Garmin StreetPilot i5

[brooksr]

Today I was reading Consumer Reports Aug 06 report on Portable GPS navigation systems. They gave a "Best Buy" rating to the i5.

I see it is now discontinued by Garmin.

They like a lot about the i5 except the "awkward" roller-wheel control vs a touchscreen and the smaller 2.5" screen.

What are your thoughts about the roller screen and the smaller screen?

What other Garmin unit is most like the i5 feature wise and in the under $500 range?

Thank you!

[Tim]

The i5 is old and out of date. The "roller" screen worked fine when GPS devices were primitive, but I wouldn't spend any money on technology that old now. It also has a much smaller screen than found on devices made more recently. Especially considering how much prices have dropped in the last year.

If your budget is $500, look at the Nuvi 350. You can find it now for about $350-$400. If you want to save more money than that, check out the StreetPilot c330. You can compare those three side by side here.

[brooksr]

Great answer, thanks Tim! Can we put you in charge of forums everywhere?

That Nuvi 350 looks especially good. Coincidentally, it was CR's #1 pick but they priced it at $800 back in August.

I'm particularly interested in POI. That field is blank for the 350. What does that mean?

I'd like 6 million POI to start and the ability to add some custom ones.

Brooks

[Tim]