GPS unit with built-in antenna and protective cover * 20-gigabyte hard drive (10 for navigation, 10 for MP3 file storage) * industrial-strength casing sealed to prevent internal corrosion * 5" diagonal, color TFT display offers exceptional visibility * Map Mode accesses detailed road maps of the United States and Canada, with over 2 million points of interest *
The fully loaded iWay 500C GPS navigation system gets you where you need to go whether it's to a movie theater across town or a museum across the continent. Merely pick a destination via the easy-to-use touch-screen display, and the iWay 500C automatically determines the best route and gives you turn-by-turn directions with voice and visual guidance. The navigator is so reliable that its 12-parallel-channel WAAS receiver is accurate within up to 3 meters, making it a great fit for scavenger hunts as well as road trips. Should you want to customize your trip by avoiding toll roads and interstates, the iWay 500C adjusts easily with alternative directions. It also recalculates trip routes should you get distracted and lose your way, and thanks to its built-in 20 GB hard drive, it can save up to 1,000 of your favorite locations. The substantial hard drive holds a ton of other information as well, including a preloaded Navteq turn-by-turn database with maps of the entire continental U.S. and Canada.
The hard drive is designed for far more than GPS files, however, dedicating half its storage space to MP3 music. Listeners can enjoy up to 5,000 compressed MP3s on the device, which includes such music functions as browse files, play lists, repeat, shuffle, scan, and equalizer. Additional features include a 5-inch ultra-bright color TFT display with 320 x 240 resolution, simple five-key operation, and an internal USB port for connection to a PC. The touch-screen display is particularly valuable, as its quality backlighting is easy to read even on bright sunny days. The compact unit measures 6.1 by 4.5 by 2.15 inches (W x H x D) and carries a one-year warranty.
What's in the Box
iWay 500C GPS/MP3 player, cigarette lighter adapter with volume control and 1/8-inch stereo jack, hardwire adapter with 1/8-inch stereo jack, suction cup mounting bracket, flexible rubber base, USB cable, 110-volt AC to 12-volt DC power adapter, GPS antenna, protective cover, touch-screen cleaning cloth, user's manual.
1 Best GPS
best gps in car good price nice features is the best, mp3 20 hard drive no spend money in SD cards. HAVE ALL ACCESSORIES big screen .nice buy recommend.
2 Highly Recommended
The iWay 500c is an incredible GPS that will rate at the top and at a lower price than anything with comparable features. You can read the specs yourself, what follows are my impressions of the unit.
The package includes 2 separate RAM-Mounts (one dash board and one windshield). I am new to RAM-Mounts and am very impressed with these excellent brackets. Additional RAM-mounts are available at a very reasonable price if you need them.
Also included are 3 power cords 1) automotive cigarette lighter, 2) a battery connection cable, 3) a 120v cable/cigarette female for indoor use. An external amplifying antenna is also included.
The screen is large and easy to read in all light conditions. There are 4 levels of back lighting. The touch screen and buttons work well and the interface is intuitive. The auto-zoom works great too.
The road selection software is good, but could use a little tweaking. My only complaint is that the "slider bar" to select more or less interstate seems to be basically an on-off switch. I would prefer to see a mixture of interstate and back roads at some intermediate setting. The good news is that Lowrance has already updated the software, which is easily downloadable and installed from the Internet. Hopefully they will continue to improve the road selection algorithm.
When I purchased the unit, I wondered how well the voice commands would work with the built in MP3 player. It turns out that they work better than expected. There are several setting for the voice commands and they will temporarily silence the music for instructions just as I had hoped.
Besides everything else that I mentioned one of the best things that I like about the iWay 500c is that it is waterproof to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes! This is perfect for motorcycle touring, which is my primary intended use. Of course with all of the mounting hardware and power cords, this unit is easily moved to my automobile.
This is a perfect GPS for motorcycling touring. I normally use a computer based GPS in the car, but I will switch to the Lowrance because it is incredibly easy to read and use, boots up in a matter of seconds (unlike my PC), and is very portable. In my research on GPS's the iWay 500c is a best value.
3 Great Navigator, Great Price, Best in Class
This little piece of gadgetry is absolutely wonderful. The large screen is the perfect size and is very clear and easy to read with a glance. It navigates great, you can switch from track up to north up to 3D view with a simple touch of the touch screen. It finds addresses and waypoints easily. It comes with all of the accessories made for it, including the external antennae. This fact makes it extremely adaptable and friendly. The voice directions are clear and correct. The price is great, especially if you shop around a bit. With its 10GB of MP3 I don't really use my 6 disc changer any more!
What I like: large color screen that can be read at a glance, lots of accessories, accuracy, Price. Certainly the best for the money.
What could be better: If the music player loaded wma as well as the MP3 and Ogg it now takes. If it had MGRS. If you could download waypoints from you computer so that you didn't have to add them individually.
4 Exactly what I was looking for!
Finally, I have found the answer to our new vehicle purchase. We recently bought a new Ford Excusrion with all of the bells and whistles.... almost, anyway. As Ford doesn't have a decent Nav system available, and we didnt want to give up the in-dash 6 CD changer and steering wheel audio controls, we decided to go aftermarket on the nav. I came across this unit in Las Vegas and bought it, as it offered the turn-by-turn instructions and 3D mapping I was looking for. After a 6 hour drive back home, I am completely sold on the model. The unit is built very ruggedized, and looks as if it can take a lot of punishment. The navigation performed flawlessly and found a new route quickly after I decided I didn't want to go the way it told me to. The kit contains several mounting options.... a real plus! On the dash of the Excursion, the large 5" screen fits right in, without being obtrusive. I am looking into some mounting options, however. I will also be installing a seperate under-dash audio system for the nav, as I don't want to parallel the audio in with the XM modulator. Very nice unit. I hope that it holds up all the same years from now.
