Garmin GPS Vs Magellan - Who Wins?

Garmin GPS vs Magellan? Who wins this show down? I've been covering the consumer GPS marketplace for two years for various websites, and a year ago I would have said that it's still a toss up between Garmin and Magellan. Within the last year, however, Garmin has left Magellan in the dust!

Take Garmin's newer nuvi 1200 series. You can get all the great features on a 3.5-inch screen for only a little more than 0! Spend slightly more and you get Bluetooth and real time traffic. Sure, Magellan has GPS units that sell for around the same and have these features, but they don't have Garmin's optional pedestrian maps, for instance. These are maps for certain pedestrian friendly cities, which let you use your GPS device while you walk.

That's one reason why I think Garmin pulls ahead in the Garmin GPS vs Magellan show down. Another reason is at the higher end of the marketplace. Above 0, I think Garmin surely has Magellan beat. The nuvi 1690, for instance, not only has the pedestrian maps, but they have Garmin's new nuLink software. This is basically a suite of services that are linked directly to your device, which can show you everything, maps, real time information about what's available around you, and much, much more. I know Magellan has the Triple A tour book on many of their devices, and this is really cool, but nuLink beats that hands down.

Of course, the Garmin vs Magellan competition is not over. And hopefully it never will be. Competition lowers prices and also creates better products and both Garmin and Magellan has responded aggressively to the competition offered by the other company. Garmin, however, looks like it's winning the "gadget war" with Magellan. Garmins prices have dropped considerably over the past year. And they've added a ton of new features and technologies.

This is not to say you should not buy a Magellan. I really like Magellan. The Garmin GPS vs Magellan competition benefits you. And right now, I would say that Garmin is winning.