It would seem that Garmin has the upper had on mobile navigation. I assume that they have also cornered the outdoor market as well, with their handheld devices. The word GPS and Garmin seem to click & stick together.
I had the opportunity to try out a Garmin 2360LT unit and I really hoped that I was going to be treated to a pleasant commuting experience by this device. This is one of the newer offerings from Garmin and it comes with lifetime traffic and a free map update up to 60 days after first satellite acquisition.
What interested me about this unit? A few things at first, before actually being able to put my hands on it.
-Voice command (since in Ontario it's illegal now to play around with electronic devices while driving)
-Bluetooth
-EcoRoute
-Traffic Trends
So away we went, first trip. Ok, a bit buggy. Without going into details, I plugged in the unit and found that I had a few software upgrades to do. Ok, fine - done. Back into the car.
Routing, at best, is mediocre. Yes, it will get you from point A to B, but sometimes in a very weird way.
My profile was set to bring me home using the fastest route, without U-turns, toll highways, off-road and ferries.
Traffic trends and the traffic receiver were on.
The first route was wrong. So wrong. For the "fastest" route it had me driving through a major city to the south end of it, then jumping on the highway for the majority of the trip home.
I can see the highway bit, but when the traffic system shows a delay in the area planned out, you would think that the GPS would re-route. I can think of several ways to navigate the area of congestion. Nope, I had to deal with the traffic jam.
And how about those phantom ramps and backwards highway entrances and exits? The entrance to our local highway, according to Garmin, is on the other side of the road (opposing traffic) heading down the ramp that brings the offramp highway-people into the city. Perhaps this was the "suicide" mode because if I followed the directions I would surely be in a bad situation.
Voice command - A welcome addition but lacks in accuracy and features. Get's bogged down and sits there with a spinning hour glass. Ok I just asked it for the nearest Canadian Tire. It sits and spins. And spins. One of the SLOWEST route calculation / recalculation I have dealt with. Disturbing.
It's supposed to learn my driving habits and places that I go and build upon it, of which I have yet to see. For example, it ALWAYS suggests one particular route when I know that the route I take is shorter and quicker.
Trust me, this is not the end. I am putting this unit to the test. I do not want to see people spending their hard earned money on something that could have been had for less than half the price. Stick around, part two will be out in a little while and you can judge from there.
J
