Kidder and I just got back from a roughly 1,500 mile ride where I got to put this GPS through several paces. Regarding this GPS, the takeaway is that there are some pros and cons, just like every other GPS.
If your nav needs are such that you want to get from point A to point B, this will do just fine. For specific routing, it lacks some features that other units have. Here are my thoughts on it as compared to Garmin, which is the only other brand I've ever used.
I used Furkot.com to create routes and exported as .KML files.
PROS:
- Detailed maps. The level of detail is pretty high, it even shows named dirt roads.
- Familiar interface. It uses the Android 4.4.2 Kitkat OS. It's not upgradable, but is familiar if you know Android.
- Lots of settings. Because of the Android interface, you can tweak tons of various settings. One feature I like is that you can see how many satellites your unit is listening to and the signal strength to each.
- Routing is accurate. If you program in a route with appropriate way points, it will follow that route and give you accurate "turn here" instructions.
- NO BASECAMP. I hate basecamp. 'Nuff said. It's super easy to drag custom routes into the appropriate folder where the unit will then see them.
CONS:
- Buttons are difficult to press with gloves on. On screen buttons are small and don't respond easily to gloved input.
- Screen is easily scratched. Even with leather gloves, the screen ended up scuffed through normal use in trying to press on-screen buttons. These marks will likely come off with some work, but still a pain. Get a screen protector.
- No motorcycle "mode." Without the addition of several waypoints, routing tends to be the shortest or fastest routes. Auto, pedestrian, and bicycle modes are available.
- Doesn't follow conventional route shaping. Furkot allows you to add shaping points vs actual way points and then will export those shaping points into your route. Garmin recognizes them, the Fodsports unit does not. There are a number of advantages to having only shaping points.
- Address search was limited to the region I was in. When we were in another state, the onscreen GPS search function would only let me search for addresses in that state. This may be user ignorance on my part, but searching for a destination in another region wasn't intuitive. Admittedly, I didn't spend long looking at how to do this as we were getting ready to head out.
-No "north up" navigation in 2D turn by turn mode. I prefer this feature because it allows me to get a quick look at my direction of travel with just a quick glance at the screen. You can set the orientation and zoom in and out in overview mode, but you don't get "turn here" directions and similar to my older Garmin, the screen does not follow when in overview mode. You have to scroll to your vehicle using your finger. North up is just a preference for me, especially when I'm exploring an area off a predetermined route and without references for pilotage.
(edit to add) - Hard to see in bright daylight. In bright sunlight, the screen isn't easy to see. Even with the large hood, I found myself using my left hand to shield the screen from the sun.
- Skip next waypoint requires two button presses. You have to go to a sub-menu to get to this feature in nav mode. See above about button size. The skip feature should be on the main screen and large enough to press without multiple attempts. If your waypoint is off your desired route/roadway, even by as much as 50 feet, skipping waypoints keeps you on track without the unit constantly complaining that you have to make a U-turn to go back to the previous waypoint. Since this unit requires the addition of a lot of waypoints to get specific routing, having this feature on the nav screen would be awesome.
Not really a con, but if you are riding with others who use Garmin devices, be prepared for some routing differences, even with a preprogrammed route with added waypoints. Over our 1,500 mile ride, we ran into this a few times. We didn't stop to explore the reasons for the differences, just chalked it up to being a different routing algorithm.
Things I didn't test:
Because I don't care to use them, things I didn't test were bluetooth, WIFI, the video viewer, and audible turn by turn instructions.
Here is my .02. If you are on a budget for a GPS, this will work for you if you're willing to put up with its shortcomings. If you want the "easy button," look elsewhere. I'll probably use this for the time being just because I have it, but I can see myself digging deep and going back to Garmin in the future, unless something else comes along that looks promising.