Seeking a GPS recommendation

 

I currently have a Nuvi 650 and I have also borrowed my neighbor's TomTom One (I believe it was) before buying my Garmin.

I went with the Garmin because I understood that the Garmin's maps were better for the US, whereas the TomTom had better maps for Europe.

I find that I mostly use my GPS unit as an illuminated map. I.e., I use it to see the name of the street(s) coming up and the names of major streets and roads in the surrounding area in which I am driving.

I do occasionally use it for getting me from point A to point B in strange or confusing area and, under such circumstances, the unit is terrific. Ditto for the ability to download and save POIs, redlight cameras and speed cameras, etc.

I am totally not interested in bluetooth, FM traffic, but I definitely want it to speak street names, and I do want a wide-screen unit.

Any recommendations gratefully accepted.

One last thought; I have a MacBook on which I run both the Mac OS and Windows XP. Would something like the Garmin GPS 10 fill the bill? I checked it out at Garmin but could not figure out if is speaks street names, if you can save favorites or POI, etc.

Many thanks,

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

Well, the first thing you'll

Well, the first thing you'll discover is that the newest Garmin navigators do NOT display the names of the streets coming up unless you are on a limited access highway.

So any Nuvi model with the last digit of the model number being a 5 is a no-no. likewise if the model number is greater than 1000, forget it.

Since you are driving, I suggest an automotive navigator.

So we're trending to a lower cost, less fully featured unit.

I'd shoot for the Nuvi 750 if you can find one out there.

You can run Mapsource under Windows XP - though you likely won't need it given your needs assessment.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

Nuvi 750

First off, thanks for the heads up on certain units no longer displaying the names of upcoming streets. Bummer.

A colleague just got the Nuvi 750 from Amazon.com at an excellent price. BIG screen, indeed.

May I trouble you to expand a bit on your suggestion: You can run Mapsource under Windows XP - though you likely won't need it given your needs assessment.

I looked up Mapsource on the Garmin site but could not find a clear description of precisely what it does.

I also looked, online, at the Garmin GPS 20X bundle for laptops and a Garmin Mobile® PC Navigation Package at Crutchfield, both of which looked like possibilities.

Thanks again, bramfrank

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

.

Sounds like you want a HUGE screen like a laptop to use for navigation. Those 10X and 20X bundles look interesting.

http://tinyurl.com/ocz2tf

I bet those would work well with a NetBook PC with a 8 or 10 inch screen. You figure a top of the line Nuvi cost as much as a Netbook computer. Then buy the Garmin PC pack and you have a cool set up but lots of wires. May be good for a truck driver.

As far as a 750. Nice unit but what will it do for you that the 650 won't? Sound like you want the PC thing. I've not tried it but I'd be interested to see how it works.

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Eat at Joes.

The foldout antenna on the

The foldout antenna, inability to enter autosorting multiple destinations for a route and lack of a track log on the 6X0 series are deal breakers as far as I'm concerned.

Mapsource is used to plan routes, look up addresses, show where you've been (assuming your unit has a tracklog) and such.

But you can set your destinations on the navigator and if you don;t have a track log (or aren't interested in one) then you really don't need to use it.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

Quote:the newest Garmin

Quote:

[the newest Garmin navigators do NOT display the names of the streets coming up unless you are on a limited access highway.

So any Nuvi model with the last digit of the model number being a 5 is a no-no.]

I have a nuvi 765t and have no problem with seeing upcoming streets. As a matter of fact I was in St. Louis recently and got directions from my grandma to go somewhere (she lives in the area) and was able to just use the map without taking the time to input a new destination (as I was driving at the time). I'm not sure what you are talking about....

On another note, it sounds like the nuvi 765t would not be a good idea at all for the op since it is expensive due to the added features such as fm transmittter, lane assist, and lifetime traffic.

What about bluetooth?

Hi Racer X -

The NetBook is a nice idea, as you noted, with the exception that you have those bloody wires trailing all over the place.

I have a MacBook, running Windows XP, with a 13" screen, with Bluetooth and I see that some of the Garmin units f/u/w laptops come with Bluetooth. To quote from the Garmin page:

The Garmin Mobile PC with GPS 20x Bundle is available with or without a GPS sensor, or as the Mobile 10 bundle with Bluetooth GPS sensor, depending on your laptop configuration.

Jeez, but I wish they gave more/clearer info on those product descriptions. I am presuming that my laptop won't work like my Nuvi in that I can touch the screen to move among screens. I guess I'd have to use the trackpad to do this?

Anyone have any experience with these Garmin units f/u/w/ laptops who can chime in???

Many thanks,

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

Go with a Nuvi 750 or better...

And get Garmin's RoadTrip for mac, and forget about mapsource.

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*Keith* MacBook Pro *wifi iPad(2012) w/BadElf GPS & iPhone6 + Navigon*

Garmin Mobile PC...

...w/ GPS 10x for $120 on Amazon.com, is what I am currently leaning towards.

It's got the wireless/bluetooth GPS 10x receiver, and comes with a DVD with City Navigator® NT street maps and Garmin Mobile PC software.

Boot my MacBook up with Windows XP and I am good to go so far as I can see.

The Garmin blurb on this product notes:
Add full-featured navigation to your Laptop or ultra mobile PC with Garmin Mobile PC. Get maps, millions of POIs, easy-to-use navigation software, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names (English only), route planning and more.

I'll try it first with my MacBook and if I really like it, I may indeed break the bank and get a bluetooth-capable netbook to go with it.

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

Touch Screen or not?

Hi RacerX -

Father's Day arrived along with a nice surprise: a Samsung NC-10 Netbook. Very slick, great screen, excellent keyboard, etc., bringing me one step closer to getting a Garmin Mobile PC with GPS 10, as you suggested.

I mentioned my plan to a tech-savvy friend who has a Garmin and he expressed some doubt that any touch-screen functions would work on my Netbook.

You/anyone know the answer to this one? And if there are no touch-screen functions, how do you drill down through the menus?

Many thanks to all, (this is a terrific site and resource)

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

Garmin Mobile is made for a laptop

Standard laptops don't have touch screens, so it would expect a mouse/touchpad/function key input. On those laptops that actually do have touch screens, the touch screen emulates using the mouse/touchpad. Meaning you still have to double-click your icons to launch a program, etc.

Thanks...

...for that info, John. Much appreciated and I was afraid that was the case.

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

My personal reccomendation

My personal reccomendation is a nuvi 5K. Its i very wide screen but still small enough to be a GPS. You can also buy a 10 dollar adapter and plug your A/V jacks into it. It is a very good unit made durably for truckers and Rvers

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Nicpfeif12 Garmin Nuvi 5000 =)/ Winnebago 24f Minnie/ PHILLIES 07 NL east champps/ Philidelphia PHILLIES 2008 World Champss/ PHILLIES 09 NL CHAMPS/ 2010 NL EAST CHAMPIONS

Same

johnc wrote:

Standard laptops don't have touch screens, so it would expect a mouse/touchpad/function key input. On those laptops that actually do have touch screens, the touch screen emulates using the mouse/touchpad. Meaning you still have to double-click your icons to launch a program, etc.

I have a HP TX2 which is a tablet. everything works the same in tablet function as it would witha mouse

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Nicpfeif12 Garmin Nuvi 5000 =)/ Winnebago 24f Minnie/ PHILLIES 07 NL east champps/ Philidelphia PHILLIES 2008 World Champss/ PHILLIES 09 NL CHAMPS/ 2010 NL EAST CHAMPIONS

Street names

bramfrank wrote:

Well, the first thing you'll discover is that the newest Garmin navigators do NOT display the names of the streets coming up unless you are on a limited access highway.

So any Nuvi model with the last digit of the model number being a 5 is a no-no. likewise if the model number is greater than 1000, forget it.

I have a Nuvi 5000 and it speaks street names fine

--
Nicpfeif12 Garmin Nuvi 5000 =)/ Winnebago 24f Minnie/ PHILLIES 07 NL east champps/ Philidelphia PHILLIES 2008 World Champss/ PHILLIES 09 NL CHAMPS/ 2010 NL EAST CHAMPIONS

Did you rread before you wrote?

nicpfeif12 wrote:
bramfrank wrote:

Well, the first thing you'll discover is that the newest Garmin navigators do NOT display the names of the streets coming up unless you are on a limited access highway.

So any Nuvi model with the last digit of the model number being a 5 is a no-no. likewise if the model number is greater than 1000, forget it.

I have a Nuvi 5000 and it speaks street names fine

I was referring to standard widescreen automotive Nuvis, not specialised units like GPSMAP or RV/Truck-specific models like the 5000 or 465T.

And what I wrote was that the latest models do not DISPLAY upcoming cross streets - I said nothing about speaking street names.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

765T

When it in the map mode, not giving directions My 765T displays the up coming streets. When navigating it displays the next turn

Not mine

robinj214 wrote:

When it in the map mode, not giving directions My 765T displays the up coming streets. When navigating it displays the next turn

Mine only shows upcoming street names when on limited access roads (highways), but displays only 'Driving on' with the street name . . . . otherwise. When I spoke to Garmin support I was told that 'this is the way of the new navigators'.

The Zumo 660 suffers the same limitation.

Are you fully up to date with firmware and mapping on yours? I've pulled out my 765 and put back my 780 because of this.

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

Whoops! sorry bout that i

Whoops! sorry bout that i misunderstood you

--
Nicpfeif12 Garmin Nuvi 5000 =)/ Winnebago 24f Minnie/ PHILLIES 07 NL east champps/ Philidelphia PHILLIES 2008 World Champss/ PHILLIES 09 NL CHAMPS/ 2010 NL EAST CHAMPIONS

Wrong, Streetpilot 7200 does

Wrong, Streetpilot 7200 does all that, and then some! The best GPS I've seen to date.

Man!!!

That 7200 is a monster.

I look forward to the day, however, when Garmin starts to produce units with a better screen resolution.

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

I have a nuvi 855 and it

I have a nuvi 855 and it does display the street names. You just have to be at the proper zoom level. I use the auto zoom feature and if I'm on the highway, only major roads are identified but the name of the upcoming exit is listed in the Green bar at the top. Once I take an exit and start driving around town, it zooms in more and all the streets are named so I can see what's coming up. Also, all of my poi's are visible as I drive, unless I turn them off which can be done by category.

I really like the 855. You can speak commands to it so you don't have to touch it if you don't want to. It's not for the technology challenged, but if you enjoy cool gadgets, it's a lot of fun to use.

I just signed up here and I wish I could have been here earlier because it's still on sale for $250.00 at Costco.com. But only until midnight tonight. After that, it goes up another $100.00. Maybe somebody can still take advantage of it if they want. If you buy it and end up not liking it, you can just bring it into any Costco wholesale store for a full refund. Of course you have to be a Costco member to take advantage of this.

Wish I was here sooner. smile

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Ernie, - Garmin nuvi 855 / dezl 760

Nuh uh . . .

Ernie;

You mean to say that as you drive along a regular street, the names of the upcoming cross streets are displayed in the text box that runs across the top of the display?

I suspect not . . .

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Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

On the 700 series and the

On the 700 series and the 300 series it is. The street/road names are also displayed on the map, depending on the detail level and the zoom level.

Which unit do you have that doesn't display upcoming street names when not routing?

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Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

No, it works like this

bramfrank wrote:

Ernie;

You mean to say that as you drive along a regular street, the names of the upcoming cross streets are displayed in the text box that runs across the top of the display?

I suspect not . . .

When I drive on a regular street (not the freeway) the name of the street that I am driving on is displayed in the text box at the top of the screen. It will say something like "Driving on Main Street". The names of the upcoming streets are visible on the map itself.

If I'm driving on the freeway, the text bar at the top will say things like "Next exit 174 to Dorena Lake" or something similar. When you're on the freeway it automatically zooms out for a much higher birds eye view of your surroundings. In this view only major roads are named. As soon as you take an exit, it automatically zooms in, the exit name is displayed in the text bar, and the streets you are approaching on the map are named.

I could snap a screen shot, but I don't see any way to insert them here. Screen shots are saved as .bmp's.

--
Ernie, - Garmin nuvi 855 / dezl 760

Sigh . . . .

EScheidl wrote:
bramfrank wrote:

Ernie;

You mean to say that as you drive along a regular street, the names of the upcoming cross streets are displayed in the text box that runs across the top of the display?

I suspect not . . .

When I drive on a regular street (not the freeway) the name of the street that I am driving on is displayed in the text box at the top of the screen. It will say something like "Driving on Main Street". The names of the upcoming streets are visible on the map itself.

If I'm driving on the freeway, the text bar at the top will say things like "Next exit 174 to Dorena Lake" or something similar. When you're on the freeway it automatically zooms out for a much higher birds eye view of your surroundings. In this view only major roads are named. As soon as you take an exit, it automatically zooms in, the exit name is displayed in the text bar, and the streets you are approaching on the map are named.

I could snap a screen shot, but I don't see any way to insert them here. Screen shots are saved as .bmp's.

I know exactly what you are seeing, I was explaining what I was complaining about because clearly you had the wrong idea.

I happen to own more than a couple of navigators and have been involved in the AVL industry as far back as 1992 when I worked with GMRL (General Motors Research Labs) on a project in Florida and with Caltrans on a similar navigation/traffic project in LA.

The automatic zooming at exits you refer to happens when you are navigating (as far as taking routed exits) and the actual zoom level is user controllable in two steps; less than (I think it is) 38 mph and over 38 mph. You can set them both to the same level and it won't do that annoying in-and-out thing. Unfortunately the settings do not survive powerups.

In it's latest incarnation, and in it's infinite wisdom Garmin now only displays the name of the street we are driving along in the text banner when we are not actively navigating.

. . . and isn't that just plain stupid?

When you drive down a street and approach an intersection, the city doesn't put up a sign for you to see wth the name of the street you are on, they show the name of the cross street.

Why do we suppose that would be?

Perhaps it is because we are expected to have the presence of mind to already know what street we are driving on.

So, based on the premise that the mapping package knows what street I'm approaching, and I'm supposed to know the street I'm driving on. I already have that information - if I am looking for a cross street I should NOT have to squint and search for the street signs, it should be displayed on the screen of my navigator.

Nor should I be forced to put my navigator into a specific mode to see the name of the cross street - we have the screen real-estate reserved for this type of data and, the reality is that until these latest firmware releases Garmin has ALWAYS displayed cross street data in the banner box no matter what the zoom level.

Someone in Garmin's human factors group flunked their GUI course and got the job anyway - she must be pretty and an easy lay.

You should already know what street you are driving on - and if you are going somewhere and are not actively navigating (because perhaps you couldn't get the navigator to actually find the address when you were starting out because they have the destination's street name coded different from the way you were told), the unit should display the names of upcoming cross streets - the way they USED to do it in the 'olden days' of less than a year ago.

Yes, you can see the names of upcoming streets on the map itself if you are zoomed in close enough.

But I for one want as MUCH detail as I can possibly get because I often ride rural areas and the latest variant of Garmin's navigators provide ZERO detail when soomed out more than 500 meters (what is that, 1500 feet?). So often you can actually see farther down the road with your eyes than the map will display with detailed local and minor roads enabled.

If you've not experienced it, perhaps you can't appreciate what it's lack is like. Perhaps you haven't owned enough navigators or used them like I do (they ARE supposed to largely replace paper maps, let's keep in mind) or owned them long enough to remember how it worked.

In my case, I often go to someone's home where there are no readable cross street signs and there are a large number of short blocks, all nondescript. I often miss their street when I take the cage with the 765 because I get no clues.

I suppose I could mark the destination with a waypoint, but I already have too many of them, making it less than ideal as a solution.

The ideal solution is to have left things as they were - it was more than convenient and the new way removes a huge amount of that usefulness from the product.

Answering the question "where are we?" is more easily said as on 5th, approaching Baker, rather than 'somewhere on 5th - you already knew you were on 5th. Pressing a bunch of buttons to figure it out should not be a requirement.

That is one change (of several that they've made lately) that will quickly make me a Garmin hater.

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

More sighing . . . .

phranc wrote:

On the 700 series and the 300 series it is. The street/road names are also displayed on the map, depending on the detail level and the zoom level.

Which unit do you have that doesn't display upcoming street names when not routing?

All of the 2X5, 7X5, 8XX, Zumo 660 and so on . . . . none of these puts cross-street information in the banner box when not on a limited access highway.

The 2X0, 3X0, 6X0, 7X0 and Zumo 550 DO put upcoming cross-street information in the banner.

Unfortunately, these names are not ALWAYS on the map in the new schema, because whether it is displayed or not depends on the map detail settings and the zoom level you've selected.

The MOST effective solution is to have the upcoming cross-street name ALWAYS be displayed (on some longer stretches, the display under the prdevious arrangement would have the current street alternating with the upcming cross street if the next was some distance away - and the best place in in the text box across the top of the screen which is presently wasted telling me what street I am driving ON - I KNOW what street I'm on. We need useful information.

Why 'we'?

Because if you don't miss it, it is probably because you never had it. This is one of THE key features to effective driving. As you drive along, having the navigator display the name of the upcoming cross street in a fixed location allows you to do some planning - you don't have to zoom in on the map - the name isn't moving around - the data is in a constant location - psychologically it means less stress and less distraction when checking for this information because you don't have to search for it.

And, if you are zoomed out, you will NOT see upcoming cross street names on the map itself, just a crosshatch of gray roads if you are in an urban center - not a bad thing, in fact I want as much local road map detail as I can get, more even than my 780 provides. The 276c has it right.

On the 7X0 and 3X0 you have FIVE levels of screen detail. On the newer units you are limited to THREE.

For some reason Garmin has castrated their latest automotive models, limiting secondary road detail display to a maximum 500 meters of zoom - might not seem bad for urban dwellers, but if you are in rural areas, you can't zoom out and still see those roads - in fact since Garmin made their latest changes you can't zoom out and still see the road you are driving on if it is not a proper highway.

So if you are in the country, and want to see what's up ahead, the only way is to use the browse map - and that's just plain idiotic.

My 780 shows the upcoming cross streets in the text box. My 780 shows local road detail to zoom levels of 1200 meters (2 miles) - 3 or 5 mile detail would be better - my 276c does that. Why can't my much more expensive Zumo 660 or my 765T? It isn't as if any of those has lower screen resolution.

I may just put the 276 back on the motorcycle.

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

GPS Recommendation

I cannot recommend higher, the Garmin 660 and 680. I have one for over a year and I just love it. As well as speaking the street names and instuctions --"turn left on Oak Street in 1000 feet" in any language and accent you choose, it connects to your Bluetooth phone and receives voice calls very loud and clear,through your car radio- or on the built-in speaker, so it is a Hands- Free phone. Many, many extra features are included as well as MSN- (680) recent gas prices, all the POI that you program in the first time stay on your maps as you travel. You can touch the screen and make calls, even to the POI to check prices, availability, etc- all while not touching your phone or taking your hands off the steering wheel.Tiger GPS has it available for $170.00 ( refurbished) which is better than new. Regular price is worth over $800.00. It has more features than you can possibly use. Connected to 12 satellites all the time,the screen is super clear, adjustable brightness, night screen changes at dusk, portable, nice leather case, SD Card slot, travel alarm,antitheft,mp3, picture viewer,calculator, travel kit, language guide, unaffected by extreme temperatures, (-30 to +140 ),the battery lasts 7 hours out of the car, the praises go on and on.

http://www.tigergps.com/refurbnuvi660.html

You can't get a better unit at 3 times the current cost. It doesn't matter that this one has been discontinued and replaced by a more expensive and less reliable 700 and 800 series.- grahamrolph2@msn.com

bramfrank, Now "I" am sighing.

bramfrank wrote:

I know exactly what you are seeing, I was explaining what I was complaining about because clearly you had the wrong idea.

You clearly don't know what I am seeing. I tried to be as clear as I could in my previous posts, but I think that you believe so strongly that you already "know" what I am seeing, that you have just glossed over what I wrote. Re-read it carefully. Meditate on it if you have to. Close your eyes and try to visualize it in your head if necessary. Because what I wrote is exactly how my 855 works. I try to be very accurate when I explain things. I am not an idiot, and I do understand how my GPS works. And I do fully understand that your complaint is that the newer Garmins do not display the upcoming street names in the text bar. And you are correct. I never said my 855 displays "upcoming streets" in the text bar.

bramfrank wrote:

The automatic zooming at exits you refer to happens when you are navigating (as far as taking routed exits)

Well, with the 855 it auto zooms when you are just driving around as well as when you are navigating a route. I didn't think I needed to point that out because this discussion was talking about how the units work when just driving around. Nothing I mentioned in either post was referring to "navigating a route" unless specifically mentioned.

bramfrank wrote:

and the actual zoom level is user controllable in two steps; less than (I think it is) 38 mph and over 38 mph. You can set them both to the same level and it won't do that annoying in-and-out thing. Unfortunately the settings do not survive powerups.

I know nothing about this 38 mph zoom thing, or the "in-and-out" thing. That is not how the 855 works. It zooms in and out based on road type, not speed. (really, it's true) When I take an off ramp (just driving, not on route) it automatically zooms in no matter what speed I am going and displays the exit name in the text bar. The name of the upcoming cross roads are displayed on the map, clearly and legibly. No squinting required. After I get on the "regular" roads, it zooms out a little, but not near as much as when I am on the freeway. Then it displays (read carefully) the road I am on just as you said it does (I never denied that). But it also displays the names of the next upcoming roads on the map as you drive (not navigating a route) clearly and legibly.

So why are the upcoming street names so easy to read on the map? Because they don't have to be crammed in there with the name of every other street that is on the map! On my old GPS (yes, I am not new to this either) it tried to display all the names of the streets visible on the screen. This made it necessary to use smaller text, thus causing eye strain to try to read the names of all the streets. It's no wonder they had to put the name of the upcoming street in the text bar. You'd crash trying to read all that floating overlapping stuff if you had to use that to figure out the name of the upcoming street. With the 855, the only streets that are named are the ones that branch off of the street you are driving on (private drives and roads are not named, although they are visible). The text is large enough to read easily, and the name stays attached to the edge of the street firmly as they come and go. No floating names on upcoming streets. Street names that show in "other" views tend to float. But names of streets that are coming up on the street you are driving on are attached firmly and are very easy to read. And you can see several upcoming street names at a time that way.

As far as the name of the street you are driving on being listed in the text bar, I like that. I often wind up on streets in unfamiliar territory that I didn't happen to catch the name of before I got on them. And then I have to try to catch a quick glance of the side of a street sign as I drive by it to try to figure out what street I'm on. I'm finding more and more that cities are only putting the name of the side street on the sign in an effort to save money. Sometimes it can be quite frustrating to try to figure out what street you're driving on. So I "like" having it listed in the text bar. On my old GPS, the name of the street I was driving on was there, floating around on the map as I drove while it competed for real estate with all the other names floating around, and if I was patient I could eventually catch a glimpse of it. I like the system on the 855 much better. If I ever need to see all the street names at once, I'll drag out the old Rand McNally. But I don't want them littered all over my GPS. Everybody's different though.

I'm not trying to convince you which system is better. You already know in your mind that the old system is far better and is the "benchmark" for which all GPS's should be fashioned after. I just disagree. I like the new system better. But when you tell others that "none of the new Garmins show upcoming streets", you are wrong. At least regarding the 855 I know for sure. No, it doesn't show them in the upper text bar one at a time. But it does show them clearly on the map, and in multiples. I prefer that because I can get a better idea of the streets that are coming up.

In your first post on this thread you said to Speed3:

bramfrank wrote:

"Well, the first thing you'll discover is that the newest Garmin navigators do NOT display the names of the streets coming up unless you are on a limited access highway.

So any Nuvi model with the last digit of the model number being a 5 is a no-no. likewise if the model number is greater than 1000, forget it."

I'm not sure what you mean by "a limited access highway", but at least on my 855, and evidently on robinj214's 765T, upcoming streets are displayed clearly on the map.

I guess if not being displayed singly in the text bar means not being displayed at all, then you are correct.

--
Ernie, - Garmin nuvi 855 / dezl 760

Street Names

Actually, I have found by leaving Metroguide 4 checked on with the 2010 NT map, I;m getting a lot more street names listed in the viewing area than if I had Metroguide turned off. Can anyone else verify?

Cheers!

PS. Very happy with my new 755T....would recommend it

--
Nuvi 755T,1350(3),265W,3760,2595(2),42,250,2555

Ah, but I do . . .

My comment was predicated on the fact that you were responding to my point, which was that the street names don't appear in the banner box and you commented about about how they appear on the map.

You did comment on that point in your last sentence . . . thank you.

The issue is that I don't want to be forced to find and read street names in random locations and at random angles on the map itself.

I don't want to be forced to leave the map zoomed in to the point where it doesn't provide enough 'distance', where I can physically see down the road farther than what's displayed on the map.

And in the latest Garmin incarnations, if you zoom out to a point that I (and a lot of other people who use their navigators the way I do) consider reasonable, any road not designated as a highway will not be displayed, not even the road you are driving on.

It would also be nice if the navigator would display the names attached to waypoints, something else they stripped out of the newer designs.

Older (as in from last year) units provided what I perceive to be adequate levels of detail when zoomed out. Screen resolutions remain unchanged, processor speeds have been increased. Yet the navigator has vastly reduced the onscreen map detail available.

It may not be so obvious in an urban setting, but once you get into suburbia and, more to the point, into rural areas, there just isn't enough local road density to justify NOT displaying them - and since virtually every Garmin navigator prior to the most recent devices DOES support local road detail to at least the 1.2 km zoom level, why remove it for the various XX5 and >1000 models (5000 excepted)?

As I wrote; It is psychologically more reassuring to have the information displayed in a constant location - it isn't as if they use the text box for anything else. Why deprive us of the information?

As an experiment, yesterday on the way home I zoomed in to the 200 meter level on the 760 AND on the Zumo 660 (whis is where you have to hae it to see the most street names - had them side by side, since the Zumo was sitting in the trunk anyway - the 765 is in the other car, which I don't drive) and while most street names appeared on the map in this display mode NOT EVERY UPCOMING STEET NAME WAS DISPLAYED (the 760 has 2009 mapping, the Zumo 2010.1). Most were, but not ALL. I was surprised enough by this behaviour that I went around and tried a second time - the performance was repeatable.

The 760 had the street names in the text box. Even the ones (there were two) that were not annunciated on the map. Obviously the Zumo 660 did not.

Not only that, but because of the way they display the map, it is often not absolutely clear whether the street in question is upcoming or slightly behind . . . the older method was absolutely unambiguous; the text box changes the displayed street name as you pass it, replacing the name with that of the upcoming one.

Since I don't own an 800 series navigator, perhaps it functions differently from those that I have, but I doubt it. I am going to be too busy to do this for a couple of weeks, but I can borrow an 855 to evaluate when I am past my current deadline).

On the older units there was a 'declutter' button that would remove most of the map text. So? The reality is that it didn't much matter unless you were REALLY zoomed out, because you didn't need upcoming minor street names on the map, just the major ones since all units up to the 2X5/7X5 releases had the street names displayed in the text box.

My old SP3 would pain a white carpet - I don;t know how fat it allowed me to zoom out ansd till paint the street details, but it was a LOT. In fact I gave that unit to a cousin of mine - I can check it out when I go to his home next.

And that raises another point . . . especially when manually navigating through a neighbourhood that isn't laid out on a grid; often the map text (street names) will cover critical links - I find myself looking at the map, wondering if there's a connection between 2 streets hiding under the text (because if I'd been the city planner I'd have had one) and whether the navigator has really chosen what I'd consider the best route (and often it hasn't).

My 265 and 765 don't zoom for intersections for me unless I am navigating - and admittedly I don't use those devices any more - maybe they do and I just don't recall - but it is annoying enough that I'm sure I'd remember if they did). My Zumo 660 seems to have a mind of it's own even though I always set the autozoom so both levels are at the same resolution, I have caught it changing zoom levels as I approach an exit from time to time while not navigating - not always, just occasionally - I have yet to be able to characterise it.

I attribute that to the fact that it is a machine with a truly long list of bugs that operates under Garmin's latest Linux-based code.

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

Interesting concept

Hawkblade wrote:

Actually, I have found by leaving Metroguide 4 checked on with the 2010 NT map, I;m getting a lot more street names listed in the viewing area than if I had Metroguide turned off. Can anyone else verify?

Cheers!

PS. Very happy with my new 755T....would recommend it

I wonder if the display resolution issues are MAP limited?

I think I'll download a couple of local panes of my Metroguide (since it isn't locked) and compare function!! THAT's simple enough to check.

Edit:

So I did it. A few panes of Metroguide 4.0 downloaded. GPS set to 'simulate' and looked at the map around my home. In fact at 300 meters zoom level there were FEWER street names displayed than with CNNA 2010.1 with detail set as high as it would go.

I tried it with Metroguide ONLY, and with BOTH selected. CNNA seems to override the Metroguide maps, based on the results I had.

Also, local roads still disappear when zooming out beyond 500 meters.

Under Mapsource, the Metroguide shows me major roads to 20 km zoom and when zoomed in, CNNA 2010.1 shows more loacl detail (at 1 km).

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

bramfrank, I can appreciate

bramfrank,

I can appreciate your disdain for the new system Garmin has imposed on us. We get used to using things a certain way, and then for no apparent reason, they go and change it on us. And it's especially distressing when we perceive it as a move in the wrong direction!

It would have been far better if they offered the old version as an option, similar to the way Microsoft gives you the option of running Windows in the "Classic" version if you choose. A "Garmin Classic" setting in the "Map Detail" options would have made many customers happy.

--
Ernie, - Garmin nuvi 855 / dezl 760

Topo Maps...

Has anyone that has a 755T or 785T ever tried to load Topo maps to it? I have Garmin Topo 2008 US.

Info pages on them says that they will not take the maps, but I have an old 250W that will take and show them. Makes me wonder if they will display, but just not perfectly and that will be ok with me.

I like the idea of the new display with better graphics.

By the way, are those graphics for real?
http://www.gpscity.com/garmin-nuvi-755t.html

My second choices are the #1- 750W, #2- 260W.

Or... I just hang on to the 250W which my complaints are only 1 route at a time, slow satellite acquisition when off for several days, and no spoken street names. Other than that...brilliant!

Thanks for the insight.

Vanman

other than the streetpilot

other than the streetpilot the 5000 is the biggest gpsr in garmins lineup

--
Nicpfeif12 Garmin Nuvi 5000 =)/ Winnebago 24f Minnie/ PHILLIES 07 NL east champps/ Philidelphia PHILLIES 2008 World Champss/ PHILLIES 09 NL CHAMPS/ 2010 NL EAST CHAMPIONS

885T

What do you think about the Garmin 885T.
I was thinking of getting this one. I also have the 660

Great Graphics

Yes Vanman, those graphics are the real deal!!!

In fact, with the 3D view enabled with the 2010 3D Maps enabled, I've seen very cool renderings of the Statue of Liberty, 2 Stadiums in Cincinatti, The White house (In fact tons of different buildings in Washington and I'm searching for more.

The Junction view screens are good and the lane assist is a TOP reason to look at the 7X5 series.

Anyone else find an more cool renderings in 3D ???

(Perhaps there is an entire thrad on 'What 3D renderings have you found?')

Cheers!

--
Nuvi 755T,1350(3),265W,3760,2595(2),42,250,2555

Have you tried Topo?

Hawkblade, thanks for the reply! This sounds cool and the price isnt that bad.

Have you tried to upload any of the Garmin Topo maps yet to see if they work? Garmin says they don't.

Since the Topo 2008 will work in both my 60CSx and the NUVI 250w, I am thinking that maybe they do, but not to what the unit is advertised to produce graphically and therefore they cannot endorse it.

I would like to hear from someone BEFORE I buy one, just in case.

It is something that I will want to do with it....

I am not expecting someone to buy it to try, but if you are like me and have Topo for another unit already, and you have tried it on the 7x5 series and it works or not.....?

Vanman

Hawkblade wrote:

Yes Vanman, those graphics are the real deal!!!

In fact, with the 3D view enabled with the 2010 3D Maps enabled, I've seen very cool renderings of the Statue of Liberty, 2 Stadiums in Cincinatti, The White house (In fact tons of different buildings in Washington and I'm searching for more.

The Junction view screens are good and the lane assist is a TOP reason to look at the 7X5 series.

Anyone else find an more cool renderings in 3D ???

(Perhaps there is an entire thrad on 'What 3D renderings have you found?')

Cheers!

Topo

Hi Vanman, No, sorry, I haven't tried any Topo maps yet. I've had my Nuvi only a few months and have already bought a 16GB Extreme III SD card for it (love the MP3 capability grin and have the Metroguide 4 for it as well. I've uploaded way too many POI's for it and Voices & vehicles etc...etc....Just no topo maps yet.

I did find out though that with Metroguide turned on as well as the 2010 City Navigator....My POI database is much bigger in realtime. Let me explain.

With just CN 2010 on, I did a check for nearest fuel from my home and got the 50 closest. I made note of the top 20. Then I went in and ALSO turned on Metroguide 4 and got 8 more added in to those top 20 (those 8 currently exist too).

I believe some overlayering (sp?) is happening at least on the POI side.

On a bad note, I recently visited Little Loon Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. With only CN2010 on, it showed the roads all around the lake, but no blue colored lake. I turned off CN 2010 and turned on Metroguide 4 and lo & behold, the lake appears in beautiful form with all the same roads.

I believe it would be best to have all maps turned on as default, but when an issue such as missing lake or river etc comes up......then investigate.

Anyhow...I am straying off topic.....I will scour the net soon and see if any other users of the 7x5 series have topo's on their units.

Cheers!

--
Nuvi 755T,1350(3),265W,3760,2595(2),42,250,2555

I just saw a 1490T at Best Buy

nicpfeif12 wrote:

other than the streetpilot the 5000 is the biggest gpsr in garmins lineup

Anxious to get one of these, also advertised as a 5" screen. Best Buy flyer for the week has it at $469.99 ($30 less than list), but their only display unit was broken. Not a good start.

--
NEOhioGuy - Garmin 2639, MIO Knight Rider, TomTom (in Subaru Legacy), Nuvi 55, DriveSmart 51, Apple CarPlay maps

Thanks Hawkblade!

Thanks for the update Hawkblade.

Please don't go that far out of your way to find Topo usage unless you want to know for your own sake. I can do that myself. I was only asking here as it is the first place I go to now to get information. If it isn't here, there are very few other places to go.

I am kinda steering towards the 750W anyway, even though it doesn't have lane assist, AND it is over $100 less.

From what I have read, the 750W is a good unit, and is just about a 260W with 4 or 5 extra's at the same price or less. I dont know how much longer that deal will be around.

As far as using MG4, I havent tried that yet on my NUVI 250W. I will comment on it after I do....

Vanman

Hawkblade wrote:

Hi Vanman, No, sorry, I haven't tried any Topo maps yet. I've had my Nuvi only a few months and have already bought a 16GB Extreme III SD card for it (love the MP3 capability grin and have the Metroguide 4 for it as well. I've uploaded way too many POI's for it and Voices & vehicles etc...etc....Just no topo maps yet.

I did find out though that with Metroguide turned on as well as the 2010 City Navigator....My POI database is much bigger in realtime. Let me explain.

With just CN 2010 on, I did a check for nearest fuel from my home and got the 50 closest. I made note of the top 20. Then I went in and ALSO turned on Metroguide 4 and got 8 more added in to those top 20 (those 8 currently exist too).

I believe some overlayering (sp?) is happening at least on the POI side.

On a bad note, I recently visited Little Loon Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. With only CN2010 on, it showed the roads all around the lake, but no blue colored lake. I turned off CN 2010 and turned on Metroguide 4 and lo & behold, the lake appears in beautiful form with all the same roads.

I believe it would be best to have all maps turned on as default, but when an issue such as missing lake or river etc comes up......then investigate.

Anyhow...I am straying off topic.....I will scour the net soon and see if any other users of the 7x5 series have topo's on their units.

Cheers!

garmin web site.

if you go to the garmin web site. you can select what you want in a gps and it will show you a list of the ones that have those features.
simple as that.
why u would care to know street names coming up on a route makes no sense to me. the important thing to know if that u need to turn in 200 hundred yards. which my 660 does tell me.
back to the garmin site.
check what u want and it will tell you what to order..
i would buy a refurbished unit from amazon.com.. cant beat the value their in..

--
SAM

Yes, No, Maybe

topagent wrote:

1. if you go to the garmin web site. you can select what you want in a gps and it will show you a list of the ones that have those features.

2. why u would care to know street names coming up on a route makes no sense to me. the important thing to know if that u need to turn in 200 hundred yards. which my 660 does tell me.

3. i would buy a refurbished unit from amazon.com.. cant beat the value their in..

1. Good suggestion about using Garmin's comparison engine.

2. You wouldn't.

The problem is that it does not display upcoming street names when NOT on a route. THAT is the problem.

3. There are lots of vendors out there who will sell you a Garmin NOH (remanufactured) unit. Same as new warranty, much better price. Often Amazon is not the cheapest . . . you can use Google's price-search engine to find what you need www.froogle.com

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

From my personal experience...

I've owned the Garmin C320, Nuvi 350, 650, 750, 765T and now the 885T. All of them were great except one. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT purchase the 765T (or any of the 7x5 series of GPS).

The reason I just received my 885T from Garmin today is because I've had to return three different 765Ts due to problems. Garmin's nice enough to upgrade me to a new 885T, but it's still not worth the hassle. I've gone without my main GPS for the past 2 months and each call to the Garmin service center began with a 40 minute wait.

There is definitely something wrong with the 7x5 units. Any of you own a 7x5 for at least half a year and never had a problem? Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure you don't choose the 7x5 series.

I think someone earlier in the post mentioned the 750. I had that for about a year and it was a dependable unit... I never had any problems with it.

--
Garmin 885T

Don't buy a 7x5 series? Please, more detail...

Awkuan, what were your problems? I would like to know before I discount the 7x5 series from my shopping list.

Thanks!

Vanman

awkuan wrote:

I've owned the Garmin C320, Nuvi 350, 650, 750, 765T and now the 885T. All of them were great except one. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT purchase the 765T (or any of the 7x5 series of GPS).

The reason I just received my 885T from Garmin today is because I've had to return three different 765Ts due to problems. Garmin's nice enough to upgrade me to a new 885T, but it's still not worth the hassle. I've gone without my main GPS for the past 2 months and each call to the Garmin service center began with a 40 minute wait.

There is definitely something wrong with the 7x5 units. Any of you own a 7x5 for at least half a year and never had a problem? Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure you don't choose the 7x5 series.

I think someone earlier in the post mentioned the 750. I had that for about a year and it was a dependable unit... I never had any problems with it.

7x5 problems

I purchased my 765T from Amazon in December of last year. I used this one for ~5 months before sending it in for replacement. It had numerous problems, but I stuck with it thinking that the next firmware will fix the problems but it never did. Here are some of the problems I can remember:

- unit turns off by itself in the middle of routing... can't turn it back on and had to do a reset
- sometimes have to enter the destination 2 or more times before it will start routing
- unit freezes after I use the bluetooth function paired with my iPhone

I live in Chicago so I brought the unit to the Garmin showroom over here. They were not able to fix the problems and told me to send my unit to the headquarter. After 2 weeks I received a replacement 765T (refurbished) in the mail.

I had read about the software bug that plagued all the 7x5 units last month, so I updated the 2nd unit's firmware to the latest version before I even turned it on. However, the unit would only function for around 1 minute each time I turn it on, after which it would freeze... and so the 2nd unit was sent back to Garmin.

2 weeks later I received my 3rd unit (once again refurbished). This unit again has the freezing problem. By this time I was really upset and promised myself to ditch Garmin and get a TomTom cradle for my iPhone when it comes out later this summer. I called customer service to return the 3rd unit (each call to Garmin is a guaranteed 30+ minute wait)... I asked for a refund or an upgrade and they asked me which GPS upgrade I had in mind. I said I wanted the 1490T, but they didn't have those in stock yet. I then asked for a 885T, and the customer service agent said she can get me a 855 instead. I argued that my original 765T had bluetooth and the 855 doesn't, and she agreed to give me a new 885T.

I received my new 885T two days ago and so far haven't had any problems. I'll report any problems here if it starts to go crazy like all the 765Ts. I really believe something is not right with the 7x5 series. Google online and you'll find many people with all kinds of different problems with it. It's a shame as it's a very attractive unit if it works properly.

--
Garmin 885T

Thanks...

Thank you Hawkblade and Awkuan for your comments.

I chose to go with the 750, even though it doesnt have lane assist.

Walmart dropped their price from $189 last week to $179 this week, so I bit the bait and bought it. It will be shipped either this week or early next week.

I will try to give an update once I put it through the paces!

Vanman

Well, the first thing you'll

I have the nuvi 750 and it works great. It does everything I need it to do.

ohwogo nuvi 750