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View Full Version : GPS navigation features to look for???



Larry Browning
04-10-2008, 2:19 PM
Well, I have spent my $1500 tax rebate 20 times in my head. But I think I may have settled on what to buy.
$500 goes to 2 new chairs for the office
$500 goes to 2 Jet air cleaners for the shop:D
and the rest I think I can spend on a GPS navigation device for SWMBO (and me too)

She really wants the bluetooth connectivity for her cell phone. So that one is a must! But beyond that I am not too sure about what to look for. I think the text-to-speech would be nice. I was looking at this one from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H49LXQ/ref=s9subs_c2_at2-rfc_g1-2814_g2_73_11_6_5_5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1JTSV3KK99XV38M9NFB8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846)
Seems like a good deal. We would not use it that much, but I do travel to unfamiliar cities a few time a year and would think that taking it with me to use in the rental car would be very helpful in finding my way around and locating a good restaurant. I don't want to go over the $500 mark on this one.

Lee Schierer
04-10-2008, 3:03 PM
Good choice. I have that one and we love it. You can go to the Garmin site "garmin.com" and do a comparison of features between models you select. Garmin gives a much better breakdown than the description at Amazon. They also have a way to check if your phone is actually compatible with their device. My Palm is not compatible unless I download some software from the telephone service provider.

Brad Schmid
04-10-2008, 3:33 PM
The 660 is the one I have too, and it is quite good. My current phone is a T-Mobile Dash (same as HTC Excaliber) and the bluetooth works fantastic. The nice thing about the 660 is that it comes with the FM traffic reciever and 3 months free service. Here in the Houston area, that feature is very valuable. If I remember right, the traffic reciever alone is about $150-200 if purchased separately.

Also, the speech is good on the 660, and in addition to telling you when to turn, it also speaks the street names (which many don't do).

I agree with Lee on the Garmin site. Compare a few models and you will get a good idea on the features and what the features mean.

Also, I prefer the Navteq maps (as opposed to Tele Atlas) here in the US, and that's what the Garmin uses. I plan to buy the Europe maps and test it out in Paris on my next trip in May. We'll see how that goes...

IMHO, at the current price, the 660 is a steal. It's dropped $100 in the last 3 months, and over $200 in the last 6 months due to the release of the new models.

Joe Pelonio
04-10-2008, 4:01 PM
How are the navigation systems on the phones, anyone tried Them?

Not me, screen is too small for these old eyes.

Larry Browning
04-10-2008, 5:53 PM
I have a few questions for you Garmin 660 owners. The specs say it has an FM transmitter that allows the audio to be sent to the car radio. Does that work well? and Do you have to use that feature or does the unit have its own speaker?

Is it possible to download map and firmware updates? If so, what is the cost involved?

Brad Schmid
04-10-2008, 9:57 PM
I have a few questions for you Garmin 660 owners. The specs say it has an FM transmitter that allows the audio to be sent to the car radio. Does that work well? and Do you have to use that feature or does the unit have its own speaker?

Is it possible to download map and firmware updates? If so, what is the cost involved?

Larry,
Yes, it has a built in transmitter, and it works fine (if you can find a clean channel to tune to). However, I never use it because the sound on the units built in speaker is plenty loud enough for me (and everyone tells me I'm deaf ;)). Plus, I can then use my car audio at the same time.

Downloadable updates are available, but I haven't done it because it came with everything up to date. When the 2009 update comes out in late April, I will. It involves entering your serial number on their website, and I've been too lazy to even try it ;) I'm not sure if there's a cost involved.

Mark Patoka
04-11-2008, 9:12 AM
Larry,
I found the link below to have some very indepth reviews of various models.

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2006/10/garmin_nuvi_660_indepth_review.php

I'm about ready to pull the plug on one myself, either the 650 or justifying the extra $ for the newer 750 model (don't need BlueTooth). We bought my son the 350 for Christmas and we really like it. You definitely want one that gives the street names, not just "Turn right ahead".

Garmin's current policy on map updates is if you bought your GPS within two months of the new 2009 maps being released, you will get a free upgrade if your unit has the 2008 maps loaded, otherwise you will have to buy them. Cost appears to be $70-100, depending on where you shop. The 2009 maps should be coming out this month and may already be shipping.

Larry Browning
04-11-2008, 11:23 AM
Wow Mark, thanks!!!!
That review looks great. I am at work right now and it looks like it is going to take quite a bit time to read it completely, so I will wait till I get home to do that.

Jerry Clark
04-11-2008, 11:26 AM
I have the Garmin NUVI 680 and it is great. The FM does not work to well in some areas because if interference from other radio waves, but the sound is OK for my deaf ears. The free trial of MS Direct does well in So. Cal for traffic, fuel prices and weather. This is not available for all areas. It also has Bluetooth, but my phone does not! You can add additional points of interest (POI) from several sites-- I like POI Factory.:D

Lee Schierer
04-11-2008, 1:11 PM
I have a few questions for you Garmin 660 owners. The specs say it has an FM transmitter that allows the audio to be sent to the car radio. Does that work well? and Do you have to use that feature or does the unit have its own speaker?

Is it possible to download map and firmware updates? If so, what is the cost involved?

The FM transmitter works well. If you load up an SD card with your favorite music or an audible book you can listen to music/book and the GPS will cut out the music when it needs to tell you something. As was already said the internal speakers work great for directions but aren't so hot for music listening. I have not tried the audible books.

You can update the GPS on line. I have done that with mine. It is pretty much automatic once you install their software on your computer. I have not needed to purchase updated maps yet. I purchased my unit in November 07.

After living in this area for 30 years it has been eye opening to let the gps pick the route to go to places we've driven to for years. It has found a couple of shorter routes.