Daily deal – Refurbished Navigon 2100 max GPS unit for $90

by Scott Carmichael on

My deal today is for the very highly rated Navigon 2100 max GPS unit.

This GPS unit has a 4.3″ wide screen display and features “Reality View” which is a Navigon invention that shows the actual lanes and simulated street signs on highway junctions. It works surprisingly well, and takes the guessing game out of trying to find the right exit.

The Navigon 2100 max also features text to speech with spoken street names. The unit comes with a car charger cord and a high quality windshield mount.

Everything you’d expect from a quality GPS unit is inside this device – text to speech, traffic information and more.

It is currently on sale at Newegg.com for $89.99, and comes with free shipping. The unit is refurbished, which means it was once returned to the manufacturer, but has been brought back to its “as new” condition.

Daily deal – Refurbished TomTom One Third edition GPS unit for $79.99

by Scott Carmichael on

I’ve posted this TomTom unit in the past, but this is the first time it has dropped under $80.

The TomTom ONE “Third edition” offers all the basic functions you’d expect from a car navigation unit, including spoken turn by turn directions, and the ability to download TomTom map corrections using your computer.

The device comes with a windshield mount, power cord, USB cable and adhesive mounting disc. As the title says – this is a refurbished unit, which means it was once returned to TomTom for any number of reasons, and was returned to its “as new” condition. These units often come with the newest map version, but in the event your maps are out of date, the manufacturer will often provide updates at no additional cost.

This TomTom usually retails for over $100, but since it has been refurbished, you can pick one up today from Amazon for just $79.99 with free shipping.

Warranty on the unit is 6 months, so you are fairly well protected against any issues. If you’d rather spend a little bit more for a brand new unit, check out this list of all sub-$100 GPS units at Amazon.

Daily deal – Magellan Roadmate 1200 GPS unit for under $50 (after rebate)

by Scott Carmichael on

Brand name GPS devices do not get any cheaper than this – my daily deal for today is for a $50 Magellan 1200 GPS unit.

The product is on sale for $69.99, but currently comes with a $20 mail in rebate, bringing the final price to a penny shy of $50.

The Magellan 1200 is a very basic unit – but despite the low price, you still get all the important features. Pre-loaded on the device are 1.3 million points of interest. The Magellan 1200 comes with a windshield mount and a car charger cord.

There is of course one bit of fine print involved in this deal – the unit is factory refurbished. This means it was once returned to Magellan for any number of reasons, but was returned to its “as new” condition.

According to recent reports, customers who purchase a Magellan unit, but receive it with old(er) maps, are usually eligible for a free map update after calling Magellan.

You’ll find the Magellan 1200 at Amazon.com, where you’ll also find the rebate form required to get your $20 back. Since the product is over $25, you are even eligible for free “super saver shipping”.

Daily deal – Sony Nav-U Portable GPS for $79.99 (with in-store pickup)

by Scott Carmichael on

Unless you are willing to pay for overnight shipping, your only option for getting last minute gifts is going to be good old fashioned brick and mortar shopping.

There are thankfully easy ways to bypass the crowds, and one of them is to order online for in-store pickup. That applies to my daily deal for today. The Sony Nav-U GPS unit is currently on sale at Sears.com for just $79.99, and is in stock in most of their stores.

The unit features all the usual GPS bells and whistles, as well as a photo viewer and text-to-speech street name prompts.

One word of warning; the low price will not show up until the final step of the checkout process, so don’t be alarmed when you see the site claim the unit costs $149.99.

(Via Fatwallet.com)

When not to listen to your GPS unit

by Scott Carmichael on

If I had to make up a fake statistic, I’d say that one in three cars currently has a GPS navigation system. In the past decade, these systems have gone from the ultimate in luxury to just another $100 gadget.

One thing that has not changed however, is the inability of some people to make up their own mind and drive around without using the GPS commands as something other than a mere suggestion.

Here are 5 incidents when a driver let the soothing voice of their GPS unit tell them exactly where to go; without thinking about their next move.

Turn right at the railroad crossing with the approaching train…

A grade crossing in Bedford Hills, NY was the scene of an accident where a driver took a GPS suggested turn, right onto the tracks of the Metro-North railroad.

When the car got stuck, the driver and passengers got out and called 911. Unfortunately, the dispatcher was not able to reach the oncoming train on time, and it struck the car. Nobody was injured but passengers in the train were delayed several hours. An exact same incident occurred earlier this year, also involving a GPS unit.

Via: LoHud.com news and Engadget.com

Road safety truck stuck…

This stuck truck would be just as hilarious as any other situation where a driver failed to check the height of his truck before driving under a bridge. But the truck in question was on its way to a seminar to teach school children some important lessons on road safety. It took a salvage company several hours to pull the truck from under the viaduct.

100ft cliffs on the road to Crackpot

I’m not sure what is funnier; that GPS units have been directing people on a route along the edge of a cliff, or that these people are on their way to a village called Crackpot. When drivers get stuck on the perilous route, they attempt to reverse their car along the edge of the cliff. Thankfully nobody has gone over the edge yet. Villagers are trying to get the route removed from GPS maps.

Source: BBC News

Turn left (if you are a bus)

The Dutch have a fantastic public transport system. Their roads are so bus friendly, that they actually make entire routes and shortcuts just for the bus drivers. So, let that be a lesson to anyone who is NOT driving a bus. This bus route has a hydraulic gate which opens and closes for the local bus, and is clearly strong enough to lift your poor Volvo in into the air.

Corner VS. truck – corner wins!

Residents of the Welsh village of Tycroes have tried everything to warn drivers about the dangers of Cwmferrws Road, but it took this stuck Polish truck driver to finally force the council to design a road sign telling truck drivers not to rely on their GPS units for navigating the village. The truck in question was stuck for hours, and kept hitting a garden wall in his attempts at getting his truck unstuck.