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You want a GPS
I spotted a Garmin nuvi 250 on sale at Overstock.com and bought it. I've wanted one for some time, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on it.. I knew this was a "basic" unit (though it originally listed at $535.70 when first introduced), but felt that would be fine for us.
Set up was ridiculously easy: stick the supplied suction cup mount onto my windshield, plug it in, and that's it. I was concerned that MA might have some law that prevents this being used on the windshield, but that seems to be OK.
The map information in this unit is new enough to know Lantern Lane (Google just learned that last year), but doesn't know that Plain Street is paved. It also doesn't know that Oak Point Drive continues out to Plain Street, so it won't tell us to go that way when leaving here.. however, if we just keep driving where we want to go, it will recalculate and adjust.
It got very confused getting us to the Hanover Mall. It got us to within a few hundred feet of the entrance, and then wanted us to turn around - of course we ignored that, but it does show that you can't absolutely trust these units: they can be wrong or confused.
Yesterday I used it for the first time for somewhere I actually needed directions. I brought along a Google Maps printout just in case, though it turned out that I didn't need it. The task: get me from a customer in Pawtucket RI to a new customer in Lincoln. I punched in the address while sitting in the first client's parking lot and wondered what would happen as it immediately deviated from what Google suggested.
The Garmin brought me through city streets, twisting and turning, this way and that. This doesn't have "text to speech": it will say "Turn left in 200 feet" but you have to look at the unit to see the name of the street; that display will say "Left at Smith Street" or whatever. However, I found it very easy to follow with speech alone except when streets were very close together, and very quickly I was at my destination.
When it was time to leave, I did have a pretty good idea where I was, and could have found my own way to the highway. However, I let the Garmin take me, and it went off in a direction I didn't expect, but brought me to Rte 95 much more quickly than my way would have. When I got near here, it did have me turn off Rte 44 at Plymouth Street, but it wanted me to turn down Precinct.. there is an "Avoidances" setting where I could tell it not to ignore unpaved roads, but of course at this point I didn't need it and was only amusing myself by saying "No!" when it told me to turn.
You WANT a GPS unit. Prices are way down, particularly on older units like this that don't have all the bells and whistles. I paid $150.00 and there are probably even better bargains to be had if you scout around.
Need to contact us? Email tony@aplawrence.com
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