Stand alone Satnav - is the writing on the wall?

[autobackup]

Quote:
".........TomTom is the company that has now unofficially admitted defeat in the battle against mobile navigation apps. TomTom is already a leader in the navigation world, though the firm seems to focus more on integrated services powering vehicle navigation rather than dedicated GPS units. TomTom has also launched a mobile App.

TomTom has recently stopped selling GPS navigators in the United States. Its products are still available in Europe, but it's unclear if the company is considering a similar decision on the Old Continent, too. TomTom also removed navigation devices from its US website, pointing users to it's mobile navigation solutions.

Garmin is the only company that launched new GPS navigators in the last 12 months. The company took the wraps off the Garmin Drive 53 GPS navigator in April 2023, trying to build a compelling mix of old-school navigation mixed with new-generation features powered by a connection to a mobile app........"

[GraemeW]

I continue to use a Garmin zumo XT, motorcycle satnav. Main reason is for my euro trips with specific routes created, I can load the files onto it, from myrouteapp.com. Its far less likely to recalculate the route or "optimise" the route like may apps on the phone or Google maps, which is almost impossible to follow a specific route. Also the screen is bigger than the phone so easier to read, plus it's waterproof. It's a device dedicated to my requirements. I haven't found a phone app yet that can do the same, and so well.

Having said that there are a multitude of new very good apps coming out for road trippers, so I think the Garmins days may be numbered.

[FrankRizzo]

That's probably why Garmin has branched out. They now make a "Racing data logger" thing that supposedly includes realtime coaching delivered to you over bluetooth. (Garmin Catalyst). If anyone here HAS one of these, I'd like to know how well the coaching works, and what the battery life is like.

(I figure if there's real AI going on, that requires CPU power, which requires DC power to operate).