Maylong FD-220 GPS

I have been borrowing GPS units from various family members for the past couple of years and always wanted one of my own. So when I found the GPS Navigation for Dummies on sale after Thanksgiving, I figured this was my opportunity. I made the bargain purchase at $69.99 plus tax.

It is a nice compact unit with a small display, approximately 2-3/4" wide by 2" high. Not as big as some of the higher priced units but certainly a functional size. Like most units, it came with a mounting system that easily mounts to the windshield and is easily adjusted in the vertical and horizontal positions.

Being advertised as the "GPS for Dummies" I expected it to be simple to operate. Not quiet the case. It powers up quickly enough. The first user screen gives you the option to start the "Let's Go" navigation system, "System" interaction or "Media." I'll get to the Media later. Tap on the "Let's Go" and after a moment of loading; the "Safety Reminder" comes up. Must be some liability issue they feel like addressing, but I could do with out the added step. After pressing "OK" you are taken to the "Navigation Main Menu." Yet another step required to get started.

At the "Navigation Main Menu" you have three options: "View Map", "Let's Go" and "Options." There is also a "Quit" option if you decided this is not where you want to be. Selecting "Let's Go", because that is where you are trying to go to begin with, takes you to the "Where Do You Want To Go?" menu. On this menu screen you have four main options: "Search Address", Search Places", Recent Places" and "Address Book." At the bottom are two addition options: "Back" and "Manage Route." Since the plan was to "GO" somewhere, you select "Search Address" and you are off to another set of menus titled "Enter address using."

At this screen you have four options plus "Back." Your four options: "State/City First", "Street First", Intersection" and "In Other Countries." Here is where this dummy had some problems. At the time I had a destination in south Florida on 172^nd Street. I selected the "Street First" option. After tapping in the 172^nd street, the GPS went hunting for the address. Now admittedly, there must be thousands of 172^nd Streets in the U.S.. After a few minutes, the GPS was still searching for my options. I grew tired of the wait but had no option to abort the search. Alas, I had to power off the unit and go through the whole series of menus to return to the "Enter address using" menu.

This time I went for the "State/City First" option. This went a little easier but with one annoying flaw. I'm not a fast at typing on a touch screen, and before I could get a letter or two typed in, the system was already off looking for a city. With only a couple letters to go on, it took of in search of my destination. I would get some error message that it could not find the location. It was aggravating, but I think this was "operator error" by the dummy, me. One must keep their other fingers away from the touch screen.

Once the address is in, you are ready to travel to your destination. The screen queues and voice commands are comparable to other more costly units. Unlike some of the other units I have used, the Maylong FD-220 is not bent on making you take the designated route when you chose to take a different turn. Anyone who lives in a city long enough, knows shortcuts or how to avoid traffic congestion that the GPS is not programmed to avoid. As opposed to other systems that insist you make a u-turn, the Maylong unit quickly recalculated a new route from the road you turned on. I was pleased with this part of the programming.

One of the addresses I programmed in did not find the house number for my destination. It was a well established neighborhood outside of Atlanta, Georgia, so this surprised me. I figured I just needed an updated map down loaded to the GPS. I tried this and was disappointed. Uploading new software onto the Maylong GPS requires your computer and a software package called "Active Sync." The company web site www.gpsnavigationfordummies.com provides all the information. Unfortunately, the Active Sync software does not work on operating systems newer than Windows XP. So if you have Windows Vista, such as myself, or the newer Windows 7, you are just out of luck on getting any updated maps until they correct this problem.

Earlier I mentioned the "Media" option on the Maylong FD-220. If you want to down load pictures or music to your GPS, this option provides that capability. I am not sure why anyone would want to do so. The audio is okay but not what I want to play music on. That is why cars have radios isn't it?

I do not think it is really set up to be operated by dummies and that portion of the name is just a marketing ploy playing on potential buyers name recognition of that product line. Overall, I find the Maylong FD-200 "GPS for Dummies" a good product at an affordable price.