NaviGadget

star trek sound effects on your Garmin GPS

May 11, 2009 garmin, gps navigation, misc news 1 Comment

We at Navigadget always keep an eye on the latest movies and try to bring you relevant news from the GPS world (first part was a big lie…) With the opening of the new Star Trek movie you may be interested in being a part of the action by adding some Star Trek voices to your Garmin StreetPilot or Garmin Nuvi.

The video is from 2007 and there really isn’t that many voices in it but it is still better than nothing. Installation instructions.

three gps units for under $100

Oct 13, 2008 gps navigation 1 Comment

You probably weren’t aware of the wide variety of sub $100 dollar GPS units out there. Don’t worry we weren’t either until our editor told us to get busy and find some. Without further ado here are three great deals to get you were you’re going.

Magellan Maestro 4000

• Features include spoken turn by turn directions
• Automatic smart update which routes you around traffic (free service)
• Auto reroute in case you ignore your GPS and get lost
• Large easy to read 4.3” touchscreen display

Can be found for $89.99 plus free shipping here.

Garmin StreetPilot c330 (Refurbished)

• Pre-loaded maps
• Large 3.5” touchscreen display
• Voice guided turn by turn directions
• SD memory slot for adding additional features

Can be found for $99.99 here.

Nextar S3

• Pre-loaded maps for the United States
• SD card slot for loading additional information
• Brilliant 3.5” color touch display
• Spoken turn by turn directions
• Pre-loaded with 1.6 million points of interest including restaurants and gas stations

Can be found here for $79.99.

Now you really don’t have a good reason not to own a GPS. If you get lost and eaten by a bear it’s your own fault!

(decent) gps navigation systems $200 or less

Jul 5, 2008 garmin, gps navigation, magellan, navigon, tomtom 7 Comments

Here we have a (possibly incomplete) list of GPS navigation system for $200 or less. We decided to stick with most common brands. Let us know if we’re missing any.

tomtom one 130 – $150
tomtom one 3rd edition – $148
tomtom one 130s – $199

garmin streetpilot c550 – $188
garmin streetpilot c530 – $180
garmin streetpilot c340 – $156
garmin streetpilot c330 – $127
garmin nuvi 250 – $189
garmin nuvi 200W – $198
garmin nuvi 200 – $161

magellan roadmate 1412 – $189
magellan roadmate 1200 – $139
magellan maestro 3100 – $104
magellan maestro 3200 – $101
magellan maestro 3250 – $186
magellan maestro 3100 – $144
magellan maestro 4000 – $155
magellan maestro 4200 – $188
magellan maestro 4210 – $181

navigon 2100 – $118
navigon 5100 – $199

mio moov 310 – $196
mio moov 300 – $180
mio moov 200 – $141

garmin garage

Jun 15, 2008 garmin, gps navigation 1 Comment

Garmin added 3 new vehicles to their garage. If you like to customize the little icon that pinpoints your location on your Garmin, Garmin Garage is your spot.

The new vehicles will work on your nuvi, zumo, or StreetPilot.

Read More …

Mercedes Benz calls nuvi760 StreetPilot III and custom mounts it

May 29, 2008 garmin, gps navigation 3 Comments

Garmin today announced Mercedes-Benz Accessories will continue its relationship with Garmin by selecting the nüvi 760 as their latest portable after market navigation solution. The nüvi 760 named the ‘StreetPilot III’ by Mercedes-Benz, is customized with a specially designed mount for the new generation A-Class, B-Class and C-Class cars will be available at dealers across Europe May 2008 for about 550 Euros.

The Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot III (nüvi 760) has been designed with a special dashboard mount integrated into the vehicles electronics allowing for easy access to the touch screen controls and a clear view of the maps and navigational instructions. The design of the in-car mount wires it directly into the car’s electronics meaning there are no visible power cables.

The StreetPilot III (nüvi 760) has a large 4.3″ widescreen, includes traffic avoidance, safety camera alerts and hands free calling via a Bluetooth connection. Since the system is integrated into your Benz’ electronics all spoken directions are via the car speakers, muting the radio as the voice guidance speaks the street names as well as directions.

even more black friday GPS deals – Circuit City

Nov 20, 2007 garmin, gps navigation 3 Comments

The black friday ad from Circuit City contains two GPS navigation systems, both from Garmin.

Garmin StreetPilot c340 for $200. This is only $28 cheaper than what Amazon sells StreetPilot c340 for. Not that good of a deal…

The StreetPilot c340 leads the portable, affordable c300 series with text to speech capability and optional traffic alerts. Whether you choose the c340 or c330 with preloaded maps or the c320 or c310 with SD card, their intuitive touch screen operation and big displays make them easy to use.

Garmin Nuvi 350 for $300. On Amazon nuvi 350 is $340. We’d get up two hours early to save $40.

Menus are well laid out and plotting a route is simple. Just enter a postcode or street name and house number, press Navigate and you’re off. Picking up satellites takes about two minutes, route calculation a few seconds and unlike similar satnavs, a text-to-speech function calls out street names.

Maps are clear in 2D and 3D, although having to go back into the menu to switch between the two is a pain. As well as the 700MB of space for MP3s, Points of Interest and the like, there’s also an SD card slot for adding extra memory.

As always you can look at our simple table for comparing Nuvi’s.

more black friday GPS deals – Best Buy

Nov 19, 2007 garmin, gps navigation, tomtom 3 Comments

Here are the black friday ads from Best Buy for GPS navigation systems. We’ve got three from Garmin and one from TomTom.

First one is Garmin Nuvi 200. You can pick one up for $170 on Black Friday. Currently nuvi 200 sells for $212 on Amazon. Nuvi 200 is an entry level device with the most basic features.

nüvi 200 comes preloaded with City Navigator NT map data for the continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail). Simply touch the color sunlight-readable screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nüvi 200 accepts custom points of interest (POIs) such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.

Next one is Garmin Nuvi 660. Best Buy wants to sell these for $400 each. Amazon price for the 660 right now is $512. So it does sound like a good deal.

The marketing point of the new 660 is its 4.3″ wide screen giving you lots more screen space than the older 360. You also get hands free calling that integrate Bluetooth with a microphone and a speaker to let you make hands-free calls. You can dial the number with the nüvi’s touch screen keypad to make a call on a compatible Bluetooth phone. To answer calls, just tap nüvi’s screen and speak directly into its built in microphone. FM TMC traffic receiver comes standard on the nüvi 660 by which you can receive alerts about traffic jams and constructions. Nüvi 660 will detour you around the congested area. You may also find the wireless FM Audio Transmission to be useful through which you can transmit audio, voice prompts, MP3s and audio books.

Lately it is all about nuvi’s with Garmin but don’t forget about the older StreetPilot models. On Black Friday you can pick up the featured packed StreetPilot c550 for $330. But Amazon already sells the c550 for $330 though. No need to get up early in the morning for this one.

StreetPilot c550 comes with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. In addition, the c550 accepts custom POIs, such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. The c550 integrates Bluetooth with a built-in microphone and speaker, so you can pair it with your Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free. c550’s integrated traffic receiver notifies you of upcoming traffic delays too.

There is word out there that “LE” stands for “light edition”. BestBuy will offer TomTom ONE LE for only $120 on Black Friday. TomTom ONE LE is a bit tricky to compare but this article may help you understand its features better.

…similar to the ONE 2nd Edition, but without Bluetooth and an SD card. So it appears to be like the hardware of the ONE 3rd Edition, but with full NavCore 7 rather than just NavCore 7 Lite…

The bluetooth is only for traffic and weather. You can just directly go to Best Buy’s page for TomTom ONE LE for the specs.

MSN Direct receiver on Garmin

Jan 22, 2007 garmin, gps navigation 9 Comments

If you have already purchased a Garmin with MSN Direct (Nuvi 680 or StreetPilot c580) you may have realized that you won’t be getting any MSN Direct data if you haven’t plugged in the power cord. That’s because the MSN Direct receiver is embedded in the power cord, not the Garmin itself. The funny thing is you just have to plug the power the cord into your Garmin, but the other end does not necessarily have to be plugged in to the power source.

Here is what the MSN Direct support page has to say about this:

The MSN Direct receiver is located in the power cord of the device. To get traffic reports, gas prices, movie show times, and weather information, the MSN Direct receiver must be plugged into the navigation device. The cord does not need to be plugged into a power source.

When you design such portable devices that can easily fit in your pocket ( or purse, or whatever) you expect them to function when you get out of the car too. In this case though I guess you have to wrap power cord around your neck if you want your MSN Direct data on foot.

Both MSN Direct Garmins are available on Amazon: Nuvi 680 for $1000 and StreetPilot c580 for $800.

VIB 10 (vehicle integration box) from Garmin

Jan 4, 2007 garmin, gps navigation Leave a comment

The VIB 10 is a vehicle integration box from Garmin that works with StreetPilot c550 and utilizes your car’s audio system for voice guidance, playing MP3’s, and taking phone calls.

The VIB 10 connects directly to the car’s audio and power systems and is hidden somewhere behind your dash.

It replaces the traffic receiver included with the StreetPilot c550 and does not support traffic services. Stereo playback is only possible through RCA connectors (not included), and use of an AUX function on the head unit.

The VIB 10 kit comes with all the connectors, and a ball mount adapter with a four-hole AMPS pattern for mounting flexibility. The VIB 10 is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007 and should cost about $150.

StreetPilot c580 with MSN Direct

Jan 4, 2007 garmin, gps navigation Leave a comment

Garmin today also announced StreetPilot c580, an upgraded version of the c550, which incorporates real-time traffic reports, gas prices, weather conditions, and movie times from MSN Direct network.

StreetPilot c580 receive up-to-date traffic incident and flow information for major cities across the United States – time-saving information that drivers will find valuable even when they know how to find their destination. Once a motorist programs a destination into the device, MSN Direct traffic data helps select a route that avoids traffic accidents, road closures, and construction. If conditions change during the trip, the nüvi 680 and StreetPilot c580 will automatically alter the route to minimize trip time.

When you spend $800 on the StreetPilot c580 you’ll get 12 months of free MSN Direct service and after that you can pay $50/year or $130 for a lifetime subscription.