You make some good points, I agree with your thoughts behind the hardware issues etc.
However, for me (and others), having functional GPS is not so much about using navigation (although it's handy if you are in a strange town on foot as the street view navigation for walking is cool), rather its about the ever increasing number of apps that mandate a good GPS signal to provide accurate locational based information. Yelp is a good example of the many.
Network location is horrible compared to a satellite lock, and it's for this reason many of us want a functional GPS lock.
I use my garmin for car trips like most people - even with working GPS on the vibrant, it's impractical to use it for long trips as the battery discharges faster than any charger can charge it! Even with fast charge, the GPS uses battery faster than it can be charged, so you will find yourself with a dead battery within an hour or so even when connected to the charger.
