slbenz's Full Review: Lowrance iWAY 500C Car GPS Receiver
This review is based on one week's of daily use of this product. I will try to highlight details that I hope will give you enough information to judge for yourself if this product is right for you.
Background-
I was searching for a GPS unit that contained all the street maps of the U.S. and most of Canada. This would alleviate the need to upload maps onto the GPS units that virtually all less expensive GPS units force you to do. Very cumbersome and difficult to do if you are on the road a lot and visit many places to load maps while on the road. This unit I compared it to the Magellan Roadmate 700 and Garmin 2620, both which tout a large built-in hard drive to store all the streets of the U.S. and Canada.
Ease of Use-
All three units use a combination of touch-screen and display buttons. Only the Lowrance uses straight forward display buttons without the need of a toggle button like the other two. Also, the Lowrance display buttons are lighted for easy viewing at night. But the Garmin is the only one to provide a wireless remote to ease use of their unit or have a back seat passenger assist the driver. Winner-Garmin because of the wireless remote option.
Features-
Here is the list of the Lowrance capabilities from their website:
Display
Color TFT touch-screen display
320H x 240V pixel resolution
5" (12.7 cm) diagonal display size
Cold-cathode backlit screen
Blue LED backlit keypad
Navigation
Built-in, precision 12-parallel channel GPS WAAS receiver
Simplified operation with 5 primary keys
Built-in, NAVTEQ® turn-by-turn database for the continental U.S.
Turn-by-turn audio and visual cues, including auto-zooming and automatic recalculation of directions after a missed turn
Street address searching, plus auto-routing choices to choose or avoid Toll Roads and Interstates, and avoid Left-Hand Turns
Storage for up to 1,000 waypoints
Maps can be updated through the internal USB port with a PC
Safety Passenger Mode allows a passenger to use the GPS features while the car is in motion
Music Player
MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats supported
Key music functions include: Browse Files, Play Lists, Repeat On/Off, Shuffle, Equalizer, Pause, Stop, Scan, Skip Forward, Skip Reverse, and Volume
Specs
20GB internal hard drive, with 10GB of storage dedicated to built-in, high-detail mapping and 10GB of storage reserved for MP3 music (can store up to 5,000 songs depending on compression rates and song lengths)
6.1"W x 4.5"H x 2.15"D (15.5cm x 11.55 cm x 5.45 cm)
Completely sealed to prevent internal corrosion
Full one-year warranty
Accessories Included
Speaker/cigarette power adapter with volume control and 1/8" stereo jack
Hardwire adapter with 1/8" stereo jack for wiring into car's stereo system
Suction-cup mounting bracket for windshield applications
Dash mounting bracket
External GPS antenna for weak signal areas
USB to PC interface cable
110VAC to 12VDC power converter for in-home use (transferring music files, etc.)
iWAY™ 500C protective cover
Touch-screen cleaning cloth
A couple of nice features that the Lowrance provides is a headphone jack so that you can play your MP3 files either through your car or a set of headphones or the built-in speaker of the Lowrance. You can even play your music files while the Lowrance is guiding you to your destination. Included is an AC adapter so that you can upload your MP3 files in your home. I also found out that you can also play your MP3 files on your home stereo if you like using the appropriate adapter found at your local Radio Shack. Neither competitor seemed to tout these features with their units.
Winner-Lowrance
Mapping Software-
In terms of accuracy, all seem to be about the same. In fact, both Magellan and Lowrance use the same mapping source, NavTeq, which is found in a number of high-end luxury DVD navigation systems. The only thing that gave the Lowrance an advantage over the others is what Lowrance calls 3D mapping. It gives you the perspective that the map on the screen is similar to looking out your windshield. It is hard to describe but I really like the different view vs. the standard top down view the others have. Also, Lowrance provides free upgrades to the mapping software without the need of unlock codes like the others. Both Lowrance and Magellan have over 2 million points of interest (POI) built-in but the Garmin has more than 5 million POI built-in. If you are looking for the best portable Yellow Pages, the Garmin has the others beat. Note: Any Iway 500C built before 12/28/04 does not come with the latest software update. Mine was built in 10/04 and I downloaded the latest software upgrade on the Lowrance website. Very easy to do provided you have a broadband connection. It gave the Iway additional features, like the Find Intersection and 3D View that I mentioned earlier. Winner- Lowrance for the 3D view and Garmin for the larger POI database.
On Road Use-
The Lowrance is very easy to use. It has voice turn-by-turn and gives you plenty of time to inform you of the appropriate maneuver to do. The female voice is pleasant to listen to and the 12V cigarette adaptor powering the unit also has the volume control, speaker and headphone jack. The maximum volume is similar to the other units. It easily is able to overcome the constant road noise on the road. This unit only speaks in English and only in a female voice. One of the other units can speak in seven different languages. Trying out the reroute features shows the power of this unit. Reroutes take anywhere from 1-3 seconds. Finding an address, intersection or POI is easy to do with the Lowrance. Having a touchscreen menu with windows helps a get deal to the ergonomics with this product. Calculating a route which depends on the distance seems to take from 5-10 seconds. You even have the choice of avoiding left/right turns, toll roads and highways, if you prefer. The LCD color display is the best of the three. Very bright, large and easy to see. The Garmin had the smallest, least bright screen of three even though it had an auto-brightness feature. The Lowrance depends on the user to select one of four brightness settings. Like all mapping software, everyone has their quirks. If you know the area you are going very well, don't expect any of these units to help you navigate around rush hour traffic. You are the ultimate judge when the Lowrance guides you from point A to B. Included is an external GPS antenna for those weak signal areas like between high-rise buildings for when the internal antenna may not be enough. Overall, the Lowrance accuracy is on par with the Magellan, which is to be expected. Winner-Lowrance because of the easy to see display and accurate mapping.
Size-
The Lowrance which boasts the largest screen is also the bulkiest of the three. It was truly designed for in-vehicle use while the others can be used as a portable unit for hiking. But if you are like me and only need an in-vehicle navigation system, the Lowrance will fit the bill. Winner-Lowrance for the in-vehicle fan and Magellan for the dual-use fan.
Warranty-
One year from date of purchase.
Price-
Shopping around at my local Best Buy, Circuit City and Fry's, the Lowrance was the least expensive by at least $100.00
Conclusion-
If you are looking for an in-vehicle GPS navigation system that does not require you to load any maps, you should try out the Lowrance and compare it against the Magellan and Garmin. If you value price, ease of use, easy viewing and are not interested in portability, the Lowrance then becomes your only choice as an alternate to those expensive DVD navigation systems in cars today. I hope this information helped you to decide if this product is right for you.
UPDATE--------
Now that I have owned this unit for more than a year, I would like to share my additional experiences with the unit. Due to the size of the unit, if you drive a car that has you sitting closer in line with the dash, the iWay will impede your vision. I noticed in my Saab 9-5 wagon, it blocks my view of cars to my right that are trying to signal that they are coming into my lane. Also, I have had reliability issues with the iWay. The first unit had a hard drive failure just prior to the warranty expiring. To Lowrance's credit, their customer support is excellent and they quickly replaced the defective unit with a new unit. Unfortunately that new unit also failed within two months of receiving it. Display lights and the POI symbols would not display. Additionally, there is a constant buzzing sound coming from the speaker which is attributed to the volume control and the back of the iWay gets very hot after a long drive. Very annoying.
The iWay still is easy to use, with the free online database upgrade, it has one of the best POI databases available but the reliability issue ruins a perfectly easy to use and informative unit. I am now hesitate to recommend this product especially after two failed units and now that there are equally good units out for the same price.
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