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DO NOT BUY.I have used this gps in 3 different states. TMC has never showed any form of updates, but does showing 'Tuning/ Tuned to' implying that it is working.Unit is not aware of HIGHWAYS made in the past 50 years. 40% of the places I need to go to, the unit is not aware of.Points of interest haven't been updated in at least 6 years.
I've gone to Sanyo's site and found little info BUT its a SANYO FISHER unit so go to Sanyo Fisher and you'll get info. Read up on stuff before you condemn it. I received the unit as a gift of choice and was immediately dialing from my sons phone with it in the car home after bluetoothing into his phone. There are companies who specialize in updating this stuff. Features vary. Update disks can be found for the NVM 4370 but I'd think the 3070 is also available if you just ask in the customer forum. It has a soft off with the menu button which is also labled with the universal POWER symbol.
Sanyo is no GPS giant but GPS is not a hard science. Some of the street names were funny to hear with so many strange road names out there but it was accurate in that regard. The update disk is 79 bucks, but I bet that can be shopped a little. Get with the times. I already have a 3 hour movie playing the unit, some audio files I cant play in my car as well since I dont have a CD player and found out the master power switch is NOT the way to turn off the unit. The circuitry is all the same. I found the unit does phone and GPS audio at the same time if it has to.
Sometimes, when it reroutes (when you miss an exit, etc). I tried to connect through GPS' FM transmitter, but it was iffy. I have traveled nearly 6000 miles this Summer (mostly in the Northeast and Canada) and this GPS has been pretty handy. I rate it 4 stars particularly for the price I paid.As others have noted, it is feature rich: MP3 and bluetooth are particularly useful.
I keep it plugged through car charger.POIs could have been better, but probably it is because of older maps. The PoI addresses are not always reliable.When GPS is 'reset,' bluetooth is auomatically turned off (default option) and you have to manually turn it on. I bought it for $100 at Walmart and am not complaining. it can go a bit haywire, but it did not happen too many times to be a bother. I recently bought an auxiliary cable and connected it to my car stereo and can control volume easily.
One solution is to continue using TMC (traffic updates) by paying, but I did not find it necessary.Sometimes 'navigation' did crash and restarting - particularly if you are driving alone - can be a pain.Battery life is short particularly when connected to Bluetooth and MP3 player is on. It does not always provide the best route, but it provides a good route and definitely reaches your destination. It is sturdy. What I would have liked is a better manual.
You may have to spend some time getting to know this, but when you do, it is a very useful product. Cons:One big disadvantage is that road maps are from (I guess) 2007 and there is no way to update it (Sanyo does not provide updated maps, and I have not found any other way to do it). Driving in the Boston area with all the one-ways and no-left turns, sometimes this can be troublesome, but I have not had much trouble in long-distance travels. Since I plan my trips in considerable detail beforehand, I don't use PoIs much. GPS' audio instructions are off when you are on call (through bluetooth), but GPS visual is on and will guide you. This was my first GPS, and I spent hours trying to figure minor things like TTS (default was without TTS). I have not used the Video player.Its main task, of course, is GPS.
Even better, for some reason, the GPS was configured to show "scooter" routes, something that I did not realize, and only after a few days did I figure that I had to change it "fast" cars for better routes. The screen is big and easy on the eye.I use the dashboard mounting kit and the stand holds it perfectly.The maximum time it has taken to locate GPS signal (once I am out of the house) is 3-4 minutes and most of the times, it is less than a minute.Bluetooth works very well and I did not have any trouble in connecting it. MP3 works great and I have not had any trouble even with its speakers. When the system crashed during trips, it was a trouble. Or, that menu and power buttons are the same and pressing it without holding will get you menu options and pressing and holding it longer will shut power off.Bottom line: worth it if you get it for a decent price.
The software on this unit is terrible. Item arrived missing parts. Difficult to use and very confusing. Called and was told not available but would give me a credit on Amazon. Problem, part not available on Amazon. Don't try it if you don't have a lot of patience and an IT degree. Stick with Garmin, Tom Tom, or Magellan.
I imagine all GPS units provide this kind of service, but it is certainly comforting when you're in unfamiliar territory. I live in a small city with no traffic issues, and I prefer a Bluetooth earpiece when driving. By putting in destination addresses (including pre-booked hotel stops, etc)., the GPS actually helped ensure I made the correct turns even when road signage was poor or missing. It has helped me out numerous times already in the 4 months I've been using it, both on short trips and also on an extended drive from Michigan to Texas, a state I'd never before visited. I should begin with a caveat - this is the first GPS unit I've owned or had any extensive experience handling. Within a minute, often within seconds of being powered up, the GPS knows where I am and the direction in which I'm traveling. It made for a much more relaxing trip.The features are numerous, and on my unit they all work very well with two exceptions - the real-time traffic info and the Bluetooth service for a cellphone. Subway) where members of our group wanted to eat.
I actually appreciate the weaker signal because it means others will not be listening in on my music. This worked well even in Canada.The Point Of Interest search feature was also very, very handy. I cannot compare it to a TomTom or Garmin unit because I simply do not have the experience.That said.I've been very pleased with this GPS unit. The FM transmitter works, but the signal is weaker than what users may be used to from various iPod devices. If I did intentionally take a different route than that prescribed by the unit, it quickly adopted my new route and recalculated. We were able to locate not only nearby attractions, restaurants, etc., but we were also able to search for particular restaurants (i.e. :-)The experience of other reviewers with the unit taking forever to locate the satellites is not one that I have shared. As long as you do not turn off the unit main power (sliding switch on the bottom) and use rather the power button on the front of the machine (press to turn on, press and hold to turn off), you never have to set the clock/date.Overall, I'm very impressed with this unit and would buy it again.
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