My wife has been after me to get one (for her) as she gets lost alot.

Garmin makes excellent navigation software (probably one of the best on the market), she will never get lost.
2610 and iQueu have a touch screen, which helpful in entering direction.
Just for PDA iQue is heavy (it has a built in GPS).

For myself, I ended up with buying Dell Axim PDA+Navigation Software+BlueTooth GPS (all together 450$) but this is high tech.
GPS hardwired to the AC socket in the back of the car - I never switch it off.
PDA perfectly fits on dashboard between speed and RPM indicators. It doesn't require external power for 5-6 hours (more then enough) so I don't have a PDA holder.

I have the IQ3600 and it works great! Your really need the auto kit with it since its battery life is less than desired. But with the optional kit it works great. As the priop post states, Garmin software is probably the best out there!

I have had Garmin GPS V about two years. It works well and I'm happy with it. But now there is available better models.

Few things which I do not like in GPS V are:
Difficult to enter address (much easier to do it from computer)
Limited memory (no expansion) (might be limitation in big cities)
Sometimes a little bit too slow
No USB connection (slow connection to load maps)

I second the iQue 3600 (it is the garmin PDA) it is awesome and the extra memory capability (secure digital card) allow you to take all the detailed maps with you and make it an MP3 player and great handheld computer as well. Plus it is fun to use on the airplane (window seat only) and watch yourself jet across the US doing 500mph!

We've used the StreetPilot III for several years - we affectionately call her "Betty" 'cause I read a review somewhere that said the lady who dubbed her voice for the StreetPilot was named Betty. My wife says that Betty is the only other woman that she will share me with. Anyway Betty is wonderful for routing us on vacations, she tells us when to turn, what lane to be in to make the turn and gives us a blow-up of the map as we make the turn.

Unlike the StreetPilot that is limited to 128 mb of storage, the Garmin 2610 can handle 2 gigs of memory so the entire US and Canada can be loaded on the GPS. Also, the 2610's find function is easier to program since there is a touch screen to enter such things as addresses, cities and the like. The processor is faster too. Lastly, the 2610 comes with a remote so you don't need to lean over to make entrys into it.

With any of these GPS's you can move from one car to another...the cost for the 2610 on internet is $775 and I believe to get a nav system on a car is $2,000 more or less. It's really great technology for sure.

<center><img src="http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2660/gallery/pt-sp2660Large01.jpg"></center><p>
By the 2660. It looks like the same unit, but it has dead reckoning if we choose to connect it with the car's speedo.

My wife will look at it... my friend runs an A/V store chain and I get a very good deal. Perhaps if theres interest I can arrange a group buy.

I think you can still get the 2610. I'll bet the 2660 will be much more expensive, too and probably need to be installed by Garmin or an affiliate.

There is a discussion forum for GPS users called GPSPassion:

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/default.asp?group=2

A subforum for Garmin users is here:
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=86

(there's also one for Magellan owners)

General consensus is that the 2610 (a current model) is preferable to the more recent (and more expensive 2620). The difference is not in functionality: the 2610 uses CompactFlash memory and the 2620 uses a built-in hard drive with all the maps preloaded. With 2610, you download your maps onto a computer and then load them onto the CF card. For people with PCs (doesn't work with MacOS unless you have Virtual PC), this is preferred because (1) CF memory is getting cheaper and is more rugged than the hard drive built into 2620, (2) total cost of ownership is roughly the same between the two models but having removable flash memory card is more flexible, (3) 2610 allows you do do more trip planning and pre-loading of sites of interest on the computer (where it is easier) rather than directly programmming the 2620, (4) 2610 comes with CDs on maps and a routeplanning program which you can use on your computer, 2620 doesn't (because it is all built in to box), (5) 2610 comes with an AC adapter and a cigarette lighter adapter, 2620 only with cigarette lighter adapter.

Though at launchtime of the 2620 it had more functionality than the 2610, subsequent firmware upgrades have made the two models functionally identical.

Best price around seems to be at Amazon for both models.

(The 2660 which Paulroad mentions is a version that has dead reckoning, which allows the box to navigate even if your GPS reception is blocked (by, say, tall buildings in an urban area). The dead reckoning models must be professionally installed, unlike the plain old 2610 and 2620. People on the forum who have used them in NYC say that they haven't had their reception blocked anyway.)

Check out these forums, they are just as informative as the Audiworld forums and populated by some truly maniacal people.

Anyone seen or used one of these?

Buy.com has unprecedentedly low prices on CompactFlash cards, which are used in the Garmin 2610. A 2GB card will hold the entire U.S.

Buy.com is even cheaper for the Sandisk!

$136.99 plus free shipping for the 2 GB and $81.99 for the 1 GB.

2GB: http://enews.buy.com/cgi-bin5/DM/y/ebCb0eQut0EpZ0BhaF0Ct

1GB: http://enews.buy.com/cgi-bin5/DM/y/ebCb0eQut0EpZ0BhaE0Cs<ul><li><a href="http://enews.buy.com/cgi-bin5/DM/y/ebCb0eQut0EpZ0BhaF0Ct">2GB CompactFlash card</a></li></ul>