Alanzuck, I don't know if it works with a Mac or not. I just looked around a bit on the delorme site but still don't know. I'll look some more, now I'm curious. It works with serial ports, usb ports, bluetooth. The delorme site is
http://www.delorme.com . The 'contact us' site has a link for emailing questions. That url is
http://www.delorme.com/support/policy.asp . Maybe someone out there is using it with a Mac.
The new version of the Earthmate is NMEA v2 compliant, meaning it will work with most gps mapping software available. My older version is not nmea compliant. I use the gps in conjunction with Street Atlas USA 2004, which is bundled with the GPS (one of the options). The GPS and software can be purchased separately.
I plot a route using SAU2004 before we head out, usually. Sometimes I take the route the software suggests, other times I modify it. SA does require some experimenting to learn how to use it's many options but is pretty powerful once you learn those. It can be frustrating while you're learning but in my opinion it's still the best available. I know others will feel something else is better and they might be right.
Sometimes when we're out exploring I just have the gps and software going without having plotted a planned route. That lets me see what the name of that lake over there is, what railroad is there. Where does this next road, and if I get lost I can tell it to get me home (plot a route from this point to there).
I also like that it shows me how many miles to my next planned stop and to the end of the day's trip, how far to the next turn, etc.
I also downloaded files that show up on the map, like where the camping worlds are located, where the walmarts and walmart supercenters are located, etc. Unfortunately those (they're done by private individuals) were set up for an earlier version of the maps but it's still close enough for my needs.
Another use, for example, Vicki wanted to go to a Hobby Lobby. We don't have a phone book handy for this area and who the heck knows what is where. So a quick search in SA pinpointed the nearest Hobby Lobby and I was able to give Vicki driving directions. She doesn't use the GPS when she goes out alone.
I plotted low clearance areas into one of these files, from the motor carriers atlas. I don't have all of them but have all of them below 13'3" that's listed in that atlas. A few of them I had to guess because the description wasn't real clear but those are noted as "approx here". Anyhow, this is a small file I can email to anyone who wants it. Just email me. No guarantees on its accuracy!
SA can be frustrating at times but I've tried several packages. Each has something I like better than in SA but overall SA still seems to work best for me. It does take some learning time but I see no reason why we couldn't have those discussions and learn from each other in MOC.
Let me know if you find it will or won't work with the Mac. I'll post if I find something first.