GPS Question/input

[AlmostThere]

I know we have been discussing GPSs within another post but wanted to start a separate thread.

I understand that some GPSs have the ability to let you let you know when to change lanes. My question is; does it audibly say to change lanes or does it just indicate it on the screen?

Today in the electronics section of my local store I checked out their GPSs. They offered two different Tom Toms and 3 Garmins. Two of the Garmins were on sale. They both were Nuvi, one a 255, the other a 255W. The 250 W (which looked like the W meant a wider screen) is on sale from $249 to $199. The 255 sale price is $159, down from $199. The 255W was the only one that had a picture of the screen on the box with some arrows at the bottom indicating what lane to be in, hence my above question.

There was nothing on the box indicating if the Tom Tom One or the more expensive Tom Tom had lane changing abilities. Anyone with a Tom Tom care to respond?

Was that clear as mud?!?

[mitch5252]

.

Here's a link to current Garmin units that have the Lane Assist Feature...

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134

Here's a link discussing some of the confusion of terms for Garmins:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21951

Hope this helps. Makes me want a new model!!! Especially when you have a trailer bringing up the rear...sounds like it could make navigating exits easier.

Michelle

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[Barbzeee]

Lenora, I have the Garmin.. and those models don't tell you to change lane.. Not that I can remember.. haven't used it lately LOL but if you look on the Garmin web site it will tell you the models that give you Lane assistance..

The Garmin does give you enough notice as far as turns go..and the voice is loud enough to hear..and does get an attitude when you change directions.. Re Calculates.. LOL...

That being said.. I don't know anything about the TOM TOMS other than drums LOL Oh that was awful joke..hahahahaha

But I've heard that people that have them like them..


Not a bad price on the Garmin... the ones that do tell you to change lanes are a bit more pricey..

Hope that helps you some what..

God Bless
Zeee...

yes, I'm peeking in

[sunshinecruiserTN]

I have the Garmin 265W and it does not have lane assist. It does have bluetooth which I strongly recommend as the phone rings through it and you can talk hands free with good sound on both ends. It also has traffic alerts. I like her. She is Stella and I haven't been mad at her once...

[Birdie]

Lenora, Remember that when you get that thang(!) it will be outdated the next week. Ya gotta live with it. I paid $800 for my Garmin 760 when it first came out and I had to look all over Arizona before I finally found one - yep just before Christmas 2007. That model is now discontinued!!!!

But I already knew it would be out dated early - that is the life of electronics. I really like her and her name is Geraldine. There are times when I have to slap her around because she gets uppity and wants to go her way! I bought the 760 because of the bluetooth capability and you can easily make updates with either a USB cable or by inserting an SD card.

Mitch, you are a trouble maker, you are. You are also very right....I want a new one that has lifetime Traffic - but why, I have XM radio that has traffic on major cities.... Mitchie made me want it! You know how it is Mitch, I am an adult, I cannot be responsible for my actions!

Lenora go into a Best Buy (anamoloy sp?) and take some addresses with you and play with the units. If they get stinky try a Radio Shack, Target, even WalMart. Once you decide on the model, shop on the internet at your favorite store - eBay.

Go girl!!

[retiredhappy]

Don't think any of them tell you to "change lanes" - how would they know which lane you're in? They do tell you that you are going to need t o turn right or left so you know you need to change lanes. Yeah, they do go out of date quickly but unless you're driving around new housing developments I think you'll be fine - the major highways don't move around all that much. And the back roads have probably been there a while. I do agree with Birdie, my Gollie Garmin does seem to have an attitude when it has to recalculate.

[Bethers]

I have a TomTom - and not a fancy one. It doesn't tell me to CHANGE lanes - but tells me which side the exit is on - for example, if I need to be in the left lane for an exit, it will tell me that in plenty of time. It does so vocally - but I have the option to turn the vocal off or have it as loud or quiet as I need. I have a very strong male voice on mine, with the volume HIGH - to help me with my bad hearing and because I sometimes have music loud also. That is one of the reasons I like a GPS - most of the time I'm happy with my atlas. But that is great. It helped Sparkle and me a lot when we were in NM - I'd tell her way in advance what lane she had to be in - that was awesome around the cities.

[VickieP]

I have a TomTom also, as I didn't like where RonRon told me to go! Actually though, I think I would use it more alone, but with him driving I'm usually looking at the atlas. I like to see what town is next, how far it is, that kind of stuff. Plus he gets really irritated when it keeps telling us to turn around at the next available location. My Dad, sister, niece, nephew and I all have TomTom's and they use them alllllllll the time. My Dad is a driver for the local Ford Dealership and he uses it to find the locations to pick up cars out of state. My nephew owns his own metal building company and he uses it all the time to find client locations, was really helpful in areas cleared by the hurricanes, as the gps still showed where the roads were that had no street signs. I think I just don't use mine enough to learn how.

[snowball]

we have a tom tom named her tomasena .......... and she doesn't seem to have a atitude hubby does but not her!!! you pretty much need to know where so if you get wrong information you will know but they are really helpful! And I like it... hubby gets impatient because he doesn't understand why she is taking us the way she wants. Then they clash
It is like beth said tells you need to exit to which ever way you determine if you have to change lanes. if you go past she will tell you to take the next exit and try to get you back to where you need to go but you have to be willing to listen to her.....
sheila

[Lotus]

I bought the Garmin 255W after arrival in new home (Henderson, NV), and for the first time in my life I can go anywhere and get home the same day!! It's been said of me (was it my BFF??!!) that I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag, and that was correct! I feel like a new person now knowing that I have my Garmin (as yet unnamed) by my side! I shopped around locally and found prices ranging from $149 (Best Buy) to $299 (R C Willey), and you know where I bought mine! My brother-in-law looked at prices on Ebay and found prices from $139 up for new, but I wanted mine instantly!

Lotus

[Birdie]

One of the neat things about Geraldine (she is named after Flip Wilson's alternate ego) is that after it figures how to take you where ever, it will tell you in writing what your directions are in a separate screen. You get that by pushing the bottom right corner that will have the info for your next turn. You can advance through to the end of your route to see if it taking you the way you want to go.

Just yesterday driving in from Junction Geraldine said drive 98 miles then turn take exit 356A 1604 Anderson Loop, press the little right hand button and it showed me where I would go after the right turn, keep right, then keep left, then enter 1604 ramp on left. Reading it sounds confusing, but that is exactly what you do and if you don't keep right you end up in downtown San Antonio because you didn't make the correct lane shift. You exited one lane traffic into a two lane traffic and were suddenly the left lane and in 20 feet you had to make another right turn on a single lane that you then became two lane and you were the right lane and needed left and then you had merging traffic on the right and you needed to allow them entrance while maintaining left lane position for entrance ramp to 1604 East. When you have a trailer, it helps to know all of this in advance....you could end up in downtown San Antonio pulling a TT (look out Alamo).

I have ordered the nuMaps Lifetime and will install the new version on Geraldine today or tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't wipe out my POI's. I have all the WalMart, Flying Js, and Love stations, plus speed alerts and rest stops on interstates plugged in. I got them from one of the POI Factory sites. Worked great for my recent trip to Arizona and back - helps knowing where the Rest Stops are.

[Nasoosie]

I have a TomTom XL S, and "Mr. Man" tells me which lanes to be in as I drive through a city. He also tells me way in advance which exit/turns to take. It took me through St. Augustine in April, and those roads are like a spider web with all the construction going on. It gives you warning set to a specific distance from where you need to know where to turn---you set it for the distance. Mr. Man does get a bit testy if you decide to veer from the prescribed route, as I had to when I felt my emergency brake stuck on and had to leave the highway, but he gets right back in synch when you get back onto the route! I think I paid 199.99 for mine at Best Buy in PA in April. I still don't know how to do half the stuff with it that it can do. Yesterday I paid to have the maps updated, and for the entire year of updating, so I am hoping it still will do what I want it to do. It took about an hour to dowload the newer maps to my device while connected to the internet by its USB cord that comes with it. Today I will try to learn how to program it and give it a test run on some of our back roads up here. Be sure to keep your maps up to date....I am told that is important. Of course, a real road atlas is always a good thing to carry, too!

[AlmostThere]

Thanks for all your great input! Very helpful. My search continues!