Portable In-Car GPS

The one problem with most in-car, removable GPS systems is size: Typically mounted on your windshield, they can obstruct your view. Navman's PDA-size ICN 510 minimizes that problem.

The ICN 510 has an internal battery and is thin enough to slip in a pocket, making it one of the few navigation systems that work equally well whether you're in the car or on foot.

I took the ICN 510 with me on a trip from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park and was generally pleased with the unit's navigation capabilities. It has a 3.5-inch color touch screen, and the digital maps are bright and easy to read.

The ICN 510 comes with CDs containing maps of the United States and Canada; you download the maps you need onto an SD Card (not included). The use of flash media keeps the unit's price low, but it may also be the reason why address and point-of-interest lookups are slower than with drive-based models.

I found the menus confusing at first. For example, it took a while to find Yosemite in the database of places; plus, selecting Favorites drops you into the Shortcuts list first. But despite those quirks, this device grew on me once I got used to it.