I wasn't sure which forum to post this in. There was "Tech" in the title, so I picked this one.
I am in the market for one. I should say that I have NEVER had one or used one before. So assume I know nothing. I have rotten vision and have always assumed, if I was wearing the right glasses for seeing the road, that I would not be able to read that little screen anyway, anymore than I could read the screen on my phone. But I hear they can talk to you now! Plus come with bigger screens.
I have always just printed out directions from mapquest before. I have a good sense of direction, but printing out the directions is getting old. Not to mention features like finding a gas station, a Taco Bell when that’s what I want, finding out there’s bad traffic ahead, etc., could really come in handy.
My daughter, college age, is about to go on a road trip, which makes me very nervous, as she gets lost very easily. Since I’ve been thinking about getting a unit for a while I figure this may be the time. Of course, she leaves on Saturday and I just got this idea.
So…from the art fair artist’s perspective, what do you like? Thanks!
Replies
We have a Garmin nuvi 255w (the 'w' is for "wide"). We only have two complaints about it. 1) The touch screen is no where near as sensitive and accurate as other touch screens we use so it can get frustrating entering an address. 2) Yes it gives advance warning of your next turn but above 45 mph sometimes that warning comes too late, especially if you have to move over a lane or two. Other models have 'lane assist' that supposedly help. We decided to not pay the extra for that feature.
Other than those two issues, I use it a lot here in the Pacific Northwest. We just returned from a trip, driving in the San F. Bay Area and we were very happy we had it with us. It also helped us navigate through southern Florida a couple of years ago. We will be relying on it for an upcoming trip to New York. As Jeremy mentioned - works for all 50 states (hope to use it in Hawaii some day) and Canada.
I've had my Tom Tom for years and it's gotten me where I need to go. and now also use the Navigation app on my droid although it can get lost...
I have a garmin nuvi 50 that I bought at Radio Shack several months ago to replace my older garmin unit. It is great. I just used it to find my way from Prairieville, La to the Memorial Park entrance for a Houston show this past week. It took me right up to the artist sign in booth and afterwards took us directly to the hotel entrance. Worth its weight in gold in my opinion since i am definitely NOT a person with a good sense of direction....especially during the heavy traffic I had to deal with in Houston.
Hi Linnea,
My GPS screen is tiny, and if I tried to see it/read it I would have driven off the road long ago. I have a Garmin which is about 4-5 years old now, and I have never even to bother uploading new maps (which you can do at anytime for a fee). GPS units are easy to use, and I never leave without mine which works all over North America. The great thing is Rose talks to me and tells me where to go... figured i better name the lady who was telling me where I should go and what I should do... I tried "Wife" as this is about the same things my wife is always telling me, but she didn't seem to think that was as funny as I did :)
It gives you advance warnings when you will be turning, left or right, and how far you are to your destination, and if you make the wrong turn (becuase you had your music up to load and wasn't paying attention) it will re-calculate for you and get you back on track, no more need to stop at shaddy gas stations and ask for directions!
I would recomened one as it has really come in handy for me!