voice recognition

It depends a lot on the vehicle and the position of the GPS in relation to the driver. The microphone is sensitive but lacks the ability to filter noise like many good bluetooth headsets now do. It also depends on the speaker as there are a lot of times I get frustrated with my unit as it doesn't always understand the commands.

Overall, voice recognition is slower than touching the screen - you have to wait until the software is ready to accept the next command rather than pressing the screen immediately. Driving down the highway at speed can take over a minute to locate a custom POI depending on your file structure.

i've heard voice recognition doesn't work too well. haven't personally tried it myself.

I use it and understand the limitations. It works extremely well on the Nuvi line when the conditions are right - no extra noise in the car from people talking or the radio playing and the cabin noise level is down.

I love my Garmin Nuvi 885T. The voice recognition works almost flawlessly for me. Something like 95-99% accurate (when you roll up your windows, and don't have any music playing).

It sounds good but I'd have to buy a vehicle with less road/engine noise entering the cabin, get the two little ones to fall asleep and then be able to turn off their music in order to create the ideal surroundings for voice recognition!

If she doesn't need bluetooth, you might want to look at the 855 instead of the 885. You may as well save a few $$$ unless the traffic receiver that comes with the 885T is what interests you.

A couple of e-bay stores have recently been selling the 855 refurbs in the $200 range. If you buy from an e-bay store make sure you verify with the seller that they provide a printed invoice/receipt and a true Garmin warranty.

Edit: The 885T comes with MSN Direct traffic service which will be discontinued in 2012. So you might want to avoid the 885 for that reason as well.

For both phone calls and voice recognition. Most people end up getting a Bluetooth headset and punching the on-screen buttons.

In my MB sedan the 885T voice recognition works great and I now rarely ever touch the screen when using it in that car.

In my corvette with the top down voice recognition rarely works but I have no problem hearing the navigation prompts from the GPS.

I did a typo, I meant the 855, not 885. Amazon is selling the 855 for $217 with free shipping

Position of the unit seems to make a difference. In my case, with a vent mount, the GPS is closer than a windshield mount and VR seems much more accurate. ALso, it seems that speaking slowly at a normal voice level and streching out the word sounds seems to makes a big difference. If I get frustrated with it and raise my voice it tunes me out.Temperamental?
ALso, I use a tape deck adapter and the 885 automatically turns off the music when using the voice remote control. I don't use the FM tuner because of background static every time I pass under a over head power line etc.
It will be interesting to see if Garmin continues making VR available or improves its accuracy with future firmware updates.

One of the best improvements they could make would be to redesign the voice input and make it noise reduction so it would work in noisy cars or even topless cabriolets - that's the fancy way of saying a convertible with the top down.

I also wish they provided a microphone input on the device itself, instead of using the remote microphone.

I have been thinking of looking into the Voice Recognition feature for a while, but have refrained from doing so because I can't determine if they have a camera feature such as the 755. It would be nice (and extremely helpful) if you were riding along and spot a POI that needs to be added to a POI file and just say "camera". A picture of the current coordinates as well as a possible short recording (Golden Corral, Shell Station, good lookin' blonde with tight jeans, three legged hog, etc.) would be immediately available. Blonde with tight jeans was just to see if you are reading with comprehension, because, at 70 years old, it doesn't apply to me. Just ain't interested. Food on the table is more important.

Curt

Blonde with tight jeans was just to see if you are reading with comprehension, because, at 70 years old, it doesn't apply to me. Just ain't interested. Food on the table is more important.

Curt

Boy you must be getting old. I'am 67 and I still like to look and think about a blond in tight pants.

There are two microphones on the 885T device itself (front center top & rear left bottom) and none
on the remote. Check your QuickStartManual, page 3.

I just got an 855, the VR is about 80% with my southern accent, if you are listening to mp3 or other apps the thing will lockup and freeze. have to take out the battery to reset. if you are using it just to navigate it's ok.

What about the Mic Gain on the 885T Hidden menu. What does that do ?

Haven't tried it. But if you acquire the guts to do so yourself, please let us know the results.

It increases the mic's sensitivity for sound pick up. Think recording volume.

Yeah, but the point was "Tryer Beware".
Some of the unadvertised/hidden functions cause the unit to crash or produce unpredictable results.

Try it in minor increments, not the whole Monty... Nothing is Fool-Proof!

The mic gain is set at 80% I have adjusted it to 90% it worked ok there but it goes right back to 80% when I turn it on the next time.

I have the 855 and continually use voice commands for both navigation and music. So far, no problems with the unit freezing when using both nav and music.
There are th odd times when I have to repeat a command for whatever reason. Note that you have to wait a few seconds for the unit to ready itself to receive a spoken command. The audio prompts are very good.
For music the number of commands available seem to rather limited, however I find it very useful.
All in all I like the system.

I'm a hot shot driver in the Houston area and recently upgraded from a Nuvi 200W to an 855 unit. I did so mostly for the voice navigation as well as the ability to create routes. Trying to drive around in the Houston traffic and punch buttons on the Nuvi is suicidal so voice recognition is mandatory in my opinion. I've had the 855 an entire week and I have to say I love it. The voice recognition works 90% of the time but it is less reliable when there is lots of road noise. I drive a Honda Fit which has practically zero noise insulation so when driving at high speed I sometimes have to repeat commands. When driving slow or at a complete stop it works perfectly. Like a previous poster mentioned it does lock up if you are listening to music as well as navigating and requires you to remove the battery. I don't have a southern drawl but I have had to learn to speak to it more phonetically if that is the right term. We have a street here named Kuykendahl which is pronounced Kerkendall with the 'Y' sounding like an 'ER'. I have to say it with and 'ER' for it to recoginze the correct street. I've had to learn to think like the machine when pronouncing some names but where you get the hang of it it works great. The route option is a god send! I only hope Garmin comes out with a voice recognition model with the new NuLink option. I'd buy it in a flash.