[Shop-talk] GPS experiences ?

[Nolan]

The Garmin 60 series is a hand held hiking unit.  I almost bought the 60CSx 
a few months ago.  Lots of usefullness for hiking, geocaching, hunting and 
the likes.  Not so usefull for dashboard use on a  car.  While it will do 
it, it will do so rather poorly.  I didn't chose the Garmin in the end 
because you pay dearly for the necessary maping software, and the maping 
resolution isn't so hot compared to the competition.

I did chose the DeLorme PN-20, which is a comparable hiking unit to the 
Garmin 60 series.  No faster than the Garmin, but the maping software is 
vastly superior and it costs a good bit less.  It's worked just fine for me. 
DeLorme has now come out with the PN-40, which is comparatively a rocket.

All of which are navigational dogs for a car zipping down the highway. 
Since you mention TomTom, none of these units compare favorably to a TomTom 
for fast changing map displays, turn by turn navigation and such.  It's an 
apples and oranges thing.  The TomTom isn't going to give you the creeks and 
hiking trails and topography of the handheld units.  Nor is it waterproof. 
So you really need to ask yourself what you want from one of these units.

I've poked around with various dashboard car units on displays.  I'd like to 
like one of the Magelans.  They are fast, the interface is very intuitive. 
But they weirdly drop and add roads as you zoom in and out.  I don't mean 
simply dropping secondary roads as you zoom out, but sporatically droping 
various interstate highways and the like as you go through various levels. 
Friends have Garmin dashboard units, and they seem to work well also.  It 
does seem to me that the simpler units are easier to operate, without 
getting lost in menues.  But turn by turn directions seem like a darn nice 
feature.