GPS Systems and Reviews

Lowrance iWay 500C GPS Steady Strong Performer

Lowrance electronics have been making electronic devices for a number of years mostly for the fishing and marine market so it was a natural progression when they decided to enter the GPS car market. The things that they have learned from the other markets can only help this company as they enter one of the hottest markets in the industry. The Lowrance iWay 500C looks to make its mark real quickly. Read further and you will learn what you can expect from the 500c and all it can do.

The 500C has a larger 5-inch screen that has a 320 by 320, 256-color display and it is very bright and readable even in direct sunlight. Sometimes the sun can be a problem, but this model seems to handle it very well which is something I really have to give this company credit for. The device measures 6.1 by 4.5 by 2.2 inches so it is small in size and very portable which another plus is for it. It weights slightly over 2 pounds, which really is not a lot, and it is sealed and watertight which can be expected since they have been in the marine and fishing arena for a very long time.

One of the things that I have to give Lowrance credit for is they seemed to have big hard drives on their products and this one is no different. You get a built-in 20GB hard drive in which 10GB is used to store your maps and points of interest and the other 10GB is for you the consumer to use. You may wonder what you will do with the other memory, but it comes in very handy. You can download more things to your unit or use it to download songs for the built in MP3 player. Yes, you heard me right it does have a built-in music player so you can take your favorite tunes with you when you travel. A nice added touch for those really long trips.

Five buttons are arranged vertically along the right edge of the unit which provide basic functions include power/backlighting, a map/music toggle, speak/volume, and the find and main menus. These are all easy to access and seem to work very well. The touch screen interface works very well and you should be up and running in no time, as Lowrance products are real user friendly, which is something I really like about them. You also can choose what data you would like to appear on the screen as you drive down the road. For many people this is a very important feature, as they always want to see what is going on.

The point of interest database that is included is very vast and you should not have any trouble at all finding what you need from it. The 500C has an audible prompt when it is time to turn and the screen will shift to turn preview mode. In this mode, many different things will appear to make your turns and keep you on route much easier. I like this feature and it seemed to work real well in all tests.

Overall, the Lowrance iWay 500C is a thing of beauty. You get a much larger screen than what most people is use to. The touch screen interface works extremely well and it is easy to operate. It should take you no time at all to get going with this model. A built-in MP3 player also is something I really like and it gives you a chance to listen to your favorite tunes as you travel down the highway. It seems more companies are now making this standard in their newer issues, which is something I’d like to see.

Performance wise the iWay 500C is a solid performer at a very good price. Out of the box this one is easy to operate and it will have you cruising down the road in no time at all. If you are looking for a bigger screen with some great added features than look no more the Lowrance iWay 500C has arrived. Grab yours and enjoy what this new model has to offer. With an MP3 player and a big memory there really is no limitations place on this unit. If you need a solid GPS unit than this is one that should be on your radar that is for sure. The company has been in business for years and has a solid reputation so you know they will stand behind their products. This model is one of the better ones.

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The Garmin V GPS Unit A Perfect Unit for Anyone

Sometimes a product comes along and at first glances, you wonder what they were thinking and I must admit that was my first impression from the Gamin V GPS unit. Now being a person who is not judgmental I thought I would give this product the benefit of the doubt as Garmin is the top company in this field so a field test would definitely tell me how this one stacked up. Read a little further down to see if this model made the grade and is a recommended buy or not.

The design of the Garmin V GPS unit is different from most but that does not take away from its performance at all. The main reason I was looking at this model is because it is very portable and you can take it from your car to a hike on the trail without any problems at all not many models will actually let you do that. One of the biggest plus that this model has is the ability to auto route which the market it is design for many other models do not have that yet. This is a low end product and you seldom see that on models like this, which a nice added touch from Garmin was. It gives you turn-by-turn directions with no voice though, which really was not a problem for me. Sometimes I will admit I do get tired of hearing the voices on some of those GPS units. It does beep for upcoming turns and I found out that was more than enough for me.

Easy to use big buttons really are a huge plus when you use it in your vehicle as the smaller buttons on certain models are tough to deal with especially when you’re trying to drive as well as navigate. This model comes with a CD that will let you download maps and points of interest onto the Garmin V GPS unit. The maps are good and the points of interest are a very good amount so this should be no issue either. One of the things that Garmin does for their products is give you optional accessories and the V has many to choose from such as remote mount auto antennas, surface mount marine antennas just to name a couple. Now the real question that most people have is how well this unit does perform and really does it have any limitations.

Performance wise the Garmin V GPS unit performs exceeding well. From the vehicle to everyday use, it will give you no problem. What makes this model stand out from the crowd is how it is adaptable to whatever arena you will want to take it into. For example if you are an outdoorsman and love to hike than this model can also be taken and used in that method as well. In fact, it works very well in that environment and with the low-end price; this is something that you may want to consider. Of course, you can also use it in the car so it has more than one function, which is what I like. Most units that you buy these days have one function and cannot be adapted to other things that you may do in your life that is why this model is great.

Overall the Garmin V GPS unit has many things going for it. One of the biggest for me was that it is very portable and can be used for hiking to a Sunday drive in your vehicle. Battery life was very good and it has enough memory for you to add additional maps especially if you plan a hike somewhere remote. This model also has large buttons, which make it easy to operate. Most models have smaller buttons and especially in vehicle use are very tough to press while you are moving. Most GPS units just have one purpose as this can do many different things well which is something that you will like. Low-end price means that if you have never tried this technology than this is the perfect first unit for you. easy to operate and low cost means you will be able to feel around and see how things go and if this is really what you want before you spend a lot more money for a more expensive model. The Garmin V GPS unit is a model that everyone should give a try and they will be surprise at what this small but powerful little unit can really do.

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