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Gotta Have Gadgets-GPS Navigators
Picture this: it's 6:00pm and you get a phone call stating your son just broke his arm at Pat's Peak in New Hampshire
and they are about to take him to Concord Hospital. The good news was, I actually knew where Concord Hospital was so I didn't
need directions. During my ride I get a phone call asking me if I wanted to go to Parkland Medical instead of Concord Hospital.
I had no idea where Parkland was or how to get there and I was already on the road so Mapquest wasn't an option. I have learned
if I had a GPS Navigation System, a couple of quick taps of the menu buttons and I would have a complete list of all the hospitals
in NH and door-to-door directions in minutes.
When you look into purchasing a GPS system there are several things that need to be considered. First you should check
to see if they offer any kind of security setting. The lower priced GPS systems do not, some manufacturers such as TomTom
and Garmin do offer some type of security. This is important, because GPS devices are starting to become the hottest item
for thieves. This brings up a huge point if you buy one on e-bay there is a chance it could be a stolen unit and you will
not be able to use it! Point number two if you do buy one, don't leave it in the open when you leave the vehicle, it may
not be there when you return.
Another feature to look into before you purchase is if you can update the maps or software. Again, the real low priced
devices you cannot update. Now typically this shouldn't be a huge issue, but where I work they just changed the streets around
and many who use a GPS system have said it's the first time the GPS could not find our street. This is where you still need
to rely on your eyes and read the construction signs. The catch here is most companies are going to charge you between $100-$150
to update the software. I'm not to keen on paying $400 for a unit and have to pay an additional $150 a year to make it work
right. As long as it gets me in the right neighborhood, I'll find the location and save the extra money.
I've recently tested two units that I think are "gotta have gadgets" and on different ends of the price scale.
The Boyo VTN 3500 which you can pick up online for about $250 and the TomTom GO 910 which retails for $499. You could probably
get each of these a little cheaper if you shop around. There are also more expensive units available that have more bells
and whistles, I just can't see spending more that $700 for one of these & "gadgets". I guess if you are on
the road 95% of your time or a truck driver they may be worth the additional investment.
The Boyo VTN3500 is a good bang for the buck if you want to get from point A to point B. I would like more features in
the Boyo, but you get what you pay for, it did get me from point to point so I can't complain! It was a little annoying to
add a location, but once you get the hang of the menus it becomes a little easier. The re-route time was very quick if you
missed a turn or took a wrong turn. So if you are looking for an inexpensive GPS this is a good cost effective unit.
I took the Boyo VTN3500 with me on a trip to Tampa. I quickly learned next to clean underwear, a GPS navigation system
would be the most important thing I pack! We arrived at Tampa International and picked up our rental car. A quick mount
to the windshield and we were on our way to Orlando. The one drawback of the Boyo system is it is a little difficult to program
in an address. The good thing is that it has a rechargeable battery so you can pre-program the addresses into the unit.
DO NOT try to program anything while driving, especially with this unit. It would be great to have a voice activated GPS,
but to my knowledge it hasn't been invented yet! The Boyo got us to our destination with no trouble at all. More importantly
was the trip back to Tampa. We were dropping off the car at a different location. If I printed off the directions from Mapquest
I would have been in serious trouble. The Boyo was telling us the exit is ahead, however there was a lot of construction.
We came to the exit and it was closed....now what? Within seconds of missing the exit, the Boyo system recalculated our route
and put us back on track to our location. Being in a city I was not familiar with at all and had no idea where I was going,
this device seemed like a lifesaver! Just avoiding the panic, stress and the "honey stop and get directions" routine
will be well worth the investment!
The TomTom GO 910 is a more expensive unit with much more to offer than the Boyo. Of course the price reflects that being
a couple hundred dollars more. TomTom does offer lower priced units, but based on what's out there I believe the TomTom GO
910 has nice features and is reasonably priced.
The TomTom GO 910 is relatively easy to get up and running out of the box. There are silly little features like choosing
the voice you would like to hear, FYI James Earl Jones is not an option, but there are plenty of male and female choices,
as well as celebrity downloads available online for a purchase. The TomTom GO 910 has a great computer interface, it's very
easy to install and get up and running. Within minutes I had updated software, and many options at my fingertips. I loaded
plenty of songs from my playlist into the MP3 feature, even though I will probably never use it as a playback device. Just
the fact that it was there and I could do it was cool. There is also an ipod interface, but a small speaker is not how I
want to listen to music. There is a cable provided so you can output it into a radio aux. port, but I don't have that port
available in my Ford 500. I could see using the mp3 player if I could hook it into my car radio.
The TomTom GO 910 also has a much easier interface than the Boyo and allows you to input information quicker. That helps
when you are in a rush and don't know where you are going. Between the two, I had my address and directions ready to go far
quicker with the TomTom. The GO 910 was just as quick with re-routing directions if you missed a turn or took an alternate
route.
One of the features I really like on the TomTom910 is it has Bluetooth capabilities which allows the unit to be used as
a hands free device for your cell phone. If you want to use the advanced features of the TomTom GO 910, your cell phone will
need access to the web. I didn't realize if you want the traffic alert feature you needed a cell phone to access these services.
But now that I think of it, that just makes sense.
The TomTom GO910 does have a security feature, and for a fee the maps can be updated via the web when available. The
4-inch screen is easy to read at a glance, and there are many built in points of interest, which you can customize to show
along your route. Pretty much all GPS navigation systems are accurate down to meters of where you are, and the TomTom gives
you plenty of notice of upcoming turns. A friend has a Garmin unit and he mentioned that one of the downfalls of that unit
was sometimes it didn't give you enough warning for upcoming turns.
So if a GPS Navigation System is on your list of "gotta have gadgets" I would highly recommend the TomTom GO
910. Its ease of use, nice computer interface, fast processing and reasonable price makes it an affordable system with a
lot of extras available.
Now all I have to do is try to convince my wife I already need to upgrade from the Boyo VTN3500 to the TomTom GO 910!
It's tough being a gadget guy!
If you have a gadget you would like me to test send me an e-mail at gottahavegadgets@yahoo.com
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