Auto GPS: 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Magellan RoadMate 1430 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

Excellent Upgrade That cost less.

I "upgraded" from an older Roadmate 3000T. This RoadMate 1430 takes all the things that are good about the old one and improves on them. Very easy to navigate touchscreen. Just play with the screen pushing different icons and you will love how easy it is. You don't have to always go to different screens to change things. I love the multidestination feature and the spoken street names. The only thing that will make these GPS units better is if they team up with google or mapquest, etc, so you can custom make a map and import it into the gps. Now that would be the ultimate. I have never had any need for the traffic re-routing.

Best choice for value.

I was referred to Magellan's products through use of a friend whom already owns one and I stand by my choice to return my tom tom neither may not be as fast as some, but the Magellan roadmate 1430 with free traffic subscription is the choice to go with and the deal here you can't beat from where I've seen if you can find it anywhere else anymore. Pros: UI (user interface): easy to navigate menus. widescreen certainly comes in handy for scrolling and typing. Automatically traffic detouring. Auto reroute Trip planner / Multiple destinations automatically sorts multiple destinations per trip. Voiced street names announced for every turn including freeways exit/on ramps and oh yeah my favorite the doorbell or chime to alert when exactly your turn is coming up and its balls on accurate every time! Cons: Touch screen response has its moments, but seems to be only when it hasn't warmed up. There is only one (1) way point you can set at a time, but I never seem to mind that since it saves previous addresses for later if you find yourself needing to use them again. no pedestrian mode. Overall I love this model it only has what I need it for and that's GPS! Definitely recommend this product to a friend.

Good Value

30 January 2009 This was a great value, and I am impressed with vendor who shipped promptly and everything was as advertised. One point is Instructions are poorly written on how to add addresses;it took awhile to figure out. Car mounts are poor and when you spend a reasonable amount of money for a GPS [as in this case] and good mount should be included. But this has nothing to do with this Vendor-who I will purchase from again and again. Larry

Excellent choice

I would definitely recommend the Magellan RoadMate 1430 unit. This is our first GPS, and after much research, I decided to go with this one based on the good reviews it has received from users, the features you get for the price, and a great deal that was being offered. I'm very happy with the unit. It does what it says it can do, and without any problems. I still haven't opened the manual yet, because it's so easy to get going. The unit walks you right through it, and you're up and running in no time. Good choice.

Con: Maps/Addresses don't match! (Pro: It talks to you)

The software on the Magellan 1430 is a bit curious, to say the least: Our subdivision, which has been in existence for over 3 years, shows up on their map data, but NOT in the address database. We can't even enter our 'home' address as a starting point, because it doesn't recognize our street as being in existence, even though it shows it clearly on the map portion of the device! What the heck?!?!? It would be much easier to use if I could actually enter my home address as a starting location; other than that, on the "pro" side, it talks to you, so you don't have to try and read a screen while driving (yikes!!) I REALLY hope Magellan gets their software act together soon! If/when they do, this unit would be great, until then its kind of a waste of cash. I would recommend going with Garmon until Magellan can properly synchronize the different types of data information so this unit is actualy usable. What good is having great, up-to-the-minute maps if you can't enter the addresses that correspond with the points on those maps?!?!?

Keyword : magellan

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Magellan Maestro 4000 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Good GPS, bundled accessories are iffy.

The GPS works very well. The maps are old, but that's not a huge deal. My main beef is with the chargers. Neither one fits into the socket on the GPS particularly well, so the battery shutoff reminder is almost constantly being activated. Also, the fuse in the car charger is very fickle, so we've had to replace that more than once already. If it weren't for these issues, it would have been a 5 star review.

Great!

This is a great product! I love it! The only problem I have is that some streets aren't in the system. My current street is not, and I've lived here for two years! Oh well, can't have everything! I love the fact hat I can search by Points of Interest. This is a BIG help!

Great GPS

I brought this for a gift for my husband and we used it the day he got it. It works great and he was pleased with it and so was I. We went to Chicago and got lost because we didn't follow the directions it gave, but it got us back on track and we ended up where we wanted to be pretty quick. After that my husband was convinced that this thing knew what it was doing! I was worried that a refurbished one would be a problem, but so far, so good. I liked saving money and my husband liked the ability to go places without having to download maps, etc.

Inexpensive GPS

Great price. Probably "older" technology or look (I don't know, I'm just guessing -- I wasn't in the market for a GPS but couldn't resist at the price). But quite functional, and the little thing is a lot smarter than I am. Pretty easy to use/figure out, too.

magellan maestro 4000 refurbished

Item arrived with a bad suction cup on the holder but I repaired it. The maps are not updated so many streets, some major, are not intact. Works well but wish the maps were current. Its a 60.00 plus additional purchase for new maps.

Keyword : magellan

Monday, April 6, 2009

Magellan Maestro 3250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

POOR SUPPORT

Magellan will NOT support these refurbished units. This item comes with EXTREMELY OLD maps and software installed and Magellan wants you to pay $80 to upgrade it to the latest version. If this unit was factory refurbished, why doesn't it have the latest software? This unit goes back to Amazon.

Maestro

Maps need updating for additional fee, check Magellan's website. They do support what they sell...

Nice device but old maps. Awful Costumer service.

I bought this device and noticed that it doesn't have the maps of US continental states. I called the costumer service and they told me they would replace the item. they asked me to wait 5 business days for the new device to be delivered and then send the defective one back. But after more than a week I haven't received anything so I called them and they told me I should have sent the defective item first! I complained about what I was told before and they didn't have anything to offer to me but a simple apologies. I sent it back to Amazon and ordered another one which would give me faster access to the new device. The second item worked perfectly although the maps are two versions(years) outdated. So buy this item if you don't care about the old maps or you already have new ones. And if you received defective item return it to Amazon and don't bother calling the costumer service.

Great in USA and PR

I purchased this GPS because I want to use it when I visit Puerto Rico which I did last x-mast and it worked great. The map in the refurbished unit is the 2006 version. To update is almost $90. Don't like the address limiting option, you start entering the street name and only allows certain letters to be entered, I guess that is because they are the only available to complete the st. names that are available from the map, I hate that but not so much to pay more for the updated map. Other than that great GPS. Be advise that the refurbished unit has only 90 days manufacturer warranty.

Magellan 3250 3.5 in.

I did a lot of research on the CPS products. I purchased the Magellan as a christmas gift for my wife. Although she hasn't used it much she was thrilled. It not only does everything she wanted, but it is compact and can be carried in her purse. As a sales person she can finally do away with maps.

Keyword : magellan

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Magellan RoadMate 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

piece of junk

Bought this in Jan. 2009. Didn't receive any instruction that were of use. I could barely read the print on the single sheet of paper. It took me a while to get it out to the car to charge so I didn't use it right away. My mistake. Took it back in the house and programed a couple of routes around town just to see out how it worked. Battery had to be charged again so I left it in the car overnight plugged in and tried to use it the next day. Can't program it now I've reset it several times. It brings me to my location and that's it. Paper road map better than this thing.

LTC

This is the fifth Magellan Gps that I have owned. The first one was a MAP 7000 used in aerial navigation. It weighewd a ton and used 6 double A bateries that had a lifetime of about ten hours. All of the products have been very dependable. In the use of any GPS it is important to fly the plane or drive the car first. Program the GPS using Guggle Earth for land navigation and then listen to the commands, don't bother looking at it. It is very helpful if utiliZed correctly.

Love It!!

I bought this product for my daughter at Xmas. Two weeks later my daughter moved to Washington DC from Indiana. My daughter and I used the new GPS (right out of the package)to start my daughter's search for housing.........WOW! We did NOT even get lost once!!! It is so user friendly that even I had no problems navigating my way around the screens and using the different options to find the nearest Starbucks!! I loved the product so much that when I came home from DC, I bought myself one!! YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG OR GET LOST WITH THIS PRODUCT!!!!

Satellites don't always pick up your location

We live in Minneapolis, and have had several times where the GPS couldn't pick up where we were located, so we couldn't use it to map out our destination. It would stick on a previous location we had been, and even after driving for 30 minutes, it still wouldn't update our location. Each time this has happened it has been plugged into the car charger because the battery was low, so I'm not sure if that affects it, but we have been disappointed that we can't always use it when we want. I would expect that it would pick up our location in a city as large as Minneapolis, even while charging.

two units' battery and power supply went bad in a few months

I had to replace the 1st unit after a few months since it stopped charging. They replaced the cable but then they had to replace the unit. Now, the replacement does the same thing and will not charge. I've had the replacement now for 5 months. Spend a few extra dollars and get a unit that has good hardware components.

Keyword : magellan

Sunday, March 29, 2009

TomTom GO 730 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Tomtom GO 730

This GPS is a little dissappointing for a few reasons. First, the screen does wash out on a bright day, especially if you have light colored upholstery. Second it is not the easiest unit to program. I have a Garmin 350 nuvi and it works a lot easier. Last, this unit does not allow you to remove any address seperately. If you want to remove an address you have to delete all you have programed in your list. I really don't like that, because now I have to reprogram all that I want to keep.

Tom Tom GO 730

Purchased as a refurbished unit. Works & Looks great. GPS function is excellent. Member to member updates provide current map changes. Easy to use. I like to listen to old time radio so i have stored mp3 shows and play back while on the road; meanwhile the TOMTOM is tracking my destination. Map updates occur 4 times a year at a reasonable price, not like Garmin which occurs once a year. Try a Tom Tom GO 730 you'll like it.

Free Map Upgrades! Hear that I said Free Map Upgrades

This is the first TomTom product I have owned and by far the best. I have owned Garmins, Magellans and some QVC special pieces of junk one of which I put in my driveway and ran over repeatedly with my truck. OK So it works and functions extremely well in the Philadelphia region. The latest maps have the latest road construction projects and I use Map Share to update other users and get my own updates. You cant do that with Magellan or Garmin. My garmin was purchased in 2007 and the maps are out of date. Update costs 89.95 to get the 2009 maps. A refurbished TomTom was 150.00. Its a no brainer. With magellan and Garmin you are buying half of a new GPS every year in updates. The only thing I have changed is to a mount that clips into my air conditioning vent rather than the suction cup mount. Thieves commonly look for suction cup marks on windshields and break into cars looking for a GPS or radar detector. The vent mount puts the GPS closer to my old eyes and puts the power cord out of the way. So if you want to save 90 dollars a year in update costs alone the TomTom is the way to go.

great product

Fast to acquire, and accurate. also fast to re calculate if you miss a turn.

refurbished TomTom

This product broke down after 1 week. Thank you for the replacement.Great customer service!!

Keyword : tomtom

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sony NVU84 4.8-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech

Buy a Garmin

I purchased this to replace a Garmin c330. BIG mistake, I am a big fan of Sony products but they have a long way to go to match Garmin! My biggest complaint is when in map view this GPS doesn't show street names, some but very few. I like to use my GPS to explore and this is poor in that area. Also their is no trip history, it is also difficult to zoom in and out, I am going to sell this and buy a Garmin 255w

Keyword : sony+gps

Friday, March 20, 2009

Sony NVU44 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech (Red)

poor performance

I have purchased it as we have a second car after just moving to another state...boy i regret this purchase. In comparison to my Garmin 360 it's like night and day. this sony will guide you through 20 mp/h streets through one family houses neighborhood while there is a highway right next to it, and i'm talking miles of driving. we use it ONLY if it's absolutely necessary. Luckily for me o got it on sale for ~$80 but even then i would recommend to pay a bit more and get garmin instead.

GREAT GPS!

Im a first time GPS owner but I have had this little thing for a few months now and it is indispensable. Don't let its small size fool you, this thing can do just about everything. The only complaint I could make is that the directory for entertainment, food, is largely incomplete. Overall this thing is really great, but I got this product for about $100 elsewhere.

OLD MAP

I bought this GPS thinking it was coming with a SUPER SUCTION CUP mount which would not require a dashboard adhesive disk in order to mount it on the dash. Wrong, unlike the description says, it came with regular windshield suction cup and adhesive disk. So, I'd have to mount it on my windshield and wipe the ring mark off before getting off my car to avoid jerks breaking my car's window to steal gps. Disappointded, but not a huge problem, I thought. My biggest disappointment came from the fact that it came with old map which seem to be several years old and what's worse is that Sony seems not to be willing to update it any time soon. It failed to accept the house numbers of buildings such as 24 hour fitness that I've been going for the last 2 years. Also, POI does not find the WAL-MART which opened more than 2 years ago. It looks like Sony is selling the device with a 2006 map data. I've been using this for 3 days, and I am returning it tomorrow.

Great GPS

Pros: Text to Speech, Split Screen at intersections, Accuracy.... SONY Cons: None so far Having owned 2 TomTom Ones 2nd Editions that did not have Text to Speech, I decided to buy something that did and was fortunate to be able to find 2 of these NV-U44 units last week. I think I bought the last 2 in Jacksonville, FL. I had originally bought 2 of the larger NV-U94T's for $155 each new with the 4.8 inch screen. I thought that they just took up too much room when mounted. Granted, the U94T performed perfectly and the picture was great, but after giving more thought to the fact that I had no need for the Bluetooth or optional monthly fee traffic features, I decided to go with this less expensive little brother Sony U44. While I was impressed with the 94T, the U44 is like the 94T, but in a 3.5" display without Traffic and Bluetooth. The maps are the same as the 94T and are version 2008. That means they have current maps for now, but as new roads are being built....what is current today will be obsolete tomorrow. With the prices of a GPS being driven downward at an astronomical rate, it is almost as cheap in some cases to buy a new unit than to pay to upgrade maps. The text to speech is very nice. You can put it in a cupholder if you want and let it instruct you on turns without even having to mount it on the dash or windshield to view. The U44 is very accurate in directions, speed , mileage and ETA. The touchscreen is responsive. I use a rubber tipped stylus pen from my PDA to speed up the process and tap the numbers, etc. That helps since my fingers are big and I can tap one key at a time much faster. If you are looking for a great GPS, you will not go wrong with this unit. My gut feeling is that Sony is getting out of the GPS business. They had these on their website for $79.99 and their other units reduced anywhere from 50% to 70% within 5 months of coming out in production. All have been cleared out and posted as no longer available. I bought mine new for $59.99 each(regular price $249.99), but I suspect that since Sony no longer carries them that the price is being driven up on the web. I see them ranging in price online from $69 to $250.

Excellent Navigator

The Sony NVU44 is excellent. It is accurate and easy to use. I use it daily at home in Ohio and it worked perfectly on a recent vacation to Hawaii.

Keyword : sony+gps

Sony NVU74T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech

Best Gps for the money

Pros: price,great poi seaches,updates from sony Cons: Documentation on use is bad. Have to read detailed user guide and play with the unit to get to the advance features. Menus and interface could be better Summary: I spent about two week looking for a good gps that would not break my bank and still have good features with technical support. I bought a Mio 200, Magellan 4250- refurbished, and Navigon 2000s.I returned them all. This Sony unit was the best purchase and had the latest maps and software available. Bluetooth is the excellent. You can pair as many phones as you want and then select one for use. I still have not figure out how to work the gesture command- I will call Sony-no big deal. Directions are great and it rerouting is fast (after I preformed a firmware update.) POI search is the best that I have seen and gives the latest phone number on the screen to call from the gps. If you like a gadget with a lot features this is for you. Non technical persons could be overtake by all the functions but should be able to use the basics to get from point A to B Not bad for $149.99. I would recommend this device to all.

THE BEST GPS IN THE MARKET

I love this GPS,easy to use,my hand free phone calls come out extra clear,using the Fm connection is fear,"not the best",any way this unit is great for the money.

Keyword : sony+gps

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Garmin nüvi 885T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct Service

I love everything about this GPS

This is the first time I write a review on amazon and thats because I very much loved this GPS. This GPS is excellent in every way... I have no problems with it at all... got free update for the newest version of the map and firmware... The sound is fairly loud the voice recognition works great even with my English accent as English is my 2nd language... Buy It You Will Not Regret also buy the (Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount) Instant of the windshield mount that comes with it the Friction Mount is much better.

Amazing unit!

I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews regarding all of the top gps units, but always kept coming back to Garmin! I own two Garmin GPS units, one for my bicycle, and a hand held, and have had great experiences with them both. This unit does exactly what it says with very little complaints from me! The basics, such as maps and directions, have been great...has not let me down with directions and quickly recalculating when needed. The extra stuff that this unit offers is what I bought this for, such as the MSN goodies. The traffic is great, sice I live in a servicing area, Albany NY, it is accurate and timely (although we typically do not have the bad traffic as other cities), the weather is a nice touch, with the radar being a cool thing to show off! The gas prices, movies, airport all work well and are another great feature. I was able to upload the current map software from my laptop at home with no problem, and I will probably buy the map update option as well. The hands free is amazing, just a touch of a button with the device mounted on my steering wheel and I can control every aspect of the unit, and it works great even in my fairly loud Honda Civic. I love this feature, it allows you to toggle through menu's or go directly to what you want in a touch of a button, never taking your eyes off the road. I use the fm transmitter becuase I use the music player, and have no complaints. I have no problems getting a good FM signal, I just 106.9 and it is loud and clear. The music player works great too, and I can access it via hands free as well! The music will fade down and the voice of the GPS will chime in over to inform you of where you need to be going. I also use the bluetooth works great with my iPhone. When my unit is turned on it automatically connects to my phone, and it works great to make calls, imports the phone book, and you can use hands free to find a number to call. I am not able to access text messenging via the GPS, but that's no big deal for me. I did have a problem with the mount falling off of my window a few times, but making sure it is clean and moistening it a bit seemed to do the trick. We are taking a long car trip in a few weeks, looking forward to seeing how it handles then, we are traveling through a lot of MSN coverage areas, so I look forward to seeing how it makes the transitions and displays traffic and weather. I'll repost when I get back. Great unit, amazing capabilities, and a lot of fun!

Otherwise beautiful GPS ruined by poor telephone implementation

If you are like most people who use a GPS in their cars, you will want one that allows you to talk on your cell phone through the GPS. Just buy one that has blue tooth, right? Unlike on my prior GPS, the Nuvi 680, my Blackberry Storm coupled with the Nuvi 885T sounds terrible, like the voices are under water. Although other features like lane assist and voice commands are major improvements over prior generations, the phone sound quality makes this a major disappointment.

A Great Unit

Over the years, I've owned nine Garmin GPS units. I've used them for sailing, hiking, horseback riding, geocaching, driving a charter bus and limousines, and on my own vehicles. Based on my experience and Garmin's support, I don't even consider any other brand. But I still do my homework before I buy any unit. My wife and I usually find ourselves deciding to do something or go somewhere while we're already driving, so I thought the voice recognition Nuvi 885T would be a good idea. But I was concerned about reviews stating the unit's volume was too low and the remote didn't fit steering wheels. I also noted the mention of a free map update that wasn't. I telephoned Garmin, and as always, spoke with an American speaking English without an accent. They took the time to explain the volume controls to me and warned that there were two volume controls. They also took the time to measure the opening of the remote so I felt comfortable it would fit on my car. I bought the unit. The unit worked perfectly right out of the box and I was amazed at how fast it acquired satellites inside my house. The quick start instructions are well written and easy to follow and I soon had the unit connected to the internet and Garmin so its software could be updated, and the map could be updated as well - free. I can also update the map free again if Garmin updates the map within 60 days after the first update. The remote also fit the leather-bound steering wheel on my 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport with room to spare. We found the volume on the unit adequate as long as the radio wasn't turned up too loud. Then we had fun with the unit. It works as advertised and it solved our problem of inputting destinations while we were driving without leaning forward to touch the screen. The lane assist pictures are awesome, but I wished they would stay on the screen just a little longer (so I could show them off). The roadway speed limits on the screen are great. We even got a traffic alert from MSN without a destination programmed into the unit. The only disappointment I had so far is that Garmin is allowing customers to download its Eco-routing software free, but it's not compatible with the Nuvi 885T - yet.

Cutting edge as of March, 2009

I wrote a scathing review on the Garmin 785t. A Garmin CSR replaced the original 785t with a new 785t which was worse. In a surprise move, they replaced the second 785t with the 885t. This unit is awesome and I very highly recommend it. In our family we have a Garmin 250 and a 880. The 885t's voice recognition is superior to the 880. Satellite acquisition is on par with the fastest of my experience and the need for recalculating was recognized within 2 seconds of passing the recommended turn. Graphics are top drawer and in my opinion, well superior to Tom Tom (before buying a Tom Tom, monitor the current suit brought by Microsoft against Tom Tom for OS patent infringement). I am also pleased at the responsiveness of Garmin's CSR staff. All I did was explain the continuing problems and they spontaneously offered the 885t as a replacement. At a time when customer service is suffering from reduced staff due to budget cuts, Garmin did the right thing here and have won a loyal customer for now. The nuvi 885t is a cutting edge unit at a fair market price. Will likely retire the 250 in place of a second 885t shortly.

Keyword : garmin

Sony NVU44 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech (Gun Metallic)

poor performance

GREAT GPS!

OLD MAP

Great GPS

Excellent Navigator

The Sony NVU44 is excellent. It is accurate and easy to use. I use it daily at home in Ohio and it worked perfectly on a recent vacation to Hawaii.

Keyword : sony+gps

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Garmin Colorado 300 Bilingual Handheld GPS Unit with North American Maps

Colorado 300 is a Good Value for the Money.

I have had a lot of experiences with GPS units and systems. It seems that a lot of people are expecting too much from these inexpensive GPS units. None of the relatively low cost handhelds that I have used or tried come with detailed maps. You are not going to be able to get Google Earth levels of detail in a handheld GPS, at least not today. With optional map software you can get good details of limited areas. That said, I do take issue with every handheld GPS manufacturer's inference that useable Maps are included with their units. The Garmin 300 is described as "with North American Maps". True but it will only show Main Roads. If you were expecting your street to show up, you will be disappointed. I knew this would be the case so I did not factor the lack of detail into my rating score. I bought it for accuracy, a useable compass and primarily for tracking while trail riding. The Colorado 300 that I bought worked properly right out of the box. It quickly acquired satellites and determined position correctly. I never had to use the manual, all the functions were easy to use and understand (but probably not for a novice GPS user). I really like the menu wheel and its functionality. Easy and quick to get to any of the functions and settings. One function that worked much better than early GPS units was the Compass. The Compass in the Colorado works in any position, all the others that I had with a Compass required it be level to the ground. I am surprised that one reviewer said they were able to use an 8gb SD card as Garmin says the Colorado 300 will only accept a 4gb non-HC SD card. Garmin said that HC SD cards are unreliable if used in the Colorado 300. I cannot find a 4gb non-HC SD card, Garmin's response was to use a 2gb non-HC SD Card. At this point though, I am not planning on buying any additional map software but perhaps later.

Just What I Expected

I've been using GPS for quite a few years now. I actually started off learning on Survey Grade GPS (for work of course), and it peaked my interest and before long I had received my first consumer grade GPS. Since then I have went through several models with my most recent purchase being the Garmin Colorado 300. For me, the price was right, and since I already owned the Garmin MapSource TOPO maps, it didn't make much since to purchase a higher model with the same maps already included. I have used the unit for a couple of weeks now, and feel I have gotten in enough use to write a short review. Initial impressions of the unit out of the box where that it looks well constructed, with a large screen, and easy to get to buttons. I quickly installed the batteries, and let it find it's first satellites and get it's location. I then proceeded to go through the menus, locating where everything was, and getting myself acquainted with the GPS. I found it to be fairly intuitive, easy to use, and the menus were easy to locate. I actually learned to navigate through everything fairly quickly. I suspect it has something to do with previous use of GPS units, and being somewhat familiar with basic GPS menu configurations. Some of my friends who have previous GPS experience also found navigating the menus of the unit to be fairly easy as well. For someone new to GPS, I can understand all the new icons, menus, shortcuts, etc. being intimidating or confusing. It is a little more than a turn on and play type device, something I think many people have gotten use to from using digital cameras, MP3 players, and other user friendly electronics. A first use with a GPS can be a little tough, there are a lot of new terms and ideas to learn, but it's an easy learning curve that only takes a short time to begin to understand. The basemap was just what I expected. I'm afraid that many of the disappointments in GPS unit basemaps are that many people expect map levels found in dedicated navigation units. Something that will be hard to find in a handheld recreational use unit. Different uses require different maps, and it's always going to be hard to satisfy everyone. Something that Garmin is itself working on, with the 400t, 400c, and 400i units. You can now by hand held GPS units that have included topo maps, coastal maps, and inland lake and river maps. A huge step up from having to buy a GPS unit, and then buy a separate set of maps to load to the GPS. I, myself, already owned the separate TOPO maps, so just purchased the base model. I found that loading the maps to the GPS was fairly easy and straight forward. Once loaded the maps are rendered very nicely, with 3-d views also available. I have also been able to run Pocket Queries from [...] and load the GPX file that [...] sends directly to the Colorado. Making Paperless geocaching a snap. I found the process rather easy, and it adds a whole new spin to geocaching. With just the press of a button I have the cache details in front of me, and with another press of a button I can look at the past five logs, or the hint. So far, this has been one of the greatest features of the GPS. The only real downfall I have with the GPS is battery life. I only got about 10 hours out of a set of Duracell AA Alkalines. A real drop considering I'm use to getting close to 30 hours out of my eTrex Legend HCx on the same type of batteries. I have since bought a set of rechargeable 2500 maH Ni-MH batteries to use, and have been seeing better times out of those. In general my likes are: large screen size, uses regular SD Card, Geocaching capabilities, the ease of use after the small learning curve. Dislikes: Short battery life, screen can be hard to see at times with backlight off. I would (and have) recommend this GPS to my friends.

Great Product

This a great gps if you are out there camping or simply on the road this you may want to buy.

Not as good as Expected

Product i received had problem staying up. It abruptly shutdown without warning fewminutes after power up. Amazon sent me a replacement. The replacement fared better But after a couple of days wouldn't work saying "Cannot find system software" OR "Missing system software". I am trying to work it out with the customer support.

New generation of Garmin GPSs

I've used two other Garmin outdoor GPS before and I was expecting this new device. After a month of using, I'm almost decided to switch back to Garmin 60 CSx. Colorado +: - display - gc listings - holders (car, bike) - wig Colorado -: - battery consumption - gc listings (listing is sometimes bad formated) - roller, buttons, menus (60 CSx is much more powerful and faster to control, search...) So if you need listings/wig then buy Colorado. In case having PDA or smartphone, take 60 CSx...

Keyword : garmin