TomTom ONE and Garmin i-5 "Best Buys"; Nuvi 350 Top Rated
So a Consumer Reporting magazine is publishing (online) a review of GPS receivers, and both the TomTom ONE and the Garmin StreetPilot i-5 are rated as Best Buys.
They give the following as Best Picks: Garmin Nuvi 350, Magellan Roadmate 3050T, the TomTom GO 510, the TomTom ONE and the Garmin StreetPilot i-5. The Garmin Nuvi 350 was highest rated, but since they listed it at a price of $700 (and $600 in another area of the article; whoops!), I guess that knocked it out of "Best Buy" status. Anyone hanging around the GPS Lodge, knows that the Nuvi 350 and the TomTom ONE can be had online for about the same price. Odd that they didn't pick up on this.
My advice is NOT to buy the Garmin SP i-5 because for very little more money, you can move up to the Garmin C330 which has the same operating system, pre-loaded maps of North America, and a 3.5 inch touchscreen for MUCH easier data entry and readability (the i-5 does not have a touchscreen, and data is entered via a roller wheeel). The extra $30-$40 bucks is worth it.
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Posted by Scott Martin at December 20, 2006 2:16 PM
As a somewhat regretful C320 owner, I think the choice between the i5 and the C330 isn't so clear-cut. Yes, the C330 has the advantages you mentioned, but its touchscreen is *very* easily washed out in bright light, and is completely unreadable with polarized sunglasses on. The i5's non-touch screen isn't so easily washed out, and is fine with polarized lenses. Add the i5's tiny size and the fact that it can run off disposable batteries, and it's an awfully nice little travel GPS.
Michael,
Fair points. I used the i-3 for a review, and thought it was a good little unit. Good things to consider, thanks for writing.
-Scott
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