$309 from Amazon w/free shipping and no tax for most folks which would be better price than Costco's after sales tax. However, Costco does have the most liberal return policy so I'd say they're both fairly competitive deals.

how good is this compared to Garmin or TomTom? does this play mp3 and avi/mp4/divx?

this navi is a piece of crap. go with garmin instead.

I have Navigon and TomTom, I've used Garmin a few times.
What I love in Navigon is that it pronounces freeways and streets names. No more "In 53 yards turn right" nonsense. Freeway lane guidance can be useful too. Lifetime traffic cards are available around 20-25$ in Ebay. POI database is not as extensive as in TomTom and Garmin. Maps look better, in my opinion, then in TomTom and much better then in Garmin. Navigon has very few language options, no European maps. In conclusion, Navigon does it's main job very well and has a few unique features, definitely consider it.

Garmin Nuvi 360 is $241 at Amazon. Has TTS and Bluetooth. Why would anyone in clear mind spend $300 for a Navigon?


http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-3-5-Inch-Bluetooth-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000EXS1BS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1207703147&sr=8-1

Hmmm, let's see, the Navigon is top of the model line, has bluetooth and text-to-speech, has a larger screen, comes with an SD card, lifetime traffic is included and Costco price includes the shipping, and the maps look better. How is the Garmin 360 better? I own Garmin and Magellan, so I am curious about the bluetooth functionality of Navigon vs Magellan. My Garmin 250w doesn't do bluetooth or text-to-speech and cost the same as this Navigon.

I think mya is a little ignorant about brands on this one. Garmins do have easier interfaces I think. But if you don't have fat fingers or you have a stylus then I think that any Navigon is better for the price. Free lifetime traffic makes it worth the price, not to mention all their models are capable of the Text to speech, can't say that for all of the garmins around this price range. They are both still a good value and more user friendly than any Tom Tom but I do think after seeing the return rate of the navigons vs. the garmins at Staples that users are leaning more towards the navigons.

I forgot to mention Navigons have a function no other GPS i know off of the top of my head. The reality view of complex exits. It goes down to street level for most major highways so you can see what an exit looks like at ground level and plan on which way you should go. For example in RI and some otehr states exits split off 2 or 3 ways suddenly and that can be dangerous and get you very lost easily. This helps a lot.

I happened to order this exact unit from costco last week. It just arrived today, and i took a test drive with this unit.
In summary, it was a BIG disappointment.
First of all, the buttons are so small that they provide you a stylus with this unit. Practically you don't have the luxury to pull out the stylus and press those tiny buttons if you are on the street.
Secondly, the operation of this unit is not intuitive at all. It has so many extra steps to accomplish a simple task like finding a POI.
Last but not least, this unit routes really weird. It prompted me with very weird path while there is a dead straight path. I tried to tweak if there is any setting that's causing this symptom, but trust me, it doesn't have that much routing option settings either. I never had that kind of routing with my Garmin Nuvi.

Tonight, I very much realized how Nuvi is superior to Navigon.
I am going to give it one more try on my commute to work tomorrow. If it fails again, i am going to go get a refund.

Navigon's navigation algorithm not that great for the USA. If you like Navigon design and function, please wait for the 8100 with revised navi algorithm.

The Garmin Nuvi 660 is $310 at Amazon - free shipping. Amazing features and 805 customer reviews averaging 4.5/5