In car navigation

Garmin Nuvi range with T4A added software will have all the SD tracks, it wont give voice guidance in the SD but has the moving maps

Simpson Desert Map

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Just to expand on Doug's comments a little, only the navigation software for metropolitan areas use voice navigation in conjunction with visual navigation. Applications such as TomTom, CoPilot, etc. use this.

Countrywide navigation uses applications such as OziExplorer, TrackRanger, or as Doug has stated, Garmin with T4A maps, (or shonky maps) and while these have moving map capability displaying your current location as you drive, they don't have voice guidance.

let's face it, voice guidance is hardly necessary "out the back" where "multiple choice" is not an issue.

So, in short, whatever hardware & software solution you choose, it will need two applications. One for city navigation and one for Country navigation. This will require a memory card with two sets of mapping software installed.

Andrew,

Most of the units such as TomTom will be fine for the metropolitan and some country areas of Australia, but as the maps concentrate on the more highly detailed areas, they don't provide coverage to the more remote areas.

Now, the problem with most of these units is that they use a "proprietary" application to operate and adding something like OziExplorer or other such programs that run on the Windows Mobile operating system becomes impossible.

Because a PDA or LapTop do run Windows, there is a version of OziExplorer and TomTom, etc., that will run on them, BUT....in all honesty, a PDA type solution is not for everyone. Sometimes a bit of fiddling and knowledge of bloody things computerised becomes necessary, especially in establishing connection to a GPS mouse, dongle, or the like. Have I lost you yet:-)

Now, I'm not overly familiar with the Garmin product, but Doug can espouse on the wonders of this device and it may be what you need as everything is sort of "built-in", even though it's of a proprietary nature, (i.e. it won't run on anything else) and with the addition of Tracks for Australia, or Shonky Maps, you get Australia wide coverage, allbeit without voice guidance.

Andrew
I faced the same problems as you in deciding what to buy. There is an overload of information out there. I took Doug T's advice and bought a Garmin Nuvi 660. Best thing I have bought for ages and couldn't be happier. Have just come back from South WA and found the Nuvi 660 was excellent. Spent some days in Albany and Bunbury and found it impossible to get lost. It's a great help when driving through a strange town to know where all the turns are. Had coverage 100% of the time, even going from Hyden to Norseman direct. Every street and back road I travelled was covered by the Nuvi 660. Although I have the T4A SD card, I didn't use it as the software that comes with the Garmin Nuvi 660 was more that adequate.
Regards.
Ian

Andrew
It's really a personal thing. You won't go wrong by buying a Garmin Nuvi 660. I have found the existing Software that comes with the unit is more than adequate for travelling around highways, secondary roads and a lot of minor roads in most of Australia. Incidentally it has the street names of all small towns I've been through. Should you at some time decide to go across the Simpson, CSR etc. then the T4A is well worth having. My suggestion would be to buy the 660 first, learn how to use it's features and look at the T4A software at a later date if needed. Voice prompts will not work with the T4A on the Nuvi 660.
This is only a personal opinion, but hope it may be of some help to you.
With regards.
Ian

Just been going a Google search on in car navigation.
Garmin NUVI660 seems to be around $900. Tom Tom One XL around $600 and Tom Tom One New Edition around $500.

You probably get what you pay for, but the reviews on the Tom Tom's all seem pretty good.

One review on the NUVI660 was as follows:

My issue is with the navigation not the unit. The 660 is a brilliant unit, so easy and quick to use.

BUT

I sold my Gamin Street Pilot because I was having navigation issues and was told the new software upgrades I was buying were probably the issue.

So I buy a new Garmin 660. What a mistake. It would tell me to turn left from one street into another. Trouble was, the street was a bridge going over the road, not an intersection.

There were many more navigation blunders but GME say they get the maps from Sensis.

I am going to borrow a Navman and run them side by side and if the Navman does not make the same mistakes, then I will be taking the Garmin back for a refund.

But if they can get over this issue, it's an absolute brilliant unit.

Anyone had this sort of experience with the 660? or with any other unit?

Andrew, check out this site for reviews by the 'experts'. Comments from real life users are in some ways more valuable, but masses of information available here on heaps of diferent units.
GPS Magazine Reviews