Voice Budget Gps
Which is the best entry level GPS with voice prompts & street name navigation?
I liked the TOMTOM 920T’s features, but the unit is very expensive. Which other unit offers comparable features but is cheaper, and what is the cost of updating the maps on such devices? I am looking at a budget of around $ 250
Have been using Garmin 330 for three years. Have never felt the need for a unit that speaks the street names. Did try a Tom Tom but took it back. It would not get me to within 500′ of my destination and did not tell me which side of the street my destination was on.
If you have a visual or physical impairment try a Garmin nuvi which speaks street names. Costco, $399. Wonderful!
The least expensive fully effective unit is Garmin 200w.. The wide screen is nice and the screen is anti-glare. Does not speak street names. Map upgrades are simply not necessary unless you are working for insurance company drive-bys and you visit a hundred houses a day!
You can’t just set the cruise control, the GPS, climb into the back seat and go to sleep! For instance, you may pass by a few miles of newly re-aligned freeway. The GPS will start spouting corrections and speaking “re-calculating”. And, if you pass by your turn or take a wrong turn, the unit does not tell you. It just says “re-calculating” If you realize that you missed the turn a u-turn may be the course to take. The Garmin corrections may take you miles away, using mostly right turns, to get you back on course. Including going through dirt roads that a squirrel could not follow! Been there! Done that!
In Cal., and some other states, it is illegal ro attach a suction cup mount to the inside of the windshield. I put two self tapping, 1″ long screws right through the mount and suction cuop, right into the instrument panel, slightly right of the steering wheel! It is 1 foot closer to me and MUCH easier to read! If you have a lot of new streets or businesses where you travel visit a local real estate office for directions. Most streets and businesses just do not change often enough to warrant spending anything on map updates.
