I never said NeverLost was very fast or extremely accurate. But it works for me. I simply recommended it due to the fact that I don't have to take anything with me, load maps, etc., and that I thought the price was reasonable, considering it was a reimbursable expense to me. YMMV

1. Most portable GPS systems do not work well in a car. They are almost impossible to use while driving. They prefer a direct look at the sky.

2. Portable GPS systems are still tech toys. The battery life is short, you need to know about how the 50 sub-menu items work, and price does not equal performance.

3. If you plan to stay inside a major city just get a good street map and learn to read it. It is faster and usually more accurate.

4. If you want a decent portable system get one that does more then just GPS. Get a Garmin PocketPC. That way you can keep addresses, phone numbers, and mapquest or pocketpc streets and maps directions on the pocketpc.

5. If you really want a portable GPS system - get a used one on ebay a old Magellen GPS 12 for $50 or Newer sportrak pro for a few bucks more. Everything above those two items are features you do not need.

This hasn't been the case for some time now. Some GPS chipsets, like the SiRfStar III even work inside, and have been reported to even work in your basement. The performance of GPS has greatly improved.

Really? I've got a GPS 60C that will hold a lock without an external antenna in any major city but NYC or Chicago (multiway and the concrete canyons). An external antenna solves that problem in those areas. I'm currently inside a home with no skylights and two standard windows in the room, and I see 4 birds for a lock within 20 feet or so.

Again, for my relatively inexpensive unit, I get mapping w/autorouting, a unit that will take street maps and topo maps and marine maps, and works for between 8 and 20 hours on a pair of rechargeable AA batteries (depending upon backlight use).

No autorouting. For any application but hiking they are not exactly useful in the car.

GPSMap60c is inexpensive, wow when did that happen? 20 hours is great especially when you are always next to a SuperAmerica. Like I stated, if you are in a major city getting a good map and learning to read it - is the most cost effective way. Besides, I have 4 portable GPS units can not think of anytime they have worked well in my car - inlcuing my. I am glad others have found them to work well.

I have a Polstar Bluetooth GPS hooked up to software that runs on my Windows Mobile 2003 phone. Works very well with the main limitation being battery life if I forget my in-car chargers. Works great in any cars and even on the train, on foot and on bicycle.

Not at all true. I have an older Garmin V and I wouldn't give it up for the world. For those who drive armored cars, many have external connections for the antenna.


I can go many days without recharging the batteries, actually weeks of casual use, and I have the option of going forever if I just plug it into the lighter. Menu's are very easy, I don't think I ever go more then one or two sub menus for day to day stuff.


A street map is virtually useless driving unless you keep pulling over to read it. Having the unit tell me that in .1 miles I have to make a right, or to get in the left lane for a turn is way better. I have no problems with accuracy with street level maps from Garmin, and if there is construction or a delay I have to go around, it recalculates the route on the fly. Most street maps are worthless for finding an address on the street, just the street. If I'm looking for a specific number, a GPS gets me right there. When I switched to a mapping unit after leaving my old one in China, I wonder how I ever got along without it.

I have been happy with the TomTom 300. It is portable and has a clever wind screen mount. I get good reception either way.

However, it looks like I will be getting a Treo 650 or 700 in the near future with GPS. That will be a much more convenient package as far a portability goes and I can use my TomTom maps in the PDA.

There are two different TomTom GO units available, the 300 and 700. Any recommendations on why you chose the 300?

Price. It was cheaper.

The 700 is only really interesting if you want a Bluetooth carkit as well. It integrates nicely with a Bluetooth phone but sound quality of the carkit leaves a lot to be desired.

I just returned from a weekend of driving a Hertz rental with NeverLost. It's basically the only reason why I will rent from Hertz exclusively.

I live in NYC and I do not own a car, so driving is not a regular activity for me, and I don't mind admitting that navigating around a strange location on top of driving is just a bit much for me to deal with. Given the difference between trying to follow the tiny dots and lines on a map and having directions spoken to me at a very intelligently measured pace, give me NeverLost anytime.

In addition, there are little prompts, like the little bits of information that you see on the screen when you're watching the news or sports these days, that I find extremely helpful. For example, it tells you what the next move will me (to the left, to the right, or straight ahead), how far you have until the next prompt, and also how far you have to you indicated destination. All extremely useful as you try and decide things like when to stop off for gas, food or occasional breaks, or when trying to decide when you will probably arrive at your destination at your current pace.

If I had one complaint, it would be the amount of time that it takes for it to re-calculate the route, either when you first set it up, or when you've veered off course, either accidentally or intentionally. Sometimes, when you're in town, you've got to pull over to give it a chance to re-calculate a new route from where you are now to your programmed destination.

I've never had an issue with it sync-ing up with satellites, even in town, although I will point out that on the Hertz vehicles, there is an antenna attached to the trunk, which I assume is a booster for the built-in antenna on the device itself.

The interface for entering information for your destination is a tad clunky, so I hope they've improved it in more recent versions, and the pacing of the prompts does take a little getting used to. I also find that it doesn't handle somewhat complex directions very well -- like when you've got an exit going into an immediate multiple merge -- but those instances are relatively rare, and it handles 95 percent of situations very well.

I agree completely. This is why I also only rent from Hz with NL, and why I made my earlier recommendation. I travel frequently to unfamiliar cities and I don't have to worry about very much about how to get where I need to go.

Do you ownt he 700 then? The bluetooth phone connection does travel and weather updates as well as handsfree bluetooth, correct? Does it do anything else?

Thanx for the help in this thread. I decided on the Go 300 and if its good maybe upgrade to the 700 later. So far it is great, I never knew how nice it would be to have something simply say "turn left at the end of the road" or equivalent directions during mergers, splits, and such. Plus its really really easy to use. Anyways, I could go on, but if anyone has questions, feel free to ask.