Product Review: Garmin GPS Portable Navigation System

I will start out by stating that I fought long and hard against a navigation system. Working in my car, as I did while contracted by Insurance Companies, I often found myself pulled over on the side of the road poring over my many paper maps while whiling away the hours. It was always a challenge to figure out if my boss really meant Street, or if it could possibly be Avenue or even Court that we were in search of. As the price of gasoline soared upward, I felt the productivity pinch, broke down and bought my first navigation system, the Garmin eTrex.

First, I looked at a number of different models in our neighborhood electronics store, and with the help of an overeager twenty-something sales guy, decided that this model was exactly what I was looking for. I had no need for altitude and depth notifications, nor did I wish to be updated on traffic conditions for an additional monthly fee. Armed with a satellite radio subscription, I already felt that my mobile experience was becoming costly, and chose instead to utilize my radio's fine traffic reporting system in conjunction with the GPS.

The installation of my product took about seven minutes. Five of those were spent getting the box opened and reading the instruction sheet. With my Garmin eTrex firmly in hand, I opened the suction cup latch, applied it to my windshield and plugged the power cord into the AC adapter (cigarette lighter). Immediately I was greeted with a blue screen inquiring my language. It took a second, but then I saw that it required a light touch to the screen to answer. From there, the on screen instructions whisked me away to a world in which I do not need to know where I am in order to get home. Once my Garmin eTrex was installed, I set a home base simply by touching the toolbox button and entering my address. Now I could never be lost! Upon examination, I saw that the Garmin eTrex had a slot for a memory card, in which maps of even more faraway places than I could fathom could be stored. The unit comes with the entire United States mapped in its ROM (Onboard memory), and I couldn't see myself driving off into any foreign countries in the near future, so I guessed I was OK, but thanks for that slot!
The Garmin eTrex allowed me to set favorite addresses, and even type in the name of a business or retail store if I wasn't too sure of where I was going. There are presets for Food and Fuel, and two different displays for those who would like to know how many miles they cover in a day or on an average. All of these features had me confidently flying through the five boroughs of New York, enjoying the scenery, instead of trying to read my computer-generated directions while keeping my eyes on the road.

The unit comes equipped with a variety of different languages as well as British-accented or American English. I was always given ample time to prepare for a left or a right exit off a highway, and the unit's Detour feature saved me a number of times in bumper-to-bumper traffic. While there is a feature which allows for directions on the fly, the unit strongly cautions that one should be be safely pulled over while inputting directions. Living on the edge as I do, I tested the Garmin eTrex out on the George Washington bridge while driving at a fairly rapid pace. Undaunted by such a move, the Garmin eTrex directed me to exit, and then re-route in the opposite direction to accommodate my change in plans.

While testing out the Garmin eTrex on a cross-country trip to Colorado, I stumbled upon a feature previously unused. Had I read the instructions, I'm sure I may have noted it, but the unit being as simple to set up as it is, this fine feature went totally unnoticed until a bumpy road knocked the unit off the windshield. The unit is portable. I decided to carry the unit in my backpack while hiking in Colorado, and it pinpointed me with frightening speed and accuracy. It told me my walking speed as well, and gave me all the fine features I enjoyed while it resided upon my windshield.

No fair review is without a few cons, however insignificant they may seem in comparison to the freedom this little device has awarded me. The Garmin eTrex had a little difficulty tracking in Mid-Town Manhattan and in other metropolitan areas with lots of tall buildings. However, I pulled over and gave it a second or two to find me, and we were back on our way in no time. Another improvement I might suggest is to make a replaceable battery for the portable mode. The battery life is approximately one year, and while it seems to be a trend among certain electronics manufacturers to make their batteries difficult to replace, it is a shame to waste a con on such a small item. The unit is continually powered by the AC adapter, though the battery life is short.

In conclusion, I would have to say that my experience with the Garmin eTrex has been a pleasurable one, and I would certainly recommend this unit to anyone, regardless of level of electronics familiarity.