What are The Best Touch Screen Display GPS Systems? TomTom, Garmin & Magellan GPS Units Make the List

What are The Best Touch Screen Display GPS Systems? TomTom, Garmin & Magellan GPS Units Make the List
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Introduction

One of the most important aspects on any device is the ease with which we can interact with it. With touch screen displays becoming more and more popular on GPS devices, these interactions can be very simple on well designed units. Typically, users will look for as large a screen size as possible, how easy it is to use, the speed of interaction and how readable the display is. The speed of interaction and the ease of use are two very critical parameters. The quality of the touch screen and the speed with which the device is able to respond to the inputs determine these performance parameters. The best touch screen display GPS systems have good display and input responsiveness in common.

There are all kinds of GPS devices besides the in-car navigation systems. There are the off-road devices, the golf course guides, motorcycle based units, and so on. There are many good devices in each category. To avoid any confusion we shall concentrate here on the best touch screen display GPS systems for in-car navigation only. We have provided a link to Amazon for each of the device types and indicated a price (as of May 2010).

Some Highly Rated Devices

I surveyed many review sites for the editorial and user ratings. Additionally, I also surveyed comparison shopping sites to get the user ratings and comments. Presented below are some of the best devices available in the car navigation category and different price ranges. These devices are the best touch screen display GPS systems. Two families of devices seem to dominate the rated products. The TomTom ONE and the Garmin Nuvi family. There is one contender from Magellan in the ten devices I have featured here.

Decide on a display size you want and then check out the other features you get from the Amazon page of the corresponding device. Choose the best value you get from among the devices selected. You will get the best touch screen GPS system and the maximum amount of features for the money you are ready to spend.

The TomTom ONE Family

TomTomONELE

The devices in this group are the TomTom ONE LE, TomTom ONE 3rd edition, TomTom ONE XL and the TomTom ONE 130 devices. The newer TomTom EASE also fits into this range easily. Following are the links to the Amazon for availability and price checks; TomTom ONE LE and TomTom One 3rd Edition. Prices are $159.96 and $189.96 respectively.

TomTom ONE 130 too is a device that excels in the display department and is the cheapest among the four discussed here at $85

TomTomOne130

. TomTom ONE LE, TomTom 3rd edition and the TomTom 130 are 3.5 inch display devices.

TomTomOneXL

TomTom ONE XL is another device in the family that excels in the touch screen display stakes. This too is available from Amazon at $169.95. The display on this unit is bigger at 4.3 inch diagonal.

You can learn more about TomTom GPS devices by reading Top TomTom GPS Portable Devices To Fit Every Budget and Choosing the Top TomTom GPS Models.

Garmin Nuvi Family

GarminNuvi255W

The devices with top touch screen interface in the Garmin family are the Nuvi 255W, 265W,760 and the Nuvi 5000. Garmin Street Pilot c340 is the fifth system we included in this survey. The 255W device is a 4.3 inch display unit available from Amazon for $119.99 and the 265W device also has a 4.3 inch display and is available from Amazon for $160.09.

GarminNuvi265W

Read reviews about the Garmin Nuvi 255W, 265W and 760 devices.

Garmin Nuvi 760 is 4.3 inch display device and available from Amazon for $219.20. The StreetPilot comes in at $249.90 from Amazon and has a 3.5 inch display. Garmin Nuvi 5000 is the biggest device in this class. The display is at 5.2 inches and should be very comfortable to navigate your car with. This is available from Amazon at $199.97.

GarminNuvi5000

GarminNuvi760 (2)

GarminStreetpilotc340

Magellan maestro 3100 Plus

The Magellan device is another great GPS device with a touch screen and a 3.5 inch display. It is available from Amazon at $85.99.

MagellanMaestro3100Plus