Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Speech Recognition
Nuvi 855 Great GPS Navigator
I purchased my first Garmin unit 6 years ago and it worked flawlessly until it was recently stolen (forgot to lock my car doors). I'm actually glad that it was stolen as it forced me to purchase a new unit. The Nuvi 855 is a major advance in GPS navigation technology. The solid state memory, battery power, and voice recognition are all great new features. It is amazing how the Nuvi 855 can recognize my voice commands even with the car noise at open highway speeds. It seldom makes an error. Voice recognition is probably not necessary with the easy to use touch screen but it is just plain fun. In researching other user reviews before purchasing this unit one of the common complaints was that the internal speakers did not provide enough volume even at 100%. I did not find this to be the case. I generally have to keep the volume at 70% or it is too loud. Garmin's recent software update may have addressed this problem. Updating the unit's software online is extremely easy when connected to a computer via the supplied USB cable. For a bit more fun you can download celebrity voices into the unit to guide you to your destination. The Garmin support website is excellent and easy to navigate. I highly recommend the Garmin Nuvi 855 or any Garmin product. I also recommend purchasing from Amazon.Com as they have the best prices around for GPS units.
Fantastic Gps
This is my 6th garmin in 6 yrs,every year cost me so very little to upgrade as i sell my other models to friends for very good prices.This model the 855 was so very easy to set up.I downloaded all the 2010 map updates and voices.The speech was a breeze to work with,Found everything i said with ease.took it for a spin and it all worked beautifully.Not a single problem and have always given garmin tech support 5 stars as they have been so supportive over the years.HIGHLY RECCOMEND this unit.The perfect unit for me.
I purchaced my new Garmin Nuvi 855 after researching for more than a month which model was the best fit for me. I already knew after working with GPS receivers in the agricultural field for more than 6 years that I wouldn't settle for anything less than a Garmin. Garmin has so many models available that it makes it tough to choose which one to buy. I wanted a higher end model that didn't have all the bells & whisltles on it such as Bluetooth (already have it) and traffic info (isn't applicable out in the sticks where we live...) I plan on using it for work (GPS coodinates for Locates & One Calls) and for recreational use while traveling.I decided on the Nuvi 855 because of the Garmin reliability, the easy to use features and the reasonable price @ Amazon.com.
This is actually the second unit I've had as the first one had some accuracy problems. I placed a phone call to Garmin and spoke with one of their friendly, informed techs and after explaing the problem to him I was told to return it to Amazon for a replcement. I was told at that time that if there was any problem getting it replaced that I could return it directly to Garmin. I made the call to Amazon and had a new unit within 3 days. (Yay, way to go Amazon!)
The day after the replacement unit arrived I left for 5 days where I got to use the new unit in city driving conditions. The 855 performed flawlessly except on 2 seperate occasions where it completely locked up. Both times I had to remove the battery from the unit to reboot it. The day I got home I made another call to Garmin, where once again I was helped by one of their great techs. He told me there was a fix for that particular problem in Garmin's WebUpdater. He stayed with me on the phone untill the new update was installed and then wrote up a return authorization form and gave me the info to get it exchanged for another new Garmin, just in case the update didn't fix my problem. It gave me a new appreciation for Garmin's outstanding customer service, something you don't see a lot of any more.
The following weekend my wife & I drove over a thousand miles to visit with family, and we used & played with the new Garmin during the whole trip. It never locked up at all and worked perfectly. We compared it constantly to the navigation system in our Honda Odyssey and in many ways we liked the nuvi better. I know that the Garmin Nuvii 855 is the right choice for us.
Many nice features
This GPS has many nice features that you don't find on some of the previously available. Easy to operate and no hands feature is nice. Got it for a gift for my son and he is very happy with it. Got a great price at Amazo.com. Free delivery and arrived on time.Won't leave home without it.
I have been using handheld GPS devices for vehicle navigation for years. I have also used an earlier nüvi model (660). The bigger screen size on the nüvis is nice but having the speech output for routing assistance in the 855 makes for a vast improvement over handhelds. Being able to type on the touch screen is also a huge improvement over small handhelds like my eTrex.Garmin has also made many subtle improvements in the user interface since the 660.
The other big feature addition for the 855 model is the ability to speak commands. I have not really tried it out much yet other than to confirm (to my amazement) that it works in my noisy little car. (My GPS is worth more than my car!)
Incidentally I highly recommend RAM mounts for in-car or on bike handlebars for any GPS devices. The mounts available from Garmin are generally flimsy by comparison.
There are "walking" and "bicycling" modes in the 855 but it's really not very good outside a car.
I've briefly tried the nüvi on a bicycle and the screen washes out in direct sunlight. It's not weather resistant either. And it's a bit bulky to carry when walking.
