Streetpilot i3 - v8 Map Update

LucyAkhurst · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 8

Hi,

This seems to be the new hot topic. I think it deserves it's own thread. The email I have just sent to Garmin is copied below. Let me know what you think...

To: <MikeB :: email addresses removed customers should use sales.europe@garmin.com to contact Garmin>

Hi,

I bought 20 Garmin Streetpilot i3's from Maplin on 9th October 2005 for my company which have the v7 Map Update pre-installed. When I checked the internet, I found that a v8 Map Update is due for release in November 2005.

Please confirm that I will receive a free upgrade when the update is released or should I return all the units to the shop for a full refund while I still can.

I talked to the shop and they have said there has been a few phone calls and returns already and they will provide refunds up to 14 days from purchase.

Thanks

Lucy Akhurst

LucyAkhurst · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 8

Hi,

I got a message from someone in maplin stating the the Garmin Streetpilot i2 which has a monochrome screen will be available next month with the v8 update.

This unit will cost £239.99 (despite only having a b/w screen).

Seems that the i3 units are being sold cheap to get rid of the old map software...

Lucy Akhurst

Tim Buxton · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:10 pm Post subject:

zogman · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:21 pm Post subject:

these units are not 'unlockable'....the software is on the transflash card so i really dont understand why garmin are saying this..
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Mattxxxx · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 4

Bought one of these today, very pleased - until I found out about this debacle. Unless we are offered the upgrade this is going straight back to the shop and I will stop raving about it to my mates and start warning them off

Bob_M · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:20 pm Post subject: Streetpilot i3 - v8 Map Update

I bought my I3 just over three weeks ago, I've updated the software to 2.40 and then 2.50. I've also downloaded the "Safety Camera" POIs and I've not had a single problem with the unit.

I too am disappointed about the release so soon of the new Ver 8 Mapping but it could be months away. Let's get some perspective here. If you buy a new paper map it would be out of date long before it even goes to be printed. The same will be true for Ver 8.

Today I had to visit a "new" address which the I3 did not know, a quick phone call to the customer got me a street name nearby that the I3 recognised and it guided me there without error.

Bob_M

Mr_Gonzales · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:47 am Post subject:

It's a shame that it won't come with the lastest mapping, but all the paper maps I use are 1-5 years old and work fine. Even if we got the update for this year, next year there'll be another one... that's the way of software, if you want it bang up to date you have to pay each year to keep it that way. My i3 should be here today or tomorrow (good old DHL!) and I doubt it will be going back just because the maps are slightly out of date.

The i3 has been sold very cheap (cheaper than the lower spec i2 is being listed at) and it would appear that this is due to the i2 having the updated maps. When the i3 with v8 maps comes out, I cannot see the price sticking at £200 - I suspect that it will rise to the £250-300 that it was meant to be in the first place. By returning your i3 and waiting, you may just find that when you buy the version with the v8 maps you're paying the extra for the maps anyway (and won't have the choice of using the v7 maps and saving some cash)... we've all got a bargain at £200 or less and all we lose out on is the very latest maps.

pauljmuk · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 59

Hmm - can't really compare to paper maps can you? Yes, the I3 is cheap, but then a paper map costs a fiver, not two hundred - as such, if my paper map gets outdated, I dont worry too much about buying another.

I fully appreciate that if they updated maps, say, next summer, that we should have to pay.

I've only had mine a week though, and a new map could be here next month??

To get clarity, am I right in thinking that if I hold of on registering the product (which I havent done yet), I could claim free update (as if I just bought the item, brought it home, and found the update on the web)

Thanks

Trajet · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:51 am Post subject:

Yikes

I was nearly panicking about this. Then I remember that the Scottish Executive don't spend any money on the roads. Problem solved. Out of here

MaFt · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:41 pm Post subject:

Sun4u · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 18, 2005 Posts: 20

Returning old card is not an issue if they are ready to provide us the upgrades for free !!

I felt cheated twice

1) Maplin - stating £199 is a promotional price !!
2) Garmin - regaring map updates !

Evil or Very Mad

HySeeker · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 7:42 pm Post subject:

Well, I had not registered my i3, but I am still not going to return it Smile

.
If the i2 is £130, the risk must be that the i3 price will go up when the new maps come out.
I reckoned the i3 was good value at £199, I have not seen it cheaper anywhere, so the fact that Maplin did not raise the price does not affect me one bit!

Jaz666 · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 9:56 pm Post subject:

Right, here's my 5 pence on the Map situation, from a long term Garmin user.

1) Garmin have no way of knowing when you purchased your unit (and they don't ask for proof), the only information they have is when (and only if) you registered the unit on their website. If you hold off on registering until after the update is released you will get it for "free".
2) The actual upgrade disc(s) are sent to you free of charge, the only cost comes from if you have to purchase an unlock key (as this is the first year that City Select NT has existed, I can't be sure the same upgrade path applies).
3) You can preview the maps on Garmin's website, and also in Mapsource (without unlocking) - have a look at areas you've driven where you know there are problem areas and decide if it is worth paying for an upgrade, or could you live with a few errors till next year? Using Mapsource is very useful, as you can display an area on screen, and then switch between City Select versions with one-click.
4) The City Select/Navigator updates come out at around this time every year. The i3 is just one of a massive range of products that these mapping products cover. It's unfortunate timing that the i3 was released at this time of year (the Quest was released at around this time last year too) - but if Garmin had held back the release, everyone here would have missed out on months of enjoyment from their product - or on the opposite scale, if they'd rushed it out earlier in the year it would have been full of (even more) bugs.
5) Taking back your i3 is a bit premature, as we don't know for sure yet when/whether i3's will start to ship with the new maps. The Garmin Quests are still shipping with version 6 maps pre-loaded, with all users entitled to a version 7 upgrade (many retailers include the upgrade disc with the purchase). I suppose it all depends on how many units have been mass-produced with the current maps.
6) Lets face it, £200 is an absolute steal for a Sat Nav unit. Just 18 months ago a Streetpilot 3 would have set you back the best part of a grand. A few posters have quoted the unlock price to be around £90 - I'm pretty sure the last time I checked it was closer to £50.

I'll shut up now.

zogman · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:27 am Post subject:

very interesting jazz.....because of the new way the i3 has its mapping supplied (transflash card)..,we will have to see how garmin does indeed distribute their upgrades..
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MaFt · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:51 am Post subject:

well, we've already heard that they will be providing european regions on new transflash cards so i presume that any new uk mapping will be as part of one of these - i.e. you buy a transflash card with the new data on it.

MaFt

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