question about SatNav/GPS systems

[NooDle]

We all know (and probably use) these things, because they're handy and mean you don't have to do any of the difficult "navigating in a place you've never been before" bits. Which is great.

But, there's some things I don't get. You have the small "portable" GPS's, like mine :



the good : they cost virtually nothing these days (got mine for 99€), are light, easy to read, you can put them anywhere you want in the car with a neat suction thingy, you can install more crap on it, like where the speedcameras are (and update whenever you like), you have a touchscreen

the bad : screen is kinda small, you can't always have everything you want on screen, chance of theft

Then there's these satnavs you can buy already fitted to the car :



the good : huge screen, they can't be nicked. (If you have a Volvo they even slide in and out of the dashboard, which is cool for the first 10 or so times)

the bad : they cost 10-20x as much as a portable one (!!! OMGWTFLOL !!!), they are slower because they still use DVDs, you can't update it or load new maps without buying a new DVD each year, the navigation is slow, you don't get a touchscreen, sometimes they install them in weird places.

I don't see why ANYONE would ever buy a "built in" satnav. They are vastly inferior to small portable stuff and much much much much more expensive.

I just don't get it! Can anyone explain to me why you would want to do this?

[jensked]

If I bought let's say a BMW3 series, I would definitely buy a built-in GPS because i just wouldn't want a GPS unit sticking on my windscreen (+ the power cable). My Mio Moov is not that easy to read when there's a lot of sunlight (e.g. Autoroute du Soleil in France)

I have never used a built-in system, so I can't say if it's really that slow.

[NooDle]

so by your logic, having a suction thingy on your windscreen > 1500ish € to buy other crap with?

the power cable can be hidden away quite good if you're creative.

[fbc]

Originally Posted by jensked

If I bought let's say a BMW3 series, I would definitely buy a built-in GPS because i just wouldn't want a GPS unit sticking on my windscreen (+ the power cable).

Bingo - given the choice I'd have a built-in unit because it just looks so much better than having extra bits stuck all over your dash - particularly so with modern cars that have fully integrated ICE / HVAC etc (or at least units designed to make the dash look like a cohesive whole).

[jensked]

Originally Posted by NooDle

so by your logic, having a suction thingy on your windscreen > 1500ish € to buy other crap with?

the power cable can be hidden away quite good if you're creative.

No, in my Toyota, a portable GPS unit is just fine, but I can understand that people who buy an expensive, nice car don't want the looks to be spoiled by things sticking out and hanging everywhere.

Furthermore, integration of Audio, Satnav, telephone is
It's nice that radio/satnav are muted when you receive a call

[H0nzik]

Originally Posted by jensked

If I bought let's say a BMW3 series, I would definitely buy a built-in GPS because i just wouldn't want a GPS unit sticking on my windscreen (+ the power cable). My Mio Moov is not that easy to read when there's a lot of sunlight (e.g. Autoroute du Soleil in France)

I have never used a built-in system, so I can't say if it's really that slow.

The BMW 3 series is a very bad example, the dashboard looks so much uglier with the factory satnav than without it. But there are lots of premium cars that already have the big colour LCD screen to control the other gadgets and it's kind of stupid not to have the sat nav fuction as well. And if you buy such a car, you probably don't care too much about the price of the sat nav.

[SL65]

Originally Posted by NooDle

I don't see why ANYONE would ever buy a "built in" satnav. They are vastly inferior to small portable stuff and much much much much more expensive.

I just don't get it! Can anyone explain to me why you would want to do this?

The screen allows you to operate functions other than just the sat-nav, hence why it is more expensive.

The screen in my parents Merc displays the radio, CD, DVD and TV, amongst other things. In a BMW, you would be operating the climate control through there and other vehicle settings.

And in my personal experience with portable GPS's - they are not that fast. Although its been a few years since I used one of those systems and I'm sure technology would have advanced since then.

In Australia at least - sales of these portable GPS systems is booming.


BTW - I do find it slack how some manufactures charge a ridiculous amount of money for GPS systems in their car. Mainly because they know most customers would pay anything for it, but stil...

[jensked]

Originally Posted by SL65

BTW - I do find it slack how some manufactures charge a ridiculous amount of money for GPS systems in their car. Mainly because they know most customers would pay anything for it, but stil...

Good old supply/demand, my friend

[Das_Idiot]

some put a premium on aesthetics, so paying 3x the price for a built-in unit is fine to them. sometimes the nav unit will, example in the Mitsubishi Lancer/Evo you will not just get a nav, it's also got an info centre which lets you control a lot of options on the car and comes with a music server on the same HD that you can rip music to to play on the stereo. Some have some nice innovative features tied into them, but for the most part they're pretty meh units.

I say this having a Garmin Nuvi 850. their suction mounts are fantastic btw.

[Hidden_Hunter]

i paid exactly zero for the navigation built into my car so I'm not really fussed but I would pay a premium to get an integrated unit because lets face it it's a hell of a lot more likely someone will smash and grab your car looking for your gps if you have the suction thing on your windscreen.

[The Chad]

Comparing navigation to navigation strictly, a portable unit generally is better than a fully integrated unit. Easier to update maps, easier to move between cars, and easier to upgrade and innovate with (from a manufacturing perspective).

However, as mentioned, integrated sat-nav systems tend to add additional features to the car. iDrive allows you to customize aspects of the car. In the US STi, it adds trip computer and fuel information. Etc... Etc...

Also, don't let the gimmicks in the portable units fool you. Bluetooth? You'll only be able to hear the caller on the small internal speaker, and the mic is also built into the unit. It'll be a rubbish experience compared to a fully-integrated Bluetooth unit or a headset. MP3 playback? Again, generally only played through the internal speaker. Rubbish. Some units have kits you can hardwire to play through the car's stereo, but that's not a plug-and-play job for most people.

[cvrefugee]

Originally Posted by NooDle

the bad : they cost 10-20x as much as a portable one (!!! OMGWTFLOL !!!), they are slower because they still use DVDs, you can't update it or load new maps without buying a new DVD each year, the navigation is slow, you don't get a touchscreen, sometimes they install them in weird places.

I don't see why ANYONE would ever buy a "built in" satnav. They are vastly inferior to small portable stuff and much much much much more expensive.

I just don't get it! Can anyone explain to me why you would want to do this?

They don't always cost 10-20x as much as the cheap portable models. I got mine for $600. It plays CDs, DVDs, DivX, music from iPods, radio, has a Bluetooth connection, and navigates my ass around. Mine uses a DVD for navigation, but newer models use built-in flash memory, and yet it is not slow at all. And who says you don't get a touchscreen? My AVIC-D3 certainly has a touchscreen interface as well as all the other Pioneer units.

[Hidden_Hunter]

yeah I forgot to mention mine is touch screen as well, it also integrates with the stero controls

[SL65]

Originally Posted by jensked

Good old supply/demand, my friend

I don't think its got much to do with that. Supply isn't an issue. I think its more a case of the manufactures knowing that customers will pay a lot for the sat-nav because its such a popular feature these days.

[Adunaphel]

I wouldn't get an intergrated one that quickly, mostly because the cars i find interesting weren't built with built-in GPSes. But were i to get a new one, i think i would get the integrated GPS unit, because you generally buy a package that includes GPS, nice radio, sometimes tv functionality, media server, and it also features as a screen for other stuff. But yeah, having to buy new DVDs for map updates sucks, and the placement can also do with a lot of improvement in most cars. A portable unit hangs from your windscreen, so you don't really need to take your eyes off the road, whereas those built-in units are most somewhere halfway up your centre console, which sucks if you need to watch the screen for which exit you need.

PS.
About the cables and suction mount being visible in your car, mine are in the glove compartment unless i use them to hold my phone when i need satnav, which is not very often. I only use Tomtom on my phone 2-3 times a month, so why would i leave those cables dangling and that ugly suction mount blocking part of my view in place when i don't need it? Especially when putting them in the glovebox just takes 3 seconds, and i already have to open it to put my car stereo's detachable front in there (they really expect you to take it with you?). Downside of that system is that i get lots of ugly circle marks from where the suction mount was, but that's just a little incentive to clean your windows more often

[NooDle]

OK. I understand you can have more options with a built in satnav like stereo controls and trip computer, etc, but I have those things on my car without satnav.

I guess either here the prices of inbuilt satnavs are skyhigh (I have yet to see one under 2000€) or I am completely insane.

Mind you, all of the above is a possibility aswell

[Das_Idiot]

I'd also like to echo the 'features' of the external units are often absolutely stupid to even consider having on said unit. photo viewer? woopie, blueteeth? No thanks, not on that horrid thing, and games... holy freakin shit who plays games on the GPS? I'd absolutely be cool with them leaving it out. I like my voice commands and touch-screen as well as spoken street names and stuff like that, that's where a lot of the newer units beat a lot of the built-in ones. Again, I'd prefer the built-in unit every single time even for 2x the price if it had feature parity.

[NooDle]

I never really understood why they even bothered making "extra" options for handhelds
whoopdedoo now I can play MP3s through the crappy onboard speakers or now I can watch my 8MP pictures on a 3.5" screen...

[Firecat]

I think the biggest advantage to the portable GPS is the fact that it is portable. I have a Garmin and have used it in probably 6 cars already. I don't even mount in on the window, I have it either below or in front of my gearbox.