6/26/2011

North Island vs South Island, New Zealand


North Island vs South Island, New Zealand

Travelled By Brucini
...Find out more!

Top tour recommended by World Travel: 5-Day New Zealand North and South Island Highlights Trip - with Special Offer!

Lonely Planet have announced they are releasing their first guidebook that only features the South Island of New Zealand. Perhaps it has been a long time coming.


The iconic Sky Tower in Auckland

Travellers often only have time for one Island when visiting New Zealand. They have either left themselves too little time or just run out of time because they are having too good a time on one or the other island.

There are also more cheap flights than ever flying directly into Christchurch and Queenstown from Australia because of the increased airline competition. This allows people to do short breaks to the South Island where as they once would choose the cheaper flights to Auckland.

When you meet people who are going to New Zealand and you tell them that you’ve been there, the first question most people ask is: what’s better, the North or South Island?

The easy answer is they are like apples and oranges. The better answer is give yourself enough time to see both. Another way to look at it is to consider what interests you more. Here are some reasons parochial North and South Island residents might explain why they live where they do.

5 reasons why the North Island is the best:
The beaches and surf are better and the water is warmer
There’s more Maori culture to experience
There are more hot pools and geothermal activity to see here
Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour Bridge - Experience two of the largest man made structures in NZ
The Bay of Islands…thats reason in itself to visit the North Island


5 reasons why the South Island is the best:
The North Island only has 4 serious mountains. The South Island has the Southern Alps which stretches for the length of the Island.
There are less people living here, which means more open spaces all to yourself.

Tramping in the South Island
The most scenic ski fields, and the most diverse club fields are in the south.
Queenstown - the adventure capital of the world.
The share diversity of nature, displayed in all its glory from the Sounds at the tip of the South Island to the Fiords at the bottom of the South Island.

Rent a car in New Zealand






Information from travelgeneration.com

6/25/2011

10 อันดับ สถานที่คนค้นหาใน Google Earth มากที่สุด

ท่องเที่ยวทั่วโลกด้วย World Travel...ค้นหากิจกรรม ทัวร์ การนำเที่ยวโดย Skip the Line ทั่ว ยุโรป อเมริกา ออสเตรเลีย

อันดับ 10 สถานที่ทดลองจรวด (Missile Test) ตั้งอยู่กลางหุบเขาในรัฐยูทาห์ ซึ่งหลายๆคนอาจโต้แย้งว่าไม่ใช่สถานที่ปล่อยจรวด เพราะภาพที่จับได้มีลักษณะคล้ายเครื่องบินมากกว่า



อันดับ 9 สุสานเครื่องบินในแอริโซน่า (Airplane Graveyard) ใช้จอดเครื่องบินปลดประจำการของสหรัฐฯกว่า 4,000 ลำ ซึ่งเป็นที่ที่ได้รับความนิยมมากจากนักท่องเที่ยว



อันดับ 8 ทะเลสาบสีเลือดในอิรัก (Iraq’s BloodyLake) โดยเมื่อมองจากมุมสูงจะเห็นได้ชัดว่าทะเลสาบทั้งสายเป็นสีแดงจัด ซึ่งคาดว่าน่าจะมาจากการทิ้งสิ่งปฏิกูลลงไปนั่นเอง



อันดับ 7 ดินรูปหน้าคนขนาดใหญ่ (A Face in the Clay) ที่ความจริงแล้วเป็นหุบเขาในประเทศแคนาดาที่เมื่อมองจากอากาศจะมีลักษณะคล้ายใบหน้าคนขนาดใหญ่



อันดับ 6 ซากเรือจมบริเวณชายฝั่งซูดาน (Lost and Found at Sea) โดยซากเรือดังกล่าวเคยเป็นเรือโดยสารขนาดใหญ่ และเป็นเพียงลำเดียวในโลกที่สามารถมองได้จากกูเกิลเอิร์ธ



อันดับ 5 ตึกรูปสวัสดิกะ (Secret Swastika) เป็นหมู่ตึกในเมืองซานดิเอโก้ ที่เมื่อมองจากมุมสูงจะเห็นเป็นเครื่องหมาย ‘สวัสดิกะ’ สัญลักษณ์ของนาซี



อันดับ 4 ทุ่งข้าวโพดของโอปราส์ วินฟรีย์ (Oprash Maze) ในปี 2004 ชาวเมืองแอริโซน่า ได้เปลี่ยนทุ่งข้าวโพดให้เป็นรูปใบหน้าของโอปราส์ เพื่อมอบให้เป็นของขวัญแก่พิธีกรชื่อดังคนนี้



อันดับ 3 สถานที่จอดยานยูเอฟโอ (UFO Landing Pads) ซึ่งความจริงแล้วคือบริเวณกองทัพสหรัฐฯและอังกฤษ โดยที่ฐานทัพอังกฤษจะเป็นที่นอร์วิช ซึ่งกระทรวงความมั่นคงของอังกฤษเรียกลานแห่งนี้ว่า ‘สถานที่ฝึกซ้อมมอเตอร์ไซค์’




อันดับ 2 ทุ่งข้าวโพดที่เมืองโอเรกอน (Firefox Crop Circle) เป็นทุ่งข้าวโพดที่ในปี 2006 มหาวิทยาลัยโอเรกอนได้เปลี่ยนให้ทุ่งขนาด 45,000 ตารางฟุตให้เป็นโลโก้ของโมซิลลา ไฟร์ฟ็อกซ์ เพื่อเฉลิมฉลองยอดดาวน์โหลดโปรแกรมครบ 50 ล้านครั้ง



อันดับ 1 แอตแลนติส (Atlantis) นครสาบสูญที่ตั้งอยู่บริเวณชายฝั่งของทวีปอัฟริกา

6/24/2011

Nan, Thailand ชวนเที่ยวเมืองน่าน


ต้๋วเครื่องบินเชียงใหม่-น่าน น่าน-เชียงใหม่ Air Tickets, Chiangmai-Nan Nan-Chiangmai
อังคาร พฤหัสบดี เสาร์ อาทิตย์ Every Tuesday Thursday Saturday Sunday
Call center: 081 498 0613, 081 617 2116




ขวัญเรือน ฉบับที่ 912 ปักษ์หลังเดือนพฤศจิกายน

เล่มนี้มีดีที่ ชวนเที่ยวเมืองน่าน

ด้านในมีข้อมูลของเมืองน่านแบบปัจจุบันกว่า 45 หน้า สี่สีสวยงาม

ให้ข้อมูลที่เป็นประโยชน์ต่อผู้ที่อยากท่องเที่ยวในเมืองน่าน

ตัวอย่างหัวข้อเนื้อหา อาทิเช่น

- ไหว้พระ 9 วัด เสริมสิริมงคลที่เมืองน่าน
- ฮักเมืองเวียงสา
- ชมธรรมชาติ ที่อุทยานแห่งชาติศรีน่าน
- เที่ยวท่าวังผา
- วินัย ปราบริปู นักสร้างศิลป์แห่งหอศิลป์ริมน่าน
- บ่อเกลือ ภูฟ้า นาสวย

และอีกหลายๆเรื่อง

ผมได้ลองอ่านแล้ว มีข้อมูลดีๆหลายเรื่องเลย เห็นว่าน่าสนใจจึงอยากให้ชาว Nan2day ได้อ่านกันครับ

หน้าปกแบบนี้นะครับ




ข้อความของ บรรณาธิการบริหาร

"ขวัญเรือนชวนเที่ยวน่าน ทริปนี้เกิดขึ้นเพราะ จิระนันท์ พิตรปรีชา กวีซีไรต์ ซึ่งในคราวนี้เธอรั้งตำแหน่งประธานกลุ่มสห+ภาพ เชิญชวนให้ไปร่วมงาน น่านนิรันดร์ : ๑๐๐ ภาพฝัน บันทึกแผ่นดิน พอได้ยินชื่อเมืองน่าน คำตอบก็ผุดขึ้นมาในใจทันที พร้อมทั้งสานต่อเป็นคอนเซ็ปต์เที่ยว เพื่อเก็บมาเป็นข้อมูลให้คุณผู้อ่านไว้เที่ยวรับลมหนาวปีนี้ค่ะ"

มณฑา ศิริปุณย์ บรรณาธิการบริหาร

จาก http://www.kwanruen.com


แนะนำ โรงแรมดีๆ ของจังหวัดเชียงใหม่

แนะนำ โรงแรมดีๆ ของจังหวัดเชียงราย



แนะนำ โรงแรมดีๆ ของกรุงเทพ



แนะนำ โรงแรมดีๆ ของจังหวัดภูเก็ต



แนะนำ โรงแรมดีๆ ของภาคเหนือและภาคกลาง



เชียงใหม่ เชียงราย แม่ฮ่องสอน ปาย น่าน สุโขทัย - บริการเที่ยวทั่วไทย แท็กซี่ จัดทัวร์ พร้อมทั้งให้คำแนะนำสถานที่ท่องเที่ยวต่างๆ จองตั๋วเครื่องบินราคาถูก จองที่พัก

ต้๋วเครื่องบินเชียงใหม่-น่าน น่าน-เชียงใหม่ Air Tickets, Chiangmai-Nan Nan-Chiangmai
อังคาร พฤหัสบดี เสาร์ อาทิตย์ Every Tuesday Thursday Saturday Sunday


ติดต่อ เพ็ญนภา (แก้ว) 081 498 0613
อีเมล์: neomart@gmail.com

6/21/2011

Reviews of Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set


Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set

by Rosetta Stone
Platform: Windows Vista / 7 / XP, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Our Method - Recreate the natural way you learned your first language and reveal skills that you already have using Dynamic Immersion. This award-winning method has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world.

Learn Naturally: Discover how to speak, read, write, and understand--all without translating or memorizing. Our award-winning solution recreates how you learned your first language, unlocking your natural abilities.

Speak Confidently: Perfect your pronunciation with speech-recognition technology. Gain the confidence in your new voice as you practice with other learners in our exclusive online community and participate in online sessions coached by native tutors.

Immerse Yourself: Be surrounded by your new language. From core lessons to online sessions, Rosetta Stone gets you engaged and interacting with others.

Stay Motivated: Experience accomplishment with each moment of achievement; with dedicated success agents you will never lose sight of your language-learning goals.

Your Natural Ability. Awakened. Natural Discovery - Learning your first language is as natural as smiling. Effortless. Rewarding. Every step in Rosetta Stone feels like that. Clear, compelling images appear precisely, in juxtaposition, conveying meaning. Intuitively, you just know what it means...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!

Rosseta Stone English level 1-5 Set, March 26, 2011

By Lyz
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

It's amazing, si no aprendo con este curso, me doy por vencida, es super super, uno empieza y no quiere para de estudiar, Habia escuchado muchos elogios y ahora lo entiendo, LO RECOMIENDO AMPLIAMENTE.


A great program for enhancing English fluency. But it still helps to crack a book, conjugate a few verbs, and study..., March 18, 2011

By APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Writing a review of Rosetta Stone English is problematic because, of course, the review is being written in English for an English language web site, for a product intended for persons who do not, as of yet, speak fluent English. That said, and assuming that a English speaking friend or Google Translate is helping someone read this, one might ask: Will using Rosetta Stone English allow you to say "I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent American accented English after using this program for only a few weeks! I will now go to America and speak with the Americans there as though I was born in California"?

Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.

The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language.

Each screen is accompanied by a phrase, spoken out loud by a native speaker in the program, and four slightly different picture scenes that require you to pick the one that the sentence is referring to. Beginning at a very basic level -- such as "the boy is under the tree" (in whatever language) with four pictures of a boy next to, under, in the limbs of and cutting down the tree -- your proficiency improves as you move through these basic cues to more advanced and complex speaking and contexts. By the end of the program you are dealing with fairly complex situations, sentences and associations.

The program also allows you to repeat the phrase and, using the supplied microphone, match and score your own pronunciation against the supplied sample. You can also test your ability to properly write out a second language by spelling out and typing the phrase, although the work arounds for using a US English QWERTY keyboard with the special characters and distinct keyboard layouts used by different languages can be awkward. There are several variations on all the visual, verbal and textual tests.

The most important question one must answer when considering this product is: will it, as the advertising suggests, be a magic gateway to language learning that is all you need? The answers is: sort of.

First, this is an expensive product. Make no mistake, when you pay for a heavily advertised product like this that you are, in part, paying the cost of the extensive advertising that brought it to your attention and put you in a mind to buy it.

Second, although Rosetta Stone is an extremely well thought out and useful system for review, practice, improving reaction times to prompts in other languages, and gaining fluency through exposure to variable contexts, it is not a complete language course.

I have purchased a load of different language courses for languages that I have wanted to study on my own, and I can say, at least for me, that using at least two or more different packages that compliment, reinforce and overlap with each other is always better than trying to learn everything with only the logic and pattern of one single course. Besides, you really do need to learn grammar and other parts of the subject that cannot really be covered by, or communicated well by, a single program, even one as well thought out as Rosetta Stone.

At some point you really do have to crack a book and do some regular studying and learning, even though Rosetta Stone strongly implies that you can be speaking away in a second language with nothing more than some time in front of your laptop.

Conclusion: whatever language you are wanting to study, seriously consider Rosetta Stone. But also seriously consider buying a Pimsleur and a Living Language course to go along with it, and seriously contemplate the very un-Rosetta Stone-ish subject of studying verb conjugation rules, grammar, usage and verb tables.

All together you will stand a much better chance of gaining real fluency, and not just the ability to distinguish if the boy is in, under or besides he tree, or if all of the people, two of the people, the two men or the three women in the picture are eating steak or drinking wine. It's all good, but no one product or course can do it all.



HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN, April 4, 2011

By ! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

GUEST REVIEWER ! MRS KNOW IT ALL ;b

I know the English language, but even if you were born in the U.S., you may still not know the English (American) language. I would highly recommend this product for small children with the help from their parents. Your kids will excel in English classes, just by learning how to speak/write the English language properly. Rosetta Stone is the best language software you can find. It is fabulous, you have a lot of fun while learning and the material is presented in a very thorough manner with plenty of visuals, audio, and aids. Another bonus is the added interactive feature and immersion, along with on-line help and tracking your progress. The microphone also allows you to have immediate feedback as to whether you are pronouncing the words correctly. I highly recommend this product for individuals with small children. This product will take you from the basics and further beyond.


Great teaching methodology, March 30, 2011

By James Beswick (USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

I received this from Vine, but since I already speaking English as a first language, I gave to a friend of a friend who has practically no usable English. He's been using the product for about 4-6 weeks now and there's an appreciable improvement in both the sentence construction and accent. The course itself is massive, and there's enough to material to spend 3-6 months at an hour or so a day.

The Rosetta Stone method may not be for everyone, since there's a lack of formal grammar training and it makes no attempt to explain anything in the speaker's native language (it works by matching pictures with words and phrases). But from what I can see, if you practice regularly and follow the exercises, there's no doubt that you can significantly improve your conversational and basic writing abilities in the language very quickly.


Rosetta is pricey for a reason - it works!, May 15, 2011

By S. Harrison (Clements, CA United States)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

My daughter had great results with Rosetta Stone Chinese when she was living in China. When it came time for her to study another language, French, she tried the Fluenz software, because it was cheaper.* She was very disappointed because she found Fluenz to be much less useful and intuitive than Rosetta Stone. (There is no need to go into the mechanics of Rosetta Stone here, as other reviewers have explained it very nicely. In particular, see P. Mann's review, and ABC Reviews.)

Based on my daughter's experiences with language software, I jumped all over the opportunity to grab Rosetta Stone English for evaluation by her partner, whom she met in China. No - he's not Chinese. He's a French-speaking Swiss national. They met teaching at an international studies university in Xi'an.

My daughter's sweetie, Dr. X, speaks heavily accented English. He learned basic English comprehension as a kid by watching the Muppet Show. (His Sam the Eagle impression is awesome.) But alas, the Muppet Show did not offer feedback on his general English pronunciation. His goal in using Rosetta Stone was to make himself more understandable to native American English speakers, and increase his English vocabulary. He was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to try out the software.

Alas, his studies with Rosetta Stone were cut short when his backpack was stolen from under the table in a coffee shop. As a measure of his satisfaction with the product, even though he lost his brand new backpack, his new camera, some books and other items of value, the thing that upset him the most was the loss of the Rosetta Stone CD.

I realize that this review is short on specifics and does not do much more than relay the general positive impression that Dr. X had of Rosetta Stone English. He felt that a very valuable tool had been taken away from him when it was stolen. The fact that he had only had it a short time, and had already found it to be very effective does speak to the quality of the product.

Bottom line - based on the experiences of my daughter and her partner, the Rosetta Stone system is highly effective, and highly recommended.


* Rosetta Stone has restructured their pricing since Fluenz was purchased. At this writing, Fluenz French Level 1 and Rosetta Stone French Level 1 are almost the same price. I just purchased the Rosetta Stone French Level 1 to send to my daughter in Switzerland, since she wasn't too impressed with Fluenz.


Working Wonders for Wanda, May 7, 2011

By Maggie Mae (Reno, Nevada)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone English (American) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Rosetta Stone calls their language method Dynamic Immersion. Vocabulary is introduced to you through pictures and word associations and the grammar is introduced the same way along with more pictures. The program also works on your pronunciation skills with their system of speech recognition. You listen to words and phrases and write them down or practice staying them. The program also focuses on sounds common to the language you're learning, further improving how you sound when you speak.

The program is very easy to use and it's very intuitive. I like the way the program shows you some images and lets you figure out which picture goes with what you're hearing. It's pretty easy and it seems to burn the words and phrases into your memory.

There are three main parts to Rosetta Stone Totale, The Course, Rosetta Studio and Rosetta World. After you finish a unit Rosetta lets you schedule a studio session, where you can interact with a live person in English.

Okay, you guessed it, I already speak English, so why am I reviewing this. Well, my cousin Wanda, she doesn't speak it so well. She's been staying with me for the last three months. She's an Italian speaker and living in America is a big change for her and this program has sort of helped ease her into her new language. Legally, she's American, but her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother took her back to Rome, where she grew up. Wanda wants to live here now and with my help and Rosetta Stone's she'll be speaking English like a native in no time.

Rosetta Stone tries to assimilate immersion, but they can't, not really, because when you're totally immersed in a culture you can only speak your new language. If you want to eat in a restaurant, go to the movies, buy groceries, you have to do it in your new language. But, if you are really totally immersed as my cousin is and you have a dedicated helper like me, then Rosetta Stone can work wonders and it's doing so for Wanda...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!

6/20/2011

Reviews of Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set


Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set

by Rosetta Stone
Platform: Windows Vista / 7 / XP, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Our Method - Recreate the natural way you learned your first language and reveal skills that you already have using Dynamic Immersion. This award-winning method has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world.

Learn Naturally: Discover how to speak, read, write, and understand--all without translating or memorizing. Our award-winning solution recreates how you learned your first language, unlocking your natural abilities.

Speak Confidently: Perfect your pronunciation with speech-recognition technology. Gain the confidence in your new voice as you practice with other learners in our exclusive online community and participate in online sessions coached by native tutors.

Immerse Yourself: Be surrounded by your new language. From core lessons to online sessions, Rosetta Stone gets you engaged and interacting with others.

Stay Motivated: Experience accomplishment with each moment of achievement; with dedicated success agents you will never lose sight of your language-learning goals.

Your Natural Ability. Awakened. Natural Discovery - Learning your first language is as natural as smiling. Effortless. Rewarding. Every step in Rosetta Stone feels like that. Clear, compelling images appear precisely, in juxtaposition, conveying meaning. Intuitively, you just know what it means...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!


Speak French like a native!, September 8, 2010

By Terry "TCinSATX" (San Antonio)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Rosetta Stone TOTALe French v4 is marketed as an innovative, total language solution for someone wishing to learn to speak, read and write conversational French. It certainly meets and exceeds those claims - it's remarkable!

Apologies in advance for the length of this review. Rosetta Stone TOTALe represents a substantial financial investment so I am assuming people considering it will want a lot of information before making a buying decision.

Rosetta Stone is an immersion-style language program. That means that during the core lessons, there is no written or spoken language other that the one you are learning. There are no instructions or directions or translations in your native language, in my case English. The only words you will read or hear are French. The meanings are made clear through pictures, gestures and logic. It sounds almost impossible, but it is actually quite intuitive. It's amazing how quickly you pick up the words, the sentence structure, the grammar and the spellings. Immersion is how all children learn language, and it works just as well for many adults. However, because this software is quite expensive, you might want to make yourself familiar with immersion style to make sure you are comfortable with it before purchasing. I also use a free online French-English dictionary quite frequently after a lesson to make certain I am clear on some words and tenses. I will probably purchase a hard copy dictionary soon as a supplement. In other words, for anything further than being able to converse well and read signs or packaging or instructions, you will want some other resources.

The core program is divided into 5 levels, each with many, many lessons and reviews. Each lesson focuses on a particular aspect of the language - vocabulary, grammar, writing/spelling, pronunciation, etc. The lessons are short, so it is easy to do a lesson or two throughout the day when you have time. If you must end a particular lesson before it is finished, Rosetta picks up exactly where you left off the next time you sign in. This makes it extremely easy for even the busiest person to find time for lessons. They also move quickly from one exercise to another. Because of this, lessons are rarely tedious.

I particularly like that it employs numerous speakers, unlike courses that only use one male and one female voice. This way, you hear many different people saying the same words and phrases, which makes it much easier when you reach the point that you want to follow and understand conversations, french movies, etc.

The package includes a fairly nice, binaural usb headset with microphone. In most lessons, you are prompted to repeat, and later answer questions, in French. If your pronunciation is off, or if your answer is wrong, it prompts you to try again until you get it right. The voice recognition is good, but you will need to fine tune your headset settings and microphone position initially. The microphone needs to be pretty close to your mouth and the volume needs to be high enough. I suspect I will need to replace the headset regularly since I have several people in my house using it every day.

In addition to the core language levels (all 5 of them), there are also 4 companion audio CDs for each level - a total of 20 companion CDs. These are great for using in the car or in your MP3 player! Each CD includes the MP3 files for easy download to your player. It reinforces what you are learning and if you are chauffeuring kids around, they will be learning, too. I listen to them while on the treadmill because it makes the time go faster and I feel like I'm multi-tasking.

You can set up multiple users for the core program. My 20 year old son in college, my 8 year old son, and my husband are all users and working at their own pace. For me, it makes the cost of this program a little more reasonable. The 15 months of online support, which is the TOTALe part of this package, is only available for one user, so choose carefully which user will get this as it cannot be changed later.

The online services make Rosetta high octane. There are games and stories and individual tutoring sessions with native speakers and opportunities to converse in French with other learners. This feature absolutely speeds up the process of becoming conversational as quickly as possible. The individual sessions with native speaking tutors are scheduled, but the games and stories and other features are available anytime.

If the online opportunities don't appeal to you or you don't have enough time for scheduled sessions, you might consider purchasing one of the regular Rosetta Stone language packages. It's the same core language program, but without the 15 months of online services, and is less expensive. As an alternative to the online part, there are some free online communities, like Livemocha, where language learners can converse online with other learners. It's not as fluid as Rosetta Stone since the other learners are using many different programs and classes and are at different levels, but it's still a nice opportunity to practice speaking your new language.

A down side to Rosetta Stone is it's EULA. This software is non-transferable. If you don't like it, you are stuck and it would be a very expensive mistake. Also, I have read other reviews that say it is difficult to get help from Rosetta in the event of computer crashes or upgrades. I didn't have any issues with my install so I cannot speak to that, but it bears consideration.

If you want to learn French (or any new language) and can afford it, I heartily recommend Rosetta Stone. If you want/need to learn French as quickly as possible, Rosetta Stone TOTALe would probably be helpful in speeding up the process, although learning a new language well is never an overnight process.


Rosetta Stone vs. Fluenz (French), September 15, 2010

By A. R. Grenier (Washington, D.C.)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Rosetta Stone vs. Fluenz Version F2: French 1 (Win/Mac) with software DVD, audio CD, podcasts, and Navigator. Learn French with the latest upgrade.
I've now used them both extensively and honestly don't have a preference - it'll be down to your learning style and your needs.

Rosetta Stone:
+ Intuitive learning structure.
+ Interactive and visually oriented.
- Does not explain why grammar rules do what they do.
- Is finicky about multiple computer usage.

Fluenz
+ Simulates one-on-one instruction.
+ Explains why grammar rules do what they do.
- Not as intuitive of a learning structure.
- Not as visually oriented.
+ Is not finicky about multiple computer usage.

If you:
* Want to learn the basics of the language fairly quickly for a trip, or have a solid foundation for adult conversation or travel practicalities.
* Always want to know the "why" behind things.
Choose Fluenz.

If you:
* Want to learn a language at a slower pace to create a foundation for fluency and are not in a hurry to ask how to buy a train ticket or order something in a coffee shop.
* Are buying this for a child.
* Are visually oriented
Choose Rosetta Stone

If you:
* Want to have a solid foundation for future fluency.
* Have the money to drop.
Buy both and use them simultaneously.


Work in progress!, September 21, 2010

By M. Feldman (Maine, USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Salut! Since there are already some lengthy reviews that discuss many of the facets of this program, I will only tell you about my experience to date. As I progress, I'll update the review. I'm working along in Level 1 now (about halfway through). To be fair, I should say that I had some French way way back in high school, so I'm not coming to the language as a complete beginner. Nonetheless, I began with Level I in order to acquire vocabulary, recall the long-ago grammar, and improve my bad accent (oh that trilling and elusive R!). It's evident to me already that if you want to make progress with this program, you'll need to commit a bit of time to it on a daily basis, at least 20-30 minutes.

Here is what I like about the program so far. First, there are the engaging visuals --they shuffle around on the screen, so you have to pay attention. The voice recognition feature is quite good; it's zeroing in on my bad "R," and the language pronunciation files are excellent for practice, although it took awhile before I knew they were there (click on the icon right on the picture in a pronunciation exercise). There's not a word of English (great!), and I also think it's good for the brain that you have to figure out what the screen wants you to do, as opposed to having to read a set of directions. (There are minimal directions up in the right corner of the screen.) Another strong feature is the emphasis on phonemes---that is, breaking words down into their constituent sounds, then putting them back together. That's up to date pedagogy, based on scientific studies of the way young children learn to read and spell. I've also played a few of the games, which are quite useful for training the ear. I'm enthusiastic about working through all five levels, and I'll return to this review with more observations when I finish Level 1. Feel free to post a question in the comments area.

9/30/10. Level One, Unit 3. Just tried the live 50 minute session with a native speaker (plus one other student). It is excellent for speaking practice.
10/19/10. Level One, Unit 4. The CD Audio Companion provided turns out to be useful for reinforcement and review for each level, particularly if a busy schedule means that some days go by when you don't have time for the computer program. I converted mine to MP3 files for an iPod and listen to them when I'm driving.
11/4/10. Beginning Level Two. It's clear to me that Rosetta is for a person intent on learning (or recovering, if you studied it long ago) a language in a serious way. It's too extensive (and expensive) to use to pick up some basic French to use on a trip. (Level Two, however, does begin with language useful for traveling.) I don't have a sense of how difficult it would be for someone unfamiliar with a romance language to use this program. If you've had some Spanish or Italian, it would be easy to move into French. I do feel that the practice and reinforcement of Level One were excellent and will stick with me. A second live session last week was a treat---just me and the native speaker.

M. Feldman


The ultimate in language immersion - requires a lot of commitment, September 13, 2010

By ScOObydoo (USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Rosetta Stone language courses are about as impressive as computer based courses can get. These are NOT the kind of course you purchase if you want to learn a couple of phrases for your upcoming vacation, instead - they are what you buy if you want to become as close to fluent as you can possibly get. This new line (Version 4 with TotalE) builds upon the past products from Rosetta Stone. I've used several of these in the past (to learn German and French) so was very interested to try out these new versions.

The version I'm reviewing here is for the top of the line French package - which includes levels 1,2,3,4 and 5. In addition to computer based training, V4 also delivers online training with native speakers and a form of social networking, which helps complete the immersion factor.

Lessons are extremely well organized, and you are led through the courses at your own pace. One of the best features of the packages is the voice recognition. This is important, because when you are learning a new language, it is just you and the computer, so you need something to check your progress. Included in the box is a good quality headset, and I found that it picked up my voice and pronunciation quite well. Because this is such an extensive course, I've only made it into level one, but I'm already more confident at feeling I'll accomplish what I set out to do - learn French.

This of course brings up an important point - you WILL need to be committed to this. You'll fail if you only spend 10 minutes a day at this. You really need to set some time aside each day, and keep up your training. When I skipped a five day period, it took some catching up to pick up where I left off. The software is extremely comprehensive - in addition to the training, you also get the online portion and even some basic language skill games.

Then there is of course the price - at $779 for the top of the line package, this is not your everyday language course. But when you put this into perspective and consider how much time/cost would be involved in a one-on-one course and immersion, you'll realize that the cost is quite reasonable. But once again - don't compare this to a 200 page language course book at the local book shop - this is way, way more valuable.

Of course, you do not have to start with the 1,2,3,4,5 package - individual lessons start at just $229 and will get you a very good start at the basics of the language. Once completed, you will not only have a decent vocabulary, you'll also master grammar and pronunciation. But most importantly, I feel that the course give you confidence. Because you can actually talk with native speakers in the online portion, you won't need to travel abroad to put your new skills to the test.

If you are sitting at home wishing you could speak more than just English - this is how to pick up a new language. And thanks to the various levels, you can pick your own level of skill you want to accomplish. Just think - in under a year, you could master the art of basic communication skills in 4 or 5 different languages.


Amazing!, September 9, 2010

By J. Schwartz "JMS"
This review is from: Rosetta Stone French Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

The Rosetta Stone system is amazing. I rarely give books or products 5 star ratings but this product deserves it. I do not learn languages well. In fact, I took Spanish for four years in high school and cannot speak Spanish at all.

The Rosetta Stone system does seem to be a natural way to learn a language. It is also fun. I am surprised by how much I retain from session to session. My wife speaks French fluently and was impressed by the software.

The system is not like taking a language class in school. The focus is on speaking and understanding conversational French. Reading and writing (typing) are less emphasized, at least initially, but are not ignored. Grammar is covered on an as needed basis. Culture and literature do not seem to be part of the system. Please be aware, I have been using the system for only a few weeks. There may be much more than conversational French as I work through the subsequent modules. Even if there isn't, I'm very happy with this software package.

The system works fine on my Mac (OS 10.5.8). The headphones/microphone included in the package are nice, but I don't use them. Instead I've been using my Mac's built in speakers and microphone. I had to run the installer twice. The first time the installation didn't work. I don't know why. The anti-piracy protections are a minor annoyance, but considering the price of this software, it is not surprising the publisher needs to take steps to protect its intellectual property. The cost will prohibit anyone from buying the software unless they really wanted to learn a new language, but those who do purchase it will not be disappointed...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!

Reviews of Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America)


Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set

by Rosetta Stone
Platform: Windows Vista / 7 / XP, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Our Method - Recreate the natural way you learned your first language and reveal skills that you already have using Dynamic Immersion. This award-winning method has been adopted by countless organizations, schools and millions of users around the world.

Learn Naturally: Discover how to speak, read, write, and understand--all without translating or memorizing. Our award-winning solution recreates how you learned your first language, unlocking your natural abilities.

Speak Confidently: Perfect your pronunciation with speech-recognition technology. Gain the confidence in your new voice as you practice with other learners in our exclusive online community and participate in online sessions coached by native tutors.

Immerse Yourself: Be surrounded by your new language. From core lessons to online sessions, Rosetta Stone gets you engaged and interacting with others.

Stay Motivated: Experience accomplishment with each moment of achievement; with dedicated success agents you will never lose sight of your language-learning goals.

Your Natural Ability. Awakened. Natural Discovery - Learning your first language is as natural as smiling. Effortless. Rewarding. Every step in Rosetta Stone feels like that. Clear, compelling images appear precisely, in juxtaposition, conveying meaning. Intuitively, you just know what it means...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!


Learn to speak Spanish, not translate, September 7, 2010

By Ivy Reisner (Brooklyn, NY USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

One of the hardest things to overcome in language learning is the desire to translate. If someone says "la mujer bebe leche" you don't want to think "the woman drinks milk" you want to derive the meaning right from the Spanish, and to go from intended message to Spanish when you speak. Translating will throw off your speed and can mess up your grammar, if the grammar of your native tongue is different from that of the language being studied.

There is almost no English in this. Instructions, where needed, are in English, and the rest is in Spanish. You learn the word for "woman" and the word for "man", then you get a picture of a woman drinking and the program says "la mujer bebe" (the woman drinks) and you click on the woman drinking. It never explicitly teaches the word for "to drink", you just figure it out from context. The upside--you stay in Spanish while learning Spanish. The downside--the brain cheats, so you only need to understand part of the sentence to get the right answer. The program exposes the learner to the same word in a variety of ways to help instill it.

The program is engaging, entertaining, and effective. It's the next best thing to taking a Spanish class.


A great program for enhancing Spanish fluency. But it still helps to crack a book, conjugate a few verbs, and study..., August 23, 2010

By APC Reviews "APC Reviews" (USA)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

Will using Rosetta Stone Spanish allow you to say: "Me sorprende que soy capaz de hablar un español fluido después de usar este programa sólo por un par de semanas!" ('I am amazed that I am able to speak fluent Spanish after using this program for only a few weeks')?

Probably not. It is, however, a very useful and well thought out program.

The Rosetta Stone line of language products all share the same basic design and interface. The key to the Rosetta Stone system is the presentation of word and action associations, influenced by context. This simulates the sort of cues that one would parse and process in speaking any language, even your own native language. Normally, you don't think about this as you speak your own language. But it's one of the hardest things to simulate outside of dealing with a second language in its own country and having the chance to deal with real life situations involving speakers of the second language.

Each screen is accompanied by a phrase, spoken out loud by a native speaker in the program, and four slightly different picture scenes that require you to pick the one that the sentence is referring to. Beginning at a very basic level -- such as "the boy is under the tree" (in whatever language) with four pictures of a boy next to, under, in the limbs of and cutting down the tree -- your proficiency improves as you move through these basic cues to more advanced and complex speaking and contexts. By the end of the program you are dealing with fairly complex situations, sentences and associations.

The program also allows you to repeat the phrase and, using the supplied microphone, match and score your own pronunciation against the supplied sample. You can also test your ability to properly write out a second language by spelling out and typing the phrase, although the work arounds for using a US English QWERTY keyboard with the special characters and distinct keyboard layouts used by different languages can be awkward. There are several variations on all the visual, verbal and textual tests.

The most important question one must answer when considering this product is: will it, as the advertising suggests, be a magic gateway to language learning that is all you need? The answers is: sort of.

First, this is an expensive product. Make no mistake, when you pay for a heavily advertised product like this that you are, in part, paying the cost of the extensive advertising that brought it to your attention and put you in a mind to buy it.

Second, although Rosetta Stone is an extremely well thought out and useful system for review, practice, improving reaction times to prompts in other languages, and gaining fluency through exposure to variable contexts, it is not a complete language course.

I have purchased a load of different language courses for languages that I have wanted to study on my own, and I can say, at least for me, that using at least two or more different packages that compliment, reinforce and overlap with each other is always better than trying to learn everything with only the logic and pattern of one single course. Besides, you really do need to learn grammar and other parts of the subject that cannot really be covered by, or communicated well by, a single program, even one as well thought out as Rosetta Stone.

At some point you really do have to crack a book and do some regular studying and learning, even though Rosetta Stone strongly implies that you can be speaking away in a second language with nothing more than some time in front of your laptop.

Conclusion: whatever language you are wanting to study, seriously consider Rosetta Stone. But also seriously consider buying a Pimsleur and a Living Language course to go along with it, and seriously contemplate the very un-Rosetta Stone-ish subject of studying verb conjugation rules, grammar, usage and verb tables.

All together you will stand a much better chance of gaining real fluency, and not just the ability to distinguish if the boy is in, under or besides he tree, or if all of the people, two of the people, the two men or the three women in the picture are eating steak or drinking wine. It's all good, but no one product or course can do it all.


I Am finally Learning Spanish~Easy and Fun~A progressive review., October 7, 2010

By kindred spirit (God's Country)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

I have never learned another language and at 54yrs old I want to keep my mind as sharp as possible. My review will be a progressive one as I go through each level. I had some computer issues so I got a later start but let me tell you Rosetta Stone tech support is FANTASTIC. If you are planing to use this on a computer than is running Windows XP make sure you have service pack 3 and 1GB of RAM for it to run correctly. All that being said here is what I already know.

I am just finishing level one and I am scoring 97% to 100% on all of my sessions! It is so much fun and you can have the words or phrases repeated as many times as you want. It will not let you continue until you say it to a satisfactory level. How does it know this? Well it comes with a very high quality UBS headset with microphone, that is comfortable to wear and works perfect. In between lessons there are CD's you can play and hear and repeat all the words you have learned on the computer. I keep these in the car. I find myself with Spanish words running through my head all day.

Not only do you get the great computer program but you bet 15 months of one on one sessions you can schedule with real time Spanish speaking people online. That is like a personal private teacher. Also you can play games that help you to reinforce what you have learned solo, or duo with someone they match you to who is at your level. Then Simbo with a native Spanish speaking person.

There is only one thing I personally am struggling with is there is no English interpretations in any of the lessons. I was wondering what was the meaning of La, Las, Los, El Ella. I got a great book here on Amazon called the first 1000 words in Spanish. It explains the male and female of nouns. I had already figured that females have the a and males the o added, this has helped me a slow learner very much. Many people will not need this help but I do have some memory and cognitive issues. That being said I am learning! To me this is nothing short of a miracle.

After I finish level 2 I will give you an update. I had wanted to get Rosetta Stone for years and had tried some other brands to no avail. It lives up to it's high reputation. If you want to learn it is the best bar none!



Well-rounded, intuitive course with all the goodies, September 15, 2010

By Cupcake
This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

This complete course includes everything you need. After you install it, it's immediately ready to use--no instructions required. You just jump right in. The interface is very intuitive, with clear prompts for when you speak, click, or type. It never stops and teaches you rules of grammar or word lists--you just pick them up through modified repetition. The course uses a combination of spoken and written language, coupled with images, to teach in a very intuitive way. Unlike audio-only courses, though, you also get the opportunity to read and write the language. Since a new language can look very different from how it sounds, this is really helpful.

The course includes software, a USB headset, and a set of audio CDs you can download to your ipod or take along with you for some portable reinforcement.

I'm not too far along, but I'm really enjoying it so far, finding it simple and fun to use. One really cool feature is that it has you go back and repeat earlier lessons at regular intervals to reinforce vocabulary and sentence structure.

There is also an online component I haven't tried (my schedule's a little erratic in the fall & it's time-sensitive, so I don't want to sign up until I'm confident I can commit), a nice bonus.

The only downside I can see is the cost. This program is quite expensive, but it's immediately so much better than any language course I've tried before (I seem to buy a book or a set of tapes or CDs DVDs every couple years), that I think it's a very good value for the money.


It is worth the money!, September 18, 2010

By Jim620 (Maryville, IL)
This review is from: Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set (CD-ROM)

You definitely will want version 4 if you are just starting out or have a couple more levels to do. I have been repeating some sections in the first level where the speech recognition software in V3 would not recognize my correct answer no matter how many times I tried. It works much better in V4 and I passed all. Now they could have made the default setting easier so I moved it up to the most difficult and I still passed all and only had to try a few times on those sounds I know I have difficulty with. Thus, they have improved the software and corrected some glitches from V3.

Using the course software is similar to V3. The layout is better. The only thing is when you are done with a lesson; it does take noticeably longer to return to home screen. That is not a big deal.

If you have V3 on your PC then deactivate it first using their directions. You do not need to remove or delete the program. When you load V4, it will keep your user profiles and what you completed already with scores.

With V3, you could activate the product on 2 PC's. I was told by Rosetta Stone that you can only activate V4 on one PC. You can still have multiple users but the online service can only be activated for one user. So far I have not found out how you can pay extra for multiple users having online service. I am disappointed that you can't activate on 2 PC's but I thought they would charge $1,000 for what I got and it only lists for $750 which I think is reasonable. Remember you get 3 months of online service for each level you buy so for 5 levels you get 15 months. The current price to extend is $149 for another 15 months. I was told by Rosetta Stone the 15 months starts when you activate your online service account which is a separate activation from the course's software. You have 12 months from the date you ordered the software to activate it. What they do not mention is there are no games availabe until AFTER you complete Level 1 so I suggest you do not activate until after complete Level 1.

My history with Rosetta Stone is I had V3 Levels 1&2 and completed them this Spring. I was going to buy the rest then; but, from reading the company's quarterly report, I knew they were going to release V4 in the third quarter so I waited. I had a college textbook, ¡ARRIBA! COMUNICACIÓN Y CULTURA, 5th edition, and used it along with their online extras because I figured I would learn some grammar rules in the mean time. Understanding some grammar rules was helpful, but I found trying to memorize the new words and understand stuff I had not learned through Rosetta Stone was ineffective and boring so I lost interest after a few months. This is why I bought V4 on the opening day and highly recommend it for self study...Buy Now!, Save $270 (36%) down from $479 with free shipping from $749!

Last Minutes, Gift Cards for your hero Father's Day

Order Now!
Gift Cards - There still time to make His Day from Amazon.com, E-mail Now, Print Now, Post Now...

Reviews of Garmin GPS Navigator, Factory Refurbishes


Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Integrated Traffic Receiver (Factory Refurbished), Save US$135 or 61% down from US$ 219.99 to be only US$ 84.99...Buy Now!

Best GPS I have ever Owned, December 10

By Michael Simpson "Owner of KronosRobotics.com" (Leesburg VA)

This review is from: Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic (Electronics)

I have owned quite a few GPS units all including Phone, Laptop and Dedicated. Flat out before I even get started the Garmin Nuvi 265WT is the best I have ever owned. Let me just make a couple of comments on the most important features.

Touch Screen Interface
Very intuitive and easy to use. Touch screen is responsive but not instantaneous. What I particularly like is the ability to switch to a top down view by touching the screen. Once done you can use your finger to drag the map around at any zoom point. Once done you can hit the back button and resume your 3D view.

Turn by Turn
You have two options here. You can use one of the Text to Speech voices or one of natural voices. The text to speech voices will give you more information such as street names. This is what I use and even though you can tell it's a computer generated voice its quality is superb. The 265WT does a good job at keeping you updated. Also at any time you can hit the turn Icon and it will speak the distance to the next turn, giving you street name as well as direction. The audio is quite loud and in my noisy little Scion I have no problem hearing the messages.

Maps
I have found the map accuracy quite good. I live in Northern virginal and it seems to be very well updated as many of the very new streets included.

Automatic Routing
Very effective. You can choose between the quickest or the shortest with options to avoid U-Turns, Highways, Toll Roads, Traffic, Ferries. The automatic rerouting is faster than my TeleNav phone and my Laptop computers.

Points of Interest
On my TeleNav phone GPS system I can enter any business in the national database and I can get directions, address and phone number. This is where the 265WT falls short. The TeleNav system has the advantage of searching online. Since the 265WT is limited to onboard memory there is a limit to the number of points of interest. A good example is I was looking for "Off Broadway Shoes" and the unit could not find them. However a search for "Payless Shoes" worked very well.

Traffic Alerts
The lifetime free traffic comes at a price. You will get popup adds. These are very small popups that supposedly only come when you are in the menu. This is not true. I have gotten them while in the navigation screen. For now they it seems to be once per trip but there is nothing to say they wont start getting more frequent. The other thing I don't like about the messages is that you have to hit them to continue and doing so takes you out of the nav screen to a kind of favorites screen. You have to hit the back button to get back to your navigations screen.
How well does the traffic system work. I live in Northern VA and have coverage throughout my area. The included radio fails to pick up a single signal without using an external antenna. Sadly you can just go down and purchase an FM antenna.. The Power cable has a 3/32" jack. What I did was to pick up a 3/32" plug from Radio Shack and soldered a 4' wire to the tip pin on the connector. Once draped out one of the windows I get very frequent traffic updates.
Once you start getting traffic reports I found them to be accurate and they do help. You can automatically avoid high traffic arias or do it manually as they accrue.
I am still debating if the popup adds are worth the effort.

Bluetooth Integration
This is my favorite feature. I can keep my keyboard locked Motorola Q in my pants pocket and use my 265WT to make and receive all my calls at a touch of a button. All my phone features are available on the 265WT. Phonebook, Call history, Voice Recognition. The voice quality is quite acceptable on both ends. As a matter of fact the echo I get on my Motorola is not there when using the 265WT as a hands free set.

Picture Viewer
I found this to be a very useless feature. If the photos are very big it takes forever for the 265WT to load them. This may be due to the slow access to the SD card slot.

There are other features like the ability to connect the 265WT to your PC and automatically add favorite locations using GoogleMaps. All in all I am very happy with my purchase and would purchase it again.

FYI the Nuvi 265WT is the same unit as the Nuvi 255W without the Bluetooth ability and the FM reliever cable (GTM 25). You can even purchase the GTM 25 from Garmin. If you don't want the Bluetooth feature and don't currently need the traffic feature you can pick up the Nuvi 255W cheaper.


Impressed!, December 5

By Russell Madaus "In My Opinion" (Streamwood, IL)

This review is from: Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic (Electronics)

After doing extensive research I decided on this unit. Mainly because the 265wt is one of their newer NUVI products and it had the features I was looking for. If you look at the sites that have reviews on the 265wt, most are from nov/2008. I think this unit was released about 6 months ago. Anyway, here's my opinion on some of the key features of the 255WT.

1. Windsheild mount - works great. The suction cup is very high quality and I have no concerns that it will accidentally detach from the windsheild. I love the swivel capabilites and it allows you a perfect view no matter where you put it.

2. Satellite aquisition time - incredible! once you perform the initial aquistion, you are set. Now when I turn the on it's ready to go in usually under 3 seconds. Awesome!

3. Map directions and screen - wonderful. The GPS unit so far has given me perfect directions and the re-route capability works flawlessly. The screen is clear, bright and easy to navigate.

4. Free traffic alerts - works as described. I love this feature and I hardly saw any ads.

5. Bluetooth - giddy up! I had my Motorola KZR1 synched up in about 15 seconds. Easy to use and sure makes talking on the phone alot more enjoyable when driving. I've had conversations with multiple people and they could hear me fine. One cool thing is if your phone has voice dialing; because it allows you do it through the GPS unit. Also, all my contacts show up (even with multiple phone #'s).

6. And finally...the internal speaker. If you researched the 265WT like I've done you'll see ALOT of people complaining that the speaker is too quiet to hear anything. That was a big concern of mine but I felt I would give the unit a try and if it was that bad then I would return it. My thoughts on the speaker are this. The speaker size/quality could and probably should be improved. It's a cheapy speaker...BUT...I CAN hear the directions perfectly fine and can here the other person talking to me when using the bluetooth phone capability. Side notes: You HAVE to turn down your radio if you want to be able to hear it. Also, I was driving with the windows closed (it's friggin winter), so I cannot say how well you'd be able to hear the directions/phone with your windows rolled all the way down.

Bottom line - it has met or exceeded all of my expectations! I bought it on the day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday) and I got an incredible deal! $199.99 with free shipping, no tax, and got %50 off a $25 case logic travel case. I would have spent an extra $150 if I would have bought the same unit from a local retailer.

Finally if your in the market to buy any GPS my suggestion is wait until it gets closer to X-mas and see if the price drops. I'm guessing they'll do it again. I was fortunate to get it when I did and hence saved a nice chunk of change.

Hope this helped!

Buy Now! and Save US$135 or 61% down from US$ 219.99 to be only US$ 84.99...or Read More!