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Ok guys here it goes, i've had it with the ''trying to get a in-dash nav system'' issue, so imma go for a portable one, what do you guys suggest? should i go for tomtom, garmin, mio, alpine or cobra?
Any advice, comment or suggestion will be greatly appreatiated, thanks in advance.
I never used a standalone GPS unit. However, I have used my laptop and PDA for GPS.
You can get a Bluetooth or USB receiver for your laptop or PDA and run some type of GPS software. The laptop has a bigger screen but it'll store more mapdata, will make routes faster, but is more cumbersome, and requires the use of your passenger seat or some type of mount. A PDA has a smaller screen, will hold less map data, and possibly take slightly longer (talking seconds here) to process routes. However, its portability is unmatched by the laptop.
If you have a passenger in the front seat, s/he may get tired of being your navigator if your laptop is anything other than an ultraportable that weighs no more than 4 pounds. Also, the laptop will start to get hot after a while which can cause discomfort. A PDA on the other hand weighs less than 6 ounces generally and you can put that anywhere.
Some of the aftermarket systems will require as much wiring as Toyota ones, especially the better ones with dead reckoning. Dead reckoning means that if the system is unable to receive sufficient GPS signal, but the system will try to guess your position by using some internal sensors to determine direction and getting input from the ECU (i'm guessing here) about the speed of the car. It may also include some "safety" features that prevent you from manipulating the system while the vehicle is in motion.
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2007 Camry 2.4L 5M
Last edited by touringcamry; 06-28-2006 at 12:56 AM.
The program is about 120 at a computer store and has a lot of capablilities. But I have quite found a way to keep the laptop in there without haveing to buy a 200 bucks mount and I don't really want to sit it on the passenger seat. Plust I'd have ot deal with buying an inverter.
Tom tom seems very easy to use though, it's about the only one I've come in contact with-- Rich, another member has one. It seems to have a lot of stuff as well, can find major centers for you, wellknown chains, and stuff like that. What I'm not sure of is how the data up loads to it. IE if you put in info for say Socal and it only fits info about socal and not oregon or something.
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It will depends on how much memory the unit has. On a laptop, I can easily fit the map data for the entire US, Canada, and Mexico (not that I need it, but I could).
My PDA has a 2GB SD card, so it it is capable of storing quite a bit of data. The software that I have chops its data into 200-300MB chunks. For example, Western US is about 220MB and includes map data for New Mexico and everything West of NM and nortward to the Canadian border.
As for powering my laptop in the car, I use a universal power supply for my laptop. No inverter required because it does DC-DC as well as AC-DC power conversion all in the same brick. So that way, I just bring one powersupply no matter where I go.
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2007 Camry 2.4L 5M
Last edited by touringcamry; 06-28-2006 at 01:31 AM.
The computer suggestion is fine but i'd hate to be moving my laptop here and there everytime i need to get somewhere, but then again any recommendation or advice is appretiated so thanks a lot guys i'll see what i can do.
I bought the Garmin bean-bag mount NAV system last summer for $999, it was SUH-WEET. Then I realized that I didn't really need navigation, and $1,000 was a fair chunk of change - so I brought it back. When the prices drop, I'm picking one up again.
The Garmin was nice since all you had to do was plug it into your lighter and GO.
Check out http://www.cartoys.com I was looking around, comparing models and prices and finally got a Magellan 700. They also had a 750 I believe right after I got mine and an 800 series. I would have taken the 750 over the 800, but now they have a 860T model. I like being able to switch it between the cars, lend it to my parents, etc. Garmin is also supposed to be a decent comany. p.s. cartoys had the best prices when I was looking and great customer service
When I got my '07 Camry, I wanted the Nav system, and my car guy was telling me about the IWAY unit. Its not one of the name brands like TomTom or Magellian, etc.. but after researching it, I think it beats all the big names! And it uses SD memory and plays MP3s.
Check it out. I think I'm going to get the top of the line one and I have seen them on Ebay for like $350.
Thanks a lot guys, good choices there........but then again i'm afraid that after getting a portable device some electronic shops are gonna come up with some kits to mount the in-dash units into the dashboards so then i'd be screwed, i don't even know what to do now!
I'm sure that a shop like west coast customs wouldn't have a problem mounting an in-dash device on the 07 camry dash, i just wish i could find a shop like that here in NY, it is kinda funny though 'cause at the beginning i wanted OEM and people used to tell me ''go aftermarket dude there're some kick ass units out there man'' and i was like ''hell no there's no way imma put an aftermarket unit into my car'', but now that i want one i can't even get an aftermarket device into my dash!.......oh the life, how ironic!
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