Gotta Have Gadgets - GPS Navigation

Picture this: it's 6:00pm and you get a phone call stating your son just broke his arm at Pat's Peak and they are about to take him to the Hospital. The good news was, I actually knew where the hospital was so I didn't need directions. During my ride I get a phone call asking me if I wanted to go to another hospital instead of the one I knew. I had no idea where the other hospital was or how to get there and I was already on the road so Mapquest wasn't an option. I have learned if I had a GPS Navigation System, a couple of quick taps of the menu buttons and I would have a complete list of all the hospitals and door-to-door directions in minutes.

I've recently tested two units that I think are "gotta have gadgets" and on different ends of the price scale. The Boyo VTN 3500 which you can pick up online for about $250 and the TomTom GO 910 which retails for $499. You could probably get each of these a little cheaper if you shop around. There are also more expensive units available that have more bells and whistles, I just can't see spending more that $700 for one of these "gadgets". I guess if you are on the road 95% of your time or a truck driver they may be worth the additional investment.

The Boyo VTN3500 is a good bang for the buck if you want to get from point A to point B. I would like more features in the Boyo, but you get what you pay for, it did get me from point to point so I can't complain! It was a little annoying to add a location, but once you get the hang of the menus it becomes a little easier. The re-route time was very quick if you missed a turn or took a wrong turn. So if you are looking for an inexpensive GPS this is a good cost effective unit.

The TomTom GO 910 is a more expensive unit with much more to offer than the Boyo. Of course the price reflects that being a couple hundred dollars more. TomTom does offer lower priced units, but based on what's out there I believe the TomTom GO 910 has nice features and is reasonably priced.

The TomTom GO 910 is relatively easy to get up and running out of the box. There are silly little features like choosing the voice you would like to hear, FYI James Earl Jones is not an option, but there are plenty of male and female choices, as well as celebrity downloads available online for a purchase. The TomTom GO 910 has a great computer interface, it's very easy to install and get up and running. Within minutes I had updated software, and many options at my fingertips. I loaded plenty of songs from my playlist into the MP3 feature, even though I will probably never use it as a playback device. Just the fact that it was there and I could do it was cool. There is also an ipod interface, but a small speaker is not how I want to listen to music. There is a cable provided so you can output it into a radio aux. port, but I don't have that port available in my Ford 500. I could see using the mp3 player if I could hook it into my car radio.

The TomTom GO 910 also has a much easier interface than the Boyo and allows you to input information quicker. That helps when you are in a rush and don't know where you are going. Between the two, I had my address and directions ready to go far quicker with the TomTom. The GO 910 was just as quick with re-routing directions if you missed a turn or took an alternate route.

One of the features I really like on the TomTom910 is it has Bluetooth capabilities which allows the unit to be used as a hands free device for your cell phone. If you want to use the advanced features of the TomTom GO 910, your cell phone will need access to the web. I didn't realize if you want the traffic alert feature you needed a cell phone to access these services. But now that I think of it, that just makes sense.

Other features like a security lock is priceless as GPS systems are very popular among thieves. Also, for a fee you can update the maps as they become available. The 4-inch screen is easy to read at a glance, and there are many built in points of interest, which you can customize to show along your route. Pretty much all GPS navigation systems are accurate down to meters of where you are, and the TomTom gives you plenty of notice of upcoming turns. A friend has a Garmin unit and he mentioned that one of the downfalls of that unit was sometimes it didn't give you enough warning for upcoming turns.

So if a GPS Navigation System is on your list of "gotta have gadgets" I would highly recommend the TomTom GO 910. Its ease of use, nice computer interface, fast processing and reasonable price makes it an affordable system with a lot of extras available.

Now all I have to do is try to convince my wife I already need to upgrade from the Boyo VTN3500 to the TomTom GO 910! It's tough being a gadget guy!

Check out my website at www.gottahavegadget.com, or if you have a gadget you would like me to test send me an e-mail at gottahavegadgets@yahoo.com