Sphereteq Caliber P-3600 Automobile Navigator
Caliber P-3600 - 3.5" Personal Navigation and Multimedia System

I have had this GPS for over 6 months now. I have used it for over 3000 miles of traveling. Over all its an OK product. First the Good. Pros: 1. It catches the satellite signal pretty well. I never had a problem with lost or weak signal. 2. It has a lot of great features like storing off-road trails. You can view the turn by turn directions before you start driving. Automatically adjusts to day and night lighting. Has great voice and sound quality. 3. It automatically recalculates the route if you miss it. 4. The directions are mostly accurate. You can relay on it to take you to your destination. 5. There a fix on their site to fix the weired error message that happens when it tries to recalculate. Cons: 1. I haven't received my $60 mail in rebate yet. There is no customer service to this product. Just a phone number which always goes to an answering machine. 2. The windshield mount is falling off after 6 months of use. It doesn't stick anymore. 3. The system hangs once in a while and you have to restart it to fix it. 4. Some times it complains that the SD card is not in the slot. You can fix this by just taking the card out and re inserting back again. Not a great thing to do while driving. 5. The menus are hard to understand and use. Finding addresses is also a pain. It takes a lot of getting used to and is frustrating most of the time. 6. The manual is totally useless when it comes to using this product. The avoid tolls and avoid free ways thing doesn't work at all. 7. Even though it has a million POI's the search feature is really bad. It's mostly impossible to find a store unless you have its address. Tips: 1. when finding an address make sure that the state and city are set correct first. Then just enter the street name with out any east or south or drive etc. 2. One feature that is not mentioned in the manual is the ability to change volume and brightness in the navigation mode with out getting out of it. Press and hold the menu button for about 5 seconds when you are in the navigation mode. On the left side of the screen you will see two small icons for volume and brightness. 3. While in navigation mode press the arrow on the top left view the upcoming directions.
 
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I have been looking for a GPS for several months and finally decided on this one after reading the reviews for it. My husband and I are both directionally challenged so we really need one. We have only used it locally so far. One address that we looked for was routed using a road that has been closed for decades, but when we started using an alternate route it picked a new route in just a few minutes and got us there. We are very pleased with our purchase and can't wait to use it on a trip.
 
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Supplemental: Earlier I commented about the none-too-clear menu system. Sphereteq support told me about the "unabridged" user manual for the P-3600 online at sphereteq.com. It does have a few more pages with better explanations of the various touchscreen buttons that appear in the various mode contexts. This helps quite a bit when looking at your choices. Also in my subsequent trips, I've found the Caliber's directions to be about as precise as can be expected. (All these units have some GPS location error, typically 50 feet, but perhaps 100 feet in bad conditions. That's apart from the road database, which seems very good.)
 
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I've had my unit for a week or so. In general it works very well and at the price point, minus $60 in rebates is well worth it. Issues: I can't seem to get it to avoid freeways. I selected it in the navigation preferences but it always routed me to it when returning from work. I did get it to avoid a certain highway when I edited a route in progress. The overall ETA time is also not correct, but I was told the latest application software fixes it. Haven't installed it yet. You can only select one destination at a time. It would be nice to select a set of way points or multiple destinations.
 
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I looked around at many gps systems before purchasing this unit,I didnt want to spend more than 300.00. This unit works great pulls up 7 sattellites everytime I turn it on. It navigates instantly, If you go off track it reroutes within seconds,The only thing that I didnt like was the speaker on the back is not loud enough. I use it in my Truck at work and with all the engine noise I needed more volume. In a regular vehicle its ok. I bought a foldable speaker which is amplified and plugged it in to the headjack on gps unit and it works great.I fgured for the price I paid for the unit what the heck. I highly recommend this unit.
 
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So far, I have tried this out on one road trip of about 40 miles each way, mostly a familiar freeway route. As a passenger learning to use it, I was impressed how it showed just where we were along the way, even on freeway connectors ramps. There was some consternation why it wasn't calling out directions to the destination I saved in it the night before, until I figured out: Don't just find the address in memory, press "Go to" first, dummy. After that, it guided us well the rest of the way, highlighting the route. (Menu system is not intuitive to GPS novices. I did get a couple "EXCEPTION" screens that only Microsoft could possibly understand.) On our return trip, it behaved commendably, giving great turn guidance, but directing us toward toll lanes when it was set to "avoid tolls." Maybe "Shortest time" governs over that? ADDRESSES: As to one review's complaint about clumsy address entry, I found it easy to enter an address when you start big and go small, using menu, i.e., state>city-or-zip>street [displays all local street names alphabetically] >house# [displays range available]. The user guide is cryptic on that point. Anyone who tries entry while driving should get off the road!! ***MAPS: It accurately shows our neighborhood streets, with gaps at cul-de-sacs. All the U.S.+ Puerto Rico comes preinstalled on the memory card, nearly filling the 1GB. Instead, (Canada + 42 states) is the other choice that can be overwritten on it using the DVD. The support website says a new map base update is scheduled for July and may cost $79. A current SW/map update is available online. One 'touchy' area; after I'd turned it off and laid it face down for display protection, I noticed when I picked it up next it was turned on. The two external buttons (on/off & menu) project slightly above the face, and take a light push; so handling it, etc., can activate them accidentally. All in all, I'm happy so far, especially with the current rebate price til 5/31.
 
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Moved out to the East Coast and bought this navigation system. Very simple to use, reliable, and much cheaper in comparison to other personal navigation systems. Great features: was on extremely busy road, chose the detour option to stay off that road and it got me home in the same time as if there wasn't traffic. Absolutely amazing.
 
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I came to US for the first time and wanted to explore some new and nice place in this Memorial Day long weekend but was not able to decide because I get lost so frequently in a small area that I am scared to death to go out of New Jersey. This is my first navigator in my life and already in love with it. I went to Niagara with a fear in my mind but it made us so relaxed that the entire journey was a fun. It will give ur precise and advance direction where to turn and what to expect. Caliber , you have really made my trip successful. My wife, Arunima is my first navigator of life and you are the first navigator of my world. 1) Provides u exact direction with highlighted color. 2) When you go off track recalculation speed is decent enough. 3) Don't always take the optimum path; in some places you are the best judge. 4) Most of the maps are updated. It knows local paths too. 5) I believe the parent website has good support. 1) Don't tell you what Exit number to take. 2) Voice is a bit low. 3) Battery power is very poor, I always have to sip it power through my car charger. 4) Needs a lot of spoon feeding. Not very intuitive. 5) You need to know the exact and complete address. I would say in spite of all its disadvantages it is widely accpted and I highly recommend this navigator for people with low budget. Thumbs Up to Caliber. It is really worth as compared to costly GARMIN. Caliber team can still make it more better.
 
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I wish I had a better product since this one seems to have many limitations, including frequent EXCEPTION error messages when re-routing is needed. On a trip from Washington DC to Virginia Beach, if asked to avoid current road (I-64), the base system hanged and had to be rebooted. I missed my EXIT which I got to know by calling a friend who used a better GPS (I guess). All in all, for $200, this was expected so I will continue to use it and hopefully a patch or update to the chipset is all it needs....
 
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The product is good, gives good performance. Worth the price. This is the cheapest deal you can find.
 
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I purchased this for my daughter who is always lost and a little technology challenged. After I programmed her home and ours I sent her out with this. I havent had a 'lost call' since. Note: the unit came from Buy.com with the latest software - several reviews mentioned that it didnt recalculate routes very well with previous versions. I tested it and it rerouted on the fly even though I didnt take the recommended route.
 
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Unable to locate a Safeway or USPS in my neighborhood. Points to a Safeway that is 30 miles in a different city. Keeps crashing :( Typical Microsoft OS "features" aka - crashes - hangup . Very small battery life. Clumsy software update. Not sure why I bought this. Though the female voice guidance is nice and accurately takes you to destination (if it locates it) Did crash en-route once in a while which could get pretty annoying
 
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I bought this unit with high hopes, but was sorely disappointed. The construction is not as good as what appears in photos here, or on the manufacturer's site, so it is a bit thicker and the plastic is cheaper than what would be expected. I could live with all of that, but the directions are terrible!!!! To get to my office should be simple. Take a couple of roads to the Interstate and then take that straight in to DC which connects to a city street, make one left hand turn, and one right turn to arrive at destination. It prompted me to turn AFTER the first turn passed, whcih immediately made me nervous, correctly led me the next turn to get to the Interstate, told me to make a U-turn to go the other direction first, and then get on the Interstate, rather than using the cloverleaf; this cloverleaf layout has been there for decades. Once on the Interstate, it prompted me to keep going on on the Interstate at every chance that it saw to enter the express lanes (not terrible, but annoying), led me to exit from the Interstate to get onto a road before going over the bridge which have me end up on the same road again after the bridge. Once in the city, that is when it really got bad. It had me make a series of left and right turns that took longer to get there, and the worst part....told me I was at my destination when I was over 100 yards away, and not even on the correct street yet. If I had not actually known my way, I would have been very confused. Everything is great with this GPS except for the fact that it seems to be prone to inaccuracy of your current location, and give very bad directions.......makes a great paperweight.
 
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Well, I recently purchased a Garmin Nuvi 350 and my fiancee showed complete jealousy for the first time towards a tech toy I got. Of course now she wanted one but due to our wedding coming up, etc I had to stay budget conscious. The Caliber P-3600 seemed just right at $200. Although the price seemed just right, trying to use it was a whole different story. ::::::::::.PROS.:::::::::: - Well sized screen / screen is so bright that it lights up the entire car while driving during the night in a highway (luckily there's an option to dim the screen) - Loud/understandable text-to-speech (female voice is standard/only option). I'd also like to point out that the voice is not as robot-like as other GPS devices. (ie. "In about... 3 miles please exit highway 123") - Very precise countdown timer to the next step in your destination (ex. 42..41..40 seconds to turn left) - Quick POI's (points of interest, gas station, fast food, etc) display on the map and show what is nearby. ::::::::::.CONS.:::::::::: - CRASHES CRASHES CRASHES! I was driving from Dallas to Austin when halfway it said it couldn't load a certain map and crashed on me, I was concerned a bit since I decided to take a different route since I trusted that my GPS would show me the way... Very worrisome to have that happen! (ps. Windows CE is the OS) - "Vista" like pop-ups. It gets very tedious trying to put an address... First, type the address: now you have the option to put a street name or zip code city, etc. Now mind you, you have to be SPECIFIC about the street name. For example, I was looking for 1234 Riverside. When searching it wanted to know if it was 1234 E Riverside, Riverside E, Riverside Dr, etc... if I knew I would not be using a GPS to begin with. Once you finally get the address right, you press ok, followed by another ok, followed by are you sure you want to go there "ok" button. THREE prompts before getting anywhere -- making it IMPOSSIBLE to use while driving. Perhaps I am spoiled with my Garmin in putting the address and pressing "go" and im on my way. - Finally the less tedious but feature that is lacking is the text-to-speech street names. It can come in handy when you are too busy looking at the signs to look at the navigator itself. In summary: This thing is great for finding stores (that are about one year outdated), but not for punching in an address you have to manually input. Having the system be unstable also is a MAJOR fault which is the reason behind the low rating I put. My unit is on its way to being returned.
 
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Highly recommend this Caliber P-3600. Mine was loaded with the latest firmware, so I didn't need to go to the Caliber website to download the latest firmware. The touch LCD screen is awesome, even in direct sunlight. GPS coordinates are very accurate, and quick to respond. You can't beat the price. After the 2 rebates, it will cost you around 200 bucks. Comes with the windshield mount bracket, which is very adjustable. Also comes with home charger and car charger. The Lithium Ion battery lasts a long time. Really nice not to be tethered to a charger. I had been shopping around for a GPS Navigator for months, and found this on Buy.com. Great deal, great unit. I emailed Caliber's tech support with a few questions, and received an answer from a human being within 10 minutes. One last thing, if you have big fingers, you might have a little trouble typing in an address on the built in screen keyboard. I use a stylus from a Palm Pilot. Works great! Don't be afraid of the 3.5 inch screen being too small. It isn't. So, if you were thinking of getting a GPS Nav, this is the one you want. Have fun!
 
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This thing picked up the GPS signal in about 45 seconds after turning it on for the first time and picks up the signal in about 10 seconds after pulling out of my garage every day. I live in downtown Chicago so picking up a signal with my previous unit was a challenge but not with the Caliber P-3600. It comes with the window mount, car and home power adapters, CD with all the software on it and a 1 GB SD card (you'll need an reader for the card if you want to add anything to it from your PC - if you don't have one). The software takes up 95% of the space on the SD card so you'll have to purchase a larger one if you want to also store music and pictures on it but those are coming down in price so not a big deal. Overall, the speed and accuracy makes this unit a great value. Storing address is a bit complex that is why I gave it a 4 in the ease of use category...
 
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I have a friend that has a Garmin Nuvi. And I will admit I was envious of him for having one for a while now! And I would probably have had one already if it were not out of my price range! I came accross the Caliber P3600 by chance and started reading others reviews and thought it looked and worked much like the Nuvi I coveted for so long! So I took a chance and ordered the Caliber because of the fantastic price and what others have said. DONT EVEN HESITATE!!!! It is a FANTASTIC DEAL!!!! Now I will say it is a little larger than the Nuvi. And it does not translate for you like the Nuvi can (like most folks use that on a regular basis anyway) But if you want a small GPS that works great and is affordable...YOU CANT BEAT THIS THING! It has a bright touch screen that is easy to navigate. The volume level is good and easy to understand. It has turn by turn voice guidance but I will say that it only states the acual name of MAJOR roadways. After you update the software (free on their website) the re-routing is flawless! I have tested this thing about 10 times already and it goes the way I would at least 80% of the time. It boots up quickly and finds its satilite link in a flash. IT EVEN HAD A LOCK WHILE I WAS AT MY DESK...IN MY OFFICE BUILDING!!! If you want to get into a portable GPS but dont want to spend a fortune...JUST DO IT!!!!!!!
 
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