Traveling on Motorcycle
Rvers and Truckers are not the only ones traveling. There are lots of motorcycles on the road these days. More than ever, really. With the cost of gas and tires easy on two wheels I can see the trend continuing.
Midland Model BT2 headset communication system
In support of our friends on Motorcycles or sometimes called Touring Bikes the 12 Volt Travel team has added Bluetooth and GPS support for Motorcycles. This includes the Midland BT2 headset that does something like everything. Including Bluetooth to your appropriately appointed GPS.
It connects Mp3 players, iPODs, rider to rider communication and motorcycle to motorcycle communication. Handy thing to have.
The appropriately appointed GPS then would be something like the Garmin, “glove friendly” ZOMO550 Motorcycle Navigator, with 3.5 inch screen. Motorcycle GPS the way you want it.
This item does essentially all that a gps unit should. It has more than enough features to make it an excellent choice.
I was able to update my refurbished unit to the latest maps through the downloaded software “tomtom home”. The map update was free, same as with the brand new units. You get one for the first 30 days of ownership, and the tomtom home website recognized my refurbed unit as available for a free update. Other posts have commented variably on this.
A comment was made about an poor manual.. In the box is only a basic start up guide, but the detailed and easy to understand manual can be downloaded from the tomtom support website.
The audio and selection of voices are fine. The suction cup is a neat and very usable idea. The unit will recalculate your route if you take a detour, therefore avoiding the endless ‘turn around’ commands of some. It will also recalculate alternative routes to the end position should you choose.
The screen resolution is fine and bright. There is a choice of map displays for night and day use. 2d and 3d views can be selected.
Entries are made by touching the icons on the screen… really simple. That makes navigation around the menu very easy and the menus are intuitive.
I found that putting in an address is easy: you pick a state, start typing in a city (it will predict which one when you get in enough letters), do the same for the street name, and then touch in the street address.
Points of interest included within the memory are more than adequate for me, and more can be downloaded from tomtom home. That is, the unit has a list of parks, airports etc without typing in their address.
The refurbished price makes it a great deal too. The unit looked perfectly new… no indication it had been refurbished.
Thank You for the great review Robert. I checked out your website and I see you reviewed the Sony NavU as well. Nice Work!
Several years ago, $350 would get you a good 10″ DVD player. Now, $350 will get you a great full-performance netbook computer with an XP Windows operating system, 160GB hard drive, fast Intel Atom processor, and a 6-cell battery that lasts 5-6 hours. Like many laptops, the touch pad is difficult to master, as least for me. But, I use a mouse when I can. Found out last night, it fits well on an airplane tray, even if the person in front of you leans back. Played iTunes movie and music. Also, works well with my Blackberry Curve as a tethered modem. Fast graphics! Glad I waited for the larger 10-in. This baby performs as nearly as well as my $1,500 work laptop. GREAT computer, Acer!!!
Update: FYI, after doing a battery drain on purpose, it took just over 3 hours to reach a full recharge. PS: Just saw in the User’s Guide you should do this 2 or 3 times soon after first using the computer.
Are those “glove friendly” netbooks, John?