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Thread ID: 138340 2014-11-14 22:39:00 Car Sat Nav recommendations please catspyjamas (15614) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1388129 2014-11-16 18:51:00 I drive a streetcam vehicle I use a Tomtom XXL 540. Had to find and buy an older model, as it was the only one that had the functionality that I needed ie being able to plan and upload more than 3 'waypoints'. This model does up to 48. So I can plan my routes and then put them on the Tomtom and it tells me where to go (politely of course ;-) )
I haven't tried any other makes, but after driving a lot of NZ, this one has not given me any issues.
tingle (6539)
1388130 2014-11-16 20:25:00 That may be true, but paper maps still work. Being last century does not make them no good. And I repeat - they are free, one of the best reasons I can think of.

Paper maps will always work but for some they don't provide the convenience of being able to locate your vehicle and plot your route or choice of optional routes to your intended destination.
Its also for those who lack the basic boy scout/girl scout abilities of being able to work out which way is North on a map and where you are in relation to where you want to go. I have also found that a lot of women have no directional awareness when it comes to basic map reading although they may develop it over time with lots of practice. :)
Webdevguy (17166)
1388131 2014-11-16 21:59:00 Its also for those who lack the basic boy scout/girl scout abilities of being able to work out which way is North on a map and where you are in relation to where you want to go. I have also found that a lot of women have no directional awareness when it comes to basic map reading although they may develop it over time with lots of practice. :)

Living dangerously there my friend :banana :thumbs:

Ken :)
kenj (9738)
1388132 2014-11-16 22:05:00 Living dangerously there my friend :banana :thumbs:

Ken :)

It's a bit of a generalisation which is also true in many instances.

That is where a smart phone or Tom Tom type device is handy to have. As to the data usage, I find if it is just for a few occasions than then a smart phone is idea ( especially when using the turn by turn features), if you are going to be requiring navigational guidance daily for a week more while on vacation then get a Tom Tom or sat nav or what ever.
Webdevguy (17166)
1388133 2014-11-16 23:32:00 I want to know where these 'free' paper maps are available from. All the paper maps & road map books Ive seen cost $$
:thumbs:

The best things about sat nav are, they will take you to the street number (usually) , no issues of trying to follow a map while driving or reading maps at night.
They are a god send for finding a business address in streets that dont have numbers for most of the buildings (ie commercial areas)
And they are 1000% better than a paper map at night, its damn near impossible to read house numbers on letter boxes at night while slowly driving past in the car.

There are issues on the cheapies of course, such as stupid street name lookup issues (mine wont accept abbreviations ie St for street or saint ), having to confirm 5x in the menus when once is all thats needed . If the street is slightly out of Ak, having to know what that area comes under in the sat nav .

The biggest issue with my Tom Tom is it cant cope with the sun !!! . It gets very very hot , to the point where it stops charging due to heat issues . Black isnt the best color for something that sits in the sun 1/2 the day .
1101 (13337)
1388134 2014-11-17 01:44:00 I have been trialing the Navigator app from the Play Store with a view to using it on an overseas trip. You can download paid or free maps for just about anywhere, these work offline and seem pretty good so far. If I am on my own I am content to follow the voice directions, these are simple and very clear and I have no problems with them at all. I am running Navigator on a Nexus 7(original), at the moment, and it works particularly well, even to setting it up and putting it on the passenger seat. I also have a Garmin GPS which will only work on he dash, and find its voice directions can be unclear at occasionally, I much prefer the Nexus PPp (9511)
1388135 2014-11-17 02:55:00 Wow!!! I'm really stoked to hear that they are now only diabolical, as that sounds like a significant improvement!

One street name we were looking for was Pupuke and Navman pronounced it poo-puke, while even european names were commonly mangled. There were a number of other equally gruesome examples, but I have noted that Pupuke is now pronounced correctly, as are many other maori names, and european names are also getting better. I think the problem is the software they use, which I'm guessing assembles street name pronunciations from a menu of syllables, consonants and miscellaneous sounds.

Cheers

Billy 8-{)


Our TomTom is the same, and also calls Onewa Road 'One way road'. Other than that it is great.
Richard (739)
1388136 2014-11-17 03:00:00 That would be because paper maps are so last century :)

And nobody ever knows how to fold them, and they split on the folds, and women tend to hold them upside down, and they can't give clear directions before the need to turn.
Richard (739)
1388137 2014-11-17 03:04:00 I want to know where these 'free' paper maps are available from. All the paper maps & road map books Ive seen cost $$
:thumbs:

You can have as many free maps as you want for any part of the country from the AA. I have quite a collection and I can update them whenever I wish.
Roscoe (6288)
1388138 2014-11-17 03:48:00 Maps don't suffer from a flat battery. And if you break down are great for starting a fire, don't think a gps would be. gary67 (56)
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