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Hi everybody!

I have used GPS software a lot on my phone.

Wondered what in car units are, perhaps the best at the moment.

I see all singing and dancing, can read Audiobooks, mp3 player etc, but those aren't so important for me because I can plug my iPod Touch into the aux port.

Nice screen, clear maps etc are of course, important !

Off to search Garmin and Tom Tom.

I am looking at the Garmin Nuvi 865T here and also the Tom Tom GO 940 Live here

I think these are the high end of the range of products.

Thanks for any opinions!

Ofiaich


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Posted: 2009-05-02 10:17:46
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Nothing beats a good integrated system! I know money is quite a stretch for those, but you can transfer them to a newer car when you have one.

AVIC-F900BT


AVIC-HD3-II


If you have the money to spend, something like this is much nicer than a stick-on one. But if not, you can't go wrong with any TomTom you buy.

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Posted: 2009-05-02 10:36:41
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I have the Garmin 865. Its the latest in a long line of Garmins I have had. I much prefer the personally over TomTom.

it has a good size touch screen which is clear and simple to use (below is a couple of screenshots of a 2d and 3d view of where I currently am - the Garmins have built in screenshot capabilty)
It takes a micro sd so I have it loaded with music and use the built in FM transmitter to play it through the car stereo
the cable which plugs into the cigarette lighter has an fm receiver for traffic info and that can be used to auto-reroute around the traffic
it is easily paired with a bluetooth phone, even the iphone, and it can download the contacts list for direct dialling and handsfree calling from the gps itself, and that works very well.

I use pocketGPS for my speed and red light camera info. its £20/year and so cheaper than Garmins offering

there are quite a few extras built in such as the audible player, games (solitaire, sodoku, space shooter, and a few more, some of which are trial and you can buy more from garmin)
there's also a picture viewer, calculator, currency conversion, a demo of the oxford university press language guide (dictionary, translation), comprehensive unit converter, world clock and alarm

you can predefine routes and save them and it also supports waypoints

what I like is that not only can you take it with you when you get out of the car, which you can't with an integrated system, it also has a removeable battery which my earlier Garmins did not and so I now keep a spare with me.

the voice recognition is ok but I find I have to turn the music down to be understood perfectly
the only other complaint I have really is that the unit could be louder. Our car is not particularly noisy but I find I have to have the volume at 80% or more
you can download voices in different languages and also different pictorials of the icon/car/bike/truck that represents your position on screen from their virtual 'garage'

oh, and its charges and swaps data with the PC via a standard USB which is another thing I like

there's alot more in it but thats a summary from me... if you want to know more, feel free to ask!



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Posted: 2009-05-02 10:52:54
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I like Garmin HW, but overall Tom Tom SW is about as good as it gets in my experience
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Posted: 2009-05-02 11:00:20
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Thanks arien617, masseur and MWEB!

Thanks for the pictures, and thanks to masseur for his clear opinions !

I have one question about transferring contacts to the Garmin 865.

Many of my contacts, yes, you guess it, are Japanese and some in Chinese! Does Garmin support Asian languages?

For example, as a test!

name, 　surname - 漢字　 given name ひらがな、 company = カタカナ

I will search for the languages and also what countries maps are available, but any advice always appreciated.

I have been registered at PocketGPSWorld and get free speed camera for another 16 years, 308 days, 17 hours, 43 minutes, 35 seconds!

thanks again!

Oh! best price for Garmin 865 ? I guess not Halfords

Ofiaich



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Posted: 2009-05-02 11:21:57
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I am having another thought...

would an iPhone on pay and go with loads of data be a good substitute for a dedicated GPS unit?


I know a dedicated unit has maps in memory or on a card, rather than downloading as necessary...

Just wondering...

Ofiaich


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Posted: 2009-05-08 10:12:03
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Here's frozen somehow, knows the navigation Navon N470 Amigo? It is good to buy?



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Posted: 2009-05-15 09:11:43
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A phone can never really beat a dedicated unit, especially for a few hundred quid.

But an iPhone? It hasn't even got turn-by-turn directions, you couldn't even begin to use it as a sat nav. Apple have said they don't want people using it in the car, hence why they refuse to sign off any TomTom like software.
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Posted: 2009-05-15 10:14:48
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Hi!

if I do not need all of the functions of the Garmin 865 would a 265T be a good choice?

Ofiaich
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Posted: 2009-06-02 21:44:34
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I didn't need lots of functions in my Garmin but preferred the 300 series as the charge cable is routed into the windscreen mount so you can remove the unit and replace it in one step. Got my 300T with traffic updates for £100 in Tesco.
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Posted: 2009-06-03 11:33:31
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