Jun
11
Magellan RoadMate 760 Portable GPS Navigator
MAGELLAN RoadMate 760 — GPS continues to help you find your way where ever you are. Imagine having a personal assistant in your car, guiding you turn by turn, with a friendly voice and visual signals, even when you don’t know the address. Magellan RoadMate 760 is another step towards refining GPS vehicle guidance to help optimize your driving experiences. With advanced software and a larger memory to support it, travelling new byways and highways and getting where you want to go has just reached a friendlier, easier level. Whether you’re going across the country on vacation or across town for dinner, you’ll get there with a new level of assurance using this advanced auto navigation system. It’s the only system built on technologies road-tested and proven by over 4 million drivers in rental cars with Hertz NeverLost navigation systems. And it’s truly easy to set up and use. When compared to the RoadMate 700, the 760 has a built-in hard drive that has a 20GB capacity instead of 10. That allows space for more mapping software. Advanced software is also included and adds the convenience of synthesized ‘Street name’ anounce as part of the voice guidance system. This helps make following the directions from RoadMate 760 easier and more intuitive. Trust Magellan to continue making GPS a greater wonder and more powerful tool. Turn-by-turn navigation Route recalculation calculates new route when car deviates from route Dynamically tracks progress on the onscreen map QuickSpell technology pre-determines letters when spelling street and city names Enhanced Voice Guidance adds street names to directions as a friendlier reference to help you reach your destination Includes universal mount&cigarette lighter adapter
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Not too helpful, but better than nothing
Big, bulky, but not terrible. Unfortunately when I called the Customer Service people to say that all of the sudden, for no apparent reason it just doesn’t work any longer, they said, “sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.”
I liked some of the features, but, man, if the thing doesn’t work, I’m stuck.
So- I bought a Tom-Tom One from RadioShack for $150. What a deal, and way better than the RoadMate.
3 Stars Old, Clunky, Slow As Molasses, But Works
This is an old unit. It’s big. The operating system is slow. It will freeze every once in a while. Magellan is TERRIBLE about their map updating. Magellan has TERRIBLE offshore customer support. I don’t care if customer service is off shore, but let me talk to somebody who is empowered to solve my problems.
But even with it’s old school computer voice, and now 2 year old maps… it works and it’s better than not having a GPS.
However, in 2008… get a Garmin.
5 Stars Smart unit
Tons of POI and smart. Very intuitive about traffic and traffic patterns, where the slow traffic is and during what times.
2 Stars okay product
did not like this product. takes time to calculate the position during start up. In today’s world, it might be worthwhile investing products like Iphone instead of a navigator
3 Stars Good, But with exceptions
The RoadMate 760 works as expected except for a couple problems. You can’t use a MAC to update the maps, only a Windows PC. Also, if you attach it to the windshield with the suction cup (as directed) on a bright, hot sunny day it will overheat and shut down until it cools off.
Jun
10
Garmin StreetPilot c320 Portable GPS Navigator
With a simple touch screen interface, automatic route calculation to any destination, and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions, the StreetPilot c320 GPS navigator is a powerful companion for your adventures on the road. Plus, Garmin has designed the “c-series” of car navigation units to be as simple and easy-to-use as possible– no more intimidating features, just straightforward, basic navigation at your fingertips.
 The streetPilot “c-series” GPS navigators feature a simple touchscreen interface, with automatic route calculation to any destination. |
 The 3.5-inch diagonal, 16-bit color display makes navigation a snap. |
 A convenient touch screen allows for quick access to features such as addresses, recent locations, food, and lodging. |
Selecting a destination is as simple as a few finger-strokes, and you can choose between a three-dimensional navigationuview or the more traditional “bird’s eye” overhead view.
Although the c320 boasts distinctive and sleek styling, simplicity is the name of the game. The only buttons are a rotary volume knob and an on/off switch. The device is secured by a suction-mount cradle that fastens to the windshield for easy portability between vehicles. You can customize the unit’s appearance with an array of colored faceplates that are sold separately.
For navigators who only require detailed maps for a limited area, the StreetPilot c320 features an SD card slot, a 128 MB SD card, and MapSource City Select street data on CD-ROM. To load the area you need, simply select the specific area of interest on your computer and the data is transferred from a PC to the unit via a fast USB connection. The c320’s bright, 3.5-inch diagonal, 16-bit color display makes navigation a snap. The unit also features dual integrated speakers for high-quality voice prompts, and an internal lithium-ion battery for out-of-car route planning.
What’s in the Box
StreetPilot c320 receiver, vehicle suction cup mount w/integrated power cable, PC/USB interface cable, 128 MB SD memory card, and setup guide. Also, Americas Recreational Basemap and MapSource City Select North America CD with full unlock.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars gift for dad
I bought this as a gift for my dad last year – he loves it and uses it all the time. Often he gets lost in his thoughts or misses a turn, this will reroute you and send you back on your way if you need to. It also comes with updating software, and my dad reports that even dirt roads will show up on the maps (don’t know how well it works in the city). this device charges in its cradle/mounting device.
3 Stars Good product for the price
I needed to upgrade the memory chip, but good product for the price at the time. It works nicely, but will upgrade soon.
4 Stars a sound piece of smarts
I have owned this for 4 months now. My husband and I travel for work so it is used almost every time we get in the car. We are in TX right now and I would be lost without it! I left off a star for 2 reasons. No. 1, she has taken me to the wrong place several times. Most often though, she will be in the area you at least need to be in so you need to switch over from tech gear to brains. No. 2 reason is b/c my husband got me a newer version that automatically detects what city you are in so you dont have to involve your computer in the situation. I turned it on and it started up immediately. This is an older version of course though which is why I graded a bit gentle. I would recommend everyone get a GPS navigator no matter what brand it is. It helps relieve tension on getting to where you need to go and you can concentrate on your end result and not have a tension headache when you get to your destination. P.S. Hubby has the “older version” now Ha ha
3 Stars All the good stuff but…..
I won’t go over all the specs and positives, because others have gone through all of that and there is no need for repeating. The Garmin is everything great that other reviews are mentioning, but I’m just going to review the battery issue I have continued to have on this Garmin…. After having the GARMIN c320 for about 9 months or so, i had the problem of the battery not working on it’s own (the unit would only work when sitting on the car charger mount. Even though at times it would say something like “charging the battery” in it’s off setting, it was NOT charging the battery (since when taken off the mount it would not work at all). I procrastinated for about 3 months, because I didn’t take the unit out of my car much so it wasn’t such a big issue, but almost on the last day of warranty, I called and just had it replaced. Customer service for Garmin is great. There’s no convincing or “did you plug the unit in” sort of questions.. they just took your word for what was happening and replaced the unit. I had the second unit for about 4 months or so before the same battery situation happened again. This time I was out of the 1 yr original warranty and the 90d warranty of the replacement… but customer service were more than willing to switch it out again.. (great customer service, very flexible).
With this 3rd unit, it didn’t take more than a couple months for it to have the battery issue again. I’ve been too cheap to buy another unit, and there isn’t really a reason, since this one does work when it’s connected to the car charger mount.
The main inconveniences of this battery not working is that it seems to lose it’s satelites since it’s a dead unit when the car isn’t on. It seemed before that with the battery working, the unit connects immediately to the satellites and maps your way very quickly. When I turn my car on now.. the unit will be show the time when I had turned the car off and will take anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes to connect to satellites. There have been times that i’ve had to turn it off and on (usually around the 10 minute mark) to see if maybe it was “frozen” or something…..
BTW, I’m sure the locating satellites delay issues is a problem with the unit, since I’m in a very urban city (Los Angeles) and it did not have these problems prior to the battery issue.
Oh, one other issue, in downtown Los Angeles, it gets very confused…(maybe due to streets with freeway overpasses; though this happens when i’m not near the freeway too)….so even when it has mapped a nice set of directions and I’m following them, out of nowhere it’ll recalculate and ask me to make some turns when the location is straight ahead…
Also, there are several locations where it will tell me to take an inconvenient onramp to a freeway where there is a perfectly good one, one block ahead on my right (make sense?).
I’ve still had the unit for 3 years or so… so I’m not entirely unhappy with it,…
4 Stars Great GPS, but too heary, Easy to fall down from windshield
I would like to give 5 star to the GPS function. It takes several minutes to connect to the satellite.
The problem is that GPS unit is too heary. It falls down easily after you used it for a while. I would not recommend any one to buy this GPS unit. Buy the light weigth GPS like Garmin Nuvi series.
Jun
7
Garmin Swiveling Automotive Mount for GPS 72 and GPS 76 010 10305 00
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Garmin Swiveling Automotive Mount for GPS 72 and GPS 76 010 10305 00
This adjustable automotive mounting bracket holds your GPS in place on the dash of your vehicle. Bracket swivels and tilts for optimum viewing and has a locking mechanism to keep unit secure. Accepts optional external power adapter for quick connection to a DC power supply.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars great gps holder
I hardly ever used the GPS in my vehicle until I bought this, great addition, holds well and use it almost daily, no complaints, easy removal of GPS as well easy install, definatly worth the small investment
3 Stars Garmin Swiveling Automotive Mount for the GPS 76CSX
This unit is a very basic one that mounts on the dash or else where by adhesive patch. One patch is supposed to be a temperary one and that works just like junk. If it gets very hot in the car the whole thing comes down. I had to the resort to the permanent mount which I really didn’t want to do. But that work just fine and was just used on a 2500 mile trip tp Yellowstone NP. I would not purchase another one like this, even though it did the job. Under other conditions it probably would have been just right for the job.
4 Stars Rugged and Dependable
I’ve been using this mount in my car for almost a year now and it has held up well. I like the fact the holder comes off the base so it can be used in other vehicles with other bases. I use it on a beanbag style base in my wifes van and that setup works good too.
The reason the mount only gets four stars from me is the fact that it is difficult, and sometimes takes two hands, to put the GPS in and to remove it when using the cigarette plug power cord.
5 Stars HELD UP OVER VERY ROUGH GRAVEL MOUNTAIN ROADS
I USED THE TEMPORARY ADHESIVE PATCH ON MY DASHBOARD. I HAVE TRAVELED OVER GRAVEL MOUNTAIN BACK ROADS AT 5-15MPH WITH AN F250 4X4, WHICH HAS A PRETTY STIFF RIDE. THE 76S DID ALOT OF VIBRATING, BUT NEVER LOST IT’S LOCKED IN POSITION ON THE MOUNT. SEEMS TO WORK PRETTY WELL FOR THE MONTH THAT I HAVE HAD IT.
3 Stars item is flimsy, likely won’t hold up over time
item fits all sizes of iPods, but it uses an adjustable arm to do so, which does not look like it will survive extended usage. The item doesn’t even work, anyway. No charge, no radio transmission. Fresh out of the box too. We are looking into our car charger to more fully explore the nature of the problem, but had i known about the “adjustability” factor earlier, i wouldn’t have bought this item.
Jun
4
Car Vent Mount for Garmin Nuvi 370 360 350 310 300 GPS
Inexpensive and highly practical, our vent mount includes both the cradle and mount at an excellent price. A lot of our customers worry about security. The vent is a great location for your Nuvi. It keeps it within arm’s reach and out of site from the bad guys.
The cradle is custom manufactured for the Nuvi and fits snuggly around the GPS while allowing full access to the controls. The power port can be fully accessed.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great little gadget… only IF it’s right for you.
Look VERY carefully at the picture for this product. Note 3 things:
1) The louvers are horizontal
2) The louvers are FIXED (do not adjust up or down)
3) The position of the louvers in relationship to the driver.
Let’s look at these three areas more closely…
1) There are two support posts on the back of the mount which will go over and attach to the top horizontal louver… so the louver MUST be horizontal.
2) If the louvers are NOT fixed (up or down), the weight of the Garmin unit will cause the mount along with your Garmin to hang flacidly downward in a position where you can’t see the screen (it will face the floor).
3) The mounting bracket swivels left and right… but not up or down. Therefore, if the position of your vents are too high or too low in relationship to the driver, you might be disappointed in your ability to see the screen clearly in different light conditions.
However…..
If you meet all the above criteria, this IS the unit for YOU! I loved mine… I just wish someone had told me about the “fixed”, non-adjustable (up or down) louver requirement…
Of importance to note: When I realized this was not the unit for me, I e-mailed the seller, and was cheerfully and promptly issued an RMA and a refund. So, even if this is not the right unit for you, (there are others)… I recommend this seller very highly.
2 Stars Bad design
I bought this vent mount for my garmin nuvi 350. It’s an ok product if you don’t mind the thing jiggling aroung on your a/c vent. Appearantly it’s not desingned for every car exactly. Despite the adjustment features it has it still can not maintian a steady footing on my a/c vent. And it was not easy to remove from the vent. Overall not a good buy. I wouldn’t waste the money.
1 Star Didn’t work.
Didn’t work for my car (landrover), or my mom’s car (toyota corolla), or my fiances car (yukon). It just pointed down towards the floor with each of them. However, if it fits for your car it would be a good thing to have, so the gps isn’t attached to the window. I went back to using my friction mount, which I love.
5 Stars Car Vent Mount for Garmin Nuvi
This works great. I definitely recommend. I use it in my Toyota Siena.
5 Stars Glad I bought this
I am new to the world of GPS and the Garmin 360 has been a wonderful tool so far. Did not like the windshield mount that came with the unit; so I decided to buy and try this one instead. What a great idea! Easy to install and expect to use this mount for years. Another plus for me is that the vent we selected for the mount is the one my wife always closes; so now that vent serves a useful purpose. This mount is worth the cost. Note, I installed it in the center vent of the passenger side in a 2004 Honda Accord and encountered no problems at all.
Jun
2
Garmin 12 Volt Car Power Cable for eTrex Legend C and Vista C 010 10563 00
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Garmin 12 Volt Car Power Cable for eTrex Legend C and Vista C 010 10563 00
Every Garmin product is designed to meet the most demanding standard: customers’ satisfaction. That’s why Garmin equipment is manufactured to give you reliable service for years to come, with intuitive features you can grow into over time – all at a price you can afford.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars ease of mind
I used this item for the first time this last weekend. It was nice feeling that I was not using the batteries up before even getting to our activity center. No need to carry a bunch of batteries along. Good to go.
3 Stars Ok Charger
It’s fine as a charger but I wish Garmin had designed it as a standard 1 pin charger and placed the access point at he base of the unit not the top rear. Horrible placement. Also cord is way too long and is difficult to get the charger into the usb port. I am also concerned that the constant opening and closing of the rubber flat the waterproofs the usb port will damage it.
4 Stars Works good and saves batteries
Purchased to save batteries while travelling. LED is a plus letting you know that the unit is working.
3 Stars Way to expensive
The trouble with Garmin it charges way to much for all of its add ons. If you were buying this for a cheap radio you could buy it in the dollar store, but because of the interface you have to buy from them.
2 Stars What can you say? It’s a power adapter, gotta have it, and they know it!
Works fine with my Vista HCx, just way overpriced!
But, it allows the use of the GPS in the car without using your batteries, and is great for turning up the brightness, as others have noted.
Garmin really does need to think some things through however. Both their AC and DC adapters are just that, adapters. The Vista HCx GPS I use accepts rechargeable batteries, but neither of their adapters are designed to charge batteries, but only to supply voltage to operate?! Kind of short-sighted on their part.
Good product, but I’m deducting points for price, and being unable to function as a charger.
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