One of the most popular theft items in Northern Va / DC / Maryland. So much so, that the local PD have a "Task Force" set up to conduct surveillances on theives smashing windows and grabbing GPS units.
Word to the wise, if you can remove it. Remove it.
I can receive and make calls on my phone while using GPS. I have a Nokia E61 running TomTom software. The software and entire maps for North America reside on my memory card easily. My phone has a QWERTY keyboard and it's intuitively easy to enter addresses and other input. I bought an adjustable phone/GPS mount for my windshield and it works just like a traditional GPS.
I like the convenience of having my GPS and phone all on one device. Because my phone also has Wi-fi and VOIP, it truly is my all-in-one device for travelling. Another cool feature is that because it is also my phone, I can look up addresses in the GPS to navigate to using the phone's built-in phonebook (which is of course synced to my Microsoft Outlook).
formula4speed wrote:
Would you be able to use your phone to make or receive calls when using it for navigation? Typing addresses into the phone would probably be slower, maybe I'm biased cause I suck at texting. Do you have a way to mount your phone in the car? I wouldn't want to have to hold the phone at arms length while driving. I'd also look into what kind of area the maps cover, I think my GPS unit uses 1Gb of memory for the maps and I don't know what kind of memory the average phone has.
JMorris wrote:
One of the most popular theft items in Northern Va / DC / Maryland. So much so, that the local PD have a "Task Force" set up to conduct surveillances on theives smashing windows and grabbing GPS units.
Word to the wise, if you can remove it. Remove it.
+1
I just moved from DC to NJ. While living in DC, my roommate got a brick through the window of his 5-series BMW to grab his GPS off his dash. Not only that, but even if you remove your GPS at night, thieves will look at your windshield, see the circular mark from the suction cup and bust your window to rifle the glove compartment.
I have a Garmin 350 - EXCELLENT little unit, perfect for my needs and down to about $120 for a refurb these days. I do not attach it to my windshield, but prop it up in the corner between my dash and my windshield so that the telltale ring isn't left. I live 5.4 miles from NYC... crime is just as high here as it was in DC
fpereira wrote:
here's an option you don't hear a ton about: you can get a usb gps unit and get DeLorme Street Atlas, which is what I use on my laptop. I used it for a trip this weekend and it worked well. You can ask stuff like "where am I" and "next turn?" and the program will respond. definitely more cumbersome than a little portable unit, but if you carry your laptop anyway it could be worth it.
And infinitely more easy to route yourself around bad traffic via secondary streets, etc. to get around the major road that would be clogged with traffic. Street Atlas has gotten me around traffic jams and closed roads and to the airport in time, on more than one occasion!
