sat navs

[kevin]

ok, my old tom tom sat nav is getting old and takes forever to lock on.
support for the model is nil.
has any one bought a new sat nav recently that they can recommend? i am tempted to just buy the basic tom tom as my old one has been so good.
as long as it does postcode input, locks on fairly quickly and maintains a decent signal im happy

kev

[TerryG]

I've got TomTom on my phone and it is much better than one I keep in the car with the added advantage if I am walking around I have it in my pocket.
Saying that I don't remember the model of TomTom (too lazy to go and look in the glove box) but it was pretty cheap a couple of years ago in Tesco. I have never had an issue with it other than the cost of buying new maps.
If your TomTom is one with a square screen then I don't think they are still putting out the satellite updates for it but if you plug it in to your PC it would be worth checking. The lock time is hugely improved by the device knowing roughly where the satellites will be at any given time based on the clock and your last known location.

[Richard Moss]

Garmin - MUCH better mapping than TomTom and a (generally) better user interface. The TomTom map for where we live* out here in the UAE has perhaps 10% of the town simply missing but the Garmin one is over 99% complete and gets more regular updates, it appears. Buy one with LM at the end of the name and you get free Lifetime Map updates. It's no coincidence that many aircraft use Garmin - and none use TomTom

I use basic, cheap Garmins out here and they are great.

(OK, I assume that you don't live in the Middle East but the fact remains that the Garmin is better)

[UKJeeper]

If your smartphone is any good, a separate satnav is a bit redundant. Been getting on fine with Google Navigation and/or Co-Pilot on the Note, and Nokia Maps on the Windows Phone. Just remember to plug into the charger.

[Murray]

I have an old Tom Tom one which still does the job,but recently I bought a Tom Tom app for my smart phone to use on my motorcycle and it's works a treat with better updates than my old sat nav.
I also have a garmin at work and to be honest it's rubbish,very slow and I find it harder to use.

[kevin]

as i have an iphone 5 im wondering if i should just get a decent holder for it and invest in the tomtom app?

kev

[JPB]

If your smartphone is any good, a separate satnav is a bit redundant. Been getting on fine with Google Navigation and/or Co-Pilot on the Note, and Nokia Maps on the Windows Phone. Just remember to plug into the charger.

Agreed, but watch your usage on Google if you put up the street view layer as it's data hungry. Not a problem for those of us who have inclusive data on our contracts or if you only use the drawn maps which are provided by a third party and need no data connection though the UK map from that source does require 2GiB of storage. Not an issue with current devices but if you're a tightwad who still runs Frozen Yoghurt on an earlier handset, allow space for this.

Better plan yet: Buy a road atlas and you'll gradually learn how to get from here to there in a way that lets you think for yourself rather than end up in the middle of a river - or a cul-de-sac that hasn't been connected since 2007 - at the behest of a wretched machine.

[TerryG]

I don't know how much the tomtom app is on iphone, the UK version on Android it is £40.99 (or free if you buy the right phone). Have you tried the google maps app to see if that does all you need?
Garmin sat nav is the "budget" alternative to TomTom in the UK. I'm not sure what the differences are between the UK and overseas models but TomTom always comes up on top in reviews.

[kevin]

tom tom app is under £50 on iphone but together with a decent phone holder it all comes close to the £80 for a basic tom tom. my current tom tom has done well and is probably about 8 year old now and well used, just takes ages to lock onto a satellite!

[TerryG]

I have a magnet on my dash that I just stick my phone to. It cost 10p including the cost of a bit of cotton (tea towel) to put over it so the phone doesn't get scratched. I fear that I may be viewed as "tight" for admitting to this.