I'm beginning to wonder about these devices. I lent mine to Beloved Son to take on holiday in France. He went to a place on one route; it was displayed as being the fastest route and it brought him back on a totally different route. How can there be two "fastest" routes? I have had the same problem myself where the instructions are to turn off what obviously the main road for some track with grass growing up the middle of it.
It will get worse because I believe that TomTom have bought the company that provides the mapping software to a few other companies.
I bought the updated maps this year for France and the mapping was still out of date. You know, the usual thing, driving across a white area on the screen and the girly is saying "Take the third exit" "Keep straight on" etc and yet you are on a perfectly good bit of dual carriageway - LOL
And as to the farce of it going to street level names, don't make me larf! Even Microsoft Autoroute is better and that's not saying much. I had a truly B. time trying to find my way back a tyre depot in Le Pouliguen. I only had the address written down, not entered as a temporary "home" destination so that's my fault.
We plan with a 4 miles to the inch Road Atlas,and travel with an 'Upside Down' .Brilliant bit of kit.
Map Book in two sections,Northbound and Southbound.Each
sections mapping is laid out the way you are driving,so that, whichever way you are travelling,a left turn on the map IS Left,and a right turn on the map IS a Right.
We have a Mio and it does fine, we also use a map and routes from the internet, RAC, AA, multimap etc. I would never totaly rely on the SatNav without also checking a route on a map at the end of the day it is just another tool to get you where you are going.
The technology is, now, fairly simple. I'm just waiting for the prices to start to drop. I would imagine that as GPS becomes a standard fitting in cars that it may affect the prices. Also, when the European satellites are up and running it will reduce the dependence on the Americans.
I must admit that I have had some exciting times with my TomTom apart from trying to find my way back to a tyre depot. There has been Totnes; driving up a road with the wing mirrors overhanging the kerbs, Roads that have grass growing up them and on more than one occassion, cattle/sheep grazing on them.
I know that it is all about making money but I would have hoped by now that these companies like Mio, Navman, TomTom et al would have put ona facility for height & width restrictions. They must realise, by now, that the vast majority of their customers are private individuals.
Quote: Originally posted by Delboy5465 on 17/9/2007
Wouldnt be without my TOM TOM EUROPE XL brilliant and stopped the arguments never had a problem ,maybe alot of the people driving into the cul de sac should try one im not sure how you can blame sat navs for this as im unsure how you would know the drivers had a sat nav in first place unless your one of those net curtain twitchers .
We have a Garmin, my Oh uses it as he truck driver, he would not be without it. The only thing we have to remember is that when we use it at the weekends, we have to change the setting from truck to car, otherwise it thinks we can't go down weight restrictied roads or under low bridges...lol
I Have Tom Tom on my PDA and yes it does appear to give odd directions at times but I can read road signs that indicate a cul de sac, narrow road, no entry etc etc. and if I miss a turning it redirects me and I don't have to read a map while driving
The people who blindly follow the sat nav instructions have only themselves to blame. The printed maps are quickly out of date when councils change priorities or introduce one way systems & road reconstruction is taking place. So why blame the sat nav - switch the drivers brain on and read the road & the signs!!!!!
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Topic: Satnav Systems
