“How long have we been on this road?”
“When are we going to turn? The sun is beating down on me!”
“Are there any restaurants at the next exit?”
“What about a drug store?”
These questions and more can be answered with your very own personal navigation device! We decided to stimulate the economy and purchase a Garmin nüvi to help us find our way this summer. The model we selected was a 260W which is petty low-end, but it has everything that I was looking for.
The recent rains throughout Wisconsin actually helped me make the decision to buy one. Try getting from the northern suburbs of Chicago to Madison without driving on a flooded-out I94. Go I90! Sure, but how do you get there most efficiently? Read a map! Great idea, but they’re dated and not labeled as well as they could be. If only there was a device that you could carry that relayed information from satellites to tell you exactly where you are, where you’re going, and the best way to your destination…
Pros:
Voice turn-by-turn directions, wide screen, touch screen, auto-reroute (if you miss a turn), and so much more!
Cons:
Since it’s a touch screen, the screen gets smudged immediately and will remain smudged until it dies. The only other con I read about was the relatively slow pick-up of the satellite signal. Seems pretty quick to me.
There are other models that provide traffic info, play mp3 files and audio books, but we don’t need any of that. Lately we’ve been needing to find out-of-the-way gyms (and nearby hotels) for either volleyball tournaments or gymnastics meets. If is does that we’ll be happy.
Plus, I already downloaded all the free car icons that were on the Garmin site, so we’re good to go!