koskos

It will work, as it worked with the old firmware. However the current firmware supports map files > 2GB. GermanSailor Thanks both for quick answers!

4GB microSDHC - will it work with Garmin eTrex Vista HCx? Or is it limited to 2GB?

I believe that production of "nr III" will decrease over time and the inclusion of IV will be standard. If the increase in precision for mobiles can at least equal the precision that current eTrex models have, then I believe mobiles will become a serious threat against dedicated GPSr's.

Prices may be higher in the beginning, but these new chips will be standard and when mass produced price will sink quickly.

Of course manufacturers will use Sirfstar IV within handheld GPSr's too. BUT, what I mainly talk about here is that since mobile battery life (when using GPS) will improve so much, people won't hesitate, to the same degree, using the phone as their primary GPS unit. And they may feel that the need for a dedicated GPS unit is not as big as it was before. I believe that Garmin, Magellan and others are facing a really big threat here.

Even if phones often are not as durable as handhelds, I believe that regular people to a bigger degree would use their mobiles instead of GPS. It's not only about battery life. The ability to go geocaching spontaneously by using programs like "Geocaching Live", "Geocache Navigator" and such is a big advantage in favour of the mobiles. With a handheld GPS, you can't do that now. I really hope that upcoming handhelds will be able to connect to the internet and include this feature, and makes it possible to log your cache founds on geocaching.com out in the field.

I read about the upcoming Sirf Star IV chip, with 20x lower battery consumption. One of the biggest problems with GPS in mobiles is in fact the battery time. What will happen with the sales of handheld GPS when the chip arrives? Will we see drastically reduced sales of handheld GPS and everyone go geocaching live instead?

Is it possible to ship to Sweden?

Same as me dude! Am currently surfing the net because i'm really tempted by the SE Elm and know it has GPS can't seem to find anything solid that suggests it can be used for geocaching! I am also looking at the Elm phone Want to know more about battery life when GPS is on, and how it works with Geocaching Live ( http://live.geocaching.com/ ) Also, the 5mp camera with geotagging feature is pretty tempting I have to say. And I have read that the phone has Google Maps preinstalled! Battery life isn't that great when the GPS is on BUT I am not one to spend more than half a day caching. Yes google maps is installed, is this an advantage? Its currently £100 on )2 website, bargin? I see it as a nice advantage not having to be online to access the maps => spare battery and money. How long does a full battery lasts when you have GPS enabled all time?

Same as me dude! Am currently surfing the net because i'm really tempted by the SE Elm and know it has GPS can't seem to find anything solid that suggests it can be used for geocaching! I am also looking at the Elm phone Want to know more about battery life when GPS is on, and how it works with Geocaching Live ( http://live.geocaching.com/ ) Also, the 5mp camera with geotagging feature is pretty tempting I have to say. And I have read that the phone has Google Maps preinstalled!

What features would you want in your GPS unit in order for it to be perfect (for you)? I would really want some extra features of the otherwise good Dakota 20 (Oregon is too big for me): * Much better screen brightness * One-click navigation between cache description and map/compass navigation * At least 5 MP camera for geotagging

I want to buy a eTrex Vista HCx in good shape for a reasonable price (buying a new one from handtec.co.uk would cost me 245$ / 180 £). I live in Sweden.

Thanks! Your opinions and answers are really helpful!

Where can I read about the update on Garmin's site?

I didn't think the price difference was that great. But in any case, you have to decide yourself if the compass & altimeter in the Vista is worth the extra $'s over the Legend. Some say no others say yes.. Personally I LOVE having a magnetic compass built into my GPSr and wouldn't buy one without it. Others would disagree. And, the Vista HCx (& Legend HCx) do quite well for car road routing with the Garmin City Navigator maps. They don't *talk* you through turns but they do beep when a turn is coming up and the whole display switches to a huge arrow & and graphic that very clearly shows what the next turn/direction is. Also it prompts you ~30 seconds before a turn that the turn is coming up I guess I could manage with a Legend + external compass though. I wanted to have the Dakota 20, but when I saw pictures comparing the screen brightness with other units (vs the Legend and Oregon) I wasn't happy. Maybe I should buy something cheaper and wait for the successor of the Dakota 20.

Is the price difference between eTrex Legend HCx (about 190 dollars here) and Vista HCx (about 270 dollars) worth it?

Thanks for your input Is it the same case when comparing GPSmap 60 CSx to the Dakota?

I am curious about the eTrex Legend/Vista vs the Dakota 10/20. I'm probably going to buy one of these small GPS, but before I decide I would love to hear your opinions about these units? Is the Dakota series good enough compared to eTrex HCx? The main worry I have is the darker screen on the Dakota, but I also wonder about how much faster it is when it comes to scroll/change map.