Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Garmin nüvi 205 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin nüvi 205 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Garmin Nuvi Excellent Choice

We purchased this product at a much lower ($30.00 less) price than anywhere else we shopped. We received it 2 days after purchase and use it for every expedition outside our normal driving area. While I've always enjoyed getting "a little lost" it's great to know that I can't get "too" lost. Thanks

great product

Great product, very easy to use. Requires downloading the update before use, takes 5 mins or less. Comes with eveything you need in the box.

NEW ORLEANS VACATION

My family and I visited New Orleans for the first time. We had just bought the GPS and are ecstatic. Don't know how we could ever have vacationed without it. We have bought 3 more for our extended family.

Improvements over Nuvi 200 appreciated

I had to give the Nuvi 205 a 5-star rating because it's better than the Nuvi 200, which has an average of 4.5 stars at Amazon. All in all, I'm glad I got the 205 vs. the 200. Not in any order are the following improvements I appreciated most: The faster screen refresh is noticeable. There's a YouTube video where the 205 is compared with the 200. You can see a huge difference. The redesigned display is more intuitive with arrows vs. "left"/"right". Personally, I think the screen design looks better, too. The ability to import addresses on the computer from Google map is very nice since entering the address via the touchscreen is a bit cumbersome. BTW, the documentation is very, very light. There was no mention of how to use the map importation feature so I appreciated the Amazon product page including the link to download the plug-in. Also, I didn't know I could download more vehicles till I dug around the Garmin website. About text-to-speech, which this unit does NOT have, I don't think I'm going to miss it. Usually I have the radio or iPod blaring, and my car is pretty noisy anyway, so it would be hard to hear the street names called out. In fact, I keep the volume down and rely on the very intuitive display. You clearly see the upcoming street name to turn on and even if there are a bunch of streets bunched up together, the main map would show them all and it would be easy to differentiate the one you want.

Love my New GPS so much I got another!

I decided that I wanted a GPS for my car. Mainly because I had seen a friend use her TomTom to find a place to eat. That was something I didn't know they did. Usually I am a major researcher. I research everything from cars to coffee pots before they are purchased. (let not even talk about the length of time it took to purchase a house and looking at upwards of 5+ a day!) But my husband and I went to Best Buy to get a new TV. I let him do his thing and traveled the store playing with the newest gadgets when I came up to the GPS counter. I started playing with them seeing which would do what. So fun! When a sales man came over I ask to borrow his computer to get on the company website and read reviews, he laughed but allowed it. All 3 units I was looking had had a 4.0 rating or higher. So back to the devices I went. My husband came over as he hadn't seen me in an hour, I told him I was going to get one of them but wasn't sure which. So he started messing with them also. We finally came to the agreement on the Garmin nuvi 205 only because he said he wanted one for his truck also and since they had different colors He wanted black and I got red. After placing them in our vehicles, learning them was a snap. There are directions but I found I didn't even need them. Setting up took no time at all for it to connect and locate me. I am going to get my boss one for Christmas as he goes places all the time and carries map books. He also knows nothing beyond checking email on a computer but I am sure that he will have no problem with this little gem!



Keyword : garmin

TomTom Carrying Case for the TomTom One v.3 GPS

TomTom Carrying Case for the TomTom One v.3 GPS

Great product

This has worked flawlesssly since recieved. The only problem was along freeway I-39 in Rockford when construction moved an exit and the unit tried to exit us at a non-existant ramp. We have been impressed with how many POI's are loaded in the unit. Anyway it is keeps my wife happy and I am no longer trying to anticipate which lane to be in for the next turn.



Keyword : gps

Monday, October 27, 2008

Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Great Value and Top of the Line

From the many reviews that I have personally read, this nuvi 680 unit's feature set is pretty much exactly the same as the current high end 7xx series units. So don't fret that it's a discontinued model. My refurbished unit came updated with the 2009 map already, so no need to update there (we don't get that luxury as refurbished unit owners anyways). It looked like it was brand new out of the box! As a GPS unit, the unit functions very well. Doesn't take too long to sync with the satellite. Typical voiced directions. Plenty points of interests (I feel like I have Google Maps in my car!) --- There are many little features that make this a great unit. Bluetooth compatability: -Easy enough to connect to my Samsung phone. -Downloads all of the phone information onto the unit! -You get recent calls, missed calls...all that good stuff, even battery life, signal. It's as good as any built-in GPS you'd find in a luxury car these days. FM Transmitter: -This was one of the features I was really excited about because I wanted to be able to listen to my own music over FM as well as have conversations over FM. Unfortunately the signal is weak and sound is staticky. It is bearable for a conversation. SD slot: -Can upload music onto the unit although you won't be able to really enjoy the playback unless you have an auxiliary input on your car! --- The value of this unit at it's discounted refurbished price is unbeatable given the feature set. The one thing I haven't tried is the MSN Direct service, but I believe as refurbished owners we DO still get 1 year of free service since an activation tag was attached to my FM receiver/power charger.

Ships from Amazon with 2009 maps!

Just got one from Amazon (refurb) and much to my delight it came with the latest 2009 maps. Good because Garmin does not do the 60 day free update with refurb models as they do with new units. As for a review, it's a very good gps with a great display. Build quality/feel is not as nice as Tom Tom, but good enough. Same ease of use as Garmin has had forever. Fold out antenna is a little annoying and the suction cup bracket gets in the way a bit. The suction cup mount seems a bit over complicated and fragile. Magellan does it muh better. A bean bag mount as was standard with the 2720 is available and I'll be getting that. Very nice unit, overall. - Geo

nuvi 680

This device offers voice directions, mp3 player, fm transmitter to your car radio and bluetooth connectivity to your cell phone for (practically)hands free operation. My phone book automatically loads into the Garmin for easy search and selection. There are many shops of all kinds listed in its vast memory. A slot for SD cards fill with MP3 music is easily accessed. The gps does have a battery life but an enterprising individual could use a mini usb connector to a 5V source (4 AA alkaline batteries with a silicon diode in series) to run it as long as those batteries lasted. I do not see any drawbacks except paying a yearly fee of 19 dollars to msn for the weather, gas prices and traffic data. Did I mention the current movies are listed and it maps where to go to see them? All in all, I am happy with this product. My wife has confiscated it from me for the most part, however. I might have to buy another at $[...] since I paid $[...] at [...] last December (2007) for the one I have now.

Might me good navigator if had removable battery

The biggest drawback of this navigator is that manufacturer is still continues to make them with no access to the battery. So how it can be a PORTABLE navigator than? Let's say you are riding a bike or hiking with this navigator, and in 4-6 hours your battery run out of juice, and you STUCK in the middle of forest? That's not nice at all! Now if you could change a battery, you just put a fresh one, and you are on your way again! The other point - once you recharge the battery installed inside the devise for 500 - 700 times it will be almost dead and not to hold a charge. What it means for you - you have to Pay BIG BUCKS for TECHNICIAN to INSTALL A NEW BATTERY. GARMIN, COME ON, FIX THIS PROBLEM, than you might have an Awesome product.



Keyword : gps

GARMIN 010-00658-10 Forerunner 405 With Ant+Sport Wireless Technology (Black)

GARMIN 010-00658-10 Forerunner 405 With Ant+Sport Wireless Technology (Black)

Great device, few setbacks

I used the Garmin Forerunner 205 for 3 years before buying the 405 about a month ago. The 405 seems to get satellite reception faster and is more comfortable to wear, but the touch bezel does have some drawbacks. It is hard to use the bezel on the run and it doesn't work when it gets wet. I love this product because I am a "start it a forget it runner," but if you like to operate your watch on the run, the Forerunner 205 is probably a better deal.

Stick with the 305

Form factor is great, GPS function is great. Product is unusable during a workout! Once you break a sweat and sometimes before, the bezel becomes unusable. Garmin obviously never tested this device in the field. Buy the Garmin 305 it is rock solid and more feature rich. Amazon was great to work with on this issue and I am in the process of receiving a full refund. If you do buy this unit, please save all the packing and accessories so you can return to Amazon within the 30 day period.

No mac support :(

Promised by "Q4 2008" but I am not going to hold my breath for it given all the other negative review about performance. What a bummer, cause the 305 is ugly, but I guess I'll stick with it cause it works.

expensive but VERY useful

I bought the Garmin Forerunner 405 for my girlfriend. I have since run with her while she was wearing it and asked her about her solo runs with it. She absolutely loves the thing, especially the virtual partner feature. The only problem I think she has had are with the bezel-controls, which can be confusing at times. It seems like sometimes the watch reacts to touch and other times it doesn't. To be fair, my girlfriend has not read the manual.

Stick with the 305

Let me first say that I have been a fan of Garmin products for years and have run with the 105 and the 205/305 and loved both of them. You turned them on and went for a run with no problems, but the 405 is nowhere near as easy. I went through two of them before I realized I should not wasted anymore time with this thing. The connection with the computer is a huge hassle and if you do not have the current updates the watch lasts only 4 hours based on my experience. The touch feature on the watch is a pain and not easy to work. It does fit nicely but that is it....And to make matters worse the customer support for Garmin is horrible you end up waiting 30-40 minutes.....For those die hard marathoners like me, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME....Get the 205/305.......



Keyword : garmin