Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 75 Location: SW Ontario Canada
Route planning questions Thu Nov 22, 2007 9:53 pm
Hi Tim
I've been doing as much research as possible into automoble GPS units but having never even held one, it isn't easy. For my needs I want a specific feature and I'd like to ask your opinion of whether what I expect of a GPS is possible.
So far I'm leaning towards a TomTom One XL-S for these main features and your "Find Auto GPS" feature on your site's front page is invaluable for this. What I want are -
Multiple Destinations.
Text to Speech.
Widescreen.
The way I need a GPS to work for my needs is this. I'll give you an example and maybe you can tell me if it's possible.
I want to set off from home on a 1/2 day drive through the countryside with only a small village two hours away as a destination (no particular address). Rather than the GPS take me down the most direct or quickest route I want to be able to pre-plan my own scenic route to pass through various villages and dipsy-doodle down various backroads, through crossroads, in an indirect route to my Destination.
I've downloaded the XL-S manual and have read about Itinerary Planning (p.29) and "Travel Via" and Waypoints.
If I need to turn right at a certain intersection and turn left at the next intersection a few miles down the road, is it possible to, say, put a curser on the first intersection and tap the screen to enter this as a Waypoint, go to the next intersection and enter that too as another Waypoint and will the GPS guide me along this route?
Is it possble, using the above features on the XL-S to pre-plan the type of route I need?
Yes, you can plan routes like that with the Itinerary Planner. You will probably find that you don't need to enter every intersection, but a few cleverly placed waypoints and the device will figure out the best way "in between" which is often the route you are looking for.
You wouldn't necessarily do it exactly the way you describe, rather than clicking on an intersection just click somewhere along that road. But what you are trying to do is well suited to TomTom's Itinerary Planner.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 75 Location: SW Ontario Canada
Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:29 pm
JeepLover wrote:
Zozzie wrote:
Thanks Jeep & Tomj. I'll be checking those prices and sites out. I'll be at Walmart in the morning.
They might not have it in the store but you should be able to order it on line.
Jeep, I've been doing a lot of checking today. Places like Walmart, Costco and BestBuy in Canada are seperate entities to the same names in the USA. Their websites, store stock and prices are not in line across the border.
For instance, Walmart Canada sells Garmin and Mia but no TomTom. Also, they don't have online mail order like Walmart USA does.
So we're on our own up here and we have to scout out our own deals. It seems like XL-S is new on the scene so they may be a while before they're common in our stores - and at a reasonable price too. Isn't the chase 1/2 the fun?
Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 544 Location: Bloomington, Il
Sat Nov 24, 2007 1:47 am
Zozzie wrote:
For instance, Walmart Canada sells Garmin and Mia but no TomTom. Also, they don't have online mail order like Walmart USA does.
I wonder why you can't just order from a U.S. store?
BTW I just discovered that that $99 Navigon I bought primarially for traffic ONLY has the 48 contiguous states with no Hawaii or Alaska and of course no Canada.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 75 Location: SW Ontario Canada
Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:14 am
Quote:
I wonder why you can't just order from a U.S. store?
For a lot of us up here, importing from the USA with its much bigger market and selection, is a way of life. We've just got to be wary and read the fine print though.
Importing, right now, is a very lucrative proposition as the value of our dollar, relative to the US dollar, is higher than in the past 30 years. Last week our dollar was worth $1.10us.....this week it's about $1.01. That's much better than the $0.70 it was worth a few years ago. Even though our dollar is worth more than yours, the cost of our goods is still much higher. We're not sure why. For instance, the best price up here for a TomTom XL-S is about $359.99. We make cars up here and sell them in the USA for much less money than in this country.
Quote:
BTW I just discovered that that $99 Navigon I bought primarially for traffic ONLY has the 48 contiguous states with no Hawaii or Alaska and of course no Canada.
These are some of the things we have to be wary of. Warranty is another concern.
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