Got it!

Well, it's official: I'm the proud owner of a Garmin Colorado 400t. This thing rocks! Talk about head and shoulders above the competition...My old GPS isn't nearly as accurate as this, and doesn't have a tenth of the features. Here's the short list:

-High-sensitivity receiver that keeps an accurate lock on satellite signals, even in dense canopy, deep ravines, and even in my house! This thing doesn't lose a signal when outdoors.

-High-resolution color screen that makes it easy to discern terrain features, routes, points of interest, and, most importantly, Geocaches!

-Roller wheel controller that also toggles like the four way button on the old 60 series units (see my old post on that one). This control makes it a breeze to operate this thing one-handed, and I can scroll through mucho stuff in a hurry.

-"Paperless caching." I can download a "pocket query" of Geocaches in my area (up to 500 at a time), and load the resulting file directly to the Colorado. It will then display the caches on the map, as well as the complete description, size, difficulty, trackables (full inventory), and the last five logs. It will even show the decrypted hint if I choose to click on that. No more printing out the cache descriptions to take with me.

-Built in topographic map of North America. I think the built in map is of US and Canada, with parts of Mexico, but I'm not entirely sure. It won't do me much good here in Okinawa, but I already have the Japan maps (to include auto routing).

-Great autorouting capability. It gives me turn by turn directions to my destination as I drive. I can create custom "shortcuts" for the scroll wheel, so I can switch from autorouting mode to Geocaching mode quickly.

-Dedicated Geocaching mode. This thing is made for cachers! Well; we're included in the target audience anyway. I can even fully customize the attributes of the Geocaching mode, or create a whole new profile for a different "mode" of my choosing. On-road, off-road, show trails, show roads, whatever tickles my fancy.

-Audible alerts. This sucker beeps at me when things happen...Getting close to the cache? It will let me know when I'm within 500 feet. Turn coming up? It lets me know. Car overheating? Well; it won't do that, but you get the idea.

I've been using this sucker for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it! I've read a couple of reviews about it that were not favorable, but that was prior to the firmware being updated. I've not had a single problem with the operation of this unit. In fact, my old 60 model had more hiccups than this bad boy has had. It has proven to be accurate, reliable, and fun to use. This sucker is definitely a keeper!

I think I'm done for Christmas and birthday gifts for the next decade or so. HUGE thanks go out to my wife...Yes; she puts up with my antics.