SatNavs – Talk to me.

My wife’s Tomtom died last night as evidenced by her screaming at me down the phone (obviously it’s my fault that after 3 years fine service the thing decides to break) and now I have to tell her how to get somewhere I’ve never been, when I don’t know where she is, and neither does she.

Anyway. So she needs a new one. I have no idea about these things other than, as far as I can tell, they’ve got a lot more expensive despite providing the same fundamental service.

It seems that a lot of them nowdays also do traffic updates too, I assume this is
a) next to useless
and
b) expensive. Subscription expensive.

So any tips on which one to get? the Tomtom wasn’t brilliant it has to be said (TomTom 1 I think). It would get confused quite a lot and had this seriously annoying ‘feature’ where it would randomly lock the screen and refuse to give you directions when you got to within half a mile of your destination.

Anyone thinking of selling their SatNav?

Important things are

Ease of use

we have the basic Garmin Nuvi – does the job, no frills, only about £70 too

The google navigation on my android phone has impressed me so far. Time for a phone upgrade?

Do you or you wife have a iPhone or other smartphone? If so you can get TomTom, Navigon, CoPilot etc for between £20-£55.

I run Navigon on my iPhone and it seems fine.

Smart phone? or….

What the hell is that? Where is the screen on it? Does it take AA batteries?

My wife’s Tomtom died last night as evidenced by her screaming at me down the phone (obviously it’s my fault that after 3 years fine service the thing decides to break) and now I have to tell her how to get somewhere I’ve never been, when I don’t know where she is, and neither does she.

did you want to find her way home?

It’s ‘retro’ Jamie – you have it on your knee while you drive. And try not to spill your coffee on it.

Thanks iDave, that’s what I use but she’s never got on with them.

No chance of using a smartphone or the like, getting her to accept new technology is very difficult. Her phone is very basic.

I borrowed my Brother in laws Nuvi 1390t. It was very good and easy to use.

I am not sure about the traffic alerts. Apparently this model uses a free service based on some kind of radio alert so it is free. The only time I think it might have worked is went it sent me down some strange back road instead of the A34.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_498027_langId_-1_categoryId_247401

I like my Snooper (S2000) i think. Easy to use, big enough screen and the traffic updates are pretty acurate. The traffic thing is via an extra little ariel stuck on your windscreen and is free as far as I know (I’ve paid for spped camera updates though). One thing though, if you want to use the hands-free thingie, I’ve found that you really do need the (added cost) microphone, or people can’t hear you.

Slightly unrelated, but I also have a Snooper 3zero camera detector that detects bt GPS and by actually sensing live cameras and find that really good.

At work we (the older members of staff)use maps. Once setting off to Scotland a younger member of staff said ” your going all the way to Scotland with just a MAP” what the chuff do they think we did pre satnav. Saying all that I think I may get one for our hols in France next year.

Another map user here although I did get a TomTom ONE earlier this year as I was going to so many bike races with work it just made it easier. It’s a bit limited though and it sometimes takes a while to work out that I’ve ignored it (obviously I know better) and reset itself.

It does do traffic updates though (via a radio link so free), you just plug in a little aerial thingy on the windscreen, that’s quite useful.

It keeps trying to send me down a dead end track near my house as well – don’t know what it thinks I’ll find down there.

I run a hacked binaton 3500 with tomtom software. Cost 50 quid and does the job.

At the roundabout, take the third exit

I’m not a satnav but I still know the satnav lingo

Almost fluent there DT….

In 200 yards at the roundabout take the third exit
At the roundabout take the third exit
This is the roundabout
Take the third exit
Yes that one
Take the exit now

Now give me 25 minutes so I can recalculate a route for you

The google navigation on my android phone has impressed me so far. Time for a phone upgrade?

+1

I can’t see any reason for buying a sat nav when the Google Maps thing is phenomenal. Does 3D and streetview navigation too, so you know exactly where you are in relation to your surroundings. Plus, the latest upgrade finally allows it to cache maps while there’s a data connection so you’re not stumped when you lose reception.