Consumer Electronics Store: Garmin Garmin Talking StreetPilot III GPS Deluxe Package

Average Rating:

Pros: Adequately accurate, adequately fast (most of the time), turn by turn instructions, audible instructions so you don't have to take your eyes off the road, generally good routing, availability of large memory cartridges so you can keep a number of geographic areas "on line" - you can pick & choose which ones.

Con: This unit seems to have trouble discerning whether it's on the freeway or the service road, especially when first entering the freeway or driving in one of the rightmost lanes after passing a major interchange - I don't recall experiencing this with either of the two permanently mounted units.

General caveats: As with all units, the most direct route is not always reported; interestingly I've had the most trouble on this point with the Lexus GPS. There is a lag time if (or the GPS thinks) you are off course; the Street Pilot seems to take a bit longer on average than the others to recalculate and you could be further off course by the time it finally catches up. The Street Pilot must have a line of sight to at least 3 signals (4+needed for 3 dimensional and more accurate positioning) and may take a while to acquire them. If you're not keeping the unit on the dash, you'll need the separate antenna (it works fine from the inside of the windshield). Performance degrades around tall buildings and disappears in covered parking areas (somehow the Lexus system kept working, I suspect through some inertial sensing devices). All GPS' I've used have occasionally gotten confused on the exact location (sometimes off several blocks, but typically corrected within a minute or two) and occasionally give really bizarre turns - a right turn, u-turn then another right turn when continuing straight would work. Not all streets are present or accurately depicted. I've noticed a couple incidents of the Street Pilot showing a street as cut through when it wasn't. As always, use common sense and good judgment when evaluating information presented by the GPS. The information is loaded from a CD and over time some information becomes obsolete; you might want to update your maps every couple years (or just get a new unit with the then current bells and whistles). And until technology improves another notch or two, your GPS will not know about construction or accidents on your route - a feature that could be available in future units.

As mentioned by others, take time to become familiar with a GPS prior to needing it in an unfamiliar area. Remember safe driving takes precedence over everything else. If you've not used a GPS before, plan on spending at least an hour becoming acquainted with it's features and functionality before trying to use it for actual navigation.

There are several additional benefits of using a GPS in familiar territory: Frequently you have to go between 2 points where you're not sure about the theoretically fastest/shortest way - the GPS can suggest routes and show you on the map. Sometimes there's unexpected traffic or construction, you can quickly determine if side streets look like they'll work - I've avoided driving down "no-outlet" areas many times by a quick look on the GPS. You can look up nearby stores, restaurants, etc.; I've found this especially useful for location Post Offices when I'm in an unfamiliar area.

Anyone who uses these gets hooked; I take mine with me when I need to drive out of town too.

Downloading the regional maps took only a few minutes and the software does guide you how much memory your selections will take up on the card. The unlocking process is very simple. I had the data card programmed in under 5 minutes. I also upgrade the firmware at the same time, which took under a minute. Programming in one route seemed to cause the system to "lock up". I reset it by removing a battery. The system came right back up and no problems since.

I then used the StreetPilot to program in a couple of locations that I usually go to. It correctly routed me. The speaker isn't inside the GPS; it's on the powercable that connects to your car's cigarette lighter. Still, the voice is distinct and understandable. ... Estimates to intersections weren't as accurate, and in areas where you may have several turns within a 100 feet, the StreetPilot may not correct anticipate them.

The display is really clear. The split panel shows you the route on your left and what your next turns are on the right. The voice clearly and distinctly prompts you when and where to turn. If you're not a natural navigator or maybe don't have the world's best sense of direction - this is a dream come true.

Still, I went "off route" to see what it would do. To my pleasure, it correctly signaled it was off route and promptly calculated a new route.

What's better is that like the [other] system, Garmin thoughtfully includes the ability to find stores - by their name, and then sorts them in the display list by distance from your current location. This is just a delight! Same is true for hotels, restaurants, theaters - all the places that you'd like to go - if only you could find your way there!

The bean bag mount is very good and really visible on the dashboard. I've also put this on the passenger seat, but I recommend the dash. It's safer to keep your eyes on the road!

Remember to always take the Streetpilot with you; never leave it in the car. The disadvantage of this system is there are several pieces: the mobile antenna, the power cable as well as the unit to haul along. They don't weigh much, and your car will be much less of a temptation of there's no hint of electronics strewn about.

I had wanted to get a built-in system for my car, but now that I have the flexibility of the Streetpilot for use at home or when I travel on business, I'm much happier with this choice. My company requires me to rent from a company ... , and one that doesn't offer a [gps] feature. I am much happier knowing that I won't get lost again!