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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What In Dash GPS Systems Are Available?

Have you been interested in getting help navigating through your town, but don’t know where to turn? Well, I have good news for you. There are tons of global positioning devices on the market today that can not only provide great maps to help you get where you need to go, but there are even more sophisticated units that can provide turn-by-turn instructions to your destination. There are typically three types to choose from: handheld, portable, and in dash. However, in this article we will focus on in dash GPS systems. So if you’ve been wanting to learn more about these unique units then you’ve reached the right place.

What Are the Benefits of In Dash GPS Systems?

There are tons of benefits to purchasing these systems. One is that once it is in your car, it stays there for good. You don’t have to worry about someone breaking in and easily removing it. By the time they get it out, someone will catch them and save your system. Also, many in dash GPS systems come installed in a new car. So you can take advantage of that part of your mission being accomplished with your purchase. In addition, you might be able to take advantage of extra options that the dealership is offering in the cost of your car – so essentially, you might leave with a better deal than you would have if you had someone install the device into your vehicle later. Also, many of the installed systems have more impressive features, such as huge hard drives, DVD players, and larger screens.

There are some cons, however, to these devices. If you have more than one vehicle and want to be able to move your device from on to the other, then you won’t have the same flexibility as with a portable device that you can move from car to car. Also, if you reach your location and want to get out of the car, you won’t have any additional assistance in trekking outdoors as you would with one of the handheld devices on the market. It is important that you keep all of these pros and cons in mind when you consider which type of unit you want to purchase. But for the sake of this article, we’ll assume you want to purchase those installed directly into your vehicle.

Now, let’s look at some in dash GPS systems available on the market:

Pioneer AVIC-Z2

This system is considered the ultimate in HDD navigation. It comes equipped with a 30 GB hard drive that lets you enjoy information and convenience on the road. It has an extremely fast processing speed and a huge Tele Atlas that offers 12 million points of interest – this means you can get where you need to go with ease. Some other features of this device include a huge music library, DVD playback, a large 7 inch screen, iPod controls, 3D landmark icons, point addressing, traffic flow lanes, Bluetooth compatibility, turn-by-turn voice instruction, and text-to-speech technology.

Panasonic Strada CN-NVD905U

This device is considered one of the better in dash GPS systems on the market; however it does have some similarities to Pioneer device mentioned above. It has a 7 inch screen and is a DVD player and navigation receiver in one. Customers love its easy-to-understand LCD display and touchscreen control with audio, video and navigation functions. The picture is a sharp as your television set so that watching movies will make you feel as if you are at home. But being able to enter destinations and reach them with ease is the major selling point of this system.

Some other features of this unit include SRS Circle Surround, SQ7 7-band equalizer with six preset sound curves, Dolby Digital Decoder, 30 GB of memory, voice guided turn-by-turn directions, over 12 million points of interest, an SD memory card slot, and a Bluetooth receiver and iPod adapter to help you bring more of your world to the car.
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There are a lot of other in dash GPS systems available for you to take advantage of. As mentioned previously, some will come as a standard or optional feature in a new car you purchase, so you will want to take this into consideration when looking at devices that spark your interest. But the two in dash GPS systems mentioned in this article will give you are great steppingstone into choosing your own device. So that when you begin to narrow down your options, you’ll know exactly what you want and need.

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