Looking to upgrade ours... interested in knowing what kind everyone has... and what are the best/worst features with each one? In alot of the ads they talk about something called LANE ASSIST... what is that??
thanks!!

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might mention if your looking for a handheld for hiking, geocaching... or for one for driving.

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Garmin’s nüvi 7x5 series uses lane assist to make navigation clearer and easier than ever before,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “The lane assist view takes the guesswork out of driving through a busy intersection or an unfamiliar city. Drivers will no longer have to speculate which turn lane to be in, or what lane leads to which exit – that’s nüvi’s job.”

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Driving... I have a hand held one already...

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I have Navigator on my Verizon cell phone. It does everything: tells you of traffic jams, lane assist, etc etc, I was going to get a GPS for the car. Then I read an article in Consumer Reports that said it's more economical to have it on your phone. The reasons for this are although there is a monthly fee (mine is $9.99) it's constantly being updated automatically. The hand held and car mounted devices are not automatically updated so you spend about $200 then you have to constantly pay for the software or the updates.
That was about three years ago maybe they update now for free I don't know.
But my Navigator also has Local Search where you can find any place you can imagine. You can either put in TJ Maxx and the city or you can put in seafood, oil change, etc and it will give you all the listings. You choose what you want and Navigate right to it. Very handy for home or away. I also have Movies and Events, Messages, Maps and Traffic and My Places where you can save info.
It can be voice activated also if you choose.

I love it and use it almost every single day. When I had to drive for a job it never let me down. In three years it only sent me the wrong way once where it thought the road went through in an area of new construction and I had to go around.

And the Bluetooth feature means never having to look at the screen when driving.

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Not quite accurate.

My husband paid for a "lifetime" rate - $120.00. You can update 4 times a year. While it's not "constantly" updated, at 10 bucks a month you reach that same price in a year with your phone. We never have to pay again for the life of the Garmin. I live around a big city and I don't see the need to update more than 4 times a year.

I also prefer the larger screen of the dash unit as opposed to having to hold your phone, or trying to look for things on a much smaller screen even if the phone is mounted.

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Is it illegal to have a video screen (even GPS) where the driver can see it? I am pretty sure it's illegal to have a tv screen mounted where the driver can see it. What would be the difference?
Just wondering. That is one thing that factored into my choice. I did not want to be looking at the unit instead of the road.

The lifetime rate is a good deal for people who don't like to update their technology. I guess I always want the latest features and the newest technology so it works better for me. If I bought a GPS and next year there's a better one with updated features I would want that one. LOL can't help it!

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I would doubt it's illegal. I see them window mounted on cars all the time. It comes with a window mount. I never heard anything about that being illegal. If this were the case, I would imagine they would have been banned or illegal a while ago. Holding them isn't safe, what else can you do with them?

The Garmin comes with an option for voice, so do you don't HAVE to look at it very much at all. You can listen for the voice prompts, they give you plenty of time for turns and such.

If "looking" is the argument, what's the difference between removing your eyes from the road for a second to look at a GPS unit, as opposed to removing your eyes from the road to look at a cell phone - with a smaller screen to try to get focus on? I'd much rather have a nice, clear, larger screen, than trying to focus on a small cell phone screen.

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No argument just wondering. And I don't look at the screen I use my Bluetooth. I first look at the route while not driving so I can get an idea then I just listen to the instructions. It gives enough warning about which lane, when to turn, etc so I don't have to look at it.

I just ask a lot of questions because I am an "analyzer" and like to understand why people make the choices they do whether it's a piece of electronics or a life decision.

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