Garmin Nuvi 1690

If you type 1690 into the search window at the top you will get a number of threads on this site with info on the 1690.

Great idea... Thanks !

I have one....what would you like to know about it?
The 1st one I bought had an issue with the Nu-Link within 3 days of owning it. It stopped working. I returned it & bought another one & it has been working much much better. The only issues that I have encountered with it so far is a strange garbled voice from time to time....very rarely happens....but when it does I have to hold the power button down for 10 seconds & let the unit reboot. 1 other issue that I am having is that after I have saved a POI like one of my delivery stops......it shows up on my unit as my stop being across the street. Weird...but I just did an update on it tonight & I will see how it performs tomorrow. Over all, this is probably my 6 or so Garmin.
I have a StreetPilot C550 as my backup & I still love that model. But if you have specific questions about how the Nu-Link works or the very cool White Pages look-up (with a persons name or their phone number).....I can help you out.

Thanks for the response 'six'. I was looking at maybe getting one if it functioned as good as its advertised. Anything info about the unit you care to share would much appricated.

Have a good one !

rascal8

So far what I like about it is that is it usually quicker than my C550. It sometimes...not all the time...but sometimes hesitates with it's calculations when your on the go routing. Normally it might take like 3-5 seconds to route you & rarely other times it will take over 8-10 seconds. That's for just local routing & nothing like cross country. But again when I hooked it up to the computer tonight it had another firmware update....so ?????
I really like the Google search. Punch in the city & then the name & it pops the place up pretty quick. Maybe 6 seconds...sometimes more....sometimes less time. The White pages is awesome. It's almost faster to just use this feature to find your destination if you have the phone number handy. Just type in the phone number with the area code first & click find & again...within like 6 seconds or so it finds the place or person your looking for. Now it doesn't find everyone....especially if they don't have a home phone....but for the most part it works great.
I didn't have my grandfathers address in Arizona....I just typed in his name the state & found him that way. It also worked by typing in his home phone #. The only other feature that I have used was to find the local gas prices. It tells you the last time each place was updated (like 2 days ago or 1 day ago...or sometimes it doesn't even say that...it is actually up to date) but for the most part it is usually up to date with them all & accurate. The real time traffic is better than their other method with the traffic receiver....older version. It shows 2 cars.
Green — Traffic is flowing freely.
Yellow — There is moderate traffic congestion.
Red — There is very slow or stop-and-go traffic.
If ther eis any kind of delay it will tell you in minutes how much of a delay there is. I still haven't been in much traffic for it to reroute me around it. . The only annoying thing about the unit for me at least is that you can only use it for cars, bikes or walking. My C550 allowed me to use it for trucks & other means of transportation. Since I drive a big box truck....I'm sometimes limited to where I can go & the 1690 always tries to route me just like a car. I called & asked one of the Garmin reps & they tell me that there will be no fixes for that in the future. If I wanted a unit that would route me as a truck that I would have to buy the 465T which is actually for over the road semi drivers which I am not. The display is a good size & can be easily read. The volume is loud enough to hear over the radio...even in my noisy truck. It picks up the satellites quickly....IDK...running out of things to say about it....so far I do like it. I think that it will be great for when I take long road trips. Being able to use the other Nu-Link services will be helpful. Like movie times & local events. Oh...another thing....using my Verizon En-V Touch....absolutely no issues with the bluetooth. Any other questions feel free to ask.

Same here, I have been thinking also of getting one, my 880 is still fine but I would like a new Garmin, the only problem I seem to run into now is that one of the features I desire with my Garmin is the removable battery. I just wished Garmin would allow all of their units to have this feature. It sure helps when the unit is acting up.

The little buttons on the display for the zoom in or zoom out are a little small & I frequently hit the wrong thing. Plus the pressure that it requires to press down to activate any of the functions seems like it should be lighter. Another thing with this unit that people might not be aware of is that it has pop ups with advertisement on it to....shell gas....target...bosch automotive services...sears...& others. If you go through your menu & click on offers....it sometimes gives you coupon codes for discounts for the places. Kinda cool....but come on....advertisements on your GPS??!!
Everything still works just fine with it....but I still miss my C550. That unit was just easier to navigate to my favorites. I don't regret the purchase. I think I got it for a great deal @ $360 brand new through CarToys.com.
Anyone else that wants to through out their 2 cents on this unit?

I'm wondering if the ads are being transmitted over the cellular traffic receiver. The FCC has banned advertising text messages being delivered to cell phones so I wonder how they would view ads being delivered across your cellular data connection. Maybe you should go to the FCC web site (www.fcc.gov) and post a complaint about unwanted advertisements being delivered over your wireless data connection to AT&T. As you own the device, it is up to you to file, only someone who is receiving the ads can file a complaint.

This full user review and discussion of the 1690 may be of interest to you:

http://tinyurl.com/y8poazk

The advertisement isn't all that annoying...The one I clicked on for Sears offers you a $20 discount on Gold or Platinum batteries which would be handy if you were in need of one. Or another one for one of the hotels that pop up on there offers you a 10% discount on rooms. So it isn't too bad. I don't really mind it....but it is kinda weird to have it you know?

Thank you for the link. I will read up on it.

Another thing is that the speaker in the back of the unit. It is only on 1 side. Looks like there is supposed to be another on the opposite side...but there isn't. I would love an additional one....but only for my use....driving a loud box truck. Extra volume is always good. The unit is really loud for a car...but again...for my use....an additional speaker for added clarity would be nice.

I hope it doesn't sound like I am harpin on this unit because I am not. I just see some room for improvements.

That's UNSOLICITED messages to cell phones that are not allowed. The terms of service would indicate your acceptance in return for the 'free' traffic service. If this were a problem, almost all of all the iPhone 'free' apps would be in violation.

The 1690 uses a paid cellular service. The first 2 years of service are included in the price of the unit, after that it's $5 per month or $60/yr.

So it's not the same as the traffic delivered over FM by Navteq or Clear Channel which use commercial radio stations.

I have a 760 - it's a good unit with the lifetime traffic and maps. I have been researching the 765T, 1390T, 1490T and 1690 for about a month now. I too have decided on the 1690, as the nulink service would be useful, and waiting for the new 1820 and 1860 units with wifi, web browsing, and email would be too much for me. The 1690's fresh look and feature set appears to be what interests me the most.

One thing I did learn is the the most recent FW fixes all of the ad nagging being reported and other glitches being reported. it also has 2GB (US)/4GB(EU) of internal memory - ref page 4 of the link that t923347 posted above; clearly shown on the pic of the unit hardware display page. It has also been reported that it uses the same speaker as the 1490t.

It will be another month or so before I purchase tho.

edit: I broke down shortly after I wrote this and I received my 190 unit a couple days ago. The 3.0 FW update fixes the pre 10/16/09 DOM flicker issue that some units experience and resolves the over display of pop up ads. I have experienced very few.

TourGuide alerts work great - All the advertised features work well - I am very pleased with the unit and recommend it.