Many auto GPS receivers come with an integrated MP3 player, allowing you to control musical selections in your car via the GPS. Some even work with Audible audio book (.aa) files, or come with XM Radio receivers. Typically, playback is paused when navigation directions are announced; some units even rewind a couple of seconds when the music starts back.
There are a number of things to consider when purchasing a GPS receiver with an MP3 player; speaker quality, whether or not you can import playlists, the amount of disk storage available for files (if the unit doesn’t use an SD/MMC card for storage), how intuitive menus are, etc. The variations are too great to delve into here. Our GPS reviews link to many user reviews, so dig deep and check them out, or find a message board for the unit you are interested in, and search or ask.
Using your car’s speakers
Some units, like the Garmin nuvi 660, have built-in FM transmitters, to send music, directions and even cell phone conversations through your car stereo speakers. Others, like the giant Garmin StreetPilot 7200 and 7500 models – have the FM transmitter plus an audio line out.
A couple of caveats about the FM transmitters. — they may not work well in urban areas where the radio spectrum is packed with stations. Also, have you ever been driving down the highway when, all of a sudden, you hear an adjacent car’s iPod being ran through an FM transmitter? That can happen to cell phone conversation routed via FM to your stereo, too!
The technology for delivery of music to your car’s stereo continues to change. TomTom is introducing their Car Connect
File formats
Before we get to the list of GPS receivers with MP3 players, lets take a look at which file formats are supported in these units:
- Garmin – MP3, AA
- Magellan – MP3, WMA
- Lowrance – Ogg Vorbis
- TomTom – MP3 (the GO 510 and 910 also offer an optional iPod controller
GPS receivers with MP3 players (links go to our auto GPS reviews)
- Garmin nuvi 350
- Garmin nuvi 360
- Garmin nuvi 660
- Garmin nuvi 670
- Garmin nuvi 680
- Garmin StreetPilot c550
- Garmin StreetPilot c580
- Garmin StreetPilot 2730
- Garmin StreetPilot 2820
- Garmin StreetPilot 7200
- Garmin StreetPilot 7500
- Garmin zumo 550
- Lowrance iWAY 250C
- Lowrance iWAY 350C
- Lowrance iWAY 500C
- Magellan CrossoverGPS
- Magellan RoadMate 2200
- Magellan RoadMate 3000T
- Magellan RoadMate 3050T
- Magellan RoadMate 6000T
- TomTom GO 510 (via iPod interface only)
- TomTom GO 910
It sure is handy to have multiple functionalities in one auto GPS system, but is it necessary? From my point of view, the MP3 music is just taking unnecessary amount of space, which can be used for uploading additional maps.
Posted by: James Kronefield | February 13, 2007 at 05:32 AM