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New Satnav's
jacko - 19/1/14 at 11:47 AM

I am thinking of getting a new satnav my old tomtom needs map up dates etc.
What do you people think is a good cheap-ish satnav i don't use it very often but its good to have one
Thanks
Jacko


Scuzzle - 19/1/14 at 11:50 AM

Do you have a smartphone with GPS, I find the sat nav apps on these as good as any, google maps is free and does the job just fine.


jacko - 19/1/14 at 11:58 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Scuzzle
Do you have a smartphone with GPS, I find the sat nav apps on these as good as any, google maps is free and does the job just fine.


No is the answer to smartphones with internet sorry
Jacko


Scuzzle - 19/1/14 at 12:56 PM

You might possibly be better just buying a cheap Android smartphone then, £60 will buy you something decent, I have a Huawei Y300 I purely use just for going out in the car. It's on Ovivo so I just pay a one off £20 for the sim card that gives you 200 mins of calls, 300 texts and 500mb of data every month from then on so you pay nothing more.

So £80 gets me a sat nav with a big enough screen, google maps is free and is updated regularly for free but I have enough data to go for a live data option for sat nav if I wanted to avoid traffic jams etc plus I have an emergency phone to call the breakdown services if required.

Just an idea, I had a dedicated sat nav for long enough myself but paying for updates and the hassle of updating it is what made me less enamoured with it.

[Edited on 19/1/14 by Scuzzle]


NigeEss - 19/1/14 at 01:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by jacko
quote:
Originally posted by Scuzzle
Do you have a smartphone with GPS, I find the sat nav apps on these as good as any, google maps is free and does the job just fine.


No is the answer to smartphones with internet sorry
Jacko



Navfree is available on both Android and ithings and runs from on board maps, no internet connection required.

I find it pretty good, I've even used the French and Australian versions without issues.


AndyW - 19/1/14 at 01:34 PM

+1 for navfree

Always worked well and as said does not need internet


britishtrident - 19/1/14 at 01:47 PM

Using a smartphone has its limitations because of screen size also keep in mind a lot of black holes still exist in 3g coverage so it is wise to cache maps for any areas you may want to go to before hand.

If you are going to to cache the maps anyway you could just by a 7" Android tablet with GPS. such as a Nexus.

If you do the smart phone route then get reasonable one. an Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 can be got free on a 2 year contract with decent ammount of monthly calls txt and data for about £16 monthly from most providers including Orange.

[Edited on 19/1/14 by britishtrident]


jacko - 19/1/14 at 02:12 PM

Thank you all for the info on using phones all appreciated But its a Sat-nav that i am looking for so would like and info on the likes dislikes
of say Tom Tom or other makes
Thank's
Jacko
PS i don't want to pay a fortune about £100 - £150


sdh2903 - 19/1/14 at 02:28 PM

May I ask why your so against the phone idea?

Nav free is much better than both our tomtom and Garmin satnavs that are now obsolete in the kitchen drawer. The map updates are free and have found it to be a lot more accurate. The maps are downloaded so no data usage. I have also downloaded the usa and Canada maps and both worked flawlessly when I was over there. You can get a galaxy s2 for less than a ton and has many more uses and has a nice big display.

If you are adamant about buying a proper satnav (though I really can't see why) then the tom tom has a much better user interface and accuracy than the Garmin nuvi.


jacko - 19/1/14 at 02:33 PM

I'm not into technology and a nice simple [ like me ] sat-nav will do what i want + i some times lend the sat-nav out to family
Jacko


coozer - 19/1/14 at 02:52 PM

Not exactly locost but I got a Snooper DB8500 at xmas.. well chuffed with the built in TV and DAB so far..


Wadders - 19/1/14 at 03:20 PM

Tom Tom Go XL, less than £80, gets you where you want to go with no fuss, also has lane assist which is a nice touch.

Only downside is battery life is dire, you have to keep them plugged in, price you pay for a slim design i guess.


snakebelly - 19/1/14 at 03:39 PM

Have to say that i havent been impressed by the last couple of TomToms or their customer service. Just bought a Garmin and have to say im very happy with it, probably more than you want as i went for the one including all of europe and free lifetime map updates and the live services but my other half also has a armin thats about 4 years old now and its still going strong.


mangogrooveworkshop - 19/1/14 at 03:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snakebelly
Have to say that i havent been impressed by the last couple of TomToms or their customer service. Just bought a Garmin and have to say im very happy with it, probably more than you want as i went for the one including all of europe and free lifetime map updates and the live services but my other half also has a armin thats about 4 years old now and its still going strong.


Forced to use a garmin at work......... its crap and it doesn't do fast updates if you go through the town and the roads change yet again (Tram + Edinburgh )

However my tom-tom bought for the 08 rust 2 rome rally is still going strong ...... My other tom tom gets hauled everywhere and its voice recognition is very good ...... TOM TOM all the way

Now out on the water the garmin product is really good however i suspect they are just putting a name on a cheapy ......when it comes to car nav.


theconrodkid - 19/1/14 at 04:17 PM

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-7-Touch-Screen-4GB-128MB-Auto-Car-GPS-SAT-NAV-Navigation-POI-FM-Speedcam-/111253973001?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_GPSSyste ms_GPSSystems&hash=item19e740e809

i got one of these a couple of years ago,does what it says on the tin and covers most of the known world !

[Edited on 19/1/14 by theconrodkid]


scimjim - 19/1/14 at 04:40 PM

Went right off tomtom a few years ago and now have 3 different versions of Garmin Nuvi in the family (kids get hand me downs when I get a new one ) - fantastic value and only have problems with slow updates if I come up a motorway slip road fast and don't zoom out on the screen (absolutely no problems through city centres and my latest one has lane directions and visual representation).


geoff shep - 19/1/14 at 06:53 PM

May not help the OP but after several standalone satnavs, I now have the tomtom app on an iPhone. At £27 for UK and Ireland It is less than the tomtom annual map upgrade and provides free updates for life. All loaded on the phone so no need for data connection (except for additional services like traffic) and seems much better than most previous tomtoms. Also have a Parrot mki9200 and it routes guidance and speed cam warnings through the stereo.


Andi - 19/1/14 at 10:02 PM

quote:
Originally posted by theconrodkid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-7-Touch-Screen-4GB-128MB-Auto-Car-GPS-SAT-NAV-Navigation-POI-FM-Speedcam-/111253973001?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_GPSSyste ms_GPSSystems&hash=item19e740e809

i got one of these a couple of years ago,does what it says on the tin and covers most of the known world !

[Edited on 19/1/14 by theconrodkid]


That looks too good to be true.... But if you`ve had it for a couple of years, aaand its been ok?
Hmmmm, I have the itchy late night ebay bidding finger poised.

Andi


theconrodkid - 20/1/14 at 10:42 AM

tis true,i imagine once you have pirated the software/hardware and pay peanuts to get it nailed together,you could knock them out for a couple of pence each ?


ste - 20/1/14 at 11:39 AM

Why not just buy the map update for the one you have? I don't see the point in you upgrading to a more modern unit when you say that you just want simple. Why pay over 100 quid when you can pay 30. If you don't like change then stick to what you have.


morcus - 20/1/14 at 05:01 PM

All the ones ive had deallings with tend to just not work very well after a coule of years and upgrades tend to make them worse. Ive got an old garmin now that was my dads that everyso often recognises the car as a pc so wont run on thecars battery and just charges it up.

If I bought another Id buy what was cheapest as I try to work out were im going before I leave.


bobinspain - 20/1/14 at 08:11 PM

I'm a technophobe and Luddite, so didn't want to splurge on an expensive bit of kit.
I bought a Tomtom XXL at christmas. Second hand, barely used. It cost 50 quid off ebay. "IQ Routes Edition". 42 European countries.
Bargain !!