Zumo 500 a bit of a let-down to me
23 March 2009 - 7:01am
After literally months of saving for one I bought a Zumo 500.
I upgraded to a Zumo 500 and it is over-rated and somewhat limited. It is a music player that can street navigate.
some items I find limiting- having grown up with Decca nav, Sat-nav and elementary GPS and navigating by landmarks, radio beams etc of the pre-GPS days.
You cannot user define the trip info by selecting from a menu of info like on earlier models and there is no info on tides, sunrise data, moon phase data etc that earlier receivers had.
Zumo is also heavy-ish and upsets the balance of the handle bars ever so slightly, so should rather be mounted to steering head not handle bars. Though not at all critical.
You cannot deminish the HUGE font bike icon cursor which dominates the screen and it is bulky to carry around- hence so many have been stolen 'cos they get rather left on bike than dismounted and pocketed.
Just looking at your choice of cursor icons (bike, flash car and racing car) makes you think again. You can't choose and arrow or dot.
I think for anyone that grew up on the early GPS receivers, the ZUMO is a disappointment.
It is so idiot proof that it is no longer a tool, but an accessory.
The eta calculations is way out as well.
My Garmin-V factored in % traffic control delays and speed limits.
I need to factor in a further 5 mins at least (in town driving) for the Zumo which 'shortens the time' and lulls you into false comfort.
It has never been right on eta yet.
When I asked Garmin why... it's because the "market" want's an user-friendly street map accessory that requires no technical knowledge of how or why.
It's intuitive and easy to operate and its very little more than a rolling street map.
I'm sure for the user that never knew what navigation is and the how and why- they do not then know the potential of the GPS tool as a navigation device. So will not miss the proper GPS tools as someone who knows what Lat Long is and the how's and why's.
I should have known that any device that has more memory for music than maps needs a second re-think.
I do like the 3d screen option though for my off-road excursions though.
And it looks cool.
And it ....
Nee, it's not what I expected.
I'm not knocking a lovley tool down, I' was just expecting something much more useful.
Andyman,
Travelling light, coming well balanced
23 March 2009 - 7:35am
#1
On the garmin V, I could look at the celestial info at any time.
I could "'''PLAY'''" the moon-phase watching it rotate until the next full moon and then stop it to see the date.
I could see the tides and times of moon/sun rises/sets.
I could arrange the info items on my screen as I like them, selecting or de-selecting them as I liked to set up my screen fo ME.
The Zumo gives you no such choices. You get what they give and no more.
I could choose on the top of my screen to either have a text scroll of direction or a compass ribbon showing the degrees on L and R of a central rhumb line. Which is very useful when trekking in the cuds.
The cursor was an arrow and you could user-difine where you preferred it to be on the screen- useful when navigating in the cuds or at sea or in the air.
You moved the cursor using a mouse-key on the unit.
The Zumo you have to drag with your finger on the 'touch-screen' and it's sensitivity has to be really learned well if you want to get it consistently right.
Then any of the cursor icons are so flippen large that it's hard to see just exactly where on the map you are.
But the biggest disappointment is route making while on the go.
On my G-V I went to a screen not unlike a computer screen and selected and added, removed, or insereted waypoints.
the Zumo seems so un-friendly wrt setting up a route.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
23 March 2009 - 7:40am
#2
It's okay Andy,
I'm sure we can dig up a sextant for you somewhere.
I need to ask though - for the average user who is going to buy this device - do they really need to know how to work Lat Long co-ords?
This device wasn't made for aircraft pilots or Navy Seals - but for people like me, who want to get from A to B without getting lost.
Sure - the eta function would be great if it was accurate - but I still get where I'm going without forgetting to take a left turn at WatNou Street.
I'm not promoting the GPS, heck - I don't even have a GPS - I'm just concerned that you may have over expectations of a device that wasn't designed to show the functions you're referring to, but rather mask them (whilst still performing them in the backround) with an easy to use, intuitive front end that you can even listen to your music on.
23 March 2009 - 7:53am
#3
Shaded
If you get any InfoMap of an interesting offroad or 4x4 area (like the Richtersveld), the points of interest are marked with their coordinates. Unless you can work with coordinates on the GPS, you are limited to visiting only those places that have been preloaded in the maps provided with the GPS.
Plus, when you are in the Karoo and need to find an alternative route, or one that is less or more dirt, or incorporates a feature you want to visit, you need to be able to plan and programme the route on the fly - not back home with a PC.
Just my take - I don't even own anything more sophisticated than a Garmin eTrex Summit (handheld, no maps).
Website Administrator
[http://honeybadger.net Honey Badger IT Services]
23 March 2009 - 8:02am
#4
Shaded, you are 100& correct.
I was expecting more form a great tool.
I'm sure 99% of the users/operators are very happy and maybe this post even offends some.
I don't mean thta if you do not understand nav then you are dumb.
What I am saying is that they went backwards and while looking after the mass market they ditched us folk that love to '''use''' the skills we learned in nav.
Personally I'd like to have been able to choose what is on my screen not have such a limited choice.
It has made many many people very happy to be street navigating.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
23 March 2009 - 8:11am
#5
Hi Andy,
No problem. (I'm in no way offended by your post, nor do you make me feel dumb - I'm more than capable of doing that on my own :P )
Is there not a tool out there that would still cater for your more niche market then?
From what I can tell, Zumo's and the like are made for plebs like me - who track from where I am, to a point on the map - and let the GPS work out the finer details - like when to turn where, for me.
When it comes to cacheing and such things - maybe there is a tool that allows for more defined entry - such as with Long/Lat Co-ords?
It is my uninformed opinion, that most GPS tools on the market today are made more for Soccer Mom's in SUV's that need to drop off their kids for play dates and have no idea how to get there than for the die hard Camel man.
23 March 2009 - 8:39am
#6
Nice debate this.
When I bought the Zumo it had just come out, and I was clueless, things have changed, it has been out a fair while now, and I have a weenie bit more savvy.
I would prefer something with a bit more versatility, and the reading of these posts have clarified some short-comings, but on the whole it's not bad.
Some of the comments...ETA...This Does depend on what it is set on, as to the accuracy of this function!!!..."shortest distance" or "fastest time" ( I think those are the settings), these and other settings can screw up your nav, so take care,(the tool is no better than the operator).
As to the cursor, try a small stick to act as a stylus, my finger without glove, is a bit big for it too.
My sextant's worth.:-)
23 March 2009 - 8:47am
#7
Can you at least enter long/lat co-ordinates in the Zumo?
And what's it like for searching for geo-caches?
23 March 2009 - 9:43am
#8
You can work with Lat - long on all Garmin units.
When you 'mark' a waypoint it saves it and displays lat - long on the screen.
In the 'Where to' function, you can select several options, one of which is entering lat long in the key pad.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
23 March 2009 - 12:40pm
#9
Just looking at your choice of cursor icons (bike, flash car and racing car) makes you think again. You can't choose and arrow or dot.
you can change it.. there is an arrow.. just look... you can also download more icons ;-)
Nee, it's not what I expected.
I'm not knocking a lovley tool down, I' was just expecting something much more useful.
that is why it's important to do proper research before you buy something...
The Zumo was build for motorcycles and that is it! it's a bit bigger and rugged because it has very good shock and vibration protection. mount any other GPS on yout handlebar and see how long it lasts.
i love my zumo :-)
Regards,
Corné
23 March 2009 - 12:49pm
#10
Andy, look at the Garmin Oregon...
seems like the GPS you want
Regards,
Corné
23 March 2009 - 5:03pm
#11
Corne, You are a star. changed icon to the arrow!!!
Thanks very much.
you are right about the research.
I was seduced by all the hype and talk about it and how popular it is amongst bikers.
Nonetheless, I discover it is as it is and cuveat emptor, woe is me.
R8 000.oo well spent but not as impressed as I thought I'd be.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
23 March 2009 - 5:44pm
#12
I have had a Quest for years - mounted on the handlebars with a Ram mount - works a trick - the only complaint is that the screen is a little small. It is also a little slow to recalculate - older technology .... But the features I like :
Waterproof :-)
Button navigation works well - even with a glove
Breadcrumbs with trackback
Screen info very configurable
Light and easy to pocket / use in the cage / carry on a hike
Enough memory for the full SA Streetmaps and Tracks4Africa
Routes on the fly, with waypoints / avoidances and detours.
Missing - trafic camera / speed alerting (available on Quest 2). Living out in Jhb, the tides / moon thing is not missed :-| and no, its not an MP3 player!
When it comes time to replace it, it will be tough to find a unit that is as configurable, has the features .... they have not yet updated the Quest units to the newer receivers / bigger screen.
Cheers, Tony
23 March 2009 - 7:51pm
#13
Thanks for all the comments, this thread came at the right time. I have been researching GPS units the whole day. My main use for it is not using it on the bike, but for finding survey marks and nav to sites, but biking would be its secondary use. Does the ZUMO's allow you to use different datums (coordinate systems)?
How much memory is adequate. ie store Tracks4Africa and others maps.
Was looking at the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. Anybody got one?
Sorry for hijacking the thread abit.
Best Regards to all
Andrew
24 March 2009 - 5:08pm
#14
Andrew,
that's another point of contention.
I cannot change from WSG84 and I cannot select different different display formats of the lat long.
I can do so on my Garmap pc software, but not on the unit itself.
When working with the airforce, I changed my Garmin-V to grid format from º min.dec' and we could talk the same language.
But now I'm stuck on xxº xx.xxx' format, nt that I will want to change it ever.
Also I cannot select the lat-long grid to display in the screen like earlier units can.
I'm going to have a word with Mike at Avnic so I can learn more. Maybe I'm missing it on the Zumo, but I've toggled and scrolled and clikced and switched and I cannot find grid or format settings.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
24 March 2009 - 7:04pm
#15
Andy I down loaded the instruction manual for the 500 which I found ideal and a good refer back aid.
Ignore opinions, heed facts.
Feet on the pegs, always.
26 March 2009 - 12:33pm
#16
Has anybody seen or tried the new TomTom Rider yet. Also designed for motorbikes but that is about all I know about it. I have seen it advertised for R5999. Although not well known here, TomTom is very big in Europe. Have a look
http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=146
26 March 2009 - 1:07pm
#17
TomTom's you see in South Africa now are all 'grey' products. The official distributor (Core group) withdrew from the SA market.
I know "Hi-Fi Corruption" and "Due South" still sell them. Anything you buy at Hi-Fi Corp by default it a grey product.
http://social.telematicsupdate.com/content/tomtom-dropped-its-south-afri...
Rectron is suppose to bring in TomTom's - not sure if this is good or bad... I never had a good experience with Rectron when buying PCs.
http://social.telematicsupdate.com/content/tomtom-finds-another-south-af...
There is a reason Garmin is still the best. Product support, maps and coverage. ;-)
Regards,
Corné
26 March 2009 - 1:26pm
#18
Steve Resset tried to come visit me using his Tom-Tom, but then phoned and said my steet name was not on his tom Tom.
They are very popular soccer-mom-collecting-the-kids tool in Europe.
I get Tom Tom with my hire cars in Europe and they are great.... if someone can 1st set it to english for you.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
26 March 2009 - 1:29pm
#19
Cheesy, the Garmin products are very intuitive.
Takes only a short while to find what you want and it is all logic based and menu driven.
But you cannot get the grid on and you cannot scroll the pointer using a mouse or keays, You have to drag the map with your finger.
Very difficult when you are trying to route-in an intersection or a place you found on the map.
I'm very very comfortable with the interface, it's the limitations for me that I found a bit of a let down.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
26 March 2009 - 1:45pm
#20
Sorry Andy, my misinterpretation.
Ignore opinions, heed facts.
Feet on the pegs, always.
26 March 2009 - 4:50pm
#21
Andyman, I have no problem setting my Tom Tom to English. You even have a choice of US or UK English! Had it speaking Afrikaans to me as a test the other day. I love the anouncements of the street names so you seldom have to look at the screen. I do, however, prefer the Garmin route planning. Otherwise it is excellent.
Ride Safe
26 March 2009 - 5:04pm
#22
Corne, I have a Tom Tom and have had excellent support from Tom Tom Europe. Had a glitch with a download last week and had a reply and fix from them within 48 hours. There is a new distributor and the SA dealers are on the "SA" website. By the way, the articles you refer to are nearly a year old.
Ride Safe
26 March 2009 - 9:53pm
#23
Outop,
When you start it and its in Italian, finding the right menu to change to English is a challange.
In Ffrance its even more so. So I end up going back to the kiosk to ask them to find English.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
26 March 2009 - 9:58pm
#24
Corne, I have a Tom Tom and have had excellent support from Tom Tom Europe. Had a glitch with a download last week and had a reply and fix from them within 48 hours. There is a new distributor and the SA dealers are on the "SA" website. By the way, the articles you refer to are nearly a year old.
Awesome, I'm glad it works for you, who knows I might have been happy with a TomTom had I bought one. We need more good GPS units on the market. Competition for Garmin will `hopefully` equates to lower prices.
When I did research on GPS units before I bought a Zumo550 it became very clear to me that Gamrin is the only unit that I would be happy with.
To this day no other GPS manufacturer can be compared to Garmin based on product support, coverage and most importantly maps.
After all a GPS is only as good as the map.
Regards,
Corné
30 March 2009 - 8:56pm
#25
I am a day or two away from receiving my Zumo 500. I am really in two minds about buying the ZUMO 500, now even more after reading this. I have a TOM TOM but not the rider. It is one of the most user friendly instruments that I have handled. My fist Tom Tom took a lot of abuse on my trip around the country in September 2008. It handled rain, dust and heavy vibrations being mounted behind my screen. The life left it just before Springbok on my way back, but it came to life again and worked for two more months after it finally packed up. I phoned the South African contact number and the call was reverted to the Call Centre in the UK. They arranged for the unit to be picked up at my house and replaced at no charge, all within the time frame of one week. After all of this I read in the WEG that my unit was designed to be used in the confines of the interior of a car preferably in an air conditioned environment. This made me decide that I need a Bike compatible unit and while everybody sings about the Zumo, I decided on that. The Tom Tom kept on haunting me. I received my Tom Tom as a free gift with my Cell phone contract and comparing some function with my brother Zumo, the Zumo lack various functions that is standard on my “Free GPS” That makes me think, no rather confused.
Andy are you thinking of selling yours?
The Tom Tom Rider sounds like a very inviting option.
31 March 2009 - 9:52am
#26
Steph,
no I'm stuck with my Zumo 500.
I'm taking delivery of Annie's Nuvi 500 in a few minutes, they just called for directions.
If you are a 'soccer mom' using the ZUMO to get from A to B without getting lost or you want to know where the nearest shop/movie house/bank, speed camera is then the ZUMO is a very expensive and ideal tool.
For geocaching it works fine.
But the Zumo is a brick of note and if you are not leaving it on the bike then it is cumbersome to lug around.
On hiking and walking trips it quickly becomes a nice to have and is packaged into the back corner.
The Tom Tom & Nuvi have soft covers you can slip them into and pocket quite comfortable.
For walking around geocaching they are also not a problem, the are easy to hold and read.
Because the market asked Garmin for a sexy, Man's tool, that requires absolutely no knowledge or skill in navigation,they came up with the glove-friendly Zumo range.
This is totally menu-driven and user cannot define functionality beyond a few paltry settings.
I have now set my 'vehicle' in the spanner menu to be a Truck, not a motor car/motor cycle.
a truck is slower than a car so it now programs eta's almost ocrrectly.
my old Gamrin had user-defined settings on urban and open road speed limits and factored in traffic control point delays so it's eta predictions were spot on once set up.
I've tweaked my Zumo to the limit of all the offered settings and it still is disappointing.
Also only has 4hrs battery life and no user-friendly alternative to the battery.
So you have top carry power cables/transformer if you want to use it off a vehicle.
90% of readers will disagree with me, that does not make them any less intelligent or anything.
But any users who teethed on early Garmin products will share my sentiments.
o meserable me. cuveat emptor. Absit invidia.
eo damant quad intelligent!
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
31 March 2009 - 12:40pm
#27
I just finshed playing with Anne's new Nuvi which RAM delivered.
The screen is segactly the same size as the Zumo so by the way.
The functionality is banal and the same as the Zumo, but the stutoos icon is a moped not a superbike.
and you can select format and grid from a full menu.
So this waterproof to 1 metre for 1 hour unit is more compact, handy to old and operate and right doozie.
The manual is oh so basic and there is no wall socket charger or usb lead. Only the car charger.
So now between the 2 we have a car charger, usb lead and wall charger unit.
I think the Zumo will be much better for anne on her bike.
In fact I'm sure she'll be much happier.
Andyman
Yup that's me. Standing up in the traffic on the 1150GSA.
31 March 2009 - 3:21pm
#28
What's with all the ZUMO bashing :-)
The reality the is this:
The ZUMO was not created for Geo caching or to be carried around in your top pocket of your Khaki shirt ;-)
It was constructed to be mounted on the handlebar of a motorcycle and to be used with motorcycle gloves on. And for this it's perfect and dare I say the best :-)
Since I bought my ZUMO 550 I enjoy my motorcycle even more! I discover new dirt tracks every time I go out to ride...
Yes I had the odd issue with the cradle loosing contact with the GPS (I now found the cause, the rubber seal around the connectors at the base of the GPS slips between the contact points on the cradle)
PS. Never clean the cradle! It doesn't like water. Besides it looks better with dust on it ;-)
I now have ZERO issues with my ZUMO... I keep the GPS filthy and dirty, never wash the cradle and I'm happy as a pig ;-)
Regards,
Corné
| © BMW Motorrad Club Cape 2006 - 2020 | Back to live site | Site built and hosted by HoneyBadger.net |
