Lowrance iWAY 600C review

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For current recommendations, please refer to our auto GPS buyers guide.

The Lowrance iWAY 600C is the new top of the line automotive and marine GPS navigator from Lowrance that, in addition to displaying maps, has aerial imagery of hundreds of U.S. and Canadian cities.

The iWAY 600C has a large 5" touch-screen, pre-loaded maps of the continental U.S. and Canada, plus electronic charts with depth contours for U.S. inland lakes, the Great lakes and coastal waters. It also has an MP3 player, built-in FM transmitter and 5.5 million points of interest (POIs).

25 GB of its 30GB hard drive is dedicated to maps and aerial photos. The remaining 5 GB is available to store MP3s.

Compare prices on the Lowrance iWAY 600C

• PCMag.com gives the unit a 3.5 out of 5 star rating in their Lowrance iWAY 600C review.
• Consumer posted Lowrance iWAY 600C reviews are beginning to show up at Amazon.
• GpsPasSion has started a user-written Lowrance iWAY 600C review thread.
• AssociatedContent gives a 91 out of 100 score in their Lowrance iWAY 600C review.

I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…

More Lowrance iWAY 600C resources

• A PDF version of the Lowrance iWAY 600C owners manual.
• Lowrance iWAY 600C screen shots.
• There is an iWAY message forum at GpsPasSion and a Lowrance forum at GPSInformation.org.

Compare prices on the Lowrance iWAY 600C at these merchants

• Check the current Lowrance iWAY 600C price at Amazon. NOTE: When I posted this review, Amazon actually had two separate product pages for this unit. The one linked to in the image ad below and to the left was significantly cheaper.
• Buy the
  Lowrance iWAY 600C Combo Automotive & Marine GPS System
  at TigerGPS.
• Get the Lowrance iWAY 600C for an amazing price on eBay.

From the official Lowrance iWAY 600C web page:

Taking a whole new direction in utility and value, the iWAY™ 600C is the first to offer both precision street-ready and marine-ready navigation… including a wealth of road mapping, plus charting for inland and coastal waters with depth contours. Also displays detailed satellite imagery of cities with streets overlay. All in one complete waterproof package at an affordable price.

Display

16-bit color TFT touch-screen display

640H x 480V pixel resolution

5" (12.7 cm) diagonal display size

Super-bright, cold-cathode backlit screen

Sleek, blue LED backlit keypad

Superb readability even in bright sunlight

Navigation

• Built-in, precision 12-parallel channel GPS+WAAS receiver
• Simplified operation with 5 primary keys
• Maps can be updated through the internal USB port with a PC Windows® XP, ME, 2000, or Macintosh OS X

Street Mode

• Three selectable mapping displays: 2-D Track Up, 2-D North Up, and Elevated 3-D
• Built-in, detailed and highly accurate NAVTEQ® turn-by-turn database for the continental U.S. and Canada
• Turn-by-turn audio and visual cues, including auto-zooming and automatic recalculation of directions after a missed turn
• Street address searching, plus auto-routing choices to choose or avoid Toll Roads and Interstates, and avoid Left-Hand Turns
• Mega-memory storage for up to 1,000 addresses
• Safety Passenger Mode allows a passenger to use the GPS features while the car is in motion

Marine Mode

• MapCreate™ shoreline detail with over 3,000 Enhanced U.S. Lake Maps with depth contours for inland waters.
• High Detail NauticPath™ charts for the Great Lakes and Costal U.S. waters with depth contours, navaids, port servies, tide/current data , and more.
• 100 savable and retraceable plot trails in a choice of colors.
• Special marine graphic icons to mark favorite spots on the water.

Media Player

• Full-featured stereo MP3 audio player
• Full Spectrum FM modulator wirelessly streams music through an open FM radio channel
• Full-featured picture viewer displays JPEG photos stored on the internal hard drive

Specs

• 30GB internal hard drive, with 25GB of storage dedicated to high-detail mapping and satellite imagery (10GB dedicated to mapping detail for Western Europe models)
• 5GB of storage reserved for MP3 audio files (20GB for Western Europe models)
• 6.1"W x 4.5"H x 2.15"D (15.5cm x 11.55 cm x 5.45 cm)
• Completely sealed to prevent internal corrosion
• Full one-year warranty

Accessories Included

• Speaker/cigarette power adapter with volume control and 1/8" stereo jack
• Suction-cup mounting bracket for windshield applications*
• USB to PC interface cable for transferring data files (MP3, JPEG, etc.)
• 110VAC to 12VDC power converter for in-home use (while transferring data files, etc.)
• iWAY™ 600C protective cover

*NOTICE TO DRIVERS IN CALIFORNIA AND MINNESOTA: State law prohibits drivers in California and Minnesota from using suction mounts on their windshields while operating motor vehicles. Other Lowrance dashboard or friction mounting options should be used. Lowrance does not take any responsibility for any fines, penalties, or damages that may be incurred as a result of disregarding this notice. (See California Vehicle Code Section 26708(a); Minnesota Statutes 2005, Section 169.71)

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