I know some may say that this does not belong in this forum but having a GPS is crucial to getting to tris outside of my geographic zone… And I’m scared of the lavender room so I will try it here.
Do any of you own a portable GPS units and have had good experiences or would recommend them. I have been looking on Cnet and GPS reviews at the Garmin Nuvi 660 and Magellan Maestro 4250. Each unit has mixed reviews from users which have only confused me further. I value the Slowtwitch collective braintrust and would much rather rely on your opinions than that of complete strangers. I have just researched these two but am open to others if anyone has a favorite.
I’m most worried about the unit freezing, not keeping up as the car moves, and giving late directions or not being able to recalculate quickly.
Thanks in advance.
I just use a portable computer and have loaded street atlas. Would not leave home w/o it.
Dave
I have this:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/att-tilt/hands+on-with-the-att-tilt-gps+enabled-windows-mobile-6-smartphone-307399.php
I got a $99 map card from Garmin and it is my life saver! Best of all it talks, tells you which street to turn etc. Best feaute is routing mode, you canadjust it to bike so it finds bike routes or bike lanes instead of highways.
I bought the Garmin bluetooth receiver and software to use with my Treo 750. Works like a charm. Came with the NA maps for about $125. I’m just getting ready to load the EU maps that I got today - also paid about $125 for those. The nice thing about this is none of the software is pre-loaded. It’s on DVD’s. This means I can load it to a memory card and use it with a different device if I want (I think). Bought all on Amazon.
I have a Garmin unit for my car (sorry, don’t remember the model #) and it works flawlessly. Since I usually forget to bring it with me, I also downloaded a map program to my Blackberry that works wonders.
I’ve got a Garmin 650. I’m pretty sure it’s the 660 minus blue tooth. My wife has the Maestro 4250. We are both happy with our units. Here are some pros and cons:
Maestro
Pro - Exit POIs. Tells you what services are off the the coming freeway exits. i.e. Food, gas, etc. Very useful if you are coming home from a race and want to eat. Saves you from guessing and driving around looking.
Pro - Accepts some voice commands.
Pro - Blue tooth connectivity for your phone.
Con - Can’t get other maps. No good in Europe for instance.
Con - Blue tooth isn’t really loud enough.
Garmin
Pro - Can buy maps for other countries.
Pro - You can choose other voices. I like the woman with the Australian accent. 
We actually had two Maestro’s, but traded one back in to get the Garmin so we can use it in Europe next summer.
I think it would be hard to go wrong with either one.
BTW, I almost never drive without it. Besides directions I find the ETA it gives to be helpful also.