So, being a complete and total nut about GPS I have always had several different GPS units. Recently, I have gone through Garmin's GPS III+, Etrex Vista, GPSMAP 76s, Quest, NUVI 360, and RINO 530. I still have the NUVI and the RINO (GMRS Radio, GPS, and compass/altimeter all rolled into one unit!)

But in my neverending search for cool gadgets, I bought a Nokia N95, their Symbian-based Smartphone with... da, da, da, built-in GPS! Of course Nokia wants you to license their maps, constantly accesses the internet to download them and charges like $100 a year for the system, on what was already a $600 phone. Enter Garmin to the rescue in the form of Mobile Xt. This is Garmin's software that turns almost any device running Palm OS, Symbian or Windows Mobile into a NUVI-like GPS. The device needs either a built-in GPS module or bluetooth with access to a bluetooth GPS. I have included some photos below so you can see how the package looks on the N95. It uses the same map data as the NUVI, and comes complete with maps of North America on a 2gb sd card for about $85 ($99 retail). So far, I have managed to get the voice to play through the MINI's stereo, and via bluetooth audio to my Z3 Coupe. Routing, features etc are similar to the NUVI with one major difference... internet access. With Garmin Online, the phone will connect and grab gps related 'stuff' for you... like... where the least expensive gas stations are relative to your position, and traffic information such as accidents, construction and slow driving spots, very useful. You can also navigate to contacts stored on the phone, and use other Garmin Mapsource products like Topographic maps and Bluechart series nautical charts, making this little piece of software very useful. The Mobile XT even supports Garmin's vehicle format, so, yes, when the Nokia is in the MINI, there is a little MINI in sparkling silver and white on the screen. With so many people carrying around Treos, Windows Mobile devices (and to some extent Symbian phones) Garmin Mobile XT offers a pretty viable alternative to buying a dedicated GPS, especially if your existing smartphone has one built-in. Give it a try, it's well worth it. One last thing... the software compares to NUVI 200 series GPSes, not 300 and above, so it tells you to "Turn Right in 500 feet", but not "Turn right on St. Asaph street in 500 feet"... so no speaking of street names. It's not really a big deal, but something to be aware of.

N95 Loading Garmin Mobile XT for Symbian Smart Phones



The N95 ready to navigate, complete with a little MINI!






List of gas stations found using Garmin-online that offer the cheapest premium fuel...

 

That's pretty cool gadget. You'll be interested in checking out Garmin's Nuvifone when it comes out later this year.

 

I'd be scared to put my Garmin GPS 45 against that.



Great unit, but just a little past it's prime. I do have the optional external antenna and RS-232 data cable though.

 

I've got a GPS-45 as well, with a flakey display... Looking at new ones. I like the larger display (nuvi 205w, 250w, 660) and see a lot of reconditioned units on eBay -- if you want to roll the dice on reconditioned, you can pick up a nuvi 660 for around $300.

I'll keep searching the NAM threads to see if I can find answers to the questions I have (such as where does the GPS antenna run).

Cheers--

 

Amazon has the Nuvi 750 for $365 or so. Nice big screen on that one.

 

I am getting ready to try Mobile Xt on an HTC Advantage windows mobile pda soon. Will post some pics and info when I get it set up.