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7
stars
Best gps? don't think so
by cardfan1212
on
July 26, 2005
Pros: Big screen
Cons: no remote, harddrive
Summary: I looked at one of these but returned it and got a Garmin 2610 from Amazon at around 500-600 dollars. (or look at Garmin 2620 for around 600-700 with a ...
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Summary: I looked at one of these but returned it and got a Garmin 2610 from Amazon at around 500-600 dollars. (or look at Garmin 2620 for around 600-700 with a built in harddrive). It should be noted though that harddrives aren't as durable as CF storage found on the Garmin 2610.
What can this unit do that the Garmin can't? 3d maps and MP3's. Since i didn't like the 3d look that's no big deal. And I'm not quite sure why an MP3 player is a big deal. It doesn't hook up to your car stereo. You won't take this device around with you like a walkman. You'll have to settle for a crappy speaker that's good enough for spoken directions but not music.
On the other hand the Garmin does everything else and some others such as multiple destinations, has a remote, better support, and is much cheaper.
So while this is certainly a good solution for those without a GPS right now, its hardly the best one that leaves Garmin and others in the dust as CNET said in its review..
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148 out
of 175 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
BEST GPS I found. PERIOD!
by akramy
on
June 27, 2005
Pros: Large screen, MP3 player, great interface
Cons: Some delay when you turn the unit on.
Summary: I went shopping for GPS in February. While this unit was not rated I decided to try it out for the ýfeatures. IT IS AMAZING, to say the least. A ...
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Summary: I went shopping for GPS in February. While this unit was not rated I decided to try it out for the ýfeatures. IT IS AMAZING, to say the least. A ton of features and you can customize most of them.
A generous 20GB Hdd to start with. 10GB dedicated to maps and POI (Points Of Interest) and ýanother 10GB for MP3s. Mounting the unit is a breeze (all mounting options are included) I ýrecommend you download the upgrade from the Lowrance's website.
I took it for a test in FL, OH, and recently from NJ to NC and back and this unit performed like a ýchamp.
Here are some Nifty features that they don't tell you about:
ý1) 3 display settings for best viewing during the different times of the day.
ý2) Customizable on screen options (you can choose to display time of arrival, speed, current local ýdate and time, etc...) and much much more. The 5" screen allows for that.
ý3) The onscreen keyboard makes life a lot simpler for putting in an address. A lot simpler than ýother models I have seen in friends' cars
ý4) The 3D display (when you download the upgrade release 12/28/04 Version 1.3.0) makes it ýeasier to navigate with.
ý5) Re-routing is GREAT when you choose not to follow the directions.
ý
But, here are some (not so great)
ý1) every once in a blue moon, the voice doesn't match the instructions on the screen
ý2) I would love to have a multi-destination option where I can put more than one destination and it ýwould map a best option route.
ý3) I would love to have an option to bypass a certain road on the direction list.ý
ý4) In most cases when you turn the unit on, it takes less than a minute to find current location. In ýrare cases it may take more than that (weather sometimes affects it)
ý
Aside from these 4 points, its a GREAT buy. Bottom line is, I RECOMEND.ý
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79 out
of 81 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Far Better Than Some have Said Here
by cgeary2
on
December 30, 2005
Pros: Large Screen, Intuitive Controls
Cons: Not as many extras as some, but still is a great buy
Summary: I spent 4 months researching car navigation systems and read almost every review here and at other sites. Now that I have a 500c and given it a real workout, ...
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Summary: I spent 4 months researching car navigation systems and read almost every review here and at other sites. Now that I have a 500c and given it a real workout, it is one fantastic system and I wholeheartedly recommend it. For those of us with older eyes that don't focus so well, the larger screen is great & very easy to read, plus it's real nice being able to see more of the surroundings when navigating.
One of the complaints I read here was some difficulty of keeping a lock on the satellites. It turns out other gps units all had the same complaints in their reviews, so I bought an external antenna to put on the roof of the vehicle. I was locked on to 11-12 satellites at all times except when I drove into a forest. I thought the unit would get confused, but it kept giving me progress reports that were accurate. If you buy any gps unit, get an external antenna...it's really worth it.
I drove up the coast on a long trip and the road was washed out in 3 places. I simply drove off on a side road and the unit quickly re-routed me around the problem and back on to the highway. Other people detouring were lost, but not us!
All along the trip it gives timely advanced notification of what the next turn will be. Someone here complained about the "keep right" voice, like what does that mean? Here's what the unit tells you. If you are on a multi-lane road it's telling you which lane you need to stay in to be prepared for the next turn-off. That was so helpful going through the spagetti tangle of 4 freeways in north Oakland that have both left and right exit ramps. I missed one ramp simply because I didn't believe what the 500c told me. As soon as I passed the ramp I was ticked off, but it only took abot 6 seconds for it to re-route me through a nifty sequence of turns that I never could have found for myself and I was back on track amazingly quickly.
There are so many other cool things this unit does that I don't have space to write about here. Find Lodging, Find Restaurants, Find Everything buttons work so amazingly well. It even had stored all the names of the antique shops I wanted to go to! I will say this, most of the complaints you read about are solved if one reads the owners manual. Lowrance is a very user-sensitive company, and it shows that they try to improve their product according to what their customers want. Free upggrades online, unlike some manufacturers who charge to upgrade, is one example. Lowrance upgraded their POI file to 5 million, so the complaint of too few in the reviews is gone.
My wife hates gizmos, and the more expensive they are, the more she hates them. After our trip she said "This thing has more than paid for itself in my opinion." There you have it, guys.
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62 out
of 63 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Almost Perfect
by Ymail
on
June 28, 2005
Pros: Bright...ease of use...large display
Cons: Freeze ups!
Summary: Great unit so easy to use I can lend it to friends without the instruction booklet. I have made several trips over 10,000 miles up and down the east ...
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Summary: Great unit so easy to use I can lend it to friends without the instruction booklet. I have made several trips over 10,000 miles up and down the east coast with this unit. Cons: Every so often it will freeze up for several minutes especially in hilly areas. Destinations are on the opposite side of the street as to what the unit states(no big deal). Overall a great unit...definately reccommend this one!
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24 out
of 30 users found this user opinion helpful.
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8
stars
Great GPS Display - bad audio
by gbrent
on
July 30, 2005
Pros: Beautiful display
Cons: High pitch squeal when audio used.
Summary: I love this GPS. The display is big and easy to use. Touch screen is a plus. Has same problem as all GPS's in that it often routes you ...
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Summary: I love this GPS. The display is big and easy to use. Touch screen is a plus. Has same problem as all GPS's in that it often routes you via indirect routes. But the audio has a high pitch squeal that neither the mfr or I can get rid of. Very annoying when trying to use either the music or voice direction function.
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14 out
of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
One of The Best Automotive GPS Out There
by Acupuncture
on
September 1, 2005
Pros: Excellent Navigation, Easy to Use, Simple to Install, 20GB HD
Cons: Unit Shakes If Not Resting On Flat Surface, Power Cord Too Short
Summary: Without a doubt, this is one of the finest automotive GPS units I have every come across. First, this unit has a built in 20GB HD, 10 of which is ...
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Summary: Without a doubt, this is one of the finest automotive GPS units I have every come across. First, this unit has a built in 20GB HD, 10 of which is available for MP3s. Now, the most imporant aspect of this is the ability to update the POI database, and in fact, there was recently a 555mb(!) update released for the unit. This goes a long way in showing Lorance is keen on keeping systems up to date. Secondly, the unit is extremely easy to use. I found the voice-based navigation to be extremely useful. All in all, this is a fantastic purchase and you will not be dissapointed.
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15 out
of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
much better than my ipaq cf gps
by mrbigshot
on
August 2, 2005
Pros: big bright screen plus mp3 player
Cons: slow usb v 1.1
Summary: i have been using a ipaq with a gps cf card before i got the iway.....what a difference. the screen on the iway is very good even for my ...
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Summary: i have been using a ipaq with a gps cf card before i got the iway.....what a difference. the screen on the iway is very good even for my 52 year old eyes. the screen is big and bright even in direct sunlight. it is easy to set up and find an address. since i live in a big city, it sometimes takes a while to lock the gps signal but that was the same for the ipaq too. i'm considering the external antenna. the big plus is the mp3 player. i normally use my ipod in the car and this fits all my music on the 10gig hard drive partition. while some people say the sound is bad, that must be a result of using the supplied inline speaker on the power adapter. but let's face it, the speaker is small and really ment for the voice commands. since my car has a cassette player, i got an adapter at radio shack for $20.00 that allows the sound to play through my car stereo and it is very good. the iway comes with a cable to directly connect to the car stereo, but it looks like a fairly involved procss, so make sure you know what your doing. i also like the fact that the voice instructions pause the music when they are given so i don't miss a turn. since the usb transfer is only 1.1, if you have a lot of music to sync on the iway, be prepared to let it go for about 2 hours for 5gig of music. the mp3 player interface is very basic, but that doesn't bother me. perhaps when they do an upgrade on the software, a more robust player will be included. my only gripe so far is that i can't (or it's not possible) figure out how to pre-plan an trip at home and save it on the iway. this way all i'd have to do is load it in when i leave. from what i can tell, all the maping has to be done on the fly. so if you want to drive cross country, you can't set it up at home. the mounting suction cup is good but the unit weighs about 2 pounds so it's best if you have it resting on the dash at the same time. otherwise it bounces around like a bobblehead doll. all in all i am very happy with my iway 500c
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11 out
of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
A 'must have' toy!
by cutterms
on
July 29, 2005
Pros: Large screen, mostly very accurate mapping
Cons: Occasionally identifies destinations on the wrong side of the road.
Summary: We have been extremely impressed with the abilities of this device. Finding nearby gas stations and restaurants on long journeys has made life a lot less stressful.
Some visiting friends ...
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Summary: We have been extremely impressed with the abilities of this device. Finding nearby gas stations and restaurants on long journeys has made life a lot less stressful.
Some visiting friends left us the other day wishing they had known of the iWay before they bought a Tom Tom for just $100 less.
The greatest bonus so far has been the iWay's ability to show us in great detail our position on a lake so we can find our way round all the coves back to the ramp. Of course, in the boat it can also keep track of our speed and trip time etc.
The only request I would make of Lowrance relates to the female guide voice. It may be my imagination but she does seem to get quite cross if I go off route and she has to recalculate. Do this several times and she gets quite ratty! Like: "Perform a U turn NOW" Please, can we have a little moderation of her temper!
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9 out
of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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3
stars
Poor Quality and Poor Support
by Steve Pereillo
on
November 29, 2005
Pros: When it works, it works well and it has some nice features.
Cons: Stopped working after first use and often has problems obtaining my current position.
Summary: When it is working, it is very useful and has some very good features.
It broke the second time I went to use it. It simply would not power up. ...
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Summary: When it is working, it is very useful and has some very good features.
It broke the second time I went to use it. It simply would not power up. I had to pay to ship it in for repair. It took a couple weeks, however, they did fix it. Supposedly both the dispay and the hard drive malfunctioned.
It frequently has problems obtaining my current position. Even on a clear day it often takes it a mile or more before it works it out. With overcast, it often does not work at all. I have a friend with a cheap GPS for his PDA, and it works in any weather, and even works in his garage.
I don't know if this is standard for this GPS, or yet another problem of my particular device.
Be very careful when you insert the plug. Today I found that the pins are very easily bent if the plug does not go in just right. Luckily it did not bend much and I was able to straighten the pin without breaking it.
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8 out
of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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3
stars
major design flaw limits its use
by richkauf
on
May 8, 2006
Pros: lareg easy to read display
Cons: temperature sensitive. unit shuts down when exposed to sunlight/heat when in use on the dashboard, as is pictured on the box and in installation instructions
Summary: The unit comes with a warning about extreme heat and cold exposure, which makes sense. it is reasonable to take it with you when not in use in prolonged heat ...
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Summary: The unit comes with a warning about extreme heat and cold exposure, which makes sense. it is reasonable to take it with you when not in use in prolonged heat or cold. However imagine my suprise when the unit gave me a hi heat warning and shut down after 45 minutes of use in the car. We live near philadelphia and traveled south to delaware. The sun shines in through the windshield and on to the dash board where the unit is mounted. ( in my 2005 subaru forrester, that is the only reasonable place to mount it). I f the unit is so sensitive to heat, it should come with a shield/cover to keep it out of direct sun light. Needless to say, the unit has been returned to the store. I would never recommend this product
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9 out
of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
Lowrance iWay 500c
