Review on Cobra GPSM 2750 5 2 Inch Navigator by Joseph Lang

I started looking into GPS devices because as a single woman I wanted to feel safer in unfamiliar places. Yes, I can read a map, but nothing screams "vulnerable" quite like examining a map at a store in a less than stellar area. This device is technologically superior in terms of satellite detection, signal strength and ease of use. Any mistakes made by the map software are independent of these features and I am sure that none of the maps loaded on any brand of devices are perfect. That's just the nature of mapping software. The beauty of the system, however, is that it recalculates your route if it makes a mistake as soon as you "miss" a turn, so it doesn't really matter. It took less than a minute to turn on the power and receive a signal (on the "test day it was partly sunny"). My friends have a Garmin (they used it for about $225) and they said it takes them about 10 minutes to get a signal every time it loses it (turning on the power, going through a tunnel etc.). Speaking of tunnels, Cobra claims this device has technology that overcomes temporary loss of signal so it doesn't ruin your ride, but I haven't tried it yet. "Each category (Gas, Grocery, Winery, Golf, etc.) is preloaded and Cobra is EASY and intuitive to use. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to enter addresses in the address book, but I got it without looking inside. As for map updates, I don't think Cobra is very open in their product description regarding the update process. If you find you need to send it back to Cobra for a $100 upgrade let me know. :) That being said, I've been using the same old-fashioned paper cartographer for several years without too many problems, so I don't expect to have to update this software too often. (When the Boston big dig is long enough for the maps to include all the changes, I might come back for an update.) To be safe, I take it off the windshield and cover it when I get out of the car, since that doesn't mean I can get in my car wants to be broken into. This is very easy to use. I only paid $450 at QVC for this $650 device (today's special value) and I think the regular price is $580 so don't pay more!