Navigation for under $50

[geminiz]

Jon,

Thanks for sharing the valuable information. I was going to buy the software package with a gps locator, but it makes a lot of sense not to get it because it doesn't precisely give you voice commands, which like you said will cause a big safety issue.

Does your Mio C310x announces the name of the road or highway you are turning to?

[funboy102]

Like Streets and trips, I dont believe iGuidance 3 has text-to-speech. TTS is the translating of street names into voice.

i.e. It doesn't say "turn right on main street," it says "Turn right in 500 ft," and if theres a few right turns coming up, you need to glance at the screen to see which one it is, then turn. This turn of your head to look in your passenger seat and read the road name is prime time for a car to come flying out of a side street and cut you off.

To be fair, most low end GPS's (Under $400) also do not have text-to-speech, but the screen is situated in front of you where you can glance easily and still keep your eyes close to the road.

My friend has iGuidance and I toyed around with it for a little bit, but didnt take it on the road. From what i saw, it was definitely better than Streets and Trips.

ohhh, I see... Thanks for clearing up what TTS was. So it sounds like a pretty advance feature than I suppose. I'm sure there still has to be a software out there which can be downloaded... that DOES have that feature though right? Don't know which one yet.

and yeah... IGuidance >>> Streets and Trips

Hey Jon, out of curiosity, where do you travel a lot that you need a navigation system?

Does your Mio C310x announces the name of the road or highway you are turning to?

He said that most GPS system under $400 does not have it... so I'm assuming his Mio C310x would not have it... but still, you can double-check if you'd like---> http://www.miogps.com/US/products_c310xfeatures.htm
IT doesn't make notion of Text to Speech...

[Jon11582]

The cheapest one that I know that has TTS is the Garmin Nuvi 350. Its going for $350 until the 22nd from Costco. VERY nice unit if your looking for spend around that much on Navi. This has the newest SiRF III reciever, is less than an inch thick, has TTS, MP3 player, and also has optional traffic nav, and also has Garmin's mapping software interface, which is considered by many to be the best.

Other, more expensive Nuvi's add features like bluetooth (so you can pickup your cell through it like a handsfree kit, but with no earpiece), and FM Transmitter (So you can hear your GPS/Call through your car's speakers)

I don't travel that much that I need an expensive navi unit, which is why I bought the Mio. I bought it for those once-in-a-while roadtrips, those times you take a wrong turn and end up in some town you've never been too, and those times you follow a friend to some place, but you have no idea how to get home.

For the price, you can't beat it. Its no Nuvi, but its pretty close for half the price. It has the same SiRF III reciever, same thin profile, can play MP3s. Maps are kind of old (about 2 years old), and it doesn't navigate around jug handles too well, which Jersey is littered with, but for the price I cant complain too much. I also found out that CompUSA has them on sale for $149 this week, if you have one that isn't going out of business in your area. (They have closed/are closing down over half their stores, and those stores probably wont honor this deal.)

If you plan to use GPS alot (Travel a lot, or need to travel for work), and have some more money to throw at a GPS unit though, I'd highly recommend the Nuvi at the sale price.

[funboy102]

Thanks for the info Jon!

So unless you have a passenger sitting with you, (or you're really suicidal), it's best to get something with TTS then huh? And what is this SiRF III that you keep on talking about? and Optional traffic nav, usually means extra money right?