I've had my nuvi 350 for a few weeks now and have concluded that it is a fun gadget to play around with,but is it a serious navigation tool? As of now i think it can help out in some instances while traveling,but i am more amazed at it's flaws than it's attributes.I have found more than a dozen omissions,and complete errors in my county alone.One said there is a highway right down the middle of the airport.The road closed yrs ago as the airport expanded.
I read more than 2100 reviews at Amazon and even more else wear on the particular model i bought.The reviewers overwhelmingly loved it. Do most of you think it is a serious device or just a fun, flawed toy?
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
The Only Person Who Can Answer That Question Is You! Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:54 pm
What do you think it is? If you are demanding absolute precision, I guarantee that it is a toy. If you can look at it as tool that has some flaws, then it is a tool with flaws.
Personally, I think I am a lot better off with GPS than without. I have owned a Garmin 76s since 2002 and it has been a source of enjoyment (Geocaching), educational, and has been a serious navigational tool that has taken us to street addresses (not exact but within eyesight), resturants, funeral homes, hospitals, and has got me out of more than one helplessly lost jam. It is 100 % accurate? Location wise yes, within 50 feet usually. (Downtown with tall buildings can cause problems). Is the data base 100% accurate? No but, to me, it is still better than not having one. It has been accurate enough 90% of the time. That other 10%, knowing where I was and not being able to find something was still better than not knowing.
If a GPS occupied a refrigerator sized box, cost $2 million dollars and had 300 foot error, to me it would be an amazing contraption. The fact that you can hold it in your hand, get 9 feet accuracy, and a common slob like me can afford one is just fantastic. Who cares if it has some errors?
I have very mixed feelings about it.The problem is that Garmin doesn't make the maps, so that leaves the consumer with a piece of equipment that is fragmented in it's blame or credit for the overall effectiveness of the product.I don't have any complaints about bells and whistles that i would like to be on it.All i want is to be able to get from point A to point B.It is too inconsistent to be relied on.
The more urban areas might be 90% accurate,but rural is much less.I want to keep it, but if i go somewhere i am not sure of,you can bet i am going to go to take printed maps with me.When people ask does it get you where you need to go i say "sometimes".
Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 2874 Location: New Jersey
Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:38 pm
I think map quality/coverage varies a lot by location. The Garmin (Navteq) maps are quite thorough and accurate in my area - which is a very rural section in the far southern part of New Jersey. The TeleAtlas maps which TomTom and Mio use were equally accurate for me.
In most cases I find the GPS gives me more detail and more up to date maps that I would have on paper, and far more accessible. But maybe you just aren't the type of person who appreciates this - which is no big deal because I know a lot of people like that. If so, sell it and just use your paper maps.
For me, it's both a tool, a toy and a traveling companion since I drive over 30,000 miles per year. Can't remember the last time I looked at a paper map. Like any other tool, it takes a human being with some intelligence, experience and common sense to operate it.
Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 2874 Location: New Jersey
Re: The Only Person Who Can Answer That Question Is You! Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:45 pm
Navxnut wrote:
The fact that you can hold it in your hand, get 9 feet accuracy, and a common slob like me can afford one is just fantastic. Who cares if it has some errors?
I agree completely, well said... except the "9 foot accuracy". Good luck with that The fact that Garmin proclaims 9 foot accuracy on the satellite page doesn't mean much. These units are spec'ed at 10 meter accuracy (33 ft).
I think it is accurate to within 10 to 20 feet.No satellite problems for me,it just will not show roads that should be there or does show ones that are in the wrong places.It would be comical if it wasn't so dangerous.
Satellite acquisition is very good and it isn't hard to use,just needs accurate maps.It all comes down to the City Navigator 2009 not the unit itself.
It is exciting technology it justs has a long way to go to be a serious tool.
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 263 Location: Winter Springs, FL
Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:16 pm
jimsmith117 wrote:
The problem is that Garmin doesn't make the maps, so that leaves the consumer with a piece of equipment that is fragmented in it's blame or credit for the overall effectiveness of the product.
Do any GPS vendors make their own maps? I can't think of any.
One reason GPSs are cheap is that the expense of maintaining maps can be shared by multiple vendors. I bet either price would go up or quality would go down if one company did it all.
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Re: The Only Person Who Can Answer That Question Is You! Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:32 pm
Boyd wrote:
Navxnut wrote:
The fact that you can hold it in your hand, get 9 feet accuracy, and a common slob like me can afford one is just fantastic. Who cares if it has some errors?
I agree completely, well said... except the "9 foot accuracy". Good luck with that :D The fact that Garmin proclaims 9 foot accuracy on the satellite page doesn't mean much. These units are spec'ed at 10 meter accuracy (33 ft).
I stand corrected, 9 meter accuracy is what I meant to say. But... I have found many Geocaches with good sky well within 5 foot accuracy. Of course it also drifts more than that, so yes 9 or 10 meters.
In regards to some of the other comments, I guess I just don't expect the accuracy where I would call the mistakes dangerous. Inconvenient as hell yes, but dangerous? You don't have this connected to the power steering in your car do you? Don't laugh, you can steer boats with some GPS units--but not a nuvi.
The problem is that Garmin doesn't make the maps, so that leaves the consumer with a piece of equipment that is fragmented in it's blame or credit for the overall effectiveness of the product.
Do any GPS vendors make their own maps? I can't think of any.
One reason GPSs are cheap is that the expense of maintaining maps can be shared by multiple vendors. I bet either price would go up or quality would go down if one company did it all.
At least there would be one place to complain or offer suggestions instead of the current situation of buying indirectly from the map maker.
Mapquest and Google have the same problems that show up on the nuvi, there has to be some connection between them all for them to have acquired the same errors.I personally feel that they add streets and roads,but rarely change mistakes on the maps. Agree?
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 263 Location: Winter Springs, FL
Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:34 pm
jimsmith117 wrote:
Mapquest and Google have the same problems that show up on the nuvi, there has to be some connection between them all for them to have acquired the same errors.I personally feel that they add streets and roads,but rarely change mistakes on the maps. Agree?
Having grown up in Kentucky and attended high school there, I think the basic problem is that you live somewhere between Middle of Damn Nowhere and East Pig F**k. (Just yanking your chain; I have very fond memories of Kentucky.)
Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Northern Va, US
Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:51 pm
I use it as a tool. It has similar issues that I've experienced with an internet source such as yahoo or google maps...except the nuvi self corrects. It re-calculates to get me where I need to be.
Throw in the blue tooth and this is hands down the best thing I've bought myself in ages, if not ever. But, if your expectations are perfection, then it will be hard to be happy no matter what its performance.
I think it is accurate to within 10 to 20 feet.No satellite problems for me,it just will not show roads that should be there or does show ones that are in the wrong places.It would be comical if it wasn't so dangerous.
What exactly is dangerous about it. You are still expected to use the brains you were born with to make value decisions as whether you want to exactly follow the route or turn away and let the GPS re-plot from the new path.
Most everyone finds some sort of mapping or POI errors in the areas they are most familiar with, but some actually find that the GPS knows a better or faster route than the one they have driven for 10 years without it's help. And it's still most useful when you are outside of your area of familiarity. It will usually find it's way, and usually you won't know if it's the best way or not, you'll just be happy that it got you there without any major incidents.
I often print out a detail map of a specific destination location just as back up in case I do run into one of those map glitches. I've never yet had to use the paper backup, but I like to be prepared. I've never found that the GPS has any problem getting me into a general locale, and so far it's always found the actual destination.
Just as an aside... Get turned around when you are using a paper map and you will be just as lost, but that paper map won't be able to tell where you are or have any clue how to get you back to familiar territory.
Sure we have to use our brains that is for a fact.Let me give you one of several local examples:The local airport expanded and acquired much of a certain road that just happens to be between two major routes in my area.From zooming i noticed that something wasn't right so as a test i got in my vehicle to see exactly what the nuvi would do.It is a narrow two lane road that i was on and the map said one mile to the next turn.If i didn't know the situation and the area i might have continued straight and ran thru a fence and near the runway of planes taking off and landing.Does that seem reasonable to be alarmed at things like that?I should say so!There is much potential for something to go wrong,but i do agree of course you have to trust your safety to your own reasoning and not a gadget.
I live in a town of a population of about 11,000 in the city and it justs seems that the nuvi would have better results than it does.Could be just a coincidence that my location is not as well mapped as compared to other areas.It surprises me when i hear numbers like 90% accurate and comments like i never use paper maps anymore.
Like i say,i am not against the GPS, but i wonder why people seem to defend it know matter what.I have sent several updates to the Navteq that Tim posted.I don't mean to rain on your parade.
I too have sent updates to NavTeq.... the earliest was last February and it hasn't shown up on the map on their site yet, so they don't exactly have instantaneous response to a change request. I would like to think that they will get to it sometime this year, but I'm not going to worry too much about it. And I live in the Denver Metro area with few million people. One would think that such an area would be a high priority, but what do I know?
As to the airport comment, isn't there any warning on the street that it is coming to an end? Just because my GPS tells me to turn in one mile, I'm not about to blindly drive that mile without giving any consideration to the realities of the situation. I see it as an assistant that is wonderfully helpful and quite sophisticated, but with all that it still depends on human input, and humans make mistakes. Fortunately, in this case I have the luxury of being able to catch those mistakes and correct them simply by being aware of my surroundings.
Even though I use a GPS I still drive as I always have. I liken it to having my wife navigate for me with a paper map. If she says to turn left, and left puts me in a river, then I don't do it. It may start a heated discussion, but at least we are still dry. Aand even better, Jill doesn't get upset when I ignore her directions.... she just recalculates.
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Dangerous Situations Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:03 am
If you believe that the GPS is going to create a personal hazard to you, then by all means do not use one. No one should be frightened of piece of technology. Simply sell your GPS and wait until they become more accurate, which I believe they will. Although I don't believe that they will ever be 100% accurate. Its a big world with a lot of activities, and road construction alone will alway make GPS mapping inaccurate.
If faith in your GPS is going to make you crash through fences and get on to airport runways, then as a matter of public safety please sell your GPS. Mine has never showed me a jackknifed trailer truck around the bend. I had to see it and stop. It is not like harbor radar in a dense fog. You are expected to remain in visual contact with your surroundings.
I don't believe that any of us here are defending GPS no matter what. I do believe that we have a realistic understanding of the technology and its limitations and are willing to use it even if it is not 100 percent accurate. And you are not raining on anyone's parade. You have the right to your opinion and I can see value in it. But I don't believe that you are going to crash though a fence just because your GPS told you to turn right. Again if the technology alarms you, simply don't use it.
If i didn't know the situation and the area i might have continued straight and ran thru a fence
To me, there is one important word in that sentence, "I". So you might have continued straight into the fence. You were driving the car, not the GPS. Why would you drive straight into a fence? When I see a fence, I stop my car ahead of time.
GPS isn't perfect, that is why you are still driving the car, not the GPS. Keep your eyes on the road and don't drive somewhere you wouldn't drive if you didn't have the GPS.
Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 2874 Location: New Jersey
Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:47 pm
jimsmith117 wrote:
If i didn't know the situation and the area i might have continued straight and ran thru a fence and near the runway of planes taking off and landing.Does that seem reasonable to be alarmed at things like that?
Wow. Honestly, I think you should just sell your GPS for whatever you can get and go back to life the way it was before you had one. Clearly you are dangerous if you blindly drive onto an airport runway because a machine told you to do so...
For those with poor sense of direction, like me, the GPS will be an invaluable tool to guide them around although its usefulness is very much depending on the accuracy of the maps. It is also an expensive toys for adults.
Last edited by s2800021 on Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:22 am; edited 1 time in total
1- No more asking for directions.
Most people are nice, but some deliberately send you to wrong places, some try to play smart when they should not (because they know zilch).
2- Much fewer u-turns or backups (I have a RV ).
I used it some more today.Dozens of mistakes. Like i say, if you are completely lost it will help, other than that it is just something to have fun with.After a few weeks of use i'd say it is between 60 to 70 percent accurate.It isn't anything to be upset over, after all it is just a toy.Just hope nobody gets hurt by following the directions of one these things.
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Mistakes Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:41 am
I know right now that if I took my Nuvi out for a ride I could find many mistakes. Yet I have used a GPS since 2002 and out of the many times it has helped me, I can only think of about 5 failures, all related to the database. Not one of those failures was the least bit dangerous. If we presume that in 6 years I have used the device to find 100 things--a rate of less than 2 a month, that puts me at 95% accuracy. Not perfect but not bad. I believe that would earn you an A in most classes.
When I think of the times it has aided me when I was totally lost, the times it got me back to my car when geocaching (OK, I'll admit if I didn't have the GPS--I probably would have not been in the woods, and not had problems finding my car, but get me back out of the woods it did), the number of Pizza Huts it found in strange towns, the enjoyment I have had with Geocaching and Waymarking, the things it has taught me...I can only think of this device as a wonder. After a trip, I routinely save the trip log. I can go back and look at look at my travels from 6 years ago on the map. Well I am sorry, but to me it is not a toy. If that makes me a Garmin apologist, then so be it. My GPS has enriched my life in many ways. I think it is a wonderful technology. Could it be better? Absolutely. Will it get better, I believe so? Will it ever be perfect, no. But faults and all, my life is much better with a GPS than without.
One thing to remember, this is a GPS forum. We are mostly GPS enthusiasts in one fashion or another. I don't think one is going to find much agreement here that GPS units are just toys--even if we use them that way. As someone mentioned, you don't have to stop and ask directions, and if you make a wrong turn...it just recalculates. Few things in this world are perfect, but they are still pretty damned good.
Last edited by Navxnut on Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:02 pm; edited 1 time in total
I used it some more today.Dozens of mistakes. Like i say, if you are completely lost it will help, other than that it is just something to have fun with.After a few weeks of use i'd say it is between 60 to 70 percent accurate.It isn't anything to be upset over, after all it is just a toy.Just hope nobody gets hurt by following the directions of one these things.
I find it baffling how you can say you found "dozens of mistakes" in one day. I've been using my Nuvi 260 for more than 6 months and I haven't found much of anything that I could call a mapping error except for some misplaced POI's. That includes driving from Denver CO to Ft. Myers FL, lots of driving in Colorado, then driving back from Ft. Myers in May by a completely different route. It found every address I asked, never took me on a wrong road, never tried to take me through an airport, onto railroad tracks, or any of the other things that people seem to love to post... although I haven't yet seen much evidence to back those stories up. If yours is so bad, why not tell us where it is that you are driving that is so screwed up? Love to see the proof... then I might actually be convinced.
There is no way to prove a negative.Again, Mapquest,Google,Rand McNally all have the same information.Anyone could find a dozen errors in just two or three hrs, it would not take all day.It is probably the same where most people live also.What correct info it does give is nice to have.My point is not to be putting my GPS down, just give a real life account of actual working conditions,not let's say it is all good and ignore the facts and maybe it will go away.
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Not Wanting To Join The Opposition Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:08 pm
I don't want to appear as a traitor to the cause, but in all honesty my Nuvi is loaded with mistakes.
When I route from my home, it tells me to continue 2.5 miles on my street name then turn left. My street merges into a state highway .3 miles from my home. If I get off on another side street and recover the route, it now calls the state highway a county "Yellow Belt" which is technically correct but not how you would find a state highway listed on a map or street signs. Coming back in the opposite direction it calls the same state highway an entirely different name that I have never seen on a map and I am not sure is correct. Not once does it ever refer to it as the state highway #. Incidentally the Nuvi's map shows the highway as the state highway number, and uses none of these other names.
Following that road down to the business district, none of the resturants are located correctly. That is about 6 errors right there. A gas station, an auto parts, 2 motels are incorrectly located. The Mc Donalds next to the interstate is completely missing--not listed--does not exist. It was incorrectly located on my 76S. I have lived here 31 years and that McDonalds has been there the entire time, never closed.
If I do a "where am I", it lists the nearest address as 145 I live at 129. It lists the nearest intersection as two minor roads about 2.5 miles as the crow flies or 4 miles driving from my home. Yet my street intersects with a major numbered state highway .3 miles from my home. Now here is a an area that I would have to agree with our friend. If I ever have a heart attack mowing my mountainous front yard, I know exactly what will happen. Someone not familiar with my street will be passing by with a Garmin, see me do a face downer and send the ambulance to an intersection 4 miles from my home. Please use the coordinates in such cases.
So without even trying I could find at least a dozen errors, driving from my home to the nearest interstate, 6 miles away. Most of the POI errors are for establishments that have been here for at least 20 years. Most of the POI errors are within the field of view of the wrong location, but not all of them.
Other than the intersection business, if you were reporting an accident, I can't say that any of these errors are dangerous. In regards to accident reporting. I would insist on giving coordinates and not the goofey address and nearest intersection information that the Nuvi provides. Hopefully all emergency services can locate coordinates these days.
As such I have no doubt, that our friend can find plenty of errors, but again I have to say that most fall into the category of inconvenience and not danger. So the thing is loaded with errors, yet when I think back on 6 years of use, I can only think of about 5 times that the GPS sent me the wrong way, usually for POIs. So I give it 95%, an A. Yet I know I could easilly give it an F if I was demanding perfection.
I don't think any of us are saying GPS is perfect. Most everyone who has used a GPS has probably seen a mapping error from time to time. Take a look at this page and see just how many changes are being made.
But I also can't remember the last time a GPS didn't effectively get me to my desired destination. I use GPS every day and it has been several years since I used a paper map in the car. (Well, except for that one day about a month ago when I had cleaned my car and realized I had taken all of my GPS devices out!)
GPS is a tool-- but like any tool it requires common sense and a backup plan for use.
Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 263 Location: Winter Springs, FL
Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:24 pm
jimsmith117 wrote:
There is no way to prove a negative.Again, Mapquest,Google,Rand McNally all have the same information.Anyone could find a dozen errors in just two or three hrs, it would not take all day.It is probably the same where most people live also.What correct info it does give is nice to have.My point is not to be putting my GPS down, just give a real life account of actual working conditions,not let's say it is all good and ignore the facts and maybe it will go away.
Jim, I realize that you're being put on the spot, and a lot of happy Garmin users are saying WTF. I hope it's not turning you off any more towards Garmin or GPSr devices in general. I appreciate you putting up with this thread and helping us understand what the heck is happening.
But when you say that the maps are 60-70% accurate, what are you talking about? Are you mostly referring to POIs? If so, then I'd agree that a LOT of POIs are wrong - either missing, outdated, or in the wrong place by a small difference.
Or are you referring to roads? If so, the 60-70% number is simply amazing. I've driven quite a bit in the southeast and I'd say that the number is closer to 99.99%. (Maybe higher - it's just hard to judge the vast quantity of roads on a map compared to any errors that I've noticed.) It's very rare for me to find a missing or misplaced road. I often run into bizarre naming, but it's always caused by a road having two or three (or more) different names caused by merging and then splitting off.
Or are you referring to bizarre routing, i.e., routes that are not optimal? I do find this occuring quite often. But it mostly happens when it's a local road where I normally wouldn't use the GPS and I just happen to know better. When I'm in an unknown area then the GPS always gets me there. Maybe it's not optimal, but I have no clue that it isn't.
You mentioned a airport road having a problem. Do you have any other examples that you can share?
(This isn't about proving you wrong or right. I'm just damn curious how the maps could be so screwed up. And I guess I've got too much spare time on my hands. )
Tim,i have have trouble believing info from the website posted.For example:It says 63000 + changes have been made today.How is this possible? There are 3077 counties in the U.S. If we divide this it comes out to 20 or more changes per county per day averaged out.How can it be so?That would mean in a yr it would be around 23 million+ updates or 7,500 per county. There is no way they can be making that many changes, if it were we would not be having this conversation.
Most errors i find are omission not POI's .
That would lower the avg but still seems high.If they made as little as one change per county per day it wouldn't take long to get it all corrected.Let's keep hope it will someday happen.
Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 123 Location: Chandler, AZ
Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:01 pm
So are your paper maps up to date in these areas? What are the dates of the paper maps? The thing is, your paper map is only as good as the info on the day it was printed. It never changes or gets updated. Have you never driven somewhere and the paper map doesn't show the road because it was built after it was printed. Do you swear off paper maps because of it?
I am amazed that the maps on these GPS units are as accurate as they are. When you think that there are literally millions and millions of POIs in the US and they get 6 million of them and most of them are right - that's pretty amazing. I wonder how they even get this info. Do they use public records (i.e. plot plans, zoning permits, project plans) or do they have someone do actual field data gathering. Either way, I can see why it might take a while for a little 2 lane road in Kentucky to get updated vs. a major highway through LA. Not saying it isn't right, or inconvenient, but these companies don't have endless resources, nor customers willing to pay the price for 100% accuracy.
In my area (Chandler, AZ), we are one of the fastest growing cities in the country. New roads and stores are popping up literally every month. The 2009 maps are incredibly accurate for our area. They even show the building outlines for our local mall and several other buildings around it. I was amazed that they actually had that detail in there. Some of the POIs even show their location on the actual mall - not the street out in front!
I wonder if your area just isn't up to date in the maps and you are seeing how bad it can be, while others of us are in areas that have high priority and very accurate data. It sounds like the road in your example is a little narrow road that the GPS might not even route someone on in the first place unless they really needed to get there.
I can certainly find issues in some neighborhoods in my area. But that's not why I got the GPS - I don't need it to tell me how to get to places a few miles away that I already know how to get to. I use it when driving from Chandler to San Diego to estimate my ETA and to make sure I don't miss an exit after driving for 3 hours and not paying attention. And now with the traffic I will know whether or not I should get off the freeway and go on streets I have never been on before. For me, it is an incredible tool, but it's also a fun toy to play with when I don't need it to route me.
I'm not certain what their definition of a "change" is... but think of it this way. A new road certainly wouldn't be just one change. There are segments to add, turn restrictions to add, surface types, address ranges, lane widths, etc. For each segment of road there are over 200 variables the mapping companies track. So a new road could account for several hundred "changes" to the database, not 1.
If you expect it to be 100% accurate you're going to be disappointed. I've found minor errors on the Garmin 260 and TomTom 920 that we have, but my experience mirrors Tim's - we've always gotten to our destination. It is definitely a useful tool for me. Having a gps on a trip to FL a few months ago was invaluable. It was a great asset on a business trip to France. I don't use it during my normal daily drives (to work, to the store, etc.), I can't be bothered having to stow it each time I park though I usually have it available if needed.
Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 2874 Location: New Jersey
Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:44 pm
Well I still think that Jim is just someone who doesn't "get" what a GPS is for, and he continues to reaffirm that with his recent posts. There's really nothing wrong with that; obviously he was happier without one. I don't think anything we say is going to change that mindset.
I'll echo what was said previously and say thanks to jimsmith117 for being such a good sport about this. While most of us disagree with your assessment, it has been a very civil and educational debate for all of us.
That video is funny! Wish it were that simple.
Tim, as far as your assertion that many changes can be included in one new road,i think you are on to something there.That would explain a lot.So actually there are few noticeable changes that a consumer can see as i said.
Do i like and will continue to use my Garmin? Yes. Is it much more accurate than printed maps.Heck no.Will it get me to where i need to go? 60 to 70 percent of the time.
I don't look at this discussion as taking sides.I just feel most over hype and over rate things that they love, whether it be your favorite type of automobile,
sport teams, or in this case GPS.I am a realist, call a spade a spade.It is not my intention to get everyone to talk bad about their devices, i just enjoy straight forward, accurate assessments of others experiences without trying to offend people.I can do that, can you?
Joined: 10 May 2008 Posts: 86 Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
I disagree. Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:58 pm
IsLNdbOi wrote:
What's the point of this thread again? Why come into a GPS "enthusiast" forum and start a thread like this?
Most people here like / enjoy using their GPS unit. They're convenient and help us get to where we need or want to go.
What does it matter to you (jimsmith117) if we can make "accurate assessments of others experiences..."?
Who cares?
Actually I do. I think this has been a great thread. I think most of us have provided thoughtful arguments and have remained civil. If you look at the number of replies and the length of the replies, there has been a lot of interest in this thread. It has got all of us thinking, and to be honest, my GPS has come out in a better light in my own mind. Yeah, there are a lot of errors, but how many times have they bit me, five times in 6 years, amazing!
Hey the guy buys a GPS and is dismayed with the number of errors. He has a right to his opininon. What, are we going to devolve down to the mentality of some car forums I have seen: "Hey man, Chevy rulez, Ford Pukes can all die and burn in hell!" If that is the case, I will be on my way and not darken the doorway here again.
What's the point of this thread again? Why come into a GPS "enthusiast" forum and start a thread like this?
Most people here like / enjoy using their GPS unit. They're convenient and help us get to where we need or want to go.
What does it matter to you (jimsmith117) if we can make "accurate assessments of others experiences..."?
Who cares?
Actually I do. I think this has been a great thread. I think most of us have provided thoughtful arguments and have remained civil. If you look at the number of replies and the length of the replies, there has been a lot of interest in this thread. It has got all of us thinking, and to be honest, my GPS has come out in a better light in my own mind. Yeah, there are a lot of errors, but how many times have they bit me, five times in 6 years, amazing!
Hey the guy buys a GPS and is dismayed with the number of errors. He has a right to his opininon. What, are we going to devolve down to the mentality of some car forums I have seen: "Hey man, Chevy rulez, Ford Pukes can all die and burn in hell!" If that is the case, I will be on my way and not darken the doorway here again.
Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 14 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:47 pm
I'm the happy owner of a new Nuvi 760, which got all kinds of good reviews everywhere I looked, I've had it about 4 weeks.
Yes, there are errors that I have found, some map errors, some POI errors, some routing errors (or what I'd call routing errors). But would I give it up? You bet I won't. I like knowing for sure when I am, especially out in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. So what if it routes me to an address 3 buildings up from where I wanted to go, I can find it from there.
If I tell it to route me home it always wants me to turn onto a street that is parallel to the one I'd rather take and on which is a stop sign. If I keep going straight I avoid the stop sign, and it recalculates routing me the way I want to go. If I followed the route I'd get home, but it would take a few seconds longer.
I had been without a GPS for a year and half. My car was stolen WHILE being smog checked. I got the car back 2 days later but not the GPS. It was an aging Garmin iQue 3600, I've missed not having it. I think I'd have rather gotten the GPS back instead of the car.
The GPS is a tool, that is useful in a lot of ways. But you can play with it too, and I do. With the new GPS I discovered that my new car's speedometer is off by 5 MPH at 80 MPH. I had a clue about that one day but I didn't follow up on it...I got pulled over, the officer said I was doing 85, I thought I was going 90. I thought I had slowed down a little before he got a lock on me, and didn't think much more about it. I didn't get a ticket though, as we are both former military/retired. He did say if I had been an officer he'd have burned me, for once I was glad I wasn't an officer.
What's the point of this thread again? Why come into a GPS "enthusiast" forum and start a thread like this?
Most people here like / enjoy using their GPS unit. They're convenient and help us get to where we need or want to go.
What does it matter to you (jimsmith117) if we can make "accurate assessments of others experiences..."?
Who cares?
Actually I do. I think this has been a great thread. I think most of us have provided thoughtful arguments and have remained civil. If you look at the number of replies and the length of the replies, there has been a lot of interest in this thread. It has got all of us thinking, and to be honest, my GPS has come out in a better light in my own mind. Yeah, there are a lot of errors, but how many times have they bit me, five times in 6 years, amazing!
Hey the guy buys a GPS and is dismayed with the number of errors. He has a right to his opininon. What, are we going to devolve down to the mentality of some car forums I have seen: "Hey man, Chevy rulez, Ford Pukes can all die and burn in hell!" If that is the case, I will be on my way and not darken the doorway here again.
Eh, it's not that great.
I mean, the things mentioned in this thread are so obvious and are mostly common sense. Of course no GPS unit or map will have 100% accurate info.. That's why we have cartographers. They make changes and updates to maps every year. If maps were 100% accurate we wouldn't have them.
We also have programmers to fix bugs in firmware and update GPS units' software.
Again, all of this is common sense.
About the safety part; you have to have common sense there too when following what a GPS unit says so that you don't end up driving off a bridge or cliff or end up in a river.
Oh and I didn't say no one should be posting and expressing their opinions here. I only asked what the point of this thread was. From the beginning it seemed to be a negative, bashing thread about GPS units and he posted it in a GPS forum...
I have a Nuvi 760 as well and I have see it give strange directions when there are shorter / faster routes. That's usually because the map hasn't been updated. It doesn't always mean there's an error. Sometimes it means the correct info. isn't there for the GPS unit to give you the shorter / faster route.
Most GPS units are for play and are tools. If you use it to help you get from point A to point B then it's a tool. If you use it to listen to mp3s in your car or as a picture viewer, then it's a toy. It's not difficult to see when it's a toy and when it's a tool.
Sure we have to use our brains that is for a fact.Let me give you one of several local examples:The local airport expanded and acquired much of a certain road that just happens to be between two major routes in my area.From zooming i noticed that something wasn't right so as a test i got in my vehicle to see exactly what the nuvi would do.It is a narrow two lane road that i was on and the map said one mile to the next turn.If i didn't know the situation and the area i might have continued straight and ran thru a fence and near the runway of planes taking off and landing.Does that seem reasonable to be alarmed at things like that?I should say so!There is much potential for something to go wrong,but i do agree of course you have to trust your safety to your own reasoning and not a gadget.
I live in a town of a population of about 11,000 in the city and it justs seems that the nuvi would have better results than it does.Could be just a coincidence that my location is not as well mapped as compared to other areas.It surprises me when i hear numbers like 90% accurate and comments like i never use paper maps anymore.
Like i say,i am not against the GPS, but i wonder why people seem to defend it know matter what.I have sent several updates to the Navteq that Tim posted.I don't mean to rain on your parade.
I quoted this post from Jimsmith because I think this is the post that most people are probably getting annoyed at him about.
It's not about his issues with inaccuracy in a GPS it's his example of driving into a fence if he wasn't aware of the road changes and then he goes on to call the GPS a dangerous tool?
Sorry Jimmy but I'm sure most of the forum members are annoyed that you are not taking responsibility for your driving habits, instead you just blame the device and say it would cause you an accident.
You are very much entitled to your opinion about the Garmin GPS and your comments about the actual product are quite welcome as it helps others but your examples of the GPS causing you to run through a fence and calling it dangerous just don't set well with people. It's like faulting your computer for getting a virus, you turned it on and surfed the web.
Let me be clear. Just as the warning on the nuvi screen says"You assume total responsibility and risk for using this device." I agree with that.
It can contribute to the confusion of driving situations as it did with the driver in the link below. However, as stated by all us we have to use common sense.
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The fact that Garmin proclaims 9 foot accuracy on the satellite page doesn't mean much. These units are spec'ed at 10 meter accuracy (33 ft).
