It seeems that uploading from Basecamp files causes less issues - but Garmin stopped developing and supporting it long ago, and maybe it is just useful for them to point the finger at MRA or Google, at the end of the day it is a file with a list of coordinates, and why can it work after you stop the route / start the route / save the route on the device - so the data in the route is not the problem, it is clearly a bug in how it initially calculates routes, and probably not much effort for a coder to go and make sure it uses the same calulation method for the imported route as it does for the ones you have saved once in the route - bloody poor show, simply no excuse.
I had a lot more success with the 340 / 345 I had previously, the screen is not very good, the thing is bloody slow at everything, scrolling around the screen is painful and when you load a route onto it it takes an age to do the calculations, but then it very reliably follows your route, especially if you have done a good amount of checking and have enough waypoints.
The XT has a great screen, is fast and responsive, an OK media player (it works) the "up ahead" info is good, the weather radar even works quite well, the ability (before they killed it off) to send a route via the Drive app was ace, live traffic is OK, but I find it often offers a detour that almost certainly added to the journey time.
If only it just matched the earlier devices to reliably take you along your route, the fact it is clearly worse than its predecessors on its primary function is unforgiveable, if it was a bug when first launched I would cut them some slack, even if it took a good few months for them to fix the bug, test it and get it into an update, but for the flaw to follow the XT1 for its entire sales duration is abysmal, for the flaw to still exist in the XT2 is a piss take.
The only reason I will keep it is because I own it, have the mount and power on the bike etc. when it dies, or if I change bikes it is a goner, and Garmin will not see a penny from me, not for any product, this is what the bean counters do not get, they may have saved a tiny bit of money by fucking loyal customers over on the Nav units, and think we wil buy them anyway, and probably buy their other products - no fucking way!
Meanwhile MRA have worked tirelessly (see what I did there) to create a decent product, at first it was way off a dedicated Sat Nav, but it kept improving, their support folk got back to you, would admit if your issue was a bug, and would tell you (without lying) they are working on it, they have great cimmunity where the company look at what people are saying, and they engage with their customers for feedback and ask what new features would you like to see.....
....and now their product pretty much matches an XT in every respect, and the core functionality of navigation is definately ahead, I often run them side-by-side just to see, and over time the gap has narrowed to nothing, with a big screen to mirror the phone to I can also run the Nav and my phones music player, use any weather tracking app I like etc etc. It is the future, one Garmin seem to be pushing us towards....
...You know they will one day launch "The Garmin Zumo" app expecting us to all rush out and sign up, I think they will be very dissapointed!
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green gri) nor need to see incoming SMS or Whatsup etc as, amazingly, I am out travelling with my motorcycle enjoying all the joys it brings.
