Anyone familiar with the Garmin I3

[Blude]

I'm a newbie when it comes to GPS units. I'm currently looking for a GPS unit that I can use for my roadtrips. I've already tried to search, but all I see are reviews on the C330 unit. Is this suppose to be a better unit compared to the C330 or a lower model? Anyone ever tried this one before?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate all the constructive comments.

[NeilMcduck]

I've had an i3 for about 3 months now & I'm very pleased with it. So much so that I bought another one to give to my dad for Christmas.

The c330 is a higher model as it has a bigger screen that is also touch sensitive as well as a built in rechargeable battery (I believe). The i3 uses a scroll wheel to navigate through menus and uses regular AA batteries.

My use of a GPS is limited to punching in 1 or 2 destinations and letting the unit do the work. For this, the i3 is an excellent unit. Where you might find it lacking is if you need to frequently enter addresses (for example, if you are a delivery driver). The scroll wheel does a decent job of letting you enter addresses, but I can see it being a nuisance if you had to enter 5 or 6 different destinations. The i3 is definitely a 'set it and forget it' type of GPS.

Although small, the screen is quite clear and I have no problem making it out with just a quick glance. The actual GPS receiver has never lost connection with me even while driving between buildings in downtown Toronto.

The Garmin map software makes it simple to copy maps over to the unit and even set your route ahead of time. With the included 128 MB card, I can fit Ontario, Southern Quebec, Manitoba, Michigan, NY state, and Maine. You could probably squeeze most of Canada onto the card, but if you're planning on travelling through the US, you'll need to pick up another card (1GB should be plenty).

My only complaint with the i3 is that it doesn't let you scroll around the map view while your driving. You can zoom in and out, but there's no way to pan north, south, east or west. I've found myself wishing I had this feature once or twice when I didn't have a specific destination but wanted to get a better idea of the streets around me.

Do a quick google search for 'i3 reviews'--there are a few out there that I found when I was researching the purchase. For the price I paid ($180 from the source), the i3 is a fantastic GPS and definitely meets all of my needs. Someone who will be changing destinations frequently may get more value from one of the higher priced units.

[mrwinky]

You can't go wrong with a Garmin, I had an MIO 310 from Staples, I loved its size but other then that I really didn't care for it. I just replaced it last night with a Garmin Nuvi 360 (has blue tooth) I can't say enought good things about it, but its pricey. Best buy has it at $799, and I tried to get them to PM with Tiger Direct since there price is $579. But they wouldnt, I did get them down to $650 on it. If you have looked at the C330, then check out the C340 has text to speech on it (announces street names) I just don't like the size of the Street Pilot series looks like an over grown Cue Ball. I would look at gpscentral.ca (local calgary place) for pricing and they have some independant reviews, another good site is gpslodge.com. Hope this helps


Winky Out

[NeilMcduck]

That just reminded me--the i3 doesn't announce street names; it'll just say something like "turn left in 200 metres" and you need to look at the screen to see the street name.

Not the end of the world, but something to consider.