Whistler WGPX-550

I've had my WGPX-550 for about a month and have used it both in my local area (Atlanta) and while traveling around the country.

The unit is small enough to put in your shirt pocket. Its rectangular shape and slim design make this easy.

A full battery charge should get you about 6 hours of GPS if you limit the backlight to 1 minute. You can adjust the backlighting for battery and plugged in modes separately.

The screen is bright and easily zoomed in and out.

While initialization from a cold start can take 2 minutes, once it's fired up the unit works well.

I had difficulties with the SD card (1 Gb) and Whistler sent me a replacement at no charge, including a postage prepaid envelope to return the original SD card.

The unit comes with an AC charger (transformer and separate USB cable), and a DC charger (power cord, suction-cup bracket & arm, charging cradle). The car assembly bracket works well and is very flexible.

Travel bag is separate purchase (though less than $10). I also use a plastic pencil case to protect the unit in my carry-on luggage.

The number of points of interest (POIs) is limited due to the size of the SD card, and there is no reverse phone number look up feature that some in-dash GPS units provide.

The system also supports audio files (MP3s only) and photos (JPGs only), but with less than 100 Mb on the 1 Gb SD card available, these are very limited features.

I've tried several portable and in-dash units. Other than the Honda unit, I like this one better than the other portables.

Look for a price in the mid- to high-$300s