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Portable car GPS navigation with MP3
$799.99
$799.99
 Lowrance iWay 500C Portable car GPS navigation with MP3 |
The popularity of both iPods and plug-and-play satellite radios has taught us something — the latest high-tech gadgets need to be transportable. Portable GPS navigation has been around for several years, but mostly in the form of small handheld devices designed for hiking, camping or fishing. These handhelds could be used in the car, but their small screens and even smaller buttons were not ideal for the mobile environment. Over the last 3 years or so, we've seen more portable GPS navigation units designed specifically for in-vehicle use. Even better, we've also seen the price drop dramatically, with the addition of more features.
One of the latest mobile GPS offerings is from Lowrance, a company known for its marine sonar and fishing navigation products. When the iWay 500C was released last November, it won the "Best New Mobile Electronics Entertainment Product for 2005" award at the 2004 SEMA Show.
What's so special about the iWay 500C? In addition to a super-bright 5" touch-screen display, the iWay includes a built-in 20 GB hard drive — 10 GB of built-in GPS mapping information, and 10 GB reserved for your digital music files. That's right — it'll not only help you find your destination, it'll keep you entertained on the way.
It's in the box
The iWay 500C comes packaged in a fairly large box, and upon opening it you'll see why. At a time when many manufacturers try to hit lower price points by reducing the in-the-box accessories, Lowrance pulls out all the stops and includes a slew of useful stuff.
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For starters, the 72-page owner's manual is excellent. I know it's a strange thing to be excited about, but it's actually written in easy-to-understand English, not the strange and cryptic translations of many consumer electronics product manuals. It also has lots of good graphics and illustrations, perfect for someone new to navigation.
 The iWay 500C comes with power adapters, a car mount, and a cloth cover. |
Then there is the GPS Navigation unit itself. Upon removing it from the box, the first thing you'll notice is the impressive build quality. Lowrance got its start in 1957 manufacturing portable fishing sonar equipment, and has always designed products to stand up to the elements. Though designed primarily as an in-vehicle navigation system, the iWay casing is sealed to protect from internal corrosion caused by moisture. Lowrance also knows that in real-world use portable GPS units get bumped, dropped, tossed, and otherwise mistreated. The case has been designed to withstand the rigors of everyday use, and is a perfect choice for busy fleet, delivery, or emergency vehicles.
Having designed products for fishing boats, Lowrance knows the value of a bright display that won't wash out in direct sunlight, and the iWay touch-screen is no different. Here's a nice touch — also included is a protective cover for the unit when not in use, and a small lint-free towel for cleaning the inevitable fingerprints on the touch-screen. The unit also features a simplified design, with only 5 buttons along the right side to access menus and features.
Power and Audio
As the iWay 500C is a transportable navigation system, main power for the unit is provided by a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter, with an attached speaker for broadcasting the turn-by-turn voice prompts. On the side of the adapter is an adjustable volume dial and a 3.5mm audio output jack. The speaker does a fine job for navigation, but is obviously not designed for high-quality music playback. If you end up listening to a lot of music on the iWay (one of its main features), use the output jack to send the audio to your vehicle's stereo via auxiliary input, cassette adapter, or portable FM modulator.
If your vehicle only has one cigarette lighter port up front, the power supply may interfere with charging your cell phone — a frequent occurrence on long trips. Not to worry, because also in the box is a cable allowing you to more permanently "hard-wire" the iWay to a source of constant 12-volt power — a nice touch. Audio is output via a female 3.5mm jack for direct connection to your stereo. This cable also allows for a cleaner, more discreet install.
Also supplied is an AC power adapter for powering the unit while transferring music files, downloading software updates, or planning details of an upcoming trip at your kitchen table. Let me point out here that the AC power adapter/wall-wart is huge — almost half the size and weight of the iWay itself. We can put people on the moon, but still can't make a reasonably-sized power adapter.
Mounting your iWay
Lowrance didn't skimp on the mounting accessories either. There are two main mounting options for the iWay — a windshield suction cup and a flexible, weighted dashboard base. [First, an admission of ignorance on the part of the author. Throughout the manual, the hardware is referred to as R-A-M® mounting brackets. Being a stickler for details, of course I wanted to know what R-A-M stood for. When I couldn't find the definition anywhere in the manual or on the Lowrance website, I decided to give Lowrance technical support a call. I was connected with a friendly and knowledgeable technician named Lance, who promptly informed me that R-A-M is the name of a company that manufactures a wide range of mounting solutions for electronic devices. R-A-M is short for Round-A-Mount, describing the innovative ball and socket design which is the foundation of most of their products (www.ram-mount.com). It seems Lowrance has years of experience with GPS and sonar products, but when it comes to mounting or securing their products, they rely on the experts at R-A-M. Makes sense — Lowrance can concentrate on doing what they do best, and not waste energy trying to come up with their own mounting brackets. Mystery solved!]
The best place to position your iWay is on the dash, where it can be viewed without taking your eyes off the road for too long. No matter which bracket you end up using, due to the size and weight of the unit, Lowrance recommends resting the bottom of the 500C on your dash. This low resting position helps the iWay keep a reduced profile so as to not obstruct your outward view, and provides a more stable foundation with less vibration. I found the suction cup base to be very strong, but because of the slope of my windshield, the rubber weighted base allowed me to position the iWay within arms reach. And as the three prongs of the base are flexible, you should have no problem accommodating the slope and contours of your dash.
Those who will be moving their iWay between vehicles will appreciate that two complete mounting systems are included in the box. You can leave the weighted base in one vehicle, and the suction cup mount in another. A simple twist of the R-A-M ball and socket connector will release the GPS unit. Because two different solutions for powering the unit are also included, you can leave the cigarette lighter adapter in one vehicle and the hard-wired solution in the other. How's that for convenience?
In order for a navigation system to function properly, it needs to access signals from the network of overhead Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The iWay 500C has the antenna to receive these signals built in to the back of the chassis. By placing the unit on your dash, it can receive the necessary signals through the windshield. Won't the tint at the top of the windshield or a low roofline block signals from the satellites overhead? Actually, a GPS system relies more on the satellites it "sees" on the horizon, and less on those directly overhead. But in case the unit does not receive an adequate signal on your dash, Lowrance also includes a small external GPS antenna (with a 67" cable) that can be attached to your windshield using suction cups (supplied of course), or magnetically mounted to the exterior of your vehicle. These guys think of everything!
Quit Your Whining |
| A common occurrence with portable audio devices which receive power from the cigarette lighter is a high-pitched "whine" that can be heard when the audio is connected to the car's stereo. This "whine" is especially common when using an FM modulator, as used with many portable satellite radios and iPod adapters.
This whine is caused by something called a ground loop, and happens when the radio is grounded at one place on the vehicle, and the cigarette lighter is grounded at another. The Owner's Manual for the iWay gives some good tips on reducing or eliminating this noise. I've had great success using the PAC SNI-1/3.5 Noise Filter, specifically designed to combat ground loop audio noise. So, if you experience a whine with your iWay, XM or Sirius tuner, or iPod when connected to your car stereo, you just might benefit from this ground loop filter. Just a reminder — with Crutchfield's 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, if it doesn't solve your problem, just send it back. Now you have no reason at all to whine. |
As the iWay 500C is a transportable navigation system, main power for the unit is provided by a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter, with an attached speaker for broadcasting the turn-by-turn voice prompts. On the side of the adapter is an adjustable volume dial and a 3.5mm audio output jack. The speaker does a fine job for navigation, but is obviously not designed for high-quality music playback. If you end up listening to a lot of music on the iWay (one of its main features), use the output jack to send the audio to your vehicle's stereo via auxiliary input, cassette adapter, or portable FM modulator.
If your vehicle only has one cigarette lighter port up front, the power supply may interfere with charging your cell phone — a frequent occurrence on long trips. Not to worry, because also in the box is a cable allowing you to more permanently "hard-wire" the iWay to a source of constant 12-volt power — a nice touch. Audio is output via a female 3.5mm jack for direct connection to your stereo. This cable also allows for a cleaner, more discreet install.
Also supplied is an AC power adapter for powering the unit while transferring music files, downloading software updates, or planning details of an upcoming trip at your kitchen table. Let me point out here that the AC power adapter/wall-wart is huge — almost half the size and weight of the iWay itself. We can put people on the moon, but still can't make a reasonably-sized power adapter.
 Cigarette lighter power adapter. |
Mounting your iWay
Lowrance didn't skimp on the mounting accessories either. There are two main mounting options for the iWay — a windshield suction cup and a flexible, weighted dashboard base. [First, an admission of ignorance on the part of the author. Throughout the manual, the hardware is referred to as R-A-M® mounting brackets. Being a stickler for details, of course I wanted to know what R-A-M stood for. When I couldn't find the definition anywhere in the manual or on the Lowrance website, I decided to give Lowrance technical support a call. I was connected with a friendly and knowledgeable technician named Lance, who promptly informed me that R-A-M is the name of a company that manufactures a wide range of mounting solutions for electronic devices. R-A-M is short for Round-A-Mount, describing the innovative ball and socket design which is the foundation of most of their products (www.ram-mount.com). It seems Lowrance has years of experience with GPS and sonar products, but when it comes to mounting or securing their products, they rely on the experts at R-A-M. Makes sense — Lowrance can concentrate on doing what they do best, and not waste energy trying to come up with their own mounting brackets. Mystery solved!]
The best place to position your iWay is on the dash, where it can be viewed without taking your eyes off the road for too long. No matter which bracket you end up using, due to the size and weight of the unit, Lowrance recommends resting the bottom of the 500C on your dash. This low resting position helps the iWay keep a reduced profile so as to not obstruct your outward view, and provides a more stable foundation with less vibration. I found the suction cup base to be very strong, but because of the slope of my windshield, the rubber weighted base allowed me to position the iWay within arms reach. And as the three prongs of the base are flexible, you should have no problem accommodating the slope and contours of your dash.
 2 R-A-M mounting systems are included. |
Those who will be moving their iWay between vehicles will appreciate that two complete mounting systems are included in the box. You can leave the weighted base in one vehicle, and the suction cup mount in another. A simple twist of the R-A-M ball and socket connector will release the GPS unit. Because two different solutions for powering the unit are also included, you can leave the cigarette lighter adapter in one vehicle and the hard-wired solution in the other. How's that for convenience?
In order for a navigation system to function properly, it needs to access signals from the network of overhead Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The iWay 500C has the antenna to receive these signals built in to the back of the chassis. By placing the unit on your dash, it can receive the necessary signals through the windshield. Won't the tint at the top of the windshield or a low roofline block signals from the satellites overhead? Actually, a GPS system relies more on the satellites it "sees" on the horizon, and less on those directly overhead. But in case the unit does not receive an adequate signal on your dash, Lowrance also includes a small external GPS antenna (with a 67" cable) that can be attached to your windshield using suction cups (supplied of course), or magnetically mounted to the exterior of your vehicle. These guys think of everything!
Tell me where to go
Of course, the main reason to get an iWay 500C is GPS navigation. Lowrance is no newcomer to GPS — they've been doing it since 1991. With the iWay, you can:
More memory to go
Until recently, most transportable GPS units designed for mobile use had a limited amount of memory for storing mapping information. You had to connect the GPS unit to your computer in order to select and transfer the desired map(s). This time-consuming process has been eliminated with the iWay. It includes 10 GB of space allocated to GPS mapping information (many DVD-ROM vehicle-based GPS units use only 4.7 GB of data). Mapping information includes:
I have found the database in the iWay to one of the most comprehensive I've ever used. I've even discovered a few historical POIs in my hometown I never knew existed!
Much to my amazement, not only does the iWay have built-in mapping information of the United States, but it even includes varying levels of mapping information for entire world! That's right — the entire globe! So, if you want to circumnavigate the world, be sure to take your iWay along. It will display:
Make no mistake, the iWay has more navigation information than almost any user will ever need. And since the GPS satellites cover the entire world, you'll know exactly where in the world you are, whether you're on land or in the water!
Mapping Views
There are several ways to customize the display on the iWay 500C. While driving or navigating, there are 3 selectable views:
As previously mentioned, the iWay has a very bright display, which is great for sunny days. But when the sun goes down, you'll want to adjust the brightness (in four increments) using the front panel button. You can also choose a "night display", which turns the light, cream-colored background black.
While navigating, you can also customize a set of transparent fields to display helpful guidance information, such as current speed, time to destination, current time, next turn, etc. Another useful feature is "Auto Zoom". While driving or navigating at highway speeds, the map zooms out to give you a "bigger picture" view, showing fewer details to minimize distraction. When you slow down, the map zooms back in on your current position to provide a higher level of detail, showing all streets and POIs. This feature can be turned off, but I find it very useful.
Of course, the main reason to get an iWay 500C is GPS navigation. Lowrance is no newcomer to GPS — they've been doing it since 1991. With the iWay, you can:
- use the iWay while driving as a "moving map", showing your current position on-screen. The screen will also indicate nearby POIs, landmarks, shopping centers, parks, etc.
Map — Finding Waypoint
- enter an address or select a specific point-of-interest, and the iWay will guide you to your destination with a series of detailed map and voice prompts.
- find nearby gas stations, restaurants or hotels. Many business entries have phone numbers included, so you can call ahead to make reservations or inquire about hours of operation.
Map — Find Menu
- select over 2 million points-of-interest (POI). Choose to display all POIs, or just specific categories. While traveling in your RV, choose to display only RV Parks or Campgrounds, or choose to display only Mexican restaurants or Steak Houses, for example.
- store frequent destinations in the iWay's "Address Book", and save time reentering addresses.
Map — Find By Name
- drag-and-point. If all else fails, you can drag your finger around on the touch-screen to point to a specific location. Select that point as as a destination, and you're off!
More memory to go
Until recently, most transportable GPS units designed for mobile use had a limited amount of memory for storing mapping information. You had to connect the GPS unit to your computer in order to select and transfer the desired map(s). This time-consuming process has been eliminated with the iWay. It includes 10 GB of space allocated to GPS mapping information (many DVD-ROM vehicle-based GPS units use only 4.7 GB of data). Mapping information includes:
- detailed street-level mapping information for the contiguous 48 States (sorry, Alaska).
- 2 million points-of-interest.
- marine navaids. Take the iWay on your next boat outing, and display channels markers, buoys, wrecks, obstacles, or marinas.
I have found the database in the iWay to one of the most comprehensive I've ever used. I've even discovered a few historical POIs in my hometown I never knew existed!
Much to my amazement, not only does the iWay have built-in mapping information of the United States, but it even includes varying levels of mapping information for entire world! That's right — the entire globe! So, if you want to circumnavigate the world, be sure to take your iWay along. It will display:
- major roads and highways in Canada.
- major highways in Mexico.
- marine navigation aids, major port and marina information for every major continent (except Antarctica).
- world political boundaries (states, countries).
- major highways and waterways on every continent, including Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and Africa (sorry, Antarctica).
Make no mistake, the iWay has more navigation information than almost any user will ever need. And since the GPS satellites cover the entire world, you'll know exactly where in the world you are, whether you're on land or in the water!
Mapping Views
There are several ways to customize the display on the iWay 500C. While driving or navigating, there are 3 selectable views:
- North-Up Orientation — No matter what direction you're heading, due North is always straight up. Imagine holding a map straight up in front of you while you drive.
- Track-Up Orientation — My personal favorite. Every time you turn or change direction, the map actually rotates to reflect your current direction/heading. Imagine a bird's eye view from above your vehicle (why the bird is following your vehicle, I have no idea). Some drivers find this view distracting, as it causes the map to move/rotate more frequently than the North-Up option.
- 3D Map Orientation — Included with the recent software update, this new view gives you a perspective of the map as it appears on the horizon. So, instead of looking down on your vehicle as in the first two views, imagine the mapping information viewed as a virtual heads-up display.
As previously mentioned, the iWay has a very bright display, which is great for sunny days. But when the sun goes down, you'll want to adjust the brightness (in four increments) using the front panel button. You can also choose a "night display", which turns the light, cream-colored background black.
While navigating, you can also customize a set of transparent fields to display helpful guidance information, such as current speed, time to destination, current time, next turn, etc. Another useful feature is "Auto Zoom". While driving or navigating at highway speeds, the map zooms out to give you a "bigger picture" view, showing fewer details to minimize distraction. When you slow down, the map zooms back in on your current position to provide a higher level of detail, showing all streets and POIs. This feature can be turned off, but I find it very useful.
The Update
The iWay 500C I received was running the original software version 1.0. Within a few clicks on the Lowrance website, however, I found a version 1.3 update. The free download updates the POI (Points-of-Interest) database, and adds some nifty enhancements to the already strong user interface, including:
The installation of the update is pretty straight forward. Connect the iWay to your Windows 2000 or XP computer using the supplied USB cable, download the 74 MB update and follow the instructions of the installation wizard. The update process took about 30 minutes, and after a quick restart the iWay was ready to go.
Listen to the Music
What really separates the iWay from the pack is the 10 GBs dedicated to your digital music files — MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files to be exact. Never heard of Ogg Vorbis? It's a open source music codec similar to MP3, claiming smaller file size and better sound.
Press the second primary key on the right of the front panel to toggle between the map and music mode. You'll find all the standard MP3 player controls, plus a few nice surprises. The graphics for the controls on the bottom of the touch-screen are all oversized, so your eyes won't stray too long from the road. Touch the center portion of the screen to choose either a Spectrum Analyzer, Waveform Analyzer, or Album Jacket art (if included in the ID-3 tag). The top section displays song information, or will access the hard drive's music library.
Speaking of the library, when you transfer music from your computer to the iWay, you simply drag-n-drop your MP3 or Ogg Vorbis files directly on to the hard drive, so you'll probably want to organize your music using a standard "folder tree" of folders and files. This will making finding your favorite song much easier. One of the major enhancements provided by the software update are large icons that represent folders and song files instead of single lines of text, making touch-screen selection much easier.
Lowrance has included a few extra features to enhance your music listening experience, including a 6-band graphic equalizer, a shuffle mode, a repeat mode, and a sliding "scrubber" bar for quickly jumping to a specific part of a song, useful for longer classical recordings or single-track "concept" albums.
What would make this excellent player even better? It would be nice if the iWay was compatible with Audible downloaded audio books. The two things I love to have on long car trips, especially when I'm alone, are a good audio book and GPS. Sure, there is some spoken word content available on MP3 (podcasting anyone?), but not the variety available from Audible. Or without too much trouble they even could add XM or SIRIUS satellite radio functionality. How cool would that be? A single transportable box that offers navigation, satellite radio, MP3 and Audible playback. I'll take two! Lowrance, anybody listening?
The iWay 500C I received was running the original software version 1.0. Within a few clicks on the Lowrance website, however, I found a version 1.3 update. The free download updates the POI (Points-of-Interest) database, and adds some nifty enhancements to the already strong user interface, including:
- 3D map mode — Adding to the standard "Bird's-eye-view" looking down on your map position, this new view offers a "driver's perspective," displaying the map, road names and landmarks on a virtual horizon. It's actually quite neat, and I could see how some people may prefer it. Still, call me old school, but I'll take my maps straight up (or down as the case may be)!
3D map orientation mode helps put your path into perspective. - Enhanced voice directions — The voice prompt will now read exit numbers, and streets and highways named with numbers (ex. VA 237). I find this very useful at interchanges requiring multiple merges and lane changes.
- Refined Address and POI search — The update adds several filters for defining your search to specific cities or counties. You'll find this particularly useful, as the iWay database is very extensive — it displays info for the entire contiguous 48 States. It's now easier and faster to narrow your search to a particular street in a specific town, or to local restaurant names.
- Enhanced music browsing — Large icons replace the single lines of text, making for much easier touch-screen selection of your MP3 music files and folders.
The installation of the update is pretty straight forward. Connect the iWay to your Windows 2000 or XP computer using the supplied USB cable, download the 74 MB update and follow the instructions of the installation wizard. The update process took about 30 minutes, and after a quick restart the iWay was ready to go.
Listen to the Music
What really separates the iWay from the pack is the 10 GBs dedicated to your digital music files — MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files to be exact. Never heard of Ogg Vorbis? It's a open source music codec similar to MP3, claiming smaller file size and better sound.
Press the second primary key on the right of the front panel to toggle between the map and music mode. You'll find all the standard MP3 player controls, plus a few nice surprises. The graphics for the controls on the bottom of the touch-screen are all oversized, so your eyes won't stray too long from the road. Touch the center portion of the screen to choose either a Spectrum Analyzer, Waveform Analyzer, or Album Jacket art (if included in the ID-3 tag). The top section displays song information, or will access the hard drive's music library.
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Speaking of the library, when you transfer music from your computer to the iWay, you simply drag-n-drop your MP3 or Ogg Vorbis files directly on to the hard drive, so you'll probably want to organize your music using a standard "folder tree" of folders and files. This will making finding your favorite song much easier. One of the major enhancements provided by the software update are large icons that represent folders and song files instead of single lines of text, making touch-screen selection much easier.
Lowrance has included a few extra features to enhance your music listening experience, including a 6-band graphic equalizer, a shuffle mode, a repeat mode, and a sliding "scrubber" bar for quickly jumping to a specific part of a song, useful for longer classical recordings or single-track "concept" albums.
What would make this excellent player even better? It would be nice if the iWay was compatible with Audible downloaded audio books. The two things I love to have on long car trips, especially when I'm alone, are a good audio book and GPS. Sure, there is some spoken word content available on MP3 (podcasting anyone?), but not the variety available from Audible. Or without too much trouble they even could add XM or SIRIUS satellite radio functionality. How cool would that be? A single transportable box that offers navigation, satellite radio, MP3 and Audible playback. I'll take two! Lowrance, anybody listening?
In Conclusion
Once you've used navigation, you'll become a fan for life. GPS Navigation is a built into many high-end vehicles, but now with options like the iWay, the rest of us can take advantage of the truly valuable feature. The iWay is a strong offering, combining navigation and audio entertainment in a truly unique way. Based on the success of the iWay 500C, Lowrance has announced two additional automotive GPS navigation units due in summer 2005. These units will include larger screens (7" and 10.4"), suitable for permanent installation in RVs, buses and 18-wheelers. With the iWay 500C's rugged build, detailed mapping information, bright screen and included accessories, it is truly a stand-out in the portable automative navigation market.
Pros
Cons
Once you've used navigation, you'll become a fan for life. GPS Navigation is a built into many high-end vehicles, but now with options like the iWay, the rest of us can take advantage of the truly valuable feature. The iWay is a strong offering, combining navigation and audio entertainment in a truly unique way. Based on the success of the iWay 500C, Lowrance has announced two additional automotive GPS navigation units due in summer 2005. These units will include larger screens (7" and 10.4"), suitable for permanent installation in RVs, buses and 18-wheelers. With the iWay 500C's rugged build, detailed mapping information, bright screen and included accessories, it is truly a stand-out in the portable automative navigation market.
Pros
- ruggedly build GPS unit
- bright, 5" touch-screen display
- an amazing array of accessories included in the box
- does double—duty as a capable MP3 player
- incredibly detailed NAVTEQ mapping database
Cons
- cigarette lighter adapter emits high—pitched whine in some vehicles
- a little slow finding initial position when first powered on