Top Ten GPS Mystery Unravelled- Number Nine!

This article is part two of a ten part series on the Top Ten GPS Units for 2010. The purpose of this series is to help you, the consumer, make an informed buying decision before you spend your hard earned money on a new gps unit. Without further delay, number nine: the Garmin Nuvi 750.

Features:

The Garmin Nuvi 750 features a 4.3 inch widescreen. Even though this unit is bigger than some, it has a sleek design that still makes it compact enough to take with you outside of the car. It has a bright, highly detailed screen showing maps in 2D and 3D perspectives that you can see at all times due to the units anti-glare surface.

Preloaded maps. This unit comes preloaded with maps of the United states, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This is pretty much the standard for gps units sold in the U.S. If you want maps of Europe, you'll either have to pay extra to get them, or look for a gps that comes with them.

Fast satellite lock. In order for a gps unit to be reliable, it has to find satellite's quickly and hold onto them. Otherwise you just have a very expensive toy that doesn't do you much good.

Spoken directions and street names. Driving is a responsibility and demands the full attention of all our senses. A gps unit that verbally tells you the directions allows you the freedom to keep your eys on the road, so we can all get where we need to be safely.

Battery life of up to five hours. If you only use your gps while you drive, battery life will never be an issue, as most units come standard with a charger for the car. I only mention battery life for those of you who like to use their gps unit as an all purpose device.

Garmin's easy to use interface. Garmin gps devices are known for their simplicity. Easy to use menus so you can take it out of the box and go.

Garmin lock, anti-theft system. Does this mean that your gps unit can't be stolen? No! It only means that if it is stolen, the thief will not be able to use it. In order for it to operate, it will need to be brought to a specific location, or a pin will need to be entered. There's very little comfort in knowing that someone else will not be able to use your stolen gps unit, because you'll still have to buy a new one. It is highly recommended that you take your gps out of the car whenever it's not being used. That's the best anti-theft system.

Where am I/Where's my car feature. At any time you can tap your gps screen and get an exact location of where you are, including gas stations, hospitals, and police stations. When you get out of your car and remove the gps unit from its mount, it automatically marks the spot where your car is. This comes in handy if you are in a large, unfamiliar parking lot.

Multi-destination routing. If you have multiple stops along your route, you can pre-program them into your Garmin Nuvi 750 and go. You don't have to wait to get to one destination before you input your data for the next place.

Three months free of MSN Direct Services. This is a traffic service that can help you avoid accidents and and traffic tie-up's if you're in a hurry. After the initial three months of free service, it would be a paid subscription.

Route setup and route avoidance features. When setting up your gps to get to your destination, you can program your Garmin Nuvi 750 to look for the fastest route or the most fuel efficient route. You can also program it to avoid certain routes or tolls.

Entertainment features and optional ad-on's. This particular gps unit is bluetooth enabled so it can be synced with your car stereo and phone. You can also use this gps to playback mp3's and audiobooks, or pay for the optional travel guide, savers guide, and language translation features if needed.

Pros:

Compact for easy transport. Although this unit is bigger due to its 4.3 inch screen, it is still compact enough to carry around with you.

Easy to use. Garmin makes it simple to use their gps units with easy menus and screens.

Excellent mounting system. This mounting system has been praised for its quality and sturdiness. It also allows for greater rotation, so it works well on most windshields.

Speed limits posted on gps screen. This comes in very handy when you are travelling in unfamiliar areas, which is the whole point of having a gps.

Cons:

Complaints about battery life. Once again, this is not an issue if you're only going to use it in the car.

Internal speaker is inferior. Something to consider if you don't have a quiet car.

Slow initial satellite lock. There have been numerous complaints that this unit takes a while to lock onto satellites. But once it is locked, there is no issue with losing the signal.




To get the complete list of 2010's Top Ten GPS, visit: http://www.squidoo.com/top-ten-gps