Verizon VZ Navigator vs. Garmin nuvi 260?

Question

A road trip from PA to NC was cut short yesterday thanks to Verizon VZ Navigator. While driving through west virginia, I entered a non-digital coverage area on my cell phone and VZ Nav could no longer locate me. I was completely lost since I was only relying on the VZ Nav. When it happened I was in a wide open road on a farm.. nothing was blocking the satalite, which I thought as long as my phone had battery life, the GPS in it would read the satalite. well I had to backtrack a few miles til I got in digital area again and just used VZ Nav to get home. About an hour later, I went out and bought a Garmin nuvi 260 can canceled VZ Nav. My question is, will I ever have any kind of problem like that with my Garmin or will it work EVERYWHERE in the 48 states with a clear view of the sky?

Answer 1

Wow, thanks for sharing your experience with VZ Navigator.  I wasn't aware of its limitations.  Apparently it just uses cell tower triangulation instead of real GPS, and you have to have a digital cell signal.  Good to know.  

Anyway, your Garmin will work anywhere as long as you have a good view of the satellites.  GPS is global, hence the name global positioning system.  Good move in getting the Garmin.  Now you will have a more reliable navigation system and you won't have to run down your cell phone battery just to navigate.

Answer 2

Thanks for the info on the VZ Navigator.  Guess there is no comparison to GPS devices.  Glad you were able to recover and carry on with your trip with Garmin.  You shouldn't have any problem with the GPS unit.  Happy and safe travels to you...