Hrqls: I used european version of Garmin in Czech. I think (but I'm not sure) that only difference between USA and EU version is set of maps provided with ...

//how was the battery life ?
You can use rechargeable batteries ...

//your link says it can store maps in its 1mb //memory, how accurate are those maps ?
Sorry, I dont remember, please ask Garmin or map provider ...

// are there only maps from the usa or from other //countries as well ?
I'm sure that there are many maps providers ...

//i plan to buy it soon and play a bit with it //over here (in car, on bike, and walking in the //dunes/forest
There is only one problem ... You need direct view to the sky ... so in deep forest :)

//do you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to //use the gps data ?
No.


second possibility: to use pda with GPS modul and buy accurate maps but the battery life of PDA isn't good ...