I've been using this one:
Magellan RoadMate 700, Portable Auto GPS System, Built-in U.S. Map & Major Metro Areas and Touch Screen menu.

for last 10 months and love it. Its only weakness is little low DPI resolution but otherwise it is a fine product. I have two other hand-held GPS made by Garmin but, for auto fixed mount (but detachable), this one is the best.

Thanks so much for responding. I have been looking at that one and the Magellan 760 and the Magellon 360 and I can't tell the difference except for price but I am pretty clueless in this area. Any thoughts?

Can you give an overall review of your GPS. Can you program in the desired address and it "talks" to you (telling you where to turn etc) Cheers

The one that I have is Magellan RoadMate 700 and it does "talk" to guide to the destination such "left/right turn", "merge" and if I miss a turn it says "make an u-turn when safe" etc. You can choose between male & female voice in addition to a few other other languages as well. It is very easy to use/program destinations. Hertz company has been using this GPS on their select cars for some years now. That's how I learned about this gem. Ever since I started to use this GPS on my car, I don't even know where my Thomas Guide is anymore. One of the system's drawbacks is that, every 3-yr or so, you need to purchase the updated CD-ROM to download the updated maps to the GPS. The price is at hefty ~$100 when I checked last time. The model 700 price has come down quite a bit though. Originally $1,000+ but now Costco has been selling at $700. I tell my wife this is the best $700 I've ever spent for my car.

You can compare the 360 vs. the 760 at the link below.
Select "handheld" in the #1 box and then select the models you want to compare in boxes 2 & 3. I have the Garmin Quest which I paid about $350.00 via mail order/internet. You have 115 mb of map storage which is loaded from a PC. Quest does not have touch screen but for the price it is quite a deal. 115 MB is more than enough for me to load all of Georgia and all but south Florida. There is the newer Quest II which has all 50 state maps preloaded but at a higher price.

Here is a link that might be useful: Magellen Comparison

When you buy one of these things, to you have to subcribe to some kind of service for it to work?

I know for the Tomtom one. you can pay to get extra services such as traffice advisorys and celebrity voices.

Thank you all for your help. I ended up getting the Magellen Roadmate 360.It has what I need and for me the other stuff is pretty much a mystery. I tend to regard what I can't use is just something that can go wrong. I have often lived to regret that as I understood things better but...oh well.

It is pretty easy to use and is lot of fun....a kind of expensive toy but why not.
Thanks again.

Hi all, just found this site and it looks good. Any tips on navigating here ?

Gary - No fees or subscriptions to use GPS. See link below to check out different units.

Here is a link that might be useful: GPS Information Net

I have to say that this is really fun to use. It's a little frustrating until you figure it out but once you do it's not hard. I have used it all over town and it has not once gone the way I would have but it alwas gets me there which is what I need whenI get to a real city.

me being a computer techie, I preferr a laptop and Delorme's earthmate system. big screen, directions, lots of choices in routes and great control of the map.
plus you can watch a DVD when you get home.
John

I use a road map. They're about 5 bucks.

Big Mike - Does that road map talk to you when you're going 70 mph and coming up on a big interchange in unfamiliar areas at night or guide you to exactly the street number you want to go to? My wife used to be my navigator, but as sharp as she is, couldn't read a road worth cr@p!

hey, big mike, have you tried to buy a road map lately?
they are closer to 8.00 and if you get the plastic coated ones, look to spend more like 12.00
(I had to find my way around a blocked highway and did not have my computer with me)

Mikes still using Etch-a-sketch vice Power Point for briefings. Just kidding. The GPS is not for me, for the mother in law. Im too cheap, I hand the map to the wife and she gives the directions. lol

What can I get nowadays for between $500 and $700? Preferably one that's portable and speaks the directions.

"you can pay to get extra services such as traffice advisorys and celebrity voices."

Really??? I can see it now... Clint Eastwood giving directions:

"Do you feel lucky punk? Go ahead...make a left."

This topic is over a year old but I still haven't noticed a price drop on these, especially the transportbles. The displays are better though. For the cost of a transportable gps rx'r, you could buy a laptop, portable gps unit and the latest software. I've stuck with a portable because I don't need the voice directions very often.

I ended up buying the Garmin Streetpilot C340. It's great. My husband brought it to Texas with him so he could navigate the streets without resorting to maps. It talks and is very accurate. Amazon had it the cheapest ($400).

I just got a Garmin Streetpilot and it was $199.99 on qvc.com . Amazing how the price drops after a while. I do love it though.

We just got my daughter a Garmin Street Pilot 550c from Amazon for about $200. This one has an optional traffic service, which she wanted. Garmin also makes a similar model 580c, about $20 more, with a different traffic service (MSN Direct). As far as I can tell, the units are identical except for the traffic services. Difference in the services as follows: 550c uses an FM service, Direct Traffic or something like that. It comes with 3 months free, after that it's $60 per year. The 580c comes with one year free MSN Direct; thereafter you pay yearly or a lump sum of about $120, I think. Neither seems like a bad deal if you want the traffic service. Go to both sites and compare coverage. A word of caution, there are some comsumer reviews on the web talking about problems that people have had with the 550c "dying", and subsequent hassles with Garmin customer service. My D has not had any trouble with hers, and likes it a lot in general (also plays MP3 files, talking books, and has Bluetooth for the cell phone). Her boyfriend has a Magellan unit for which he paid about $130 and he likes that one (no traffic service). Steve