Hertz Neverlost vs. Garmin GPS

There are a couple of new changes with the NeverLost that will help with the issues seen during the comparison. First, Popular Chains allows user to enter the first few letter of a chain to quickly find their data in the system. Neverlost Online Trip Planning at www.neverlost.com also allows users to pre-plan their destinations and save them to a thumbdrive for quick access on the NeverLost system. User can even use a new feature called Popular Chains under My Favorites to download an updated version of locations for key chains directly to their thumbdrive. So, if you were looking for a 'RadioShack' or 'BestBuy', you could download an updated directory of stores directly to your thumbdrive for better real-time access to their locations.

Yep, I've seen the "Popular Chains" feature and I must say, it's rather lame. Specifically, I was looking for a "Fido Telecom" store in Canada (their equivalent to Best Buy). Neverlost found two. Garmin found so many, I had to scroll through them. I actually called the NeverLost support line to ask them how often they download new POI data to their units. I was told "every six months or so." I don't know how true that really is.

Regarding the Trip Planning feature on line, you can only save waypoint destinations, you can't save any routing. So for example, you might want to go from the airport, to your hotel, then to a restaurant, and finally to work. My handheld unit lets me build that route using only my thumb in about 30 seconds, or I could download the whole route straight to the unit from my laptop.

I'm not saying the NeverLost unit is useless, it sure beats a paper map any day. I'm just saying that for a very modest investment, you can get a small handheld unit that would RENDER it useless.

"Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the NeverLost system was, there's no bright purple route to show you where to go. You just drive on blind faith until you hear it scream, "TURN LEFT!""
Perhaps the reason you were driving on "blind faith" is because your blind! There IS a Shortest Time, Most use of Freeways, and Least use of Freeways option in the NeverLost (How did you miss that?). There is a PURPLE (partial to purple are you?) line that shows your route as you are driving it AND if you display the route on the map (again, how did you miss that?).
As far as your Popular Chains rant, Fido isn't on the Popular Chains list, at least not on the NeverLost version I'm using. I encourage you to check out Best Buy (not their "equivalent"), Starbucks, Marriott, etc. I have found on MANY occasions that the data in the NeverLost and more specifically on the online trip planning website (which I am told is updated at least once per week, when was the last time your Garmin was updated?) far surpasses the data on any Garmin or Tom Tom or my Navigon for those chains.
You know what the problem with "bloggers" is? They are not held accountable for any false information or flat out lies they spread. Praise the Lord for the Comment box eh?
BTW, the NeverLost I'm using has 47 FIDO stores throughout Canada. Maybe I pulled that "special" unit when I rented my car?

Your Neverlost pulled 47 Fidos throughout Canada eh? How many were reported to be within 5 miles of any given hotel in Toronto? Read the blog, blow-hard.

I exactly the truth about my experience with the Neverlost system. I did not knowingly lie about it. If there are more features of the system that I failed to "turn on" then so be it. I didn't find it convenient to use. If you like it, go with it! I blog about my experience, I have no loyalties to any specific products other than the ones I own that I've seen work well. As far as your childish retort about my preference for "purple" goes, it's not a preference, just an observed trend for a route color on most GPS devices.

Calm down and grow up a bit, this is an advice blog for traveling adults. Take the advice or ignore it, I don't care. If you want to insult people or insinuate anything about their sexual preferences, etc; there are millions of forums on line who would adore to have such a brilliant linguist as yourself aboard!

Ken:

Good comments on the flexibility of the Garmin handheld. NeverLost is definitely not portable. I did notice that neverlost.com had all the Fido Stores located in Canada. Go to My Favorites - Popular Chains, and you will find all the locations by searching for Fido. I will need to recognize NeverLost Online Trip Planning for better data than Garmin.

I don't care if NeverLost.com has the coordinates of the lost city of Atlantis... When you're in your car and THEN you realize that you need to go somewhere; you want those waypoints IN YOUR HAND, not on the internet.

Why is this so hard for people to understand? I was IN the car, I decided to go to Fido, Neverlost only showed three stores in Toronto, my handheld showed many more. Is it possible that had a I driven to a Starbucks, booted my laptop, logged into the .net, surfed to Neverlost.com, and whipped out my handy memory stick, that I could have downloaded more Fidos? SURE it is. If that's what I have to go through to enjoy the "convenience" of Neverlost, then forget it.

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