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Myguide 3200 Gps


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Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to all this, after three years of merely wishing I had a GPS, so don't think I'm too crazy. But a few days ago I bought a car touchscreen GPS called the MyGuide 3200 (www.myguidegps.com) for $300 at Frys Electronics. It was actually very nice for the money, and the female voice with a British accent was pleasant -_- As near as I can tell, this company is based in Hong Kong, and sells it through another company in Germany, who distributes it in the USA through yet another company based in California. It actually gave decent voice navigation, recalculated quickly, and tracked perfectly. But I couldn't find anything that resembled support for it. Besides, I wanted something more portable for geocaching. I thought you might find it interesting though, since I haven't seen it mentioned here.

 

I traded it in for a Garmin Legend CX, for the same price. The Legend has me baffled, but I'm going to give it a fair try searching for a cache near San Diego this weekend. If that doesn't work, I'll probably try the GPSMAP 60CSx next. I know that's probably even more confusing, but I like the feature set--especially the larger screen.

 

I've seen others here lament that the major manufacturers in 2006 are adding about as much memory as an IBM PC Jr. computer had in 1982. I don't understand that either. What really amazes me, however, is that none of the handhelds have voice navigation for when you're driving. In terms of road safety alone (and thus, avoiding government regulation), I would think voice navigation would be one of the most essential features on all mapping handhelds. But like I said, I'm new at this, so what do I know?!

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Are you old enough to remember the talking cars of the early eighties? Few things are more obnoxious to most people than machines that talk. Although turn by turn directions may be one of the very few justified uses for machine voice, hand held units are not appropriate for this type of technology because of the extra wight, bulk and power consumption it entails.

 

That said, voice generally doesn't convey anywhere near the amount of information that an accurate graphical representation does.

 

Drivers just need to learn a proper instrument scan like pilots do. A glance of less than one second should be enough to absorb all the information needed from a display.

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Yes, I had one of those talking cars. It drove me crazy telling me to put my seatbelt on while I was already reaching for the belt, etc. On the other hand, the "lights are on" prompt might have saved me a battery or two.

 

I do think there's a big difference between voices nagging and navigating. Pilots don't have dozens of irresponsible (and possibly intoxicated) people recklessly racing around them at high speed, in all directions, in the midst of total sensory overload (signs, exits, cross-traffic, buildings) like drivers do. I think pilots do have a little more time to safely glean information from their instruments than an automobile driver does, at least while cruising. But a lot can happen in one second in a moving car, even while cruising.

 

I've never heard a pilot complain about getting voice prompts from Air Traffic Control. I would imagine they're pretty darn grateful to hear those voices. That's how I feel about navigating with a GPS in a car. I'm not trying to look cool. I don't need more information than where to turn and when. I'm just trying to get where I'm going easily and safely, without taking my eyes off the road. If I had a friend with a map navigating from the passenger seat, I wouldn't ask them to write down each turn instruction and force me to read it. So why should I settle for that in a GPS?

 

I see your point on cost/size with handhelds. But they already have so many models that appeal to various feature sets and price ranges. Why not add a bigger, heavier, more power-hungry portable model for those of us who want voice included? Drivers who fancy themselves to be pilots wouldn't be required to buy that model....

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In the handheld market, "waterproof' is more highly regarded than "speaks".

 

The Garmin Quest makes a good compromise; the speaker is in the DC cable. You probably don't need the speaker when you're on battery/foot.

 

There are _lots_ of nits that are "bigger, heavier, more power hungry" that do voice. Garmin has a trainload of streetpilots and i models. Magellan has several roadmates. Lowrance has Iway, etc. There's probably several dozen such models on the market. What's good on the dashtop is bad in your backpack.

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In street navigation, I absolutely love speech guidance. I can concentrate on my driving, not the screen. But, off road, can you imagine it??? I would kill it first trip out!

 

Now on the subject of "talking cars"....I think auto makers should take an important cue from the aircraft industry. There should be a voice to call out critical information in your vehicle. Something like "fuel!...fuel!, or "oil pressure!...oil pressure!, or "overheating!..overheating! This information needs to be shoved down your throat...like right now! But noooo...They give us a guage or a light that must be looked at to do one danged bit of good! I would like my own version of "Bitching Betty" like an F-16 has!

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Now on the subject of "talking cars"....I think auto makers should take an important cue from the aircraft industry. There should be a voice to call out critical information in your vehicle. Something like "fuel!...fuel!, or "oil pressure!...oil pressure!, or "overheating!..overheating! This information needs to be shoved down your throat...like right now!

... and a "Nag Sensor" for that Unit to tell the wife to "Shut Up ! Shut Up ! " when she just won't let up - <_<

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As mentioned above, the Garmin Quest will do service as a talking mobile navigator, and a competent geocaching unit as well. It has an internal battery pack, so two day caching forays aren't possible without a recharge, and it can't do projections, but is compact, has a great color display, large memory, and free maps. It wil keep satellite lock while in your pocket with the antenna folded out.

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