Posts Tagged ‘Minute Weather’
Navman Sat Nav
For most owners of caravans and motorhomes, a satellite navigation system is a welcome edition to their holiday equipment. If you’ve not made the decision to buy one until now, here’s our top devices.
First off, let’s look at the budget end of the market with the Navman S100. Prices online range from just £89 to £170 including delivery. Although it’s in the budget range, the Navman still comes with plenty of features including a 4.3 inch widescreen format touchscreen, 1 Gigabyte of hard disk space and ‘text to speech’ which will read out road names to you as you drive. The Navman also has pedestrian mode, for when you’ve pitched up and want to investigate the local area on foot. It also comes with the Traffic Message Channel to keep you up to speed with the travel news in your area and warn of any potential hold ups on the way to your destination. It can also give you up to the minute weather forecasts!
The maps for the S100 are provided by Navteq, and cover just single countries, which is perfect if you don’t plan to take your caravan or motorhome out of the country. If you want to go abroad in Europe, you might be best looking at the Garmin NÜvi 255W, which our next sat nav to investigate.
The Garmin NÜvi 255W is still within the budget price range with online prices ranging from £104 to £165. It too comes with a 4.3 inch 16:9 touchscreen. The Garmin, however, lacks the extra features that the Navman comes with such as pedestrian mode, Traffic Messaging Channel and ‘text to speech’.
Maps for the 255W are again provided by Navteq, but the Garmin has the added benefit of covering a single continent.
Next we look at a mid-range model – the Navigon 7310. Prices range from £215 to £240 online, but you’ll find you get a lot more in the way of added features. The Navigon comes with a USB connection, Bluetooth and 4 Gigabytes of hard disk space. It also has the functionality to be used as a hands-free device for your mobile phone – handy if you want to phone ahead to your camp site destination. As well as having ‘text to speech’ and Traffic Messaging Channel, the Navigon also has a 3D landmark and 3D elevation mode, should you wish to get a different view of where you’re heading.
The maps for the 7310 are also provided by Navteq and cover a single continent, so you’re getting the same coverage as the Garmin, but with a lot of extra features.
At the top end of the market, and probably your budget, is the Tom Tom GO 940 Live. Tom Tom are probably one of the most famous names in satellite navigation systems, so you’ll be expecting the best in terms of specification – you won’t be disappointed!
Prices for the GO 940 Live range from £250 to £557 online so it pays to shop around for this one. The features on this Tom Tom are vast, so here goes: it comes with iPOD control and internet connectivity so you can get online whilst away from home via a wi-fi connection. It is capable of connecting to other devices via USB or Bluetooth and can be used as an in car phone! The GO 940 also has an FM transmitter and MP3 playback capabilities, not to mention voice control, Traffic Messaging Channel, and map sharing facilities.
Like the other three models reviewed, it comes with a 4.3 inch 16:9 touch screen, which seems to be the norm for new sat navs. One thing that’s different about the Tom Tom is that the maps are provided by Teleatlas and cover more than 1 continent.
If your towing outfit or motorhome are super-sized, you could look for a device such as the Snooper Ventura, which calculates practical routes based on the vehicle’s width, length, height and weight and includes a unique search facility of 8600 campsites across 29 European countries! It’s not a budget option, though, with prices ranging from £350 to £450.
Verdict
If you want a budget sat nav with ample features, the Navman S100 is the one to go for. However, if you want a budget, no-nonsense sat nav that will take you around Europe, go for the Garmin NÜvi 255W. If you’re into your gadgets and want something that’s more than just a sat nav – the Navigon provides heaps of added extras at a reasonable price. The Tom Tom is for those who want to get the most out of their sat nav or want to travel further a field than Europe in their caravan or motorhome. Finally the Snooper Ventura is for owners of larger outfits that need special guidance as to which roads they can travel on.
While technology is constantly evolving it is fairly safe to say that there are some toys that are better suited to remain at the top of the heap than others. The story really is no different when it comes to auto navigation systems. These systems each have different bells and whistles and while there is no one system that is perfect for everyone, there are a few systems that are consistent best sellers.
It is important that you as a consumer know what is available in navigational tools before leaping and buying the first thing you see. There are many neat buttons and features that can really turn a girls (or guys for that matter) head if she isn’t sure of what she will actually need and use in her (or his) travels. Knowing what you need, what you would like, and what you are fairly certain you can live without will help you get the best possible bargain for your auto navigation system dollar.
Best Selling Models
1) Tom Tom ONE Navigation System. This system is currently the smallest of the portable auto navigation systems that technology is constantly changing so this could be a short-lived accomplishment. Don’t let the size fool you however. Tom Tom may be small in size but it is big on features. The atlas is preloaded so you do not need to add any software in order for it to be up and running. Additionally you can subscribe to the plus features if you have a Bluetooth enabled phone, these features will provide accurate and up to the minute weather and traffic data while you travel. Tom Tom offers four different routing options and different views of the map displayed onscreen. Tom Tom One offers turn-by-turn directions and will quickly get you back on track if you miss your turn. The Tom Tom commercials aren’t a terrible exaggeration of the great features this little device has to offer.
Garmin
2) Garmin Nuvi 660 Automotive GPS. This auto navigation system is one of, if not the most advanced on the market today. Again, technology evolves so quickly that there is no guarantee this information won’t be obsolete tomorrow. However, for the time being this is the system that has all the bells and whistles that should set your eyes aglow and get your fingers itching to ‘play’ with it for a while. Of course, being the most advanced generally brings the largest price tag. There really is no difference in this case and only you can decide if the features available are really worthy of the additional fee. In addition the typical navigation features Nuvi is Bluetooth enabled and has extra features for those who wish to subscribe.
Magellan
3) Magellan RoadMate 2200T Portable Navigation System. This system is another that is wildly popular at the moment. Some of the popularity of this particular system is the direct result of its versatility. This unit is small enough to be used in settings other than the automobile. You will need to purchase an upgrade in order to use it for driving directions but all indications point to this unit being well worth the price, including that of the upgrade. This nifty device also has other functions such as an MP3 player and photo viewer. And is well suited for use away from the automobile for up to 8 hours. You can also subscribe to a service that provides reliable traffic updates including information about traffic snarls as well as road construction. You can also use RoadMate to point out points of interest, restaurants, and fuel stops along your route.
Each of the models mentioned above has some feature that sets it apart from the others and some features that are very much like the others. You will find a wide range of prices as well as features in all units that you choose to check out. These are some of the best selling auto navigation systems on the market at the moment and are a good place to start your search for your perfect system.
