The first test of a GPS product is how much work you have to do to get started. Since the c330 comes fully loaded with all the US maps you'll need, it passed with flying colors. The next question is, how quickly it will pick up satellite signals? That is, how soon until it can tell you where you are. I pulled it out of my bag at the airport, clipped it into its suction cup case which I stuck to the windshield. Less than a minute after I plugged it into the lighter jack, it was able to tell me I was driving south from Tampa on I-275, at a speed of 77 miles an hour.

Up until now, my favorite portable navigator has been the Magellan RoadMate 700. I wasn't as happy with Garmin's older StreetPilot 2610, because it bogged users down with unnecessary options and had a more complicated screen interface. The c330 is much better. A cleaned-up user interface offers fewer options and clearer data. It's less gadgety, meaning more people will be able to use it without getting frustrated.

The c330 is smaller and chunkier than its predecessors, with an antenna hidden inside its case. The suction cup mount really sucks—in a good way—and lets you easily position the screen any which way you like. An internal lithium-ion battery means you can take the c330 into the house and browse points-of-interest (grocery stores, gas stations, etc.) and type in addresses. Thanks to the battery, you can also navigate outside of the car, though the size of the device, not to mention the street-specific maps, limits the number of extra-vehicular applications.

In a departure from earlier designs, the c330 has no physical buttons, just a touchscreen. Though that sort of interface is a major improvement, the screen itself could be better. At night, with the help of a light sensor, it dims nicely and is highly visible. But during the day, even with brightness jacked up all the way, glare from the sun makes it nearly impossible to make out the display. Since the best systems combine audible instructions with visual details, too much glare at the wrong time might send you down the wrong road.

It's a shame about the screen. I never had a problem with that on the Magellan or earlier StreetPilots. The c330's ease of use and compact size—not to mention its sub-$1,000 suggested retail price—make it a great gift idea for the "dads and grads" season. But this hard-to-read screen seems to be one glaring oversight.