Smiler,
I have no Tom Tom experience, but I can tell you all about Garmin products. Back in Oct 2004, I bought my first E-Glide and I was looking at various GPS solutions. At the time, Tom Tom Rider (as it was known for motorcycles) had a scheduled new product release just in time for the Holidays of 04. So I waited...Then the Tom Tom Rider was delayed till Spring of 05, So I waited...Then the Tom Tom Rider was delayed until summer of 05, and delayed again until late in the fall, thus I quit waiting and bought the Garmin 2650 Street Pilot. All of my friends ride UCEGs, and through our email discussions and LOTS of research, I think I more or less persuaded them to buy the Garmin product because of the IP65 weather proofing and the MAP Source computer software which came with the device. Years later, the Tom Tom matured, and I have recently talked to some owners of the Tom Tom and they are pleased with their product. HOWEVER, when I ask them if they can create custom routes on their computer and upload the routes to their GPS, I get the deer in the headlights stare. OF ALL THE FEATURES YOU CAN GET IN A GPS, THE ABILITY TO CREATE A CUSTOM, DETAILED, THOUROUGHLY THOUGHT OUT ROUTE, ON YOUR PC AND UPLOAD IT TO YOUR GPS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. With the Garmin Map Source, you can share your PC generated route with your friends who also have Garmin GPSs. Ideally, you want your friends to also have the same map revisions. This single benefit can not be understated! We like to ride in fairly big groups, plan chapter ride outs, etc. When we have numerous people in the group with GPSs that all have the identical routes, it makes keeping the group on track much easier when it gets broken up by traffic lights. Plus, you can go on a ride, find a super cool road, hit a button to mark the beginning of the road, and again when you are finished. If you have tracking turned on, you can take that recorded track and upload it to the Map Source software and save that stretch of road as a custom route. I live in Germany and I have been all over Europe with my riding buddies. We have planned entire 3 week vacations, down to the gas station stops, restaurants, hotels, and attractions; saved them as a route and emailed them to each other. Also, a friend of mine was ran down by a semi truck, he survived but the Garmin 2800 series GPS on his handlebars didn't. As your maps are tied to your device, to prevent pirating
, he was concerned about somehow getting his maps transfered to a new device. He called Garmin and explained he was in a motorcycle accident, they were very friendly and helpful, they told him to send in the broken device and for $200 bucks they sent him a newer model with the maps loaded. The insurance company from the truck driver paid the full replacement cost of his device, $800+, anyway. From all of the GPS companies, Garmin has been around probably the longest. Ask any boat person, ask any private pilot, and they will swear by Garmin. If I were to take bets, I would bet that the NEXTversion of the Zumo will have better Bluetooth capability to allow two devices, headset and phone, to be connected to it simultaneously. With a bluetooth motorcycle helmet, I bet they will add voice control functionality to the next Zumo model. They already have voice command control to some newer car based GPSs from Garmin, so it is only logical to add that to the Bike based models. In fact, I think it would be less dangerous, and more beneficial to bikers. Just think if you said, "Zumo, Find Gas Station within 10 miles, on current route." or "Zumo, find hotels within 10 miles, on current route." Device replies, "Hotel found, Stardust Inn, Shall I place call?" Then the device could be used to control your bluetooth phone and call the hotel. You would then be speaking on your phone through your blue tooth motorcycle helmet headset to make reservations, or inform them you will be late, or whatever. I can hardly wait to get my next model!!
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Topic: Which GPS - ZUMO or TOM TOM RIDER (Read 3585 times)