Travel Technology - TomTom Go 910 vs Garmin Nuvi 360 or StreetPilot c550

There is a great thread on this on GpsPasSion (http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=52721&whichpage=1) at http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=52721&whichpage=1.

I posted the following message there (minutes ago) and have yet to get a response. Since many of you do not participate there, I am also posting the message here.

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Is the Nuvi 360($964) worth the price when compared to the StreetPilot c550 ($857)and TomTom 910 ($799)? Is the C550 a better unit for the money than the Nuvi 360.

What I want from a gps is bluetooth so that it can act as a hands free speaker with my phone and all three do that. Is the sound and voice pick-up better in one compared to the other.

I live in a smaller city and the traffic service is of no interest to me. I'll never use the mp3 player and don't need real time weather. But I do want the best chip set available and fastest signal acquision time. The SiRF III seems to be the way to go and to get SiRF III with Bluetooth these seem to be the units to consider.

The TomTom Go 910 has a 480x272 pixel screen compared to the 320x240 on the c550 and Nuvi. From what I read here that size difference really isn't significant. What I want in a screen is bright, glare free and easy to read. Older TomToms got poor marks here. How do these three units compare on screen readability?

Portability including weight and battery life is important to me. The Go 910 and c550 are about the same physical size but the C550 is lighter 12 oz vs 9.4 oz). The Nuvi is smaller and weighs just 5.1 oz. Far as I can tell all three will get 4 to 8 hours of battery life as a GPS (no music!) with perhaps an edge to the c550. The Go 910 may have less battery life than the Nuvi. What are your thoughts on battery life? All use Lithium-Ion batteries. are they user replaceable?

Good maps and the ablilty to recalculate are important. I rented a Hertz NeverLost in Chicago recently and if I strayed, it would insist that I return to the designed route, then it would recalulate, sometimes with a u-turn (three left turns). It would finally give up and about six or seven blocks later give me a new route. I hear TomTom's older models are like that more than the Garmins. How do the newer models compare?

Is it true that Garmin tells you what side of the street an address is located on but TomTom does not? If so, is this still the case for the Go 910?

Now the Go 910 has a large hard disk. I am not sure what I'll use the space for but an audio book sounds nice. Neither Garmin has a hard disk and both have SD memory expansion slots. Do I care about this difference?

I am interested in ease of use and ability to add POIs. The older Garmins got better marks than the older TomToms. In the new Garmins, will I need an extra SD card to add any? What about adding an audio book, will I need an extra SD card?

I want to be able to add a location by coordinates. This is not a must but it helps with streets not on the built-in map. I read that the Go 910 can do that, can the Garmins?

The big thing is how it sits in my car. I have a 2000 Lexus GS300 and my wife a 2002 Lexus ES300. The TomTom only comes with a windshield suction mount. beacuse of the dash design, it looks like it will go mid-window. That seems far away. Can it be dashboard mounted? The Garmins come with both suction cup and dashboard disk mounts.

I am concerned about the ability to reach the touch screen because of placement issues. The Go 910 has a remote control as do some Garmin units. I saw no mention of a remote control on the c550 or Nuvi. Is there one?

Security is important. Left out, they are invitations to thieves. So quick mount and dismount is important. Any suggestions as to which unit would be easist to mount and dismount. Also, I'd like a passcode that would lock and unlock the unit so that if stolen it would be useless. The c550 lists Garmin Lock as an anti-theft feature. Do the Go 910 and Nuvi have similar features?

Now the Go 910 includes Europe. I like that although I do not get to Europe that often -- once a year maybe. What does it cost to add Europe to the Garmins? I wonder whether European rental cars come with optional GPS units?

Do any of the units have maps of Mexico? Garmin says it maps North America. Does that include Hawaii? Go only claims United States and Canada. So I assume Go does not have Mexico.

So what would you get if you were me? I want in this order

SiRF III
Bluetooth
Screen readability
Best available US maps
Quick recalculation of routes when I deviate
Good speaker and microphone
Passcode security
Ease of mounting
Remote control
Ability to load audio books
Addresses showing location including side of street
POI by name not just category
Price
Weight
Maps of Europe
User ability to change battery
Battery life

By now you can guess that I've never owned a GPS before. My guess is that whatever I get, I'll love but any help you can give me in the decision making will be appreciated.

For a US user review of the TomTom Go 910, go to http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50344&whichpage=6

BTW, told you it would be out this week ;)

They are in stock at most BestBuys at the moment. $749.

Interesting. Website price for thr Go 910 is still $799 although some have said it is $759. I am waiting for a few user reviews on things like how it handles route deviatiojs and whether US maps are more uptodate than in the Go 700. It big advantage is the maps of US and Europe. However, its weight makes it less of a handheld than the Nuvi.

I am hoping someone will compare the Go 910 with the Nuvi 360. I wanted the Go but am now thinking about the Nuvi instead.

I'm trying to make a similar decision. The one thing that is turning me off on the Tomtom is the Tele Atlas maps. I've been reading that the Navteq maps used on the Garmin and Magellan products are superior.

If any of you get the TomTom Go 910, let me know your experiences with the maps.

Also, if you are a California driver, how are you dealing with the "no windshield suction cup" rule?

I'm trying to make a similar decision. The one thing that is turning me off on the Tomtom is the Tele Atlas maps. I've been reading that the Navteq maps used on the Garmin and Magellan products are superior.

If any of you get the TomTom Go 910, let me know your experiences with the maps.

Also, if you are a California driver, how are you dealing with the "no windshield suction cup" rule?

I've had devices with maps from both firms. And to be honest I haven't really found a difference between them. Both maps miss some stuff but both are pretty complete. Also; POI's are usually delivered by a 3rd party and there are big differences in what is installed on the units. Navteq does seem to keep their maps a little more up to date but that means nothing if the GPS manufacturer doesn't make these updates available on a regular basis.

As for the "no suction cup" rule, I get my dash mounts at ProClip (www.procliupusa.com).

As for me; I've decided the TomTom is without a doubt the best value for money. It has so many more features than the Garmin that is doesn't make sense to get the Nuvi. TomTom seems to be miles ahead of Garmin when it comes to UI and features and lately it seems like Garmin is simply copying whatever TomTom makes. TomTom is on their second generation Bluetooth enabled devices while Garmin has just entered that market.

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=53419 to compare maps.

As for the "no suction cup" rule, I get my dash mounts at ProClip (www.procliupusa.com).

As for me; I've decided the TomTom is without a doubt the best value for money. It has so many more features than the Garmin that is doesn't make sense to get the Nuvi. TomTom seems to be miles ahead of Garmin when it comes to UI and features and lately it seems like Garmin is simply copying whatever TomTom makes. TomTom is on their second generation Bluetooth enabled devices while Garmin has just entered that market.

It is www.proclipusa.com.

Does Garmin show what side of the street a building is on? Does TomTom? I heard yes for Garmin and no for TomTom.

It is www.proclipusa.com.

Does Garmin show what side of the street a building is on? Does TomTom? I heard yes for Garmin and no for TomTom.

My TomTom does. When it knows. The majority of buildings it knows, but like with many maps it gets confused when the street numbering is not "logical". On my old Magellan (Navteq maps) it didn't know which side of the street my house was, and the TomTom doesn't know either but as said, for the majority of destinations it works just fine.

My Garmin Street Pilot knows what side of the street the destination is on.

Scott Scott loves TomTom. We know that already. :)

-David

Also, if you are a California driver, how are you dealing with the "no windshield suction cup" rule?

I drive around feeling very guilty all day.

Nobody will enforce that rule.

I drive around feeling very guilty all day.

Nobody will enforce that rule.

I sure hope you never get in an accident, cause the insurance companies love drivers that break the law, no matter how silly that law may be.

Garmin Nuvi 350 and 350 and StreetPilot c550 all have Sirf III and are WAAS capable. TomTom is not WAAS capable. TomTom Customer support said:

Dear Mr Shaikun,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support.
Our unit 910 has high sensitivity SiRF Star 3 GPS chipset but it will not give the accuracy as the WAAS. Our 910 have a +- 10 meters accuracy.

With best regards,

The TomTom Customer Support Team

Interesting. But what does it mean in real life?

Garmin Nuvi 350 and 350 and StreetPilot c550 all have Sirf III and are WAAS capable. TomTom is not WAAS capable. TomTom Customer support said:

Dear Mr Shaikun,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support.
Our unit 910 has high sensitivity SiRF Star 3 GPS chipset but it will not give the accuracy as the WAAS. Our 910 have a +- 10 meters accuracy.

With best regards,

The TomTom Customer Support Team

Interesting. But what does it mean in real life?


In real life it means nothing.

You are driving around in a car, not launching nuclear missiles. Sirf III is perfectly accurate without WAAS, and even the older units I've used (going all the way back to the first Neverlost) got me to my destination just fine without WAAS. Digital maps are fairly accurate, and 10 meters will make no difference at all since most current systems "lock" onto the road it guesses you are on. WAAS is just a method of correcting errors in the GPS signal, Garmin choses to use WAAS, TomTom has a different approach. The main reason is that WAAS is NOT available outside the US, and since TomTom makes true global devices they had to pick a system that would work everywhere.

In fact, as I had posted before, I believe the TomTom to be better than any Garmin because of the accelerometer inside the units.

You can read more on these chips here:

http://www.memsic.com/memsic/corporate/press_release.asp?itemid=50

It is true; I can drive into a tunnel and the TomTom will still know my speed and direction, try that with WAAS.

And here is ANOTHER reason the Go is better:

http://www.tomtom.com/plus/service.php?ID=18 even the best of chipsets can take up to 20 minutes for a complete new cold fix if they have been moved when powered off. This new TomTom service will make that a thing of the past.

OP mentioned screen readability. I have the Garmin 2610, iQue 3600 and 3200. After using them awhile I can mostly navigate just based on tonal chimes and verbal directions alone: I almost never need to look at the screen unless of course it is a complicated offramp where there are many options.

FWIW, I thought this was useful.

http://gpsinformation.us/joe/gpscompare/gpscarnavscreencompare.html

I have never been lost with Garmin's Navteq maps and although they don't have dead-reckoning, they re-acquire the sat signal pretty quickly once out of a tunnel - usually under 10 seconds. And this without SiRF III.

I used a Neverlost unit and agree that tones and speech did most of what I needed. Still, from time to time you need to look at the screen and unless the 910 is much better than earlier models that alone may be reason to buy Garmin.

The article at
http://gpsinformation.us/joe/gpscom...eencompare.html showed TomTom in last place. It did not compare Nuvi. How is Nuvi's screen?

Now TomTom is twice as heavy as Nuvi and although made for outside use not waterproof. Does not waterproof mean a bit of rain will do it in or simply that it ought not be submerged?

The big issue for me is mounting. Nuvi can be dash mounted. TomTom may be too far back if windshield mounted. Mounting elsewhere will interfer with my phone. I could redo all, but if so that just adds to its cost.

I wonder what Best Buy's return policy is. I'd really like to try a TomTom Go 910. I'll give the store a call this weekend.

Someone said Best Buy had the 910 for under $799. Any web or other evidence of that? I only saw it for $799.

1) I'd still dashmount it. It just looks better. Sticking an $800 GPS unit on the windshield just looks bad. The guys at proclip can provide all kinds of mounts that will help you.

2) Bestbuy charges a 15% restocking fee, but I advise you to check with the sales rep to see if they can override that.

3) The 910 WAS $749 last week at BestBuy, sadly you missed that. When I posted the link this weekend the price was there. I'd expect some other stores to be offering it at that price real soon, but at least Bestbuy has a nice performance plan option which I do recommend for this product.

4) The Nuvi is NOT waterproof, nor is it "rain proof", parts like the SD slot are not protected, so a little water will damage it.

I do advise you to pop over to Bestbuy and play with the 910, they usually have it right next to the nuvi so you can compare both units.

Yes, so exciting that the TomTom GO 910 is out and people are able to get their hands on it give it a whirl. Really eager to hear what people's first experiences with the device are like.

In the debate between the Garmin and TomTom products, another point is that the new TomTom GO 510 and TomTom GO 910 have a cool feature that lets you communicate with other people who have the same unit- it is called TomTom buddies.

We just bought a Nuvi 350 from Costco Online for $799.99. That includes the obligatory purchase of a $150 non-refundable "Costco Cash Card," making the price of the Nuvi effectively $650.

We aren't experienced gps users but so far have found this tiny unit incredibly fantastic. ^ We tried out a relative's Tom Tom a couple of weeks ago in Florida and thought it was excellent as well, but I can't in fairness make a unit-to-unit comparison, other than to say we're happy we bought the Nuvi.

One potentially useful features for FTers is that you can put it into "walk" mode and use it as a city guide. We've already tried it out both in Washington State and in British Columbia both in the car and on foot and are blown away by its accuracy. Features that appeal to me include an optional bell at the beginning of each announcement, the fact that the synthesized voices announce the street name ("in .2 miles turn right at Smith Street"), and also say that an address is "on the left."

Even though Mrs. Fredd is usually my trusty navigator, I can reach over and tap the bottom right-hand corner of the little screen anytime I want to be reassured by the next instruction. I would have no hesitation in driving singlehandedly anywhere at this point, as long as I could input the address of where I wanted to go.

We had previously bought one of those $100 DeLorme units that attaches to the laptop and found it almost totally useless so we were determined not to scrimp on buying the best gps we could.

We did a lot of research (including reading through the gps threads in this forum) and were particularly impressed by this review:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1880576,00.asp

We have already blown the budget and ordered the Europe map chip for an upcoming trip, along with an AC charger that includes a converter for use in Europe. I plan to tuck the Nuvi into a shirt pocket and take it everywhere we go from now on.

Cheers,
Fredd

Fredd, sounds like you are quite happy with the new GPS- glad it is proving more useful than the laptop program you used previously. ^

I am leaning toward the TomTom GO 910 for travel reasons, really psyched to have the Europe maps pre-loaded. I always get frantic packing for trips (you'd think I never go anywhere the way I get batty), and don't want to worry about whether I need to get new maps.

Anyone heard about the TomTom buddies I mentioned- something I found about how it works
http://blogs.totalpda.com/?p=92

I am leaning toward the TomTom GO 910 for travel reasons, really psyched to have the Europe maps pre-loaded. I always get frantic packing for trips (you'd think I never go anywhere the way I get batty), and don't want to worry about whether I need to get new maps.

Well, the TomTom we tried was just fine and I'm sure you won't go wrong with it!

Coincidentally our cute little $300 European map chip just arrived today and we've already done a little theoretical test driving. That, of course, brings the total damage right up to around a thousand bucks, even with that good deal from Costco, so we're going to get our money's worth by using it even when we're just walking around the block at home. :)

Cheers,
Fredd

Fredd, sounds like things are off to a good start with the "cute" chip (great moniker for it btw).

I just learned that the TomTom GO 910 is now available in Best Buy and Circuit City nationwide. So for those of us who have been waiting for a first real life "glimpse", the wait is over. :cool:

http://www.clubtomtom.com/general/go-910-released-in-the-us/

Eager to see it and hear what everyone else thinks.

Now if the TomTom GO Rider is nearby, the bf will be quite pleased as he is eyeing em both.

Set to be released in June or July, the Nuvi 360 lists for $964 compared to $799 for the TomTom Go 910, but street prices seem lower than for the TomTom. Have seen prices as low as $724 on the Nuvi.

I'm thinking seriously about buying one of these gadgets, and have two issues:

1) I'm US-based, but will want to take it to Europe a couple of times a year, and 2) all my computers are Macs. Do either/both of those criteria point me towards a specific brand for ease of adding/swapping out the map info? And does anybody have an opinion about Sony's car GPS product?

Thanks.

Well the TomTom GO 910 comes with the European and US maps included and ready to use. Hadn't thought about using the TomTom with a Mac, as I am in the PC camp, but it got me wondering.

Did a quick Google search and turns out the original TomTom GO models (300 and 700) and the new ones (510 and 910) are compatible with Macs.

Here's some info on the free software to synch up the new models with your Mac.
http://www.mobilewhack.com/reviews/tomtom_unveils_next_generation_in_car_navigation_t omtom_go_910_go_710_and_go_510.html

Well the TomTom GO 910 comes with the European and US maps included and ready to use. Hadn't thought about using the TomTom with a Mac, as I am in the PC camp, but it got me wondering.

Did a quick Google search and turns out the original TomTom GO models (300 and 700) and the new ones (510 and 910) are compatible with Macs.

Here's some info on the free software to synch up the new models with your Mac.
http://www.mobilewhack.com/reviews/tomtom_unveils_next_generation_in_car_navigation_t omtom_go_910_go_710_and_go_510.html
Thanks!

FWIW, having bought the European map card for our Nuvi, we have just used it in some small towns and countryside in Norway and Denmark and it performed flawlessly.

As I mentioned earlier, even with what I believe were good purchase prices there wasn't much change from a thousand bucks once we bought the European maps, so the Tom Tom might be more cost effective for those wanting both North America and Europe.

I must say though that it's wonderful having such a tiny gadget that is an absolute non-issue for packing and we're still happy with our Nuvi!

As I mentioned earlier, even with what I believe were good purchase prices there wasn't much change from a thousand bucks once we bought the European maps, so the Tom Tom might be more cost effective for those wanting both North America and Europe.

Thanks for pointing that out Fredd, for me the US and Europe maps preloaded is a big factor in my interest in the TomTom GO 910. Also, have heard great things about the accuracy of their maps from Tele Atlas.

Hi all,

I've been reading this post with great interest since i also have this dilemma of TTG 910 or Nuvi 360. I have to say that ScottC makes lots of good arguments for the Tomtom and might just have toss my balance towards getting a Tomtom instead of a Garmin :) Thanks for helping me make up my mind Scott.

However, there's something that i could not confirm regarding the accelerometer. All articles that i'm reading about it seem to point to the Tomtom Go and i could not get confirmation that the TTG 910 has it. Can anybody who has the TTG 910 confirm that it has the accelerometer dead reckoning system? Also if it does why doesn't Tomtom advertise it in the specs of the TTG x10 series? This is a great argument for Tomtom against Garmin and yet they don't seem to stress this point very much (actually they don't stress it at all...).

Thanks,

Pedro

I heartily second Pedro, ScottC your advice on GPS and other tech products has been invaluable.

I got curious and looked up the accelerometer. I too found older records about the accelerometer in the TomTom GO products, but not confirmation for the 910.

Have you tried contacting customer service, perhaps they can answer your question. I've heard that the reps are very knowledgeable.

I sure hope you never get in an accident, cause the insurance companies love drivers that break the law, no matter how silly that law may be.

You'd still need to be cited for it, first.

I heartily second Pedro, ScottC your advice on GPS and other tech products has been invaluable.

I got curious and looked up the accelerometer. I too found older records about the accelerometer in the TomTom GO products, but not confirmation for the 910.

Have you tried contacting customer service, perhaps they can answer your question. I've heard that the reps are very knowledgeable.

With the SirfStar III chipset you almost don't need the accelerometer, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is still in it. I'll see what I can find on it...

With the SirfStar III chipset you almost don't need the accelerometer, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is still in it. I'll see what I can find on it...

Have you had any experience driving your Tomtom 910 through a tunnel? No matter how good the chipset i'm guessing it does lose signal under extreme circumstances like in tunnels...

Guys - just want to let you know that i just got confirmation from another forum and also from this site (http://tomtomgo.jouwsites.nl/gj_s_vergelijk2.php?id=161) under "Assisted Satelite Navigation" that the Tomtom 910 does NOT have the accelerometer system. Apparently the accelerometer idea was dropped by Tomtom since they were never able to tune it properly. It was only used on the Go v1, GO500 and GO700, based on user fedeback.

The good news though is that the Tomtom 910 does have some sort of "software" based dead reckoning which works pretty well and will keep you on track in tunnels and circumstances where GPS signal is lost. But i don't have must details about this.

Pedro

Have you had any experience driving your Tomtom 910 through a tunnel? No matter how good the chipset i'm guessing it does lose signal under extreme circumstances like in tunnels...

I've used a SIRFstar III chipset in my basement and still got signal, the trick is to enter the place that has weak signal when you have a fix, it has a hard time finding a GPS fix in places like that but once it has one it'll hold on to it though almost anything...

ScottC, that's a cool "experiment" you did in your basement. I heard a lot of good things about the SIRFIII before the new TomTom's hit the market, and it is nice to get user feedback.

I've heard from others that they were very impressed with how the chipset handled tunnels, anyone else here with a 910 able to weigh in.

FWIW our Nuvi maintained a signal in the one long tunnel we've driven in so far and kept directing us without any delays when we left.

Considering it's FT, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned using a gps on a plane, at least out of curiosity. As we flew over London at low altitude we tried ours and saw an amazing overview of streets, etc., as we flew along at 463 km per hour or whatever it was recording.

Not surprisingly, it didn't work at 30,000 feet, and we had a nice chat with an FA on UA about it who noticed us playing with it. She was already friendly, and said she was "technically" supposed to ask the captain whether it was an "approved" gps unit but approved it on her own. I pointed out the Nuvi ad in Hemispheres and she laughed and said she hoped to buy one for her daughter, who's off to college in the Fall.

At what altitude do units such as these stop showing streets?

This info leads me to conclude we won't bother taking our gps units out in future, but it was fun to see those streets in London:

http://gpsinformation.net/airgps/gpsrfi.htm

Considering it's FT, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned using a gps on a plane, at least out of curiosity. As we flew over London at low altitude we tried ours and saw an amazing overview of streets, etc., as we flew along at 463 km per hour or whatever it was recording.

I imagine that my boyfriend will be very tempted to use a GPS onboard flight- so guess I would either have to let it go or make sure I pack the unit away, I'm sure if he gets the idea to use it in the plane he will want to run out and get a TomTom even sooner.

[/QUOTE]I pointed out the Nuvi ad in Hemispheres and she laughed and said she hoped to buy one for her daughter, who's off to college in the Fall.
[/QUOTE]
Aren't those in flight magazines amazing- the gadgets always look so slick. . .

There is a one-page feature on portable GPS systems in the August Consumer Reports. While the Nuvi 350 is ranked first, CR gives the StreetPilot i5 its "Best Buy" designation due to the lower price.

is offering the Magellan RoadMate 360 GPS Navigation System for $279 after rebate. FYI

www.woot.com

Is the NUVI 360 generally available in the States? Is there a source that does not have a restocking fee for returns?

Late to the discussion, but I thought I'd throw in something to cloud the water. :)

Namely, a Fujitsu-Siemens Loox N560.

It's a Windows Mobile 5 Equipped PDA. With Built in GPS.

Has Bluetooth. In fact, there's a free relay program that will send the GPS info across the bluetooth connection for use with another bluetooth enabled device (like a laptop running microsoft streets or google earth).

Has 802.11G/B WLAN
Has Infra Red
Has MP3/video playback (ibooks etc) with a built in speaker and of course a standard mini stereo plug. (Can use both at the same time if you want)
Will act as a USB host.
Very Fast processor
VGA Screen!
Has permanent storage of programs so they won't dissapear in the event of a battery discharge.

On the GPS side:

Has a SiRFstarIII chip
Has an integrated antenna built into the case. Nothing to flip up or out and break. Also has a connector (covered with a rubber plug) for an external GPS antenna. That makes it useable in the car, on the street, in the mountains or at the Starbucks that you found (using the GPS) for doing email or Word or Excel or reading a book while listening to mp3's.

Further, the GPS sends standard NMEA output to any compatible Windows Mobile 5 GPS software such as TomTom or Navigon. (I like Navigon as they have GPS Maps of the mid-east as well as Europe and North America. Comes on a DVD and you only buy additional map areas as needed.) You're not tied to any software vendor, so, whoever floats your boat you're set.

Cost? About $600.00, shipping included.

http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?code=134944&sbadd=134944

Reviews here:

http://www.4winmobile.com/fujitsu-siemens-loox-n560-review-vt2602.html
" It packs everything you could possibly need into an extremely small and light form factor."

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,48836
"The N560 is most definitely the finest Pocket PC that I've used and should be on the short list of anyone in the market for a top notch PDA."

Hope that muddled things up a bit! :D

More seriously, do you really need a dedicated GPS unit or (as a road warrior) would it make more sense to buy a multifunction piece of kit like this. That's the decision you have to make.

Regards,
-Bouncer-

Is the NUVI 360 generally available in the States? Is there a source that does not have a restocking fee for returns?

Yes it is ....And the lowest price is 629.99 on Oct 7th. Nuvi 360 is simply great. I read all reviews...and finally ordered mine for $629 from amazon.

FYI : I got this price thru a website called http://www.edealsdaily.com/showdeal.php?dealid=2827 I guess $629 for 360 for is the lowest price so far...any one less thn that? ...I have 30 days price guarantee from amazon.