Looking for a Navi System
03-01-2009, 05:48 PM
#11
Join Date: Jul 2008
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I use the tom tom 125 because it was only 100$. The way i look at it for 100$ i could replace it with new tech every year or so.
It came with a little black peace of plastic i stuck it to the dash and the unit its self has a suction cup that sticks to the pad.. I like it alot.
It came with a little black peace of plastic i stuck it to the dash and the unit its self has a suction cup that sticks to the pad.. I like it alot.
03-01-2009, 06:06 PM
#13
Originally Posted by dparm,Mar 1 2009, 03:03 PM
Best interface is Garmin's, hands-down. There's a reason they are so popular -- they're easy to use.
I use the 760 and this mount on the vent: http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Removable-Swiv...35962588&sr=8-2
03-01-2009, 06:29 PM
#14
Registered User
yea there is a thread on this somewhere, i dont really use my navi system that much since the panavise mount i have i mounted a ipod holder instead. but i have a garmin unit and its pretty good. im not sure where that post is but you can problem search and find it.
03-01-2009, 06:52 PM
#15
I have a Garmin 250W that was in the S (it's lying on the floor in my garage where I tossed it when I got home the last time i used it b/c it frustrated me that much).
I have a Sony Nav-U 73T I use in my truck (and as soon as I get around to modding it to fit the modifry bracket, in the S).
The interface on the Sony is actually more user friendly than the Garmin. The Sony is also better at tracking position and switches to a split screen when a turn/exit is coming to show exactly which way to turn/lane(s) you need to be in for your route.
The Sony doesn't mount on the Modifry bracket without drilling some holes in the backing (which is what I need to do - but have to pull the unit backing off to do it and just haven't needed to do it badly enough
) so it would have to mount to the window with it's suction cup. The Sony suction cup is superior to the Garmin suction cup - by far.
I have a Sony Nav-U 73T I use in my truck (and as soon as I get around to modding it to fit the modifry bracket, in the S).
The interface on the Sony is actually more user friendly than the Garmin. The Sony is also better at tracking position and switches to a split screen when a turn/exit is coming to show exactly which way to turn/lane(s) you need to be in for your route.
The Sony doesn't mount on the Modifry bracket without drilling some holes in the backing (which is what I need to do - but have to pull the unit backing off to do it and just haven't needed to do it badly enough
) so it would have to mount to the window with it's suction cup. The Sony suction cup is superior to the Garmin suction cup - by far.
03-01-2009, 08:11 PM
#16
Originally Posted by Neutered Sputniks,Mar 1 2009, 11:52 PM
I have a Garmin 250W that was in the S (it's lying on the floor in my garage where I tossed it when I got home the last time i used it b/c it frustrated me that much).
I have a Sony Nav-U 73T I use in my truck (and as soon as I get around to modding it to fit the modifry bracket, in the S).
The interface on the Sony is actually more user friendly than the Garmin. The Sony is also better at tracking position and switches to a split screen when a turn/exit is coming to show exactly which way to turn/lane(s) you need to be in for your route.
The Sony doesn't mount on the Modifry bracket without drilling some holes in the backing (which is what I need to do - but have to pull the unit backing off to do it and just haven't needed to do it badly enough) so it would have to mount to the window with it's suction cup. The Sony suction cup is superior to the Garmin suction cup - by far.
I have a Sony Nav-U 73T I use in my truck (and as soon as I get around to modding it to fit the modifry bracket, in the S).
The interface on the Sony is actually more user friendly than the Garmin. The Sony is also better at tracking position and switches to a split screen when a turn/exit is coming to show exactly which way to turn/lane(s) you need to be in for your route.
The Sony doesn't mount on the Modifry bracket without drilling some holes in the backing (which is what I need to do - but have to pull the unit backing off to do it and just haven't needed to do it badly enough
) so it would have to mount to the window with it's suction cup. The Sony suction cup is superior to the Garmin suction cup - by far.I've been debating between a sony and a nuvi 255w for awhile now. i really like the nice trip counter and max speed recorded counter that the nuvis have though.
would you mind throwing out a quick comparison between the 2?
thanks
03-01-2009, 10:44 PM
#18
Here's a review I wrote a few months ago:
There have been some changes to this. My biggest complaint with the Sony was the touchscreen response. Updating the maps/software version fixed that and the touchscreen is actually more responsive/faster than the Nuvi.
A month or so ago, some friends and I were discussing a round-country road trip (follow the canadian border to US-1, down south on 1 through Cali and then I-10 across the southern states to FL and back up whichever highways we took up the east coast). While this would have been an impossible trip to map with the Nuvi, the Sony handled it with ease given the higher number of waypoints. Part of the ease was due to the ability of the Sony to simply search for a "city center" instead of having to have a street number for the unit to compute a route (as the Nuvi requires). For example, with the Sony - say I want to travel to my parents (not likely, but an example) in Oklahoma. I lived there long enough that I don't need the navi to show me the entire way there, and I just want a general time of arrival/route. With the Nuvi, I would have to enter an actual street address - going through all the screens and messing around with trying to figure out how "Highway 9" was entered into it's database (Rt 9, Hwy 9, Route 9, Highway 9, etc). With the Sony, I can simply set it to search for the city center of my parent's city.
I like that my Sony shows me my speed at all times, while the Nuvi only shows me my speed if I'm not following a route, just using the map. Some of the updated Nuvi models show your speed at all times.
The Sony definitely finds satellites more readily, and updates routes faster (generally, not always). The Sony had traffic avoidance, but that wasn't really all that useful due to a lack of the signals it relies on outside of the Metro area.
Route detours are easier to manage with the Sony. With the Nuvi, you simply press the "detour" button and it will simply route you around the next block or so. Pressing Detour again simply extends the block each of 2-3x that you press it before it returns to the original route. The Sony, however, allows you to enter how far your route is blocked. If you're coming up on a heavily congested area (anyone in the NYC Metro area can relate to running down 87 towards the GWB at 4pm), you can simply enter a 2-3mi detour (depending on how close you are to the bridge) and the Sony will reroute you around whereas the Nuvi would likely tell you to take the next exit, follow surface streets for a mile or so and then get back onto I-87 (which, believe me, does NOT help you get around the traffic)
All in all, I like the Sony better. It's not always perfect, but I don't wind up missing a turn/exit anywhere near as often as with the Nuvi (ask my GF, she'll tell you how many times I've felt like tossing the Nuvi out the window, or pulled it off it's mount and tossed it on the floor and just figured my own way - only once or twice have I missed an exit/turn with the Sony)
Originally Posted by me
I've had a Nuvi 250W in my S since August last year. I just recently purchased a Sony U73T when I was in Phx (for the truck/drive cross-country).
I like the Garmin tech support better than that of Sony. Although, the Garmin maps are $70/yr and the Sony maps are only $30/yr.
The screen on the Sony is larger and a nice feature is that it shows highway splits whereas the Garmin just says to stay to the left or right. The Garmin has made me miss exits by not updating the directions fast enough, while with the Sony I was graphically shown which lane to be in.
A big difference for me (as I rarely use the actual routing method and just have the navi on as a map) is the range setting at which subsidiary roads will be displayed on the screen. With the Garmin, it's adjustable. I can set just how detailed the map is. With the Sony, the map has to be zoomed in pretty close for it to show side streets and is not adjustable (that I've found so far, anyway). So, for driving by the seat of your pants or making quick traffic related decisions concerning alternate routes (without waiting for the unit to recalculate) the Garmin wins.
The Sony allows entry for multiple waypoints (i.e. gas station #1, food, gas station #2, hotel, etc) all the way to the final destination. The Garmin allows entry of only one waypoint and the final destination - so long road trips or multiple stops requires updating the waypoint info after each stop.
The Sony touch screen has a slightly slower response time than the Garmin, so it can make entering info a bit frustrating.
Other than that, their both about the same. Same maps, mostly the same routes, etc.
I like the Garmin tech support better than that of Sony. Although, the Garmin maps are $70/yr and the Sony maps are only $30/yr.
The screen on the Sony is larger and a nice feature is that it shows highway splits whereas the Garmin just says to stay to the left or right. The Garmin has made me miss exits by not updating the directions fast enough, while with the Sony I was graphically shown which lane to be in.
A big difference for me (as I rarely use the actual routing method and just have the navi on as a map) is the range setting at which subsidiary roads will be displayed on the screen. With the Garmin, it's adjustable. I can set just how detailed the map is. With the Sony, the map has to be zoomed in pretty close for it to show side streets and is not adjustable (that I've found so far, anyway). So, for driving by the seat of your pants or making quick traffic related decisions concerning alternate routes (without waiting for the unit to recalculate) the Garmin wins.
The Sony allows entry for multiple waypoints (i.e. gas station #1, food, gas station #2, hotel, etc) all the way to the final destination. The Garmin allows entry of only one waypoint and the final destination - so long road trips or multiple stops requires updating the waypoint info after each stop.
The Sony touch screen has a slightly slower response time than the Garmin, so it can make entering info a bit frustrating.
Other than that, their both about the same. Same maps, mostly the same routes, etc.
A month or so ago, some friends and I were discussing a round-country road trip (follow the canadian border to US-1, down south on 1 through Cali and then I-10 across the southern states to FL and back up whichever highways we took up the east coast). While this would have been an impossible trip to map with the Nuvi, the Sony handled it with ease given the higher number of waypoints. Part of the ease was due to the ability of the Sony to simply search for a "city center" instead of having to have a street number for the unit to compute a route (as the Nuvi requires). For example, with the Sony - say I want to travel to my parents (not likely, but an example) in Oklahoma. I lived there long enough that I don't need the navi to show me the entire way there, and I just want a general time of arrival/route. With the Nuvi, I would have to enter an actual street address - going through all the screens and messing around with trying to figure out how "Highway 9" was entered into it's database (Rt 9, Hwy 9, Route 9, Highway 9, etc). With the Sony, I can simply set it to search for the city center of my parent's city.
I like that my Sony shows me my speed at all times, while the Nuvi only shows me my speed if I'm not following a route, just using the map. Some of the updated Nuvi models show your speed at all times.
The Sony definitely finds satellites more readily, and updates routes faster (generally, not always). The Sony had traffic avoidance, but that wasn't really all that useful due to a lack of the signals it relies on outside of the Metro area.
Route detours are easier to manage with the Sony. With the Nuvi, you simply press the "detour" button and it will simply route you around the next block or so. Pressing Detour again simply extends the block each of 2-3x that you press it before it returns to the original route. The Sony, however, allows you to enter how far your route is blocked. If you're coming up on a heavily congested area (anyone in the NYC Metro area can relate to running down 87 towards the GWB at 4pm), you can simply enter a 2-3mi detour (depending on how close you are to the bridge) and the Sony will reroute you around whereas the Nuvi would likely tell you to take the next exit, follow surface streets for a mile or so and then get back onto I-87 (which, believe me, does NOT help you get around the traffic)
All in all, I like the Sony better. It's not always perfect, but I don't wind up missing a turn/exit anywhere near as often as with the Nuvi (ask my GF, she'll tell you how many times I've felt like tossing the Nuvi out the window, or pulled it off it's mount and tossed it on the floor and just figured my own way - only once or twice have I missed an exit/turn with the Sony)
03-02-2009, 08:46 AM
#19
Registered User
i'm gonna pitch in but i'll probably get flamed.
i know its not the best, but i like the oem honda navi since it never loses sattelite connection, so i have guidance anywhere i go, its just a darn shame that we did not have it available for the s2000 in the US.
i know its not the best, but i like the oem honda navi since it never loses sattelite connection, so i have guidance anywhere i go, its just a darn shame that we did not have it available for the s2000 in the US.
03-02-2009, 09:23 AM
#20
Registered User
Garmin 200W (maybe it was the 205) . couldnt be easier to use. my uncle showed me his TomTom but admitted he was afraid to tell my aunt how crappy it was since she got it for him. I tried it and it was horrendous.
All I wanted was somethign to show me where i was on the map. This is what it does, and it does it well. takes a few minutes to find a satellite but it works great.
I mount mine with the suction cup mount that it comes with on the lower left of the windshield. a) out of the way b) easy to read
If I need to charge it i just put it at the lower middle of the windshield and you can see around it fine. (idk how some people put theirs in the middle of the windshield, totally obstructive).
If you dont want it there then get the modifry dash bracket. I have one for my iPhone and it is awesome as well.
All I wanted was somethign to show me where i was on the map. This is what it does, and it does it well. takes a few minutes to find a satellite but it works great.
I mount mine with the suction cup mount that it comes with on the lower left of the windshield. a) out of the way b) easy to read
If I need to charge it i just put it at the lower middle of the windshield and you can see around it fine. (idk how some people put theirs in the middle of the windshield, totally obstructive).
If you dont want it there then get the modifry dash bracket. I have one for my iPhone and it is awesome as well.