[manjo]

Originally Posted by ampere

Best combination of price and performance would be Garmin Nuvi series with India maps (Satguide/MMI). Not sure about others. At least Garmin works pretty well in India.

In the nuvi series, decide if you need all the fancy features viz. mp3 player, video player, bluetooth etc.

I guess bluetooth is a good feature to have, which you can link it to your phone. In that case I think its the 265W. If not, you can get the 205W. It comes for about $130. Also buy a good mount along with it.

I have been using 205W+Satguide maps and am very satisfied.

Also Its better to buy one legal copy of a map. Satguide costs only 2K. Its worth it.

My GP has Blue & Me, so don't need the bluetooth, instead i wud love the photo/video viewer for my wife wen i am not using the GPS.
I have seen in this thread that lot of people have gone for DX items and said value for money so thinking of that.

I am going for the legal copy only... But here we have to pay 500 for each upgrade as i got news from MMI, am i correct?
Also i got info from someone that MMI is actually using SYGIC maps which they get cheap and costing huge un-ncessarily.

The one i posted boasts of a 600MHZ processor linking 12 satellites weras all rest max i have seen is 400MHz..
Still do u feel 205W + Satguide is better. And in a Punto is 5" size adequate?
If i buy Garmin wats the back-up time it gives, that is on battery?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by manjo

My GP has Blue & Me, so don't need the bluetooth, instead i wud love the photo/video viewer for my wife wen i am not using the GPS.
I have seen in this thread that lot of people have gone for DX items and said value for money so thinking of that.

I am going for the legal copy only... But here we have to pay 500 for each upgrade as i got news from MMI, am i correct?
Also i got info from someone that MMI is actually using SYGIC maps which they get cheap and costing huge un-ncessarily.

The one i posted boasts of a 600MHZ processor linking 12 satellites weras all rest max i have seen is 400MHz..
Still do u feel 205W + Satguide is better. And in a Punto is 5" size adequate?
If i buy Garmin wats the back-up time it gives, that is on battery?

I said VFM for garmin, because, photos/videos etc, we generally watch on our phones, camera etc.

I am not sure if you can enjoy full length movies with that screen size. I got the 205W(130$) + Satguide(2K-INR) for 8.5K, which I thought was real VFM. I generally dont use bluetooth hence decided against it.

On the back-up time, its not that high (2hours at most I guess). Also I have not tested it in that direction really. Because as long as I drive, I mostly power it up through the car socket and remove it the instant I halt. That way the battery wont be drained (whatsoever), when the car is not moving.

I am not sure about the DX items. I just went Garmin, as I thought thats the more popular one and you may get good service. Others can comment.

As far as maps are concerned, no one gives free updates in India. All are paid. Satguide gives one free update within the year of purchase and I guess MMI maybe some what similar. Meanwhile Satguide and MMI both cover the same # cities. I guess Shmanth had mentioned that MMI now covers 620 cities. This data I have not seen officially yet. Dont why MMI charges 7K. As far as I gather, I am not sure what extra items, does MMI has to offer against Satguide. Satguide provides the same info content for 2K, which I thought was VFM.

[manjo]

After going thru the whole thread, i guess as of now, a cheap Chinese will do my job.
Can think on Hifi wen the Android one comes in

Now i have 2 models as said before.
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30501
which boasts of 5" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 6.0 Core (English) operating system
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-IV 600MHz (super fast GPS response) but no idea about RAM; and for 118$.

Opposed to this there is
DealExtreme: $84.00 4.8" LCD 372MHz CPU Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core GPS Navigator + 2GB Maps SD
which has 4.8" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core (English) operating system,
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-III 372MHz (super fast GPS response); all for 84$.
both shows available and ships in 2 to 4 days..

Which one to go. Thanks everyone here for the help in advance...

NetfreakBombay, u r the god in this, help!!

KishoreC, I hope its back in stock after a month

[akshay_b]

Originally Posted by manjo

After going thru the whole thread, i guess as of now, a cheap Chinese will do my job.
Can think on Hifi wen the Android one comes in

Now i have 2 models as said before.
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30501
which boasts of 5" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 6.0 Core (English) operating system
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-IV 600MHz (super fast GPS response) but no idea about RAM; and for 118$.

Opposed to this there is
DealExtreme: $84.00 4.8" LCD 372MHz CPU Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core GPS Navigator + 2GB Maps SD
which has 4.8" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core (English) operating system,
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-III 372MHz (super fast GPS response); all for 84$.
both shows available and ships in 2 to 4 days..

Which one to go. Thanks everyone here for the help in advance...

NetfreakBombay, u r the god in this, help!!

KishoreC, I hope its back in stock after a month

Depends on how much you're ready to spend, Both the GPSes are manufactured by YF, I wouldn't recommend you ordering anything from DX before christmas, there's also a little problem in the HK post, Check this:

Hongkong Post - Delay in Outbound Air Mail Service

[NetfreakBombay]

Manjo,

I would suggest you look a this one:

Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator : Electronics

Or Mio units on 20north.

Due to festive season, there is Massive discount in US so you can get Garmin or Mio at price of chinese units (Both inclusive of shipping).

[manjo]

Originally Posted by ampere

Best combination of price and performance would be Garmin Nuvi series with India maps (Satguide/MMI). Not sure about others. At least Garmin works pretty well in India.

In the nuvi series, decide if you need all the fancy features viz. mp3 player, video player, bluetooth etc.

I guess bluetooth is a good feature to have, which you can link it to your phone. In that case I think its the 265W. If not, you can get the 205W. It comes for about $130. Also buy a good mount along with it.

I have been using 205W+Satguide maps and am very satisfied.

Also Its better to buy one legal copy of a map. Satguide costs only 2K. Its worth it.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Manjo,

I would suggest you look a this one:

Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator : Electronics

Or Mio units on 20north.

Due to festive season, there is Massive discount in US so you can get Garmin or Mio at price of chinese units (Both inclusive of shipping).

I like MapMyIndia maps better; costly for Garmin. And also doubling it as a video player is not possible with that.
Can it be with Mio, then i will go for it.
Any Mio model suggestions please.. Links welcome

[NetfreakBombay]

No, these units wont play video. Chinese Unit that I have, is pretty bad at playing video.

[janitha]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Manjo,

I would suggest you look a this one:

Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator : Electronics

Or Mio units on 20north.

Due to festive season, there is Massive discount in US so you can get Garmin or Mio at price of chinese units (Both inclusive of shipping).

I intend to buy the Garmin one.
Is the site safe for online purchase? Also is buying as gift a safe option?

[NetfreakBombay]

Yes, have used it and used Gift option for for both DealExtreme and this site. If you buy from site and send it as "Gift" to your wife/friend, its duty free up to 10000.

Never faced a customs problem, but this risk can not be ruled out. In one case, I had to go to the office and show invoice to prove that value is less than 10k (details in this thread).

[Tushargohil]

Hey Net,

Did you tried N-Drive ? its awesome man....

Going to US next month let see if i can get something from there this time..

Thanks,
Tushar

[agent009]

Originally Posted by manjo

After going thru the whole thread, i guess as of now, a cheap Chinese will do my job.
Can think on Hifi wen the Android one comes in

Now i have 2 models as said before.
https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.30501
which boasts of 5" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 6.0 Core (English) operating system
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-IV 600MHz (super fast GPS response) but no idea about RAM; and for 118$.

Opposed to this there is
DealExtreme: $84.00 4.8" LCD 372MHz CPU Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core GPS Navigator + 2GB Maps SD
which has 4.8" screen, Microsoft Windows CE .NET 5.0 Core (English) operating system,
and a CPU: Centrality Atlas-III 372MHz (super fast GPS response); all for 84$.
both shows available and ships in 2 to 4 days..

Which one to go. Thanks everyone here for the help in advance...

NetfreakBombay, u r the god in this, help!!

KishoreC, I hope its back in stock after a month

hey bro,
have u made the purchase..??
I too wish to get my hands on the $118 one with 600mhz cpu

we could combine orders and look for a discount

whats ur say ??

[androdev]

How come no one seems to be buying 7-inch display GPS units? I am thinking of getting one especially to double up it as a video player in the car. Something like Garmin Streetpilot 7200. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Tushargohil

Going to US next month let see if i can get something from there this time..

Amazing deals for Garmin and Mio are there on all retailers. Would be best to pick up one of these units.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Amazing deals for Garmin and Mio are there on all retailers. Would be best to pick up one of these units.

Yup, and dont forget to check prices at amazon.com either! I found amazon had the cheapest price for Garmin 265WT when i was there.

[Ranga]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Ok. If you guys are happy with a chinese unit its fine. I underwent the same research route recently. However I got myself a Garmin finally. I think the build, the quality, the support everything makes it worthwhile.

I got myself a Garmin Nuvi wide screen device. It costed me approx 6700 INR. And thats about it. And I am happy. Its very very fast. Basically Garmin has put in a hotfix in the Nuvi's which now makes catching satellites a breeze. The moment the unit is switched on it has all the bars lighted up. And as I said, the unit is fast and the build quality is just superb.

I am running Satguide for now. You do not need destinator or any other software for Garmin. Just the maps. Of course if you do not buy it from them (pretty juicily priced at just Rs.2k) you will need to crack the code. But 6700 for a Garmin widescreen all inclusive is better than anything anyday. ;-)

P.S.: I also visted Satguide's office recently. They have lot many PND and other devices (including mobiles) in their glitzy front office display which you can buy from them alongwith the satguide installation. Many are chinese no-name brands while others like Garmin, Voxtel, Mio and others are also available.

However, what caught my eye was the set of PND devices marked as BharatNav. The sales guy said its a pune based co. for whom the software is supplied by Satguide. One particular unit was hugeee. It had a 7 inch or a 10 inch display with nice mahogany colored edges. The sales guy said he is not sure of the price but said its much cheaper than anything from known brands.

What model of Garmin did u buy for 6700 ?