Monday, August 17, 2009
DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS Review
The reviews for this GPS have been quite good. This seems to be one of the best products of its kind at a very good price
I have had several of these over the years. I drive from the Mid-West to the west coast several times a year. This is great both in my truck and the RV. I opted to upgrade to the newest version. Due to the fact that it draws its power from the USB port on my laptop. My older ones connect to the com port and required batteries in the GPS. It makes it so easy to find food, fuel and points of interest on my journeys. I even use it to navigate the small country back roads here in Indiana. I will probably purchase another in a few years when they update the version.You just can't get anything better for the price. I like this much better than my Garmin GPS I use on my boatfor 12 times more money. I hope they will come out with a Marine version soon. I drop my Garmin in a heartbeat.
Likewise with William
This is my 4th version of Street Atlas USA (2009, w/ LT-40 GPS) First one was given to me by my wife as a birthday gift, and I've grown to love the program. I use an old laptop (Compaq 1800T)w/ Windows 2000 Pro, w/14.2" screen in my car, prop it up on a pillow on the center console, and Voila! -- a much better presentation than the many squinty-eyed 4"X4" screen versions that proliferate the market. In addition, my touch pad is near the user end of the computer, making it easy to access while I'm on the go, and the speakers are also on that same side of the computer, making voice commands easier to hear.
True, DeLorme Software takes a while to get used to, especially if you are a typical Windows user. But after a while, getting around the Nav screen gets easier and pretty soon its real easy to use.
To give it a true test, I recently made a trip from Florida to Wisconsin & return, 3000 miles in all. In previous versions, there was a definite problem with intermittent satellite signal loss, but not so with the 2009 LT-40 GPS version. During the entire trip, I never lost the satellite signal -- not even once, which I found to be remarkable.
My computer only has 196MB RAM, although DeLorme recommends 256MB as a minimun -- in spite of that the program worked great -- sometimes a little sluggish, especially when changing screen ratios during 3D view, but nothing I couldn't live with.
The 3D presentation in this version is, in my opinion, perhaps the greatest improvement DeLorme has made to this program. It looks like you're flying, as the top of screen always represents the direction in which you're driving, so the map, contours, etc., rotate constantly on the screen as you turn corners, round curves, and so on. Reminds me of flying -- like you're looking out of the cockpit of an airplane. You can go down to a very low ratio where you're flying along, and you can see exits, and crossroads fly by at an amazing clip. Or you can back out to a point where your map actually ends at the curvature of the earth. Or anywhere in between. Totally cool.
So I am a confirmed Street Atlas USA user. Very happy with this latest version and would recommend it to anyone.
Simply click here to order the DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS.
DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS
| By | Bruce E. Snow (Metamora, IN) - See all my reviews |
Likewise with William
| By | William Cassada - See all my reviews |
True, DeLorme Software takes a while to get used to, especially if you are a typical Windows user. But after a while, getting around the Nav screen gets easier and pretty soon its real easy to use.
To give it a true test, I recently made a trip from Florida to Wisconsin & return, 3000 miles in all. In previous versions, there was a definite problem with intermittent satellite signal loss, but not so with the 2009 LT-40 GPS version. During the entire trip, I never lost the satellite signal -- not even once, which I found to be remarkable.
My computer only has 196MB RAM, although DeLorme recommends 256MB as a minimun -- in spite of that the program worked great -- sometimes a little sluggish, especially when changing screen ratios during 3D view, but nothing I couldn't live with.
The 3D presentation in this version is, in my opinion, perhaps the greatest improvement DeLorme has made to this program. It looks like you're flying, as the top of screen always represents the direction in which you're driving, so the map, contours, etc., rotate constantly on the screen as you turn corners, round curves, and so on. Reminds me of flying -- like you're looking out of the cockpit of an airplane. You can go down to a very low ratio where you're flying along, and you can see exits, and crossroads fly by at an amazing clip. Or you can back out to a point where your map actually ends at the curvature of the earth. Or anywhere in between. Totally cool.
So I am a confirmed Street Atlas USA user. Very happy with this latest version and would recommend it to anyone.
Simply click here to order the DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS.
DeLorme Earthmate LT-40 GPS
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