Pre Route Planning with the Navman S50 3D

soma · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2009 Posts: 8

I apologise for quite possibly using the incorrect terminology here...in the space of 24 hours I've become interested in getting hold of a Sat Nav (I usually love gadgets but always though the sat nav was something I didn't really need: a neighbour lent us one to try yesterday and we immediately saw the benefits...and now want one!)

Anyway, an unhealthy amount of time researching for our budget (£80 - £90 tops) I shortlisted the Tom Tom One XL; the Garmin Nuvi 200W; the Navman S50 3D.

The Navman is increasingly becoming the top choice for us personally: the fact that it has Bluetooth handsfree (though I can't vouch for its reliability); 4.3" screen and a seemingly strong satellite pick up. The Tom Tom One XL, even though normally quite pricey, has a good price on a refurb one which fits in our budget.

Knowing very little about Sat Navs I had a conversation with a friend earlier today. He suggested checking whether or not the Sat Navs have an option to pre plan the route whereby you can travel a favoured route (say through a scenic route rather then the fastest route) - I can't recall the name he gave this and he mentioned this isn't the same as 'Via' (which I guess you would have to have an exact location/post code to enter into the Sat Nav of the town/village you wish to travel by).

Could you possibly let me know as to what this function is and whether or not the Navman s50 3d has this (or indeed any of the others)?

Many thanks.
soma.

mikealder · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the forum, the name of the function you are looking for is "Itinerary Planning" where you can force a device to navigate through specific points on the map. Most TomTom devices can do this, others will have to answer for the others.

One point I would mention though is map updates, you might be in trouble if you purchase a Navman unit and want new maps in 12 to 18 months they might not be available, also the Navman is poor for Speed Camera warnings as it has a limit to the number of POI locations it can store, this is lower than the number of speed cameras in the UK! - Mike

soma · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2009 Posts: 8

soma · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2009 Posts: 8

robertn · Frequent Visitor Joined: Feb 06, 2005 Posts: 564

I expect you will find Waypoint and "Itinerary Planning" are the same thing. Mariners and Aviators have used the term Waypoint since the beginning of time. I believe that "Marketing" (refer Dilbert cartoons) does not like to use "Waypoint" as it's too technical and complex for us luddites to understand, so they came up with a new phrase or the new phase sounds more exotic than it really is, and they take us all for idiots who don't knwo the difference.......

Maps - if map updates are an issue for you, Garmin is a very good choice. The reasons are they have a been around longer than all the others combined, and the Open source community are building maps, mostly in Garmin Formats. In a few years these are likely to be as good as commercial offerings, and are FREE by definition.

Whatever brand you buy, look at the track record for prices of updates- you will probably be stunned what a map update costs compared to a new device. Also look at how long they produce updates for the old systems - as indicated, Navman has a (arguably) poor record on both counts.

soma · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2009 Posts: 8

TheM · Frequent Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2005 Posts: 277

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