Customer Reviews

Garmin eMap Deluxe 2.2-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Garmin Emap is by far the best handheld unit I have owned, compared with other Garmin products I have owned i.e. GPS III GPS 45. These units are great, but the Emap goes a step further with its more road oriented features, for people who use GPS in there cars or motorcycles, like I do. When you are driving down the highway, and get the urge to eat or pee! just push a few buttons, And right on the screen pops the closest exit with bathrooms, vending machines, or Burgerking, hotels, and gas stations. Even tells you if the gas station has diesel fuel and propane, or RV & truck parking. The large backlite screen gives you decent detail, and is easy to read in any light, it's functions are menu driven, just highlight a function with the arrow key, and push enter, And you will be on the GPS information highway!

I received the Garmin eMap Deluxe with Metro Guide as a Christmas present. I was somewhat worried that this would be one of those wonderful gadgets that only someone with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering could operate. However, much to my surprise it is very easy to operate. The wonderful thing about this particular GPS is that you can transfer an entire city map into the 8 Meg memory chip that comes with the package. Most cities will fit into the 8 Meg chip however larger chips are also available. (For instance the Atlanta Map is 7.48 Meg, however the New York City map is broken down into Northeast and Southwest portions equaling 14.788 Meg)

Let me cover some of the features of the Garmin eMap Deluxe. 1) Compass - while this GPS does not have a compass per se, it does have a mechanism that will tell you what direction you are traveling in. This is very helpful and very cool, however you cannot stand in one particular place and know which direction you are facing.

2) Speed - this feature will give you your average speed in real-time. While driving down the road I looked down and it was updating my speed once ever second. No exaggeration! I couldn't believe how fast it was responding. This GPS also remembers the details concerning your speed in the "Trip Computer", you can find your Moving (Speed) Average, Overall (Speed) Average, as well as your Maximum Speed.

3) Trip Distance - since it knows how fast you are going it also displays your "Trip Distance". It is amazingly accurate and matches my car's odometer perfectly.

4) Time - there is also a built in clock that keeps exact time through what I can only assume is the satellite(s).

5) Find - by pressing this button you can find "waypoints" (self programmed through your computer), "cities", "exits", "points of interest", "addresses", and "intersections". This is very cool. You can easily find anything from the nearest gas station (or if you're picky the nearest Chevron or BP) to the nearest McDonald's. I particularly enjoy the "address" option that lets you type in an address (must have that city currently in memory) and it shows you the destination on the display. However, this GPS does not have the ability to route you to a destination. (by route I mean, turn left on Main Street, travel 1.4 miles, and turn right on, yada, yada, yada) Although if you program the desired route into your computer you can transfer it to your GPS and then follow the route. Even still, it does not tell you when to turn. It is your responsibility to keep up with the path.

6) GPS Info - another cool feature that will tell you your current location (N 33.27.000, W085.54.231), your elevation above sea level, your speed, the accuracy (i.e. margin of error is 19.3 feet, etc), as well as what particular satellites you are receiving from (right now five satellites are conglomerating to give me my current position).

7) Sun and Moon - a trivial feature that tells you the current date, time, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset.

8) Zoom - the main screen allows you to zoom from a range of 120 feet all the way to 800 miles.

I originally thought that this would be more trouble than help. However after playing with the GPS for less than two days I have virtually mastered it. Listed above are only a few of the features of the Garmin eMap Deluxe with Metro Guide. Also, I would highly recommend purchasing the cigarette adapter for your car since you can burn a pair of AA batteries in a day. However, don't worry about this too much, this GPS was designed for traveling in the car so batteries don't burn out as fast as you might think. I believe that if you are in the market for a GPS it would be more than worth the extra money to get this model over a cheaper version that cannot provide you with near the information or features that this one will.

I was given the eMap Deluxe in December, as a gift. Since then I've been using it almost everyday. The unit works great! The base map installed in the unit will get you around, but does not show local streets. After downloading information from the Mapsource Metroguide, it was great to see all the local streets on the map. I found the "show next street" feature to be really useful, especially at night. When driving , I put some velcro on the bottom of the unit and stood it up on the dashboard against the windshield. It remained there nicely without falling off, and picked up the sattelite signals easily. I've taken some car trips with the unit, and it woked perfectly. Metroguide gives you lots of information you may need about the Interstate Exits as you drive. For example, if you are looking for a certain kind of gas station, you can find it along the way. I've used it on a plane while traveling. It was fascinating to look down on the ground and see a river or small town and be able to tell it's name. Also you can tell when crossing from one state to the next. It gave the speed of the plane as well as the altitude. The trip computer gives you average speed, total time of the trip, stopped time, moving time and more. Overall I am very happy with the performance of the unit, but there are some things I am not crazy about. 1. The 8 meg chip that comes with the unit doesn't hold that much information. I live on Long Island, and the county I live in borders New York City, so 8 megs of data covers a small area of the city and Long Island. I had to buy the 16 meg chip, and still cannot get all of NYC and all of Long Island. If you live in a suburban area maybe the 8 megs will work for you. 2. The unit goes through batteries very quickly. I tried to conserve them as much as possible, but finally bought a cigarette lighter adapter for the unit. 3. I found that in congested areas, where the distance between streets are short, sometimes the unit can't pick up the sattelite signals fast enough. You could pass a street without it showing as a "next street". 4. The Metroguide maps seem to be dated. I was recently in Arizona, and some of the local streets that I know have been there for at least the last three years were not on the map. In all I recommend this unit if you are interested in a quality GPS to use while traveling. Because this is my first GPS, I can't compare it with any other units. I am curious though about how it compares with the GPS III +. I'd like to know how the two units differ and if one is better than the other. But this one is a good bet.

Garmin eMap is a very easy to use GPS receiver with the necessary features to provide accurate and efficient driving aid. That includes address finding (when loaded with Garmin Metroguide Maps) and Points of Interest finding, Show Next Exit feature and a complete trip computer. The Garmin Metroguide Maps are very detailed and the 120x160 pixels eMap's LCD display (with backlight) gives the user a good view and tracking capablity in the surrounding streets and roads. The combination of these features with its small size and the lower price comparing to other mapping units, makes the eMap an option very hard to match. Pros: Good detailed maps, easy to use, address finding capability, small size and lighweight, despite its 120x160 pixels display

Cons: It's not as sturdy as regular Garmin and Magellan units and no lighted keys

I've been using an eMap since July 2000. This is one of four GPS receivers I own. The eMap was designed to be an alternative to paper map and has some really useful features without the fluff. No barometers, fishing & hunting times, calenders, tide charts, etc.
The display is relatively large and easy to see in a car.
The overall size and shape of the unit is very handy
It will store 50 routes.
Memory cards are available from 8mb to 128mb. I use a 64mb and it holds a bunch.
The external antenna port allows for use when the unit can't "see" the sky. GPS receivers need a pretty open view in all directions to get a good fix. There are times when an antenna makes a big difference with any GPS receiver used in a car.
This unit has waypoint averaging which allows for more accurate waypoint positioning, if you need it.
With Metroguide software installed, it has an option on the map screen called "SHOW NEXT STREET". This feature shows the next street on the map as you approach it. This little goodie is worth the price of admission.
The Trip computer function is great on a trip.
Sunrise & set, Moonrise & set as well as Moon phase are available for any location & date.
The base map data that is in the unit shows principal roads, rivers, lakes, cities and towns. This level of map info is probably enough for some users.
The latest Metroguide USA mapping software may not be perfect,but has been reviewed as the most up to date mapping software available for this type of receiver. All maps go out of date eventually and there are streets in my town that are not on the GPS. But this is supposed to be the most current right now. The new Metroguide has "auto-routing" and is easy to learn and use. We have have created routes on our computer and then "loaded" them into eMap. Loading the routes take seconds. We have done whole vacations this way, and it is pretty cool not to miss turns anymore.
With Metroguide you can look up addresses, intersections and a wide range of "Point of Interest". Eleven categories are in the Point of Interest menu. This is a very comprehensive search function.
There are other mapping software packages available,including Topographical, Roads & Recreation, but Metroguide has more features than the others.
Garmin has software updates available on their website for eMap & Mapsource Software. The current(12/02) version of eMap is 2.75 and 4.10 for Mapsource.
There are cigarette lighter cords and a couple of different mounting options available as well as a bunch of other accessories.
On the downside
The unit is water resistant, not waterproof. (Don't drop it overboard)
The case is not as "armored" as some other Garmin units.
The basemap is not upgradeable.
This GPS doesn't have WAAS. (I have WAAS in two other units and it isn't as wonderful as advertised. Standard GPS accuracy is plenty for general use.)

All in all, eMap has more going for it than anything else I've seen FOR THE MONEY. For me, it fulfills its intended role as an electronic map better than two more expensive units (Garmin Vista and GPSmap 168) I own. Highly recommended!!

I received this item for Christmas 2000. The item is great when you get the map software. The maps can take up quite a bit of space, so the extended memory module is a good accessory. When I used it in the Cleveland metro area I could not fit in the entire region. When I used it in the Portland, Oregon area I ended up fitting in quite a bit of the map (maybe even the whole state!). I have been around Portland, navigated with it in Salem then up the Oregon coast...the map info had street info everywhere I went during that tour. Obviously the Cleveland metro area has more streets and is more sprawled out than Portland/Oregon.

I highly recommend purchasing the cigarette adaptor for use in the car. As for a mount, I found an inexpensive "extra pair of hands" mount for cell phones that worked great for this unit. I also purchased the leather carrying case which keeps it protected when not in use. All but the low profile antenna accessories are worth the money. I did purchase the antenna the other day as a gift for a friend who also has one. I tried it out and really like it but I'm not convinced it's really worth the (price)...I normally can get quite good signal reception in the car without it...I was impressed I could get 16 ft. accuracy with the antenna in the car and around 30 ft. accuracy without it...I also now have an in dash nav system in my new car...I got onto a highway and the in dash nav lost its signal for a couple seconds while the handheld with the antenna knew exactly where I was...would be interesting to try that test again without the antenna...I've had relatively good success finding places with it...only a couple times did it get me lost :) ... I hear there's upgraded map software available for it now...that's great because the maps are a little out dated and I've certainly been on some unmapped roads...but nothing to make me give any less stars to this product.

My wife bought me the eMap package last Christmas (2001), and I've played with this gadget for hundreds of hours ever since. We both enjoy having it on trips. The Find feature is great, altho' not always accurate or up-to-date. The MetroGuide software is upgradeable via the web, and it seems to work well. I was disappointed that you could not get turn-by-turn instructions when creating routes, but you can get almost the same type of behavior by using the TrackBack feature when you do a return trip using Tracks. While traveling, the unit displays your travel direction and speed. The eMap speed indicator showed that my car's speedometer was 3 mph faster than I was actually travelling. Now I gauge my speed by looking at the eMap. This unit is also great for geo-caching. We have geo-cached in several states and even while in Scandinavia. However, the maps outside the US are very coarse, and not dependable...our hotel appeared in the Gulf of Finland on the eMap. I recommend purchasing the mapping software for the specific country you are visiting. As another reviewer mentioned, these units are great when traveling by air. Speed and altitude are displayed, as well as land details as you pass over them. (Not all airlines will let you use a GPS while in flight). I also enjoy the Sun/Moon feature that tracks the position of the Sun and Moon, at adjustable times, dates AND locations. I recommend at least a 64 meg memory chip, which gives you plenty of memory for loading detailed maps. Cigarette lighter cable is also a necessity on trips. Mine was defective, and Garmin sent me a free replacement. The USB card reader is great for loading maps, but does not load routes or waypoints. I also have a holder that mounts the eMap near my shifter. Wish I could place it higher, which I know you can do in some cars with a few adhesive Velcro strips. Plan to use my eMap even more this coming year!

The Metromap is using 15 year old data. It misses a LOT of streets.
It is not dependable.

The old data problem does not bother Garmin who sells it. They claim that it is a result of where they get the data. I also own Mappoint 2002 which is VERY current.

The unit is fairly good if it were not for navigating 15 year old roads!

Try another GPS unit [non-Garmin] if you want street level navigation.

Some reviews complained of MetroGuide maps being a little dated. I just saw on Garmin's website that a new, up-to-date version has been announced. It will ship in August 2001, but they will send you one for free if you purchased the current version after May 31, 2001, or charge you only half their MetroGuide USA retail price if you purchased August, 1999, through May, 2001.

The eMap is great for auto travellers, but it can also be used for hiking. On long trips, it's nice to find what restaurants are located at upcoming exits, or how many miles to that day's destination. Definitely get the lighter-cord so the unit can stay on the whole trip. Also, while it is really easy to use for everyday map needs on the highways, take some time to browse the manual if you want to leverage its many other features.

Start out with the 8mb data card; it may completely satisfy your needs. MetroGuide maps have considerably more street-level detail than Roads & Rec maps, so down the line you may decide to get a larger data card (say, 16mb). But that accuracy and detail is what makes the eMap/MetroGuide package so powerful.

The eMap GPS receiver is probably the best handheld on the market today. I haven't tried traveling with it yet but have used it around town. The main reason I bought it is I am about to move to Boston and plan to get around entire on foot and via the T (subway). The MetroGuide has more accurate street maps and claims to have lots of 'waypoint' data - restaurants, museums, etc. Unfortunately the data is relatively sparse and quite out of date. To make matters worse, you only get the waypoint management features by buying the extra MetroGuide software (listed at $150) and the 8MB cartridge is only big enough to hold about one map area.