|
|
|
|
|
| | | | You are not authorized to post a reply. | | | Author | Messages | |
Andy Berglund
 |
| 06/21/2007 1:16 AM |
 Alert | my wife got one of these devices from her trip in NYC. it's pretty neat but i was wondering how it compared to something like garmin's 60 and 70 series devices. it does have the all important SIRF III chipset.
i like its form factor and for on-road navigation it seems just fine. it has the ability to also use topos as well. it even comes with 90m topos with 30m on the way-they're just not available yet.
anyway, i was wondering how 1) the brands compare and 2) how it compares to the garmins i mentioned above.
a | |
I am loving the Gilmore Girls-Scott Williams | |
| Todd Eliason
Title Sponsor
| | 06/25/2007 2:45 PM |
Alert | Hate to see your post go unanswered, but unfortunately I know nearly nothing about the Magellans....
| |
93 LR Defender 110
05 Land Rover LR3 | |
| Craig Miller
Title Sponsor
| | 06/25/2007 4:33 PM |
Alert | Same here Andy. I don't know much about them either. If you bring it and the docs to an event, I'd be happy to check it out and give you an opinion though.
Craig
| |
My Overland Adventure Blog | |
| Andy Berglund
| | 07/05/2007 12:46 AM |
Alert | well, since no one really has any firsthand information, i thought i'd post a little review about the crossover here.
this past weekend i was able to use it out at the quilomene and it great. i entered the way points that dan provided and it gave me a great route to follow. the topos are 90m intervals but supposedly there is an updated 30m topo coming out. the unit also comes loaded with basemaps for auto and marine navigation. the basemap that was loaded had pretty good resolution-at least as good as some of the garmin's i've seen.
form factor wise it is perfect. with the suction mount on my windshield it was never in the way and honestly didn't look too out of place. the nice thing about this product is that it's geared towards users that have more than just one need. it's smaller and more rugged that most car based navigation aids so it could be taken on a hike (though it's a bit bulky). the auto navigation aspect was very helpful and it can provide routing to a waypoint you've set while off highway. also, the fact that it was designed to be used in a car means it has a nice large screen that has fairly high resolution. meaning-it's a lot easier to see than some smaller handhelds.
satellite reception was good. it has the SiRF II chipset as most modern GPSs do. there is no external antenna, however but there are provisions to add such. unfortunately, it requires a $100 cradle plus the $50 antenna itself. i suspect that with said antenna, the reception would be amazing.
the touchscreen can be a bit annoying. it does better with a stylus rather than a finger but that isn't always tenable. nevertheless, it does provide a nice clean box and helps to prevent dust and water ingress.
the hardware itself is a windows based harddrive type device. there were a few moments when it would lock up and reboot itself. it hasn't happened too often and while annoying, nothing gets deleted and there is no blue screen of death. i've never heard of a garmin unit having similar issues.
in all, i'd recommend this unit to anyone who has similar needs as we do for GPSs. craig's setup will be much nicer, naturally. his setup does require a bit more of an investment, both financially and mechanically (if you go for the in car setup). his also has much nicer maps and mapping software. but something like this is a nice compromise between a fancy in car only setup which has a nice screen and interface but no off road maps and a small hiking GPS with good data but awkward interface.
andy | |
I am loving the Gilmore Girls-Scott Williams | |
|
| | You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
| |
ActiveForums 3.6 | | |
|
|
|