For the last 2 years, I was doing on-site computer service and consulting work. I needed some type of reliable in-car GPS system so I could locate my customers easily. (People often called on my cellphone changing around schedules, and it was VERY helpful having a device to show me the fastest route from wherever I happened to be to the next customer I had to visit!)
I was using a Garmin StreetPilot 2610 throughout that time, but it was a unit loaned to me. When I quit working for my last employer, I had to return it. I hadn't realized just how much I grew to rely on it until it was gone! So my first major purchase after that was a new GPS unit.
At first, I was pretty much set on buying another StreetPilot because the 2610 worked so well for me. I read a number of reviews and most seemed to back that logic up. (The "Magellan" products were more pricy... the TomTom navigators seemed to offer inferior U.S. maps... and other units I ran across (like one from Cobra; the radar detector maker) had practically no info available on them, and looked like they had small buttons, screens, and questionable future support.
Right before placing my Garmin StreetPilot order though, I saw a PC Magazine review of the Iway 500c. It was "editor's choice", and it was a very recent review. So I said "Woah! Maybe this is a new contender I missed!" and looked further.
I'm glad I did! Not only is Lowrance a company with considerable GPS experience (primarily marine and outdoors), but their unit offered a very comparable price with Garmin's offerings while giving the user a larger screen display, a built-in MP3 music player, ability to display a 3D map as well as the standard "top down" view, and supposedly, *free* future map updates! (Garmin wants about $150 for an updated set of maps.) I ordered one the next week.
Now that I've been using it a little while, I have some additional thoughts/comments on it.
1. I'm not sure what operating system the i500c uses, but it appears to be based around an embedded version of Windows CE or XP? The internal hard drive in it is formatted in FAT32, so it acts like a standard removable hard drive when connected to a Windows PC via included USB cable. This makes it very easy to transfer over your music files and folders for its MP3 player - BUT, my Apple PowerMac G5 wasn't able to see the unit at all. So Mac users, be warned. This product was really only designed for use with Windows PCs!
2. Lowrance scarcely mentions it in the owner's manuals, but the i500c also supports custom "skins" to alter the appearance of the menu screens. 4 or 5 nice ones are available for download on their web site, complete with an installer program that will copy them onto the i500c's hard drive in the proper folders.
3. The map data included on the hard drive of my i500c seems to be pretty current. I did run into one odd situation where I told it to direct me to a bar and grill, and it ended up putting me in someone's driveway in a residential district instead! (My guess is, it took me to the bar owner's house because someone's database crossed his personal address info with his business name?!) The maps used appear to be "NavTech" map data - which I've seen used on quite a few combination car stereo/GPS units and factory installed GPS systems in newer vehicles.
4. Behavior at initial power-up seems to be a bit different than my StreetPilot. The StreetPilot would simply tell you it was searching for a signal, and was unusable until it got a complete fix on your location. Then it would announce "Ready to navigate!" (or just start navigating if you already entered a destination). The iWay 500c seems like it attempts to begin navigation before it's quite ready. Sometimes, it's still getting a "fix" on my location and only knows a rough idea of where I am, and starts reading off my next turn for a destination I entered. Not really a big deal, but it can throw you off at first if you don't remember to give it a couple minutes to really "lock in" where you're starting from.
5. According to the box and manuals, two different mounting kits are included with the i500c. One is a suction-cup type mount with a plastic arm. It doesn't really support the weight of the entire unit. Rather, you adjust the arm so it affixes to the windshield glass tightly when the unit is resting where you want it on your dashboard. That way, it just serves to hold it still. (Keeps it from sliding around.) The other is a large, weighted, flat mount with a short arm sticking up from the center of it. This one is supposed to let you quickly place the i500c on whatever surface you like. For some reason, this mount didn't come in my box though. Instead, I got some strange looking bracket and screws that appear to be for permanently mounting a GPS to a surface. (I think this may be intended for a different model of GPS and was accidently packed in my box?) I've contacted Lowrance but am just using the suction cup mount for now.
