Best Garmin unit with 5 inch screen & voice recognition software

fordy · #1 09/03/12, 09:40 PM

.................I've studied these units on Amazon.Conn till my eyes wouldn't focus ! So many models , with so many variations it's almost impossible to pick a unit . I don't need blue tooth , plus Amazon advertises many older models that have been.......Refurbished. I want a new model with the latest software , etc . All recommendations are appreciated . , fordy

blooba · #2 09/04/12, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordy

.................I've studied these units on Amazon.Conn till my eyes wouldn't focus ! So many models , with so many variations it's almost impossible to pick a unit . I don't need blue tooth , plus Amazon advertises many older models that have been.......Refurbished. I want a new model with the latest software , etc . All recommendations are appreciated . , fordy

If you goto Garmin's site and pick from current models there are 2 that are voice activated with 5" screens.

nüvi® 2595LMT

nüvi® 3590LMT

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare....eProduct=97146 Here is the comparision between the 2.

fordy · #3 09/04/12, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blooba

If you goto Garmin's site and pick from current models there are 2 that are voice activated with 5" screens.

nüvi® 2595LMT

nüvi® 3590LMT

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare....eProduct=97146 Here is the comparision between the 2.

..............Thanks for your help ! , fordy

sidepasser · #4 09/04/12, 08:30 AM

I have a Garmin Nuvi and it works very well. It doesn't have a five inch screen, it has a 4 inch screen.

If you have a smart phone you can use google navigation for free, it is an app that has voice and map just like a Garmin. Since I got my Razr Max phone I don't use my Garmin.

One thing to be aware of with Garmin is that you will have to PAY to upgrade your maps. The last time I checked the price was 60.00 for one year or 100.00 for lifetime upgrades. With the Google App, you never have to pay (at least at the present time, lol).

Just thought I would throw that out there as after awhile the Garmin will get "buggy" if the maps are not upgraded. Oh and Garmin will send you down a dirt road to a Perdue Chicken farm as that is the "quickest" way to get from one place to another...ask me how I know this..lol..

I do like the Garmin "voices" feature, I have had a Brit, an Aussie, and a very irritating American woman who says "re...cal...cul...ating"..every time I missed a turn.

Whichever one you buy, have fun with it!

fordy · #5 09/04/12, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidepasser

I have a Garmin Nuvi and it works very well. It doesn't have a five inch screen, it has a 4 inch screen.

If you have a smart phone you can use google navigation for free, it is an app that has voice and map just like a Garmin. Since I got my Razr Max phone I don't use my Garmin.

One thing to be aware of with Garmin is that you will have to PAY to upgrade your maps. The last time I checked the price was 60.00 for one year or 100.00 for lifetime upgrades. With the Google App, you never have to pay (at least at the present time, lol).

Just thought I would throw that out there as after awhile the Garmin will get "buggy" if the maps are not upgraded. Oh and Garmin will send you down a dirt road to a Perdue Chicken farm as that is the "quickest" way to get from one place to another...ask me how I know this..lol..

I do like the Garmin "voices" feature, I have had a Brit, an Aussie, and a very irritating American woman who says "re...cal...cul...ating"..every time I missed a turn.

Whichever one you buy, have fun with it!

.................I've spent the last hour on Amazon.conn reading 'one star' reviews of Garmin , Tom Tom , and Magellan GPS units..........From my reading , the customer service reviews are all , mostly , very UNfriendly ! Even garmin seems like it is selling new units with software problems , included .
.................I've even considered purchasing a smart phone with a GPS app , but they work off of cell towers , and so IF a body is in an area that is UNserved by your smart phone carrier , the GPS will be non working ! As far as I can UNderstand the smart phone GPS function does Not use the GPS satallites for a source of information like the actual GPS units . Maybe someone will correct me IF I'm wrong on this point . , thanks , fordy

frogmammy · #6 09/04/12, 02:54 PM

I bought my Garmin with free lifetime upgrades (maps). It increased my cost by about 30 dollars.

Mon

blufford · #7 09/05/12, 12:23 PM

From what I understand you can use some laptops as GPS's now.

blooba · #8 09/06/12, 09:31 PM

ok, just to clear some things up, nüvi® 3590LMT The LM in the model numbers mean Lifetime Map Updates included free of charge the T means it will show traffic in cities.

Most smartphones now a days(but not all) have GPS. So if the GPS is turned off it will use cell phone tower triangulation to pinpoint your location but if you turn on GPS (battery killer so plug it in) it doesn't need cell phone coverage since it uses the satellites. Although some smart phones have better GPS than others so beware.

And they do have GPS receivers for laptops. Street Atlas USA 2012 with USB GPS Receiver Bundle - DeLorme

Tana Mc · #9 09/06/12, 10:34 PM

I just returned from a cross country trip with one of these doo hickeys........ NEVER AGAIN. In the wee hours of the morning, it became demon possessed and I did not think that I would ever get out of SW Mo.

I'll be using my old fashioned road map until I die. Thank you very much!

TheMartianChick · #10 09/07/12, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidepasser

I have a Garmin Nuvi and it works very well. It doesn't have a five inch screen, it has a 4 inch screen.

If you have a smart phone you can use google navigation for free, it is an app that has voice and map just like a Garmin. Since I got my Razr Max phone I don't use my Garmin.

One thing to be aware of with Garmin is that you will have to PAY to upgrade your maps. The last time I checked the price was 60.00 for one year or 100.00 for lifetime upgrades. With the Google App, you never have to pay (at least at the present time, lol).

Just thought I would throw that out there as after awhile the Garmin will get "buggy" if the maps are not upgraded. Oh and Garmin will send you down a dirt road to a Perdue Chicken farm as that is the "quickest" way to get from one place to another...ask me how I know this..lol..

I do like the Garmin "voices" feature, I have had a Brit, an Aussie, and a very irritating American woman who says "re...cal...cul...ating"..every time I missed a turn.Whichever one you buy, have fun with it!

Thank you for this information about changing the voices. That recalculating American voice drives me crazy!!!!!

featherbottoms · #11 09/08/12, 11:39 AM

My husband has GPS on his Android smartphone. He works as a driver in the oil field here in NM and there are MANY places that he has no cell service (although the telephone does still work) so he can't use the mapping or GPS options. He bought the phone particularly for the GPS and mapping and is really disappointed.

I, on the other hand, have an older Garmin Nuvi and it hasn't lost it's sat signal anywhere. I do have to pay attention sometimes to where it wants to take me but so far I've not had any problems with it. I'd like to have the newest software update but I don't have the plug that I need to interface with the computer so what I'm using is several years old now.

fordy · #12 09/08/12, 12:51 PM

.............I'm still looking ! There are so many models and features it gets kinda confusing ! I have also used the Garmin "compare" on their website , it helps as well but I'll just plod along as I always do until I get a clear mental image of a single unit that fits my needs ! , thanks , fordy

blooba · #13 09/08/12, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by featherbottoms

My husband has GPS on his Android smartphone. He works as a driver in the oil field here in NM and there are MANY places that he has no cell service (although the telephone does still work) so he can't use the mapping or GPS options. He bought the phone particularly for the GPS and mapping and is really disappointed.

I, on the other hand, have an older Garmin Nuvi and it hasn't lost it's sat signal anywhere. I do have to pay attention sometimes to where it wants to take me but so far I've not had any problems with it. I'd like to have the newest software update but I don't have the plug that I need to interface with the computer so what I'm using is several years old now.

You need to download an offline version of the maps for it to work without a data connection.

You can enable offline map caching on google maps but its only a small area available.

Navfree USA https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ndroid.OSM.USA is a free app for use offline with no cellular connection needed.

zant · #14 09/09/12, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tana Mc

I just returned from a cross country trip with one of these doo hickeys........ NEVER AGAIN. In the wee hours of the morning, it became demon possessed and I did not think that I would ever get out of SW Mo.

I'll be using my old fashioned road map until I die. Thank you very much!

,I use my 7" for a speedometer in my trac/trl...large scale map book to know where I'm going,,,

SolarGary · #15 09/09/12, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by featherbottoms

My husband has GPS on his Android smartphone. He works as a driver in the oil field here in NM and there are MANY places that he has no cell service (although the telephone does still work) so he can't use the mapping or GPS options. He bought the phone particularly for the GPS and mapping and is really disappointed.

I, on the other hand, have an older Garmin Nuvi and it hasn't lost it's sat signal anywhere. I do have to pay attention sometimes to where it wants to take me but so far I've not had any problems with it. I'd like to have the newest software update but I don't have the plug that I need to interface with the computer so what I'm using is several years old now.

I can second the problems of using cell based GPS -- we have tried it on our ipad and while the software is nice, it just loses signal too often to use. This is MT, WY, etc -- may be better in the east.

We have had several Garmins and like them a lot -- very easy to use.

Have used a Toyota nav system with voice recognition and found the voice recognition pretty painful and slow.

Gary

jross · #16 09/09/12, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by featherbottoms

My husband has GPS on his Android smartphone. He works as a driver in the oil field here in NM and there are MANY places that he has no cell service (although the telephone does still work) so he can't use the mapping or GPS options. He bought the phone particularly for the GPS and mapping and is really disappointed.

I, on the other hand, have an older Garmin Nuvi and it hasn't lost it's sat signal anywhere. I do have to pay attention sometimes to where it wants to take me but so far I've not had any problems with it. I'd like to have the newest software update but I don't have the plug that I need to interface with the computer so what I'm using is several years old now.

I updated my Nuvi 260 using my digital camera cable.