Alex D

Is the City Select in the navigation kit a step down from City Navigator? I'm really confused as to the difference between the two. Will they both auto route with the 60Cx? No, CitySelect is the old Garmin version of Navtec maps and is being replaced by City Navigator v7, which is their current offering for routing software. CitySelect is no longer sold by garmin. CitySelect and City Navigator both permit auto routing in the 60 series. MetroGuide does not.

I don't have much patience for all the apologists for unlock schemes. They're basically just a way to force us into upgrading or re-purchasing a product that doesn't need it; let's face it, they don't really add that much year to year to mapping data, the data isn't all that great anyway (apparently the Canadian data, for example, is outright atrocious) and costs really aren't that high- most of the time, the information comes from town/city/county/state GIS departments anyway. Here are the sort of questions I see a lot of people asking, and I haven't been on here long: "Why do I need to 'unlock' something I already bought?" 'Why do I need to get your 'permission' to use something I bought?" "So what do I do when I don't have an internet connection, or your servers are down, or you go out of business, or decide you don't want to 'support' what I bought anymore?" "If this is to fight piracy, why isn't your product any cheaper with the unlock codes? What do I get in exchange for the restrictions and inconveniences placed on me?" And last but not least: "Why don't you admit clearly before I buy your software that you place a lot of restrictions on how I can use what I've bought? Like that I can only activate it with two units EVER...no way to "remove" a unit, etc.?" Take a glance over at Garmin's website. City Navigator's product page says: "Before you can download map detail to a data card or directly to your compatible Garmin GPS, you must “unlock” the MapSource City Navigator North America v7 DVD. Simply follow the instructions on the included certificate to unlock the entire DVD. Next, download the data to a data card or to your compatible Garmin unit." Sounds like you just activate it and you're done, right? Nowhere is there an explanation that the activation is even tied to a specific GPS unit! It's even implied that there is no link between the GPS unit and the activation process. Why? Because they know that if consumers know about all the restrictions up-front, they'll be scared away, especially given the VERY hefty pricetag on the mapping data. Time to start researching whether anyone has reverse-engineered the data format, or cracked Garmin's Digital Rights Management scheme, so that users can regain control over data THEY PURCHASED with the rights they thought they had. Actually if you read the user agreement closely before accepting it in the install process, you would have noticed that you DO NOT own the mapping software, but are rather permitted to use it under Garmin's rules and regulations. That's a fine but important difference. You have no ongoing right to use it even though you have the CD. All you bought is the use of the software on up to two GPS receivers.

To me the drastically increased sensitivity of the SiRF chip set and the ability to have up to 512 MB storage is worth the upgrade. Also, the CSx does locate the birds much faster. All in all a worthwhile upgrade.