LaughaC

I have the Magellan that tells you the street names. 90% of the time it's great, but the maps loaded in 11/07 are already out of date in some urban areas. For a $100 fee I can download the latest maps, but I'm guessing they haven't updated them since then.

gerrygug

I have a Garmin C550 for work use. Easy to operate. Voice commands. Traffic alerts. Bluetooth. California law requires hands free device for cell phone use while driving beginning July 1st. I enjoy the Bluetooth feature even more than the navigation. Costco price $199.00. Hard to beat.

Peter Zimmermann

gerry: How does the Garmin bluetooth interface with the car? My wife's car has bluetooth for her cell phone, it mutes the stereo and she listens through the car's stereo speakers (yep, we're also aware of the new law!), and I'm wondering if it is something that I can program my phone for when I use the nav in my truck...? Costco's price sounds great, what level is the C550?

Russ In Vegas

LOVE MY TOM TOM. Even have one on my atv. Super easy to use - didn't even need to read the instructions... VERY USER FRIENDLY!

300cd300sdl911

I went with the Magellan for two reasons:

1. It has the biggest screen (my eyes aren't what they used to be - especially when wearing progressive sunglasses)
2. It was the loudest of all the models I listened to.
Sorry, I don't have any comparison to other brands as far as it's accuracy goes.

Peter Zimmermann

Well, it sounds like they're all acceptable products, so we'll go to Costco & Best Buy this weekend and I'll let my wife choose one.

One more ? - Have any of you had difficulty transferring your unit from one vehicle to another? I assume that they all use a 12v power point (what used to be a cig lighter)...

84_Carrera

Pete,
The Garmin I have sucks on the wife's van window (suction cup isn't working well on hers), but works fine on my p-car & Taurus. They include / sell a dash-plate for mounting, but hope you won't need that.

The AA-battery capability of the Garmin I have makes it a non-issue for stealing the unit for my 911 fun runs with the guys - I get to keep the cig lighter for the Passport 8500. I tried using a 1-to-2 splitter this past weekend for the east-coat-to-Ohio blast, but it kept falling out of the socket in the 911. You can also see if they have a hardwire kit optional for the model you want - hardwire for the wife's, keep the cig lighter cord for yours, etc.

Peter Zimmermann

Ah, ha! Thank you, sir!

srf506

I have a Nuvi 500 that I use on long trips in my cars. On short/business trips I use the built-in GPS on my AT&T Tilt Pocket PC phone with i-Guidance. Obviously, the NUVI is a much better interface and screen, but the phone actually works pretty well to with voice prompts and a fair map display. It'll get me where I wanna go anyway.

Ed Hughes

Pete, I've got the TT One....hard to beat at $135 or so. It comes with a stick on "platform" which I put on the dash of my truck so that the unit is reasonably close to me. So, I stick the suction cup onto it. Then, when I put it in the 911, I just stick it on the windshield. Pretty painless to move from one to the other.

It is PLENTY loud, in fact I've got the volume real low. It actually gets annoying listening to a GPS, IMO.

For Calif hands free, I just bought one of these from www.myblueant.com . It is their "Lite" version and it was less than $70 @ Amazon. This is absolutely the best handsfree/speakerphone setup I've ever seen or used. The switch from listen to talk is seamless, the volume is plenty loud and it's got a cool computer generated voice which announces it's hooked up to your Bluetooth phone.

It will be the proverbial "COLD DAY IN HELL" before you ever see ME walking around with one of those ridiculous earpieces. OK, flame on, I know I just insulted more than one person here. But, please, they make people look like, well, I better keep quiet.

84_Carrera

Totally agree Ed. The Mrs uses a wired earpiece. I've offered to buy one of the standalone bluetooth visor pieces, but she won't have anything to do with tech.

I bought a Kenwood BT-2000 I think it is, plugs into my Kenwood deck in the SHO, works AWESOME, auto-mutes the radio for me, I love it. Have to get a Bluetooth setup for my 911, but honestly, I am hesitant to - I normally leave the 911 time for ME time, and that means PHONELESS time most of the time.

Rinty

Peter:

I have my Garmin 260W on a Garmin friction mount that just sits on the dash. In my 993, it doesn't move a millimetre even in hard cornering on rough pavement. It plugs and unplugs in seconds.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=8100

My wife has the fancy 760W. They both work very well.

Rinty

Peter Zimmermann

Good info, and thanks to all of you!

Ed: My wife works with a guy that wears one of those ear piece things - I've seen him in the store with it, he probably wears it when he cuts his lawn, and I haven't asked his wife yet if he wears it in bed... sheeeesh! I'm with you, I never want to be tied so tightly to a damn phone that I need one of those things...

Are the various mounting methods included with the device, or are they extra, like Targus bags for cameras, etc.?

srf506

I think its actually pretty stupid. You see people all the time looking like Jordie from Star Trek and talking to themselves as they walk through the terminals. Let 'm leave a voice mail. I'll call 'em back if its important.

Ed Hughes

It comes with two visor clips, and the unit has two strong magnets that attach to those. I was all over LA today....the thing works WELL. I'm pretty damned impressed.