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DeLorme Earthmate LT 40 GPS and Street Atlas USA

Turn your laptop PC or UMPC into a powerful GPS navigator, with voice-guided navigation, automatic back-on-track, GPS Radar to locate travel services, and other top-end features. DeLorme’s newest USB-powered GPS receiver includes a new super-high-sensitivity chipset, support for ultra mobile personal computers, superior on-screen GPS displays, and updated Street Atlas USA 2009 DVD software included. New STMicroelectronics GPS chipset delivers faster satellite acquisition, and DeLorme ConstantLock technology means surefire signal retention even in challenging GPS environments. GPS tracking is easier than ever with NavMode, including optional 3-D perspective and larger, more accessible user controls. Locate over 4 million places of interest (hotels, restaurants, attractions, sports venues, and businesses of all types–most with phone numbers included). Create routes automatically with user controls to ensure you take the roads you want. Calculate fuel usage and costs, and GPS-navigate with total confidence anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, and on major roads in Mexico.

Turn your laptop PC or UMPC into a powerful GPS navigator.

Turn Your Laptop or UMPC into a Powerful GPS Navigator
High-end GPS capabilities at an unbeatable price! With the included Street Atlas USA software running on your laptop PC or UMPC, just plug the Earthmate GPS LT-40 into a USB port, secure the GPS on your dash, and you’re ready to go. Get voice-guided navigation, automatic Back-on-Track routing, GPS Radar to locate upcoming places of interest as you travel, aerial imagery, much more.

• NEW! NavMode with 3-D perspective and larger, more accessible user controls
• NEW! Support for ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs)
• NEW! Hundreds of thousands of new roads and road name updates

Includes Street Atlas USA 2009
When you’re driving in the car and you get lost, don’t you ever wish you didn’t have to deal with a bulky atlas? Or when you’re walking around in an unfamiliar city, don’t you wish you didn’t have to deal with a huge map? Now you don’t have to with Street Atlas USA 2009. You can put these maps on your GPS, PDA, PC or even your UMPC. Know where you’re going with street-level detail of the U.S. and Canada, and also highways and main roads in Mexico. There are over 4 million places of interest in the U.S. and Canada for when you’re looking for something specific. You can even edit your maps and print them out. These authentic DeLorme maps are guaranteed accurate–they’re produced by their own mapmakers, and triple-referenced to ensure you have the correct guidance anywhere you go.

Use new NavMode for a 3-D perspective.

Updated, exceptionally detailed map software you can use anywhere–on the go with your laptop PC, ultra mobile PC, PDA, or touchscreen phone. No Internet access or subscription required. Get street-level detail for the U.S. and Canada, plus highways and major roads for Mexico. Pre-plan your trips with automatic routing and over 4 million places of interest. User controls let you plan side trips, avoid congested areas, choose back roads, and more. Locate restaurants, lodgings, attractions, truck stops, sports venues, and businesses of all kinds. Calculate fuel usage and costs. Customize the maps to meet your needs. Import aerial imagery. Print a wide variety of map packages, or use MapShare to send maps, routes, and directions to others via a secure Web link. GPS-ready–connect a DeLorme Earthmate or other receiver to your laptop and receive spoken directions. Use new NavMode for a 3-D perspective, and locate upcoming travel services as you drive.

NEW in Street Atlas USA 2009 and Street Atlas USA 2009 PLUS:

• Support for Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers (UMPCs)
• Hundreds of thousands of new roads and road name updates
• Improved features when GPS tracking, including 3-D perspective and larger, more accessible user controls

Street Atlas USA 2009

• Street-level detail for the U.S. and Canada, highways and main roads in Mexico
• Over 4 million places of interest in U.S. and Canada
• Easy, automatic routing
• GPS ready, with voice-guided navigation
• Versatile, flexible editing and print capabilities
• Application included for mapping, routing, and GPS navigation with Palm OS, Windows Mobile devices
• Incorporate aerial imagery into your maps and routes–download $40 worth free
• Share customized maps, routes, and directions with others via a secure Web link
• GPS-accurate placement for individual locations in 90+ chains in the U.S. and Canada
• Truck stop data with extended information about service offerings
• 900+ malls and access roads
• Airport access roads
• Major sports venues college, professional, NASCAR
• Translucent route highlights to better display underlying map data
• Support for multiple monitors

Sample Maps — Click to Enlarge

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Navigating with Earthmate
It seems like the software could be easier to use and I found the help files did not clear up my confusion. I had thought that it was able to integrate with my address boor but have not bee able to do it. I did use it on a drive from central Texas to Denver and it saved me time over all. I did try to up grade to the Pro version and the only way to was through a new cd sent to the home address which would do no good being an a trip.

3 Stars More complicated than I need
This was purchased as an upgrade to the 2005 version. Not much new except more unneeded features. We use this mainly to plan trips (and it is much better than a “Garmon” because you can actually see and revise your route) Then we take it along with a mini-notebook and use it for driving instructions. Trouble is, there are far too many “bells & whistles” that I would never use. That makes for a huge program. It is the slowest-loading software I have ever used. I would like the system much better if you could delete all the “stuff” for a smaller program and a cleaner user interface. On the other hand, if you consider the technology behind this, it is amazing.

2 Stars Good GPS, horrible software
This is the first item, in years of order from Amazon, that I have ever returned (the return process with Amazon, btw, is wonderful!). The GPS with this software is very good, it gets a signal quickly, and is very accurate. It does not (which is what led to my returning the item) however, work well with other software. There’s an application that you have to load to make the GPS appear in software like Steets & Trips (it converts the USB signal to a COM port) which is more hassle then I wanted to deal with.

The software, however, is HORRIBLE. I can’t express in words how bad this software is. I work in IT for a living, and I work with many different software packages every day. I spent about 16 hours working with the software, trying to learn how it “did” things, and working around it’s issues. I was trying to plan an upcoming trip to Yellowstone; none of the points of interest were hitting; I was entering GPS coordinates for the hotels I’m staying in, and the overall process (planning a single trip, 7 waypoints) took almost 4 hours. It was just horribly complicated, and incredibly frustrating. After going through that disaster, I decided to try a competing product, Streets and Trips 2009 (free download available).

Using S&T, I planned the entire trip in about 30 minutes. EVERY single hotel I’m staying in was immediately picked up; the longest part of the process was figuring out how to tell the software that I was stopping in a location for the evening. It was SO much better then this product’s software that I purchased another GPS (Hulox M1000) and decided to send this one back. I realized that, even if I did eventually learn the software, my co-pilot (girlfriend) would never figure it out, and she’d hate me forever for making her try.

This software is so poor it shouldn’t even be sold; I’ve used alpha software that’s more refined and easier to use. The GPS is great, but if you want to use it with another product, you will HAVE to use the serial port emulator (a deal breaker for me), another piece of software to load on your mapping computer.

I realize that some people like the Street Atlas interface; but, trust me, if you’ve never used mapping software before, you will absolutely hate it; it reminds me of a DOS program that’s been ported to Windows.

4 Stars Great Product
Advantages:

I have only used two car GPS products. Considering my driving pickup, this earthermate LT-40 is right for me. My laptop was Inspiron E1405 so that the LT-40 could recaculate very quickly after I missed the turn. To be honest, the product is very powerful tool compared with other protable GPS navigators such as garmin, tomtom, etc. It tracks your position very quickly and precisely even that I just parked my truck on the plot where 5 feet away the road and it said off road. It is not difficult to learn.

Disadvatages:

There were always errors to transform the map to handheld palm centro and I don’t know why. The turn to turn voice was bad so that I updated the voice engine to make it read clearly.

Cons:

As matter of fact, I didn’t rely on any one of GPS navigator unless it was necessary. If you don’t use your head but count on GPS product, you are not a wise man.

4 Stars DeLorme’s Earthmate is good, complete and complex.
I watched friends use their GPS devices and was tempted by the novelty of the devices. But, I never could justify the expense when a little forethought would assure all the directions I needed to go from one place to another would be printed out with map before hand.

When I discovered this DeLorme package could provide a complete navigation function in connection with my notebook computer at an acceptable price, I finally made the leap.

The DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-40 2009 easilty justifies five stars but for one thing; It’s overkill for most users and it’s not untiutively obvious as to how to configure it to be just a simple navigator.

If you’re looking for a simple navigator to get from point A to point B, this device will cost effectively, reliably do that and a whole lot more. If a simple navigator is ALL you want, the DeLorme Earthmate GPS can be a bit intimidating and you might want to reconsider the simple stand alone alternatives.

Buy/More Info

Garmin Colorado 400t Handheld GPS Unit with U S Topographic Preloaded Maps

This rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographic maps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display. Exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units. Slim, lightweight and waterproof, Colorado is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Watch an interactive demo.

Share Wirelessly
With Colorado 300 you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select “send” to transfer your information to other Colorado units.

Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Colorado 300 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Colorado to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Explore More
		Colorado’s preloaded U.S. topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Just in case you’re wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado’s 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.

Expand Your Horizons
			The Colorado also accepts SD cards, so you can use Garmin preprogrammed SD cards to add maps that serve any and all of your outdoor activities on land or water. Just take your pick from a wide selection, including street maps, topographic maps, coastal charts or inland lake data. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.

Rock on. Find Fun
		Colorado’s innovative Rock `n Roller input wheel for easy one-handed operation and intuitive screen interface make it as easy to navigate the device as the outdoors. Customize Colorado’s interface based on your favorite activity. Even show off photos of your excursions with its picture viewer.

Experience Paperless Geocaching
	Colorado supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and detail straight to your unit. You’ll have at-a-glance cache descriptions and details to aid in your search.

Get Your Bearings
		Colorado has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you’re standing still. Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. View elevation data before you begin your ascent or descent. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Interactive Demo

Buy/More Info

Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Receiver

eTrex Venture HC is an essential for any outdoor excursion. It features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver for peak performance in any environment and includes 24 megabytes (MB) of internal memory, a detailed basemap and crisp color screen.With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Venture HC locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear – whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Venture HC to help you find your way when you need it the most.eTrex Venture HC’s basemap contains lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, national and state highways, railroads and coastlines. Venture HC also includes 24 MB of internal memory, so you can load waypoints and routes from the included MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software and add map detail from Garmin’s entire line of optional MapSource mapping products. Its 256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details – even in bright sunlight.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great for Geocaching
I wasn’t sure which GPS to get for Geocaching… I have a navigation system in my car, so I really didn’t want to spend a bunch of money. This one is very reasonably priced, and very easy to use. I was able to enter in my coordinates for the caches, the cache names and some hints that I needed. We were in a familiar area, so even with just the base-map and a general idea of where the caches were, we were able to get from cache to cache easily. It was quite accurate, alerting us with an audible beep when we were at the coordinates. In each case, it was accurate within 20 feet.

The only complaint I have is that you have to keep nudging the light switch to get the backlight to pop on, and without it, you can’t see a thing. I know it’s an energy saver, but it would be nice if it would stay on for just a little longer. Eventually I’ll have to pick up the Topo Maps, too… the base map is not really much of a map at all… like I said, if you know your area, then it’s easy enough to find your way around. If you’re going somewhere new, you’re probably going to want to pick up the extended maps as well.

4 Stars A Tad Disappointed but it is worth the money
I have an expensive Nuvi for my road travels but I needed a handheld for my offroad fun so I settled on the Etrex Venture mainly because of its price. It fit comfortably in my hand and the control locations could not be better. Unfortunately learning those controls is a lot harder than it should be. You can use the instruction book as a loose guide but Garmin really needs to create a better interface. I was also disappointed in the built in map. It is better than nothing, but barely and since there is no micro SD slot the map choices are limited with DVD and CD-ROM, and they aren’t cheap. In retrospect I think I would have paid the additional $70 or so for the HCx so that I could have the SD slot.

In conclusion, you get what you pay for. Had I been paying attention I would have squeezed my wallet a bit and opted for the HC’s big brother. Nonetheless I am going to stick with it, at least until I master the learning curve, and I did find a DVD that contains the necessary map data at several of the GPS sites. I don’t recommend buying direct from Garmin as they are about $40 higher than anyone else. Amazon has a fairly decent choice at reasonable prices, but they didn’t have the one I wanted.

4 Stars Great GPSr for the money
Love having a GPSr. Glad I got a Garmin. Would have loved to buy one with more features, but am happy with this one’s functions and usefulness. Just need more clear instruction on how to best make this one work for my geocaching needs. Learning takes trying things out and asking questions of other users, and is a slow process, but working for now. Unit works as intended though.

3 Stars Somewhat disappointing
I was looking forward to using the trip computer to track the hikes I lead every weekend. Unfortunately, if we hike for 3 hours with 1/2 hour break, the unit reads that we were hiking about 1.75 and stopped about 1.75. Thus the average moving speed is way off, etc. The only thing it seems to get right is the total distance traveled and of course the total time, which is a simple clock funtion. It works much better walking the neighborhood or driving but I bought it for hiking. I’m debating whether to return it.

5 Stars Awesome GPS!
I’ve been using my new Venture HC for a week now, and I’m amazed! the most surprising for me it’s the precision, even when indoors I got 5 meters of precision. And it can be as good as 3 meters in open areas. The color screen looks very nice too, and it is very ease to use. I strongly recommend it! Nice purchase!

Buy/More Info

Garmin n vi 205W 4 3 Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

With easy-to-use Touchscreen displays, the nuvi 205w can route to addresses, restaurants, hotels and more with turn-by-turn directions and voice guidance. nuvi 205w will say “Turn right in 500 feet.” New appealing features include MSN Direct compatibility, HotFix, Garmin Connect Photos, digital elevation maps, automatic time zone updates and smoother map updates. nuvi 205w is compatible with an optional MSN Direct receiver (GDB 55). This optional MSN Direct receiver provides premium content such as traffic updates, weather, gas prices, enhanced movie listings, stock info, news, local events and a send-to-GPS feature for trip planning. nuvi 205w is the most affordable option, with mapping coverage of the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It offers five million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Bright 4.3 diagonal color display, 480 x 272 pixels, WQVGA TFT display, with white backlight High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time and more Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator Configurable vehicle icons – allows users to select a fun, customized car-shaped icon; users can download additional choices Offers a three-dimensional mapping perspective or 2D overhead view Built-in lithium-ion battery – lasts up to four hours depending on usage Dimensions – Width 4.8 x Height 2.8 x Depth 0.8 Weight – 6.1 ounces

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The best
The product is really good. This is my first GPS and it seems to do everything and more that I have ever wanted. If I had to make any suggestions on improving it, would be that it would find satellites more quickly and that the battery lasted longer.

5 Stars Better than expected
I’ve been skeptical about just how useful an auto GPS might be since we have been using maps for many years with no problem. Happy to say this unit turned out to be a nice addition.

Nice features, such as one’s speed as well as the posted limit (most of the time). Finding points of interest, such as a local Home Depot made life simpler when we were in Durango a week ago and had no idea where the store might be. Spot on. Drove right to it. My wife, who is not a computer person, found it easy and fun to use. Would recommend to anyone wanting a basic easy to use GPS.

Have not tried the upload offer yet so have no idea how or if it will work with an iMac.

1 Star garmin nuvi 205w
The nuvi 205w touch screen responses very slow especially for panning map. Sometime, it speaks wrong information such as the display shows 0.2 miles but it say 0.4 miles. It has 4.3 screen but the font size is smaller than the old nuvi 360 which make it harder to read the street name. Unlike, the nuvi 360, this one has a very bad design for DC power cable, you have to pull the cable from the back of the unit everytime when you remove the unit from the window attachment.

5 Stars Great GPS device
Bought this for my wife. She has used several times and LOVES it. Won’t leave home without it. Works great. We wanted this model because it tells you to turn ahead without a lot of chatter about cross street names. Best price available. These sell on eBay auctions for more than the cost here.

5 Stars Garmin nuvi 205W
Easy out of the box startup. New HotFix Technology is unobstructed by trees, bridges and overpasses. Large 4.3″ screen is worth the extra $20.00

Buy/More Info

Magellan Maestro 3200 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator Factory Refurbished

Worry-free navigation with style! Affordable and complete: 1.3 million Points of Interest and built-in maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Touch the simple menu on the brilliant 3.5″ color display to get an instant route with voice guidance to virtually anywhere. Ultra-thin, wireless and amazingly easy to use!

Affordable, ultra-thin and amazingly easy to use, the Magellan Maestro 3200 enables you to find virtually anywhere in seconds without reading the instructions! The simple touch-screen menu presents easy options in brilliant color! The large 3.5″ touch screen shows your position on the interactive map, plus distance to the next turn, distance to destination, ETA, street names and more, all at a glance. Voice guidance offers worry-free driving with turn-by-turn directions so you can keep your eyes on the road.

Easily find your way around town or from Florida to Washington with built-in maps of the 48 contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. 1.3 million pre-programmed Points of Interest (POI) enable you to search and select nearby services, and recreation and business locations. Find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs and more. Phone numbers are included (when available) so you can call ahead for information and reservations.

The SiRFstarIII GPS receiver and built-in high-sensitivity antenna provide the fastest position acquisition in the industry for reliable navigation. QuickSpell intelligently searches and checks spelling so you can enter your destination with just few touches of the screen. SmartDetour prompts you to route around sudden slow freeway traffic.