Customer Reviews
Bad Customer Service from Garmin & Amazon on This Item 
2008-06-23
If you want the latest version (2009 available since May elsewhere) buyer beware on this product. Amazon doesn't state the version so I contacted them today to ask. A simple question, right? Wrong. Happily I got through to somebody quickly at Amazon (India, of course) and the unhelpful lady said I would have to contact the manufacturer for that information. I pointed out that since Amazon was the seller, Amazon should know and so inform the customer. Besides, I had already tried to contact Garmin to ask if they knew what Amazon was selling (and what the upgrade policy was) and gave up after being on hold for 30 minutes. Pathetic, isn't it. Worse than Dell. Both companies in error here, and obviously not customer centric.
Obsolete product sold - Buyers beware 2008-06-22
I ordered this product from Amazon last week and received it today. While trying to install this on my PC, I found out from the message on the screen that this product is in fact City Navigator 2008 (why is Garmin hiding this fact in the product description) and after installation I was told to upgrade this product since this product is out-of-date (was released in May of 2007). (City Navigator NT 2009 Upgrade has been available for quite some time now.) Clicking the link led me to 'enter the product s/n' and after entering my Etrex Vista Hcx's serial number I got the message 'No updates available for this.' Now I am banging my head against the CD case. This version should be missing quite a lot on newer construction in my area leading me astray. Literally!
Is this because Garmin is shipping its old inventory to dealers hoping that some customers won't mind using the older version or will naively pay another 60 dollars for the upgrade or is Amazon selling some old inventory - I don't know at this point.
Product is described as 010-10816-00 but I could not find that on the CD cover. Instead I found 007-00156-04 Rev. A and 171-00074-04 on the cover.
I have sent out an email to Garmin but am fully braced for unpleasant customer experience, even in the potential best case scenario of Garmin sending me the 2009 version. Why it couldn't do it to start with and why is it hiding the version name (2008) from its product description?
Moreover, there was an 8-digit coupon code which I had to enter to unlock the map on my PC. Luckily there was no 25-digit code some other customers had to get. One interesting part was that I was told to select maps before unlocking. I was thinking of selecting only the states where i plan to travel to save space on my 2GB microSD, but luckily I happened to read the small print which said that this unlock feature will work once only. As I understand, say I selected California only and unlocked it, next time I will be able to access California only, being blocked from all other states even though I have paid for the entire map. Why would they do so? I am puzzled. Greed and/or incompetency? I selected all maps. Shouldn't that be the only choice?
Did what I expected 
2008-06-02
the map software was delivered from Amazon, I loaded it on my PC and then transfered the maps to my Vista HCX. Now I can get routing information while riding my motorcycle. Decided to get the Vista HCX instead of a ZUMA for the price and it works perfectly for me.
Steep learning curve, but a lot in there 
2008-05-29
My big test for this software was a trip to New York City (375 miles each way) a week after I bought the package. I made a few mistakes (like pressing the wrong button) but on my Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS it navigated me into and out of the center of New York City - something I wasn't looking forward to. Brilliant!
I loved the ability to find a nearby petrol station and get instant directions straight there, ditto food, ditto supermarkets. What would normally involve a wild goose chase off the interstate turned into a few button pushes and then straight-forward directions to the door.
It's not perfect, I had one "T" junction where the software didn't indicate a preference, but as it was telling me to head north at the time, I followed my car's compass and it all worked out. The software also didn't read my wife's mind and take us a different route so she could stop off at a shop on the way home - but at least I could blame the gps!
I look forward to exploring all the other features and (when I've saved up the money) buying the topo map and leaving the car behind.
The customer is always wrong 
2008-05-23
The software is OK, but not great. Other reviews mention its limitations and shortcomings. The main problem is that the unlock process is complex and has draconian restrictions. You don't get an unlock code with the product. Instead you get a certificate with an 8 digit code. Then submit this 8 digit code, in combination with a serial number for a GPS unit, to Garmin in order to obtain a 25 digit unlock key. Finally you enter the 25 digit unlock key. (Got all that?) Since you can't use the maps on a PC unless you also enter the serial number for a portable device, you can't buy this software just for PC use.
Garmin makes good products and I've been a longtime customer. Between work and home I own 7 of their units. But I'm losing my loyalty to them because they're constantly nickel-and-diming us for updates and making us jump through crazy hoops. Avoid this product unless you REALLY need the updated maps (which are not truly up-to-date, as others have mentioned). Instead try finding the old MetroGuide, which was much more user friendly.
Being a software developer myself I can sympathize with Garmin's concern for piracy. But they need to weigh that against the burden they are putting on honest users. I regret buying this product and will start looking at other vendors for my home and business GPS applications.
Very Good Map Data Base 2008-07-18
I am very pleased with the data base of maps that is provided with Garmin City Navigator NT. It works perfectly well on my Garmin etrex GPS.
Okay only 2008-07-01
Compared to Google Maps, this product looks & acts dated. It might be at home with Windows 3.11. Not very well updated; a major freeway overpass/exit that has been in place for over a year didn't show on the map. Repeated tries updating has never found any updates. No dragging & dropping routes. Major landmarks not named, such as large community college. Expensive for outdated technology. Not worth the $.
City Navigator NT 2008-06-28
Although the registration was very involved it is a wonderful product. I use it with a GPSMap 60Csx and love being able to query any of the POI's when I'm out of town. It also makes it easier to locate geocaches! The entire US map will fit on a 2GB card.
Worth the price 2008-06-28
I purchased the GPSMap 60CSX for a variety of outdoor uses, mainly freshwater fishing. Inland Lakes was the first DVD that I purchased, and while that provides excellent lake details, it does not provide road details which may be useful while looking for unfamiliar or remote boat landings.
City Navigator provides the turn-by-turn information I needed. I can either send the information to the unit or simply print the driving directions. Let me assure you, online mapping programs may be free, but they lack the detail and accuracy of this software.
The unlock code is provided with the DVD and unlocking takes a matter of seconds. I highly recommend this DVD.
Dreadfully disappointed 2008-06-24
Several fundamental problems have brought me to giving this program one star.
First off, the install went smoothly but Garmin's piracy prevention strategy really sucks *AND* blows. The worst I have ever seen in any major software product in many years. A big headache and very intrusive about demanding lots of personal information before it will let you complete the install and unlock the program. An active Internet connection is mandatory during the install process. This point alone may lead me to never buy another Garmin mapping software product. You can feed it some bogus information but do so at your own risk, since your access to customer service will be based on that personal data, which immediately gets saved on Garmin's corporate servers. And if you don't give them a valid email address, you can't complete the install. Delorme is a MUCH friendlier company in all of these regards.
Anyway, I purchased this product based on the belief that it would export map files to my Obscenely expensive Garmin Rino 530 GPS+GMRS radio. I read everything I could find on the Garmin web site about which mapping programs were "compatible" with the Rino 530. I now know that there are degrees of "compatibility" that would have been nice to know about in advance! I can import/export waypoints and tracks but not maps! ARGH!!! Money wasted!!! And you don't find this out until you have registered and unlocked the product and locked it to the electronic serial number of your GPS!!! A warning about limited compatibility would have been very nice.
Thirdly, now that I have City Navigator NT installed on my PC, I see that it is a rather pathetic, limited, error-riddled mapping program with old mapping data that is a complete joke when compared to Delorme Street Atlas USA. The difference in quality is so striking that the comparison that comes to mind is the sibling contrast in the movie "Twins." Delorme lets you use all kinds of GPS's with their programs without any absurd ESN locking although map export files are limited to Delorme GPS's and PDA GPS programs. I do wish Delorme had a lot more waypoint/track/route import/export file format support.
In conclusion I wish that I had not wasted money on this program and further, I am beginning to feel the same way about my Rino 530.
Buyer beware
