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It is a drag. In short, this "Ease of Use" only gets two stars from me because I can turn this on and then turn it off. I like the pretty maps and knowing where I am (within 10-20 yards) on the planet is kinda cool, but the promised features such as connecting with services like Google Earth. Dealers haven't a clue. As far as meaningful use of maps and such. Zilch. Forget about it. Garmin support is primarily in user forums and that is a maze of options.
I also know how to use the "Rocker bar" thing. A huge disappointment.I'll go on enjoying the pretty colors and the fun trip odometers and stuff, but unless you have a computer science degree or infinite time to spend loading and unloading software, I don't see a reason why you would want this product if you want easy mapping features. Wow.this IS NOT a product for anyone unfamiliar with anything other than basic computer software management. I have spent days--literally days--trying to figure out how to fix some freaking.msi file and no success. Whoopee.
This is my third GPS unit over a period of the last 15 years and it is by far the easiest to use. I highly recommend it to all. and get the product in less than a week. Thru this site, you will find you can purchase a Garmin Colorado 400i for $312. Upon a close review of available products, the Garmin wins hands down because the 400i Colorado has all of the cadilac features of those of the Lowrance Endura products but at a price that will shock you. In the GPS realm, in my opinion their are only two companies to consider, they are Lowrance Electronics and Garmin. Both the Lowrance Endura GPS and Garmin Colorado 400i GPS lines retail around $500 from the factory and their foo foo outlets. The Garmin has capability for easy downloading of topo maps and even turn by turn directions while driving.
I used the Garmin handheld Gps for month and I must say it has been fun and useful, since I am a bowhunter. I thank Amazon for making the purchase a breeze. I purchased a Garmin 400i from Amazon, it has been a excellent product, the shipping came to my home in and near the time frame that was mentioned. I use the Garmin to scout and locate my deer stand hunting spots.
I turned on the receiver, left the back light on the low setting, and checked it periodically, noting when each set failed. The technology has improved over the years. It was measured in hours, not minutes. Others have suggested using high capacity batteries. I have not used this in the field but have practiced with it extensively here in my home area.
In the reviews for the 400t some folks have mentioned that the battery life is a tad short. I like to use rechargeables and I have tested Duracell NiMH with an 1800 mAh rating, Sony NiMH with a 2500 mAh rating, and Duracell NiMH with a 2650 NiMN. Obviously this is an approximation and I won't report the details but there was a significant improvement with each step up in mAh. So far it is a great unit, better than my old Magellan. This unit is basically the same at the Colorado 400t, with a different preloaded map set.
Both opinions are accurate. I wish that the unit ran longer on a set, that is a fact, but I will just carry spare high capacity batteries.
It has little detail, few roads, few geographical features. And easy to find. The menu wheel/push button/rockers are easy to use, After a few minutes of use. They really should have supplied a better map with a $600 GPS. Useful. Fine without the back-light in the day. This unit can not show the 3D images and has little detail.First impressions after one day of use.
In general the built in map is poor. Not enough detail in the lakes to know for sure that you are looking at the right islands. The supplied CD shows even less detail than the preloaded base map. I expect they hope to rip-off the early adopters and then include the topo maps as a package later.The geocaching site allows you to transfer direct to the connected GPS, including the descriptions if you paid the subscription to the site. All the setup seemed easy.The geocaching works well with the built in compass.I checked the navigation marks on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. It's just a questionable tool for managing trips and waypoints, it says. But it would be a lot more useful if the map was any good.All in all, good product badly let down by bad maps.
They seemed right, from memory, but the map detail is inadequate to be certain.
The screen is good and the back-light makes it very readable at night.
It's just a case of pressing one of the menu buttons and selecting the appropriate item.
They certainly don't show the whole picture, they miss shoal detail which is absolutely essential if anyone were going to trust this as their main navigation.
But what's the use of a GPS that can't tell you where the there you are at is on a map.While the GPS is made in Taiwan the case and all else that I ordered with it, all Garmin, are made in China.
If the maps had been any use I'd have given it 4 or 5 stars.
First, the pictures above are a collage from all the various base maps.
Normally the wheel is the zoom control.Calibrating the compass and altimeter was easy.
Useless.
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