Riding the tractor in Mushtaq Uncle's Farm 

Playing Holi in Pembroke Pines. Organized by the Miami Sindhi Association 

This is a picture with Guruji, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, during his recent visit to South Florida. 

GPS Devices - StreetPilot III, StreetPilot 2610, and TomTom Go

Garmin StreetPilot III

Pros: Bright colors, screen clearly visible even in direct sunlight. Rugged design. Battery backup power.
Cons: Bulky. Old Design. Difficult to input data. Speaker is part of car adapter.

This was one of the first portable units with color and voice available in the market and is still available for sale. It will most likely be slowly replaced by the Garmin 2610 and its family.
The StreetPilot III comes with MapSource software, which must be installed on your PC to upload maps on the included 128Mb data card. Map data can be slightly out of date, as with most modern GPS units, but is fairly detailed. You should find small streets, including those in subdivisions, and a great range of Points of Interests (Restaurants, Gas Stations, Hospitals, Shopping, Entertainment...).
The screen display is very clear, even in sunlight. There are multiple views which include:

1. Navigation: Display of current position on map, text on next turn.
2. Turn by turn: List of all the turns needed to reach destination.
3. Details: Speed, satellites, location, battery power, stats.

One of the greatest advantages of this unit is its rugged design and waterproof casing. It takes batteries for use during biking, trekking, etc. which means you can use the unit outside your vehicle also.

The speaker unit is part of the car adapter though, and will need to be attached to the device in order to receive useful turn-by-turn voice prompts.

Manufacturer's Website: http://www.garmin.com/products/spIII/
Purchase at BUY.com Garmin Street Pilot III Deluxe - Best Seller!

Garmin StreetPilot 2610

Pros: Colorful display. Touchscreen. Remote Control. Integrated antenna.
Cons: Simple Design. Speaker is part of car adapter.

This unit is fairly similar to the StreetPilot III, but much more refined and with new features. The most attractive addition to this model is a touchscreen, which makes operation and input of addresses really easy. Backseat drivers can now also have their say in the destination this unit will take you to, thanks to the 2610's remote control. Input through the remote is not as easy as the touchscreen, but still better than the unit's predecessor and other similar competing models.

The display has slightly less intensity than the previous StreetPilot III model, most likely due to the touchscreen capabilities. The difference is hardly noticeable once the contrast and brightness are optimized, and all information on the screen is clearly readable even under bright lit conditions.

Software features allow you to calculate routes based on road preference and will also allow you to avoid a certain portion of your route. You can quickly access road/area avoidance in the menu to drive around a roadblock or traffic congested area.

Manufacturer's Website: http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2610/
Purchase at BUY.com Garmin 2610 Touch-Screen GPS

TomTom Go

Pros: Colorful 3-D display. Touchscreen. Integrated, powerful antenna. Small. Light. Good design. Integrated rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
Cons: Small display, with less detail than other units. Display not very clear in sunlight. Maps leave out many of the smaller and newer streets.

This unit is considered by most reviewers as one of the easiest to use. If you plan to carry your unit around, and small size and weight are important to you, this unit is an attractive alternative to most other portable units. The TomTom Go is a first in its class, the smallest unit of its kind, but it will soon face competition from Garmin's StreetPilot c320 / StreetPilot c330.

The small casing has a touchscreen to conduct most of its operations. The interface is fairly intuitive, and allows for data to be easily entered. You can choose to view your route plan on a 3-D map, giving it a more realistic view of the roads ahead.

There are multiple configuration options, among the most notable:

1. Multiple voices (male, female) and languages (including accents).
2. Units display.
3. Colors, display, 2-D or 3-D.

The two major drawbacks of this unit are its lack of detailed on screen information and missing minor roads on its maps (both better in Garmin StreetPilot units). That being said, this is the easiest, most convenient, and best looking portable GPS unit available in the market.

Manufacturer's Website: http://www.tomtom.com/
Purchase at BUY.com

Ganesh Statue on the way to Nandi Hills, Bangalore 

Shivaji Temple in Kemp Fort, Bangalore 

Ceuta, Spain

Ceuta, SPAIN, my hometown, "Pearl of the Mediterraneum"

Welcome to Sachin's Blog

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