Ok, here's the drill again and I think these are fairly accurate statements (those w/ Garmin or other GPS devices can clue me in)
- there are substantial areas of the country that do not have detailed mapping yet. The highways & byways are there but side roads are not.
- there is alot more on the DVD than just roads; using colors & different icons the NAVI makes it easy to see & differentiate between state borders, rivers, golf courses, parks, educational institutions, shopping malls, hospitals and of course clickable restaurant icons & actual logos used as the icons for gas stations.
- Step-by-step (turn-by-turn) directions to get you where you want to go along w/ immediate recalculation if you take a wrong turn
- voice-integrated (one of the best features imo) system that lowers radio volume & provides 'just-in-time' information (ie 1-2 miles out) to prepare you for turns, etc. along w/ a 1000 ft to 200 ft countdown when you get really close (this helps tremendously when your exit is right next to another exit to ensure you dont take the wrong one)
- map 'picture-in-a-picture' overlay so you can still see the road in real-time along w/ an inset of the new turn which shows you which lane you need to be in (left or right side)
- zoomable from the whole US down to 1/20 of a mile
- reverse phone-number look-ups of most businesses & a well-stocked variety of other ways to search for your destination.
- built-in compass and you can swap view from 'always pointing up' w/ the compass needle moving in the upper right corner to always point north or to actual direction (compass needle always pointing 'up' for north)
- time & mileage to destination & ability to set way-points (although the time remaining isn't TRULY calculated based on your current speed, it is nontheless fairly accurate)
- 2 user 'databases' where you can name & stored up to 50 numbers each secured w/ separate PIN numbers (passwords)
- system remembers previous destinations & you have the ability to edit routes saved (ie avoid certain roads, set up detours, etc.)
- SUPER SUPER SUPER EASY TO USE. The 4 buttons & joystick make cruising around over the map (while you're driving) and clicking on things as well as changing things as easy as flipping stations on your radio. This is a double bonus; it makes it easy for non-tech people (ie my wife) to use the system & get nearly as much out of it as I do and it keeps you from driving off the road while trying to figure something out (although you can certainly go overboard w/ playing with it while driving which I dont recommend)
- all kinds of various tweaks to system including the ability to have a 'screen-saver' w/ stars & a big green digital clock when not in use & neat tricks (see previous posts in this forum regarding unique ways people have used their NAVIs).
I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton of stuff, but this gives you an idea. I have a friend who bought a refurbished bw Garmin SP (not the latest one) who doesn't have nearly any of the featurs of this system. The reason it doesn't have every street in the US is because of the other detail you get; ability to punch in Holiday Inn to find a hotel or Applebee's or the Gateway Arch. If you go to:
www.navtech.com
www.alpine.com
and read up a bit, you'll see navtech has an aggresive schedule to finish the mapping of the whole US in addition to all the other yummy goodies.
Summary: If you live in a detailed area; its worth every penny; if not then I would say its not worth it unless you do alot of travelling around the US.
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Marvyn - 2001 SS EX-NAVI (3300 mi)
Mud Flaps * Cargo Tray * Leather Steering Wheel Wrap * Blaupunkt 652 Speakers * Hyper-brand 'Xenon Blue' Headlights * Weathertech Floor Mats * PIAA Xtreme White 7440 Backup Lights
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[This message has been edited by nyvram (edited 08-24-2001).]
