RE: GPS One More (last) Time

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Emoto:

I looked at the link for this and it looks like a nice unit.   The price is
right as well.   The things it doesn't have:

1. Large letter keyboard for typing with gloves on.   Even if you pull over,
this is handy.  Zumo is bigger screen too.  This helps in the typing
category.  

2. Internal battery for using off the bike.

3. Controls are right-handed which isn't a great big deal, but it's
something.  

4.  The fact that it comes with a jack for external GPS antenna makes me
wonder how good the internal antenna is for this one.  

5.  You have to buy the bike mount for this one separately.   It's cheap
because it isn't a powered mount.  You have to plug in the cable each time
you mount the unit on the bike.  This again is not huge, but the Zumo is
better with its contact grid that knows if it's on a bike or in a car.  Zumo
comes with really nice car suction cup mount with contact grid and speaker
inside and another bike mount with contact grid and lock-down, pop-out.  

These are pretty minor things.  It uses NT software which is something I
look for, and it's waterproof, which is another thing I look for.  It
doesn't have the battery, but one could buy an extra 110V adapter for use in
motel rooms and get by.  It's good to be able to mess around with it off the
bike.  The battery is great for walking around in strange cities, but it's
not strictly needed. I don't know how fast the processor is on this unit.
If it's decent, this is probably a pretty good choice.   For the money, I
sure like it.   

Remote control????   I suppose you could Velcro this to a convenient spot in
your car if you had the right car.

There are lots of ways to skin a cat.  This is definitely one, and not a bad
one at all.  I'd put this in the "Current GPS category"   I think, but it's
not as bike friendly as the Zumo design and doesn't have internal battery.
Still a great unit.  I've got a new bike (1200RT) and the Zumo looks great
on it and works so well even without voice.  

I specifically do not like voice commands.  I don't even use it in the car.
I find it annoying. I've tried Australian English, British English, American
English, male, female, I hate them all. Maybe I'd like French even though I
don't speak it.  A female French voice might make me horny, however.  

Because of the above, I don't want an electronic switcheroo device with GPS
audio hooked in.   

Molded ear plugs have much better sound than helmet speakers and they save
hearing on long trips.  I use Legal Speeding helmet LED for silent radar
detection.  My V-1 is built in under the front cowl with a remote display on
the dash and a master switch to turn the whole thing off in a second. I
sacrifice laser detection, but there are so many false alarms with laser
that I had turned it off anyway.  If you get a laser warning, you're
generally already caught because laser is line-of-sight.   The Legal
Speeding light rocks if you remember to turn it off when you put your helmet
away.  I found batteries online for under a dollar each.  I keep a bunch in
my tank bag.  

Bike to bike radio would be nice sometimes, but I have some chatty riding
friends and usually it's better to just talk to the hand.  

Take care,

-TB


-----Original Message-----
From: Emoto [mailto:emoto1@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 9:09 AM
To: Tom Brown
Cc: BMW Oilhead List
Subject: Re: GPS One More (last) Time

On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 9:45 AM, Tom Brown <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
...
> I ride with people who have the units you describe and they're not able to
> manipulate their GPSs on the fly like I can.  This is a huge advantage.  I
> end up leading most of the time because I can always find good roads
without
> route planning.   It's not perfect, but it's a very nice design and it's
> head and shoulders above the old school.

Is there some enhanced capability here that you're describing? The
2720 has a touch screen and can be used when moving, although from a
safety perspective it isn't a great idea.

> 3.       Current era GPS:   These include Zumo and Nuvi.  They have huge
> points of interest databases and the map functions are better.

Really? Which map functions are better, and in what way? Improved
functionality interests me.

The POIs are in the map set, so anyone running that set will have the
same ones.

> The touch-screens are fairly intuitive and the maps are
> updatable every year.

This is not unique to the zumo.

> I'm obviously of the mind that category 3 is worth the extra dough.  The
> Zumo is specifically designed for motorcycle use and it really works well
at
> that.  The little extra features it has are not truly appreciated until
you
> live with the thing for a while, but it's pretty amazing what can be done
> with it.

What are the little features that you like so much? I may not get a
zumo for a few years, but finding out about real-world user experience
is always good.

>
> For a motorcycle, I still like the Zumo best.   Quality is remembered long
> after price is forgotten.    Remember this recommendation is for someone
new
> to the whole thing who doesn't necessarily want to buy used or a close
out.
> I'm not saying you should all go out and buy a Zumo although several of my
> friends have since they've seen me use mine.   I'm saying if I was looking
> for something to buy for someone who didn't know everything about them, I
> wouldn't want to risk buying a used or close-out, I'd buy them something
> with a warranty and a high likelihood of satisfaction.   The Zumo 450 is
> that unit given all the possibilities out there.

It is worth mentioning that buying a 2720 or 2820 from a normal
retailer like Amazon means that the unit comes with a full warranty.

Just for fun, I poked around and found 2720 factory refurbished units
with a 1-year guarantee for $158.00! For anyone who does not have a
lot to spend, but would like to stick their toe into the GPS waters,
this would be an excellent way to get started:
http://www.amazon.com/GARMIN-STREETPILOT-NEWLY-OVERHAULED-WARRANTY/dp/B000N3
S7UY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1215785116&sr=8-2

Bob




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