Garmins GPS Vs A.V.T Gps

**Walter** · November 24th, 2011 11:30 PM

A Garmin 1450 will only cost $120 plus $30 shipping. You can then download free Philippine maps. Well, you can actually get any map in the world. You just need to know how to make them usable.

**glenn manikis** · November 25th, 2011 06:26 AM

sir meron ako nakita sa sulit 5" na gps... dami features,bluetooth, fm transmitter, video, back up camera, games, 134mb pa ata ang tawag dun ang memory? yung iba daw 64mb lang kaya may lag pag 3d na.. etc.. maganda at madami nag positive feedback.... 4.5t lang.... im going to buy one pag nag ka money nga....

**Retz** · November 25th, 2011 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by glenn manikis

sir meron ako nakita sa sulit 5" na gps... dami features,bluetooth, fm transmitter, video, back up camera, games, 134mb pa ata ang tawag dun ang memory? yung iba daw 64mb lang kaya may lag pag 3d na.. etc.. maganda at madami nag positive feedback.... 4.5t lang.... im going to buy one pag nag ka money nga....

let me guess, cd-r king brand?

**Chef Noob** · November 25th, 2011 11:26 PM

Again, not to sound biased but to sum it all up... ANY Navigation system is only as good as the software/map installed on it.
Unknown to some people, a Navigation device has TWO jobs.
1. Let you know where you are, and tell you how to get from point A(your current location) and point B(say your home). In this case, ALL Navi can do this job. I personally own a Garmin 1490T since early this year and I can attest that it can do this.

2. Lets you know how to get to the nearest establishment you want to go.
This is where the "bang for the buck" comes in - hence the reason why most Nav maps boast the number of POI(points of interest). A POI is an existing structure that has been mapped in the map database. It does not necessarily mean its a luxury establishment, but also places of great importance(like a police station, gas station, drug store, etc)

Just picture this... You're in the middle of binondo, and you need to get to the nearest clinic or mercury drug store. If you use a Navi with a not so broad map, you'll have better luck leaving your car and walking. This is where the importance of a good Navi map comes in. The problem I had with my Garmin before(with a roadguide.ph basic map) was just that. Not to sound harsh but my EZ map has more POI's than its map.
Another problem I encounter with free site maps is, some of the POI's were just not that accurate anymore(either none existing or closed already). I think it is because it gets its info mainly from contributors, therefore it is not that credible. (I don't know about others but I wouldn't do my thesis and use Wikipedia.org as my source for the information)

Nothing against Garmin(IMO, its probably the best Nav hardware out there. Tough, cheap & universal)... however, they have NO map support here in the Philippines so we just have to resort to free downloadable maps, which in turn, affect the functionality and purpose of the device.

If you just want a hardware to attach to your windshield that talks as you drive, then I suggest you go for the cheapest one out there... If you plan to use it as a tool which will help you in your everyday travels, then I would suggest you do your research first with regards to the map software. (Not referring to the brand we market...honestly, there are other good brands out there - which I could not mention)

This is just my personal opinion on the subject...

**Walter** · November 27th, 2011 12:14 AM

There's a very good support for Garmin Philippine map at Roadguide.ph. Maps are updated almost every month. Best of all, it's FREE.

**ferrarifan** · November 28th, 2011 06:30 PM

There is already an official Garmin map for the Philippines called City Navigator Philippines NT developed by Navteq. So in terms of map support, the Philippines probably is not that far when it comes to Garmin devices.

But I have to agree with Walter that the best option by far would be to get a cheap Garmin device and contribute to Roadguide.ph and get the contributor's map.

There is a fundamental difference when it comes to getting information from contributors in Wikipedia and having the same for maps. Nobody beats local knowledge when it comes to providing data to build maps. A contributor wanting to put his own city/town in the map would tend to give the most accurate data as he knows the place inside out, specially when it comes to routing information.

Contrary to what some people may believe, crowd-sourced maps tend to be more accurate because they are updated more frequently than the commercially available maps out there since changes are uploaded everyday. And it's a plus when you have hundreds of contributors gathering map data compared to a few people doing the same employed by a navigation company.

In terms of Roadguide.ph, they release updates at least monthly, and OSM does it even more frequently. Best of all, they are FREE!
I believe the best a commercial provider can do for now is several months in between updates.

**glenn manikis** · November 28th, 2011 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by Retz

let me guess, cd-r king brand?

no sir hindi po cdr king.. OEM daw po unbranded thats why it comes cheap... check nyo po sa sulit... garmin din yun... then memory is 134mb ata... not sure ha... pero yung mga gusto bumile ng gps check it muna... mukhang magandang bargain yun...

**MrGunn** · March 9th, 2012 02:07 AM

my AVT head unit volume knob died on me already... I control the volume using the remote control, but it sucks that my AVT head unit which I've used sparingly for a little over a year has a broken volume control knob... Can this still be fixed? If not, I guess this is a negative point on AVT...

**rangeles** · March 28th, 2012 11:09 PM

Pls Pm me where can i get the latest updated map for my garmin. Using roadguide now and not satisfied with the free map. Some kind souls here care to share contributors map?