Garmin Devices - General Discussion

[cruiser]

Guys, need some help. Have someone going to the US soon, so thought I'd take the oportunity to get a new toy ... bloody mind boggling, the models available.

Any suggestions/recommendations? Sounds like the 260W at this stage but the risk of not being able to run our maps is a huge bummer ... what about the older models?

Hi Jimmy,

Although the Dollar has taken quite a dip, its still far cheaper and sensible to buy it on home grounds like where you are... We have the same confronting us too in Europe i.e.

Upfront, it looks expensive, the Euro and the high rates etc... but at the end of the day, with taxes & warranty included, the bargain is surprisingly more sound with home purchase.

Heyyyy, Howard, I was once rather keen on the 5000 too but the limitations and its awesome drainage on power (and with Karen in there as well with her thing... ), it became obvious to have it left in the car or larger vehicle like a SUV but kinda smallish still for a RV really.
certainly NOT the ideal choice for Asian roads & exposure though!!! Darn burglars will still break in and run off with it leaving you with the mess and loss nevertheless and perhaps, they might swear & curse ya from elsewhere for letting them nick yr 5000.... Perhaps cast a spell too for spoiling their day's takings with your spoils....hahaaa

[hayamaguchi]

Yes, the 5000 stays in my SUV, and when I leave the car parked anywhere but in my garage, I hide the 5000 away in one of the compartments. It only leaves the car when I need to load some other things into it from my PC.

(But it WOULD make a good defensive weapon if need be --- can use it as a club! )

[jmleng]

Hi Jimmy,
Although the Dollar has taken quite a dip, its still far cheaper and sensible to buy it on home grounds like where you are... We have the same confronting us too in Europe i.e.

Upfront, it looks expensive, the Euro and the high rates etc... but at the end of the day, with taxes & warranty included, the bargain is surprisingly more sound with home purchase.

Well, this has not been a problem prior to my moving to Aust ... In KL, it didn't matter where you bought the GPS because there was no loaded map issue to worry about meaning, you always loaded MSM/MFM maps. In Aust, buying a local unit means getting the Garmin Aust maps ...

Also in KL, the price differential between a US-purchased unit and a KL-purchased unit is substantial - my 60Cx from Amazon cost me about RM1,300 equivalent, in KL, it was around RM2,300 or so ... Warranty was not a huge concern because of the cost differential - still a risk, but well worth taking.

So, I agree with you up to a point ie. buy local if you get local maps ...

[jmleng]

Jimmy, Nuvi 260W is wide screen. Should load our maps... (I guarantee.... ) . When Antyong say the 255 has problems, he probably refers to it not displaying POIs while you are routing...... I didn't understand this until I try out my neighbour's Nuvi 205 ... The navigation screen of the Nuvi 205 behaves like my old Streetpilot C320. It will show you the route in front and where to turn.... but until I got the Nuvi 310 and compare... I said ...wow !!! what a world of difference. The Nuvi 310 can show me a lot more 'side roads' or data or POI or buildings (eg) beside the dark purple line shown in the centre of the screen........ but both the C320 or the nuvi 310 will get me to my destination.

Anyway... I don't know if the Nuvi 260W will show other POIs while you are routing........

Next... I think it is worth it to buy in Australia.... Many Singaporeans buy from Australia....

Jag, thanks, this helps. Have not come up the curve on this new POI-while-route capability ... 6-8 months away means a quantum leap in mapping technology!

Re: buying in Aust, need to re-orientate my mindset .. always thought Amazon was cheapest, and it still is, but I was quite surprised at how competitive the Aussie units are, esp when on special (as the 260W is at the moment). Worth the differential as I get Garmin's Aust maps ..

Am probably going to get the 260W anyway. As Howard points out, I suspect I will be unhappy using the Garmin Aust maps when POIs are wrong, missing etc etc such that having your own map still makes sense. The "fear" of course is that I will be so comfortable using the Garmin maps that it may come to a point where continuing to spend time building the Perth map makes no sense, especially given "pending changes" to my life ...

[coolerbok]

Am probably going to get the 260W anyway.

Sifu,
According to C.H. Smith site, 260W in Oz is replaced by the 255W. I find this strange, but that's what the site says:
http://www.chsmith.com.au/Garmin_in_carGPS2.html

I am actually thinking of the 265T which has a small screen like the 310 but has bluetooth. Can't seem to find this at the moment. The bluetooth on my 310 went kaput.
Cheers.

[jaguar]

Hmm... for me my battery on the Nuvi 310 went kaput. Then bro Silverbeauty sent me a few pics (from somewhere inside the internet) on how to dismantle the antenna before you can access the battery.. I keep staring at the back of my Nuvi 310 and don't have the heart to open it as I scared the spring jump at me and go hiding takut la. So, anyone knows who or which vendor can replace it for me for less than $20 ?

for me , i never use the bluetooth anymore. And now... becos of battery dead, the Nuvi takes a longer time to first lock each time my BH starts her car.... at least it is still working Great stuff this Garmin hardware... 1 intestine broken but still functioning great... oops.. touch wood..

[jmleng]

Am probably going to get the 260W anyway.

Sifu,
According to C.H. Smith site, 260W in Oz is replaced by the 255W. I find this strange, but that's what the site says:
http://www.chsmith.com.au/Garmin_in_carGPS2.html

I am actually thinking of the 265T which has a small screen like the 310 but has bluetooth. Can't seem to find this at the moment. The bluetooth on my 310 went kaput.
Cheers.

Thanks coolerbok. I am complete confused with the Garmin model numbers ...

[Joey]

My dad just bought a SD Card with China Map inside. I'm wondering if I can put the new mfm maps into the 1GB SD Card?

[jaguar]

Dear little sista Joey,

Keep that SD card with the china map alone , especially that you are so new to GPS jargon at this point.
Go get another SD card and they are relatively cheap these days and load our MFM maps into it.

All maps will always be named as gmapsupp.img (be it China or USA or MFM).. hence if you accidentally overwrite the china maps with our MFM maps... your dad will skin you.....

By the way, our MFM is only roughly 20MB ... way way below the minimum size of a typical SD card that you can buy in the market... so , you don't need to buy those 1GB and above... unless 1 GB is the smallest you can buy...

and do beware of the many wolfs in this forum..... I'll protect you

[cruiser]

Dear little sista Joey,

and do beware of the many wolfs in this forum..... I'll protect you

Hullo sista Joey... nice to see you have a "Godfather" who will take care of things to maps and the rest remains separate...hams***...

I think a 1GB SD card is safe to have for a start and I hope you stay active with this forum... so we know it appeals to young ladies too...

as this is a gentleman's pub as well....