When making the move to Apple from PC, I ran into the problem of interfacing with my Garmin eTrex Vista Cx GPS (Buy). Although there are plenty of applications available to transfer waypoints, tracks, etc. to and from the GPS units. Garmin RoadTrip is a Garmin application to do just that, but may not be the best solution. The biggest missing feature was the ability to transfer maps to and from my GPS. Garmin now has a couple of tools to do just that. Let's cover them one-by-one.
Garmin RoadTrip
For those familiar with Garmin MapSource Garmin RoadTrip will look suspiciously similar. The tools are desperately in need of an overhaul and the folder/item manager is horrendous. That said, it works. RoadTrip is used to transfer routes, waypoints, and tracks to and from your GPS device. You can also overlay any maps you may have onto the map. Although only one map layer may be shown at a time. While transferring data to the GPS you will have to option to transfer the maps that correspond to your data via MapInstall. Another downfall is the lack of ability to use UTM coordinates. Hopefully some of these changes will be made soon.
Garmin MapInstall
MapInstall is a fairly straight forward tool to use. If used in conjunction with RoadTrip as described above the maps will be transferred automatically. If you would like to transfer maps manually, MapInstall makes it almost as easy. Just select the map layer you want to transfer and then select the individual maps. The interface is rather straight forward and easy to use.
Garmin MapManager
MapManager is simply an application to install maps to RoadTrip and MapInstall. Open MapInstall, select the map file you want to install and your done. Then fire up RoadTrip or MapInstall and you'll have access to the maps.
Garmin also has a handful of other applications for OS X. WebUpdate to keep your GPS device up to date and a few lesser used applications that some find useful. As far as the applications previously discussed, I would like to see a few things. First, as I mentioned earlier I would like to see a user interface cleanup. Second, all of these tools are used to transfer data to and from a GPS device. There is no reason these should be seperate applications. One complete application like MapSource would be a welcome change. Third, I would like to see some sort of "sync" capability. Right now, you can either send or receive from the GPS with no regard for what changes have been made. Syncing would allow you to make simple changes and push them back to the GPS without having to worry about what was on the device initially. Cell phones and PDA's have been doing this for many years, yet it still isn't possible with GPS devices. All in all the applications work and if you need to use your Garmin GPS with OS X, these are the best bet, keeping in mind it's not perfect.
