Steve Atwal

Which GPS?

My quest for a GPS started by doing some research. I like to find out as much as I can about the type of product I’m buying. I also like to find the best product in the category, and the best price for that product - or the best bang for the buck.

I am going to share the information I gathered, so that hopefully this will make your life easier in your search for a portable GPS unit.

To start with, I will assume that you know what a GPS is, i.e. a way to locate and tell you where you are on our planet Earth. The types of GPS I will look at are portable devices that are primarily used for automobiles, include detailed maps that show you your location, and give you driving directions to where you want to go. I will look at two of the more popular vendors: Garmin and TomTom. So, if you are looking for an aviation GPS, marine GPS, fitness and health GPS, or GPS software, then you won’t find it here.

A common question is: does it cost anything to operate a GPS device? Simple answer: no. There is no fee or service you need to buy in order to receive the signals from the satellites that feed your GPS device. However, you can subscribe to special services, such as traffic warnings (e.g. so you can avoid traffic jams due to accidents), but those are optional services that you can sign up for with your GPS vendor.

The nice thing about a portable GPS unit with detailed maps is that it lets you visually see where you are and where you want to be, and might even show you some attractions or POI (points of interest) along the way that catch your fancy. For example, I have added all the Red Robin locations in North America to my Garmin Nuvi 660. Over time, vendors have started to add more features such as the ability to play MP3’s, display photos, connect to your bluetooth capable phone (for hands-free calling), and give you some local traffic information. So, how do you know if you are getting the features you need?

Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for a GPS unit:

• chipset
• mapping service
• useability

Below are two tables for models of Garmin units and TomTom units. I’ve only included units that include Bluetooth, since I’m a careful driver and want you to be also - hopefully making and receiving hands-free calls will help you avoid accidents.

Garmin Models Comparison Chart

Summary

• 300 series - With more features than the 200 series, this set includes the first two nuvis ever released, the 350 and 360, along with the newer 370.
• 600 series - More feature laden still, this line includes the nuvi 650, 660, 670 and 680.
• 700 series - The newest additions to the nuvi family, these units incorporate the high-end features of the 600 series, with the internal antenna found on the 200 series.
• x70 models - The tranatlantic 270, 370, 670 and 770 models have maps of the U.S., Canada and Europe.

See chart below for detailed comparisons:

Nuvi Model	Maps	Screen Size	Speaks street names	MP3 player	Traffic	Blue- tooth	FM transmitter	MSN Direct	Best Price
260	U.S. Canada	3.5″	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
350	U.S. Canada	3.5″	Yes	Yes	Option	No	No	No
360	U.S. Canada	3.5″	Yes	Yes	Option	Yes	No	No
370	U.S. Canada Europe	3.5″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
650	U.S. Canada	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Option	No	No	No
660	U.S. Canada	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
670	U.S. Canada Europe	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
680	U.S. Canada	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
750	U.S. Canada	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Option	No	Yes	Option
760	U.S. Canada	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Option
770	U.S. Canada Europe	4.3″	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Option

TomTom Models Comparison Chart

Features	ONE	ONE 3rd ed	ONE XL	ONE XL-S	GO 510	GO 720	GO 910	GO 920	GO 920T
Maps	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada	U.S. Canada Europe	U.S. Canada Europe	U.S. Canada Europe
Screen size	3.5″	3.5″	4.3″	4.3″	4.0″	4.3″	4.0″	4.3″	4.3″
Speaks street names	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Map Share	No	Yes	When updated	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
TMC Traffic	No	Option	Option	Option	Option	Option	Option	Option	Yes
Blue- tooth	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FM transmitter	No	No	No	No	Option	Yes	Option	Yes	Yes
iPod control	No	No	No	No	Option	Option	Option	Option	Yes
MP3 player	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Remote control	No	No	No	No	No	Option	Yes	Yes	Yes
Voice command	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes