such as tom tom, garmin, magellan. etc. does anyone got one? how accurate and good are they comparing to expensive in dash units. which brand is better?

 

Moving the the appropriate section.

 

Garmin FTW. Ive sold plenty of the Streetpilot 330's/340's, never really a complaint. Every Magellan I used has been hard as hell to navigate through the menus comparatively.

 

They did a recent review on just this subject in the Jan 07 issue of Car Audio & Electronics:

Garmin Streetpilot C550 = A+
Pioneer AVIC S1 = B+
Navman ICN 530 = C+
Cobra Electronics NAV ONE 2500 = Not Graded

I'd probably opt for the Garmin stuff simply because they are the market leader in this catagory. And, as kpr10is said, it's pretty easy to use (I work for a stereo shop and we sell Garmin all day long)

 

about the magellan, have heard the same complaints at my shop. I have no experience with the Garmin, though.

Id highly suggest the Alpine Blackbird however, they work very well - it even tells you that the entrance to a place is through a parking lot, where you cant see -
It's more thurough and exact than the tomtom, we did a head to head contest once

Also, the blackbirds just dropped in price by $200.. cant complain.

 

totally agree. I have the Alpine Blackbird and its great.

 

thanks alot for this great info.
so how accurate is alpine blackbird and can you mention the model # so i can look it up on ebay. i heard the alpine blackbird can be hooked to alpine dvd indash head unit. so if we compare tom tom with blackbird you think blackbird is more accurate?

 

blackbird is better than the tomtom, period.

PMD-B100

 

I just bought the Garmin C320 and a 512sd card for $300.00 last month and really like it. I haven't used the poi's that much but it sure beats paying 1500.00 for oem one. I have had the suction cup fall off after 3 weeks once but have orderd a dash mount from Amazon a few days ago.

 

whats the screen size and does it have voice active system? plus how accurate is the unit where you got it from 300$?
and If you miss a turn or go a different way, will it automatically reroute you?

 

I have a question. If you miss a turn or go a different way, will it automatically reroute you?

 

what you guys think of this unit>> Clarion N.I.C.E. P200

 

Now if they would just drop the price on the NVE-N872A ... *sigh*
$1700 is painful

 

i know it, right? that thing is ridiuculous though.. if you get lost with that you're just retarded.

 

simple answer, yes.

the only downside is, if you're going a different route to a certain highway, it will try to reroute you backwards to the first road it told you to go to..

after a few failed attempts however, it usually figures out what you're trying to do and routes you your planned route to get to the said highway. Did that make any sense? its tough to describe..

 

ya made sense. but does it come with Turn-By-Turn Voice Prompts?
by the way what do you say about Clarion N.I.C.E. P200 its for $400 and has all the functions that other units do. this one also have 4'' tft lcd touch screen and built in 20GB Hard Disc Drive and 2 Million Points of Interest but the only problem in this unit is i have no idea if it does automatically reroute the missed lacation? but under specifications it says "Automatic Route Recalculation" so does this mean that it does automatically reroute you?
and last question: are they all made in china? because i dont trust china stuff.

 

i have no experience with the clarion unit, and my shop even carries clarion : i guess since we sell so many blackbirds we just dont need it , ill ask about it though..20GB hard drive for what? music? thats pretty cool..

the blackbird has 6 million points of interest. not that that really matters to most people.. they just wanna get to their destination and stop if they need to.

 

can we update maps and data on alpine blackbird over the internet? and is this unit turn by turn voice prompt plus hows the satelite signal?

 

anyone know where you can get the blackbird dock for the alpine iva-w200 for cheap? I am considering the blackbird as well, since I can get it for a great price, and use my alpine double din

 

should be on ebay, but try this>
http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/product...&lang=en&tab=A

and do you know a place where i can get a alpine blackbird for a great price aswell? i saw few they around $500.

 

yes, i believe its $80 per year, though some people have gone a year or two without an update and havent complained.. the first year is free.

yes, selectable turn by turn voice prompt

sat signal, i never had a problem.. it seems to suffer a little bit in really bad weather however.. just took a bit longer to calculate a destination route.

 

right now at authorized dealers they should be 500, the docks i think are 200.. try crutchfield.

 

I use my razor from verizon....

 

how come big stores like circuitcity and bestbuys dont cary this unit? i have seen them carrying garmin and tom tom. isnt alpine blackbird a popular and well known selling brand in market? one last question: hows the custmor service on this i heard bad reviews on tom tom custmor servcs.

 

California and Minnesota state laws prohibit mounting portable electronics on a vehicle's windshield with suction-cup mounts while the vehicle is in use. Portable electronics in these states must be mounted on the dash or console.

can we mount these units on dashboard if yes then what do we need beside that windshield cups?

 

make a friend with someone at bestbuy hehe, youll save $100 more.

why is this dock $200, that is a silly price for a dock.

 

I changed my mind on blackbird i am planning to with garmin streetpilot c550 or Garmin Nuvi 350
i think garmin nuvi 350 is the best choice. anyone got a garmin?

 

I have a Tom Tom 700 & a garmin streetpilot c340.
I rarely get to use the 340 anymore, wife took for everyday use - has text to speech - got it for $450 from costco - wife won't use the "other" gps - doesn't say the street names.

Whatever you get make sure it has text to speech (says street names) makes a huge difference!!!!!

 

just bought garmin nuvi 660 and its great.