I'm really delighted with the product. Before purchasing, I did as much research as I could regarding the various manufacturers and their product offerings:

Pros:
1. I love it!
2. It works well and if you veer off the calculated course, due to your personal knowledge of the area, it recalculates very quickly and ultimately gets you to where you want to be.
3. I'm learning the name of streets that I never knew before due to the text-to-speech feature!!
4. When traveling alone, one doesn't have to fumble with a map while trying to find streets, etc., and divert attention from driving safely.

Cons:
When I first got it, I had a terrible time trying to acquire satellites. At some point, the unit told me that it could not find any satellites and asked if had I traveled thousands of miles. I thought, no, I've been sitting here all the while and responded accordingly. Again, the same problem. Then, after a while, when it asked me again, I answered yes, and then the unit was off and running within a minute or so with satellite acquisiton. It's a minor point, but it wasn't anything addressed in the user manual.

1. The wire for the external, auxilliary antenna has a mind of its own. It doesn't always stay put in the jack. Having said that, the user manual doesn't show where the antenna jack is. I think it's the same plug for the headset, but I'll never use a headset, and, satellite acquisition seems to be quicker and plentiful when using this jack, so I'll continue to use it.

2. The auxilliary antenna can be mounted via a windshield bracket (with suction cups) OR magnet. "OR" because, you have to do one or the other. The antenna attaches to either via two, miniscule screws that you have to screw in. So, since the bracket is plastic and not with some metal, you have to screw the antenna either to the bracket or the magnet and use accordingly. If you should change your mind, be sure to bring a very small philips head screw driver, nimble fingers and good eyesight. I almost lost one of the screws when first opening the package since I didn't expect the mounting to be of this nature and the screws were in the same bag with the magnet and not separately wrapped. Tear into the plastic too vigorously and the screws may go flying!

3. POIs are touted in the literature, etc., but not readily available for the US. AND, you can't create one on the fly. AND, the documentation doesn't address how to create a file to upload with POI's. And even if you could, it appears you need co-ordinates instead of an address in order to create a POI. So, things like school zones, etc., can't be easily put in on the fly so that you're made aware of these areas the next time you pass through.

4. The unit can play over your FM radio, XM satellite stations, with a subscription. But, the unit has no internal speaker or battery, so you can ONLY play it in the car and not away from the car, unless, you plug in the AC adapter, and place it near a receiver in your home?? I tried the FM receiver in the car for the text-to-speech travel instructions and the sound was weak.

5. The confirmation clicks when programming it are only heard when used in the car, since the speaker is contained in the cigarette lighter power adaptor.

6. The GXM antenna for the XM radio/traffic information has a relatively short wire and it needs a clear line of sight to the sky. So, if you're riding with a passenger, and put the antenna on the roof (antenna has magnetic bottom) through the passenger window, it's going to be right in the passenger's face. There's an extension available, but it's confounding why they wouldn't give you an extra 2-3 feet on the wire for starters. The extension gives another 8-9 feet at about $40 or so.

7. The trip computer provides helpful information. It calculates total trip time, moving time, stopped time, and a couple of speed calculations. The trip computer starts as soon as the trip is calculated by the unit. So, if you create a trip, and then don't leave right away, the total time, stopped time and speeds are going to be off by the amount of time sitting (maybe for reasons of still packing the car or a tardy family member) before getting under way. It would be nice if the unit gave the option when to start the trip computer, i.e., immediately upon calculating a route, OR, when the unit first detects car movement! Using the latter would yield more accurate end-of-trip info.

8. Garmin released an update (ver.4.54) for the software. However, it's a beta version. Their caveat is that it should work but there's always a chance that it doesn't since it's beta and not been released officially yet to the field. (Their disclaimer verbatim: Although this software is believed to be reliable, it has not yet been released for production and should be used at your own risk.) Honestly, I don't want anything that's still in beta and be a tester for software that might freeze the unit, and require more of my time to correct it or have to send it to Garmin (for a fee) to fix it.

9. The XM Traffic feature - according to XM, the coverage is by county and not by roadway. So, if you're on a major roadway such as a turnpike that traverses a large part of the state and cuts through many counties, does that mean that traffic or accidents in those uncovered counties goes unreported to the streetpilot and you find yourself without a traffic alert?? I've opened a subscription, can't answer my question, and will see whether I keep the XMTraffic subscription.

10. I think the User Manual can be a little more informative than it is. There are messages or symbols that appear on the unit that do not have any mention and therefore no explanation in the manual. Yes, the unit works right out of the box, BUT, we all know that there's more to learn in using something like this and the documentation should be more helpful in accomplishing that. And, like others, I downloaded the user's manual way before I decided to buy the unit. So, I was familiar with some of its functions before I even received it, but still needed the manual to find the info and step through some of the additional features.

In conclusion: I've only had the unit for a short time. I'm sure I'll become more familiar with it as time goes by. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely still choose this unit. I DO like it and find it very helpful. The 'cons' presented above are according to my tastes and preferences. They may not be issues for others.

This is my first GPS unit. Having used and loved the Magellan units in Hertz rental cars, I watched and waited for prices to go down below the $1k mark. These are my first impressions:

The 2730 worked right out of the box -- I just plugged the power cable into the cig lighter, removed the 2730's snap-on screen protector, slid the unit into the weighted base, placed it on the dashboard and powered it up. In spite of the car being parked in the shadow of a 10-story high-rise, the unit quickly locked onto multiple satellites and gave an accurate location textual and graphical readout.

The included manual could be better organized and have more detailed explanations, but the 2730's front panel button controls are fairly intuitive for basic tasks. Menu navigation is easy. (Note, I did download and skim the manual from Amazon before purchasing the unit. I suggest you do the same.) Haven't used the included remote control yet, and at first glance there may not be much need for it.

The screen is a bit small (for my middle-aged eyes), but once you learn its layout, a quick glance at appropriate spots on the screen gives you useful reference data: next turn instruction (text), distance to next waypoint (number), speed, ETA, etc. Within the menus the display and choices of data can be modified.

With my wife driving, I entered our travel destination in Tribeca -- lower Manhattan / NYC (40+ miles away). Using the touchscreen was easy and intuitive. The unit's routing calculation was fairly quick. However, we checked the traffic report (on the old fashioned AM radio news station!) and found that the 2730's selected route would take us down the FDR drive which had some congestion. Moreover, the FDR is on the East side, whereas our destination is closer to the West side. The 2730 couldn't be faulted for the congestion, but the East side routing seemed strange. We started off by followed the unit's initial routing instructions (to stay on I-95 south), but soon veered off onto familiar local parkways which we knew would take us over towards the West side of NYC. As soon as we got off-course, the Garmin quickly recalculated, and anticipated the route we intended (which turned out to be a tad longer -- perhaps why it was not chosen in the first place).

The speaker volume (with clearly-spoken instructions) was adjustable to suit our car's noisy interior. Driving down the West Side Highway, the 2730 did not give us sufficient SPOKEN warning to prepare for an upcoming left turn -- however, the left turn instruction was clearly laid out in text on the screen. I got the impression at that particular point that our physical location was a few 100 feet ahead of the GPS coordinates (perhaps due to limited GPS reception from our location in NYCity).

I am sure there is much more to discover about the 2730 (I haven't tried Points Of Interest or the XM Satellite radio options). After the first trip, I would say I like the unit, find it to be very high-quality, and sold in a convenient bundle with all of the accessories needed (at least those that are apparent now). Some critiques are that the 2730:
1) screen is small
2) is very expensive
3) instruction manual has extremely limited information. Lots of hidden functionality i.e. very difficult to find out how to input locations without a specific address (to mark, name and save a current location -- like a camping spot -- in memory).

Bottom line is if you can spend $800 - $1k, it's a very good GPS bundle.

ADDENDUM from Trips 2 and 3 (commuting to and from work):
The routing software chose the fastest, most direct route, using a combination of highway and back roads -- impressive and efficient. The map accuracy is very good, except for a few quirks like calling a company campus entrance road an "alley."
Mounting on the dashboard is good for a heads-up navigation display. The beanbag-style weighted portable base is suitably heavy, BUT the unit can go flying off the dashboard during a sharp turn.
Turning on the WAAS function (for more accurate location reading) significantly slows down initial satellite capture.
The trip computer offers lots of functionality as well sa quantitative and predictive data.

This is quite an upgrade from my Streetpilot III. Wonderful screen , intuitive interface, nice backlit remote with a nifty thumbstick, preloaded maps (it actually says the street names), XM radio, MP3/AudioBook player.

My only complaints are:
1) the FM transmitter is pretty weak (I use the audio-out with cassette adapter)
2) Memory is built-in and not expandable. It does have ~750mb of usable space, but it would still be nice if I could use my own memory sticks (CompactFlash, SD, etc...)

So of my measly 2 complaints, only 1 has no workaround. There are tons of little touches/improvements that I don't have the time or energy to go into right now.

It's a 5-star product, no doubt about it.

I have used the unit now for about 20 days straight. I an very impressed with the voice guidance. The directions are concise and timely, and it has guided me through some convoluted routes that were the best (fastest)(this feedback came from a client who gave different directions to his office because "everybody gets lost coming the fastest way."

The XM radio and traffic are nothing short of incredible. When the unit choses a route, it automatically takes into account traffic flow speeds, and calculates the fastest route.

A couple of peeves. The unit automatically assigns County Routes a faster speed, even if the limit is lower than other roads. And traffic lights are ignored in the speed calculation. If any roads other than highways are in the route, you can add an easy :10 to the trip. If you know the area, you can just stay on the highway, and the software will quickly recalculate. Also, I do a lot of driving early in the morning (4:30) and I find displays for slow roads and congestion when there may only be 5 cars on the road. I don't know if this is a Garmin, XM, or Traffic Monitoing problem, but faster updates would be helpful.

Overall I am very impressed with this unit. I have used several other GPS units from almost every manufacturer, and this one is hands down the best!

I was in the market to buy my first GPS unit. I researched the web and editorials non-stop to see what would give me the best for my money. It was going to be between the Tom Tom and Garmin, however it was the WAAS feature for Garmin and the XM traffic/weather option that put Garmin over the top for me.

Don't under estimate the WAAS feature. It gets you right up to the turn, I believe as close as 7 feet. Very usable feature, especially when in cities where you go turn after turn. The XM radio functionality is great. I was worried that I would lose some cool XM radio features that I already have with my XM Myfi, however, Garmin put some thought into it and put a ton of features, like favorite artist notifications, and a really cool browse screen that makes me like the GPS over the Myfi!

My biggest complaint with the 2730 is the FM transmitter. I have tried every station and probably only get excellent sound 40% of the time. Unlike other XM radios where you can control the "fm output", you can not with the 2730. All my other devices that I use a transmitter with have no problem in my 4-Runner, but for some reason, it is just a little weak with the Garmin. Don't let this deter you from buying this great product though.

Living in the Washington D.C. area, the traffic, and weather functions are unreal. I'm hooked- I've had my unit for a little over a month now and won't go anywhere without it!

This GPS is great. I am a Realtor and use it every day. I especially like the feature that broadcasts the directions through my car radio. It is crystal clear and my clients enjoy it.Also, I really like the traffic and weather feature. It has saved me many hours of waiting in Houston traffic jams.
br /I highly recommend the 2730 GPS unit. It is far superior to the TOMTOM I had for less than 30 days.
br /
br /Don

First off, GPS is no substitute for local knowledge. Ever. GPS units have no idea of the traffic patterns in the area, and what looks like a good idea to the route calculator is not necessarily right.
br /
br /The good:
br /
br /- Reception seems to be good, but I am sure this depends on the car you have.
br /- Complete maps. Useful if you're flying to the other coast or Canada and need to find your way in a rental car.
br /- Reasonably fast to calculate routes.
br /- Speaker part of cigarette lighter adapter. Neat idea, it even works.
br /- XM and MP3 capability that works with almost 500 MB space for MP3s and audio books.
br /- XM NavTraffic. That works too.
br /- For things like highway exits, the unit gives a 3D-looking view of the exit ramp and system, making even multi-highway intersections a lot less stressful to navigate.
br /- In addition, the unit voice prompts lane hints for complicated ramps and intersections, as in "take exit 12 and stay right".
br /
br /Bad:
br /- XM and MP3 sound is uterrible/u. It sounds like AM, even at full XM signal strength. This seems to be happening with my Roady2 to a lesser extent as well, but it sucks. Output volume is weak, and when you turn it up it starts the sound starts to clip. No bass, treble poor. I plugged my mp3 player into the same tape adapter and that sounded great, so it's the unit for sure.
br /- Integrated FM transmitter is impossibly weak. If you have a rear-mounted antenna, forget it.
br /- The unit shipped with somewhat outdated map data, and in particular, some store locations are either not there or plain wrong. Not sure if the $120 update is worth it.
br /
br /Irritating:
br /- Telling the unit to ignore HOV roads causes it to ignore the roads in both directions, even if HOV is only one way at the given time.
br /- The unit would rather route you over a road it has NavTraffic info for (even if the traffic is bad) than over a road it has no info for. That can be annoying.
br /- the XM puck comes with a really short and fat cable. Running it through weather stripping can cause a leak. The included extension cable is no improvement, and you end up with something like 8 or 10 feet of cable with the extension, which is still too short. The good news is that it's a mini-usb connector, so if an extension for that can be found, that will likely work.
br /- the XM puck is what your XM radio ID is keyed on, and is obvious to see when mounted. If someone steals that, it's $110 to replace, and when replacing it you have to go through the registration update process with XM.
br /- the XM puck is not a GPS receiver or antenna, so if you use both, you're running two cables to their mounting points.
br /- NavTraffic is only as good as the reporting agency. Fair enough, not the unit's fault. You're still better off tuning into the XM traffic station and listening to that.
br /- Text input on the unit is non-qwerty but has the letters in order. Not a problem, just a hassle.
br /
br /Tips:
br /- When looking for an address in a city that you're familiar with, have the unit calculate the route and only use the route legs you know are good. At least then you don't have to look at house numbers and park close enough to walk.
br /
br /Summary:
br /
br /A good GPS, but a poor XM radio.

I had been searching the various GPS manufacturers for awhile before settling on the 2730. I recently took a motorcycle trip to Wyoming from NY and had this GPS mounted on the handlebars. Very well made unit that made my trip much more enjoyable. I purchased this particular unit over others by TomTom and Garmin because I liked the XM weather/traffic/radio combination more than the bluetooth capability of the 'rider' and the 2820 (although the 2820 offers XM also, it does not supply the antenna as the 2730 does). Being able to answer the phone on my bike doesn't seem the safest option, and I had heard that the bluetooth headsets don't have quite the sound quality I would want for traffic/music.
br /
br /I had to purchase the motorcycle mount kit PLUS a separate mounting bracket arrangement to get this unit on the motorcycle itself. The Garmin kit only includes a way to 'clip' the unit to an existing bracket. After wiring the unit to my bikes battery (there is no internal battery - the 2730 must be wired to an external source), and mounting it to the TechMount bracket I bought, I was ready to go.
br /
br /After playing around with the unit for awhile, I found that:
br /Unless the sun was directly at my back - the screen was easily readible in all light (it automatically adjusts, or you can manually do it).
br /I rarely used a headset on the bike - the XM traffic and weather are 'readable' on screen and don't need speakers. (an extra charge for traffic/weather over and above the standard XM fee)
br /When I did use a headset, the XM radio and direction instructions were clear and distinct - but no options for fine tuning audio besides volume.
br /Unlike a previous review states, there IS a way - while the 2730 is in use - to save a place/point/area not already in the database quickly and easily. the manual clearly states how to do this.
br /You can make multiple point destinations, or even add points during a current trip and the GPS will sort and optimize your travel.
br /The XM antenna receiver fit into the pouch of my windshield bag and had good reception throughout my trip. The 2730 does not require an external antenna for the GPS portion, the XM receiver is only for traffic/weather/XM. I used it only a few times.
br /The 2730 gave lots of info that was useful - accurate speed, time to next turn, time to arrive at location, etc... - and some that was not so useful - average speed, average total speed - stuff that was interesting, but I didn't need it cluttering up the screen.
br /The size of the maps and color clarity were exceptional.
br /The touch screen worked well with gloves.
br /Quick acquisition of satellites - until you turn on WAAS. I recommend you don't bother with WAAS unless there is some overwhelming need for it.
br /Good voices to choose from: clear, non-robotic, instuctions. Several accents and languages.
br /Easily download points of interest, and able to alert you to their proximity based on parameters you supply.
br /If you don't input a specific destination, the 2730 will - as it traces your path/route - list all the points of interest you are close to. It's worth a glance now and then to see if you are near anything interesting.
br /Contrary to what was written in another review, the maps are not only current (within a year old) on my 2730, but Garmin has a policy where they will allow you to download an update for free if your maps are outside of a particular date range when you purchased the unit.
br /
br /An extremely good unit that is a little pricy, but don't forget that you get the XM antenna thrown in (although it only has a 3 foot cable, my unit came with a 6~8 ft. extension in the box) and it can be easily adapted to motorcycle, ATV, etc... with an inexpensive kit. I've used it in my truck with great results also. The unit has an audio jack built in for headphones or auxiliary output (I think someone wrote that it doesn't - it does)
br /There are many, many options on the menus - I suggest you take a look at Garmins website and see what it can do before making a purchase of this magnitude.
br /If you don't need the XM capabilities, Take a look at the other Garmin units. they (Garmin) make quite a few GPS systems tailored to different applications. I chose the 2730 because of space considerations and my feature list.
br /
br /Anyway, just my opinion. 4 stars (minus a star because 5 would be perfect and I don't believe any device is perfect.)

I saw this unit on Garmin's website a few months ago when I was looking at GPS units, and was attracted by the combination of XM and the Nav system. Buying these two features in one package makes this unit a pretty good value, even though this is a little pricey for a GPS unit. I bought it a few weeks ago and have been pleased since day one.
It worked right out of the box, with no hiccups. The user interface is intuitive enought that you don't need to read the manual. There are several features that I found after reading the manual, but I consider most of that stuff to be nice bonus material. The FM transmitter won't drown out anything more than a weak station, but you can find empty channels on this site (http://www.radio-locator.com/). I have used the unit in three different cars (Subaru Impreza, Pontiac G6, and Mazda 3). The FM strength was worst in the Mazda, but still workable. Both of the other cars didn't have any trouble. I found that it helped to retract the antenna in the Subaru.
I have used the unit in Chicago, on a trip to Grand Rapids, MI, and in Connecticut. The directions are consistantly good and the unit found routes that Hertz's Neverlost failed to. The XM subscription is great. The NavTraffic service is very cool in Chicago, as it gives a great view of all the major arteries.
I have only one and a half (minor) complaints with the device. It takes several screen buttons to switch between the map and the XM radio. I feel like that should be easier. I would also like to see an option to more permanently install the device in my car.

I recently relocated to another state and not being familar with the roads and routes I purchased this unit to help me with the transition.
br /I am extremely pleased with the unit. Setup was less than 60 minutes; as the unit needs to get synchronized with the satellites. It also has the XM Nav Traffic, which has saved me a few hours already. My more difficult programming part came from XM itself, where the cust service person did not understand the unit and kept programming me for XM radio along with XMNav. If you do alot of driving, this XM service is a very cost effective option you should consider.
br /The screen is a nice size, easily viewable from almost any angle, even in in bright sunlight. The base which supports the unit has a good weight, but can slide if making a quick,sharp turn. A small complaint about the unit is that it does not have the more flexible multi-degree movement of the C300 series. As my dash is not flat, the screen on the unit displays a little tilted, when it is placed.
br /As for accuracy, it is great. Programming addresses, favorites, locations, is performed very easily. I also like the vehicle speed being displayed as part of the map and route tracking. It is well designed, reliable, menu driven product. Please be aware, the unit does not have a rechargeable battery and must be connected via the vehicle electrical outlet for it to function.

I cannot agree more with Ivan Osipkov's review. Here are his review plus my comments:
br /
br /A few things that may not be immediately noticeable until one actually buys the device:
br /1) the device does not have internal battery, i.e. it needs to be continuously plugged in;
br /
br /This is very annoying. After you programmed your route, you started engine and your program got lost due to lost of power. Basically you have to reprogram it AFTER you started engine!
br /
br /The power plug on the device kind of easily fall off. This will make it lost power accidently.
br /
br /
br /2) the voice comes not from the device but from a little speaker located on the electrical plug, i.e. the sound comes from where your cigarette lighter is;
br /
br /The voice quality is aweful since it's a small speaker on the cord, and the volumn is not loud enough.
br /
br /3) the device is heavy;
br /
br /After owned it for a while and tested driving, I returned it. I finally purchased Nuvi 350. Far superior! I'm a picky customer, but I'm 85% satisfied with Nuvi 350. For 2730 I would say 40%.

I travel a lot with my job and usually have multiple destinations to hit along the way. The GPS has worked wonders, I don't know what I would have done without it. It is very accurate and very easy to use. I would recommend it to anyone who travels or makes deliveries or just wants to keep from getting lost!

First off, GPS is no substitute for local knowledge. Ever. GPS units have no idea of the traffic patterns in the area, and what looks like a good idea to the route calculator is not necessarily right.
br /
br /The good:
br /
br /- Reception seems to be good, but I am sure this depends on the car you have.
br /- Complete maps. Useful if you're flying to the other coast or Canada and need to find your way in a rental car.
br /- Reasonably fast to calculate routes.
br /- Speaker part of cigarette lighter adapter. Neat idea, it even works.
br /- XM and MP3 capability that works with almost 500 MB space for MP3s and audio books.
br /- XM NavTraffic. That works too.
br /- For things like highway exits, the unit gives a 3D-looking view of the exit ramp and system, making even multi-highway intersections a lot less stressful to navigate.
br /- In addition, the unit voice prompts lane hints for complicated ramps and intersections, as in "take exit 12 and stay right".
br /
br /Bad:
br /- XM and MP3 sound is uterrible/u. It sounds like AM, even at full XM signal strength. This seems to be happening with my Roady2 to a lesser extent as well, but it sucks. Output volume is weak, and when you turn it up it starts the sound starts to clip. No bass, treble poor. I plugged my mp3 player into the same tape adapter and that sounded great, so it's the unit for sure.
br /- Integrated FM transmitter is impossibly weak. If you have a rear-mounted antenna, forget it.
br /- The unit shipped with somewhat outdated map data, and in particular, some store locations are either not there or plain wrong. Not sure if the $120 update is worth it.
br /
br /Irritating:
br /- Telling the unit to ignore HOV roads causes it to ignore the roads in both directions, even if HOV is only one way at the given time.
br /- The unit would rather route you over a road it has NavTraffic info for (even if the traffic is bad) than over a road it has no info for. That can be annoying.
br /- the XM puck comes with a really short and fat cable. Running it through weather stripping can cause a leak. The included extension cable is no improvement, and you end up with something like 8 or 10 feet of cable with the extension, which is still too short. The good news is that it's a mini-usb connector, so if an extension for that can be found, that will likely work.
br /- the XM puck is what your XM radio ID is keyed on, and is obvious to see when mounted. If someone steals that, it's $110 to replace, and when replacing it you have to go through the registration update process with XM.
br /- the XM puck is not a GPS receiver or antenna, so if you use both, you're running two cables to their mounting points.
br /- NavTraffic is only as good as the reporting agency. Fair enough, not the unit's fault. You're still better off tuning into the XM traffic station and listening to that.
br /- Text input on the unit is non-qwerty but has the letters in order. Not a problem, just a hassle.
br /
br /Tips:
br /- When looking for an address in a city that you're familiar with, have the unit calculate the route and only use the route legs you know are good. At least then you don't have to look at house numbers and park close enough to walk.
br /
br /Summary:
br /
br /A good GPS, but a poor XM radio.

I have had this StreetPilot 2730 for a little over a week now. It is my first GPS/XM unit and I love it. Since it's pretty useless to write what I like about it (you can see what features it has from it's description and you can see that I like it since I gave it 5 stars) so I'll write what I don't like about it.

1)The FM Modulator: Don't get me wrong it **works** but it just doesn't work to the level that I desire. I live in an area where there are many open frequencies (right outside of a military base) and the sound still isn't very good. The sound is somewhere between cassette quality and radio station quality with intermittent bursts of static. INFACT, the sound from the FM Modulator was so terrible that I had the head-unit in my car replaced just to get clear sound! My car head-unit was stock and didn't offer an auxiliary stereo input - so I had a new Sony head-unit installed that has a front auxiliary input. Some people would say that is frivolous - but when you spend $800 on a unit, why not spend $250 more to make it sound good!

2)The Speaker: If you don't get XM radio I guess the speaker is O.K. .. but if you get XM radio the speaker is pointless. I mean, you wouldn't use that thing to listen to music! I don't even like looking at it. I hate how the power cable has a speaker on the end that is big (like 2.5") and ugly. It's so ugly I plugged it in inside my center counsels power supply and used Velcro straps to hold the wire down (looks a lot better now).

3)There is no 3! Everything else is amazing. The screen is great, the remote is great, the XM radio is amazing, the auto-re-routing is amazing, and on and on.


AND! Have you seen the 2820 - it doesn't even come with the antenna for XM radio. You have to fork out another $250 for it - and it's the NEWER model! What a rip off... all that to make phone calls. Get a $100 blue tooth earpiece, lol. It's what I did!

----------------------------------------------------------
ADDITION (A few months after the fact):
Well the unit is still as lovely as it was the day I bought it. I have logged a few thousand miles and trips
1) A few states away
2) To the beach
3) To bars, restaurants, friends houses, etc
are all mapped out flawlessly.

One new 'problem' that I found:
If the area that you're going to is 'new' (built AFTER the map software was loaded on to the GPS) then it will not be able to take you there. This is particularly frustrating when I visit a friends house which was recently built... I have to drive to a major road that has existed for a couple years before the GPS can give me valid directions.

Update after a month:(6-2-06) XM setup on this unit was a real pain. I have 2 other XM radios so tried to add this one to my account online. No go, you have to call to activate this. Which means they charge you a $14.99 activation fee. It is $5 less online and sometimes they don't even charge it. Calling XM is an exercise in frustrating voice response menus, which won't let you activate the traffic service anyway. So just cut to the chase and say "Operator" loudly several times at the outset and save yourself some time and aggravation. It took 2 days and 3 calls to get the radio activated and working.

Secondly, do yourself a favor and toss the card about the 3 "free" audible.com ebook downloads. First of all you have to give them your cc info. Then you don't get 3 ebooks. You only get one real ebook. You get one credit and many books are more than one credit! They also "give" you a 30 minute speech by some guy, whoopie doo. So you get 2 downloads. They also don't tell you you have to download their player even to download anything. I figured that out finally after 5 tries. The player has crashed twice, I've heard 5 minutes of audio. If you actually want to transfer the ebooks to the 2730, you need to hook the unit up to the PC, and make sure the pc's connected to the internet. It's all too spywareish for my tastes. I cancelled it immediately but I regret ever signing up for the service.

I am very pleased with the gps. The routing is good and screen is bright and has nice graphics. I did not think I'd like the 3d view but I do, very much. You can add your own points of interest which I have had to do a lot....this area is growing so rapidly that many things are missing from the database. The traffic function of the XM radio is fantastic, unfortunately the coverage is very limited. Only 2 roads in my county have any coverage and it is only a few miles of each.

I love the MP3 player, and the remote is extremely handy. The XM radio is not nearly as full-featured as my old unit. I am used to being able to punch in the channel number, you can't do that on this unit. The other thing I *really* miss is the "favorite song" feature on my old XM radio (where it alerts you if a favorite song is playing on another channel) and that is not available on this unit. The FM transmitter is a lot weaker than my old XM one also, I often have static problems. I do live in the DC area but I had no trouble with the old radio. I really wanted the MP3, traffic and weather features, I just didn't expect the XM radio to be so disappointing.

Given a choice of a factory-installed GPS or StreetPilot 2730, I vote for the 2730 because it is capable of receiving XMTraffic broadcasts. On approaching Chicagoland during rush hour, a yellow diamond appeared on-screen to alert me about congestion ~10-miles ahead on an Interstate. It offered to reroute and took me away from congestion on a less-traveled and faster route that was a big timesaver. XMTraffic only works in selected cities and you should check their website.

Easy to use and with a bright, clear screen with plenty of detail. Voice prompts work well through car's FM radio. It also comes with its own speaker that I do not use. Remote control convenient.

System also includes an XMRadio receiver that can play through car's FM radio. That service includes weather and traffic info that is very useful. It also will display prices of stocks.

Installation of the GPS unit is straighforward. Adhesive and beanbag mounts are provided. The beanbag makes it easy to move system to another car. I elected to install a separate lighter socket under dashboard to reduce clutter.

I was initially concerned about placement of the hockey-puck antenna needed for XMTraffic and XMRadio because its cable would be vulnerable to winter ice. Therefore, I experimented by placing the antenna on the dashboard against the windshield and found that it works perfectly. One reason may be that my car has a sunroof that allows radio waves to enter. I recommend use of nail polish remover to erase trademarks so that unit does not attract attention of thieves.

All-in-all, the GARMIN StreetPilot 2730 is a very capable unit that I am pleased to recommend.

GREAT UNIT!! Immediately upon taking this unit out of the box, it was up and running. I had this unit for about 4 hours now and i have not yet read the manual. The reason why i selected this unit is because i did a little research and i was trying to find a unit that would come closest to that of an in-car navigation system that luxury vehicles have. I have a luxury vehicle with no navigation so that's what put me in the market for one. This unit is has it all. If you are just driving, it shows you exactly where you are and the cursor turns as you turn. There are multiple map views to zoom in and out from. The farthest zoom is the the view of the entire U.S.A and the closest zoom is pinpointed to the street that you are on. You can search for and address or pull up a list of attractions, food, lodging, etc. THe unit is touch screen and comes with a remote control. As you are driving, the unit also displays your speed and if you enter in a destination, it will display the appx. time that you will get there. So cool! You have to subscribe to XM Radio (for a fee) to access all of those cool features and i have not done so, so i cannot speak on those features. I have played around with the unit a little and it was dead on regarding the destinations that i have entered. It also shows you the phone # to the establishment that you enter in. You can also check the weather at locations that you enter. Great Unit. I love it and HIGHLY recommend this unit for anyone who is in the market for a GPS...

THe 2730 is my second Garmin unit, and my first to have the XM based real time traffic update rout adjustment feature. I have to say this update feature is nothing short of amazing. On our trip from boston to Tampa, in late June, the device picked up an interstate traffic snarl in the wash DC area, and completely rerouted us using back roads. The 2730 makes a running estimate of time you will arrive at destination, based on distance AND traffic conditions along the planned route. It was exceptionally accurate all along the way and also on previous trips. On the DC reroute, it saved about 3 hours just with the reroute.
br /
br /I also opted for the XM radio function, and this also works very well. I plugged the XM music output into the stereo on my car, and it played XM on the stereo.
br /
br /As a GPS navigation system, it works very well. I found that it calculated the routes much faster than my streetpilot III, literally in seconds. It contains full maps of the US, so I don't have to go reloading maps for different sections of the country. The controls are intuitive (at least complred to the streetpilot III, and the Herts Neverlost, both of which I've used extensively), and the touch screen anphanumeric function is a stroke of genius. This vastly reduces the amount of clicking I have to do to get an address in. In addition, the hand held IR remote does a nice job of remote address entry and function control.
br /
br /The address book is easy to work with. Overall, this is an outstanding unit, but I have 2 complaints:
br /1) the power cable is flimzy, and it dislodges from the unit frequently from the unit while driving. You have to reseat the power cable and reboot the system each time it dislodges. There needs to be a more secure way to hook-up the power and signal cable.
br /2) the system needs an internal rechargeable battery just in case the power cable falls off.
br /
br /Over all this is an outstanding navigation system, I just wish the one in my new BMW (factory installed, in-dash) was half as good. Buy the 2730 and you won''t be disappointed.
br /
br /

I've owned this unit for about three weeks now, and it's changed my driving experience. I received it at my work address, brought it out to my car upon leaving work, and had the GPS up and running to give me directions for the ride home. It was simple. When I got home, I called the number to have the XM radio activated. It was somewhat frustrating talking to a "robot" but I had the XM radio activated in under an hour. It would have taken less time, but I got disconnected and had to start the entire process over again.
The first couple of days I noticed that the screen was completely washed out during daytime hours, but bright and clear during the night. I remedied this by adjusting the screen setting to manual and putting it at 100 percent. Now the screen is bright and clear no matter what the outside lighting is. I like the fact that you can play the XM radio and use your GPS simultaneously. The GPS unit's voice prompts will interrupt the music to give you your driving directions. I ran the tuner through my car stereo and the sound is clear except for the rare occasion when driving through a tunnel or other obstacle. I placed the flat antenna on my dashboard and it works fine. The XM radio allows you to add your favorite artists and the unit will scan for these artists and switch the station over to play their songs when they are on any of the stations. I haven't used the GPS a great deal, but when I have, the voice prompt has given me ample time to negotiate turns. When I tire of listening to XM radio and want to play a CD on my car's CD changer, I just hit the CD button on the car stereo and it switches over to the CD player, leaving the 2730 quiet. You can still see the GPS map and driving directions, but won't hear them. You can also still see the XM radio screen if you have it set to that, and if one of your favorite artists comes on, just switch back to the FM mode on your car stereo to hear your favorite artist.
The only complaint I have about owning this system is that it is too much fun and I need to be careful about keeping my eyes on the road. The unit is somewhat expensive, but if you had to buy both the GPS and XM separately, it would be much more expensive and cumbersome.

I bought my 2730 to replace my 2620 that was stolen less than a month ago. First off, I have to say that I absolutely loved my 2620, and had even named "her" Gwyneth. I had the old unit a year and a half and was looking forward to taking her on a trip to England in a couple of weeks.

This is why I replaced the old unit so quickly. Since the 2620 is no longer available, I decided to get as much as bang for my insurance buck as I could.

And I am impressed with several items: Graphically the 2730 has improved dramatically. The voice recognition software is a nice new touch (though I think "Dr" should be read "Drive" not "Doctor"). I haven't got an XM subscription yet (the traffic function isn't in my market anyway), but I have tried and love both the audio book and mp3 functions. One advantage of being in a smaller market is the availability of signal-free FM frequencies for the FM transmitter. I'm eager to see how well this works in England.

I have to also say that I had some preferences for the menu scheme in my old unit. But I think I am warming up to this new layout - and I have discovered that the remote control can shortcut some of the menu layers conveniently, particularly with respect to swapping map and audio views, and pause and volume control. One of the reviewers above notes that you cannot mark a waypoint. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to do this myself, as the old unit made it very easy to do so. Actually this unit does it just as easily, but not in the "normal" GPS fashion where you have a function usually called "mark (waypoint)." I have to say I think Garmin has designed the 2730 for the non-GPS savvy driving enthusiast, where their older models were really more like their hand-held units. That has its good and bad points.

Still, I love my new 2730. And she has a new name too: Naomi (I use the Australian female voice).

On the positive side the unit works fairly well for navigation in most situations and on occasion has proved to be a big help in routing around traffic jams.
br /On the negative side, the FM transmitter is terrible. There is an audio output if your car has a direct audio input line in. I do not use the XM feature anymore due to the sound quality and less than adequate reception when in the vicinity of trees. The unit has become intermittent on speech and the speak button has never worked properly. Sometimes the routing selects a much longer route when a shorter route is available. I wish there were more options for setup to let you customize the function of the unit better.
br /Danger: Before you buy a Garmin product, send an email to the tech support line. You get an automated note back saying it will take 5-7 DAYS to get a response. That is beyond unacceptable customer service! Calling the 800 number produced repeated busy signals.
br /There are better options available.

Well working product that gives clear directions. Remote removes the need to reach for the unit and take your eyes off the road; remote is most useful for volumn and (re)speak functions. The FM transmit-audio-to-your-radio function doesn't work in most medium or large size cities, so don't count on it. An audio input jack to your car radio is a must if you plan to use it to listen to XM radio. The XM radio controls are easy to use and well integrated. If you're considering the XM version just for the traffic info, go with the FM traffic instead (model 2720), as the XM weather is not very detailed, requires an external XM antennae, and the FM traffic is free for 18 months and about as detailed. The maps are detailed and unit tracks roads well. Voices are clear and give information at the appropriate times. Points Of Interest (POI) functions are OK, but a bit clumsy to load and define. Lots of built-in POIs anyway. Ability to add and remove intermediate stops and roads is medium; not too clumsy, but could be a bit easier, but its a needed feature in any case for anything more than simple routes, especially in large cities with lots of construction. Customer support can be a bit dodgy, but you probably won't need to use it much; I had an example of a custom speed warning that rebooted the unit when it triggered entering the speed zone going South, and after the initial report, I could not get an response on whether it was a software issue or a hardware issue, so I just deleted the entry from my unit.

The 2730 design is perfect for use on my motorcycle. I mount the GPS on my bike using a mounting system from Ram. With the GPS, MP3, and the XM radio it provides a single source for navigation, and music directly to my helmet using only one wire. I upgraded from the 2610, and the screen quality is much better with the 2730. I also like the fact that the streets are mentioned by name. This helps when you have two or more streets really close to each other. I have had one problem with the unit. I screen fogs up when I use it on the bike. I have returned one unit to Amazon, and the second one fogged up also. Great service from Amazon by the way. I contacted Garmin customer service, and they told me that the 2730 is made for use on a motorcycle, and should not fog up. I hope they are right, because this model is perfect for what I use it for. I will be sending this unit back to Garmin for repair.
br /
br /Using the 2730 XM radio in my car, or truck with the sound coming from the vehicles FM radio is poor. The stations loose signal, and the sound quality is not very good. When the XM radio is hooked up with a wire the sound quality is fine. Unfortunately my Ford F-250 does not have a place to plug the 2730 into the factory FM radio.
br /
br /The Mapsource software need to be more user friendly. One thing that we do a lot on motorcycle trips is plan a route at home on the computer then download it into the GPS. This can be challenging with the current software. I wish it was as easy as Microsoft's Streets and Trips.
br /
br /All in all I love the 2730, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if they want to use it on a Motorcycle.

I have tried a cheaper Garmin system (Quest - decent, but lacked features and very small screen), and a Tom Tom Go 500 (nice features, but very poor maps and navigation abilities - I didn't like it at all), and the Hertz Neverlost system (by Magellan) in rental cars (very good navigation system). Of all of these, the Garmin 2730 is by far the best. The maps and navigation are spot on, and the XM traffic feature has saved me hours of commuting time when I'm driving near NYC. The routes it calculates are the same way I would go at least 95% of the time (in areas I know), which is far better than any other system I've tried. I am very pleased with this unit, and highly recommend it.

We purchased the 2730 in the beginning of this year.We have used it to drive from one coast to the other with a few stops.
br /
br /We have extensively used it in these areas while driving Arizona ( Yuma, Phoenix), California ( San Diego) Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Norman, Lawton areas) , IL ( Chicago, Chicago south suburbs), Virginia, North Carolina.
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br /I have several disappointments with it from turning off on us with small bumps on the road to not giving us enough time to make a turn in a busy city. We have missed a lot of turns because it doesn't take into account city driving and the challenge of going to the needed lane. We have to keep it on the external speaker because there is always static on the internal speaker option no matter which channel we select.
br /
br /As for the mapping, well there is a lot to say for it:
br /
br /California: we didn't have any major problems with the mapping just not giving us enough time to take the right turn.
br /
br /Arizona: They need to update their maps faster. Arizona is expending faster then they are keeping up. A lot of the neighborhoods where not on the maps.
br /
br /Oklahoma: About the same as California. We didn't have major problems and recent highway changes where on the map.
br /
br /Chicago: We had a horrible time navigating with it. No matter what setting you chose it took us through the most horrible neighborhoods in Chicago. We where trying to select it to stay only on the main highways and it would always take us through the really bad neighborhoods in Chicago to get to downtown. Not only was it unsafe but only very very very time consuming. Chicago was mapped great but the navigation tool sucked! We tried every way possible since we drove to downtown from suburbs a lot and it always led us through the worst possible way. We where ready to throw it out the window but we where too scared to open it in some of the neighborhoods.
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br /North Carolina: Lets just say it is a joke. Jacksonville and other areas of North Carolina are mapped so bad that unless you mark the location by yourself after you find it; don't bother turning the GPS on. North Carlina neighborhoods, roads, and highways have expended and are expending but even the locations that have been around for a long time are not even close to where the GPS takes you. It is ridiculous. It has not gotten us to the right location even once. I just use for for the XM radio in North Carolina.
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br /Virginia: Just he usual problems of not knowing which streets are one way and under construction.
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br /We have the traffic package and it is useless unless you life in the cities that have it.
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br /Like I said, this is the only GPS that I have bought. If you live in a big city and you are just horrible with directions I would recommend it but it is far from perfect. You will give you a lot of headaches and disappointments but in overall it is better then nothing.
br /I hope this helps. I apologize for my English.

This is a good GPS for cars/motorcycles. GPS menus are easy to use ; however, some changes would be nice:
1. The find function for point of interest only looks in all directions - it would be nice if you could select an option to find places ahead of you on your programmed route (and be able to switch to shortest distance to find place you already passed).
2. For gas stations, it finds only about 60 percent of those that actually exist - seems like only those that paid to be in the program show up. This is a problem when driving a motorcycle in the west where stations are few and far between and you may run out of gas.
3. The MP3 player when direct connected to head sets does not have any way to adjust treble and bass so you cannot match the sound to your headset's capabilities. Needs a graphic equalizer built in.
4. The buttons on the left of the Map screen should be programmable as to which desplays. I wanted miles to destination (not to next turn) and elevation (not speed as I have a vehicle speedometer).
5. Have not tried the XM radio but comment about MP3 probably applies.
6. The unit badly needs a SD card slot to be able to store MP3 files. On a long trip, you cannot change the stored MP3 files unless you brought your laptop. 1 gig SD cards would let you store lots of MP3 files that you could change out easily/daily on the unit (there is just slightly more than 1 gig available for MP3 storage on the current unit).
7. Once you have gone off route, the software should only remind you once or twice to turn back and then just stop the incessant turn here instructions at every possible street until it figures out you want to go another way.

I have had a 2730 for 6 months. I was always having problems with "Lost satellite reception." On a 100 mile trip it would lose reception about 5 times. Very frustrating when you are in heavy traffic near your destination and the unit all of a sudden doesn't know where it is.
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br /I solved the problem by accident. I was programming the unit at the beginning of a trip. It was getting full reception. When I turned the car on, the reception went away. Turns out that my XM radio on a separate power outlet was causing interference. Turn the radio off and reception bars go up. Turn it on and they go down.
br /
br /Anyway, just a little helpful information for those of you ready to throw the unit out the window.

I have used a PPC based GPS system for a few years now. Unfortunately, the software maker left the market earlier this year (Mapopolis) and my current maps were aging, so it was time to move on. I considered switching to another PPC based system such as IGuidance or TomTom, but I was never impressed with those programs to begin with. I was torn between the PPC platform or a dedicated GPS. I have Garmin GPS units for my boat and a handheld Garmin for hunting and have been very satisfied with this brand. In the end, I decided to purchase this 2730.
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br / There were a number of reasons I used to make this decision. The most important were trust in the Garmin brand, a killer price on the 2730 due to its recent discontinuance and its inclusion of the XM antenna right in the box. I paid less than half the cost vs. what the 2820 with an XM antenna would have cost. The 2820 really only adds the Bluetooth functionality which, though nice to have, I do not need. I wear a BT headset paired to my phone all day. I have no need to connect it all to the GPS, as my phone announces who is calling anyway. So, for my circumstances, I could not justify spending an additional $500 in order to get essentially the same GPS with XM, plus an additional BT feature.
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br / I have had the 2730 for a few days now. I use a GPS daily to go to multiple locations for service work. The GPS locks on to the birds quickly and the XM radio and Navtraffic service work very well. I do run the XM "puck" outside on the roof. It stays put for me at all speeds. The directions have been on-the-mark so far.
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br / I didn't really think much about it when I ordered the 2730, but I must admit that I really like the remote control that comes with the unit. I have a very deep dashboard and using the remote is much more convenient for entering addresses or changing the XM station, rather than lean forward and play with it by hand. The Navtraffic seems to work well also. I'd say this one is a keeper.
br /
br /John

I loved all of the extras, but each is not quite as good as it should be. My greatest complaint, is having owned three GPS's, this was the least desirable. The maps are outdated. In my town, Fresno, there are freeways that it says stop when they don't, and it directs you off of freeways and into heavy traffic. I had a another GPS over a year ago that had these freeways on it. I now have the NUVI 350, and it has all of these freeways. If Garmin knows they are there, why not upgrade the 2730? I had the latest update. The 2730 took forever to find a satelite, and I missed the battery power. Each time I turned the engine off, I lost my route. Not great for my typical five hour trips. I do miss the Satelite radio, even if the quality was only so, so. I miss the weather reports, but not the traffic. Even in L.A., and San Diego, the traffic info was not great enough to count on. They did not even have the Central Valley on line. The first time I called Garmin they took several days to get back to me. The next time I got them after being on hold about 30 minutes. E-mail seems useless. I'm not impressed with their support, but still ended up with another Garmin. When you do finally get through, they are quite helpful.

I just purchased a 2730 on 5/15/07. it came with v7 software. I was told that I could update the software to v8 when I register. I went to update and v8 was gone from there site. I called Garmin on 6/25 and was told that they don't have a upgrade to v8 anymore and v9 will come out soon and cost me $75 for the upgrade. there will no longer be free upgrades. I called the dealer that I purchased from and they are checking into it. I my return it. I have to 7/15 to decide. Garmin customer support is going downhill. I have had Garmin units since 2003 but I may not but another the way the company is going. they are made in Taiwan now. It also locks up sometimes when you use the MP3 player.

I am serious.
br /These things are great
br /I love mine.
br /I NEVER EVER get lost and have to ask for directions.
br /I have had some of these GPS devices that ran on Pocket PCs but those where a little buggy...or was that the Pocket PC..
br /This unit was easy.
br /Plug it in
br /Turn it on
br /Where do you want to go?
br /My wife uses it for garage sales and doesn't come home all weekend almost...time for myself.
br /And the POI are great. That's Points Of Interests.
br /I was in Long Island at a client and got the call from the wife for food.
br /I punched in "show me Costco"
br /It showed me 6 of them and how to get to the nearest one.
br /If this thing could kiss I might get rid of the wife.

If you, like me, have been blessed with the ability to get lost virtually anywhere at anytime, then let me suggest you pick up this recently discontinued model. I had it out of the box and hooked up in my truck in minutes, it found the necessary satellites almost instantaneously, and you have to be mentally challenged to a large degree to not be able to successfully use this great little GPS unit. I ordered an XM radio subscription so I can listen to music, talk or whatever anywhere while I'm driving. I now find my drives with my wife to be relatively stress-free,
br /as we have abandoned our disoriented driver/blind navigator arrangement which tended to cause lots of problems. Now the Garmin tells me everything I need to know, and I get to my destination without having my blood pressure go through the roof. Get one quick as they won't be around long. (Or you can pay much more and get the new blue-tooth enabled model. I love this unit!

I purchased this GPS device as a Christmas present for my wife who is a realator and frequently maps several showings for a specified client. She is not usually a person who accepts new technology when offered and tends to place such items on the top shelf of the closet. That was not the case with this particular gift; as usual, she shied away of using it until it was programmed for her and placed on the dash of her vehicle for an afternoons showings.
br /The result, and only drawback, after that afternoon isthat I can't fetch this from the top shelf of the closet and use it at my whim. She drives three different vehicles, and with deft hands moves this device with her.

Street Pilot has been fairly easy to set up and use. The one thing that hasn't worked is the FM transmitting through to the radio. The best sound quality has been through the use of a cassette adapter.

This unit has just about everything in one unit. GPS navigation, traffic ready satellite radio that integrates with the routing. Regular satellite radio and an mp3 player.

Good combination of thurough map coverage and XM radio to boot. Audible of street names is handy and humorous at times given local pronunciations! The first trip with the unit, it took us to the corporate offices for the amusement park we were to visit - the park is not in the database (we ran into a Garmin employee on that trip who submitted a database input/change and prompted me on how to do it in the future).
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br /Every vehicle should get a GPS. I imagine they will in the future.

I was in the middle of a cross country move... My employer was openning a new office in a place I'd never been, and I was "on the ground" for a month and a half helping set up the office. The Garmin made the trip a joy, and insured that I was not going to go to my hotel and watch TV. I not only was able to find the location of anyplace I wanted to go, but the thing was up-to-date on the Points of Interest, helping me find places to eat, shop and hang out. I can't recommend this unit enough!

This gps is being discontinued. Don't let that stop you from buying this lean mean direction telling machine. Garmin is coming out with another gps that has all the functions of the 2730 plus blue tooth capability. They want to spike up the price of the new one but can't if they have the old one available with almost all the same features. If you've heard the voices on other gps they sound like a real people, they also don't tell you the name of the street to turn on. The 2730 tells you the street name that you need to turn on, which I find extremely valuable, buy it's voice sounds kind-of computer generated. Maybe because it is, the computer reads the street name similar to the audio reader on Macintosh computers. The pronunciation is always correct and easy to understand. Many great features on the 2730 including satellite radio and traffic report but I have not had a chance to try them out. LOVE the remote; it keeps eyes on the road not the screen. The beanbag mount is awesome because, you can hide the gps easy when leaving your car. Some reviews said that they had problems with the cable disconnecting; I have had no problems with this issue. The speaker is on the part that plugs into your cigarette outlet, this way you can direct the sound to you (the driver) instead of blasting the passengers. Most reviews of gps with speakers on the screen unit complained of having to turn up the sound all the way in order to hear the directions resulting in passengers with sore ears and not being able to listen to music on their stereo easily. Overall this unit is by far the best in its price range. Many extras worth the money. Remember that they're being discontinued so don't wait too long.

I thought this was very bulky with too many wires. It took very long for the Garmin 2730 to find my location. I returned it and exchanged it for the Nuvi 350.

Great non-permanent GPS alternative. Product was installed in a 350Z, so I had the luxury of mounting the device in the dash compartment, however there are 4 wires connected to the unit, so if you are looking for a dash mount with the XM, the wires will look sloppy. I hard wired the unit, and had a seperate GPS antenna installed, in addition to the XM antenna.

The "wireless FM" option for the audio player is pure garbage, you need to use the line-out and hook it directly into an FM modulator, otherwise the sound quality is poor at best, the little speaker that comes with the 12 volt power adapter is a joke, don't even bother with that.

Overall its a great all in one product for the money!

Unit worgs great the gps updates quickly and is is an ease to use
br /The only problem that i see is the power cord does not lock in securely
br /and by rotating the unit in pulls out easily

I love it! I had it up and running in less than an hour from when I recieved it....XM and all. I do not know how I survived without it. I have NO complaints.....Get one, you will not be sorry.

It is important to notice that some GPS will tell you the name of the street while others will just tell you "turn next right". This one tells you the names. And plays MP3 music, and you can connect the sound of the GPS to come out through the speakers. And my wife loves it.
br /I think that does it.

This unit delivers you where you need to go with XM tunes! I also get good use out of the XM NavTraffic option... it's helped me avoid many hours sitting in traffic snarls. The ability to update the maps and download books online is really useful. Highly recommended.

Great system. I bought it just before Christmas and paid less then $600.00 for it. The 2720 was going for 700 plus. Great graphics and the voice sound is good. Very easy to use. I couldn't be happier...

After a friend showed us their Garmin 2730 we decided to get one of our own. I ordered it on Wednesday and had it by the next Monday. Within 5 minutes I had it up and running finding my way to work. I did quite a bit of online comparison shopping before I bought. Between Amazon's quick delivery and price this online purchase was a great delight. We are going to use it for the first trip within the next two weeks.

This unit works great, so good I bought a second one for a gift. xm works well too. Would'nt travel without it.

I purchase this GPS and spent about four weeks telling everyone how terrific it is. It has a satelite radio so I immediately subscribed.
br /Then, suddenly, the power cord stopped working. So I have been waiting 3 weeks for Garmin to replace the "defective" power cord. Apparently this is a constant problem with this unit. There is no battery back up, so the unit is now useless. And I still am paying for the satelite radio subscription. If you buy this unit buy several extra power cords...if they ever get them back in stock. I have already ordered two...

GPS is awesome Power cord sucks...i am on my third power cord and they are $45 bucks each. the other pain is that the speaker is in the power cord so if you want to plus it in your center storage area you can hear it. other then that it is pretty nice!!!

Overall, it is great. I use the friction mount on a Toyota Sienna 2005 and the unit does not move at all. Most of the street names are clearly pronounced. The screen is really good both day and night. The signal is better than the C320 version that I tried (though they both have the same chip). However, there are a couple of things that I should mention:
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br /1. The USB 2 Full speed is too slow. It takes forever to load 1GB of mp3's.
br /2. Wrong guidance: When heading EAST on CA152, the unit tells us to keep RIGHT then turn LEFT at the CA152/CA156 intersection. In reality, we need to keep LEFT to continue on CA152. This bug should definitely be fixed by GARMIN. This is why I gave 4 stars.

If you buy this like I did, plan on the expense of map downloading and replacing the power source in about one year.

I am very please with the product. The only problem I have had, is that the cord broke where it secures into the back of the garmin. Thankfully, I could purchase another one.

This GPS product is easy to set up, simple to use, with an easy to read screen. And I like the weighted base very much. I can move it out of the way when I don't need to see the screen and it stays where I put it. I use the cassette method to have the sound come out of my car speakers since the speaker on the car adaptor is not good for music. I am very pleased with this product.

The unit was great and has preformed well. The only problem I have is that it is now obsolite.
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I have had the unit for a month now and I am very happy with my purchase. GPS navigation along with XM radio instantly. Always being on the road, renting cars at the airport, unbelievable how useful the 2730 is.
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br /Garmin keeps the unit up to date through their website with downloads. It came with City Navigator 7 installed. Version 8 is available for free after you register. Takes about a month to get it.
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br /And the price? Less than $500.00 bucks! My friend paid around $1200.00 just last year.

Item arrived in a timely manner and was as described. XM Radio works best when tuned to upper frequency on car radio. Instructions for updating maps was a little vague and confusing.

I reschearched numerous GPS systems and this is without a doubt the best unit for the money. It requires no additional updates or software and the quality and ease of use is top notch. XM radio is a real neat feature.
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Has all the premium features. I can't figure out how to use for geocaching. Could just be me (kinda dense), but other than that, is accurate and priceless in taking the worry out of "how to get there". 7/4/08 found GPS coordinate feature for geochaching. Was right in front of my eyes. Duhhh!

I purchased this product about two years ago and need another one for a new car. This is an excellent product and I'm sorry Garmin has decided not to manufacture any more. the replacement Garmin is now making costs $1000 more.

Bought this as a backup for my other 2730. The price was right so I got it. My old GPS has been a good one. I'd recommend it although it has been discontinued by Garmin

Ordered this GPS, continued reading reviews, returned it unopened due to reports that the power cable came unplugged easily. Since there is no onboard battery, destination satelite signal would need to be re-entered each time. Ordered the Nuvi 350 love it!

Here are a few things that may not be immediately noticeable until one actually buys the device: 1) the device does not have internal battery, i.e. it needs to be continuously plugged in; 2) the voice comes not from the device but from a little speaker located on the electrical plug, i.e. the sound comes from where your cigarette lighter is; 3) the device is heavy; 4) unless you're lucky and can install it really close to your face (as in the case of windshield-based devices), you'll have a real problem seeing the map; 5) the XM radio antenna is external and you will have to put this rather heavy dongle on your dashboard.
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br /Except for the possibility of having real-time traffic reports (which I have not tested), Nuvi 350 is a better choice.

This is my first GPS and so far it's worth the money. My wife and I travel quite often so it has come handy. I like that you can find near by restaurant, hotels, ect.

As far as city driving, it sucks. I travel for a living and every time I reach NYC, Philly or any big city, I get no GPS. All of them do that. Reminds me of cell phones when they first came out. The power cord on the back also snaps out at times. Its a pain in the a**. Also if you move it from car to car, sometimes it won't work right away. I had to plug it in to the lighter several times to get it to work on this last trip. Otherwise it is a good product. I suggest taking a map with you anyway for city driving. The XM is ok. Cds are louder, the sound is muffled and sometimes you have to switch radio stations to get decent sound.

Good product recieved very quickly......Short return time of only 7 days....Would have liked a little more time to see if it worked right......

This was purchased as a graduation gift for my son. There couldn't have been a better gift. It combines GPS and XM, both of which will make his daily commute to college more pleasant. User friendly. Clear speaking voice in system, so no need to look away from the road.

Great to have 2 cool gadgets in one item. I run the XM directly into my 300 Watt amp under the seat of my 57 Bel Air, with an add-on 150 amp subwoofer. Cool music and I didn't have to mess with my dashboard on the classic car.

I purchased this GPS specifically for the traffic feature. I travel daily between Long Island and Connecticut and the traffic service is terrible. I sit in traffic and the GPS never picked it up; I cruise along and the GPS tells me there is traffic. This feature needs a major improvement.

I've used the Garmin GPS III handheld unit for years and one of the map features I always appreciated was that Interstate rest stops were on every map. Everything works great with the 2730 Street Pilot and the XM radio feature is fine but do I really need to know there are 6 grass strip airports within a 5 mile radius? Are the rest stops somewhere in the POI's that I have missed?

This is the best GPS I have ever owned. The only drawback I can find is the maps are not up to date and I have downloaded all the updates. Garmin needs to update their maps otherwise this thing is GREAT.

I bought the Street Pilot 2730 for it's ability to function as a GPS, satellite radio and MP3 player. I will have to say that the 3-D graphics are great and it seems for the most part to have up to date information on the routes, but after adding a half MB of MP3s, the system totally shut down and nothing would work until I removed them. The XM radio will not work through the FM link in any city of consequence due to interference with existing stations and the tinny speaker on the power supply is of the worst quality immaginable. The navigation system often has sent me off on unnecessary detours due to aberrent verbal miscues. When the system is first turned on there is a warning notice about keying in commands while in motion. One should heed this warning as navigation through the system takes numerous jabs at the key pad just to do basic tasks such as changing the radio station and at times, one must hit the keypad up to five times before anything happens. The mounting system after two weeks is already separating from the dash and I am anticipating having to remove the existing system with a hack saw and replace it with suction cups which they should have used in the first place. The antenna for the XM radio should have been incorporated in the unit itself instead of at the end of an extension cord and set on the dash only to slide around and distract the driver. The support for this product is worse than non-existent. I finally got through to support on my fifth call after waiting on hold for 35 minutes and the goofball who took my call couldn't answer any of the three rather basic questions that I had about the product. He did not even take any of my contact information so that they could send me a survey so that the company could find out how substandard their support is. I sent an e-mail to customer support two weeks ago and have yet to get a response. One could say that anything that trys to do everything doesn't do anything well, but for over $1000, this should do everything it claims to do very well. I think that the concept is great, but it has a long way to go before it gets my vote...it just isn't ready for prime time yet.

I enjoy the product and was very impressed by the speed in which it was delivered.
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br /Clarence Quast

good GPS. You never lose your way with this.
However,
Map data is so old (more than 3 years old?)
that you can not find it such as the closest WAL-MART.

It is very hard to activate the XM-traffic service.
I tried to call XM-radio customer service, but gave it up because had to wait for long time.

I had the origional Color StreetPilot since '98 and finally upgraded - this is an incredible gadget - the UI is clean and fast. The XM stuff is super cool. I have also been using ALK CoPilot Laptop and have had nothing but problems through multiple verisions of their software. Much prefer the 2730 over CoPilot.