I got my phone last week and instantly decided a GPS receiver was in order. After shopping around for a few days and not really finding a whole lot of helpful reviews on the various packages out there I found that Garmin had just released a new version of the GPS 10. I already have a nice GPSMap 60CS handheld from Garmin so I know the quality of their hardware and software. Garmin sells the package (BT receiver and software for Windows/Palm/Pocket PC all in one) for $200. With a little shopping you cand find it for about $160. I got mine from Ant Online for $156.65 plus shipping. I ordered it very late Monday night and it arrived via UPS Thursday afternoon. Very happy with their shipping.



First impressions:
Out of the box I was shocked. The receiver is tiny. It's a tad bigger than the battery in my Treo 700wx. It came with a 12-volt car charging cord that connects via a usb "B" plug to the reciever...which means you can also charge it off your desktop or laptop's usb port with the right cable. Also in the box was a quick-start guide and the software installation CD. Don't forget to save the little yellow paper in there too - it has your software unlock code and registration code on it!

Installation:
This is where I give Garmin 3 thumbs down. Coming from my old handheld the installation of this setup was pretty bad. I followed the directions in the quick start guide and managed to get the laptop version "nRoute" installed on my laptop and then the WM "Mobile XT" installed on the Treo but for some reason was not getting any map data on the Treo. I did the process 2 more times to make sure I wasn't missing a step or something and no luck. Garmin had absolutely no tech. info on this unit on their website - I'm assuming because it's so new. So I turned to Google and low and behold it returned a page on Amazon with another user's review having the same problem and how he fixed it. He recomended downloading a program called "MapInstall" that you can free form Garmin's site (although it's a bit tricky to find). Use that to load your maps instead of MapSource or whatever else they try to recomend. As soon as I got MapInstall loaded it loaded my maps perfectly. I think once Garmin gets some of this straightened out in their FAQs it will clear a lot of the confusion.

Using it:
This is where I can't say enough good about it. The map quality is 5x better than my 60cs (which still costs ~$400 btw). It was very accurate in its locating and faster than I would have expected in calculating and recalculating routes. The interface is very intuitive to use after a few minutes of tinkering.

But one of the coolest features is "Garmin Online" which is included free with the software. Within the mapping program you can go to Garmin Online and download current traffic info, weather, and even local Hotel and Gas prices. For the gas prices you can actually pick the grade of gas or diessel and it will list the local stations and their current price so you can see who's closest and cheapest!

When looking for locations the database seems to be pretty thorough. Address wise it was much easier to enter an address with the touch screen that it ever was with my old handheld. It has multiple categories for Food and Drink, Lodging, Fuel, etc. and most categories have sub-categories so you can pick the type of food you want (american, chineses, italian, fast, etc.) and it will list the nearby places, address and even phone numbers.

Another cool feature I like is the trip computer which logs your distance, average speeds, times, etc. Very cool to have for a road trip.


The only downside I can see for now is that it will draw down the battery in your Treo much quicker than normal. This is probably exagerated because I haven't stopped playing with it all morning but I can tell that from a full charge this morning I'm already down to one bar on the battery meter. Once my car charger comes in I won't need to wory about that as much.


Overall from my first impressions I'd give the Garmin GPS 10 an 8.5 out of 10. Clean up the installation and computer interface and it would easily be a 9 - 9.5!


Side note: Garmin also has a GPS 20 available that is packaged specifically for the Treo 700. It's a full cradle w/ built-in blue tooth and charges the phone while it's "docked." Hopefully someone will try that one out soon and post a review!

I have an older GPS 10 that I have been using. For the life of me I could not get the Mobile XT software to work. It would install successfully, but then it just would not run. I'd start the program and wait and wait.

On the other hand, I have been using the Garmin Que software successfully. The issue with that software is that it is designed for a 240x360 screen and I need to run Nyditot Virtual Display to deal with that.

Did you have any issues getting the Mobile XT sw running or did it work right from the first try?

No, I didn't have any problems with XT other than getting the maps to load.

At one point I did install Que and then had to uninstall it when I found an update of XT....XT would not let you update with Que on the system.


You might want to try the update of XT. They may have taken care of the problem you were having.


I think the only difference between the new 10 and the old one is that the new tracks more satelites....20 on the new vs. 12 on the old (and my old 60cs). That was also one of the reasons I went for the new 10.


On another note I've been amazed at how well it tracks and holds on to satelites. When I set it up I was in my office and the blinds were closed on all the windows and it still had no problems. I can even walk all around the inside of the building and it holds on. Another one I noticed is that I can just leave the reciever sitting on the center console of my truck and it has no problem locating sats. With my old handheld Garmin I pretty much had to use a dash mount for it so it could get a clear view of the sky.

Oh, BTW, my Treo didn't even make it a full day on the battery my first day out with the GPS. It deffinitely kills it quick when you're constantly playing with it and looking at the screen!!

Just waiting for my car charger to come in...