Garmin, why micro usb cable?

I don't know. It's a Garmin thing, I suppose. Can't leave a good thing alone. They always have to change things.

Any micro usb cable would worlk or have to be specifically from Garmin?

You can pick up micro USB cables there pretty cheap.

duplicate post ... sorry

I got tired of using a bunch of cables so I use just one with this adapter:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018L4GOQ/ref=oh_o03_s00_i...

Micros are fast becoming the standard because devices are getting thinner. Looking at my 775T, and my 3790T, you'll see why.

Even cell manufacturers are converting to micro as a standard.

Every thing I own now uses the micro usb connector...Cell phone, GPS and bluetooth.....They are very inexpensive...google it on the internet...Amazon has a ton of them for sale. Call Garmin they will probably be happy to send you one at no charge...

A previous post indicated that micro USB has become the new standard, in part because of our demand for lighter and thinner electronic devices.

It is a bit frustrating for those of us that have 10 - 20 standard USB cables, 5 or more wall chargers, and a host of extensions. But remember the RS232 cable for your printer or the PS2 plug for your mouse/keyboard? Technology moves forward and we get to buy all the new gizmos and gadets toreplace our dated equipment

wouldn't it be nice if all there was a standard connector and charger for all of our devices. It would make life so much easier. I am constantly searching out specific cables, such as IPOD, to charge or transfer data.

Possibly because people tend to break the micro connector inside the device hence makes you either get the Garmin repaired or replaced. lol

I don't know how many different friends & relatives that I have replaced the connector for, but A LOT.

Here is another great cable combo:

http://www.amazon.com/Sima-SUO-200-Multi-Cable-Firewire/dp/B...

Frustrating?

If you have 5 wall chargers, put four of them in a drawer or a box because you only need one for ALL of your mini-USB devices and another for your Micro-USB ones. The same applies to cables.

If you have 10-20 cables, it is because you bought 10-20 devices and each came with a cable. Does it matter what the connector is? You only need to keep out as many cables as you have devices concurrently plugged into your computer for management or to a wall for charging.

+1 for this one. Have been using it daily with my Droid X for over a year now. Flawless and reliable. It does allow for both charging AND data transfer (which some adapters don't).

But at the end, if you also have a smart phone in addition to the GPSr you will end up with more cables anyway (like a charger upstairs, downstairs, at the office, etc.) and micro USB cable are much cheaper now than they used to be.

Pretty much everything is going to the micro USB connectors. The exception, OF COURSE, is Apple. They insist on using proprietary connectors. There's no way Apple will sell anything that doesn't require you to purchase THEIR (expensive) cables.

So many different sizes of usbs you go crazy. Each electronic component comes with a different size of usb, when you know you have a drawer full of usb adapters. The same for power supply for different components. I bought a mini usb in a surplus electronic store cheaper than in a regular electronic store.

As others mentioned, check out www.monoprice.com You can get a 3 foot micro usb cable for $3 (and that includes shipping!).

The local dollar store where I live has micro USB cables in stock as well as the adapters that allow you to plug in USB cables to charge devices.

I agree, the micro is becoming the standard USB connector due to units size reduction. Even the SD cards are now Micro, Personally I like the mini USB and the standard SD card, my fingers are not nimble enough and eyesight not as keen anymore. Makes it difficult for me to insert the USB and SD cards.

Funny, when I received my Nuvi 2460 , not only did it have a micro USB cable, but they also reduced the length of the cable, it's like 19", barely reaches my computer.

Yeah, I was surprised to see it work for both charging and data as well. I figured it would fail for data and I'd just get some use out of it for charging, but I was impressed that it covered both!

I think it has something to do with planned obsolescence. Manufacturers may never admit to it but it amounts to that, it seems.

The blackberry uses the micro usb.

Another reasons for more cluster.

The Panasonic FH25 uses the micro USB cable. Lucky for me that I have several USB ports on my PC. I leave both cables plugged in for the GPS & camera.

I use a USB hub and have several cords (micro, mini, Apple) plugged in all the time.

I've got a bag of chargers and cables that I carry when traveling. I bought a roll of 12'x3/4" Velcro One-Wrap at a home improvement store that I can cut into any length to wrap around each folded cord so they don't end up a tangled mess. I've got 8 chargers & cables neatly organized this way.

Many smartphones now a day use microUSB, and set their eyes on microSIM.

It is the intention of the manufacturers to put more chips inside devices to provide more functions while keeping the size small or the same.

There is actually a legitimate reason why Garmin has gone to microUSB, and that actually has to do with legal standards.

Basically, to make a long story short...EU standards passed a few years back mandate that portable electronic devices use a universal charger/interface setup; the standard connector (per this EU mandate) is microUSB.

Whilst the standard was designed primarily for smartphones (which, up until this point, had a plethora of proprietary connectors) some GPS units actually fit the definition of electronics devices in the EU standar--and if Garmin wants its devices sold in the EU, it has to comply with this, and it's easier to make everything to a single standard.

If Garmin's devices don't meet the criteria of "electronic device" per the EU law, it could be they figure that (thanks to the EU mandate) microUSB is starting to become more common...

That said, you can usually get microUSB connectors anymore for $2-3 via online sellers, or pick them up for a bit more from truck stops when on the road (at least that's been my experience).

More info on this (geared a bit more towards smartphone use): http://phandroid.com/2009/06/30/microusb-becomes-european-st...

As an aside...with some companies that are a bit infamous for their proprietary connectors (Hello, Apple! ) there have been some interesting things happening to keep in compliance with the EU rule--it's my understanding that to "stay legal" in Europe that Apple has been shipping iPhones and iPads with an "iPhone-connector-to-microUSB" dongle About the only way they get around that AND keep the extra functionality of iPhone docks...

What? I'm only aware of two sizes of USB device connectors; mini and the new micro. I've never seen any other sizes. Not USB, anyway. Cell phones? Yeah, just about every one of them used to have a different connector.

Agreed!

I received one with my GPS when I purchased Nuvi 3790. At that time it was my first micro usb cable. Now I have at least 5. It looks like more and more electronics is using micro instead of mini.

There are many sizes of usb connectors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Connector_...

I will happily second Monoprice - best deals out there for really quality cables. I have all flavors of USB, Firewire, HDMI, etc. plus a great iPad case, all ordered from Monoprice. I am a big fan of the 6" MicroUSB, makes a great travel cable and cost is about $1.

Ordering is easy, you get e-mail confirmations of order, packaging and delivery tracking, and the one time I returned something it was quick and easy.

I wish they didn't use that

Well my cell phone use the micro usb, so I would much rather have that anyhow

+1 for Monoprice. I've been buying from them for years. I didn't realize how bad I was getting ripped off on cables, even at Fry's until I stumbled across Mono one day. They are very cheap, ship fast, and can't be beat. Micro is pretty much becoming the standard, except for my Nuvi 1300 which is mini.

As a related aside...yes, add me to the brigade of folks saying Monoprice is awesome and win (pretty much they were EXACTLY who I was thinking of when noting one could get microUSB cables online for $3 apiece including shipping). Probably the best place to go to for small cables and components of this sort, really.

(Much like Adorama is awesome and win with practically all photo equipment and electronics used with photos--VERY good prices there quite often on SD cards and high-capacity rechargable batteries in particular--and Show Me Cables is awesome and win when it comes to RF cables and connectors. )

It appears all the Android smart phones use micro USB.

This is rather nice, as when I upgrade to a new phone I don't need to buy new chargers nor computer cable.

Micro USB does seem to be the new standard, and as Garmin GPSs are becoming slimmer, the micro USB might be a necessary space saver.

Regards

Howard

I checked out Monoprice since I need a USB A female to USB mini male adapter. I found one at a good price but it's listed as a 4-pin adapter. All the ones on Amazon are listed as 5-pin. It makes me wonder if the adapter will work for what I want to use it for.

I want the adapter so I can connect my wife's iPad to a BlackBerry. The iPad is a wireless only model so I want to use the BB to connect to the Internet when traveling. That would allow us to use the iPad in the truck when geocaching.

I don't know enough about USB standards or Apple products to know if the 4-pin adapter would work or if I need a 5-pin adapter.

Besides being dyslexic I wish my old eyes were better to see when trying to connect them.

Not sure if the 4 pin would work but monoprice also carries a 5 pin

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id...

Edit - after comparing the 4 pin/5 pin connectors they appear to be different shapes so you should definitely confirm which one you need.

This is another dealer (local to me) that has a huge selection of cables at low prices:
http://www.pchcables.com/

I just ordered 4 micro usb cables (different length) at monoprice for $7.50 included tax + shipping