Garmin StreetPilot i3

rb5286 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 26, 2004 Posts: 31

has anyone got one of these?

are they any good?

MaFt · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 5:28 pm Post subject:

they're not out in the uk until september (which is tomorrow, i know). i ordered one from maplin for £199 (very cheap!) i'll let you know how it performs.

i can't give any comparisons though as it's my first satnab thingy-ma-bob!

MaFt

Jaz666 · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:42 pm Post subject:

The first batch of units have arrived at Maplin HQ, fingers crossed my store will get some tomorrow so I can have a good play :P
Given that recently any GPS that has been delivered into my store is gone within the hour, I don't think we'll have any left by the end of the day!

MaFt · Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:07 am Post subject:

i ordered mine online and got an email yesterday saying it had been shipped Smile

i dcided to get it online cos i figured at this price the shop in bradford would run out fairly quickly...!!!

there'll be a review in the next few days!

MaFt

GetMeThere · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 04, 2005 Posts: 9

My Garmin i3 was delivered from Maplin on Friday. It works well and I prefer it to the TomTom Go I have been using for the past 12 months.

The i3 has several significant advantages. The entire unit including windscreen mount and batteries weighs just under seven ounces/190g! The i3 is very small - about 2/3 of the size of the TomTom or Garmin 3xx series. The small size and low weight reduces vibration problems. The windscreen mount has a ball joint that enables easy adjustment to exactly the right viewing angle.

The screen is small but easy to read. The screen is readable in a wide range of lighting conditions including direct sunlight. Full postcode routing is available. Routes are calculated rapidly and rerouting is very fast. Route instructions are good.

Some useful routing options are available including no U turns (you will be told to make a U turn if there is no other option), avoid unpaved roads, avoid toll roads, avoid highways. You can also select the type of vehicle - car/motorbike, truck, bus, emergency vehicle or taxi.

ukomegan · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 21, 2004 Posts: 11

Well had my I3 and mt tomtom go 700 on at the same time.
I was intrigued as to how the i3 would perform in comparison.

I can only say this little unit is a gem.
Excellent performance, avoided London Motorways and gave accurate and clear instructions.

I was so impressed I ordered another last night for my father in law.

One downside, It's real shame they could not have put in a charging circuit to recharge NImH batteries when the unit is plugged in.

Other than that I'd say what a bargain!

ngm · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 2

Any idea whether there are European maps available for it? The Maplin site is a bit contradictory, saying in one part that it's just UK + Ireland and in another part saying that there are Europe major roads as well.
The garmin website is pretty US-centric so no useful info there :-(

Cheers

Jaz666 · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 9:07 am Post subject:

It has UK and Ireland preloaded onto the Transflash card, and as with most other Garmin Products, you get City Select Europe included on CD/DVD in the box.

These are selling very very fast btw!

GetMeThere · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 04, 2005 Posts: 9

The UK i3 version does NOT have a City Select Europe CD/DVD in the box. The memory card is preloaded with UK and Ireland street level maps.

The box lists as optional accessories preloaded memory cards for additional European regions and Mapsource software.

MaFt · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 10:18 am Post subject:

i was just about to say you don't get ANY software with the i3. you need to download the POI loader from the garmin website to be able to put the speed camera poa's on. the .csv ones work fine and are very effective ;)

this is my first gps sat nav thing and both me and the wife are very impressed.

from what i know it has the 'main roads' in europe already loaded up but not all the smaller side streets. like i say though, i'm not 100% sure.

great little unit! my mate who was after a tom tom go has now decided to get one of these cos it's smaller, has a few extra's and is half the price at £200 from maplin at the mopment!

love it Smile

MaFt

MaFt · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 10:34 am Post subject:

oh yeah, i forgot to mention, most of the literature i've seen says they come with a 128mb transflash card, but mine came with a 256mb one - i presume others did too?

ukomegan · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 21, 2004 Posts: 11

Yes It does come with the 256mb card.

How can you back it up?
It does not show as a drive like my tomtom yet it is in the device manager.

Also, has anybody succesfully put on cameras with alerts yet? If so instructions would be appreciated.

If you plan to use it in more than one vehicle you can get a second power lead from www.mobilefun.co.uk the trick is to order the car lead for the Blackberry 7100x as it is the same and works! 12v to 5v dc then a mini b usb connector with the correct pins. Even better is the price £4.95
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/4668.htm

MaFt · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:15 pm Post subject:

zogman · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 12:40 pm Post subject:

can anyone tell me if there's room to load up mg usa onto the i3 as well as the pre-loaded city select mapping?

ngm · Occasional Visitor Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 2

You can get SD adaptors which the transflash cards fit into and then you can use a reader which accepts SD.

I'm still not 100% clear on whether euro maps are included or not... Sounds like they are, but possibly not the City Select ones? I've submitted a FAQ to Maplin but not heard back yet.

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