Want to buy a GPS what is the best brand to buy and what are the must have features?

I have a Mio c310x. Not the best, but it can be picked up for $200 to $450. MSRP is $300, so I was surprised to see some places sell it for $150 over that. Definately don't pay more than $250 which was what I paid last year. If I were to get another GPS device, I would NOT get the c310x. I would look for a better feature set, but keeping 'em to a limit to keep the device from getting too expesnive. Here are some key features u should pay attn to (definately NOT limited to this list) >>text to voice says street names out loud (e.g. "in 50 yards, turn left at west Johnna st", instead of just "in 50 yards, turn left").... tho there are some (-) reviews about certain cases of this feature where the voice doesn't pronunciate it correctly that it was essentially worthless >>number of POIs (Points Of Interest) These include everything from where your local eateries are (Burger King, AppleBees), to hotels, to transportation hubs (airports, metros, bus stops), to landmarks (e.g. Lincoln Memorial, World's largest <blank> in some western/mountain state). The Mio c310x has 3.5 million of them. Some of the more high tech GPS devices have 6.5mil POIs. Granted, all the POIs aren't worth **** if the thing can't get u from point A to point B in a reasonable manner, but I would start with about 6mil POIs just b/c it's nice to know they're there. Some ppl don't touch 'em, but they may come in handy for others >>Side note, most if not all GPS devices should let u add your own POIs, (e.g. John's friend's house) which is nice. Take note if a GPS device does NOT have this feature >>interface touch screen seems natural, but some ppl could make due with soft buttons, scroll wheels, and other butons >>battery life altho most GPS devices used for vehicles oughtta come with a car charger >>screen size + resolution larger screens = more clarity, but also make for bulkier GPS devices. More resolution = more detail, but also eats batteires faster, but the stated batt life oughtta take these into account. With my 320x240 screen at IIRC 4.5" to 5".... it's sufficient. I need to really zoom in sometimes to see street names, but since directiosn are being dictated by audio, it's not that big a deal for me. >>voices available my GPS only comes with a American (aka American English) in male gender. More American voices, especially female ones would've been nice. Not a deal breaker, but still on my features list >>lattitude + longitude coordinate system Dunno what's the deal witht his. Perhaps those in the military, or doing "atypical" activities like hiking in some secluded mountain range may find this feature helpful. >>premium services relevant to GPS and your travels.... IIRC, the Mio 610 has a subscription for just this service. It charts your route based on real time, current events. E.g. it routes you around DC since there's a riot going on in the NW sector that's bogging down traffic, or that since it's getting info since it's a minor holiday, a major highway is smooth sailing since most of the commuters are taking off work and not congesting traffic. Not related to GPS travel.... it just tells u the weather, sports, stock quotes, and news.... maybe email.... something u could also do with cellphone, PDA, laptop + some internet access >>multimedia capabilities My GPS doesn't do video or pics. Just music, and even then it's terrible at that. Doesn't matter as I ahve an ipod for music and the GPS still navigates me well enough >>ease of use this one takes hands on work, and even then, it's subjective. Ppl can get used to many tyupes of consumer electronics with time. >>time to get signal Similar deal with cellphones. While some may be superior here, other times, too many factors makes this a skewed figure >>other maps it comes with or are available most US GPS devices come with US maps preinstalled. Others u gotta install 'em yourself. Others may also include maps of Canada, to install yourself if needed or not to save space. If going to Europe, GPS manuf may have maps of thsoe regions for sale to get the most of your unit

Best feature to have is that it tells you find your way. No other feature is really required.

any that are from best buy, if u ask someone who works there they will tell u which one is the best there and what its functions are, they basically have all things electronic and the people that work there are very nice when u talk to them :)

Garmin 550 is relly gud um u can buy it from best buy circuit city or 6th avenue http://www.6ave.com/shop/home.aspx