Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tomtom

Help me help my boss not get lost.

chiababe — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:50:48 -0800

My boss wants me to research GPS units for him to use since he'll be traveling a lot more in the near future. Any recommendations? I really don't know what I should be looking for in a good GPS unit. He wants to spend less than $200. It also needs to be fairly simple to use and update. He's an awesome boss, but not so good with tricky technology. Most of his travel will be within North and South Carolina. We're looking to purchase this within the week, so I won't be able to wait for new models that might be around the corner. I've read a few of the previous questions on this, but I'm wondering if there's anything new and exciting I should be looking at.

GPS Connection + Car Stereo

mccarty.tim — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:11:20 -0800

My PT Cruiser has a satellite radio receiver installed. I don't care for it. Can I make the antenna more useful? I bought a 2007 PT Cruiser Limited (Non-Turbo) used. It has a satellite radio receiver installed, which came with a year of free service when it was new. Of course, I bought the car after the year. So, my car has a radio receiver on the roof I can't afford service for.

I have a GPS, but I tend to park in a parking garage on a college campus. When my GPS (A Tom-Tom) loses signal, it takes a while to get it back. It usually comes back while driving, but it's a bit unnerving when I'm running late for something. Could I possibly take out the radio, get the cable for the satellite receiver, plug that into the external antenna port on my TomTom and put the radio back in without too much fuss? If the cable could be rerouted so it doesn't look too awkward, say through a vent for the windshield blower, that'd be a plus.

Also, while I have the stock radio out, could I install a new radio built for the odd shape in the PT Cruiser with a better iPod interface? I'm only asking because I'm curious. The AUX port is perfectly fine (Save for having a lose grip of the jack), I'd just like something to make it easier to change songs while driving with the bigger screen with an integrated charging option (I currently use a cigarette-lighter to USB adapter). If it's relevant, I use a 20 GB iPod 4G Clickwheel in the car, but I could also use a second generation 4GB Nano, and I'm planning on getting an iPod touch as soon as one of those two iPods dies. Failing that, is it possible to install an aftermarket radio in the car without it looking too funny? The two knobs that stick out from the side worry me.

Other specs I would like in the radio, aside from iPod docking, include AM/FM with at least 4 presets per band, MP3/WMA playback from a burned CD, and the ability to remember what station you were playing last when changing sources (A minor annoyance on mine, because when I switch from AUX to radio, it automatically gives me satellite, and I have to fiddle to get the FM stations again). Being able to see the song playing or selected on the iPod would be nice, too. If it's affordable, HD radio would be great but not essential. I have no need for satellite radio, because I like my local stations and my iPod tracks. If I could buy that for under or around $100, I'd be interested.

As for technical aptitude, I'm a pre-engineering education major. I'm comfortable with some minor electronics, and wouldn't mind crimping a cable or two if I don't need to buy too many tools to get the job done. I'd prefer to install these tweaks myself, but I could look into an honest person to install them. If it's not obvious yet, I know very little about cars.

Sorry if Travel/Transportation isn't appropriate. If you think I should re-categorize this, let me know. Thanks!

Interesting GPS applications?

vizsla — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:16:37 -0800

What are useful/fun/collaborative things that can be done with a PDA, computer and a small GPS device these days?

Which GPS?

PossumCupCake — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:20:37 -0800

As a late birthday gift my father wants to get me a GPS for my truck. He asked if I wanted a TomTom or a Garmin, but I'm not familiar with either one. I looked online a bit but found all the models and crap confusing, so I seek advice here. If it makes a difference, I do a lot of driving in rural areas, and want one that will speak directions as well as show them. Actually, if it could yell them at me, that would help a bit too, as I have kids. Loud kids. Thanks!

What cheap GPS to get for occasional driver in Canada?

ManInSuit — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 09:51:01 -0800

What cheap GPS to get for occasional driver in Canada? Can the green help me choose a GPS?

Here's my deal:

- I'm looking for something at the cheap end of things - Ideally around $200 (Maybe as much as $250. Maybe...)

- Need somethig that works in Canada (where I live) and the US (where I sometimes go).

- I'd use it mainly in rental or borrowed cars. I don't own a car, but go on road trips once in a while.

- Something portable sounds nice, since, even when I travel, I tend to get around by foot/bike quite a bit. But I'm cuious how useful this would really be. Have other folks used GPS for casual getting-around by foot or bike in new cities? This isn't the main feature I'm concerned about, but it's interesting. Can you even charge the batteries in these things outside of a car?

- Of course, accurate maps matter a lot.

- I don't care about MP3 player.

- Text-to-speech would be great, but probably out of my price range, and I can live without it.

Right now, I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 250 (which costs a shade more than I'd hope to spend) and the TomTom ONE 3rd edition. I'm also thinking about a Garmin C330- I used one a couple years ago, and it seemed great, and the are cheap now.

Reviews suggest the TomTom maps aren't so great, which makes me lean toward the Garmins. All the features in the world don't matter if the map's not super-accurate.

So...

- Would anyone recommend somethig other than the models I'd mentioned?
- Is the decrepancy in map accuracy really such a big deal as some reviews suggest?
- What would the Nuvi 250 do that the older cheaper clunkier C330 wouldn't?

Thanks!

GPS and mapping software help needed

birdlady — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:48:56 -0800

I'm a product rep and have to visit stores all over the city. I'm looking for a reasonably priced GPS that will allow me to enter various addresses, then the software will organize it and plan an itinerary. Do tomtoms, etc. have this functionality? If not, is there software or mapping programs that will do this? I've used a tomtom xl, and it does have an itinerary feature, but it doesn't plan it out based on location, it just goes in the order that the waypoints were entered. If I can find software to do this, I could just enter the waypoints in the right order, but as of now, I have no way to plan store visits in a logical order. Which software/gps should I buy?

For a GPS, wish list items include:
Itinerary planning
Voice prompts
Under $200

Help me figure out what I need to buy to organize my maps and find my way around!