Product Review : GPS Navigation Systems

I've been in the market for a GPS navigation system
for a while. I figure its a great investment for not
wasting time being lost, gas money, and finding that
hole in the wall Japanese Ramen joint.

I do have a day job. Really. My job requires that I
drive around to people and tell them how great my
company is. I've been sick of planning out my routes
with MapQuest, because simply sometimes I want to
deviate from my actual plan. And sometimes I want
some damn ice cream at that very moment. Driving with
my co-worker verified to me that a GPS Navigation unit
is actually a very helpful thing.

I've used Pioneer, Alpine, Magellen, and Navigon units
before. But after reading reviews on the internet
(http://gpsmagazine.com) and watching YouTube clips, I
changed my mind from getting the Navigon 2100 to the
Garmin Nuvi 200. I went to the Garmin website to find
more information about the Nuvi 200, and was bombarded
with other models that they have. So I compared 5 of
their models at a time. I realized the highly prized
Nuvi 360 was out of my price range, at nearly 75
percent more than the Nuvi 200. Also I realized that
I don't care for street name dictation, wide screen,
subscription to MSN, subscription for traffic reports,
and the blue tooth capabilites. This all verified to
me that the Nuvi 200 was a straight forward unit with
no frills.

Upon messing with the unit I found that the interface
was very easy to use, in fact so easy that if I had an
extra 21st chromosome I can still probably navigate a
herd of cattle competently. The only complaints are
that the battery doesn't last very long without a
power cord attached, and that the Points of Interests
navigation is a little slow. Probably not as slow as
my feeble mind, but slow.

Many people say that buying a navigation is
ridiculous, 'tis true when the cheapest units years
ago started at $500. But now they have become so
affordable that it makes perfect sense to buy one and
always have an idea where you are. But the bad thing
is that now you don't have an excuse to get lost with
a girl you're dating and take her to a remote canyon
and lay it on thick.

The Garmin Nuvi 200, is about $200. Not bad. It just
means I have to wash more dishes and mow more lawns.