Laptop GPS World

I am new to the market and looking for a new usb gps receiver and came across the garmin 18x and 20x receivers. what the heck is the difference between the two other than looks and the one is waterproof? I read the tech spec's on the 2 units off of the garmin website and still no luck.

Off Topic: Oh, and are these good units, or are there better for the money? and will these units work with Google earth?

Longinuszero

Neither of those units will work with Google Earth directly. They both put out GPS data in Garmin format only (if you are speaking of the 18x USB version). Both will work with Garmin Spanner to output regular NMEA data if you are using Win XP (Spanner is not supported in Vista).

Other than that, the 18x is a far more robust (and larger) device I would consider for permanent mount or outdoor use. I cannot recommend the 20x under any circumstances except with MobilePC as a package. Even then, I have severe misgivings about its lack of flexibility. If you are interested in Garmin devices, look at the Bluetooth GPS 10x, a sensitive and flexible receiver that will work with Garmin and non-Garmin mapping programs equally.

Is there any particular reason you are considering Garmin GPS receivers? If you are not using Garmin mapping products such as Mobile PC, consider other USB GPS receivers such as the Globalsat BU-353. Also consider the Bluetooth iTrek M7 if you are interested in that approach.

Terry