Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, didn't know where to stick it.

How many of you have Sat Nav in the car?

Would you recommend it?

SatNav is superb and I couldn't live without it, having a job that includes significant travel to places I have never been before.

The new Tomtom Go/One units seem to be popular, I think they are overpriced personally, I'd get a PDA and run Tomtom or similar software on that, then you have a PDA as well which you can use for other things.

I have a Mitac Mio 168 clone with integrated ariel and it's performed solidly for 20 months.

If you want some more info and maybe reviews then pocketgps.co.uk may be a good site for you to visit, lots of reviews of different software and hardware GPS products plus a forum similar to this one where users discuss them.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Loobster

Ooo I've been wondering about getting one for my car too! Cheers Loobster.

If and when you install one you need to make sure that the Sanity Check device in your brain is still turned ON.


1) Do NOT take a wonking great bus down a country lane that is obviously unsuitable for large vehicles;

2) Do NOT turn the wrong way up a one-way street;

3) Do NOT follow the directions through the middle of a town on market day when there is a spanking new ALL ROUTES bypass clearly sign-posted.
Last edited by gomezz : 03-09-2006 at 11:19

I have tomtom navigator for my pocket pc phone - Orange M600. Works a treat and the tomtom traffic is really useful too!

I have a TomTom Go 300 - and yes I would recommend having a Sat Nav (as long as you use common sense, such as where you put it, no playing while driving - and definitely no following the dirt track it suggests esp. if a bus driver ) - but when you are going somewhere you don't know it and no navigator it just allows you to drive

The only downside is they are becoming a very commonly stolen item from the car

You can find some useful information on
http://www.yournav.com/ & http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/

I been thinking for a while about getting one but most of them seem to dear the now. I would like one like I seen on TV were you can also carry it about like a street map. I been waiting for some of them to go down in price a little bit but they have not gone down in price much.

Darren
Last edited by ney : 05-09-2006 at 20:42

You know the software that comes with it? Is it possible to make a copy incase you lose it? What do you copy it to - CD-R or DVD-R?

I'll second that! Sat Nav and common sense will get you to your destination.

It takes all the worry out of driving to somewhere new. Mines got me through London rush hour with no drama at all, something I couldn't have done if I was driving trying to look at a normal map.
Last edited by Mike202020 : 08-09-2006 at 13:00

With Tom-Tom you connect by USB to your PC/Mac then use the utility software provided to back up.


I've found TomTom great but like other posts say, you DO need common sense - and a map book in the car wouldn't go amiss just in case!

Mine's a Pioneer one, but i'm just wondering if i can copy the CD it came with. Someone is selling one like mine on ebay and they have 2 lots of software with it, so i think you might be able to copy it.

I have a nokia n80 and tomtom doesnt run on it but I bought one of QXL for £3.99 (software only) and it worked great on it voice directions as well.

Actually looking into buying one now and probably going to go with the TomTom 910. I like that there are voice activations on it telling you your directions. Plus you can download several different voices, its pretty funny. I would recommend looking into that.

They all have voice directions, don't they? Otherwise how would you know where to go? It's not like you can keep looking at the screen whilst driving lol.

Actually no. The ONE and the 510 dont have voice directions. The 910 does though.

I'm going to get nokia N95 phone with Sat Nav early next year, well if works as well in real life as in this preview. The bit at the end is pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e73xBxWi7K4
Last edited by winstainforth : 06-11-2006 at 20:30

the tom tom one does have voice direction


the new tom tom one only has a 266mhz processor and the first one has a 380mhz processor, so you know the one to go for
Last edited by magneticblue : 06-11-2006 at 20:39

I got the Nokia N70 with a gps receiver and Tom Tom software for £140. Pretty good.

I upgraded my B-CLASS to include SATNAV absolutely brilliant.

What's the point of Sat Nav without voice directions? You might aswell look at a map. How can you keep looking at the screen while you're driving along if you're on your own?

my mistake, i was under the impression the ONE did not have voice activation. That is great to know. Its so small and compact. I really like it and am even more tempted to buy it knowing that. thanks for the advice.

I haven't seen a Sat Nav without voice directions. The only difference with the TomTom 910 is that it actually speaks the road name (eg. "After 300 yards, turn left onto High Street"), whereas most would just give direction ("After 300 yards, at the roundabout bear right, take the 3rd exit").

I've had a TomTom Go 500 for around 11 months now, and I love it. It saves so much time planning a route before I leave, and having to listen to traffic reports (it automatically routes you around traffic - absolutely brilliant when travelling to London).

Although as you're not looking out for directional signs and turnings, it's easy for your mind to wander when using it. Then again, not stressing about finding somewhere helps you concentrate more on driving. You just have to be sensible when using it.


No different to glancing at your speedo? I have mine mounted at the bottom right of my windscreen, so it's in my line of vision. The map display is always consistent, so it's probably safer and quicker to read than a road sign. It's handy to look at to see where your turning is, if there are a number of side roads or exits.
Last edited by Pingu : 09-11-2006 at 16:53

How do you get the Tom Tom to navigate you round traffic jams? Do you have to take out a subscription on their website??

I got a year's free subscription when I bought mine. Otherwise, it's €39.95 per year. It connects via your mobile phone over bluetooth, and downloads via GPRS/UMTS. If you haven't got a data bundle, it can be pretty costly.

The other option, if you have one of the newer 910, 710 or 510 units, is the RDS-TMC add-on. That allows the TomTom to use the free traffic information broadcast over FM.