Can anyone give me any idea about sat navs for the car? Advice required for both me and a friend considering buying.

I had one in the UK so have a good idea how they work etc but not sure how useful they are out here because everything is changing so much? Maps tend to be at least 2 or 3 years old even in the UK.

I was considering something off the shelf from maybe C4. They have several models which all claim they have GCC maps. Really it's for UAE, particularly AD and Dubai and maybe the odd drive to Oman. thinking is that even if it's not totally accurate it should give some idea of proximity to location and general direction. I would like to be able to mark my own locations in the mapping so I can navigate back to various offices or meeting points.

Anyone recommend good models or experiences?

No experience...But,Garmin is almost dominating here,I think...

I arrived over in AD in Nov and top of my list was a SatNav. I bought a Nuvi system from Carrefour, paid 1200AED approx. It is v gd, has all the maps for D and AD and all the surrounding areas i.e Oman etc. It was money well spend. It has all the major places and hotels already pre-programmed in.

My boss used one whilst we were driving around Dubai - not sure of the system/make/model or cost but it was certainly beneficial!

Hi there, i have just spent a month going through the bloody things drove me mad, i settled for a PDA system, cost more than just sat nav but i think prob worth the extra to have everything in on place and it guides at pedestrian as well which is bonus as i can now find my way home when pissed, anyway i got the HTC TyTNII with all maps 3500 and its a right cool bit o kit
Peter

Have an Ipaq. Just wondered what sat nav software this is running please?

My husband has an ipaq and he uses Navigator 6 in it for D and AD, but I think I will buy the Nuvi system from Car4 as I can always sell it when I leave unless anyone can tell me if there is anything compatible to the TomTom Go 520 which I have just bought in UK

In Theory, both the Garmin and Nuvi (proabbly TomTom as well) have the ability to download from the internet. I've yet to find anyone here who can tell me how often they up date their map systems. So as the roads change, you should be able to downlad the'new' map. In the UK you can also download spped camera sites. Again, not sure if you can do it here.
If anyone has one, can they have a look?

My TomTom comes with the speed cams for UK already loaded but I am having trouble finding a map for UAE compatible with the TT online. Can anyone give me any reliable websites. The TomTom site hasnt got anything.

Bumpity bump

Have landed back in Al Ain and down in Dubai tonight for weekend. Have decided to buy a Nuvi and have been researching on Garmin site. Lots to choose from, can anyone recommend which model, would like the most up to date but recommendation would be good

I looked a few months ago and couldn't find anything.

Surprising TT haven't jumped on to the UAE yet..

I got a Garmin Nuvi 200. It's nice and small, fits in a pocket. Can be used for walking as well as in a vehicle and wasn't too expensive (approx 1200AED)
It has lots of info already programmed in - hotels, areas of interest etc.

Thanks Chris sounds exactly what I need it for. The roads change so much in Dubai particularly at least it will point us in the right direction. Will get one this weekend. I imagine it will also work in Al Ain too

Yeah, works all over, works in Oman as well

Do satnavs get people out of traffic???