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Garmin StreetPilot i3


A Small Wonder in Car Navigation

No larger than a baseball and priced with affordability in mind, the StreetPilot i3 GPS navigation system is a great fit for commuters, college students, and corporate travelers looking to experience the ease and enjoyment of satellite navigation for the first time. Don't let the small size fool you; the i3 boasts many of the same powerful functions as Garmin's premium vehicle GPS navigators. The StreetPilot i3 features a unique and convenient click-to-enter scroll wheel and a Back button that makes it easy to select a destination from the unit's menu-driven interface. It also offers voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions through a built-in speaker, and should you miss a turn, the i3 will automatically recalculate the route to put you back on course. And perhaps most conveniently, the unit moves easily from vehicle to vehicle thanks to the integrated suction cup mount, so you don't need to go through a cumbersome process each time you change cars.

To get you from point A to point B, the StreetPilot i3 includes a MapSource City Select North America NT DVD, which contains mapping detail of the entire U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. The DVD's nearly six million points of interest range from hotels and restaurants to gas stations and ATMs, along with local attractions such as amusement parks and museums. Simply load the City Select data onto the included 128 MB Transflash data card via a fast USB connection and you're set.

As an added benefit, you can now import customized points of interest with the help of Garmin's free POI Loader software. For instance, you can upload safety cameras or school zones, and then receive a warning if you are traveling too fast in these areas. In addition, an optional proximity-alert feature notifies you of upcoming custom POIs. Maps are displayed on the i3's 32,000-color, sunlight-readable TFT, which includes a backlight for difficult lighting conditions. Motorists even have the choice of multiple perspectives--either a 3-D mapping angle or an overhead bird's-eye view. For added convenience, drivers can power the unit with either two AA batteries (six hours, typical use) or the included 12-volt adapter cable.

The StreetPilot i3 measures 3 by 2.74 by 2.15 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
StreetPilot i3, America's Lite Routable base map, City Select North America DVD, PC/USB cable, 12-volt adapter cable, vehicle suction-cup mount, dashboard adhesive disk, 128 MB Transflash data card, setup guide, user's manual.



Customer Reviews

Average rating:

Works as Expected

Setup was easy, but be sure to be outside with a clear view of the sky during the initial bootup. Works flawlesssly, and slips into the glove compartment when not needed.


Great little device

Has exceeded my expectations. Very easy to use and accurate. I got lost going camping in a rural area and the Garmin gave me a route where I arrived before the group I was separated from.
Only Con is it can be a little slow is establishing contact with satelites (45 - 1 min delay).
Note: remember these are very portable and easily stolen. My Garmin was taken about a month after I received it (one of my kids left the car open and it was attached to the windshield)
I was just waiting until after Christmas to buy a replacement. It will definitely be another Garmin.


Good 2 Go

The I3 is great for whatever your needs are. The screen is quite small but it does the job. Great for travel and slapping in a rental car.


Excellent Entry To GPS

I knew several people who had purchased Magellan GPS units and had bad experiences, so I chose a Garmin as my first GPS unit. I bought my i3 about 3 months ago, so I have had some time to test it out. I have used it in Boston, Phoenix, NYC, Upstate NY, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and Connecticut. I have only had to change maps once, to take off AZ and add PA.

Pros
- Tiny and unobtrusive when mounted to windshield, yet clear and comprehensible display
- Loud, clear announcements
- Have not had any problems with suction cup windshield mount even when mounted in 100 degree heat in Phoenix and 20 degree chill in Boston (and driving through bumpy, pot-hole plagued roads)
- Acquires satellite within 10 seconds of powering on and keeps very strong signal
- Only once has it given a bad direction - the announcement was to make a left at an intersection that a right was supposed to be made at. Interestingly enough, the map displayed a right turn arrow, and fortunately I knew the correct direction was to the right.
- Has had all but one POI that I have searched for by name, many of the POIs were relatively new hotels and restaurants

Cons
- Doesn't announce street names with direction (i.e. "Turn left" rather than "Turn left onto xxxx street"). This can be very annoying in a city like Boston where every intersection has 3 different right turns and 5 different left turns. BUT, a quick peek at the screen will show the street name and arrow with the angle of the upcoming turn.
- Scroll wheel is cumbersome to enter long addresses
- Processing power of unit is very weak. This translates into:
* Slow display refreshing, especially when zoomed in and using the 3D or Track Up views. I have set mine to North Up view so that it has less to redraw
* Slow search times for POIs and when entering street addresses - often the unit will freeze for a split second and if you aren't paying attention and scrolling through a list, it will compensate when it unfreezes and scroll past what is being searched for. Doh!
* Slow re-calculation of directions when there are many turns involved. This is most problematic when driving through a city and missing a turn since the unit will attempt to calculate directions from the next turn (block) and will not have completed calculation as the next turn is passed. . .causing another recalculation. Double doh! Best to pull to the side of the road or into a parking lot for a long recalculation.
- This is more annoying than anything, and I'm not sure if other units do this or not, but when on a highway with a multi-lane exit (I suppose can be considered a fork) the unit will announce to "Keep left" or "Keep right" which basically just means stay on the highway. This alters the distance that it reports to travel on a road - if you need to go 10 miles and there is an exit/fork half way, it will have two steps of 5 miles each.

Despite the Cons, this unit is an excellent choice for an inexpensive, entry GPS model. Now that I am a little more experienced, I would like the bells and whistles of more expensive models (touch screen, real-time traffic alerts, pre-loaded maps) - I suppose you get what you pay for. But I won't be upgrading any time soon, I simply can't justify the price tag of the nicer models. Especially since this does it's job nearly perfectly!

After using it for 3 months, I was so impressed by its accuracy and ease of use that I purchased the i3 as a gift for my parents as their first GPS.


Very disappointed

I did research and purchased the Garmin i3. What a disappointment it has turned out to be. The initial setup was interrupted because the unit did not ship with the latest software and I received a message to contact tech support or go to the Garmin site to download the latest software. After downloading and updating the latest software, the maps would not load on the i3. Eventually I uninstalled and reinstalled everything from scratch and the maps did load.

Sometimes on startup the unit appears to not have any maps loaded and tells you to connect it to a PC to install maps. After several off/on cycles when it does realize that maps are loaded, the i3 takes several minutes to locate a satellite (I live just north of Philadelphia) and loses satellite connection too frequently. There are several areas where it does not know that you cannot make a left or right and keeps telling you to do so. Re-calibration happens often and takes time.

The suction cup holder does not stick to anything for any length of time (windshield, center console, dash, etc).

I thought I was purchasing a reliable GPS with great features for the price. For what I paid ($250) I am extremely disappointed and will probalby end up returning the i3.


Get the Garmin StreetPilot i3 from Amazon.com.