Well, I finally decided on the Garmin Nuvi 360. Yes, the Lowrence screen is very good but the UI of the Garmin was so much easirer to use. The bluetooth is an added bonus along with an MP3 player.

It is convienient to have the battery power when you are setting up a route away from the car. Satellite acquisition is very quick. Mounting in a MINI is dead simple, just attach to the face of the speedo, as Poiman showed. That keeps it easy to see and operate for either the driver or navigator. The built in antenna seems to be all that is needed for a steady signal.

Driving thru the forests where the roads are under a complete canopy does not seem to effect it either. The word to voice annoncements are great. However, if you miss your turns a few times and make it recalculate your path the female voice seems to get a little peeved. I swear I hear her heave a sigh as she says "Recalculating" for the 3rd or 4th time. I'm thinking of trying a different voice.

 

I just bought the same unit for the same reasons. I've got a couple of road trips scheduled for the near future to try out its features and usefulness. Thanks also to Poiman for his recommendations.

 

I use my Dell X51v pocket pc linked via bluetooth to a GloablaSat BT-338 GPS. It works great and the Dell rides in the add-on cupholder.

Just my .02,

Richard

 

I picked up the Blackbird last week. The weather has been rainy for the past 4 or 5 days (I can't remember anymore), so I have not had the chance to really play with it yet. I mounted mine on the left hand side of the driver, right behind the inspection stickers. I was able to successfully mount the unit in the lower console, but the signal was not that great. An optional external antenna will solve that problem. So for now I have it mounted in the window. In the meantime, here are my thoughts for driving around the city (NYC).

The device takes a couple of minutes to lock in a GPS signal. I attribute the long start up time to rainy and cloudy weather (Enough rain already!). Once the GPS is locked in, the tracking is very good. I love the POI's as you're driving through Manhattan. Not that I need any help finding good restaurants in the city. Certain streets and areas light up like Christmas trees. You have to zoom in to 250ft. (maximum zoom) to view POI's individually because all the icons overlap @ 500ft or less. In the city, I prefer driving with the zoom @ 500ft. This allows me to see upcoming streets and intersections. So far I have planned (1) route successfully and the Blackbird got me there and back without incident. I have a few road trips planned (outside the city) before the end of the year, so I'll be able to report back more then. -m

 

I have always been a fan of Garmin products.....the 2620 that I have right now is almost 3 years old and it has been very reliable and I have never had any issues with it. The internal clock on it says that it has been in use for over 723 hours. I only use it on trips and such so thats pretty good for a hard drive based NAV unit.

I am sure I will use it for MTTS a little bit.

 

Hopper, I bought the same dell last year. How long have you used the gps ? I was debating on whether I should take that route, or just buy a dedicated gps. Suggestions?

 

I also bought the Nucvi 350 GREAT GPS with text to speech too (name of the street given during bverbal directions!

When in Calif, I nount it like Poiman did (on the Speedo) since the no suction cup law went in.

Suggestion: Do not leave the suction cup mounted to the windshield in the head...will melt the rubber leaving some on the windshield and rendering the Mount useless sometimes...told Garmin and they sent a new mount out in a week...they knew all about it! great service...

 

This is the best unit i have had (garmin), and fits great in the corner. No need for external antenna, and is also in reach without having to take my eyes of the road.

 

I have my garmin Nuvi in the corner of my car

 

The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx makes for a pretty good in car GPS unit.
http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap60csx/

My friend has one of these and it has all the road mapping technology and features of the larger GPS units (minus touch screen), but at a fraction of the cost. It's also portable so you can use it out of the car as well (similar to the Garmin Nuvi). It's listed at $535 (which is still cheaper than in car models), but can be found online for $400 or less (my friend got his for $350).

 

Here's a picture of how I installed my Garmin Nuvi 360:



I used a harness from NewMiniStuff to add a power port into the corner of my euro parcel shelf. It's nicely within reach, works well with my bluetooth phone for hands-free calling and doesn't obscure much of my sightline.