GPS Steals and Deals - 6/1

Dad's and Grad's season is here and there are a few discounts to be had this week. If you are going to upgrade on features above the base models, I recommend spending money on Text to Speech and Widescreen units if you can afford it. That puts you into a unit like the Nuvi 260W, or the TomTom XL-S. You can always move up from there for additional features like traffic, gas prices, more map coverage (i.e. Europe), optimized multi-stop routing, etc. See below for prices and for links to reviews on a lot of these models. Consider the Garmin 750/760 or the TomTom 720/730.

Standard Screens - 3.5-inch

TomTom ONE - $145 and Free Shipping at Amazon; Entry Level TomTom with Maps of North America, no Text to Speech. Consider spending the extra $5 for the updated model - The TomTom ONE 130; same features with a thinner design and a new fold-flat mount (Also available for the same price at Circuit City this week). The TomTom ONE 130S ($199) adds Text to Speech.

Garmin Nuvi 200 at Amazon - $159 No Text to Speech, Continental US Maps, solid interface and routing. See My Full Review - Nuvi 200 for more info.

Garmin Nuvi 260 at Amazon - $223 Text to Speech, Maps of North America, solid interface. Same quality routing as Nuvi 200, just adds more maps and text to speech. At this point, I am recommending the Nuvi 260 with its updated interface, and newer design even though the Nuvi 350 is $199 this week; for more see: Compare the Nuvi 260 vs. the Nuvi 350. Want Bluetooth? Get the Nuvi 360 that adds Bluetooth Handsfree, for a few bucks more at - $229.

Widescreen Models

Garmin Nuvi 260W - $269 at Amazon; down $80 in the last few weeks; Text to Speech and a dead easy interface.
Nuvi 200W at Amazon $199 - No Text to Speech, Continental US Maps. See My Full Review - Nuvi 200W.
Nuvi 660 at Amazon $334; still the best seller at Amazon - Text to Speech, North American Maps, TMC Traffic Capability included. See My Full Review - Nuvi 660
TomTom ONE XL S at Amazon $287 up recently - Text to Speech, North American Maps, MapShare. I think the Text to Speech is worth the extra money, but if you don't need it, the TomTom ONE XL is only $223.
Nuvi 750 - $365 at Amazon ($499 at BestBuy!) - New thin design with Text to Speech and Maps of North America. Route Optimization - plug in multiple stops and let the unit optimize the route for fastest planning. Also at Sam's Club for $299.
Nuvi 760 - $424. New thin design with Text to Speech and Maps of North America. Route Optimization - plug in multiple stops and let the unit optimize the route for fastest planning, adds Bluetooth handsfree and built-in TMC traffic. See My Full Review of the Nuvi 760. Also available at Costco online for $349.
Garmin Nuvi 780 - $524 - Has MSN Direct 2, with traffic and gas prices sent to your GPS. See My Full Review of the Nuvi 780 for more information.
TomTom GO 730 - $399 -New IQ Routes, Text to Speech, and more. Maps of North America.
Mio Moov 300 - ($190 at Amazon) - also for $199 at Office Max. Super thin design and a new interface on the Moov series with Text to Speech capabilities at this price. Before you buy, know that I think that this unit is Ok, with a few qualifiers; please read my Full Review of the Mio Moov 300/310.

It's Running Season and for many, it's time to hit the roads. I am starting to watch the prices on the Forerunners. the Forerunner 305 is down $20 this week.

Garmin Forerunner 405 is available for pre-order - the watch-like GPS enabled fitness device has a smaller design with all kinds of functionality, including wireless sharing.
Forerunner 305 - $194 at Amazon - Heart Rate Monitor with wrist-mounted GPS Receiver, tracks distance and keeps your speed and pace. Syncs to computer for training records.
Forerunner 205 - $157 at Amazon - Wrist-mounted GPS Receiver, no Heart Rate Monitor. Tracks distance and keeps your speed and pace. Syncs to computer for training records.

June 1, 2008

GPS Steals and Deals - 6/1