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Garmin SatnavTV any good?
coozer - 4/12/10 at 04:41 PM

Really fancy one of THESE.

I have a tomtom and love it but this thing has Freeview and radio built in.



Anyone got one? Are they any good?

Steve


McLannahan - 4/12/10 at 04:57 PM

I went with a work colleague on a trip this week with a Garmin and to be honest...It was rubbish. Time was out (estimating arrival in the past!) it would often say bear right it would mean turn right, map wasn't easy to follow, two different routes there and back - the return far quicker and a good shortcut but it should have used it on the way!

Wasn't impressed. I've a TomTom and it's far batter - despite being a much older model than hers!


LBMEFM - 4/12/10 at 05:08 PM

I did a lot of research before deciding on which sat/nav. I was told Garmin was the most common one used in the aviation/marine and therefore the most reliable. But after having it now for some three years I wish I had bought the Tomtom which when I use it in my mates car it is much better.

[Edited on 4/12/10 by LBMEFM]


BigLee - 4/12/10 at 05:44 PM

I have a TomTom and bought my wife a Garmin having been told it was better. If my wife REALLY needs to find somewhere, she borrows my TomTom. Garmin is no where near as user friendly as TomTom. Why would you want to watch TV in the car? You can get big versions these days that you could put in your living room.....!


contaminated - 4/12/10 at 06:19 PM

Personally I miss my broken old Garmin. I found it much easier to use and more accurate than a Tom Tom.


tomgregory2000 - 4/12/10 at 07:24 PM

Im a garmin fan, mine is fantastic, tryed a tom tom and was the most complicated thing ever, garmin is simple and works


balidey - 4/12/10 at 08:25 PM

I have used (borrowed) quite a few over the years. Personally I see it as a satnav is a satnav. people recommending them is mostly down to personal preference.
Only one that really stood out for me was a couple of years ago I borrowed a Porsche Boxter S with an OEM satnav. The lady who did the voice was very sexy. Sounded like a brunet with large boobs, low cut top and I think she had the hots for me. I kind of liked going off route just so she could be strict with me. grrrr.
So really, these days I don't see there is much in it between the operation of them, its probably more down to best prices and extra gimmicks, like the built in tuner, which I think is a great idea, but not sure I would ever use such a feature.
The one I use now is a really old Navman. It was never state of the art when new, but it does the job as they all do. I have not updated the maps as doing this is pretty much the same price as buying a new one. Which you should think about factoring into the equation when buying one.


SeanStone - 4/12/10 at 08:38 PM

If you want to try tom tom out, get a memory card that fits into your satnav, put windows explorer onto that, and when your satnav boots up you should boot into windows explorer.

From here, if you are able to obtain a copy of the TOMTOM or Garmin software, you can install it to the card and use the software.

Where you get the software is up to you, I can't advocate not paying for it.


blakep82 - 5/12/10 at 11:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by McLannahan
I went with a work colleague on a trip this week with a Garmin and to be honest...It was rubbish. Time was out (estimating arrival in the past!)


isn't that just because someone didn't set the time correctly on the unit itself? lol hardly the sat navs fault


McLannahan - 5/12/10 at 04:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
quote:
Originally posted by McLannahan
I went with a work colleague on a trip this week with a Garmin and to be honest...It was rubbish. Time was out (estimating arrival in the past!)


isn't that just because someone didn't set the time correctly on the unit itself? lol hardly the sat navs fault


No Blake - Time was set spot on and besides - that's set from the satellites themselves!