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Garmin's ColorMap StreetPilot III |
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Garmin
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Garmin's ColorMap StreetPilot III is Garmin's first receiver with automatic
address to address routing. It also has voice command output. StreetPilot
III coupled with Garmin's CityNavigator mapping program delivers one of the
most detailed street maps available on the market. Users can load detailed
maps for one or more of 120 US cities. These are not included with
StreetPilot II. These detailed maps are also supplemented with a feature
called "base maps" that are included in the system. These two types of
maps let a user plot routes from one city to another without loading all
of the maps in between. The price for StreetPilot III is $850, on of the
lowest priced Automatic Car Navigators available.
Colormap StreetPilot III is designed to combine a GPS receiver, a laptop,
and map software into one system. For additional memory, you can add 8, 16,
32, 64, and 128 megabyte memory cartridges. Most city maps are between 500k
and 2mb of memory. The auctomaitc address to address routing requires the
CityNavigator map offering in order to work effectively. The routes that
the StreetPilot III chooses are usually the best routes, but again it is
difficult for the machine to take into consideration other factors that
might affect travel.
Address to Address route generation is really fast. It can take anywhere
from 30 seconds for a local route to 2 minutes for a national route.
Since this unit is larger and designed for automobile or street use, the
battery life is somewhat low. It lasts around two hours before it needs
to be recharged.
All and all, for a price of $850, StreetPilot III is an excellent value
and provides cutting edge features at a reasonable price.
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