ViaMichelin Navigation X-970 GPS Unit

• Bluetooth for hands-free calling
• Text-to-speech announces street names
• Real time traffic capable
• 64 MB Ram
• Preloaded maps of entire US and Canada

Impressive Unit- Great Price:
This unit has far exceeded my expectations. My wife and I had the previous ViaMichelin GPS the X930 and were very happy with it. We purchased this one to stop fighting over the X930. This is a far more refined unit, it feels great in your hand with its rubbertone finish and the chrome trim reminds me of my iPhone. It has text-to-speech which announce street names instead of the generic "turn right in half a mile" which is great because it keeps your eyes on the road instead of glancing at the screen to verify where to turn. I was able to sync the unit with my iPhone for handsfree use while driving, definite plus as there are areas in Cleveland where you get pulled over for talking on your phone while driving. Plus when you search for points of interests such as restaurants you can directly call them from the GPS just by tapping their phone number. I use this trick to impress clients that are riding in the car with me. Just search for a restaurant, tap the phone number and make reservations all done through the Bluetooth syncing with my phone. Navigation is Solid. I tested the unit going to and from work to get a baseline for how the routing engine would perform. At first the routes disappointed me as they appeared to be longer less direct routes than what I would normally take. I thought I would have to return the unit. But after trying out the new routes I was sold. The X970 has found more direct routes to my office than I have been traveling for the past 6 years, and I thought I new all the shortcuts by now. Also their is a web 2.0 interface for this product where you can plan your trips online and then download them to you unit. I have not tried this yet but will shortly and post an update. Other feature include the Michelin Green Guide content which gives all sorts of information about things to see or do across the country.

ViaMichelin is going out of GPS business:
ViaMichelin is going out of GPS business. You will be buying a unit that will be discontinued and presumably neither supported or updated. See below: ViaMichelin, the subsidiary of the French tyre manufacturer specialising in digital travel assistance products, has stated it will no longer participate in the GPS navigation device market. According to a report published in France's La Tribune, the company, which holds 14 per cent of the French GPS market, has found it difficult to expand in Europe in the face of strong competition from rivals such as TomTom. Sixty of ViaMichelin's 170 employees are affected by the decision, La Tribune reported.

My First GPS; I like it.:
Ok, after a week of using this unit, I say I like it. Pretty easy to figure out without using the manual. I tested it on known routes, and it sometimes takes you a way that you know to be slower, or not as easy, but that's probably true with most units. I've also used it in neighborhoods that I am not familiar with and it performed perfectly. I drive limo part time, and had multiple stops the other night and really impressed the people with taking "the back way" without a problem. One thing I don't like is you can't see turn by turn list...you just have to drive blindly and trust it. The screen is a little small, but if you mount it to the left of the steering wheel, it's close enough to see the next turn, and you can easily hear the voice prompts. I thought that it would announce the name of the upcoming turn, but either it doesn't do that, or I haven't yet figured out how to set that up yet. I also like the windshield mount...the suction cup thing is large and sticks firmly. The power source connects to the mount, so you connect the unit like a docking station... My phone wouldn't pair up with it. I also couldn't link up with the website, but I'm working on that. I think this unit will suit my needs just fine. It has performed well for me already. I paid $272 with tax and shipping and a coupon discount.

No non-US maps available!:
This unit is ergonomic and seems otherwise well-designed, but once you want to use it outside the US and Canada, you're out of luck: Michelin maps and guides of Europe are NOT available for this product for US customers! If you try, you will keep getting directed to the UK Michelin site, and they require an EU address for you to download European maps and guides. Michelin's "Customer Service" response was that they should be available "sometime in 2008". Pretty ironic (to say the least) for a European product! Go with a Garmin - their units are truly worldwide, just like the GLOBAL Positioning System itself.