March 19, 2006

Garmin StreetPilot 7500 Review

Streetpilot_7500 UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

 

The Garmin StreetPilot 7500 is identical to the StreetPilot 7200 with one added feature, described by Amazon this way -- "As a step-up feature from the 7200, the 7500 includes dead reckoning sensors to track your vehicle's course when the GPS signal is blocked, which can occur when driving in urban areas or tunnels. If you lose GPS coverage in areas with tall buildings or tunnels, the StreetPilot 7500 keeps on navigating. This feature requires professional installation."

Like the 7200, the 7500 has a big seven-inch touch-screen, and was designed with RV's, buses and semi-trucks in mind. And like it's sister unit, it includes an audio book reader, an MP3 player and XM satellite radio. With XM radio, you not only get music, but also weather and real-time traffic conditions that overlay maps in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. The StreetPilot 7500 uses this data to automatically calculate and suggest faster alternate routes before traffic starts backing up. Of course this is all in addition to pre-loaded maps of North America, a touch screen interface and voice-prompted routing.

Compare prices on the Garmin StreetPilot 7500

Here is an excerpt from Amazon's StreetPilot 7500 review:

"The 7500 can also serve as a powerful entertainment device, as it offers more than 150 channels of XM satellite radio channels, featuring 100-percent commercial-free music, as well as more than 30 channels of news, sports, and talk. You can send XM and navigation audio to your car stereo through the StreetPilot's integrated FM wireless transmitter or via an integrated 3.5 mm stereo headphone/line-out plug. And if that's not enough, the 7500 also comes equipped with an MP3 player that lets you take your personal music collection on the road. Loading music from your computer is drag-and-drop easy, and there's no need for special software. The 7500 also works as an audiobook player; you can download books from audible.com and enjoy your favorite authors on the road. Plus, thanks to the 7500's AV in connector, you can connect and play a portable device, such as a DVD player, on the unit's massive screen. For safety's sake, entertainment audio is muted when navigation instructions are given..."

And other reviews:

I'll be posting more hands on reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some other helpful resources:

Compare prices on the Garmin StreetPilot 7500 at these merchants:

Description from the official Garmin Street Pilot 7500 web page:

The StreetPilot 7500's huge 7-inch touch-screen display means you'll always see where you're going — from anywhere in the vehicle. Designed for larger vehicles such as RVs, semi-trucks, and buses, our 7000-series are premium automotive units that come preloaded with City Navigator NT detailed maps and display navigation, entertainment, traffic and weather on a grand sunlight-readable display. All of this, combined with the StreetPilot 7500's dead reckoning capabilities, makes it one powerful urban navigator.

Traffic

With the purchase of an optional sensor, the StreetPilot 7500 and its counterpart, the StreetPilot 7200, notify you of accidents, road construction, and weather-related traffic delays before they are encountered, and then offer an alternate route. This optional traffic management capability makes driving with GPS essential, even if you know where you're going.

Traffic is delivered to the 7000 series through the GTM 10, GTM 11 or GXM 30 antenna (purchased separately). Get traffic alerts broadcasted by Clear Channel in select U.S. cities with the GTM 10 or GTM 11 FM TMC traffic receiver. Traffic services accessed with the GXM 30 Smart Antenna require a subscription to XM NavTraffic.

Weather

View real-time weather conditions with the optional GXM™ 30 Smart Antenna and a XM NavTraffic subscription. Find out the local forecast for your route or campsite down the road. Available weather information includes current conditions, city forecasts, and warnings for tornadoes, thunderstorms, and floods.

Entertainment

The StreetPilot 7500 and 7200 also include a host of features to keep you entertained during your travels, including an internal MP3 player, XM radio, and audio books. The built-in MP3 player lets users browse music by artist, album, song, or genre. Music can be loaded onto an SD card and is “drag-and-drop” easy – no special software is required. The XM Radio (with the optional GXM 30 Smart Antenna and XM Satellite Radio subscription) features 150-plus channels of commercial-free music, sports, news, talk, and entertainment. The StreetPilot 7500 and 7200 are also compatible with www.audible.com, a subscription-based audio book service. All music or speech files can be emitted over the vehicle’s existing speakers, through the StreetPilot’s built-in FM wireless transmitter or via the unit’s headphone/line-out jack. The entertainment audio is muted when navigation instructions are given.

Street Navigator

The StreetPilot 7000 series contains all of the features you've come to know and love in a Garmin, including intuitive navigation  with automatic route calculation; voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions; 2D or 3D map view; and automatic rerouting if a motorist strays off course.  The unit speaks street names, so users will know to “turn right on Main Street.” Enter a series of destinations, and the unit will automatically sort them to provide an efficient route. With its POI Loader software, Garmin has also made it possible for customers to augment pre-loaded maps with custom POIs such as school zones and safety cameras.

Dead Reckoning

Unlike the 7200, the 7500 also includes dead reckoning sensors to track your vehicle's course when your GPS signal is blocked for example in urban areas or tunnels. If you lose GPS coverage in areas with tall buildings or tunnels, the StreetPilot 7500 keeps on navigating. Minimal installation is required for the dead-reckoning feature.

The face of the StreetPilot 7200 and 7500 only has one button — an on/off switch. The side and back of the unit houses integrated internal speaker, mini USB port, AV input, SD card slot and 3.5 mm audio jack. A wireless infrared alphanumeric remote control that allows easy operation of the device from a distance is standard equipment.

Related posts:

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Mar 19, 2006 12:32:00 PM | Garmin, GPS Reviews, Hardware

1 Comment

dmitri

It's a good unit,but a bit large.

Posted by: dmitri | August 15, 2008 at 11:52 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

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