This morning's lead story on
www.aero-news.net on the new Garmin 696 might be of interest to those considering a panel upgrade. With a screen 3 times the size of the 496, some of the distinctions between panel and hand-held units are blurred and it might just be the deciding factor in choosing to go hand-held rather than panel mount.
I'm not pushing Garmin (in fact, they'd probably prefer I steer people to their panel units), but when you consider installation and equipment costs, a panel unit may end up costing up to
ten times more and offer little more in return, especially if you want wx weather. I also expect to see vendors offering gadgets that will allow you to install the 696 on your panel, as they do now for the 496.
Anyhow, thought I would open this thread for you all to chat about it.
Ernie