GPS

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

I tried to like the Colorado 400t, I really did. It has a great display. Unfortunately, everything else is terrible. 2000mAh NiMH rechargeable AA batteries last 6 hours or less. Alkaline AA cells aren't much better.<br /><br />If you try to hand-enter UTM coordinates with the rock-and-roller input hardware, you'll find yourself ready for a rubber room. You need to enter EVERY number and character in the easting and northing perfectly, or you get to re-do the entire location. And there's no separation between easting and northing - you need to keep track of where the easting entry ends and the northing begins, or start all over again when you mess up. You won't always have a computer to download locations from in the field, so the kludgy entry is a show-stopper. The user interface for entering other information is similar - there's no way to correct errors without re-entering everything.<br /><br />I bought this unit a long time before I found out its worst shortcomings, but tried to use it anyway. After a wilderness navigation course this summer, I discovered the problem with UTM entry. Fortunately, I bought it at REI, so I could still return it for a full refund after 18 months. I wasn't sure they'd take it back after so long, but they did.<br /><br />Even if someone gives you one of these, AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE! There's a good reason Garmin discontinued the Colorado series. <br /><br />If I could give it no stars, I would.

How long have you owned it:

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

(31 of 34 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Beware when buying Garmin preloaded mapping software. Buried deep in Garmin's website is the disclaimer: preloaded mapping is NOT VISIBLE ON YOUR COMPUTER. This applies to the preloaded Colorado 400 i-t-c series. If you want to plan or replay a trip, transfer tracks, waypoints, & routes, you are confined to view mapping only on the unit, NOT on your computer. Booo. Garmin says (after email chat with tech staff) you'll have to buy the CD version of the software in order to view it on your PC.<br />You can adapt to the low (except in sun light or when backlit) luminosity of the display and menu complexity. But return tracking is important whether boating, biking, or hiking; and it's VERY difficult to do on the Colorado 400.<br />I occasionally experienced various glitches, including processor lockup, no response to soft keys, no response to OFF button. Presumably these will self-correct in due time with updates.<br />But the deal breaker for me was Garmin's undisclosed business decision to not allow viewing of their preloaded mapping on the computer. I had to return the unit despite its other great features like fast satellite acquisition and quality display.

How long have you owned it:

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.