SPIII or 2610

Oh dear I'm confused I've been searching through these threads & not being very technical in the GPS sort of way I've just ended up tieing my miniscule brain in knots with all the info!

I've been using a second hand GPSIII+ for about 18 months & want to upgrade to a unit with more functionality. The SPIII now seems particularly good value but is the 2610 worth the extra cash?

I need a unit purely for automotive use & will be touring France in September so a decent amount of storage will be required. I would also like to rout it thro' an autocom for voice prompts when I HAVE to go through towns & cities.

Simple advice for a simpleton appreciated

Ade

Sorry

I see cookie's just asked the same questions, PLEASE don't lambast me for being a time waster, it was good to see someone was helpful to him (& therefore me) without condescention.

easy choice.

loaded = 2610

tight arse = sp3

or variations on the above.

moneywise, not GPSwise

If you want a hassle free and high map storage unit, get the 2610. It is simple in operation and you never need to reload maps if you get a 1 Gb memory card with it.

I've had the SPIII and upgraded to the 2610, so I can compare the two. I'm happier with the 2610 for sure. It is a LOT quicker in (re)calculating routes, which is the most important technical improvement for me.

The touch sreen is nice while standing still, not very handy with gloves on.

To me it's definitely worth the extra cash.

Cheers,
Michel

Adrian:

I really like Martin's reply above - it's so concise and to the point, and surprisingly accurate as well.

Now I'll try to say the same thing Martin did, but with a bit more verbosity:

The SP III is a very competent "pure automotive" GPSR that is well suited to motorcycle use. I used one for 2 years on my ST1100, rode all over Europe and North America with it, was very happy with it.

The SP 26xx series is the follow-on (replacement) "pure automotive" model, more or less superceding the SP III. It offers the following major improvements: 1) much faster processer, therefore faster route recalculation;, 2) much greater map storage capacity, using less expensive storage media; 3) some very useful new software features for automatic route generation, such as the ability to avoid unpaved roads, seek out twisty or scenic roads, avoid streets or neighborhoods specified by the user, etc.

The SP III is much less expensive than the SP 26xx, though if you plan to do long distance touring (e.g. all over Europe), the cost of buying more memory for the SP III might negate the initially lower purchase price. If you plan to stay mostly within one country, and don't mind the slower automatic route recalculation speed of the SP III, then the SP III offers good value for the money and will probably do everything you want it to do for you.

Do keep in mind that a new SP III purchased today will have a shorter "useful life" than the SP 26xx purchased today. The downloadable map data will become more bulky and complex in future years, and the disavantages of the slower processer and limited storage capacity of the SP III will become more critical in, say, 18 to 24 months time. It's similar to buying a computer - you could buy a computer today with an inexpensive (slow) CPU, it will run today's software just fine but will have trouble with whatever comes out next year. Or, you could buy the most powerful computer available today, it will probably have enough 'hardware horsepower' to keep you going through about 2 generations of future software upgrades.

Hope this helps you with the decision-making process. Best thing you could do now is speak with riders who own each unit - the SP III and SP 26xx - and see what they have to say. Michel makes some excellent points in his post above, however, I am sure that there are SP III users out there who are quite happy with their unit, and see no reason to spend the extra money to upgrade to a SP 26xx.

PanEuropean