since it comes loaded with maps of the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, and is ready to go right out of the box. We found interacting with the touchscreen to be intuitive and reliable. With this device, there’s really no need for a stylus or navigation buttons, which simplifies things on the road. The screen itself is sharp and clear with its 320 x 240 pixel resolution display and support for 64,000 colors. The 2200T comes with a dash or windshield mount, a wall charger, a USB cable, a CD with software for photos and music. Unfortunately, a vehicle charger is not included, however.

The 2200T not only provides audible commands for turns, but is able to indicate street names using a text-to-voice system Magellan calls “SayWhere.” We found this to be a very useful feature, especially when attempting to navigate in an unfamiliar city, although some of the street names were difficult to understand, particularly those derived from Spanish.

A handy music player makes enjoying tunes on the go a breeze.

Navigation
The main purpose of any car GPS device is to take you reliably from point A to B. Here the 2200T performs nicely indeed, providing several options for finding your destination. To get going you can select either a street address, a specific point of interest, a destination from the address book, or an intersection (if you’re not sure of the exact address). To speed up text entry, the unit employs a QuickSpell feature that displays only the letters that spell an item in its database. This greatly reduces the letters from which you have to choose to tell it where you want to go.

Once it knows where you are headed, the device offers you the choice of shortest time, shortest distance, most use of freeways, or least use of freeways. You’ll also find a trip planner that lets you layout and save multiple destinations.

Other Goodies
Like a number of other similar devices, the Magellan 2200T also houses an MP3 player and a very nice photo/slide viewer. It’s a breeze to drop music files or photos into the folders already located on the included SD card. We found the music player intuitive, with no serious learning curve. You can’t listen to tunes and navigate at the same time, however.

The device is also ideal for sharing snapshots of summer vacation with grandma once you make it over the river and through the woods. Colors are crisp and bright, and displaying your photos is idiot-proof for anyone who has ever used a computer or digital camera.

The 2200T is a rugged and functional GPS navigator that is easy to use and reliable. If basic navigation is what you are looking for, and you can do without the bells and whistles of Bluetooth connections and real-time traffic information (although Magellan states that real-time traffic information can be added to the 2200T as an accessory), this could be just the ticket.

Pros

Rugged device with multiple functions and options
Easy to use
Reliable map included on SD card
Includes MP3 Player and Photo Viewer

Cons

Can’t listen to MP3 player and navigate at the same time
No bells and whistles

What’s in the Box
Magellan RoadMate 2200T, windshield mount, DC power adapter, USB data cable, quick reference guide, reference manual on CD-ROM, car holder, and adhesive dashboard disk.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Expensive Paperweight
I’d have to say the biggest problem with this unit is how restrictive it is in entering an address. In neither the map function nor the address book can you enter one in directly but have to search for it starting with either a zip code or city and then slowly work your way through the screens till you’ve found the entire address. If it thinks your address is actually in a different city or the street name is different then you can’t enter it.

I had a business address that was #1036 on a street located in Bridgeton - according to their own company letterhead. I started with the zip code which produced 8 city results - Bridgeton and 7 surrounding towns. How does that happen? Doesn’t the U.S. Post Office give each city their own zip code?

I pick Bridgeton then have to type in the street name. It then comes up with the number range to type in and it only allowed #1-1001!

After messing with it I discovered it was showing the street name as having #1-1001 but that same street also has a route # designated to it that I happened to know and when I tried that it showed the #’s available as 1-1100.

If I hadn’t been local, knowing that streets route number, and went by the businesses own letterhead I never would have found it. Actually discovered all this the day after I gave up on the unit and just winged it.

A GPS unit is supposed to save time and this one does nothing more than take up more of it. What an expensive mistake I made.

Also complained to the company that it tells me to take a longer route in one direction and the shorter route back and they advised this will be addressed in the many updates they expect to put through since it was such a new item. This was a month after I bought it 5 months ago and not one update has come out.

Yes it has the nice features everyone else mentions(that POI editor wants lattitude and longitude, can’t put in an address - gave up on it)but if you can’t put address’s in it what good are all those features? Don’t waste your money or your time with this unit.

1 Star DO NOT BUY!!!!
I purchased this Because of Price and learned that going cheaper isn’t allways better. I used it three times and now the unit won’t even turn on. I’ve called customer service and get some guy in India who I could barely understand. It’s not worth the hassle, Just spend the money on a Garmin.I saw some reviews where they were satisfied with there Magellin.I have nothing good to say about it and won’t purchase another magellin product.

4 Stars Great Unit
Great unit, but it does not come with the crossover upgrade. It has to be purchased, seperatly. Unit works well and text to speech sounds good. Has a great battery life. Suction cup mount works well.

5 Stars Very Solid
I actually have two of these, one for me, and one for a guy who works for me.

I read over some of the negative reviews, most of them are referring to defective units. One was from someone who was trying to enter in an address that didn’t exist.

I use this unit for my company that provides mobile services. We have entered in and navigated to probably 1000 addresses using this unit. Working correctly (which it always has for me), it picks up signal within 30-60 seconds after being turned on, battery lasts for a while, and it recalculates fairly quickly, maybe around 5-10 seconds. My favorite feature is that you can enter addresses starting with the Zip code instead of the City which was not the case with my Garmin Steetpilot 340.

This is a very inexpensive unit, if I were to buy another inexpensive unit, I would go with this one because I know that it works solid and have used it extensively to know that there are no major defects in its operation or design and will work dependably in any situation that I require from it.

2 Stars Nice unit with very obsolete maps and poor customer support
This is not a bad performing unit and it would be a good unit except for one fact. It ships with (mediocre at best) maps dated August 2006 and Magellan wants you to pay $80 plus shipping for an update. If you buy the refurb and then the update disk you are at the price of a new Garmin Nuvi 350 which will have a one year warranty (instead of absurd 90 day as with the Magellan refurb - evryone else’s refurbs come with same as new warranties, by the way) and it will come with current maps plus the Nuvi is a simply superior unit. (Consumer Reports Best Buy.)

Do not buy this unit unless you simply MUST have obsolete maps, poor customer support (no excuse for not including a map update) and a very short warranty.

Offering this unit with the ancient maps and no free map update is an intellegence test that Magellan is running on their customers. (My excuse, I simply did not know that they had the no-free-updates policy. Their competitors do provide free updates and I thought Magellan would follow the pattern.) I strongly urge that you think long and hard before rewarding them for their very anti-consumer maps policy. (Garmin and TomTom both give free update down-loads with the purchase of their units, new or refurb. No reason for Magellan not to do the same other than simple greed.)

This is the last time I will ever even consider a Magellan product. I urge you to not make the mistake I did in buying a Magellan product. You can do far better for the same money.

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Dec

5

Garmin n vi 200W 4 3 Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

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Garmin n vi 200W 4 3 Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

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Dec

4

Garmin eTrex Summit Handheld GPS

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Garmin eTrex Summit Handheld GPS

Palm-size, lightweight, and waterproof, Garmin’s eTrex Summit is a 12-channel handheld global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver. The Summit’s easy-to-use menu lets you create and view waypoints, save and view track logs, calibrate the compass and altimeter, access setup features, and more. Its trip and elevation computers calculate a range of data, including direction of movement; total and average ascent and descent; current, average and maximum speeds; trip odometer; and much more.

Map page. View larger.

Mark waypoint. View larger.

The Garmin eTrex Summit is a simple, compact GPS device. View larger.

Besides appreciating its small size, boaters and outdoorsmen will also be happy with the eTrex’s unique button layout design. All the buttons are located on either side of the unit. The benefits of this design are two-fold. First, the eTrex is a breeze to operate with just one hand, and, second, with the buttons on both sides of the unit the bulk of the front of the device is dedicated to the large LCD display with backlight. The eTrex is so simple, it only sports five buttons–Page, Power, Up, Down, and Enter. Garmin also designed this tiny GPS to be completely waterproof so it can handle an accidental splash or dunk and continue to perform.

Beh