Need GPS Purchasing Help

[km5bh]

Alright, I need help. (And no snickering from the peanut gallery)

My Garmin 2610 is getting flaky. First the infrared problem, which I only partially got rid of with the tape and turning off the remote sensor.

Now it lost it's touch screen. Or at least it did last night. That doesn't mean that it won't work today. That is the way it's been acting lately.

I think I want a new GPS. I have read how some people have been blown away by the Zumo and there are some that like the 2820. I've also seen other mention the Garmin 378/478. And I like the weather options on this one.

My question is which one would you buy today if you were replacing what you have?

I am always second guessing myself when I get something and I would like the group to do that for me now.

The 2820 would fit my current mounts and cables. And it has Blue Tooth.

The 478 has that nifty bright screen and cool radar weather.

And the Zumo comes with everything for the bike and the car and is designed for the bike.

I have Garmin XM Smart Antenna so I get the extras with any of these.

That's too many choices. I know that this has been discussed at length, but I need help here.

When I make up my mind then I can ask like everyone else, where the cheapest one is at.





Lewis

[jhsonderb]

Alright, I need help. (And no snickering from the peanut gallery)

My Garmin 2610 is getting flaky. First the infrared problem, which I only partially got rid of with the tape and turning off the remote sensor.

Now it lost it's touch screen. Or at least it did last night. That doesn't mean that it won't work today. That is the way it's been acting lately.

I think I want a new GPS. I have read how some people have been blown away by the Zumo and there are some that like the 2820. I've also seen other mention the Garmin 378/478. And I like the weather options on this one.

My question is which one would you buy today if you were replacing what you have?

I am always second guessing myself when I get something and I would like the group to do that for me now.

The 2820 would fit my current mounts and cables. And it has Blue Tooth.

The 478 has that nifty bright screen and cool radar weather.

And the Zumo comes with everything for the bike and the car and is designed for the bike.

I have Garmin XM Smart Antenna so I get the extras with any of these.

That's too many choices. I know that this has been discussed at length, but I need help here.

When I make up my mind then I can ask like everyone else, where the cheapest one is at.
LewisI have the 2820 with the GXM antenna and am very happy with it for the bike. I found it to be too much of a hassle to switch it between bike and auto so I also bought a Nuvi 360 (battery powered) for everyday use in my car (and my bicycle). I still will use the 2820 in the car if I take a longer trip so I can listen to XM (the Nuvi can't use the GXM-30 antenna).

If you have the GXM-30 antenna and an XM subscription, XM has channels related to traffic reports and weather for major metropolitan areas. I also think you can pay a little more and get satellite weather radar on the map screen on the 2820 (and probably the Zumo).

Since I've decided to use the 2820 on the bike 90% of the time, the only downside that I have with the 2820 is that I think the sceen could be brighter/clearer in bright sunlight. If the Zumo has a screen that is clearer in bright sunlight, i might consider that if I needed to replace the 2820. I am satisfied with my 2820 though and not motivated to replace it with any other unit for the bike.

[VitesseLT]

Sounds like you're on top of all the important trades. Here's just some supplemental builds.

The 2820 does slot into your existing mounting position/cabling and it works well in the car also with an extra mounting bracket and cable that together are pretty affordable. But there's no speaker in its bracket as with Zumo; so, you'd need a speaker or audio input somewhere.

The Zumo 550 has bluetooth, too, and an on board battery that many note is helpful while off the bike (or out of the car.) XM weather with a GXM-30 and a subscription is ok, but, I'm told it doesn't remotely compare to the "real thing" on the 378/478 series.

Prices on the 2820 and Z550 are similar with the Z550 seeming to have consistently slightly lower pricing (that can change a lot so check all the normal places for pricing comparisons.)

I bought a 2820 because of the ease of fit and electrical interface with the 2006 LT factory nav prep. I'm quite satisfied and don't know if I'd change it. The buttons on the right thing hasn't been an issue for me but the Z550 does have them on the reverse side which confers advantage for many riders.

didahdidahdit

[km5bh]

II think the sceen could be brighter/clearer in bright sunlight. If the Zumo has a screen that is clearer in bright sunlight, i might consider that if I needed to replace the 2820.

I'm concerned about the screen. I tried a 2730 last year and it was so dark that I couldn't see it in the bright sunlight. The Zumo and the 478 are suposed to be brighter.

Thanks

Lewis

[km5bh]

The Zumo 550 has bluetooth, too, and an on board battery that many note is helpful while off the bike (or out of the car.) XM weather with a GXM-30 and a subscription is ok, but, I'm told it doesn't remotely compare to the "real thing" on the 378/478 series.


didahdidahdit

I have seen the weather demos for the 478 and that is one of the reasons that it is in the mix. It also is supposed to have a great bright screen in the sunlight. That is the other reason. And I am thinking about a sailboat and live near the coast.

I just tried the 2610 that I have and it is toast. The touch screen has gone on the blink. I gues I am going to buy, now the question is which one and how much.

Lewis

[messenger13]

I think I want a new GPS. I have read how some people have been blown away by the Zumo and there are some that like the 2820. I've also seen other mention the Garmin 378/478. And I like the weather options on this one.I'm just on the other side of this predicament as well. I owned a 2610 which Garmin upgraded to a 2720 for me when the touchscreen failed on my 2610. Wanting to go Bluetooth this year, I needed to upgrade my beloved 2720. I was fairly convinced that I was going with the Zumo 550. But the dollars just didn't make sense. I bought a slightly used 2820 off of eBay (should arrive today), and sold my 2720 to a local guy. I can't wait to start taking advantage of Bluetooth technology both on my bike, and in the car.

A few things I can tell you about moving from your 2610 to a 2820. The screen will be brighter with better resolution. Maybe not as bright as the 550 or 378, I dunno. The newer 3D graphics are light years ahead of the 2610's display. Much more intuitive! The audio output has more fidelity ... even just the voice prompts. And TTS (text to speech) is AWESOME! Make sure to download and install voices that support TTS.

HTH

[Lynn_Keen]

Wanting to go Bluetooth this year, I needed to upgrade my beloved 2720. ------------ I can't wait to start taking advantage of Bluetooth technology both on my bike, and in the car.


HTH

OK Joe, this is the second time I read about your adventure into the Bluetooth arena. So what ya gona put together? Full wireless bike to helmet with music, phone, gps, intercom, bike to bike? What system ya using?

[messenger13]

So what ya gona put together? Full wireless bike to helmet with music, phone, gps, intercom, bike to bike? What system ya using?
First of all, let me say that I received my 2820 and started using it in the car along with my RAZR. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!! :cool: It works great! It sounds great! And I am so excited about using it on my bike ... can't wait!!!

As far as the rest of the system goes, well, I currently have the old Intaride RP1 system. And, I have always loved it. All except for the wired-phone aspect of it. For some reason, that was the Achilles heel of the system. The connection right at the phone would always get compromised and it was just a pain in the neck. Plus the fact that if it rained, I would have to put my cell phone in my tank-bag's map pocket and lose the functionality of my phone. Argh! That's why I'm so excited about having a Bluetooth connection between my phone and waterproof GPS. Now I don't have to worry about the wired connection, or frying my phone in the rain.

I said all that to tell you that I've been talking with Intaride about what it would take to convert (upgrade?) my current system to their new totally Bluetooth-enable system. It's over $800!!! :eek: And I just don't know if getting rid of the wire from helmet to bike is worth all of that. That's really all that the new & improved system would buy me.

Sooooo ... I think I'm just going to appreciate the fact that this year brings a new Bluetooth phone and a new Bluetooth GPS to the party, and the rest of it will have to wait until the technology becomes more affordable. At least to this working-class schmuck. :o

[painlessbob]

Love my 550. Taking it out on a cruise next week, see where and how fast the ship goes while boring a hole in the ocean.