Best Sat Nav?

I'd say TomTom - the best software, decent hardware. Whatever you have, make sure your device can read 6 or 7 satellites at one time (most cheap ones and mobile phones can do only 3 or 4).
 
TomTom One units are very popular. TomTom offers good usability, they are also quite compact so convenient for use out of the car.

Having read a lot of "What sat nav" discussions here, I would say TomTom usually comes out on top.

Rgds
 
To me, TomTom seems a quality operation. If you look at their website it gives a good impression of high quality, they have lots of video intros and stuff.

I realise it's not in your suggested budget, but I like the look of their new TomTom Go 530. The thing about this unit is that it contains an FM transmitter so that it can be received by your radio and use the car's speakers, as opposed to the One which just has its own speaker. The 530 can therefore also be used as an MP3 jukebox, which I think is pretty cool, plus it also has bluetooth for handsfree phone use. However, I realise it's easy to get carried away and the One will do the basic sat nav job very well.

Rgds
 
Ive got a Tomtom one and id highly recommend it, great piece of kit. I can only compare it to my dads garmin that he bought a couple of years ago but it totally pwns it in every way.

The only annoying thing is having to buy map packs, i bought it a few months back and its come with an out of date pack and the new pack is £30 :mad:. Don't know if this is the same with the garmin or not.
 
Google Maps + Printer = Win

It's good to learn to navigate on your own, after doing it the hard way for a year i never get lost.
 
Janesy B said:
Google Maps + Printer = Win

It's good to learn to navigate on your own, after doing it the hard way for a year i never get lost.
Click to expand...
This is true too - your spatial memory capacity drastically reduces when you use route guiding systems too much. Also, there is no such thing as 'long distance spatial memory' - spatial memory is spatial memory, so it affects your ability to, say, guide yourself after a while around shopping centre.
 
I love my Navman s30... :)

Very similar to the tomtom specs, but i like the menu and seem to have better luck with it!

Also, the navman can be 'unlocked' as i have installed a media player on mines, so i can fill the memory card with music! Runs behind the satnav program :) (Only useful when in one of my works vans without radio tho lol)
 
JimpsEd said:
This is true too - your spatial memory capacity drastically reduces when you use route guiding systems too much. Also, there is no such thing as 'long distance spatial memory' - spatial memory is spatial memory, so it affects your ability to, say, guide yourself after a while around shopping centre.
Click to expand...

I also find that sat-navs can take you odd routes and you are no longer in control and you are at the mercy of the sat nav. Also if you rely on it too much, the day you forget your sat nav is the day you get lost.

Whenever i go somewhere out of the norm, i go on google maps, plan my route and have a look at it for a while then print off maps of all key junctions just in case.

After doing this for a while i feel i have a better sense of direction and feel more confident about going off the beaten track without any help. Incedently the only time i've ever been lost is when i used a sat-nav which told me i had reached my destination but i was about 5 miles away on the other side of a park.
 
Ive never had a problem with my Garmin nor with the 2 my parents have had. Recently picked myself one up for £99 (special offer save £40iirc) a Nuvi 300T from that supermarket that claims to be cheaper than the green supermarket. Great little thing and not put me wrong yet.
 
Janesy B said:
Google Maps + Printer = Win

It's good to learn to navigate on your own, after doing it the hard way for a year i never get lost.

I also find that sat-navs can take you odd routes and you are no longer in control and you are at the mercy of the sat nav. Also if you rely on it too much, the day you forget your sat nav is the day you get lost.

Whenever i go somewhere out of the norm, i go on google maps, plan my route and have a look at it for a while then print off maps of all key junctions just in case.

After doing this for a while i feel i have a better sense of direction and feel more confident about going off the beaten track without any help. Incedently the only time i've ever been lost is when i used a sat-nav which told me i had reached my destination but i was about 5 miles away on the other side of a park.
Click to expand...

Most people have basic navigation skills, Satnav units are there to just make it easier in the majority of cases. Having navigated by map, then printed out Autoroute maps, then gone sat-nav I can say that a Sat-nav in a lot of cases has a significant positive impact on navigation.

I always have a map in the car, just in case, but in 4 years of sat-naving and a 200KMiles+, I've not had to actually reach for the map.. as I've used the 'map' mode of the Satnav...

And if I was worried about spatial awareness etc, I'd just get a DS with more Brain Training ;)

Back OT, having used most makes, I can say they all do a job, and there is usually little to differentiate between brands, but TOMTOM would also get my vote, it's been the most useful and overall accurate for me.
 
I bought a cheapo Navigo sat-nav and installed MioMaps 3.3 on it. I found it easier to use than TomTom, smarter, the maps were in better detail and it had loads more points of interest.
 
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