TomTom is a real turkey...

[RJOL]

I have a Palm TX and decided to get the PalmOne TomTom software (same software as their stand alone GPS devices). I've used it several times, over the past couple of months, and have come to the conclusion that it is a real turkey.



I would never trust this device, while towing my 5th wheel, in an area that I was unfamiliar with. It will try to route you down dead end roads, to get back on course. Programing an itinerary is a real adventure. The process is very labor intensive, and even when you put in several "via's" to select the route you want to go, it will ignore the via's. This is especially true when you deviate from the "fastest route. " It will try to take you back to that route even when established on the alternate route. I think this program was meant to be used to find POI's in big cities as the accuracy of the information goes severely downhill when you get out in the country.



Also, the Palm TX screen is just not bright enough to use in full daylight.



If anyone else has had better luck with this program, please let me know, but so far it has been all hype and little results...

 

[MA2LA]

I have been using Sprint GPS and it isn't all that much better than what you described. One of my customers puts them in all thier vans and it seems to work well for them. The main problem is how slow sprint can be and never use shortest its ot worth it, from VA to atlanta it wanted nothing but back roads on the shortest and it only saved 10 miles.

 

[Bob Wagner]

Marco brought his tom tom over from italy and it kicked butt over Mark Chapples garmin gps system.



It knew all the little backtoads name and always choose the short path even way out in the counrty



Tom Tom was the winner hands down

 

[Stranger]

Garmin Street Pilot C330. Hands down easy to program, see and hear. Easy to re-program enroute. Movable from vehicle to vehicle. Can program tomorrows trip tonight and just start it in the morning.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

TomTom software on a 3rd environment is iffy. I have a TomTom 910 and I litterally am amazed at it's overall performance. It had one glitch out in indy that was a bit weird that kept thinking I was on the airport tarmac off of hwy 425?? I think but that has been it so far. I fully trust it (And it somehow knew deep woods "No named" trail/firelogging roads in VT which I was left at.

 

[RACE427]

Lowrance 500i

Just saw the Lowrance 500i, screen looks awesome, nice and bright. Have not seen anyone post any information about this unit or it's software program. Would like to hear from someone who has tried one.



Thanks

 

[cruiser_2]

I have the TomTom Go 700 and after owning several different units (one for my palm at one timethat totally sucked) I really like my TomTom. I had the Garmin GPS V and it was OK but with all the detailed maps pre programmed in it ROCKS! Hasn't let me down yet and I travel all over the US.



Grt a real TomTom and quit fooling around with the other crap for your Palm. A palm is good for use as a Palm, not as a GPS.

 

[Rams-n-Hogs]

I have the TomTom 910, and am pretty impressed with it. Only one time it didn't know where I was at, (and I did), and once it figured it out, it made all the corrections it needed to make, and was good after that. The part I like most - I don't have to stop to ask directions. It's amazing all the places that it knows.

 

[bmoeller]

Programing an itinerary is a real adventure. The process is very labor intensive, and even when you put in several "via's" to select the route you want to go, it will ignore the via's.

Doubt it is as bad as the Cobra GPS1000. The computer software is junk. A lot of the town names are wrong, and it is VERY user unfriendly. rolay PITA. The device itself (GPS1000) is OK, but you need the card for it. Runs out of memory in short order.



The 12v adapter cable was junk in less than a week.



Batteries won't last 300 miles on the GPS 100 I had before, and none of them lasted more than 2 days before they failed. The last one had a bunch of black lines in the display within a day.

 

[SMolteberg]

I run TomTom5 on a Dell X3 and use it both Europe and America. Overall I'm very happy with it. Lately I have noticed my maps are getting slightly outdated, specially here in Norway. But I have the first build of the TT5 and are too cheap to update

If you use the fastes route it usually keep you on the bigger roads all the time, and when you drift onto the backroads in that mode it can do some strange things to get you back on the freeway again. Of course, if you know your local roads then it makes some strange turns here and there, but for overall navigation I'm very pleased. You can tweak it so you get your own blend on freeway - backroads. When I was in LA it wanted me to use the freeways a lot, but if you use some common sense when using it you should be fine (don't make that turn into a logging-road with your 5th wheel in tow, just keep on going )