Jonathan Goodish wrote:
In my experience, the PDA/Windows solutions all require tinkering to get
working and to continue working. If you don't mind the tinkering, they
can provide you with some capabilities that the 396 lacks. For
navigation and weather, though, none of them beat the simplicity and
reliability of the Garmin 396.

Regarding XM audio, the WxWorx receiver used with PDA/Windows systems
does not have an audio tuner. It does have an antenna pass-through, to
which you can connect an appropriate tuner, such as the Roady2. Because
the WxWorx receiver has no audio tuner, there is no way for XM audio via
a software solution.


JKG

Excellent points - I have the AnywhereMap system running on an Ipaq
5500. It's wonderful when it works, but some tinkering is required to
get everything just right. Of course, I'm in the computer industry, so
tinkering with computers is a bit of a hobby and the whole process is
kinda fun. If you find this type of thing a pain the a**, the PDA
route is not for you.

The nice part about needing the dedicated audio receiver for XM with
the WxWorx is that I use the same one (RoadyXT) in my plane, my truck,
the hangar and the house - so only one subscription to pay for!

Mike