Recommendations for GPS , Navman vs Garmin Vs TomTom

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maverick

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#73095 9-Dec-2010 09:31

Looking for some recommendations for a new GPS unit, my wife is Uni Lecturer and does a lot of travelling to different schools, new ones pop up all the time the old Navman doesn't really keep up and the updates are a real pain , so a decent unit with traffic updates and up to date maps would be a bonus...

I'm not a big user myself of these as real men don't need directions, a watch and the sun works fine

, but if anyone that does use these and can give me some feedback that would be great

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almaznz

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#414877 9-Dec-2010 09:39

i don't know too much about the garmin's but from user feedbacks i would get (ex bond and bond employee) the TomTom is a superior unit to the navman, it defintaltey handles traffic a lot better with the IQ Routes feature that it has, that ofcourse is keeping in mind you are connecting to the computer on a regular basis.

Nokia2012

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#414881 9-Dec-2010 09:49

I have a Tom Tom XL 340 and in my personal opinion it's very user friendly much like a nokia mobile phone.
Not sure about the map updates side I haven't encountered any problems as of yet.

scuwp

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#414891 9-Dec-2010 09:58

Tom Tom gets my vote hands down. Love the "Home 2" computer interface and the ability make and upload/download some free user map changes is great. Its even wife/girlfriend operational proof.

I think they just changed to more frequent map updates using a subscription service rather than having to buy a whole map each year. Cheaper and keeps up to date better

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AndrewTD

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#414893 9-Dec-2010 10:00

I have a small TomTom unit, and am very happy with it.
I had used Garmin and Navman units as well as TomTom in rental cars before deciding on the TomTom.

I actually wanted to prefer the Navman units - because they are quite stylish and I think are NZ designed.
But in the end I found the Navman considerably harder to use than the other two brands.

TomTom was the easiest to use. So when DSE had a special on a low priced TomTom unit a year or so ago, I bought it.

Very happy with my decision. Strangely though, I am now thinking rather than pay a small fortune for a map upgrade, I might be better off buying a whole new unit for just a bit more, with a new map, and probably slightly more features than I have on my current unit!

kind regards Andrew TD

Nety

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#415781 11-Dec-2010 09:25

I have a small Navman and although I have found the interface and performance to be OK (old interface not the newest one) I will never buy one again. This comes down to more then anything Navmans attitude to support which has in my experience been one of contempt and indifference. If you read though some of the other threads you will find others that have found the same.

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SpookyAwol

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#415800 11-Dec-2010 10:15

Does she have a smart phone? Although the screens are small - the tomTom app on the iPhone works nicely. Its at worth considering rather than having another piece of hardware floating around.

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maverick

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#415811 11-Dec-2010 10:33

yep iphone3gs, hmm perhaps an option, I do like the idea of the free map upgrades for life on the Garmin since the map upgrades are almost the price of the units on other units

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BrentR

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#415826 11-Dec-2010 11:37

Ovi Maps on Nokia smartphones is free forever, as are the map updates, they also work in an offline capacity, so data use and out of coverage use is great.

networkn

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#416301 12-Dec-2010 22:55

I have horrible issues with TOMTOM pronunciation. Both my wife and I couldn't understand barely a word of what it was saying. I have spoken to JB HiFi who wouldn't take it back based on that, but did recommend the Go live 1000 and I'll test that shortly and return back here for comments. I have a VIA 180 here which is less than 24 hours old, still with original warranty and everything from the box if anyone is interested, for $300.

maverick

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#416345 13-Dec-2010 07:30

Will be really interested in how you find this unit, appears the AA is only for one year and no price set yet for the updates whereas the Navman is life time ...

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networkn

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#416346 13-Dec-2010 07:33

Yeah I was really torn, I do like the GL1000 so far though.

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maverick

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#416347 13-Dec-2010 07:33

Has the Kiwi voice been added yet ?

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networkn

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#416350 13-Dec-2010 07:42

Yes I saw it there.

Dawg

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#416352 13-Dec-2010 07:53

I have a garmin Nuvi 720 - I use it mainly for the blue tooth / Hands free option - Free map upgrades via NZ Free Maps - member community so updates happen quite regulary - Its a bit older now so doesn't have lane support - Which looks real nice - Currently testing it side by side with Google Navigation and the results are very similar. Although the Garmin did make a mistake the other day and was going to send me an extra 1km on my journey which was weird.

Wife finds it pretty easy to use as well.

Cheers