Just the basics - exactly what I need!

This is my first GPS. I have known relatives and friends with GPS devices, from the original mount-on-dash type to the newest voice activated, custom installed units. I finally decided to join them, and get my own GPS navigation unit in early January, 2008. Not really knowing what I was doing, I did a good amount of research, compared and contrasted the good and bad points of the various units, then bought whatever the store had in stock (LOL). Thankfully, I hooked up with a good salesman and I ended up getting the perfect GPS for my needs.

I travel a lot for business, and I am always going to a location where I've never been, and I will likely only return about once per year. So, it's tough to commit the location and directions to memory with such infrequent visits. I had decided to get a GPS - the only remaining question was which one?

There are two major players in the low to middle segment GPS market (at least at the local box-stores I frequent). Garmin and Tom-Tom. Both are very similar in features, memory and layout. Garmin (as a brand) is known as having the best maps for the USA, vs Tom-Tom (which is preferable in Europe). The units themselves are very similar, with widescreen design, touch screens to navigate through the menus, points of interest, and the ability to updates as things change. The key differentiator was the map quality and updates (and I'm in the USA). So, I decided on the Garmin.

First, what I like about it: Touch widescreen display, easy to read and self-adjusting the screen brightness for daytime and night-time. Older models have a square design, rather than widescreen. Not sure which is better, but I liked the idea of having more screen real estate.

The menu system took a little getting used to, but I now think it is the most efficient way to get around all the functions available.

It is small and thin enough to take with you on a plane ride, or even walking around a city (if you don't mind the "tourist" looks). It stays locked on the satellites once it finds them, and it is easy to save a location in memory, for future visits. It also routes quickly and accurately in my experience.

The only gripe I have (and this may be true of all GPS technology). I have a hard time getting a satellite signal in cities. It is especially problematic when you park in a parking garage (so the GPS system loses where it is), then you pull out on a street and wait for the GPS to tell you where to go. Unfortunately, due to all the buildings around, it can't find its way for a while, so you end up driving around the city waiting for it to pick up the satellites rather than driving to your destination. As I said, this is probably true of all GPS technology currently. But - this is really the only downfall I have found in my 6 months of usage.

It comes with a suction cup to attach to the windshield or (if law prohibits that) it also has a small adhesive circle, to attach to your dash, then put the suction cup on that. The suction cup is great - it has a locking mechanism, and I don't think anything could pull that thing off the windshield when it's locked. The only downside to that is it leaves little doughnut sized marks on the windshield, which might be an invitation to thieves. There are also aftermarket dashboard mounts, which probably would be better - but I have grown used to the suction cup technique.

This model also will become a traveling picture frame - if you put an SD card in, it will display the pictures on it. I haven't used this feature, but I might...

Finally, the one thing that this does not have (which might be nice for some) is the street name reading. What I mean is this - this model says "turn left in 100 feet" - if it had the street name reading, it would say "turn left on Manhattan Ave". I knew this going in, and still opted for the less expensive model, because I figured it didn't matter. For my use, I'm glad I saved the couple hundred dollars and opted for the lower end model - it does everything I need.