garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

Jim wrote:
Good info from someone whose opinion matters.
Thanks,
Jim
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:46:31 -0500, "Jim" wrote:

Which one to buy? Both will be on sale for $125. Which has better
features,maps, directions etc.

I have the TomTom One (not the XL) and haven't had very many problems
with it at all.

It has some peculiar "quirks" that you need to get used to - as in
rerouting sometimes gives you directions that you might not
necessarily want to take, but doing a route reset is fairly easy.
Other than that, and the occasional "take a left" where there isn't a
left to take (which is endemic to most small car navigators of this
type), the one is a fairly good unit. The new Bluetooth software
they released is VERY good and works as advertised. The maps are very
complete and you won't need to immediately upgrade them. One very
nice feature that I haven't seen on other small units is the weekly
sat data download. It's a Quickstart feature which predicts which
satellites will be in your sky for the next week which reduces load
time. Even without that feature, it loads very quickly and never
looses lock. If it does loose lock (like in a tunnel), the recapture
is instant - quite impressive.

On the minus side, the documentation on TomTom's site is not the most
helpfull - you really have to putz through it and tinker with the
machine in your driveway to get the logic flow of the One - it's not
hard by any means. If you have a pickup trucks where the windsheild
is a distance from the driver, the mount that comes with it lacks a
lot - it's very short and requires that you mount it somewhere where
it can interfer with your vision. The goose neck mount that they sell
isn't the best either - it vibrates like crazy and is virtually
useless. They do sell a bean bag type mount, but I'm not a big fan of
those. Some like them, some don't. It you opt for the external
antenna, don't. The magnet is very weak and virtually useless.

The other problem with the One is that the screen can wash out in
glare conditions - that can be annoying. That seems to be a universal
problem with what ever unit you buy though.

With respect to the Garmin 330, it's a nice unit, accurate, but it's
also subject to the same "quirks" as the TomTom so I won't repeat them
here. The one thing I did notice with the 330 is that initial
position data capture times can be lengthy compared to the TomTom, but
once it's got the data, it never loses it.

It's really a toss up when you come right down to it. I need to put a
disclaimer in this - I won't buy Garmin for a couple of reasons having
to do with customer service. TomTom has a large market in Europe and
just recently signed an agreement to purchase Horizon Navigation which
is THE name in automotive navigation systems (including mapping).

So there you have it from a user of TomTom. :)

Take it for what it's worth.

PS: If you have a "choice", go with the TomTom One XL.


The larger screen would make it much easier for my fingers and eyes to
type and see.

garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:56:15 -0500, Reginald Smithers III
wrote:

The larger screen would make it much easier for my fingers and eyes to
type and see.

Actually, the regular One is very visible as it is. The XL is a
little better in that regard.

garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:10:47 -0500, " JimH" ask wrote:

The screen size on the TomTom One is really not a big issue, in fact a plus
if you consider the amount of space a larger unit takes up.

It's wider, not taller. Depending on mounting, it really doesn't take
up that much more space.

garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

JimH wrote:
"Reginald Smithers III" wrote in message
...
Jim wrote:
Good info from someone whose opinion matters.
Thanks,
Jim
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:46:31 -0500, "Jim" wrote:

Which one to buy? Both will be on sale for $125. Which has better
features,maps, directions etc.
I have the TomTom One (not the XL) and haven't had very many problems
with it at all.

It has some peculiar "quirks" that you need to get used to - as in
rerouting sometimes gives you directions that you might not
necessarily want to take, but doing a route reset is fairly easy.
Other than that, and the occasional "take a left" where there isn't a
left to take (which is endemic to most small car navigators of this
type), the one is a fairly good unit. The new Bluetooth software
they released is VERY good and works as advertised. The maps are very
complete and you won't need to immediately upgrade them. One very
nice feature that I haven't seen on other small units is the weekly
sat data download. It's a Quickstart feature which predicts which
satellites will be in your sky for the next week which reduces load
time. Even without that feature, it loads very quickly and never
looses lock. If it does loose lock (like in a tunnel), the recapture
is instant - quite impressive.

On the minus side, the documentation on TomTom's site is not the most
helpfull - you really have to putz through it and tinker with the
machine in your driveway to get the logic flow of the One - it's not
hard by any means. If you have a pickup trucks where the windsheild
is a distance from the driver, the mount that comes with it lacks a
lot - it's very short and requires that you mount it somewhere where
it can interfer with your vision. The goose neck mount that they sell
isn't the best either - it vibrates like crazy and is virtually
useless. They do sell a bean bag type mount, but I'm not a big fan of
those. Some like them, some don't. It you opt for the external
antenna, don't. The magnet is very weak and virtually useless.

The other problem with the One is that the screen can wash out in
glare conditions - that can be annoying. That seems to be a universal
problem with what ever unit you buy though.

With respect to the Garmin 330, it's a nice unit, accurate, but it's
also subject to the same "quirks" as the TomTom so I won't repeat them
here. The one thing I did notice with the 330 is that initial
position data capture times can be lengthy compared to the TomTom, but
once it's got the data, it never loses it.

It's really a toss up when you come right down to it. I need to put a
disclaimer in this - I won't buy Garmin for a couple of reasons having
to do with customer service. TomTom has a large market in Europe and
just recently signed an agreement to purchase Horizon Navigation which
is THE name in automotive navigation systems (including mapping).

So there you have it from a user of TomTom. :)

Take it for what it's worth.

PS: If you have a "choice", go with the TomTom One XL.
The larger screen would make it much easier for my fingers and eyes to
type and see.

The screen size on the TomTom One is really not a big issue, in fact a plus
if you consider the amount of space a larger unit takes up.



I guess I will have to see it in person, but it really does seem that
the smaller screen would make it difficult to type. If I drove to new
areas / unfamiliar areas often I would probably get one, but I really
don't think I would use it much after I got over the newness factor. I
think it is from all my years of traveling, that I have just followed my
nose, and very rarely get lost. I also am not afraid to ask for
directions.

garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:31:33 -0500, Reginald Smithers III
wrote:

I guess I will have to see it in person, but it really does seem that
the smaller screen would make it difficult to type. If I drove to new
areas / unfamiliar areas often I would probably get one, but I really
don't think I would use it much after I got over the newness factor. I
think it is from all my years of traveling, that I have just followed my
nose, and very rarely get lost. I also am not afraid to ask for
directions.

This is pretty close to how I view the input screen from the driver's
position.

http://www.swsports.org/images/tomtomonetypepad.jpg

I use it just driving around town without inputting a destination. The
other day Mrs. Wave called and sent me to a neighboring town to get
something and I had no clue where the house was. Typed the addy in
and was there in 20 minutes.

Can't beat it.

garmin 330 or tomtom 1 3rd edition
 

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:31:33 -0500, Reginald Smithers III
wrote:

JimH wrote:
"Reginald Smithers III" wrote in message
...
Jim wrote:
Good info from someone whose opinion matters.
Thanks,
Jim
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:46:31 -0500, "Jim" wrote:

Which one to buy? Both will be on sale for $125. Which has better
features,maps, directions etc.
I have the TomTom One (not the XL) and haven't had very many problems
with it at all.

It has some peculiar "quirks" that you need to get used to - as in
rerouting sometimes gives you directions that you might not
necessarily want to take, but doing a route reset is fairly easy.
Other than that, and the occasional "take a left" where there isn't a
left to take (which is endemic to most small car navigators of this
type), the one is a fairly good unit. The new Bluetooth software
they released is VERY good and works as advertised. The maps are very
complete and you won't need to immediately upgrade them. One very
nice feature that I haven't seen on other small units is the weekly
sat data download. It's a Quickstart feature which predicts which
satellites will be in your sky for the next week which reduces load
time. Even without that feature, it loads very quickly and never
looses lock. If it does loose lock (like in a tunnel), the recapture
is instant - quite impressive.

On the minus side, the documentation on TomTom's site is not the most
helpfull - you really have to putz through it and tinker with the
machine in your driveway to get the logic flow of the One - it's not
hard by any means. If you have a pickup trucks where the windsheild
is a distance from the driver, the mount that comes with it lacks a
lot - it's very short and requires that you mount it somewhere where
it can interfer with your vision. The goose neck mount that they sell
isn't the best either - it vibrates like crazy and is virtually
useless. They do sell a bean bag type mount, but I'm not a big fan of
those. Some like them, some don't. It you opt for the external
antenna, don't. The magnet is very weak and virtually useless.

The other problem with the One is that the screen can wash out in
glare conditions - that can be annoying. That seems to be a universal
problem with what ever unit you buy though.

With respect to the Garmin 330, it's a nice unit, accurate, but it's
also subject to the same "quirks" as the TomTom so I won't repeat them
here. The one thing I did notice with the 330 is that initial
position data capture times can be lengthy compared to the TomTom, but
once it's got the data, it never loses it.

It's really a toss up when you come right down to it. I need to put a
disclaimer in this - I won't buy Garmin for a couple of reasons having
to do with customer service. TomTom has a large market in Europe and
just recently signed an agreement to purchase Horizon Navigation which
is THE name in automotive navigation systems (including mapping).

So there you have it from a user of TomTom. :)

Take it for what it's worth.

PS: If you have a "choice", go with the TomTom One XL.
The larger screen would make it much easier for my fingers and eyes to
type and see.

The screen size on the TomTom One is really not a big issue, in fact a plus
if you consider the amount of space a larger unit takes up.



I guess I will have to see it in person, but it really does seem that
the smaller screen would make it difficult to type. If I drove to new
areas / unfamiliar areas often I would probably get one, but I really
don't think I would use it much after I got over the newness factor. I
think it is from all my years of traveling, that I have just followed my
nose, and very rarely get lost. I also am not afraid to ask for
directions.

They weren't made for men. They were made for women. Unless they're on a
boat.
--
John H