satellite navigation in phils

**mang ponso** · December 14th, 2007 06:45 AM

to the people in the know.... do satellite navigation (sat nav) gadgets work here in the Philippines or anywhere here in Asia? Are TomTom and Garmin brands of sat navs any good?

**Camgen6** · December 14th, 2007 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by mang ponso

to the people in the know.... do satellite navigation (sat nav) gadgets work here in the Philippines or anywhere here in Asia? Are TomTom and Garmin brands of sat navs any good?

They work anywhere in the world provided they have the right mapping software. TomTom uses Tele Atlas and Garmin uses NAVTEQ. For me Garmin is better of the two, simple but very expensive.

**mang ponso** · December 14th, 2007 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Camgen6

They work anywhere in the world provided they have the right mapping software. TomTom uses Tele Atlas and Garmin uses NAVTEQ. For me Garmin is better of the two, simple but very expensive.

*camgen6 --have you come across any sat navs which includes Phils. in their mapping software? Tanong ko lang kasi we would like to "gala hanggang sawa" and for us to do that here in Phils, we would need a good driver who knows the roads like the back of his hand. Plus it would be very much enjoyable if we did all the "road trips" all on our own. Thank you once again, much appreciated.

**StraightSix** · December 14th, 2007 10:23 AM

mang ponso, you can get a GPS signal anywhere in the world - except in sensitive areas where the US DoD blacked-out the data, or where there's an obstruction like when you're inside a building or a cave, or when your GPS receiver's not sensitive enough. For GPS navigation, you'll need a GPS receiver, navigation software and finally, the right map.

A fellow tsikoteer offered his Philippine map for free, for the Garmin Nuvi ... read Carlos H. Lopez's posts: http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showt...ghlight=garmin. But you have to have a Garmin unit which as Camgen6 pointed out, is expensive. I haven't tried it yet, but I want to.

If you have a PocketPC, you can use a Bluetooth GPS receiver with it. I just saw a Holux GPS receiver at ebay.ph for only P3.5k. Unfortunately, the only Philippine map for PDA's that I know of is made by MapKing Asia - which only covers Metro-Manila.

BTW, satnav manufacturers have switched map providers from time to time, e.g. Tomtom had used TeleAtlas maps before but switched to Navteq maps on their Tomtom Rider and Tomtom One (2nd Ed), and then back to TeleAtlas maps again.

Garmin's are durable and have a reputation for better routing algorithms, but not that really far off from the rest. Tomtom's forte is its excellent user-interface. The Rider GPS is for motorbikes, just to give you an idea how easy it is. My Navman portable has Navteq maps, but I tend to use Tomtom more often. I have Tomtom installed on my PDA ... one less thing to carry around.

**mang ponso** · December 14th, 2007 10:02 PM

Glad to know there are a lot of techies here.... I myself don't know much about these gadgets (as you probably can tell). I just go by the things I see in commercials and advertisements. Thanks a lot guys. Going back to satnavs, I've come across one that is Belgian (well, Belgian company anyway --- equipment might still be made in China or anywhere in the Far East.) I can't remember the actual brand name but it starts with "M". Apparently, it is quite good. Any comments on this brand of sat nav?

**Innova_G_2007** · December 14th, 2007 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by mang ponso

Glad to know there are a lot of techies here.... I myself don't know much about these gadgets (as you probably can tell). I just go by the things I see in commercials and advertisements. Thanks a lot guys. Going back to satnavs, I've come across one that is Belgian (well, Belgian company anyway --- equipment might still be made in China or anywhere in the Far East.) I can't remember the actual brand name but it starts with "M". Apparently, it is quite good. Any comments on this brand of sat nav?

Magellan ba sir?

**mang ponso** · December 15th, 2007 01:39 AM

Originally Posted by Innova_G_2007

Magellan ba sir?

No, it is MIO. I have come across TWO individuals that swear they are really good. I just don't know if TWO indivuals qualify as a representation of how good a product is!! he, he

**CaMoTe!!!** · December 15th, 2007 02:22 AM

may maps pero walang router...

**v6dreamer** · December 15th, 2007 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by mang ponso

No, it is MIO. I have come across TWO individuals that swear they are really good. I just don't know if TWO indivuals qualify as a representation of how good a product is!! he, he

Go with the Mio C520 its a 4.3 inch widesreen bluetooth. Avg price $259.00

**Camgen6** · December 15th, 2007 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by mang ponso

No, it is MIO. I have come across TWO individuals that swear they are really good. I just don't know if TWO indivuals qualify as a representation of how good a product is!! he, he

Mang Ponso, I also have a Mio C520, over all I like it, its cheaper compared to my Garmin Nuvi 360 (returned to store) I would keep the Nuvi if not for the price!!! very expensive, advantage nang Nuvi ay its user friendliness, almost no learning curve. Ang nagustuhan ko naman sa Mio C520 ay bigger and wide screen, better graphics, split screen, hackable, mas maraming features you just have to dig but that also means it can get frustrating sometimes dahil nakakalito masyadong maraming binubuksan na icons. There's also a new model from Mio that it not only shows the roads and POIs but will also show landmarks like buildings, trees etc...