Need a new GPS

D

Drunkard #1

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I know that there are plenty of threads on this already, so I'll make this quick.

Do I get a Garmin, TomTom, Nokia, Blackberry or Vodafone?

I've got an old Garmin, and I find it limited in several ways. I like TomTom's interface, but the range I'm looking at comes with a hefty price tag. Vodafone is the cheapest of the phone/GPSs, but they're scarce, and I know nothing about their maps. Nokia is the obvious choice, with their free world maps and their popularity, but which one do I get. I don't want to spend more than R 1 500, so I was looking at the C5, but the screen seems small. I know nothing about Blackberry, but they seem popular, and I hear they're cheap-ish now, so I haven't ruled them out yet.

My Nokia 1280 is all the phone I need, so I'll hardly ever use the GPS as a phone.

Suggestions.

Thanks.
 
Hmm I am in the same boat also looking and do not want to get a super expensive one as it will probably be stolen sooner rather than later.

My GF just got a BB Torch with Garmap (Garmap comes free on the torch on MTN)

It is awesome.. Nice big touch screen with qwerty. The GPS draws its map data from the internet ( the data costs are included in the contract) so it is always up to date and it has live traffic/camera information which is great. The other day it detected congestion and diverted us around it.
 
I'm not too worried about theft, but I was looking at the TomTom site, and saw that they want R 3000 for the GPS, plus $$$ every year for new maps plus $$$ for traffic reports, and the screen is low res by modern cell phone standards. Then I remembered that the R 700 Android Vodafone has a GPS and that Nokias come with excellent GPS features, and then I started to wonder, "why not?"

Edit: I like the look of the Nokia C5-03.
 
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I would stay away from Blackberry.

I am still using my Vodafone Blackberry gps as I haven't found a proper gps for my Android phone. The problem is I can't use the Blackberry gps unless I pay R60 pm to activate BB internet.
 
If you are unable to use your phone then Tom Tom is pretty good.
The main things for me in a GPS is :
1) Free updated maps
2) Free voice navigation
3) Afrikaans voice navigation.

Ovi Maps from Nokia does all that nicely.
 
I bought my wife the TomTom live (cheapy) and we are very happy with it. I have updated the maps @ no cost. Don't know if it is free for a year or what, but I didn't have to pay anything.

I myself are using the Nokia 2710 navi and am very happy with it as well, keep in mind, I bought it for R800 new and I always have a gps with me. :) Yes, the screen might be small, but you can still see what you have to see when it is mounted to the windows and the voice navigation is pretty hard as well.
 
I see that that the C5-03 is R 1999, but the Nokia car charger is R 299 and the windscreen holder is R 599 so with delivery it's back up to R 3000. Which is too much. And I can't get it in white. But it comes with constantly updated maps, and traffic (coming soon, hopefully) and I can use it as a phone. Decision decisions.
 
I've had Tomtoms and recommend them highly... I prefer having a dedicated gps device... cause of the little things... like mounting it in your car... and not having to worry about using up phone's battery life being used up quickly...

Tomtom UI is excellent... solid map software... you can't go wrong... the subscription services (e.g. live traffic, traffic cameras) are like optional extras and if you buy a more premium model you'll get a year's subscription free... in the case of the speed camera alerts I think its preloaded and only if you want the latest version you'll need to pay (updated annually probably)... Map updates which users post via the 'Tomtom Home' software are free.. but if you want a totally new map (i.e. new release or later version) in future then you'll have to pay up... (when you buy a new TomTom device there's this feature called "Latest Map Garantee" which allows you to download a newer map if there is later one that the one on your device for free)....

Go with Tomtom... if you're constained by budget then go for one of the cheaper models... They are just as good only without the premium options... (like handsfree mobile phone connection via bluetooth, or traffic monitoring)...

http://www.makro.co.za/p/30477/tom-tom-start-z-a--gps/
http://www.makro.co.za/p/35473/tom-tom-xl-v4-iqr-gps/

You can't go wrong with Tomtom... :)
 
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DigitalSoldier said:
I would stay away from Blackberry.

I am still using my Vodafone Blackberry gps as I haven't found a proper gps for my Android phone. The problem is I can't use the Blackberry gps unless I pay R60 pm to activate BB internet.
Click to expand...
The problem with ALL cellphone based GPS's is that you have to download the maps as you go, so if you make a wrong turn then it has to download again as you drive.
Besides this... it drains your cellphone battery and if you don't get Blackberry then you will pay for data usage as well. R60 pm is steep for a GPS package but cheep if you consider this includes all data on your phone and messaging.

If you need to use a GPS regularly then get a stand alone one. I also prefer a bigger screen so I got the Tom Tom XXL, a small screen wont kill you but the big ones are nice. TomToms maps are better as well. R3k is high end... you can get the standard one with a big screen for 2k. I got mine on special for less than that.

EDIT: Oh and the subscription services don't mean that you can't use the GPS after they end... it means that you can't get updates. So if you don't want the live service then let it expire and you can also just update the maps every second year or something like that.
 
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The only problem I have with our TomTom (TomTom one iirc), is thatI can't find the place where you can enter the gps co-ordinates. :(
 
I really don't like the idea of paying TomTom over a grand a year for maps and traffic, when Nokia does it for free. Also, the Nokia's screen is higher res, even though it's smaller.

What shocked me was that only three online stores sell these in SA. CaCell wants R 150 for delivery?!?!?? Purple Fly Trading wants R 85, but doesn't take credit cards (and I don't trust them enough to do an EFT) and everyone else was either not local or way more costly. So much for competition in the cell phone market.

I looked at the 2710. It's nice that it comes with the holder and the car charger, but the screen's low res and the software is an old version.

The 5800 Navigator seemed nice too, but apparently that's been discontinued. I'll keep looking.

Edit: Most of these stores haven't updated their T&Cs for the consumer protection act, so they're illegal. If a company is so ignorant of consumer rights, how can they be trusted to deal fairly. I don't know if these phones are grey imports, but none of these sites say they are.
 
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I bought myself a Garmin nuvi 1300, comes with the car brackets and car charger,the maps for the first year of purchase are free, you only pay the following year for the new maps (2011,2012) which is R345 then you get the next three maps of the year free. The speed camera updates are free and are downloaded from your PC.
 
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jphegers said:
I bought myself a Garmin nuvi 1300, comes with the car brackets and car charger,the maps for the first year of purchase are free, you only pay the following year for the new maps (2011,2012) which is R345 then you get the next three maps of the year free. The speed camera updates are free and are downloaded from your PC.
Click to expand...

No offence, but...

I've had a Garmin for years, and there are a few things that I hate about it. The routing isn't great (personally, I think it's terrible) because the mapset contains too little detail, the map screen doesn't show everything I want to see, and it's got no traffic reports. I pirate the maps, so they're free, but I don't think I can pirate the traffic reports. I only do speed camera updates once or twice a year, because the GPS is in the car and the PC is in the house. In short, unless Garmin has seriously improved their UI, they're not an option, and even if they have, I doubt I'll look at them considering how crap their mapset is.

xeo57 said:
TomTom live series. Best on the market.
Click to expand...

Ignoring the extra costs, is it better than Nokia?
 
Just keep in mind that TomTom Live has the best live traffic and updates via 3G, hence the yearly fee. Unless you ride different city routes each and every day, its not worth it.

I have the TomTom XL V2 4.3" and love it. A dedicated GPS has a single purpose and it does it better than any smart phone. Don't go for screen res specs, the TomTom screen is clear & clean and gives me all the detail I want. You don't want picture perfect detail of the grass next to the road, it distracts you when driving.

The budget TomTom is R999 but has limits. The TomTom XL can be sourced for > R1500 (I paid R2K two yrs back).

http://www.makro.co.za/p/35473/tom-tom-xl-v4-iqr-gps/

With TomTom you get map guarantee, your first month is free. All community updates are free. The community updates are great as they ad corrections and new roads all the time. A year subscription to updates is about R525 but is optional. You can also subscribe whenever you want. I will get the new maps end of year when my unit is more than 2yrs old.
 
Nerfherder said:
The problem with ALL cellphone based GPS's is that you have to download the maps as you go...
Click to expand...
Wrong. Nokia Map Loader will load all the maps you want to your memory card. I do this for the entire Souther Africa (200MB) and I never have to go online.
Ovi Maps is the best deal out there. See if you can get a cheap Symbian Touch device somewhere and you will be set with the best navigation at the lowest price.
 
Rouxenator said:
Wrong. Nokia Map Loader will load all the maps you want to your memory card. I do this for the entire Souther Africa (200MB) and I never have to go online.
Ovi Maps is the best deal out there. See if you can get a cheap Symbian Touch device somewhere and you will be set with the best navigation at the lowest price.
Click to expand...

That is what is nice with Nokia Maps.
 
DigitalSoldier said:
I would stay away from Blackberry.

I am still using my Vodafone Blackberry gps as I haven't found a proper gps for my Android phone. The problem is I can't use the Blackberry gps unless I pay R60 pm to activate BB internet.
Click to expand...

The reason you get a BlackBerry is for BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service), unless you have a dodgy phone or took it off someone else. So to tell people to stay away from BB is misleading.

My BB GPS (Telmap 5) works great. Doesn't seem to support the live traffic data in many areas in Cape Town yet, unlike the Garmap on MTN.
 
Tomtom direct input of coordinates... Gosh... From the basic navigate menu, just tap the arrow button for more options and you'll be able to do this... It's really not hard top find...

Sent from my HTC Desire using MyBroadband Android App
 
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