To follow up on a previous blog post – “Do not update the firmware on your nuvi 7xx series!!!”, Garmin have released a new firmware update, version 4.10 which seems to have fix the freezing issue that was occuring with version 3.10.
To download the new firmware – click here
While surfing the internet, I came across an Irish website that is selling Snooper Radar Detectors and stating that they are perfectly legal to use in Ireland, which brings us to the question that we have been frequently asked here at mysatnav – are these devices legal or illegal in Ireland?
These are laser devices used by drivers to detect mobile safety cameras and alert the driver if their speed is being monitored by the Gardai. Although they are legal in some countries, the UK being one, they are completely illegal to use in Ireland. In fact, the mere existence of a radar detector in a car, even if switched off can attract confiscation and/or a hefty fine. The reason why these radar detectors are illegal is because they interfere with a Garda officer’s ability to carry out his duties.
Check out the Irish Statute Book to see the offical regulation.
On a more positive note, it is definitely not illegal to have the positions of safety cameras on you GPS device. In December 2007 while being interviewed on RTE’s Morning Ireland about the introduction of safety cameras in Ireland, Eddie Rock, Assistant Commissioner of the Traffic Corps said that he has no issue with GPS devices showing locations of these cameras.
To view and download the latest mobile and fixed safety camera locations go to www.mypois.ie
A feature on Morning Ireland on RTE today highlights that sat-navs send drivers clockwise around the Ring of Kerry whereas the anticlockwise route is ‘more’ correct. Major congestions are being caused by larger vehicles going both clockwise and anti clockwise, this due to the narrow bottleneck roads on the route. It is for this reason why there is an unoffical rule that all larger vehicles take the anti clockwise direction.
In order to make changes on a sat nav system, a submission needs to submitted to the 2 major digital mapping companies (Navteq and TeleAtlas). From previous experiences we know that it will probably take 2 years before you start seeing any changes on the sat nav device.
But have no fear as a there is a solution on www.mypois.ie where you can download the Ring of Kerry anti-clockwise route for free!
We have had a few customers that have been having problems with their nuvi 7xx series and their device freezing during routes. After inspecting a few systems and noticing a fault we got on to Garmin who have confirmed that there is a bug in the new firmware update for the 7xx series (version 3.10).
So, anyone who has not updated their system, hold off doing so. Anybody who has updated to version 3.10 will need to revert back to version 3.0
To revert back to 3.0
Localised POI data for your GPS has always been a thorny issue. When it comes to Ireland, most GPS manufacturers don’t have any real incentive to provide anything more than basic street-level mapping. But we’ve got a great summer offer for our customers to give you all the data you could ever want on your Sat Nav. Read on to learn more.
mypois.ie was developed to address the terrible lack of rich Point Of Interest (”POI”) data, and to date the site has built up a great database of over 15,000 POIs. (Did we mention you can head on over and register for free?) Users can view all POIs on the site, and with a free registration they can also easily sync these to their Garmin Sat Nav devices.
There are lots of great POI datasets available, and we’re delighted to have up-to-date speed camera and accident blackspot location data available to premium mypois.ie users. Our hope is that this data will help drivers appreciate the dangers on the roads, and apply common-sense when driving.
To add to the holiday cheer, we’re currently running a very special offer in conjunction with mypois.ie – for alimited time we’re introducing Deluxe Packages. Buy any of the following n&umml;vis or zūmos and we’ll throw in *FREE DELIVERY*, *FREE 1Yr Subscription to myPOIs Premium+ (Incl. Safety Camera Data)* + *FREE Garmin A/C Charger OR Carry Case*.
You’ll get access to 25,000+ POIs available for instant download, including speed camera and accident blackspot data.
That’s an instant saving of up to €100, but hurry – this offer is only available for a limited time. Click any of the following links to avail of this offer:
So don’t waste any time – avoid accidents and penalty points this summer with our great summer driving offer!
Following on from our announcement that myPOIs.ie had launched, we have now fully integrated both sites – you can now easily purchase a myPOIs.ie subscription on mySatNav.ie. Both Premium and Premium+ products are available on the following product pages:
Time Limited Special Offer!! If you purchase any compatible Garmin GPS, and add either a Premium or Premium+ subscription you’ll Save €25.
When you purchase a Premium or Premium+ Subscription we’ll automatically set up your account on myPOIs.ie so that you can instantly download POI databases and Irish Safety Camera Databases direct to your Garmin GPS.
For all of you who like to personalise your gadgets then check out Garmin Garage. Here is where you can find all the latest vehicles to download on to your Garmin GPS device.
So log on to Garmin Garage and start navigating in the vehicle of your choice!
“Runners no longer have to choose between fashion and function.” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales about Garmin’s latest GPS-enabled fitness device, the Forerunner 405. At only 60 grams, this new stylish compact GPS device is both a watch and a personal trainer. Available in two colours – black and sage green – the Forerunner 405 fits in at the gym, the office or out on the town.
The Forerunner 405 is easy to use, by simply tapping, holding or running your finger along the touch bezel (the silver ring around the display) the runner can begin a new workout or access any of their Training History.
After you have finished your workout, you can transfer all you training history from your watch to your computer thanks to the innovative ANT+Sport™ wireless technology. So that means no messy cables or connections – when the Forerunner is in range of the computer the training info automatically transfers over.
Garmin Forerunner with USB ANT stick – RRP €339 excl p&p
Garmin Forerunner with Heart Rate Monitor & USB ANT stick – RRP €383 excl p&p
The following is a solution to the “Can’t Unlock Maps” problem that a few Garmin nuvi 770 owners out there are experiencing.
After several months of very hard work by a lot of people, we have finally launched our new web site, www.myPOIs.ie, which is entirely dedicated to points of interest (POIs) around Ireland.
The main purpose of the site is to address the woeful lack of POIs for Ireland available on Garmin and other brands of satellite navigation systems. We have collected POI data from a variety of sources and have spent a considerable amount of time verifying the locations using the latest geocoding techniques. While it is not possible to guarantee 100% accuracy – we are confident that a very high percentage of the locations are bang on.
Currently the site has 15,000 POIs, we have a further 10,000 to release in the coming months and more later in the year. POI databases include Road Safety & Camera information for the Republic and Northern Ireland, Industrial Estates, Hotels, Restaurants, Bank Branches & ATM locations, Pubs & Bars, Garda Stations, Post Offices, Shopping Centres, Pharmacies, Schools and so on. There is a long list! We are also working with a number of 3rd party data providers, such as the Georgina Campbell Guides, to offer sat nav users the very best in quality POI databases for Ireland under one roof.
A number of the POI databases are available free of charge to download to your sat nav (only Garmin GPS for now) and for others POI databases there is an annual subscription. While we would have liked to have offered everything for free, the reality is that to offer this level of quality and breadth of POI data, it is just not possible to do so without incurring significant costs in the time collecting and verifying the location data. This really is and has been a mammoth task.
What we have done though is to make the annual subscriptions charges as low as possible – our ‘Premium’ service which includes all our databases excluding the Road Safety Camera database is available for €37.00 per annum while our ‘Premium+’ service, which includes all POI databases + Road Safety Camera database, is available for €50.00 per annum. When you subscribe to any of the services you can download as often and as many times as you like – there are no constraints or limits.
For those of you who are considering purchasing a GPS from us or updating your current model there is an offer of €12 for the ‘Premium’ service and €25.00 for the ‘Premium+’ service for the first year.
Please get in touch with us if you want to find out more or if you would like to submit you own POI data or if you have any suggestions how we could improve the service. Thanks.
