Garmin StreetPilot 2620

GPS experts point to the Street Pilot's accuracy and reliability. There is a touch screen menu and you will get text and voice response. The display is clear and defined, backlit for easy reading in any light and its database of POI (points of interest) is jam packed. Unfortunately your wallet needs to be jam packed as it is one of the priciest of the consumer's options. It has two mounting options, a bean baggy kind of holder or a dashboard mount and comes with a remote for ease in data input.

The StreetPilot includes a 2.2 GB compact flash hard drive for all your mapping needs and if you happen to navigate your way into one of the local ponds, the StreetPilot will stay operable for 30 minutes under water. You have 500 waypoint options, and can ask for the best route to connect to a number of errand stops or how to get there avoiding the backed up state highway.

The StreetPilot c330 is Garmin's answer to Magellan's RoadMate 700 and prices in at under $1,000. It's a nicely compact (and light at just under 10 oz.) out of the box system mounted via a suction cup to the windshield and a "keep it simple, stupid" mentality we all need when driving and navigating at the same time. Almost all functions are on the touch screen except for the all important volume and power controls.

Garmin offers changeable face plates for the c330 so you can coordinate with your varying car interiors as well as a waterproof carrying case to keep out errant moisture. It has the usual features showing you where you are at the moment, the signal strength and ability to view maps on the screen and a special recent selections option so you don't have to re-enter locations. You can plug it in to your cigarette lighter for power, or power it via a lithium-ion battery and take it with you on a long (4 hours) walk in the city.

Garmin has also introduced the GPS V Deluxe, a small dash mounted IVNS with 19 MB of memory. You can store 50 routes once you download the necessary data from your computer and the included CD is particularly good for city traveling with street level shots of nearly every city in the United States. Although the standard GPS V allows you access to just one section of the country, the Deluxe version allows you to unlock the whole country. To encourage both car and pedestrian travel, the GPS V includes a wrist strap, detachable antenna and can be powered by 4 AA batteries.