samwise said:
Micheal, is the 2720 really worth £400 (less a 2Gb CF card) more than a 2610?
Hi Ben:
That is a really tough question to answer, because the answer will vary depending on the needs (real or perceived) of each user.
If your needs from a GPSR are limited to simply telling you where you are, there are many units available for under ₤100 that will do that. If you need automatic route generation for motor vehicles from the GPSR, and plan to stay mostly within one country all the time, there are quite a few units that will do that, starting with the StreetPilot III, which is an older, out of production unit that can probably be had for ₤150 or so on the used market.
If you need cross-continent coverage because you do a lot of international travel, that limits the field to the GPSRs that have significant amounts of storage space for the maps, assuming you don't want to bring a laptop computer along with you, to reload new maps every night. In practice, this means the 26xx series or its derivatives, such as the BMW Nav II.
If you need TMC (traffic message channel) notification of real-time traffic problems - and this could be a very real need for a commercial driver - then there are only two units available that support that.
If you need advance notification of user-defined waypoints (e.g. speed cameras), again, there are only a few units that incorporate that function within a GPSR that also provides route generation.
If you need a large screen, so you can see it easily, that rules out some of the smaller units which are quite functional, but also quite difficult to read at a glance, especially for the 40 years and older crowd.
So - what all this means is that each individual user has to define what their needs are - and, hopefully, not get confused by the 'features vs. benefits' trap that we often fall into when purchasing consumer electronics. It doesn't matter how many features a gizmo has, if we don't really need the feature, it isn't a benefit to us, and it isn't worth paying for. For example, in Switzerland, motos are allowed to split lanes if traffic is at a standstill, and the Swiss car drivers are normally pretty courteous to the moto riders who are splitting lanes - they pull to either side to let the motos through. So, notification of traffic jams, for a moto rider in Switzerland, is a feature, but really not much of a benefit, if you know what I mean.
So far as Garmin's product line is concerned - they have a vast range of automotive GPSRs now, covering just about every possible level of need, ranging from quite inexpensive to very expensive. The tough part now is to find exactly which one meets your needs, and not buy more product than you have to. The best way to do the research, once you get past the obvious (reading the info on the manufacturer websites) is to talk to people who own a certain model, and use it for the same purpose that you intend to use it for. Within this community, that purpose is generally understood to be recreational motorcycle travel.
Michael
Your friend should check out both and but what he likes best...I like the Sat Nav II because of the reasons that Judge stated...two year warranty being a key reason...plus the extra buttons.
