Working out how to get from A to B is yesterday's problem with a GPS navigator. In fact, navigation is so good across all the different brands that navigator makers have started working on making them easier to use.
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New models make it easier to set up on the windscreen mount when you get into the car, easier to type on with more responsive touchscreens, have voice recognition technology to take your addresses by dictation, and some even have internet built in to look up addresses.What to look for in a GPS navigator
Easy on-screen interface: the importance of this cannot be understated. Don't get sucked in by free map upgrade offers and discounts. If the menu system of the navigator is fiddly to use (small on-screen buttons, too many taps required to do simple actions, and so on) the navigator will annoy you forever more. TomTom has a particularly excellent easy-to-use on-screen menu system, and Garmin's is not far behind.
Ease of mounting: the windscreen mount is the second most annoying thing about any GPS navigator, and it's usually not on display in the shop. Avoid ones that are bulky contraptions with tightening levers and screws – they will get loose and squeak as you drive around. Simpler suction cups and fixed arms are better. TomTom's new magnetic mounts are great, because they eliminate the step of having to manoeuver a tiny USB plug into the navigator for power.
The type of touchscreen: most GPS navigators have resistive (pressure sensitive) touchscreens, which require a firm touch, and therefore prevent you from typing an address in quickly. Some newer navigators have iPhone-style glass capacitive (finger sensing) touchscreens, so they're much easier to type accurately on.
“Where am I” function: this surprisingly important function is not found on some navigators. If you break down you can press this button and get a read-out such as: “I am on the M6 Highway, between Eastern Exit and Mary St, 1200m from Mary St, travelling north”. This is a godsend when trying to describe to the NRMA or RACV where you are.
What not to look for
Don't worry about getting a model with a traffic congestion radio in it. In our on-road testing, we've found that real traffic congestion incidents are quite often not picked up by the GPS in time to save you from a traffic jam. When they are, most GPS navigators require you to make manual decisions about what to do anyway; it's not a case of them smoothly routing you around the blockage.
Don't put too much weight on free map upgrade offers, which are sometimes used to attract buyers to sub-par navigators. It's more important that the basic design of the navigator is easy to use.
Spoken street names sound like they would be very useful, but they shouldn't be a deal breaker, because all you really need to know when driving with GPS navigation is to turn right in 30 metres.
Best of 2011's GPS navigators
Navigation? Sorted out years ago. The makers of GPS navigators are now perfecting their physical designs to make them easier to use in the car.
TomTom GO 1000
The iPhone-style glass capacitive touchscreen makes it easy to enter addresses, and a new magnetic car mount lets you snap the navigator on and off its stand without fiddling with tiny USB plugs. One drawback is this model doesn't yet support world maps. That feature's coming soon, but if you need them now, the $449 GO 1050 World model comes with 49 world maps built in.
$329 | tomtom.com
Navman My75T
Although the Navman user interface is fiddlier than TomTom or Garmin's, it's one of the most full-featured devices on the market. It comes with two years' map upgrades and has a radio receiver that picks up traffic congestion information. There's even an optional $199 reversing camera accessory (but you have to have it professionally installed, and plug it into the GPS each time.)
$379 | navman.com.au
TomTom Rider Pro
If a motorbike is your preferred mode of transport, the Rider Pro gives you a glove-friendly big-button interface, eight hours' battery life, and waterproof casing for all-weather riding. It also has an extra-loud speaker as well as an included wireless headset. Like other TomToms it has IQ routes, which takes into account real-life road speeds at different times of day when planning routes.
$599 | tomtom.com
Garmin Nuvi 3790T
As slim as an iPhone 4, with a glass capacitive touchscreen, there's no doubt this is the sexiest-looking navigator on the market. It has always-on speech recognition that listens for a keyword and allows you to control it hands-free. It's also one of very few navigators to have a proper walking mode, so it's useful to keep in your pocket, too.
$549 | garmin.com.au
Garmin Nuvi 2250
If you haven't yet bought a navigator, this is an affordable way to get a quality brand. “Hotfix” satellite prediction allows the navigator to get started quickly when you turn it on, rather than having to wait minutes for it to find the satellite. It also has a walking mode, and an additional $20 option to add public transport instructions.
$199 | garmin.com.au
Uniden IGO43
Despite being better known for cordless phones, Uniden makes very good GPS navigators. “Junction view” shows where to go on complicated freeway exit ramps, with RTA-style overhead road signs appearing on the navigation screen. One fantastic and unique feature of Uniden navigators is you can rent world maps when you go on holidays ($25 for Europe for a month, for example).
$199.95 | uniden.com.au
TomTom for iPhone
If you already have an iPhone, the TomTom app can give you GPS navigation for $89.99 (Australian map). However, you do also have to buy the windscreen mount for $159 to get adequate GPS performance and a louder speaker, which blunts the bargain rather a lot. The upside is you can use the iPhone's internet connection to search for places with Google through the TomTom app.
$248.99 | tomtom.com
HTC Incredible S
Smartphones such as the Incredible S that use Google's Android software have a suprisingly good free 3D driving navigation system built in. The voice is robotic, and it lacks some extra features such as a speed display and so on, but the navigation is good and you can get addresses either from your phone contacts, or by searching Google. Destinations even preview in Street View mode!
$0 upfront on $49 Optus plan (24 months) | htc.com/au
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/cartech/what-to-look-for-in-a-gps-navigator-20110711-1h9nm.html#ixzz1TBMWW4CC
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