The Navman iCN 630 is one of those things you'll want to use even when you don't need to. This handy GPS device was created to make any driving trip smooth, whether it's across town or coast to coast.

The iCN 630 (in Car Navigation) is ready to use out of the box. It has a power cable for plugging into a vehicle's cigarette lighter. And an AC adapter for use when programming indoors. The unit comes with an adjustable suction cup bracket for mounting on the windshield or dash. The attached antenna will work fine in most cases but if you have trouble getting GPS signal reception, there's an optional external antenna. And once you load the maps you want from the included CD, you're set to go.

If the internal 64 MB memory of the Navman iCN 630 isn't enough to store your maps, there's an expansion slot for removable memory cards. Either a Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia Card (MMC) can be used for up to 256 MB of additional memory. The cards can be loaded with data either plugged into the unit or with a memory card writer connected to your computer.

To load map data into the iCN 630 or a memory card, you first install the smartMAP application on your computer. Next, it's installed on the iCN 630 using the included USB interface cable. Once the application is installed, you're free to load data from the map CD supplied.

The map data included with the U.S. version of the Navman iCN 630 has complete coverage of all 50 states and Canada. Features of the software include autorouting, voice prompts before the turns, 3-D view of the road ahead, areas to be avoided, and automatic rerouting after getting off track. You can zoom in or out for more or less map detail. And route selection can be by the fastest way possible, or by the shortest distance.

There are three main ways to plan a route on the iCN 630:

1. Use a previous route you've saved.
2. Create a new route by entering a street address, street intersection, or one of the points of interest from the included data.
3. Indicate a location on the map.

Your route progress is shown in four ways with the Navman iCN 630. There are two map screens and two instruction screens. The Map Browser screen shows your highlighted route with the map always oriented North, while the Navigation Map screen is oriented in the direction you're headed. And with either map, you can display optional information such as your current speed, heading, or distance to your next turn. The Next Instruction view has a graphical display with the distance and direction to your next turn. The Next 4 Instructions display has a list of the next 4 turns, including street names, turn direction, and distance. Whatever the current screen viewed, all turns have a voice indicating the action.