BigBendFishing.Net

Any experience or opinions out there on Simrad's new Cruise series of fishfinders/plotters? From what I have read and heard, they're no-frills and fairly low-end. But the one that I looked at seemed to have the features I need. It's in my price range as well as my experience range. Truth be told, I never really mastered the sonar and structure-spotting features on my old Lowrance Elite. So something simpler and more intuitive might be OK. I do use charts and GPS, and those features seemed adequate on the Simrad simulator. I've heard that it may be a clone or at least a first cousin of the Lowrance Hook series, which a couple of forum members have warned me away from. They mentioned slow processor speed and balky, hard-to-read displays. Any other thoughts?