TT One v 910 v Garmin 360

[mikeiow]

Hi there,
I'm considering a new model of SatNav having had an old TT on pda for a while. Would appreciate any advice on a few points I have

I realise the TT One and 910 are either ends of the TT spectrum, but at Dixons I see there is 'only' 100 notes in it for the european versions...so I guess I am prepared to pay up to 300 quid.

I read that the maps on the Garmin are *far* better than the TT teleatlas ones - anyone any real life comparisons (I know mine has me going over fields when the road has existed for quite some time, eg, A43 near Silverstone )?

On the topic of mapping, do either offer a free map upgrade (perhaps for 12 months) ?

Do any of the traffic-master things work well to warn you of hold ups - & is it a separate aerial-lead to straggle in my car ?

Speed cameras - is there any difference in how easy the POI's are to download to the units ? & do either have SPECS average speed calculators ?

I would also get a Brodit holder (if available) - I have the dash-mount for my Saab already.

Many thanks :D
Mike

[DennisN]

It's not easy getting comparisons from us - not many people are running around with three or four satnavs in our vehicles! I have two, both TT GOs and I've been very happy with them (despite me grumbling regularly, I simply dread the thought of being without one).

I have seen no comments about availablity of free map upgrades - I DID have a free upgrade for my GO700 because for a short period TT offered free upgrade voucher in the box, but they're not putting that about now.

Mapping is difficult to compare without multiple machines. Everybody seems unhappy with the maps to some degree or another. It sounds as though if you live in one area you'll be happy with one map and disgruntled with another. In my own area, the latest TT ONE map is more up to date on one particular road than the most up to date TT GO map, because one is Navteq, the other Teleatlas and their various updates have reached Tom Tom at different times. The Garmin maps may be either better or worse, I haven't got one so can't compare. The difficulty is nobody can say for sure the date of the "latest" map, i.e that "this map contains every road built or altered up to a certain date". So my new bypass is included but yours isn't when perhaps they were both opened on the same day. I think perhaps many of us accept that our maps are about two years old (now just watch out for instant reaction to that bone of contention!!) - takes that long for the mapping company and the satnav company to get it all together.

The postings on this site about Traffic services are numerous. As a whitevanman, I'd love to have this service on my satnav, but from reading as extensively as I can, I really have no confidence in either the TomTom Traffic service ("live" updates through bluetooth phone - TT subscription and phone GPRS charges) or the TomTom RDS-TMC additional separate aerial thing (once-off purchase cost only). Until I read somewhere about one of them actually working both reliably AND with current timely traffic info, I'll stick with Radio 5 Live.

The best recommendation I can offer is that if you go for a TT GO, unless you need the mp3 playing bit, get the GO710 - it has the Europe-wide maps and has the whole business on SD card. No hard disk to worry about, you can immediately on purchase get yourself another blank SD card and copy to that in order to keep your original one safe and sound.

Speed cameras from Pocketgpsworld are an absolute doddle to download and install - every month there are some folk for whom it's a nightmare, but that's usually due to them not reading how to do it. Once you've done it once, logs off and falling are words that come readily to hand. I use drag and drop with Windows Explorer. My voice warnings (downloaded for free) tell me "Variable speed camera zone" but not the current speed limit.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[mikeiow]

Thanks for the rapid reply!
Yes, I appreciate few folk would have both....and also that there are always people having trouble with mapping, so I guess on that front I wondered whether anyone reading had returned one device in favour of another & found a large difference. I suspect there is not too much in it !

On the 710 model, the 910 might actually be useful to me as I do travel in the US once or twice a year (& the Hertz rental GPS was so bad I took the car back last time - it didn't know the hotel or road I was going to, despite both being at least 18 months old !!!). Although I like your point about SD cards: nice to have a usable backup. Anyone know whether the 710 model could have US maps bought for it ?

I am surprised no-one expects to get a map upgrade for free, at least within the first year, I would have thought that a reasonable request !

Cheers
Mike

[DennisN]

The GO710 comes with 1Gb SD card. Before I left the shop I bought a 2Gb card and at home copied the original to the 2Gb and hid the original away.

On this 2Gb card Explorer says I have 990Mb free.

You can buy the USA and Canada map from TomTom ...
Download 958Mb, price 79.96 Euros (I think this is a currently discounted price, time limit I think end of 2006, normally about 99 Euros).
On DVD 119.95 Euros.
On SD Card 149.95 Euros.
Is the 910 more, or less, than 79/99 Euros dearer? I just today bought another 2Gb SD card for £40. £60 for the map, £40 for another SD card, that allows £100 for the difference between 710 and 910.

I don't think the map SD card/DVD come with anything else on, so I personally would buy the download and copy it myself to CD/DVD.

So with a 2Gb card it looks like you could add the USA/Canada map ... just.

You're wrong - given the choice we'd ALL expect one year free map upgrade. We ALL think that's reasonable. Tom Tom (and I suppose anybody else such as Garmin) don't agree, so you puts yer 'and in yer pocket!!
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

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