In the United States many options for in vehicle satellite navigation abound, but two companies, TomTom and Garmin, are the industry leaders. While some choose a satellite navigation device based solely on performance, many look to what features are offered. TomTom has long had the best set of features with their most famous and popular feature being the ability to add additional, fun voices. Garmin, sadly did not initially think that additional voices were something to be concerned with.
That has all changed! Garmin has recently added additional voices to it’s arsenal of features. Garmin owners have long been able to download different vehicle icons (see the football in the picture above) but now the Garmin website also has two new voices in the “Garmin Garage”. Right now both are holiday themed (Elfred the elf for Christmas and Dr. Nightmare from Haloween) but they are also free. This leaves open the door for Garmin to release many more voices, and even opens the door for sites to properly create voices for the Garmin units. Sure, PIGTones.com has Garmin voices, but installation is fairly clunky, and it replaces the “American English” voice that comes pre loaded on the unit.
The Garmin voices are a snap to install. One can either download Garmin Communicator from the site and simply click on “Add Voice” from the website while the unit is connected, or download a .zip file and extract the voice into the voices folder. Once caveat, however, is that the unit must be updated with the latest software. Upon initial installation onto my Garmin 200w the voice did not work, however, after updating the software on the unit, everything works perfectly. Not all Garmins are supported, but most new models are. If you own a Garmin, or are thinking about getting one, check the site, and see if it can handle the new voices. It’s a great way to customize your device, and enjoy your ride!
P.S. Check out “God’s Position” over at ThatGeekyChurch.com for a unique perspective on GPS.
