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| Date Reviewed: 01/06/2006 |
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Strengths: Maps, audio, display, quickest recalculate, ease of use, mount, estimated time of arrival.
Weaknesses: No battery, occasionally misses the best route, manual.
Summary: I have been checking out GPS units for work for a few weeks. I have tested the TomTom Go 700, Magellan 760, Lowrance i500C, Navman iCN 550 and the Garmin 2720. We are buying the Garmin 2720.
Maps - Not as much detail in 3D mode as other units but that turned out to be a strength. The route is purple, turns are white and because there aren't that many roads it shows more of the route than any other unit in 3D mode. I never have any problem determining exactly where I'm supposed to go. It shows things like the local Ball park (none of the other's did) and only it and the Magellan 760 found it's way through the shortcut I use to get home. If you enter 2D mode the number of streets can increase dramatically. There are 5 levels of streets so you can pick the amount of detail that suits you best. One thing I really liked was that as you expand out (it goes all the way to a continental view showing Canada the US and Mexico at one time with major roads (lots if you have "Most" selected.
Voice Prompts - It tells you to turn at an appropriate time. I never got confused about which road to turn on. The Magellan has a Ding when it's time to start turning the wheel that the wife loved but it had other problems that dropped it out of contention.
Audio - Audio was weak on most of the units. The 2720 was the only one that could be easily heard over the radio. It has the speaker built into the D/C plug putting it closer to you and allowing a larger speaker.
Display - The Garmin has a 454X240 display. Very easy to read day or night. Has automatic night mode. Extra width allows adequately sized map with Next turn info, Speed and Arrival Time displayed all the time. I really like the Arrival Time being part of the main 3D display.
Quickest recalculate - Most of the units recalculated quickly, however the Garmin often recalculated in 2 or 3 seconds and never more than about 15 seconds.
Ease of use - Menu's are intuitive. (This was the achille's heel of the Magellan 760. I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to bring the main menu back up after the first trip). I didn't need the manual to figure out any of the common tasks which is fortunate since it didn't come with one. There are many, many options. This was the only unit that had a modes for different types of vehicles. One reason we selected this unit for work was due to the "Truck" mode. This is where the manual is needed and the downloaded manual could be better.
Mount - The mount is awesome. It is a non-slip bean-bag affair that allows the unit to sit on the dash and not move around during turns and acceleration. I much preferred this to the windshield mounted units that tended to get in my field of view and often caused me to look at them when I really wanted to check my rear view mirror.
What would I like to be different? I would like a battery and for it to be thinner so it could be put into a pocket or purse when not in use. Then it would be available whereever I was to setup the next route or just to play with. I almost bought the Nuvi for my wife. It has a battery and is small and has the same software as the 2720 and it also has an audio book, MP3 player, optional language tutor, calculator, etc. I really liked the idea of having the audio book. Why didn't I buy it? The mount and the speaker. The best I could tell the Nuvi didn't offer the bean-bag mount or the D/C cord speaker. If it had I would have bought it.
Another pet peeve. Nowhere in the specs could I find out the memory size of the 2720. While I was writing this I tried one last time and finally found out from bizrate.com that it has 2Gb of intermal memory. I can only assume that it is SD memory like the Nuvi uses, although at 2Gb it may be a hard drive.
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| Date Reviewed: 01/14/2006 |
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Strengths: only been using two weeks, however, from what i've experienced so far and the other reviews i've read have to agree that this unit blows away all built in car gps systems hands down.
Weaknesses: the remote is a bit of an issue in that it needs to be uhf instead of infrared remote. but overall no big deal since you likely won't use the remote much anyway.
Summary: The 2720 is by far the best GPS out there based on my experience with friends' units and the reviews i've read. it gives you a great 3D view and nice verbal instructions. clear display looks very nice even when sun is very bright. Touch screen is also very good and automatic re-routing is a must-have!
94% of People (15/16) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/10/2005 |
- edceric
from PA
- Member Since:
Sep 2003
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Reviews
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Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: Nothing
Summary: I have had an installed GPS for 3 years in my car and this unit is incredible. I has none of the issues that are talked about in the previous reviews. I am not wordy, but if want to read a long in depth review, just go to Amazon and you can read the reviews on the unit. They are what made me purchase the unit from the Electronics Leader. I had great service on the order and the product works perfectly. Make sure you enable WAAS when you install the unit. It took me at least 5 minutes to install and start using the unit. The remote works great. The only bad thing about the remote is that it would be nice if the numbers lit up like the other buttons. Anyway, that's not very important. I like the fact that you only need the street address and state to enter data and it gives you options. That makes life even simpler. Also, it works very fast for routing. The screen is great in direct sunlight also. The mount works very well too. As I said, it is a great unit and I think it probably beats most of the installed units in quality and price and ease of use. The screen is smaller than the big screen installed units, but how much do you need. This displays the time of arrival, current speed and lists the next action on top of the screen and shows you driving along the map. All the info you want. The trip computer is also great. It reminds me of my other garmin units. Garmin is still the best.
93% of People (38/41) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/30/2005 |
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 Very dissappointed Strengths: Ease of use
Weaknesses: Not very accurate,
Tell you to keep left and then turn right next ahead
Sooo expensive but doesn't work good
Don't buy it
Summary: 2005-09-11 21:30:16 I bought this Garmin 2720 on August 29, 2005. I said to myself I will never be lost again. I was dead wrong. It is just a horrible GPS system. Man, Garmin and other dealers say all these good thing about it. Trust me it's not that great. These are the problems I found while testing it out for 2 days.
1. It tells you to keep left and then it tell you to turn right on next street. That is stupid, it's suppose to be keep right and then turn right, gezz..
2. It doesn't have postal code or zip code
3. The GPS get really hot, it feels like the resistor inside is about to blow.
4. The remote control joystick isn't easy to use and the cell phone idea of enter ABC takes like 5 minutes to enter.
5. Satellite die out on a normal day twice in 3 hours or so.
6. Most of the time it doesn't even tell you to turn left or turn right. It just say keep right and then either you branch or go straight and miss a turn. It's stupid.
7. Trust me, I spend $1177 CDN for nothing. I work one month to make that much and now I hated myself for making a stupid disicion
80% of People (24/30) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/25/2005 |
- sushijin
from CA
- Member Since:
Dec 2004
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 The 2620 is great; this one blows. Strengths: none
Weaknesses: CHANGES DIRECTIONS FOR THE SAME ROUTE, CAR ICON KEEPS ON MOVING WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT MOVING, CONSTANTLY RECALCULATES EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE ON CORRECT ROUTE, TELLS YOU TO GO ON LOOPTY LOOS ON HIGHWAY EXT
Summary: I have had it for over a month and I will return it now...wanted to give it a chance but it can't seem to find simple points of interests such as 24 hour fitness and costco. My boyfriend's 2620 (Garmin) finds it but not the new model. This Garmin constantly recalculates when you are on the correct route. I really hate this garmin because it gives me routes that are longer than routes I have taken in the past to the same destination. Also car icon keeps on moving when you aren't moving. Then it recalculates non stop. At least once a week there is a problem with the recalculation/route or icon moving when stationary. The 2620 is better in all of these areas, and my bf only had to update the software once to correct a glitch. It's far more reliable. Buy this one, and prepare for some migraine headaches.
79% of People (22/28) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 10/08/2005 |
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 Mixed improvement Strengths: Cleaner screen, 3D, works good with external antenna.
Weaknesses: Fast talking voice, clumsy touchscreen, clumsy interface. Internal antenna is weak
Summary: I have had the Steetpilot III the 2610 and now this. This continues to add some good improvements to this legacy but seems rushed to market when the software was not quite ready. The voice needs a setting to slow it down, it talks faster than the 2610 and is harder to follow. When you want to force a route recalculation it is very hard, no easy way to do it. Multiple screens need to be navigated thru. The a b c d e f g h ..... keyboard is stupid, everybody is used to qwerty keyboards so trying to find where the letters are is goofy if you are used to a regular keyboard. Again another annoying usability feature that could be better. Hopefully Garmin will fix these things that mostly seem like software fixes and allow the traffic avoidance routing, 3D picture, street naming and other big improvements to shine thru. Hopefully software fixes can give Garmin another swing at hitting with this improved 2610 form factor system.
75% of People (12/16) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 12/26/2005 |
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Strengths: Even an old lady can set it up and use it!
Weaknesses: Haven't found any.
Summary: I've wanted this for 6 months and just got it for Christmas and I used it on Christmas Day! It was very simple to set up and to even program special places using my home pc. Would reccommend to anyone. Wonderful!
75% of People (3/4) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/31/2005 |
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this is not a good one
Strengths: 3D, better LCD, new map.
Weaknesses: Easy to confused, tell wrong turn some time, weak signal, take long time to process in 3D graphic
Summary: I sold my Garmin StreetPilot 2620 and bought the new one, Streetpilot 2720. I thought it was better than the old model but I was wrong. It is not only better but also worse. I got lost many times when driving on highway because of its instruction. For instance:
- Give confused turn: Instead of keep right, it tells me turn right. Instead of keep right turn right, it tells me keep left turn right.
- Sometimes it stops processing, just moving the cursor without telling anything. If I am driving about 70 - 80 mph, I will miss the exit because it starts telling me when the exit is only 200 feet ahead.
- Most of the time, it gives me a completely wrong direction while I am driving on a bridge because it thought I was on the street under the bridge.
- The reception is worse than the Garmin 2620. I often lose signal while driving under a cloudy sky.
Recommend: buy the old one, Garmin 2620. It is cheaper, simple and more accurate. If you really want to buy this model, wait couple of months until the price is cheaper and they issue the update of its interface.
70% of People (19/27) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 02/26/2006 |
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Strengths: Ease of operation right out of box. Seems to cover any areas you can think of.
Weaknesses: Has misdirected wrong house number location (approx 4 house's off). Occasionally seems to be about 90 feet off location.
Summary: No where prior to purchase did I notice that a DVD reader/player is required on your PC to load CD sent along with item. Had to purchase one before being able to load!
67% of People (4/6) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/25/2006 |
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Not bad, but too expensive
Strengths: Fairly quick calculations, good coverage, maps are well drawn, ability to insert multiple destinations
Weaknesses: Inoperative in city centers, many locations missing or misspelt
Summary: Generally works well, but for the price you wouldn't expect it to make the mistakes that it does. In areas with heavy building congestion, it can't resolve your position very accurately, if it can get satellite reception at all.
To find businesses or landmarks, it performs well about 95% of the time in my experience. Sometimes you have to be creative about the spelling of the business you're trying to find, or have the exact address.
60% of People (3/5) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/23/2006 |
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Strengths: Out of the box experience. Finds satellites quickly and recalculates quickly if I miss the turn. Bean bag mount holds securely.
Weaknesses: Have not found any yet
Summary: I have have absolutely no problems with this unit, I think that it was a good choice. I am constantly amazed when I discover new features that make it easy to find addresses. I would recomment this unit to anyone that wants a quality product that is easy to use.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/12/2006 |
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3 Garmin products includes 2720
Strengths: Great accuracy in speed and turns
Weaknesses: Lousy accuracy in final destinations or address data base (poi's) Point of Intrest.
Summary: ve tried 3 Garmin units. the C-330, nuvi 350 and the 2720 They are great when it comes to letting you know where to make a right and left turn.They are all terrible on taking you to the correct address. For example I live at 4990 on a street it takes me to 4960. When I pluged in 7-11 in Tamarac Fl it said it was on the left side of the street rather than the right side. In Jupiter FL I wanted to go to the movies an 18 cinama in a mall. When I pluged in I want a movie it has in it's database 204 N US-1 Tequesta FL when the movie was really in 201 N. US HWY1 in jupiter. Tequesta is the next town. Yet my friends house in Hollywood that was right on target. I'm very disapointed for the money you pay that I"m having these problems. expect it from all of there unit's. I truly think it's the software they are using that is the problem rather than the unit it's self. I'm a Comptuer technician and most of the problems with computers is the software and since this thing is happening with 3 units I'm convinced. I kept the Nuvi 350. the remote did not work on the 2720. and it was also spitting out the wrong addresses or taking me to the wrong location. the 350 has a much nice screen (easier to see and I didn't have to reach far to the dashboard to set it like I did on the 2720. The Nuvi 350 it has a suction cup on the windshild which makes it easyer to reach. so I kept it. I need this unit for work since I fix computers at my clients homes or business. If anything it's better than getting my car full of paper from another lousy system mapquest.
40% of People (2/5) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/02/2006 |
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Strengths: still learning
Weaknesses: still learning
Summary: While useing 'it' for approx 1 hour a fog spot develops on the center of the screen. I'll see what happens after a little more use.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/19/2007 |
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Strengths: Accurate, easy to use, voice prompts for actual street names, REMOTE!, bright display, appears durable, bean-bag mount, it's a Garmin and not a Magellan.
Weaknesses: A little bulky, no storage case/bag comes with it, no internal battery
Summary: Had this for about four months now (replaced a Magellan that dies in under a year and was not repaired by Magellan) and I like it a lot. It quickly finds satellites in the small town I live in, seems to have maps that know all the streets, I set it to the Aussie lady voice and she pronounces all the street names well with a nice accent, very bright display, excellent beanbag mount that is very stable (no suction cup to worry about), the remote is awesome (I thought it would be a silly gimmick, but it's not it's extremely useful), an AC converter is supplied and that helps counter the lack of an internal battery as you can pre-program in your house, a battery would be nice, though. Overall, this unit is as good and easier to use than the factory GPS in our RX330 Lexus. The RX unit has a bigger screen, but no remote and it is significantly harder to use, no more accurate, and you can't change the destination while in motion. I highly recommend the Garmin 2720.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/29/2007 |
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Strengths: Overall good performance so far
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet
Summary: Got it home and set it up fairly easy to do. Used it despite already having directions to my destination from a person that knew the area I was traveling in. He turned out to be 100% wrong. My Garmin took me to the front gate of my destination saving me over 50 miles of travel which is time and money.
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