rodremington's Full Review: Garmin StreetPilot 2610 Car GPS Receiver
I bought a Streetpilot III, at the time the top model, 4 months ago and was very happy with it (read my review for the details). However when I caught wind that this new model was coming out, I sold my old one on ebay and bought this online for $699 at ecost.com The improvements over the old model are dramatic, I was very happy with the SP III but looking back there is just no comparison. The touch screen markedly increases the functionality of the unit, changing the search ability from an act of tedium to a rapid on-the-fly activity as opposed to the streetpilot III. Being able to use a touch-screen alpha-numeric keyboard to enter addresses is awesome! The remote control also markedly increases the efficiency and usability of the unit. At first I assumed that I would be using the remote control all the time but I discovered that the touch screen is so user-friendly that it is easier than the remote. You are never more than 2 or three touches away from what you want to do. And the speed! Don't even get me started about the slow SP III, this thing recalculates virtually instantaneously and the redraw is lighning fast. Huge huge improvement there.
The unit itself is also much smaller, mostly due to the lack of batteries as compared to the SP III, and much lighter. This means that it is less obtrusive and more solidly in place on the dashboard. I used the 'temporary' sticky mount to put it on the dash of my 3 month old BMW a month ago, and it is still stuck firmly in place. Makes me wonder what the permanent sticky mount would do.
This unit also comes with the wall plug adapter so you can run it inside without having to kill batteries. I also notice that the screen may be a touch smaller but no less visible than the SP III screen, and it does not show fingerprints at all through some special surfacing, unlike the old unit which showed fingerprints plainly.
The customizable tabs are also great, making the unit more user friendly and individualized in the information it displays. For example, the old unit always took room on the screen to tell me the time, which I don't need since I have 2 clocks in my car already, so I removed that and put a compass on there instead.
Frankly, having owned both units, I have to say that the old SP III seems almost like a beta or not-quite-ready for market unit, compared to this one. Garmin is ready for prime-time now. The scary thing is that I sold my old unit on ebay for $600 and bought this one for $699 (sorry buyer, you should have checked out the new unit before buying mine).
Comes with alphanumeric remote control and external speaker; includes USB interface with cable Bright, automotive-grade 8-bit color LCD: 3.3 x 1.7 inc...More at Amazon Marketplace
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