Maybe Garmin should go another direction

I certainly keep all 3 (gps, radar and cell) in my car.

All, IMO...YMMV!
GPS/cellphone - give it up, iPhone already has that sewn up. Garmin should develop an iPhone app and sell that!
Sat radio - already being obsoleted by iPod plugged into aux in. Millions of folks are doing that and dropping sat radio subscriptions as a unneeeded luxury in troubled economic times.
Garmin's strong marine, avionics, and commercial-level products are good directions to go in as the consumer line becomes more and more commoditized. The fitness products are also strong and have room to grow.

At the prices Apple charges for the Iphone and ITT for service, believe me they have nothing sewn up!

Could you also post your source of your stats on the Satellite radio dropping sat radio subscriptions as unneeded please.

Bob

SAT radio is facing alot of hurdles, the biggest being that a large portion of their business comes from new cars owners that are introduced to the service after free trial periods and stay with it. With car sales falling fewer new subscribers. Also with a stock price of about 26 cents a share they were forced to pay a fine to the DOW and they still have to pay Stern his $100 million salary.
As to the iPhone just this weekend there have been lots of news about the gains iPhones are making on Blackberry in the business markets. The 2.0 software with it's ability to do PUSH mail and the huge number of new apps aimed at that market. On just a base level despite what AT&T charges they are still selling alot of iPhones, b/c despite prejudice against the carriers etc... they provide alot of utility to the users and with another software upgrade next week that will only increase.

Radar detectors are not legal in all states/areas.

As to the iPhone a study released this weekend also shows that over a 12 mo period the iPhone proved to be almost twice as reliable as the Blackberry, and more than 3 time more reliable than the Treo. That makes the cost of the plans come more into line also.

IMHO, Garmin should stick with what they do best.

Thats a goofy 'study' that I dont buy into...

Disclaimer: One of my 'hats' is being a Blackberry Admin..

Blackberry's in the biz world have alot of turnover...
Why? "It's free"... Well..at least user's 'think' they are..

I've had users tell me to my face that "If I dont like it, I'll just drop it and get a new one"..
Makes me want to slap em.

The blackberry's are 'all about business'. They are heavily used g'ment (Hey! Its tax payer money!) So I'm sure there is big turnover there..
Construction (PTT)
And general biz.

The Iphone has nothing on BB when it comes to biz.
BB's are 'open'..have their own dev kits.. are java based, and are 'controlled' buy the admin with a backend infrastructure. Namely...the Blackberry Enterprise Server.
From my point of view.. BB has 'control'.

I've been asked "can we get an Iphone"..I just laugh and say NO.

Iphones are consumer 'toys'. BB's are professional end-to-end encrypted biz devices.

This new car buyer for one, is letting the trial Sirius subscription expire. Just isn't worth $13 per month for lower quality music than I currently get from the local FM stations. I might feel differently if I lived in a rural area with few stations to pick from.

My mother fell in love with sat radio when they bought their new car this year. She's in her 80's, and she found a 40's music station that plays stuff she hadn't heard since high school. Even on a fixed income she jumped at the chance to hear music that can't be had for any price any other way. And she isn't the only one. I have lots of options in free music too here in the Denver area, but what's available on the satellite is far beyond what anyone broadcasts for free.

I travel a lot in rural Alberta, and have both a satellite radio and a GPS unit. I like the ability to select a music genre on the sat radio, and I don't get lost (or worry about getting lost) with the GPS. Both are portable and move between my work and family vehicle.

If Garmin is looking for a new combination, perhaps they should consider at a cooperative agreement with Sirius.

Couldn't have said it better. The iPhone has NOTHING on the Blackberry. One is a toy, the other is a business device.