Questions about Nuvi 680

I ordered the Nuvi 680 last week and it arrives on Wednesday. Of course, now Costco puts the 660 on sale for a great price. Great model the 660 if you don't need the msn. I like the Costco return policy.

I don't have the nuvi 680, I have the 370 - smaller screen, a few less features, but pre-loaded with Europe maps as well as North America. The bluetooth feature on the 370 is mostly used to connect to a mobile phone and allow you to use the Nuvi as a hands free device. Mine works great and even works with a phone that is not listed as compatible on Garmin's site. The only drawback is I can't text message or get my contacts on the Nuvi since it's not fully compatible. The up side is all I have to do is initiate the phone call from my mobile phone and the Nuvi automatically takes over if bluetooth is turned on and the phone is within range.

I would definitely check on the coverage in your area. In my particular case, I am sort of in the middle of the area coverage so it sort of sporadic. I rarely seem to have the movies close to my home show up, usually 5-20 miles away and weater is ok.
However when I took a trip to Vegas, it worked real nice.

Bought my first GPS 6/19/17,(Garmin 680), it is a great unit. I first used GPS in a Hertz "Neverlost" system, while on vacation in Tenn. a few years back. It made our vacation so much better, with the Points of Interest, that I started shopping for a unit to buy. It took me almost three years to get off my wallet, I got the Garmin at Best Buy for $899.99.
The Bluetoth works great with my wife's Bluetooth phone, ( a Cingular Nokia), you do have to have a Bluetooth enabled phone for this feature to work. It loaded her entire phone directory, we can call by voice command to anyone on her list, it answers calls while on the road, and you can dial numbers with the 680, or the phone. The sound can be through the vehicle stereo speakers, or from the speaker on the Garmin. If through the Garmin, it will interrupt the Mp3 music that you are playing, (another nice feature that allows you to load your music to take along), and plays music again after the call is done.

The MSN feature will show current gas prices in the area you are driving, I have been able to find gas that is as much as 20 cents a gallon cheaper, and it will direct you right to the station!

I have not been in a traffic situation that I need direction around since I bought the unit, but I am sure that I will be glad that I have that feature when the situation arrives.

I am now busy loading custom Points of Interest, I currently have speeed traps, Krispy Cream, Museums, Oddball tourist atractions, and places that we want to see on our next vacation, Everette WA, (next week), YIPEE!!!

Just bought a garmin 680 and drove from Arizona to Knoxville then to Milwaukee with only one problem ,Chicago.
Had real good directions most of the way,just a few points where cities were mixed up so you still need a hard map sometimes.
Overall my wife who hates new things electronic just loves it.
Bob

I was looking at 680, but it's still way too expensive especially I recently picked up my 660 from Costco for $499. It was a no-brainer. However, I do like the MSN direct features and $130 lifetime option though...

As for the bluetooth feature, check Garmin site for compatible phone list because some features will not be supported on certain phones. I'm still debating whether to use 660 or continue to use my Plantronics 640 headset while driving as before. Hope this helps.

$499.99 Nuvi 660 at Costco online Valid for orders placed through June 11, 2007 while supplies last. Item #199368. I have a Nuvi 660 and 670 that I paid BIG $$$ for but if you can get the Costco $499 deal I would defiantly order that one. If you have a change of heart Costco has a 90 return policy on electronics and you can return it to any of there stores and they will even refund shipping.
CLICK HERE

Hi,

Your reply was not too late. I still haven't made a decision. That's what happens when you are in the business of doing remodeling around the house! LOL
I do appreciate all the feedback! This is a great forum!

And still a great deal!

Nuvi at Costco

I've had the 680 now for about a month. I really like it. Some of the things I like are how it routes me around traffic. One day it tells me to go 1 way and the next day, it is routing me around another way. Since I have it set up for fastest, it knows the traffic and will reroute you. The gas prices are great except it only tells you regular prices. I wish it would tell you diesel prices. I didn't think I would like the MP3 player, but I bought a 2gig SD card and loaded with songs. I can now play them through my car speakers or just use it as an iPod when it's not in my car. I also like the blue-tooth feature that allows me to use it as my cell phone - way cool. It will take you anywhere and by loading it with POI's, it's really great. The screen is large and very bright, in any condition.

I wish it had map-source capabilities and mulitiple routing capabilities. Other than that, it works fantastic.

nuvi 6xx series navigation systems are nice, but i think they are over-rated & over-price.

the main point of nuvi 680 is the msn direct service which is cheaper than fm or xm traffic services.

another positive points are; very simple user interface design; fairly reliable maps & routes; still better than competitors POI data

however alternatives are getting better while garmin is staying

first of all, msn direct's major problem is the its very limted coverage area; it is far less than what it should have been

routing generation hasn't improved much since sp2620 from 2004; from my experience, it is worse than tomtom v6 with v675 NA map compare to nuvi 680

i am not sure it's the mapping data or the routing program, but garmin's faster setting gave me more than few instances of very weird routes which i haven't had with tomtom; it used to be the other way around.

i used to use sp2730 which i paid about 500usd about one year ago has more advance features; only if sp2730 had built-in battery, i would definitely go with sp2730 over nuvi, but nuvi looks nicer.

after being burnt with garmin service, i am inclined to tomtom or win ce/hackable based navigation system over garmin

Purchased my Nuvi 680 from Shipdog.com last week for $657. Looks like it is down to $654 today with free shipping. I was hesitant to use an online merchant I knew little about but the experience with Shipdog went very smooth. I paid an extra $14 for 3 day shipping for a total cost of $671. Could have had it for less but couldn't wait. Ordered it on Thursday, it shipped on Friday, was scheduled for delivery on Wed. but arrived in great condition Tue., ahead of schedule.

This is the first GPS I have owned and am very impressed so far. The 680 seems to be very accurate and is preloaded with thousands of POI's with detailed info and phone numbers. I loaded several additional downloaded POI's and later ended up removing them because they were already pre-installed in the 680 with more detail than the downloaded ones, including phone numbers.

The Bluetooth works flawlessly and I have really enjoyed being able to make calls directly from the 680. It is also nice to be able to call a POI just by hitting the phone icon.

The MSN service is also very helpful and has already helped me to find gas at lower prices than the places I was previously purchasing from. I had heard complaints that the prices were not updated regularly but I have not found that to be the case. Prices appear to be updated regularly and at least in my area(Dallas) are quite accurate. Movie times are also acurate. Not enough time yet to give a judgement on the traffic capabilities but it has shown me a couple of accidents and backups accurately so far.

I am very happy so far with the 680 and glad I waited a little bit to find it at such a low price. I will also be using Shipdog again for future electronic purchases. Very pleased with the whole experience. (And no, I don't work for them).

Mark

Overall, I'm happy with my nuvi 680. I'm not sure that the larger screen really gives you much advantage over a 370.

The Good:
Fast to acquire satellites
Screen is bright and clear
Search function is faster than older streetpilot
MSN service is fine, but not such a big deal for me

The Bad:
The size is large in comparison with 370
The MSN features provide some useful information, but not nearly enough and the information is often wrong (gas price, movie time)
The batter life is significantly shorter than advertised (about 1.5 - 2 hours)

Jen

Bluethooth lets you connect to your phone and use your phone hands free while your traveling ect.