Satallite navigation review

Garmin Zumo 550 - Motorcycle

2007-02-19T15:37:00.000Z

The Garmin Zumo 550 has a bright touchscreen that works with a gloved hand. The screen is bright enough for daytime ridding, most screens lose there visibility in the sunlight. Most of the controls are mounted on the left (clutch hand).

The device has bluetooth capabilities so that you can connect your cell phone and make calls from the device. It will actually download your phonebook from your phone automatically.

The satellight antenna is internal so no worries about extensive wiring, there is only one wire to connect the motorcycle mount to the battery.

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This is funny.

2007-02-18T23:26:00.001Z

Garmin Nuvi 660

2007-02-17T15:44:00.000Z

The Garmin Nuvi 660 is extremely easy to use, perfect screen size 4.3" and catches the satellites in seconds after turn on. The unit uses text to speech conversion and announces street names on guidance instead of feet/miles.

The system has integrated Bluetooth, so you can use it hands-free to make and accept phone calls. Voice -guided directions are automatically muted during incoming calls. There are also options to send text messages, synchronize your phone's address book and call log, and dial by voice.

The Garmin Nuvi 660 is preloaded with maps of North America. The system can generate directions by fastest time, shortest distance, or off road, if you're the adventurous type. The Nuvi 660 isn't just limited to use in the car, either; there are settings for pedestrian, bicycle, truck, and bus modes. Unfortunately, however, the system does not support multistop route calculation.

The 660 has a detour function for avoiding certain portions of your prescribed route, but the system also now comes with an FM traffic receiver that's integrated into the cigarette lighter adapter, so you don't have to pay extra for an optional accessory. Traffic information is provided by Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network and can alert you to any upcoming congestion or road construction. With the purchase of the Garmin Nuvi 660, you get a complimentary three-month subscription to the service. After that, you'll have to pay $60 for three more months.

Among of the greatest perks and differentiators about the Garmin Nuvi 660 are its travel features. It has an onboard Travel Kit that includes an MP3 player, an Audible book player, a JPEG picture viewer with a slide-show function, a world clock, currency and measurement converters, and a calculator.

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TomTom Go 910

2007-02-17T14:42:00.000Z

TomTom Go 910 is intuitive and easy to set up and use. The boot up time is quick and the new GPS chip is quick to lock on a position. It comes with pre loaded maps of North America and Europe on a 20GB hard drive.

If your cell phone has Bluetooth, you can pair it with the TomTom Go 910 to make hands-free calls. For incoming calls, you can either use the touch screen to accept or reject calls or turn on Auto-Answer in the Phone preferences menu to have the device automatically pick up after a certain time.In addition to making calls, you can use the Bluetooth connection to access TomTom's Plus services, which include real-time traffic information, weather reports, and the location of safety cameras. There's also a cool feature called Buddies, which lets you see the location of any friends or family members who also have a TomTom unit. Just be aware that accessing these services means you're using the minutes from your cell phone's service plan, so use them accordingly.

After installing the TomTom Home Software on to a computer you can hook it up via the USB connector on the included home dock and load up to 12 megabytes of MP3 files and photos. The unit is also fully iPod compatabile.

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Navman iCN 750

2007-02-16T17:52:00.000Z

This is a great device with one of the best receivers around. It gets a fix on the sats very fast and holds the signal very solidly. Even under overpasses, trees, parking garages (not subterranean), and almost anywhere.

The device includes a camera (1.3 mega pixel) which allows you to take a picture of a place and save it with its co-ordinates, so you can easily get directions next time you visit that same place. Its a neat feature and works great. On the Navman web site you can post your pictures and GPS co-ordinates. Then others can download the pics to their Navman and go to your place.

The iCN750 has a great screen, 4" high-definition TFT touchscreen and clear audio.

There is fuel and park buttons as standard to give you an easy way to find the nearest gas station or parking lot. There is also a home button to automatically plan your route home at the touch of a button.

Even if you do make a wrong turn or miss a manoeuvre, the Back on Track software puts you back on the right route automatically, ensuring that the best route is calculated without having to do anything.

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