Fiberoptic

Retail 59.99 Without GPS: MFG# 010-11018-00 (tested)
Retail 99.99 With GPS: MFG# 010-00685-00 (not tested)


I have been testing the Garmin MobilePC product in my internet connected Car PC for a couple of days. Here are some overall impressions:

• Setup was a breeze (install, GPS detection, ect)
• My favorite part is the Gas prices fed in through their online service. It is unclear to me when my free trial of this will expire. Weather and hotels is nice but has little day to day practical use.
• No on screen keyboard make this application very challenging to use with a touch screen computer.
• POI data seemed to be slightly stale in my area (see police.jpg) – This police station has been closed for years and is now a car dealership. The county headquarters is 2 miles away and has been there for 2 years.
• In fairness to Garmin it wouldn’t be correct to judge the entire data set just because my police station is off.
• There is no media integration (mp3 playback, Rear seat entertainment, Bluetooth phone integration, Video playback, reverse cameras, engine diagnostics or other thing. Because this is lacking in the core of the product it prevents a harmony in the user experience. IE: Your music won’t be muted or paused when a navigation command is issued.
• Software works in full screen mode and is very similar to other Garmin products I have seen.
• I have used the software for 2 weeks and it has NEVER crashed.
• Resume from hibernation also causes no problems.