Takk, dypen. I have limited experience with the Aera 500 as it is panel-mounted in one of our school's PA-28's, and it seems straightforward to use. I have noticed that it takes more pressure on the screen than on a smartphone, but that is probably a good thing given frequent turbulence.
Dypen, I take your answer to mean that it is generally easy to connect the GPS to a PC; I just don't understand what kind of cable to use or whether it is via Bluetooth.