Posts Tagged ‘GPS devices’
What You can Expect From The GPSMAP 60CSx
The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx is a great mid-range, hand-held site navigation device. It’s a little heavier than the cheapest or most expensive Garmins, but it still floats, if need be. It comes with a 128 microSD card and is geocaching/game friendly. Compared to your bare bones GPS, you’ll get a barometric altimeter, an electronic compass, turn-by-turn directions, tide tables, a high-sensitivity receiver, which will give you reception even in those remote areas, and custom points of interest.
The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx retails around $535.70, but can be found for as low as $191.50 at www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com or $339 at www.zappos.com. Compared to the $249 Garmin GPSMAP 60, this upgraded version comes with three important new features. First, the new SiRFSTARIII chip set has received wide acclaim for its ability to beam signals under canopies, around buildings, down into canyons and in typically hard-to-reach places. Secondly, this new Garmin model has traded in the dated internal memory system for a microSD card slot that can be upgraded instead, giving you unlimited storage capacity and the ability to use any new map software that comes out. Thirdly, the 60CSx comes with an electronic compass and barometric altimeter that the GPSMap 60CS doesn’t even have.
There are many pros to the GPSMAP 60 CSx, when compared with its predecessors. From the moment you turn it on, you’ll notice that a perfect reading is available in less than a minute; within three minutes, all bars will be reporting from 10 satellites with an accuracy of 10 feet, which is impressive as far as GPS devices go. Even in hard-to-reach areas like basements, the accuracy is reported with 3-6 satellites and within 46 feet. The older model Garmin GPSMAP 60cs would normally get zero to one satellite readings at the same location. In cities and urban canyons, old GPSMap 60s had jumpy readings and sometimes even lost the signals entirely. However, the new and improved GPSMAP 60CSx boasts 7-8 stable satellites in the same spot with an accuracy of 20 feet. Perhaps this is why so many geocachers like using this GPS site navigation to find their hidden treasures.
There aren’t many glitches or problems associated with the GPSMAP 60CSx, but as with any technical gadget, you may occasionally run into something. A few times, your GPS navigation system won’t reach a fix within a few seconds, so you’ll need to turn it off and back on again to reset. Additionally, even though you save the same amount of points in your track log, the newer model will use more memory for some reason. There was an early altimeter bug that has since been fixed with firmware version 2.7. Sometimes the “find by name” in the points of interest doesn’t work either. Even so, Garmin has been working on improvements and the 60CSx is still one of the most highly rated GPS devices you can buy.
Refurbished GPS Devices Are A No Brainer
Isn’t it strange how there seems to have been an explosion of refurbished GPS devices on the market, within just about any given ecommerce store that can be found by doing a google search? This shouldn’t come as a shocker to anyone, finding quality GPS devices, especially those that you can use in your car, for a low price is definitely something that consumers want.
Why are there so many refurbished GPS out there? There are actually a lot of different reasons why a unit is going to marked as refurbished by a manufacturer or retailer. Some refurbished GPS are still in their pristine, pre-production condition and haven’t even left their own packaging. Take a look at these reasons why any product could labeled as “refurbished”:
1. The person who originally wanted the product brought it back to the store, this generally indicates that the original owner of the product took advantage of the store’s return policy for one reason or another. There could have been some defect in the GPS, but this can also not the case; the person who purchased it just ends up not wanting it.
2. A product could find itself “over stocked” and the company could be looking for ways to unload inventory. When this happens, the store will either sell the product for a clearance price, or deliver the unit to it source; once the company that made the product get it, a business decision needs to be made about how to best handle the new inventory, this sometimes has the outcome of the device getting labeled “refurbished”, and then sell the “refurbished” product to specific retailers/wholesalers for a greatly reduced price. There is a small chance that the product has not even been opened.
3. It could be that the unit is left over because it was a “display model”. When this is the case, the product eventually gets sent back to the manufacturer; the factory then inspects the product, makes any necessary changes, and ships it back out under the refurbished label.
4. The device’s packaging was opened by a customer. If this happens and the store doesn’t want to deal with the unit themselves they send it back to the manufacturer who reseals it and labels it refurbished.
5. Shipping damage. When this happens, it usually just means that only the box that the product was in got damaged, but if anything other than the product was damaged (accessories, or the actual unit), it is completely fixed or replaced by the manufacturer.
6. And finally, a reason for a product to be labeled refurbished is that there was an actual defect in the unit. How common this is depends largely on the product and how many mistake the manufacturer made in creating the product. When a product has a defect or cosmetic damage it is sent back to the manufacturer for repair, and anything that they can find fault with and fix they do; whn all this is over the product is going to work just like it was new, and some might content it is now actually less likely to become defective than the non refurbished products sitting on the shelves of the retail stores; they argue this because refurbished devices generally undergo a battery of tests.
Refurbished GPS units represent a value to consumers that they should take advantage of. Not every device out there is going to be great, but there are a lot of excellent units just waiting to be purchased at rock bottom prices.
Choosing A GPS
GPS devices are sure to be one of the top gifts for the holiday season, whether it’s for dad to use on his boat, the wife for her car or your brother for his hiking expeditions. A GPS is so much more than “just a map.” While the features vary greatly, on some GPS systems you can look up restaurants or gas stations, play “Amazing Race” type games, reroute your commute around traffic jams and listen to satellite radio.
“Garmin is founded on the principles of innovation, convenience, performance, value, and service,” proclaims the company website. In fact, Garmin, which has been around since 1989, is the most well-known North American brand name in Global Positioning Systems today. Based out of Kansas, no part of the manufacturing process gets outsourced, as the company designs, manufactures, markets and sells all of their products themselves. They offer GPS navigation systems for all different lifestyles, such as fitness-based systems, automotive GPS systems, systems for hikers or campers, aviation technology, marine technology and site navigation for geocachers.
In addition to Garmin, Magellan is another leader in GPS systems, with their Magellan Maestro 4250 being the most popular GPS model, which ranges from $90-$279 online. Dutch Manufacturer TomTom was founded in 1991 and employs over 3,500 people worldwide. Their most popular navigator is the TomTom ONE XL 330-S (starting at $249), which has a wide 4.3″ screen, customization options, search by zip code functionality, text-to-speech, multi-destination routing, emergency locator service and the ability to search for points of interest near your current location. Lastly, the Navignon 2100 Max Portable Navigator (starting at $248.35) can help you find hospitals, pharmacies and roadside assistance, while also offering text-to-speech, lane assist and reality view maps.
When buying an auto GPS device, you’ll want to look for the number of points of interest. “Points of Interest” include businesses, hospitals, gas stations, stores, restaurants, amusement parks, hotels and other destinations. Most good devices offer something like 6 million, while low end models may have as little as 1.3 million, which can be very frustrating to use. All new Garmin units come pre-loaded with City Navigator’s 6 million POIs, while Magellan GPS devices can range from 750,000 to 6 million.
Taking A Look At The Garmin Gpsmap Features
A Garmin GPSMAP can be used by motorists, bicyclists, hikers and mariners. The crossover GPS devices are usually smaller, which allow for hand-held capacity, especially when compared to the bulkier nuvi automobile models. The navigator maps can range greatly too, as some are in color and some are black-and-white. As well, some are equipped with customizable points of interest, some aren’t; some have 16 hour batteries, some with 28 hour; some with automatic routing and games, some without.
Garmin knew that active individuals needed a reliable crossover device to help them navigate their way. In this world of James Bond caliber adventure, we find ourselves traveling by various modes in our pursuits. At the very beginning of the Garmin line of GPS maps, there are aviation navigator maps for pilots to travel by land, air and sea, such as the GPSMAP 96 or 196, for example. From those basic grey-scale models, Garmin has advanced to full-color portable devices like the GPSMAP 495 and 496, adding airport maps, pre-loaded maps, 3,000 favorite locations, traffic information services, voice prompts, satellite radio and weather.
The Garmin GPSMAP 76 series ranges from $200 to $428.56, depending on the model. The marine-friendly GPS navigation systems are great for serious outdoor adventurers who want a barometric altimeter, electronic compass, location tracking and turn-by-turn directions. The grey-scale Garmin GPSMAP comes with the 76 and 76-S models, while the 76Cx and 76CSx models display in 256 colors with transflective screens. The higher end GPSMAP 76cx and 76CSx models also beat the cheaper 76 models in that they have high-quality receivers for when you’re in deep canyons, dense forests or far-off mountain ranges. Additionally, the more expensive models accept pre-loaded data cards if you want to add more maps without linking up to the computer. If you want geocaching and games, then you’ll need the 76Cx or 76CSx, but if you want the compass and altimeter, you’ll need the 76 or 76Cx.
If you’re not much of an outdoors person, but you fancy yourself more of a road warrior, then Garmin GPS devices has something for everyone in their car navigator models. The 200 series Garmin GPSMAP (which includes the 200, 250, 260 and 270) has a 3.5″ screen and internal antenna. Next there is the 200W series (200W, 250W and 260W), which is the same as the 200 series but with a larger 4.3″ screen. The Garmin 2×5 Series (205, 205W, 255 and 255W) adds live traffic reports via MSN Direct and also includes that nice, larger 4.3″ screen. The 500 Series include crossover models good for hiking, cycling and boating, as well as driving. The 700 series adds anti-theft, multiple-destination routing and entertainment functions. The 800 series adds voice recognition, lane assist and 3-D buildings. The 300 Series and 600 Series, though you can still find them online, have been discontinued; while each step was celebrated at the time with a new series, the newer models include all those features and more, so Garmin is simplifying their line.
What Are The Latest Games GPS Offers?
The games GPS has for users range from traditional arcade and card games to interactive outdoor adventures and treasure hunts. Some games on GPS devices even combine art, filmmaking and social networking too! This exciting niche market is just starting to evolve, with much advancement yet to be expected. Here we’ll discuss a few of the exciting GPS games out now for the restless adventurer in you!
One of the newest games GPS has come out with is called “Geotagging,” which is offered by the Surreal Scania website as a new approach to art. Located in southern Sweden, artists have created videos of the local landscape, then geotagged their contemplative videos to play on GPS navigation systems when users pass these points. The artistic representations beg the question, “What is real and what is imaginary?” The filmmakers show how imagination and location interplay with one another. A similar project was filmed in Singapore and can be found at www.gpsfilm.com. While this concept is new to North America, it’s expected to take off soon, with the increasing popularity of site navigation.
If you have ever watched “The Amazing Race,” then you’ve got the concept of the increasingly popular Geocaching games GPS has to play. Teams or individuals will receive sets of coordinates and will race from waypoint to waypoint, performing different tasks at each location and competing for prizes. In their ventures, seekers often find hidden containers with inexpensive toys, keepsakes or items and log books; they then replace the item with something new and record their name in the log. To find hosting in your area, check out www.geocaching.com to see if one of the 673,265 geocaches can be found near you.
Some geocache games GPS has are more detailed than others. For instance, Magellan GPS navigation systems recently hosted a “Cache Her If You Can” GPS adventure game that sent gumshoe detectives to 30 different American cities to solve a mystery and compete for grand prizes. This second annual game (found at www.magellangps.com) was meant to promote the new Magellan eXplorist 100, 200 and 300 and prizes ranged from trips, outdoor gear, ATVs, and other vehicle navigation packages. “We were delighted by the excitement that thousands of people expressed during our 2003 treasure hunt, so we decided to do it again but with a detective-story twist,” said Karen Carbonnet, VP of Corporate Communications for Thales, who hosted the game. “Our geocaching adventure offers something for everyone, and is the perfect activity to encourage kids, parents and friends to grab their Magellan GPS receivers, get out of the house and enjoy some family fun and adventure while taking in the natural beauty of the great outdoors.”