Don't have to ask for directions any more!
925738
I purchased this for my girlfriend as a gift.  She loves it!  When we travel, it gives us great, true directions and when we come across any diversion, it finds a different route.  We can even change routes and save them for future trips. We even used it in Hawaii!! Easy to operate, download updates and to enter information.  I can even work it!  Small but has a great screen and it talks you through the drive.  You can even purchase different "voices" so you are not stuck with the "computerised" voices. Love it and would recomend it to anyone who travels.
4452862
This is my first Portable In-Car GPS Navigation System, and to make it very simple, this GPS has achieved its purpose and that is to give me the best navigational direction to where i am going. For those who wants addtl features, this thing has an MP3 capability. The only downside of this unit is that, it has no battery. You can only use it by plugging it on the cigarette 12v socket. Also there is no on/off button- when the car starts it powers on and when you stop the car it shuts down. Lastly -  Great Price !
190764
I have purchased a TomTom Navigation previously and didn't like it much. This one, however, far surpasses its "cousins" in navigation history. The very first thing I noticed about it that I liked better than the older versions is the attachment. The older TomToms recquired you to stick a very sticky never-come-off-again-without-literally-scraping sticker onto your windshield or dashboard. This sticker thing was not reusable. With this TomTom, it's like a suction cup. You twist to "activate" suction and place it on your dashboard/windshield. When you are done with it, you twist and "unsuction" it right off. No damage, no stickiness.

The other things I liked: It tells you the speed limit on the road you are one AND your speed. When you go over the speed limit, the box gets red.

Gas stations are noted on the map at all times whether you need gas or not.

It automatically goes into nighttime mode complete with stars in the sky. Way cool.

The road you are to take is pre highlighted in red. Very easy to see and understand.

My husband and I decided to use it to find a good restaurant to eat... He used the TomTom to find a restaurant, the address, and phone number. He sat there in his truck, called the number provided by the TT and made us a reservation. We left, using the TT to find the restaurant and upon arriving in the restaurant, we only had a ten min wait to get our food, passing by about 60 people waiting in line who most likely didn't have a TomTom to use to find the restaurant number and make reservations or get driving directions.

My conclusion: I'm pleased with this product.
3587645
Greetings,

I purchased this GPS navi. for the purpose of my vacation in a city and state in which I had not been.
Long story short, this GPS made my life much easier and made my vacation more enjoyable.

I am 100% convinced that without this purchase, I would not have enjoyed my trip as much as I did.

The accuracy is fantastic. Even if you miss a turn, the GPS reroutes you from where you are. I love that feature. I missed a lot of turns but I was able to get to where I was going thanks to the fast rerouting of this GPS navi.

As a result, I want to explore others places that I've not been, just so I can use my new best friend.

Grab this, you'll not be disappointed.

Also, the screen size is a nice size. I thought it would be smallish but it is perfect.

The talking feature is great too. Just focus on driving on watching the same names, exits, etc.....
3688676
perfect sized screen - big enough to read but not distracting. The biggest problem with any GPS I had before is when I let them get out of date. This has free updates. Also saves me $$ because we're not using up our cell data on directions from the iphone. When I travel and rent a car it costs $13 per day extra for the GPS but I just ring this one with me instead. This paid for itself within a few months.
2009588
I *love* the pictures of the exit, so you know which lane to be in.  It recognizes your preferred routes and remembers them, so it doesn't offer something you know will take more time, even though it's a hundred yards shorter. Sometimes WE know best. The voice commands are a cool feature, and be sure to download the control app for your phone.  It links to the GPS and gives more real time updates & warnings.
3865198
Love it! I added in addresses of people I was going to visit in NY before I left home in AZ. I decided instead of spending $15/day on GPS in a rental car, I'd treat myself to this.  Well, I got to NY at rush hour (okay, when isn't it rush hour in NY??!!), it was pouring out, and the little visor light in the car barely glowed. I'd never have been able to read the directions I printed out 'just incase', before my trip. This Garmin Nuvi 50LM was a lifesaver!  I am so thrilled about it. It was definitely worth the money. And it comes with free updates for life. I know I'll be holding onto this for a while.
3153420
I chose this brand/model because it was recommended by Consumer Reports.  I was planning on using it for an upcoming road trip, but it's already been so useful in my local area, I don't know how I've managed without it!  You CAN'T get lost!  And no more writing down addresses and/or directions, and then trying to read them while you're driving.  It will find you the nearest gas station in general, or the nearest Chevron station in particular.  I'm much more willing to explore unknown areas, because I can always find my way back now.  It comes ready to use, and is completely intuitive - I haven't needed to use the instructions at all.  I love this thing!
876890
I brought my own GPS (Garmin Nuvi 3590) with mounts on windshield when I rented my car in Bath, UK.  It really helped driving there--which is a challenge being on the opposite side of the road from the U.S., narrow lanes in ancient streets, and more round-abouts than there are stars in the Galaxy.  It found castles and other sights and got me back to my B&B no matter what kind of confusing muddle of streets I found myself in.  It let me know where to turn, which exit to take off the roundabout, where gas and other services are while driving. When walking, I plugged the chip into my Montana 600 and it led me around the narrow streets of Bath, York, & Edinburgh as well as some smaller towns like Wells and the Cotswolds.
501093
I just use a road map when I go anyplace or get on line and use map quest for directions. It's cheaper and you don't get lost.
2700806
OK...I have been using this GPS now for about three weeks. I got it right before moving to Houston, TX which, as you may know, is a VERY big, confusing city. This thing has been a life saver. How did we do it before cell phones and GPS systems??? I can't imagine learning a new city with a mapsco, a phone book and a pay phone.

Anyhow -- to address the things I like:
1. The interface is nice looking. I had a Garmin, which was stolen, and I have to say that this just looks nicer. It's like the difference between Windows 2000 and new Macs.

2. The routing seems to be more intelligent. Being back in Dallas (where I moved from) last weekend to find a wedding, I noticed that old instructions that I used to ignore on the Garmin because they were "stupid" seem to be fixed on this GPS. This may be due to the traffic updates which:

3. The traffic feature is GREAT!!! Especially in this God forsaken town where nobody seems to know how to drive. Traffic EVERY moment of the day. Accidents and congestion at 3am on a Sunday morning??? This generally gets me around it all without much hassle. Considering I don't know the side streets, this helps A LOT.

4. Advanced lane guidance is great. The geniuses that designed the highways here were huge fans of lane changes and left exits so this lets me know ahead of time that I need to "act like I'm from Houston" and NASCAR it over 6 lanes to the left because that's how I have to drive here. My garmin didn't do that and I missed my exits more than once. Dumb.

Let's address the cons that everyone else is complaining about. Seriously folks...it's not that hard. You just have to stop and think for a second. My speak and spell was just as complicated but had a much harsher voice.

1. FREEEEEEEEEEE map updates. OR, pay $50 for one with my Garmin. Your choice. OH NO!!! It takes 5 hours to download? Well my impatient friends, here's how I solved that painful issue: Ready? Do it when you go to bed! WOW!!! I'm a miracle worker. And just so we're clear -- they ALL take several hours.

2. No zoom feature? Eh...a little annoying but for the most part the GPS gives you the details you need. I mean, I'm in a brand new HUGE city and haven't found this to be a big problem.

3. Doesn't SPEAK which side of the street your destination is on. It does however SHOW you. Just take a quick glance. The arrow is nice. THOUGH I find it funny that the same people complaining about zooming are the same people that complain about not hearing the side of the street. Are you looking at the screen or aren't you? Just use the arrow. OR the fancy address system your community has developed. Odds on one side, evens on the other. Once again: MIRACLE WORKER!

4. I'm not going to lie -- POI is annoying. Enough said. It took some time but I have it where I want it now. Once again, just modify it where you want it. For me, it's actually nice while learning the town but I don't always want to know every restaurant in the area.

CONCLUSION:

It's a good GPS for the money. If you need to be spoon-fed all of your info AND have the technological skills of a sloth then this may be a bit too much. If that's the case then I would recommend taxis. Honestly, for $100 more you can get newer ones that may be a bit more intuitive but in reality, this will get you where you need to go and help you get through cities in a breeze. Spend a bit of time getting the settings how you want BEFORE a long road trip and, as I said before, download updates at night. None of them are fast. Garmin OR Tom Tom.

NO MATTER WHICH ONE YOU CHOOSE ALWAYS BUY THE ONE WITH FREE MAPS. FREE TRAFFIC IF YOU WANT IT. IN THE LONG RUN YOU WILL SAVE A BUNDLE!!!

If anything changes, I'll update. Until then, happy travels and thank you for reading my novel. I like to be thorough.
2218446
I gave this to my husband for a birthday present this past summer.  I can't imagine how we ever traveled without it.  I'm a avid map reader and excellent navigator, so I never saw the need for a GPS.  I'm sold!  We love to try out new routes around the busy traffic in Atlanta.  I love being able to have an ETA.  It's a fabulous product and a great price.  My husband downloaded John Cleese's voice for the TomTom.  It's so much more fun to hear him give directions than the factory voice.
3860119
This product is so great for multiple passengers on long trips or carpooling to work.  This product is durable and allows for the convenience of having additional USB ports while traveling.  I always am so frustrated when traveling as I have a GPS and a phone and can only have one plugged in at a time as I only have one USB port in my car and when the kids phones die I have to unplug the GPS so that their phones charge and its very inconvenient.  I am relieved not for long trips with the kids are now stress free woot!  No more driving and unplugging the GPS and getting lost so that the kids can play their games on their phones.  I now can have the GPS and their phones. This come with two ports and charges extremely fast.  Easy to use, and easy to store in the car or purse or wherever.  I like to put mine in the glove box as I always know where it is.  Compared to other Dual port chargers this one takes the cake with how it works and the price!

Received this item for free.
3618728
Easy to install, easy to understand directions.
2363224
Our old GPS was taking longer and longer to acquire satellites, and the map updates had exceeded the original cost of the unit, so we looked to upgrade.

The free Maps are a major benefit for anyone who has ever paid for an update ($90 last time I did).  The traffic information is there, but I may need to read up on that.  The unit suggested a different route than normal to my sisters, and my wife and I hesitantly accepted, knowing it would take us through Manhattan.  We got stuck in 40 minutes of traffic, for what should have been an hour drive.  Several times I tried to view the traffic information, but I saw no notes of warnings or delays (though I did see notes on our way home of 5 min delay).  So, I should read up on this more.

The downloadable voices and vehicles is nice, and Yoda now guides us around much to my sons delight.  instead of 'Recalculating' we hear Yoda announce "Lost you have become, be patient, another path I will find."

It's got nicer features, like having the phone numbers for local businesses it finds.  We didn't get the bluetooth version, but if we had we could have linked it to a phone and it would have called a place for us (we can look and dial for ourselevs though).

Overall, a nice update to our 5-year old GPS.  If you have an older GPS, I would recommend updating, especially if it's taking longer to synch up to the satellites.
3950862
This nifty tool - the ARKON MAGNETIC PHONE MOUNT - came at a perfect time in my life.  You see, I have no sense of direction and my car's GPS, a mere 10 years old - suffers from GPS Alzheimer's.  In the old days she would merely give slightly cockeyed directions, like turning onto a street that was a flight of stairs.  But now she is confused all the time.  "Turn right.  Please make a legal U turn.  Please make a legal U turn. Turn right.  Please make a legal U turn. Please make a legal U turn."  When there are tall buildings, she is completely disoriented.

Then I tried out the Google Maps App.  It was wonderful, and I retired my GPS to hospice care.  But it burned through a battery faster than my old GPS could say "Please make a legal U turn."  Plus it was sitting in the cup holder of my car, which kind of muffled Ms. Google Map's voice.

Enter the ARKON MAGNETIC PHONE MOUNT.  At first I worried that it would stick on my pebbly dash, but it sent on perfectly, proudly displaying my iPhone 4S, with the car charger dangling from her dainty posterior into the cigarette lighter.  Then I lost my iPhone 4S (the GPS isn't the only forgetful thing in my car) and I became the proud owner of the iPhone 6 Plus... which is a big honkin' phone.  Could the phone mount hold it?  Indeed it could.  I stuck the smaller round magnetic disk on the back of the case (yeah, I know, but I couldn't get the Otter Box off), and stuck it right on the phone mount.

And away we drove, monitoring traffic, finding new exciting ways that actually worked.

Google Maps with the Arkon Magnetic Phone Mount are my new best friends.
4798717
I use this in my job...I use this in my travels.  I love not having to struggle with where to turn, this tells me when and where to turn.  I have noticed occasional errors - like the unit is not showing where I actually am or telling me to turn where there is no street, but that is infrequent.  When that happens, I just turn the unit off, let it rest, then turn it back on and I'm usually good to go.  I love the bluetooth function and with the laws really coming down on any cell phone use in autos, this is very handy as it's as you're talking to the person your car. I would and have recommended this product.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Garmin-nvi-1490LMT-5-Inch-Bluetooth-Portable-GPS-Navigator-with-Lifetime-Map-Traffic-Updates/dp/B003ZX8B3W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Garmin nvi 1490LMT 5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates</a>