Mine is a Tom Tom Go Live 1005 (5 inch screen). The new Tom Toms are completely different beasties to the older models. My dad has a Garmin, but after travelling with me and the Tom Tom a few weeks ago he's planning to change.

Approaching motorway (and complicated A road) junctions you get a change in 3D display clearly indicating the lane you should be in. Directions as to when to turn are clear and early - it tells you the road name and/or number. The predictions of journey/arrival times are very accurate. You can customise the car symbol and the voice should you wish. It's dead easy and intuitive to operate (much improved from the earlier models)

The 'traffic' feature is truly awesome at avoiding jams. I live on a steep farm track, and each morning drive downhill about half a mile to join the main road from Todmorden to Hebden Bridge. Last week I got in the car and turned on the Tom Tom to take me to an address in Hull (I travel to various places as part of my work). I was bemused to be ordered to turn around and head up the hill. It's possible to go out that way, but I rarely do, and it didn't make any sense to me to go that way fro this journey - so I ignored the voice and went downhill. Turned left onto the main road, got half a mile and was then stuck in the most almighty traffic jam because there had been an accident blocking the road. If only I'd trusted the toy ... On other occasions its taken me on roads I never knew existed - from me to Wakefield without touching the M62 for example (which I would have otherwise said was by far the quickest way) when there have been roadworks etc on that.

I have no axe to grind - mine is an old Snooper Sat Nav with no traffic and out of dates map (although I do get free lifetime speed camera updates on demand)....but when I looked on Amazon at the TomTom Go Live 1005 there seem to be as many grumbles as compliments - some make it sound as though it's not a easy thing to use or configure. I'm sure the same would apply to a Garmin if looked - or any other make. If you just want a product that works and is easy to use and to live with it has to be said it's not easy to find one that most people seem satisfied with.

Michael, I think your question about data has been answered. If you are interested in Safety Camera data the Pocket GPS World version on the iPhone app has the advantage that it automatically downloads and installs the latest database seamlessly when a new one is published, which is at least once a month. On PND's it's more complicated and requires a usb connection to your pc.

Cheers Clyde. My Garmin has camera data and my interest in an Android solution is more for the future. I've not had the Garmin long - and just hardwired it into the car - but I am interested in the user experience via smartphone. It'll never be via an Apple product though (ducks :p )

when I looked on Amazon at the TomTom Go Live 1005 there seem to be as many grumbles as compliments - some make it sound as though it's not a easy thing to use or configure.

If a complete technological numpty like me can do it, I would have thought any idiot can.

I have the Nav free app on my iPhone 4 and only used it once or twice and had no probs. similar interface to the tomtom and Garmin. It uses a data connection when you enter a POI to get the info from Google and the safety cameras are installed with the app automatically.Foreign maps are £1.99 and you can also buy the pop up free app for £1.99. I do have a Tom Tom which is an excellent system but would have no qualms using the free one on my iPhone.

Have bought the map updates for my Tom Tom and camera updates in the past and find the cost a bit expensive, two years subscription and you could have bought a new unit.

I bought a Tom Tom Via 120 Live, it replaced a Tom Tom 710.

It has live traffic with active maps and is excellent, I left Heathrow a week or so ago on a Monday afternoon, within a few miles Tom Tom told me of a 99 minute delay and would I like to divert to a different route, clicked yes and I arrived home just 15 minutes later than the original journey should have taken, I paid £140 from Currys.

I did see a Fiat Punto on the M6 yesterday with an iPad wedged between the dash and the rear view mirror, it was so big and clear I could see his map clearly, I have no idea how he was able to see the road!

TomTom models appear a bit of a minefield, with completely different models in different countries and different maps for different models. I recently got a US model (VIA 1435TM) with lifetime US traffic and maps for our overseas holiday - has voice recognition and bluetooth phone integration + microSIM slot. Will be getting local maps at some stage. Now have 3 TomToms in the family (One V3 and XL340). Best feature is MapShare, which means maps can be close to up to date for free. (Map updates are otherwise a bit steep to buy, though not as steep as Skoda Columbus maps.)

I would recommend getting one with expandable memory if you plan to use it in more than one region, as multiple maps otherwise may not fit and having to delete maps to fit more maps to change countries is a pain. I do like that one can backup the TomTom drive using Windows tools just like it is a hard drive. Have had some niggles getting maps but have found TomTom tech support to be very good.

A relative recently got a Garmin low end model. Had a good play and I can't say I like the user interface over TomTom.

iPhone TomTom costs more than a real TomTom once you get app+carkit+maps. TomTom car kit has its own GPS chip to improve turn-by-turn navigation performance. So I agree with you it's probably better to just get a TomTom.

TomTom is easier to use than Columbus. (One day will do do side-by-side nav tests.)

If you want to plot routes on the PC then be careful which Garmin unit you buy.

My five year old Garmin 60CSX I use for walking will do this no problem so I assumed that all new Garmin units would do it.

Bought a NuLink 1695 on offer at Halfords with free lifetime updates and traffic info to use in the Yeti and found out that it is one of the few Garmin units that won't accept routes from the PC. No warning of this on the literature so a bit cheesed off about it. So check before you buy if you want this feature.

It also appears very slow to recalculate a route if you take a wrong turn but the traffic info seems to work well, certainly better than the info on the Columbus in my Octavia.

I use IGo on my HTC phone which is very good, very quick and customisable. Like any phone based sat nav though it's sods law that a call will come in jusr as you need it most.

I have a TomTom "Go730", its the best one they made because it's totally upgradeable using any size SD card.

I run it with a "Go950 live" operating system and loads of extra apps.

It answers my calls, speaks my text messages aloud, lets me answer text by converting spoken word to text.

Has all the latest speedcams and petrol prices, also live traffic.

If anyone wants help with a TomTom, I will be glad to advise

Quite a few of the Garmin Nuvi sat navs are currently being bundled with Free Lifetime Maps or Free Lifetime Maps and Traffic.

Really ? Who knew ? Well, clearly - not me

So they need to be mounted where they can see the sat, just as a dedicated satnav does. OK. Got it. Many thanks.

Doing the rounds on Tuesday, trying to find stockists for a particular folding bike, but forgot the Garmin. Tried the Navigation app on my Galaxy and I have to say, it worked pretty well. I've no mount and the smaller screen (than my 5" Garmin) wouldn't have been any good for me anyway, so Mrs G held it. Particularly liked being able to key in store names and it would present a list starting with those nearest our current location.

Definitely an option for when the Garmin gets to retirement age.

Quite a few of the Garmin Nuvi sat navs are currently being bundled with Free Lifetime Maps or Free Lifetime Maps and Traffic.

In the style of Catherine Tate.....

The

dirty,

robbin',

b*****s

Edited 7 June, 201214 yr by Michael G

Right. Having got over the above, just spent a free hour using Google Maps to load our France destinations on to the Garmin. With my old Navman I had an external aerial so I'd hang it out of the window and pre-load destinations before putting it in the car, saving a lot of time. No aerial jack on the Garmin so the Google feature was especially welcome.

Not sure if it works with my phone but for now I'm happy as a sandboy.

Two weeks tomorrow, en France en vacance

Eh? What's all this loading destinations via Google, and aerials out of the window nonsense? With Tom Tom I just type the French address into the machine and job's a good'un. An hour? A minute more like!

Umm. If I had arms 3 feet long and 20/20 vision, I'd probably do the same BD. But I don't. So for the dozen or so destinations I've pre-loaded, I sync it from Google to the unit, and don't have to key anything on it. In fact it's better than my old Navman aerial out of the windows malarkey.

It doesn't make me a bad person.

Can we still be friends

It doesn't make me a bad person.

can we still be friends

:rofl: Why do you need arms 3 feet long? My Tom Tom is hardwired in, and mounted on the A pillar with a 'Proclip'. I can reach it with the fingertips of my right hand while I'm holding the steering wheel with that hand.

TBF, I'll probably do the same when I go all trendy and just use my phone (even though I don't like musical theatre.)

Until then, the satnav sits between me and The Great She Wolf.

Hence preferring to pre-load multi-destinations before it goes in the car. I've always done that.

It believe it's the result of attending a catholic boys grammar school.

It believe it's the result of attending a catholic boys grammar school.

Aha, "spectacles, testicles, watch, wallet" ...not a school in Bradford by any chance (St.Bede's?)

I use CoPilot on my android phone, have an old TomTom 720 but as I always have my phone with me I can't be bothered to take two bottles into the shower.

Benefits of CoPilot is maps are on the phone and gets regular updates.

It believe it's the result of attending a catholic boys grammar school.

The original Tom Brown ?

Aha, "spectacles, testicles, watch, wallet" ...not a school in Bradford by any chance (St.Bede's?)

Leeds boy, Leeds. St Michael's College. Yes, the priests did the checking for us

I made that last bit up. I was intacta until much later.

I use CoPilot on my android phone, have an old TomTom 720 but as I always have my phone with me I can't be bothered to take two bottles into the shower.

Benefits of CoPilot is maps are on the phone and gets regular updates.

Indeed. I'm seeing the light. But even my Galaxy isn't big enough - the Garmin has a 5" screen. One day, yes, and with a fancy holder so that the phone is close®.