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What do I think of refurbished GPS? I was asked this recently by someone who was uncertain. Does this mean they are used or faulty? No, my friend, it does not. Whenever a package is opened and returned to the manufacturer for any reason, say the customer ordered the wrong thing, there was a loose wire from the factory or possibly even a slight imperfection in the case, the manufacturer goes over it with a fine-toothed comb and fixes anything which may not be working correctly, but it can no longer be sold as “new”. As one gentleman put it “the fish don’t care if I find them with last season’s GPS” – OK, he was talking maps, but I feel the same thing applies here. With the same warranty and a much lower price, it makes perfect sense to me that if I can find the unit I am looking for at a greatly discounted price, why not buy it? I can get the GPS receiver I want, and I can use the extra money for something else – the GPS mounts so I can move it from car to car (or cabin to flybridge) perhaps, or I can check out the cases or GPS antennas I wanted but could possibly not otherwise have purchased? Anyway, don’t be afraid of a refurbished or factory remanufactured GPS unit. Don’t think of them as just cheap GPS devices. They are a great value and worth a second look.
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When you are driving down the highway and see something great that you just Need to get back to later, but you are on your way to an appointment or maybe traffic is just crazy, and you just can’t stop right this minute, what do you do? Well, if the automotive GPS you are traveling with is a Garmin nuvi it is no problem at all. All you need to do is just reach out to that handy touch screen and ask to “view map”, then click on “vehicle” and “save location”, name it (anything at all if you are in traffic , just to be able to find it again), and you are done! How simple is that? Gotta love those GPS touch screen features on the go! Next time you see, oh a terrific garage sale or an interesting restaurant or maybe a side trip you want to take on your way home from vacation all you need to do is just save that location on your Garmin nuvi GPS. Nice feature. Simplify your life and save that location.
Can money buy you happiness? Someone posed the age-old question. Well, let’s consider. First, money purchased my hiking shoes, not a lot mind you, but money all the same. And it took money to purchase my inexpensive handheld GPS unit for geocaching. I rode my bike down a really pretty country road to where I wanted to look for that geocache which is only a couple miles from my house. My bike originally cost me money, but I have had it for quite a while and gotten quite a bit of use out of it, so cost per use would be pretty low by now. Of course, I could have walked the entire way – that would have been free. It did take some money for that GPS bike mount for my handheld GPS device, but not bad compared to the hands free convenience as I feel the right GPS mounts can make all the difference in using your handheld GPS systems. Hmm, also the sun on my face and the breeze in my hair were free. The sound of the birds in the trees and the rustle of the leaves was not only refreshing, but free. Well, I am thinking money purchased some conveniences and my GPS navigation device, but certainly the happiness of the day was certainly FREE, as was my soaring spirit that day. Now get out there and enjoy your life!
We got a call recently from someone wondering whether he would be able to use the existing transducer that came with his boat. That opened a conversation about compatibility. Not all brands of ducers will be compatible with all brands of GPS fishfinder combination. You really want to do your homework on that one to be sure that you have the correct match. Also, his old fishfinder was set into his boat, permanently affixed; and he wanted to be able to drop his new model into the same slot. We did the homework and found the GPS fishfinders that would meet all his criteria. That was an interesting exploration, but we found some great options that would fit perfectly. During that search it brought out the fact that, although some fishfinders will work permanently affixed to the boat, some will actually get much better reception and give you better screen visibility if they are on a swivel mount which gives clearance all around. These are all important things to consider when shopping for a replacement GPS fishfinder combo for your boat to give you the best fishing possible. Happy fishing, and I hope you catch the Big One!
I Just got back from a weekend in Long Lake NY. While there i attended 3 Geocaching events. The 2010 Mid-Winter Meet and Greet Friday evening, Mid-winter Geocaching Get-Together 2010 on Saturday, and the 2010 Mid-Winter Flash Mob Event on Sunday. Along with attending these events i hiked along several trails new to me and cached with many different people. It made for a very adventure filled weekend. With Geocaching there is an adventure always near you with new caches being published daily around the world!!! If you already own a handheld gps and like the outdoors throw on some Snow Shoes and give it a try you won’t be sorry!!! For more information visit Geocaching.com
If you are looking for a serious, yet versatile handheld GPS you might want to consider the DeLorme Earthmate. The DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 or PN-40 GPS systems have a lot to offer. The DeLorme Earthmate GPS are great as handheld GPS systems, but with the right handheld GPS accessories such as the correct GPS mounts they become automotive GPS systems; and, since they are waterproof, can also be used on your motorcycle, bike or ATV as well, and there is no worry if you get caught in the rain on a hike or geocaching expedition.
With compact dimensions of 2.43 x 5.25 x 1.5 they are easy to carry, are equipped with STMicroelectronics GPS 32-channel chipset for reliable satellite acquisition and include dual-core processor for rapid screen re-draws, even with large aerial imagery files and 500 MB of available on-board Flash memory. With both you can download data directly to SD card while in the receiver and display Navionics Charts. While only the PN-40 has a 3-axis electronic compass which performs in any position and sensitive barometric altimeter for accurate altitude readings, both versions have many other great features.
Both the DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 and PN-40 are pre-loaded with US secondary and connector roads , pre-loaded worldwide highway and major road base map and include Topo USA with comprehensive street, road and topographic detail. DeLorme Earthmate GPS even include NOAA nautical charts and are WAAS-enabled and with their rugged rubberized housing they are waterproof to IPX7 for marine use. Both the DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 and PN-40 include support for high capacity SDHC cards , available at up to 32 GB and 65K-color daylight-reading screen for visibility in any light conditions. Include the facts that they hold up to 10 tracks (10,000 points per track), up to 1,000 user-defined waypoints and hold up to 50 routes they are terrific for paperless geocaching. And who would expect them to include an almanac information on tides, sun and moon phases, and hunting/fishing conditions? Since they run on 2 AA batteries (included) or available Lithium-Ion rechargeable you can always carry backup batteries in your pack so you won’t get caught without your GPS before you get home.
What more versatile handheld GPS systems can you imagine? Whether you are interested in automotive GPS systems, geocaching or using GPS on your bike, motorcycle or ATV or for marine use, the DeLorme Earthmate GPS are dynamite handheld GPS systems not to be overlooked.
Time for another product comparison; I am looking at two more automotive GPS units – the Garmin nuvi 255 versus the nuvi 775T. Both are excellent automotive GPS systems. The nuvi 255 is built more for the budget conscious traveler; whereas the nuvi 775T has more options to offer and increased functional capacity. Here are the functions that are basically the same in both:
They both have color displays to make it easy to read the screen. Both have rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the battery lasting approximately 4 hours on the nuvi 255 and 3 hours on the nuvi 775T. Each has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver. Neither of them is waterproof, so I wouldn’t recommend using them as a motorcycle GPS unit; however, waterproof is not really an issue in automotive GPS. Both come with preloaded street maps and the ability to add more maps if you are interested, but the nuvi 775T includes transatlantic maps which can be nice when you travel to Europe. Both of these versions of the Garmin nuvi come with internal solid state built-in memory and are designed to hold 1,000 Waypoints/favorites/locations; the nuvi 755T also built to remember up to 10 routes. Each includes a basemap and accepts data cards which are not included, but it would be handy to have for additional memory. Neither of these Garmin nuvi versions includes voice-activated navigation, so you are not able to operate the device with spoken commands; sorry about that one as that is a nice feature, but is yet another perk to look for in other automotive GPS systems in future reviews.
Both include choice of route setup for either faster time, shorter distance, or off road and route avoidance to help you avoid highways, tolls etc., also handy features to have in automotive GPS units. Both of these versions of Garmin nuvi also are FM traffic compatible (with receiver and lifetime traffic included with the nuvi 755T) and are MSN® Direct compatible and have a speed limit indicator which displays speed limit for most major roads in the U.S. and Europe. Both also have the functionality of the Where Am I? feature to help you find the closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection and ecoRoute™ which calculates a more fuel-efficient route and the ability to add custom POIs (points of interest), all great features to have in unfamiliar territory. Personalize either Garmin nuvi version by adding Garmin Garage™ vehicles and voices, a free service at Garmin where you can download car-shaped icons and custom voices to your device. Photo navigation in order to navigate to geotagged photos, World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator and picture viewer are also nice features available in both.
Now for more differences between the two: The Garmin nuvi 755T has a few more features which the nuvi 255 does not. The nuvi 755T has higher display resolution and a 4.3-inch diagonal screen compared to the 3.5-inch screen of the nuvi 255. Nuvi 755T also includes 3-D building view which displays buildings in 3-D, the ability to auto sort multiple destinations which provides the most direct route, and Bluetooth® wireless technology so you can connect to your phone for hands-free calling. Garmin Locate™ marks your position when the GPS receiver is removed from the windshield mount – this can be really handy to help you remember where you parked your vehicle. The included MP3 player, Audio book player and FM transmitter with headphone jack/audio line-out will entertain you on your travels.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that both of these Garmin nuvi automotive GPS systems come with Garmin Lock™ anti-theft feature and touchscreen convenience. Well, I hope that helps to sort out the differences and advantages of each of these Garmin nuvi versions for you. Happy traveling!
Okay, here I am, staring at the New Year just around the corner (actually only hours away right now!) and realizing that I got so caught up in baking cookies and all the fun of Christmas, I was forgetting to blog. Had some great ideas, too! Well, today I did a product comparison for a customer, so I thought I would share it with all who may be interested.
Let’s look at the Magellan Maestro 4700 versus Magellan Roadmate 1470 automotive GPS. Both are pretty nice little automotive GPS units with quite a few similarities, but a few differences. First, both have AAA Tour Book/Assistance, Live Traffic Service, SayWhere Speaks Street Names, Points of Interest (although the 4700 accepts many more POIs than the 1470), both have 4.7-inch Touch Screen, rechargeable battery with approximately 3-hour life off the charger, and Pre-Loaded Maps of US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Both of these automotive GPS systems have Memory available for map storage, the Maestro 4700 being Secure Digital (SD) card compatible and the Roadmate 1470 is Micro SD card compatible. Now for the bigger differences; the Maestro 4700 has Bluetooth Handsfree Calling and Voice Command, but the Roadmate 1470 does not. Now, the Magellan Maestro 4700 has a little bit bigger price than the Magellan Roadmate 1470, so you need to decide if the extra bells and whistles are worth the difference in money to you on your GPS receiver. Lots of folks will feel that they are, then you just have to decide how they fit your budget. That would be a completely personal thing in my book. I hope this has been helpful to you and am looking forward to seeing you next year. Happy New Year to all!
Oh Christmas Sales, Oh Christmas Sales! How lovely saving money… Oh, sorry… Black Friday shopping – what a frenzy! Oh, the stories I heard – bet you heard ‘em, too. A few friends made it up and out at O’Dark-thirty, joined in the pushin’ and shovin’, hustlin’ and bustlin’, hurryin’ to get a number to stand in line hopin’ to get what they wanted, limited numbers, sizes ran out, rushed and ran and got tired out. Another friend talked about how many folks are catching the flu while out shopping lately. A familiar story, don’t you think? We’ve heard plenty about that. And the gas prices, Oh My! Well, here at home, not down in the city, we just hung our wreaths. Oooh, don’t they look pretty. Now I’m back at my desk, coffee by my side, checking my options, beaming with pride.
Anyway, with Cyber Monday tomorrow I want to decide which handheld GPS systems I like best. There are some great ones to choose from. Let me see, I like geocaching, check. I want it to be handy for hiking, check. Oh, and let’s not forget bike riding, great! It needs to be small enough to grab to take on vacation, yup. Sure have some great handheld GPS units to consider! Delorme Earthmate – there are several, Busnell ONIX GPS, Garmin Colorado and Vista, Dakota and Forerunner. It’s time to grab a snack and settle down to look with this many options!
Makin’ a list, checkin’ it twice… Well, here I am in my nice comfy chair, snack at my side, looking at those automotive GPS systems that are on their pre-Black Friday sale. Hmmm. Gotta figure out which one of those Garmin nuvi automotive GPS units I like best. There are so many things to like about each one! First, size – the nuvi 550 is the smallest and will fit in my pocket easily once I hit the sidewalks, the nuvi 1260T and nuvi 1450 are still pretty small but are much thinner, with the 1450 having the largest screen of all which will be easier to see while driving in hectic traffic. The nuvi 550 and 1260T both will have good pictures, but the 1450 has the most pixels, again easier to see in heavy traffic. Okay, color touchscreens on all three, that’s great.
While all are lightweight, the 1260T is nearly half the weight of the other two at about 4 ounces – I’m likin’ that in my pocket again if I head out on foot or bike ‘cause it won’t be bulky. Okay, good… All three have rechargeable batteries; with battery life between 3 and 8 hours on each, the 550 beats the other two out again, but I will just keep them charging while I am in the car. No problems there. All three come with preloaded maps and have the ability to load more – nice. All three use voice prompts and speak streets by name, I like that a lot, but none of these have voice activated navigation; well, I don’t really need that one, and it keeps the price reasonable.
All three will do detour calculations to get me back on track, but only the 550 and the 1450 will figure out the most direct route for me; although, all three models will help me avoid highways or toll roads – savin’ me money; and the 1260T and 1450 both include ecoroute to save gas. I like that. Oh, the 1260T is the one with Bluetooth, a handy feature to have; and that one comes with Lifetime Traffic included, oooh, nice. They all have world clock and a picture viewer, anti-theft (Great Idea) and are easily personalized with Garmin Garage. Ahhh, the nuvi 550, is waterproof and great for motorcycles, boats and geocaching! Well, I think I know which one I want for Christmas, oooops! I am shopping for everyone else!