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| Thread ID: 98700 | 2009-04-03 21:05:00 | In-car GPS | ubergeek85 (131) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 762082 | 2009-04-03 21:05:00 | Hi all. My father's looking to buy an in-car GPS, and for some reason has charged me with getting information on the model's he's interested in. He's narrowed it down to either the Uniden GNS8400 or GNS8436. I can't seem to find much information on either model, except for the usual PR drivel. Do any members own or use these models, and have anything to share? Or, can anyone suggest any better units? Thanks. |
ubergeek85 (131) | ||
| 762083 | 2009-04-03 22:20:00 | I have not owned a Uniden in car GPS. I do own a TomTom as found here. www.dse.co.nz You have to look at ongoing costs like map updates as well. As you know, there are new roads invented every day. Speed limits alter day by day. I would not be without my GPS unit now. Going off road though to work I'm in the bush and it won't tell what road I am on. :-) Some people use them to get to a new subdivision which might be in a paddock according to the GPS. Just things to look for while doing the research. HTH. |
Sweep (90) | ||
| 762084 | 2009-04-03 22:38:00 | Just my view of (car) GPS in general. I have the Navman Platinum model .. the screen glare can be an issue. Consumer mag said the Uniden and Navman better in rural .. so for many that's vacation. When we were at Queenstown going to Te Anau .. it gave a correct but awkward way which we needed to manually detour around cos it told us to go up this hill. Generally I find that pretty much they are all the same. Map version the same again. Sometimes they get the wrong speed limit or not accurate enof. I have found the 100km/hr warning v good, but on specific roads with their own limits I just need to be careful myself and read road signs. Ie... travelling around the country it could go from 100 to 80 to 60 to 50 etc... I find GPS annoying, it creates fuss, your eyes wander to the machine even if you don't need it .. and it can be v hard to use them when driving so you pull over to do it and then the GUI isn't great IMO. I tend to use mine only on holiday trips and I just use the go to function. I don't use the explore functions or detour etc... I have the speed on the top corner and the other info underneath it like DTG, ETA etc etc... The speed is the most useful IMO cos the steering wheel in my vehicle obscures the speedometre partially but then again I very seldom use my own vehicle, if not for a holiday, I may take it out of the garage once a month or 3 weeks :D Pretty much I see diff GPS as in GUI .. screen size etc.. clarity of screen, ease of button use etc. I find that on my one, if you are driving in the city, it may tell you to turn a bit too late so you can get messed up and that it may tell you how to turn for the next one and the one or two ones after that .. so again that can be messy. I find it useful for long drives, great for highways. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 762085 | 2009-04-04 00:54:00 | TOM TOM have3 a benifit (that my old Navman never had) that you can edit maps, ipload them for others to download. Sort of open source to a point. I now use a TOM TOM 1 v 3 and am quite happy, it has a 2 hour built in battery so can be used walkabout if needed. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 762086 | 2009-04-04 02:39:00 | April 2008 Consumer Mag have tests on GPS's. They recomend the Garmin Nuvi 250 or the Navman s30. The Uniden GNS8436 was 4th after the Tom Tom One 3rd edition. :) |
Trev (427) | ||
| 762087 | 2009-04-04 04:14:00 | April 2008 Consumer Mag have tests on GPS's. They recomend the Garmin Nuvi 250 or the Navman s30. The Uniden GNS8436 was 4th after the Tom Tom One 3rd edition. :) Yeah that was it .. I got Uniden and Garmin messed up. However with those breakfast news forget if it was TV1 or TV3, this guy who reviews GPS just before the Xmas holidays said he gave the Navman 2/5 :D and complained the Navman had a shiny screen like a mirror and said the touch screen was not usable. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 762088 | 2009-04-04 04:15:00 | I’ve got a Uniden 8431 which has the same handbook as the 8436 and it is brilliant . It came with Aus & NZ maps all for $199 from Smith & Smith on special . I was a bit hesitant about Uniden, as I’m not their biggest fan when it comes to cordless phones, but so far I’ve it has scored 10/10 in both Aus & NZ . In Aus it shows roads that aren’t on Navman or Asus GPS’s owned by other members of the family . Here’s hoping saying that hasn’t put a hex on it, as I’m in Aus at the moment and rely on it entirely . :) |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 762089 | 2009-04-05 02:43:00 | I have a TomTom one XL which I am very pleased with. When I first got it I had it mounted on the windscreen but I kept being distracted by wanting to look at it as I was driving. Problem solved, I set the address I want to go to then place it in the pocket between the driver and passenger. I just follow the verbal instructions. It still receives all info even tho it is not looking directly at the sky. All instructions to turn ect also arrive in time. | gradebdan (2186) | ||
| 762090 | 2009-04-05 04:04:00 | You should see where some of the tourists end up down here, my bosses one told him to go through the Molesworth station to Hanmer Springs, I think it's a Navman, in Nelson you see so many camper vans going up Beatsons Rd where the speed humps are instead of the State highway into town. But having used one I can say they are great for finding your way around a strange city, other than that I can map read and read road signs so wouldn't buy one. I do use a hand held one to map co ordinates of caves in the back country but you still need to be able to read a map. | gary67 (56) | ||
| 762091 | 2009-04-05 20:04:00 | Thanks for all the replies everyone. Turns out he was in much more of a hurry than I thought. He brought a Garmin Nuvi 760 before I could read any of the replies. Thanks. |
ubergeek85 (131) | ||
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