Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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169 of 176 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant! (v 1.4 software makes it even better), May 23, 2005
This unit does everything I expect it to do and does so effortlessly straight out of the box. You don't have to load maps or install software, it's all pre-loaded (If you have a pre-August '05 unit, you can update your v 1.3 to v 1.4 software from the web site [didn't work on my 3 yr. old dell] or request a CD [worked great]). As you read other reviews pay attention to the review date, this one has been updated on 5/10/08 and my unit has served me well for 3 years now. Many of the "issues" were corrected with v 1.4 (slow re-routing, slow initial position acquisition, lack of "qwerty" keyboard, out of date POI files, etc)the update was made late August '05.. The iWay is a high tech product your mom can learn to use in 10 minutes- well, from you, probably not the manual- even if her VCR is still flashing "12:00".
I like the fact that the iWay is waterproof (submersible 3 feet for 1/2 of an hour) because mine will spend some time on motorcycle handlebars in questionable fog city weather. The iWay seems extremely well made and rugged. It's kind of military specification in feel, if you know what I mean. It's surprisingly heavy for its size and definitely a "form-follows-function" product rather than a "stylized" one.
Beware of 2 things: 1)the unit is heavy enough to cause the suction cup mount to fail if you don't rest the weight of the unit on your dash board. The suction cup windshield mount should be used to hold it in position, NOT to support the full weight. 1) It draws a lot of current (the heat sink on the back runs quite hot) if your cigarette lighter/accessory outlet stays active when your engine is off (pay attention here BMW motorcycle riders) make sure that you shut your iWay off when you leave the vehicle or you'll risk having a dead battery.
The iWay has a default "safety mode" that prevents you from making entries while you're moving- I guess it figures that you've got your hands full driving whilst drinking a latte and talking on your cell phone - that's probably for the best. You can defeat that function and put it in "passenger mode" but it will still warn you not to make entries on the move each time you power up.
The "find address" function works very well once you realize that this is only an educated guess at where, within say 50 feet, the actual numerical address is located. You will be on the right street and it will tell you which side it's on.
I bought mine "1-click" through Amazon's partner "GPS for YOU". I ordered it mid-morning on a Wednesday and it was delivered by DHL the following morning! Over a week ahead of the estimated delivery date and I didn't request overnight delivery! After sale customer service has been very responsive.
Three first day disappointments-
1) My unit was missing the rubberized flexible RAM dashboard mount referenced in the Amazon description. I called Lowrance (pronounced "low-rantz", by the way) and was informed that it's no longer included with the unit but available as an accessory for $40. The handlebar mounts are $30 in black or $70 in chrome.
2) I thought that my unit was defective because it didn't register my touch-pad key entries made on the left or bottom edges of the screen. It turns out that there's a set-up procedure to teach it exactly where the keys are (it pays to read the manual). The set-up takes less than a minute.
3) iTunes files aren't mp3 so you can't just transfer your music library directly to the iWay without converting to mp3. I imagine that this can be done, but I bet it's not going to be pretty
Comments on a 1 star iWay review-
I read a recent review wishing it generated multiple alternative routes. My preference is for turn-by-turn directions to the shortest route available. I believe the route automatically selected is the fastest and, therefore probably, best available. If I'm familiar enough with the roads to know a better route, I won't be needing the iWay's directions; if I'm not familiar with the roads I won't know which alternative to choose. For me an alternative routes function would be more of a confusing rather than clarifying feature. You can override the automatic selection by choosing to maximize or minimize use of interstates and toll roads or avoid cross traffic turns. If you get "off route", the route recalculation is rapid (v 1.4 is extremely fast). If you get off route early in the trip you'll be instructed to execute a "u-turn", later, or on a highway, an entirely new route will be calculated. Each route I've seen has been totally acceptable.
The other reviewer prefers the built in unit in their Honda Accord. Well, it isn't portable and it costs $2,000 instead of $350. The same reviewer wished for flash memory rather than the 20 gig. hard drive for reliability's sake. The only product I've ever returned to Amazon was an SD memory card enabled GPS navigation device, because of reliability problems, so that coin has two sides. I and, I imagine, other iWay reviewers here have owned or used other GPS units, so I feel the comment that we would be think that any GPS device "is the best thing that's ever happened to mankind" is a bit condescending.
Another comment concerned Lowrance probably reselling the defective unit to somebody else. I understand giving a bad review to a defective product; however... it's unfair to comment on the ethics of the company just because you got a one-off lemon. My bet is a defective unit is tossed on the scrap heap rather than being resold to maintain a good reputation. Why would you, as a manufacturer, risk bad word-of-mouth for a few hundred bucks?
And, lastly, a brief comment on another GPS-
I recently rented a car from Hertz with "Never Lost" installed. It's a Magellan RoadMate. It worked OK I did get to and from my destination, but I much prefer the iWay because of; 1) the touch screen keyboard input, 2) much larger screen, 3) 3D view and 4) for me, more understandable audible directions (that last bit may be because I'm used to my iWay).
I remain well pleased with my iWay after many months of use. It has saved me time and reduced the stress in my life.
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94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended, March 15, 2005
The iWay 500c is an incredible GPS that will rate at the top and at a lower price than anything with comparable features. You can read the specs yourself, what follows are my impressions of the unit.
The package includes 2 separate RAM-Mounts (one dash board and one windshield). I am new to RAM-Mounts and am very impressed with these excellent brackets. Additional RAM-mounts are available at a very reasonable price if you need them.
Also included are 3 power cords 1) automotive cigarette lighter, 2) a battery connection cable, 3) a 120v cable/cigarette female for indoor use. An external amplifying antenna is also included.
The screen is large and easy to read in all light conditions. There are 4 levels of back lighting. The touch screen and buttons work well and the interface is intuitive. The auto-zoom works great too.
The road selection software is good, but could use a little tweaking. My only complaint is that the "slider bar" to select more or less interstate seems to be basically an on-off switch. I would prefer to see a mixture of interstate and back roads at some intermediate setting. The good news is that Lowrance has already updated the software, which is easily downloadable and installed from the Internet. Hopefully they will continue to improve the road selection algorithm.
When I purchased the unit, I wondered how well the voice commands would work with the built in MP3 player. It turns out that they work better than expected. There are several setting for the voice commands and they will temporarily silence the music for instructions just as I had hoped.
Besides everything else that I mentioned one of the best things that I like about the iWay 500c is that it is waterproof to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes! This is perfect for motorcycle touring, which is my primary intended use. Of course with all of the mounting hardware and power cords, this unit is easily moved to my automobile.
This is a perfect GPS for motorcycling touring. I normally use a computer based GPS in the car, but I will switch to the Lowrance because it is incredibly easy to read and use, boots up in a matter of seconds (unlike my PC), and is very portable. In my research on GPS's the iWay 500c is a best value.
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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I was looking for!, February 22, 2005
Finally, I have found the answer to our new vehicle purchase. We recently bought a new Ford Excusrion with all of the bells and whistles.... almost, anyway. As Ford doesn't have a decent Nav system available, and we didnt want to give up the in-dash 6 CD changer and steering wheel audio controls, we decided to go aftermarket on the nav. I came across this unit in Las Vegas and bought it, as it offered the turn-by-turn instructions and 3D mapping I was looking for. After a 6 hour drive back home, I am completely sold on the model. The unit is built very ruggedized, and looks as if it can take a lot of punishment. The navigation performed flawlessly and found a new route quickly after I decided I didn't want to go the way it told me to. The kit contains several mounting options.... a real plus! On the dash of the Excursion, the large 5" screen fits right in, without being obtrusive. I am looking into some mounting options, however. I will also be installing a seperate under-dash audio system for the nav, as I don't want to parallel the audio in with the XM modulator. Very nice unit. I hope that it holds up all the same years from now.
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