As with most gadgets new models of the same device are always being released. The Garmin Street Pilot GPS line has released their 7200 model which is supposed to be the latest, greatest thing in the world of GPS. The question is-is the GPS Navigation better than the earlier models?

The Features:

• The largest display screen yet at a whopping 7 inches.

• Text to voice command calls out driving directions and gives you a choice of voices.

• Auto calculates routes to any destination.

• Comes equipped with a built in A/V connector which allows you to hook up to a portable DVD player.

• Connects to either a Clear Channel or XM channel for up to the minute traffic and weather reports.

• Has a built in MP3 player and audio book player for driving entertainment.

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A Very Entertaining GPS

This version of the Handheld GPS Units comes with many new bells and whistles. You can easily drag and drop music from your computer to your 7200 GPS without the need for extra software. Listening to audio books is also an option-great for long commutes or even longer road trips when regular radio stations are not available.

You also have the ability to hook up a portable DVD player and entertain those kids so you don’t have to hear “Are we there yet?” as much. All in all the Garmin Company has done a great job of adding extra entertainment features but these are all extras. When you’re buying a GPS for driving purposes does this newer and more expensive model really earn its keep?

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So does it Get You There?

Most customers of this latest GPS Navigation say the driving directions are very accurate. They love the huge screen which makes reading the displayed maps very easy. The added bonus of being able to pick up traffic and driving related weather conditions via two radio station options (Clear Channel or XM satellite) seems to be a real winner with the users of the 7200 Garmin GPS.

This model also lets you customize your driving routes to avoid certain areas or roads and gets you out of traffic jams en route with a quick recalculation. Most people who purchased this unit also rave about the model’s easy plug and play abilities. Simply mount this gadget to your dashboard, turn it on and you’re ready to start plotting your first driving route.

The Downside

Every gadget has its flaws and this model of the Garmin Street Pilot GPS is no exception. The most common complaints where that this model does not display street names on the displayed map like other, slightly older models do. This can be tricky if you want to plot a new route on the go and do not know what street you’re currently on. On the same note, some users claimed that unless you were driving on a major freeway this Garmin GPS system did not announce the names of the exit routes available.

There were also a few complaints about the mounting hardware that hold the Garmin Street Pilot 7200 in place. The hardware has to be permanently mounted to the dashboard which didn’t go over well with some. Yet others claimed they liked the mounting system and that the Garmin was easy to put in and take out of the mounting system, making it very portable. So it depends on if a permanent attachment to your dashboard bothers you or not.

The Bottom Line

Overall if you’re looking for a GPS that does more than just tell you where to go this is probably the unit for you. Alternately, if viewing street names on your maps is important to you then you may want to skip this newest version of the Garmin Street Pilot and instead try the Magellan Maestro 3200. It does not have all the extras as the Garmin does but it does show all street names and is less expensive.

magellan gps began in 1991 as Palmtop, a business to develop applications for the first handheld computers. Initially those applications were business oriented, but soon individuals wanted personal organizers to keep track of their fast paced lives. The company then began to develop games, dictionaries, personal finance products and route planners for PDA’s (personal digital assistants). As the demand for these applications grew globally, specifically after the launch of the successful Palm Pilot, the handheld market expanded rapidly and Microsoft also got into the game. Palmtop developed applications for all these units.

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TomTom 720 is an extension of the tom tom line that we can expect to see in future. It adorns lot of specifications to the model being thinner and faster. It has a nicer screen than many pervious models, also it hosts new features that make the 720 an important device.

The Tom Tom GPS looks like the ONE XL, but a bit thinner than the ONE XL, so it is extremely bright and very easy to read. The screen doesn’t fade when viewed from very wide and very high angles like other screens. The screen is 4.3 inches and runs at 480?272 pixels and performs very well in bright sunlight.

On the top is the power button, and on the back are the speakers and a newly designed way for the mount to connect. SiRFstarIII chipset makes for very fast signal acquisition, which can stay in environments like urban gullies that are tough for older chipsets. The maps of the USA and Canada come pre-installed on 2 GB of internal flash memory. So the SD slot remains free to add more maps or to install MP3 files for the music player for that matter. Bluetooth for data connectivity as well as hands free calling can be found under hood. There is also an FM transmitter to pipe the music into the much better audio system in your vehicle.

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If your Garmin GPS device was sitting on a store shelf while a map update was taking place you can upgrade to the latest map within that 30 day period by going to the website.

The TomTom GO 720 is the first TomTom device to feature their new version 7 application. When navigating to an address, you are now prompted for the state, first and independently of the city. A current street name field has been added to the primary interface. Brand logos for certain POIs are now displayed on the map which they call “brand icons”. The 720 produced much faster routes and a faster interface than offered in the ONE and ONE XL devices. multi destination routing is available through the TomTom Itinerary Planning feature.

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TomTom is doing a lot on accentuating new safety features in version 7. There is a new ‘Help me!’ for help of getting specific information about your current location. Now you can search the nearest car repair facility, hospital, police station, pharmacy, fire station etc, etc more easily. To add more hiding options while driving, suggests breaks on long drives, warns on over the speed limit, or when you are near a school or church. Safe option to read aloud incoming SMS (text) messages using a combination of text-to-speech and speech recognition technology is like an icing on cake.

The 720 also makes wide leaps towards user customization. through custom vehicle icons, You can now pick a different type of car to use in your display or even can create it. create your own voice prompts. viewing of certain document file formats.

TomTom Go 720 has created buzz in the industry than any other recently announced device.