|
For example, fairly recently Garmin provided an integration with Google Earth, that loads waypoints, tracks, etc from MapSource into Google Earth. Garmin tells me this product is being discontinued, replaced with City Navigator (v8 is the current version for CN presently). I got a GPSMAP 76CS, and City Select v6 in 2004; the product worked well, and I've applied numerous free MapSource upgrades from Garmin, which keeps improving the underlying application. But the City Select data is getting out of date as roads change and businesses close and move.I recently upgraded to a GPSMAP 76CSx and found that City Select is being discontinued. If you have older or smaller-memory Garmin units, you may still want a version of City Select until Garmin fixes things - the map sizes in City Select are tailored for small memory GPS: maps in the current version of City Navigator are larger so not as many will fit, and even some individual maps won't fit in the smallest-memory GPS devices.
This newer Garmin City Navigator v7 DVD software is inferior to ordered older discontinued City Select v7 in too many ways to descibe. Sellers customer service # is always busy. I paid a stout 100% premium for discontinued seller (greatestsale) described Garmin City Select v7 CD-ROM Map - North America and seller shipped me current Garmin City Navigator v7 DVD which I could have purchased directly from Garmin for half of what I paid seller. This newer version map segments are much too large as to be unusable on smaller screen devices. Gee, wonder why. Buyer beware.
I won't get into the whole "Gotta use Garmin maps with Garmin units", I will just say that if you have a Garmin GPS, this is the software to get. It is expensive, but worth the money, in my opinion.Very few glitches with the auto routing and combined with the 60c, it reroutes rather quickly. Easy software to install and easy to manipulate through the software.
I bought a Garmin 76CSx and this mapping software just before leaving for a trip from Kansas City to New Orleans. Pretty doggone slick.A little pricey, but it sure did what it was supposed to do. Within a very few hundred feet, the GPS software had replotted and displayed an alternative route which invariably got me to my destination.I gave this software four stars mainly because I haven't used it enough to give it five - yet.
It got me all around New Orleans, even with a lot of street signs missing from hurricane Katrina. It located motels, restaurants, gas stations, and all sorts of other facilities and arranged them by proximity, closest ones first, and then provided me with names, addresses and phone numbers for each facility. Although I learned a lot along the way, the operation seemed to be pretty intuitive.
I was especially impressed with the "Find" feature. I was very impressed with the "recalculation" feature. Several times I either missed a turn or was unable to turn due to debris, etc.
Then it offered to show me a map or navigate to the facility. I'm impressed.
Neither the Garmin site nor this one make it clear that this is a DVD only. The product is not available at all on CD, and it will not install on a PC without a DVD drive. Second, you will be disappointed in this product's user interface. It is clumsy at best, and will be unuseable for some.
|
