i'm thinking about planning on getting a tomtom or a garmin and how often do they update their maps...

 

I have the Garmin Streetpilot c550. I Love it! I did a lot of reading (mostly from Cnet w/ their reviews and comparisons) before I decided on the c550. It all depends on the features you want coz there are plenty of models out there, esp. w/ Garmin. As for me, I wanted something w/ BT and Text-to-Speech (reads out street names) features. Most esp. the BT bec. using a hadheld device will soon be illegal here in Cali by July. HOWEVER, verify first if your celphone BT is compatible or not w/ the garmin unit's BT. As for map updates, nothing so far but Garmin does release OS updates every now and then tho. Mine also has traffic updates but I don't really use it (monthly charge).

The North America map is pre-loaded. But if you plan to take it abroad, you have to buy the expansion SDcard for that country.

As for accuracy, mine is perfect. However it is not that complete w/ the pre-loaded business listings (like restaurants)---i.e. not all businesses are listed there. For example, if you're looking for say DuckDodgers burgers. If you search American Food, it may not have DuckDodgers included. BUT if you have their complete address, then it'll be a breeze to navigate to that location. As for the signal/satellite reception, no problems there. I did learn that you have to be outside/outdoors for it to gain SAT signal (but I guess that's normal)----so I just turn it on once I drive out of the garage.

Sorry, no exp. w/ Tomtom. Though some models outperform/cost less than some Garmins, based on the ratings/reviews. Choosing Garmin brand was just a personal preference. Just check w/ cnet.com for their gps reviews. Good luck, man.

 

i would do the cell phone thing, i don't even own a cell phone