What is your Nuvi missing?
Sat, 05/26/2007 - 4:45pm
16 years
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Over the years, I've migrated from a Magellan receiver hooked to my old Palm m505 to a Garmin eTrex Vista to a Garmin GPSMAP60CS to the Garmin Nuvi 660.
Everytime I get a new unit, I use it for a while and think "This is much better than the last unit, but now I wish it had......"
About the only thing I wish the Nuvi 660 had was voice command capability and a better FM transmitter (or take it out and charge me less). Weather radar overlays would be pretty cool too Built in traffic receiver would be nice, I don't like having to have the cord in use to get the traffic info.
What is on your "I wish my Nuvi did this...." list?
~Rob
Better input mechanism
First, voice-activation is important for the sake of safety.
That would be nice, but probably will add more weight and definitely will cost more.
The easiest and most cost effective solution is to use a qwerty layout or at least the phone keypad layout. This only require a firmware update and either format is very familiar to PC or phone users (that pretty much accounts for everyone who would consider using GPS).
The sequential layout they currently have? The engineer who wrote that code should be fired. It's one thing to pair an innovative product (like nuvi) with a groundbreaking interface to improve user input, but put this crappy interface that you won't find in any reputable equipment...
Garmin nüvi® 660, iPhone 8gb (Technology is not the solution. It's only a tool to help you achieve it.)
Low Tec Request
I would like a belt loop case for my Nuvi (not a "clip on" case like those cheap cell phone carriers). If the case allowed the antenna to unfold, allow the entire unit to rotate and had a clear face, I wouldn't have to remove it from my belt and the GPS could be in a very convenient place for walking.
bfk
I wish my Nuvi Had
First post on the forum. I would agree with the calendar etc. Along with a contacts list, preferably easy to sync with Outlook. The other thing which would be nice would be able to attach a text file to a POI. Some additional info on some items would be nice to have. I envision an icon you touch to go to more in depth info.
Jerry Lost in Northern Vermont
PC interface like my RAZR via mini-USB port
In addition to just treating the built-in storage and SD cards as removable storage, I would like to see a similar feature as my Motorola RAZR (see bottom) to allow:
- Use of PC keyboard for input
- As Keith posted earlier, direct update of Nuvi with MapSource (or something similar) without the extra step of generating intermediate files and then using POI loader.
My Motorola Phone Tool (MPT) not only allows management of address book and copy files to/from my PC, I can control the keypad to dial and answer calls.
Garmin nüvi® 660, iPhone 8gb (Technology is not the solution. It's only a tool to help you achieve it.)
Bicycle Handlebar Mount
I would like to see Garmin come out with a bicycle handlebar mount for the Nuvi so I could easily use it on bike rides.
A Book Reader
There are thousands of public domain books that are available for FREE on the internet that you can download and read on portable devices such as cell phones, pda's, laptops etc. It would be nice if the Nuvi would support the reading of one of these standard formats.
Contacts & Calendar Display
The ability to transfer my contacts and calendar from my Macbook and search and display it on my Nuvi would be really nice.
customizable routes. It'd be nice to tell it to take a...
certain bridge, or tunnel.
That would be nice
customizable routes, even minor tweeking would make things nicer. Sometimes by using the detour feature, its possible to get off the expressway for a little while.
bfk
Browser
Wifi with Web browser and video player.
Its all about convergence, baby!
Nuvi 660
Quite a bit really...
Nice to haves on the Nuvi? Where do I begin? (Despite this I do believe it is a great unit).
Apologies if I repeat some of the points already posted but hopefully it will reemphasise this should Garmin developers ever read these posts (do they?)
1) QWERTY style keyboard for entering waypoint names etc. Why they adopted the ABC layout boggles the mind.
2) Definitely an improved/ more powerful transmitter for punching the signal through to the vehicles radio aerial. I get constant wash out no matter which station I tune the car radio and Nuvi 670 to.
3) Top green bar on the map display rotating between direction info AND mp3 title playing.
4) Play, Previous, Next buttons on (the side?) of the map interface so you can control mp3’s without having to sub-navigate to skip mp3’s.
5) When navigating to a waypoint to have the option of defining which trip info is being displayed on the bottom left and right blocks of the map display. Or maybe also alternate. Speed is a far more important display for me than time of arrival.
6) Definitely be able to catergorise waypoint favourites into Clients, Sites, Suppliers. Etc. without having to trawl through 2000 waypoints just to find one.
7) Why does one have to use the POI uploader to create proximity points. I would assume this would be so simple to do in Mapsource in the waypoint window. Another strange way of thinking by Garmin.
8) Breadcrumbs – would be a nice option.
9) When ‘off-road’ on the Nuvi (i.e. on a new unmapped road) the system could prompt ‘Are you on a road?’ -> ‘Is this road a Highway?’ etc. etc. for a) storage and b) uploading to Garmin for their use (maybe thereby earning some sort of loyalty points towards the purchase of your next Garmin?.
Also Garmin would thereby be able to track just how much road work is going on in an area and judge to up-to-dateness of their maps.
10) Improved manner for marking a waypoint. This may relate to the touch screen issue but it usually takes 2-3 tries of touching the onscreen vehicle to get it right – and by then I’m 2 km’s past the speed camera I wanted to mark. Or if the scale is on 300m you end up making a waypoint 3 km’s away by accident.
11) Dual volume – definitely.
12) Option via PC to teach the TTS voice certain pronunciations phonetically and then, as in point 9, upload to unit and Garmin. For example we have areas where the street is ‘Umm Something’ which is pronounced ‘Oom’ but the unit say ‘Yoo Em Em’.
13) That the unit can ‘learn’ your preferred route to a waypoint that is commonly visited.
14) Designate avoidance waypoints – Toll booths etc.
Heck of a list but hopefully Garmin reads these types of posts and does something about them.
Nuvi 715 (Sucks), Nuvi 670 (dead)& Garmin GPS 72. South African living Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
split screen is possible
Another thing that would be neat is if the screen would split in half automatically and show you a detail of the next turn instead of having to tap the bottom right corner.
This trick works on my c550, but only works if there is more than one turn left to go.
Tap the bottom right corner (next turn in).
You get the split screen.
You should also have an up and a down arrow. Press the down arrow then press the up arrow to take you back to where you were to begin with (your next turn).
This action seems to keep the unit in split screen mode. It will stay this way until the trip is completed then it will return to the normal nav screen.
If you don't do the arrow down/up, the screen will time out and return to the normal nav screen. That's why I said you need more than one turn left on your route.
........Garmin StreetPilot c550 / Nüvi 765...........
i-nuvi
Picture this... The new Apple phone ad where after the sushi place is located and called, the device is turned on its side and becomes a 660.
Isn't that what everyone's been describing here?
Remove a particular "leg" on a route
I live in NYC, so being able to avoid a certain road or bridge is key to getting around. I don't understand why my Nuvi 350 cannot allow me to overide any portion of the calculated route, and then have it re-route.
Heck, the lousy Magellan Maestro 3100 (I just returned) could do this with ease.
Drew
Remove a particular "leg" on a route
I live in NYC, so being able to avoid a certain road or bridge is key to getting around. I don't understand why my Nuvi 350 cannot allow me to overide any portion of the calculated route, and then have it re-route.
Heck, the lousy Magellan Maestro 3100 (I just returned) could do this with ease.
Agreed... although not from NY, I do live in an area with multiple 'major' roads leading into the city.
One of the highways is excellent, and the other two are absolutly horrendous. Of course my 350 always routes me away from the most desirable.
I'm VERY disappointed with the lack of routing options on the Nuvi. I gave up a 199.00 Magellan (300) that would allow this.
Other than that, I love my 350... hopefully Garmin will come through with something to aid this.
.
Garmin could fix via firmware upgrade
Bailey228, I couldn't agree more. I've had the Nuvi 350 for about 2 hours, and it's clearly head and shoulders above the Magellan (with it's buggy Microsoft OS). In a way the Nuvi reminds me of an Apple product -- simple, intuitive, well designed, and expensive ; )
I don't know much about Garmin, but if they're smart, they'll allow user to selectively edit portions of a route (with a firmware update). It wouldn't take much on thier end, but some companies are cheap and would rather force consumers to buy the newest and greatest model rather than making logical upgrades for their existing customer base. I hope Garmin does the right thing. Enjoy your Nuvi!
Drew
And while they're at it
if they would only fine tune the firmware to allow us to turn off that aggrivating "recalculating" when we do decide to take another route. My G510 allows it, so why not the 350?
bfk
Different Mute Options
Nuvi 650 (660 without bluetooth or fm).
Would like to mute all the prompts EXCEPT alerts
Warn Me!
I wish my Nuvi had a way to adjust the warning time/distance before an exit or turn.
warnings before turns
Are relative to the kind of road you are on, and the speed you are going...and that is not something you can change.
*Keith* MacBook Pro *wifi iPad(2012) w/BadElf GPS & iPhone6 + Navigon*
In addition to most of the
In addition to most of the stuff already mentioned (esp. multiple waypoints along routes, tracking, and QWERTY keyboard layout option)...
I wish it showed elevation somewhere more accessible than on the satellite signal strength screen. Like maybe floating on the driving display or on the trip computer display. Latitude/longitude would be nice, too.
A lot of great suggestions
A lot of great suggestions here. I hope Garmin is reading...
Most important updates for me would be:
1) Remember my last searched city (or where I am now) and give me that as a fast-search button.
2) Ability to add a road not on the map.
3) Learn routes I like from the way I drive if I consistantly ignore your suggested route.
Funny that the nuvi 350
Funny that the nuvi 350 shows the next turn promt but the 660 does not.
My street pilot III was a real work horse. It was almost perfect except for the fact that it was not touch screen and only had a 32mb memory card. Also map updates were $150 a year.
I dropped it at least a hundred time and it functions to this day.
My Nuvi 660 is great but needs a lot of tweaks to be as great as the SP3.
I just dropped it and cracked the LCD, the repair price was $275, I called and compared the durability of my SP3 to the 660, the lady was kind enough to drop the price to $142.
My Requests
I have many of the same requests as everyone here. Especially:
1) Being able to download from my GPSr the trip route to my computer. It would be nice to save all my trips and the paths I took.
2) Ability to learn or save best routes.
3) Left or Right upcoming turn indicators
4) More than one waypoint
5) Ability to avoid certain roads or routes.
Garmin Nuvi 2699 with 2017.30 Maps
Not quite 660...
Picture this... The new Apple phone ad where after the sushi place is located and called, the device is turned on its side and becomes a 660.
Actually, it only displays the map as it doesn't have GPS capability (yet).
On the other hand, a couple of my colleagues got it (waited 4 hours) and it is impressive...but they don't have kids.
Garmin nüvi® 660, iPhone 8gb (Technology is not the solution. It's only a tool to help you achieve it.)
I would love a button on the
I would love a button on the map screen to switch between Fastest and Shortest routes.
+ Garmin nuvi 350 + Garmin nuvi 755T
Excellent Suggestions
Someday, I need to compile these and send them to Garmin.
~Rob
Garmin nuvi 660 Garmin GPSMAP60CS HTC Touch Pro (ATT Fuze) with internal GPS You can't spell gEEk without an EE :)
Food & Lodging
I wish the POI had a a star rating for lodging, and both a star and $ rating on restaurants.
phone number search
Seeing many POI have a phone number on the Nuvi, I wish you can search for a POI by a phone number.
I also wish when you are
I also wish when you are typing in a search for a street name for instance letters would become unavailable as you type, making it much quicker.
voice recognition so that
voice recognition so that you can just speak the address into the unit instead of typing it.
That will be expensive..
voice recognition so that you can just speak the address into the unit instead of typing it.
I think we all wished for this feature one time or another...however, I don't think many of us will be willing to spend extra $$$ for it. This technology's been in development since 1980s. There's a reason why we are still bound to keyboards.
Garmin nüvi® 660, iPhone 8gb (Technology is not the solution. It's only a tool to help you achieve it.)
no one mentioned!?
- we need more storage on the unit to allow maps for the whold world. plus leaving the option of an SD card.
- 1 free map upgrade voucher per GPS purchase.
At least 30-day free upgrade
- 1 free map upgrade voucher per GPS purchase.
They're not even honoring the 30-day upgrade typically found on many electronics. My 660 came with V8 and some people were getting with 2008(v9). Garmin support said too bad.
Garmin nüvi® 660, iPhone 8gb (Technology is not the solution. It's only a tool to help you achieve it.)
Abbreviated state names
I wish that when entering a state name, my Nuvi will recognize the abbreviated state name "NY" or "NJ" instead of having to enter the full state name as "New York" or "New Jersey".
It would be nice if ..
The Nuvi would display altitude. I am not sure if tat is possible with the GPS, but it seems like it could be calculated.
Jim Garmin nuvi 660
Recommend talking with retailer, not manufacturer
- 1 free map upgrade voucher per GPS purchase.
They're not even honoring the 30-day upgrade typically found on many electronics. My 660 came with V8 and some people were getting with 2008(v9). Garmin support said too bad.
While I understand and agree with you regarding purchasing the product during the transition from v8 to v2008, I believe this is best remedied through the retailer where you purchased the product. Many have return and exchange policies.
Garmin StreetPilot c530, Mapsource
Speaker on my Nuvi 360
The speaker on my Nuvi 360 is a joke when it comes to MP3 and audiobooks. I would really like later models to have speakers that wont jitter and stereo capability.
Another feature that I would like Nuvi to have is to transmit directly to the car radio. That way, I think it will sound a lot better even if the speaker is bad on the unit which can get the job done in giving directions.
The Nuvi 660 & 680 do have an FM Transmitters
But, they lack in power output, thus performance leaves a lot to be desired. Best solution is a cable from the headphone jack into an input to the car's audio system. If yours does not have an input, they can be added...or, an after-market replacement radio with a CD player & input for an MP3 player can be had & installed at a fairly reasonable price.
*Keith* MacBook Pro *wifi iPad(2012) w/BadElf GPS & iPhone6 + Navigon*
I wish my Nuvi was
smart enough to remeber my own short-cut to a favorite location after I use it say 2 or 3 times.
Jake
I agree
I turn the volume down on mine when listening to mp3's because it get's sort of staticky (not a word, I know)and then have to turn it back to navigate. I use my 350 in a loud work truck (wrecker) about 12-14 hours a day. Overall, I like it, don't know how I ever lived without it. It's saved me so much time and probably boosted my income (commission)something like 20%.
Favorites
I think the favorites pop up in "nearest to your current location order". That would be why they aren't alphabetized and seem completely random.
Kerry
the FM transmitter really
the FM transmitter really blows.
The Ultimate gps
In addition to the aforementioned Nuvi wishes, I wouldn't mind having the features of the GPS linked below. (Sorry, I don't know how to create a shorter link.)
http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Korean-iNavi-G1-GPS-Navig...
A Nuvi with these set of features would certainly be the One GPS to rule them all.
wish list
I hear people asking for the ability to replay commands incase you miss one, my 660 recalculates everytime I blow past one of its suggested turns. I haven't taken it out for an extended drive yet to really know what it's missing. Going on vacation next month and I'll get back to you after that. I think I might like to be able to plan a route for vacation via computer, but I don't plan on being tied down to a schedule so I'll just wing it.
Lifetime NRA & USPSA member
it should repeat the "next turn - in"
I hear people asking for the ability to replay commands incase you miss one, my 660 recalculates everytime I blow past one of its suggested turns. I haven't taken it out for an extended drive yet to really know what it's missing. Going on vacation next month and I'll get back to you after that. I think I might like to be able to plan a route for vacation via computer, but I don't plan on being tied down to a schedule so I'll just wing it.
if you miss the "next turn" info or want to hear it again, press the "next turn-in" box in the lower right corner of screen.
........Garmin StreetPilot c550 / Nüvi 765...........
Ability to process offline
I get these occational outage of coverage on my Nuvi 360. The message that I get is that reception was lost. I wish there was facility to continue the process based on the location. Say, if I was on a highway, I would like the navigation to keep processing based on previous data and wait till it can re-establish the connectivity. BUT! I WANT THIS ONLY AS AN OPTION THAT I CAN ENABLE/DISABLE.
One more item...
I would also like the ability to plug my Ipod into the 660. When I rent a car, I am currently having to use a splitter to plug in the 660 and the FM modulator for the Ipod.
Garmin Nuvi 2699 with 2017.30 Maps
And the long awaited reply from Garmin...!
My e-mail to Garmin on June 17 asked if it is possible to a) sort waypoints into categories on the GPS unit itself and b) set proximity alerts for waypoints within Mapsource.
I think this reply, which I received on 13 July, pretty much covers all our requests for functionality for the nuvi range.
#####
There are very strict limits to the functionality of the Nüvi range.
It is aimed at relatively simple street level mapping/navigating for the dashmounted format it is designed for.
Kindest Regards,
A***eas Lös**ann
European Product Support Associate Garmin (Europe) Ltd
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Nuvi 715 (Sucks), Nuvi 670 (dead)& Garmin GPS 72. South African living Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
I wish my Nuvi 350 has
I wish my Nuvi 350 has an volume contol knob just like the one on C530. Also the LCD is not as goog as the C530.