text to speech gps

Text to Speech GPS Navigation

Text-to-speech GPS units offer the ability to “speak” specific directions, such as streets that you should be turning on, versus a generic direction. For example, a GPS unit with text to speech technology may say, “turn right on Washington Street”, versus “turn right at the next street”. Clearly, this is a feature that can ease your driving experience, as the voice messages leave less room for confusion in navigation.

Costs for these text to speech GPS navigation units currently range from about $200 to $500, depending upon the age of the unit, name brand, as well as the other features that are provided. We have listed our recommendations of GPS text-to-speech systems below, and we compare key features of each unit.

	Garmin Nuvi 370	Magellan Maestro 4040	TomTom Go 930	Sony NVU 44

Screen Size	3.5"	4.3"	4.3"	3.5"
Weight	5.1 oz	8.5 oz	7.8 oz	5.5 oz
Size	3.9"W x 2.9"H x 0.9"D	5.0"W x 3.8"H x 0.9"D	3.3"W x 4.7"H x 1.0"D	10.2"Wx 7.5"Hx 2.8"D
Data Card	SD	SD	SD	Memory Stick Duo
Preloaded Maps	North America and Europe	USA, Puerto Rico, Canada	USA, Europe, Canada	USA, Canada, Puerto Rico
Battery Life	4-8 hours	Up to 3 hours	Up to 5 hours	4 hours
Included Accessories	Suction cup mount, carrying case, USB interface cable, AC charger, Car charger	Windshield mount, cradle, AC charger, Car charger, USB cable, Protective pouch	Winshield holder, documentation pack, Car charger, Home dock, Remote control	Car cradle, suction cup mount, car battery adapter, USB cable
Other Features	Handsfree calling, MP3 Player, 3 month trial subscription for FM traffic receiver (N.America version)	Built in AAA travel information, Bluetooth handsfree calling	Bluetooth handsfree calling. The 930T version is slightly more expensive than the 930S, but includes a real time traffic receiver.	Photo viewer feature allows you to turn the screen into a picture frame.

To further describe the text to speech GPS functionality, let’s say you come to an intersection where you are supposed to turn right; however, there are two streets that veer right at about the same time. Without GPS text-to-speech, you’ll likely not know which street to turn on, and quite possibly, you will be staring at your GPS screen trying to figure it out instead of staring at the road.

With a unit with text to speech GPS technology, the GPS unit will tell you the name of the street to turn on.

If you’ve never been to the location before, you will still need to find the street name on a sign; however, when you’re driving, would you rather be looking at your older GPS screen inside the car, or would you rather be looking outside the car for the road signs and be aware of what is happening around you?

My clear preference for convenience and safety is the text-to-speech GPS navigation.

In addition to the units in the table above, the units listed below also have the GPS text to speech functionality. Simply click on the GPS unit photos towards the top of this page, which are provided in association with Amazon, and you will be routed to an Amazon page where you can do a quick search for more details on these units. Be sure to see if your purchase qualifies for free shipping.

Garmin Nuvi 350
Garmin Nuvi 360
Mio DigiWalker C230
TomTom One XLS
Navigon 2100

LG GPS
Locator GPS 4300
Pharos Drive GPS 250
InVion GPS

text to speech gps gps text to speech text-to-speech gps text to speech gps units

Text to Speech GPS Navigation

Garmin Nuvi 370

Magellan Maestro 4040

TomTom Go 930

Sony NVU 44