basic buying advice - tomtom or garmin

tonygold · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 14, 2006 Posts: 417

hi all
i have always stuck with tomtom. at present i have a 2 year old ONE IQ routes w euro maps. i am ready for a new unit as i can give this one to the other half, and i refuse to spend on expensive map upgrades that for me at least, seem to make no difference. i do not want a wide screen model nor do do i need blue tooth capabilities. all i want is uk and w euro mapping (for use in spain mainly) and a user friendly device. free traffic info would be helpful without trailing wires everywhere though. i also use pgpsw speed cams.
would i be best off sticking with tomtom or is there a better garmin equivalent i should be looking at.
thanks for any advice given.

technik · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 10:44 am Post subject:

I ruled out any Garmin unit, as too many of the reviews on Amazon complain Garmins freeze up and crash a lot, although I know someone that has a Garmin and it seems to work ok.

Also I don't like the Garmin user interface, as don't find it so user friendly.
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GO 620, Tomtom Android EU,
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gatorguy6996 · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:06 am Post subject:

If any of us depended on Amazon satnav reviews we'd never buy any of them. Shocked

I've always found Garmin's to be much more stable/dependable than TomTom's overall. I recently loaned my 1695 to a hardcore Tomtom user for a week. Even never having touched one before he found it very intuitive, with only one question (having to do with favorites). He commented that Garmin looks to be more customizable now than any of the latest TomTom's.
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Garmin 1695 / 255 / 760 w/MSN - Droid w/Google nav + Navigon - Navigon 8100T - Dakota10 - GPSMap76C - GeoMate Jr.

Andy_P · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:11 pm Post subject:

Two big killers for Garmin as far as I'm concerned:

1. You cannot add to user-POIs while on the road - major problem for me.
2. The map display still looks too "cartoon-y" for me.

Big PLUS for Garmin -
They are now putting on all the extra bells and whistles that TomTom have been taking off (because TT can't make them work properly!)

I haven't found one Garmin model that has them ALL on though!

EricWB · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jan 31, 2007 Posts: 310

Having read an almost glowing report from Pocket GPS World for the Garmin 2460 a week or two ago its has to be a very serious contender for me when I next purchase a new device.

I know it maybe a bit expensive for basic navigation and that's all I really need, I do like to be able to play with some of the bells & whistles.

An example of this is that my current car has a trip computer the first I have ever had its amazing how that has changed my enjoyment of a drive.

OK I will admit to being an anorak or whatever but that's life.

gatorguy6996 · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject:

Andy, are you referencing a personal favorite? On Garmin's you simply tap the vehicle icon and you have the option of saving that location to your favorites, which have the added benefit of displaying on the map. Unlike TT's, Garmin favorites don't get deleted with map updates. And easy to do while out on the road.

Or perhaps it's something else you're talking about?
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Garmin 1695 / 255 / 760 w/MSN - Droid w/Google nav + Navigon - Navigon 8100T - Dakota10 - GPSMap76C - GeoMate Jr.

Andy_P · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:57 pm Post subject:

gatorguy6996 · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 5:22 pm Post subject:

Ah, understood.

But Garmin favorites serve much the same purpose as POI's on a TomTom don't they? Garmin's offer categories for favorites. I can add my current location to either my "Work" or "Play" or "Friend's" categories. Or create a new category altogether, and display those favorites on the navigation screen with a custom icon if desired. Even add contact numbers if I wish. Favorites on a Garmin aren't considered as temporary as they are on TomTom's.
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Garmin 1695 / 255 / 760 w/MSN - Droid w/Google nav + Navigon - Navigon 8100T - Dakota10 - GPSMap76C - GeoMate Jr.

Andy_P · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:50 pm Post subject:

PaulB2005 · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:58 pm Post subject:

If that was me, I didn't know either! I always used POI files and just used the Favourites as a scratch pad too - cameras, where I left car etc

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