Hints & Tips Garmin Nuvi 3597

All in all, there are two issues here that bother me.

First, when Garmin announced the Real Directions feature, a person could quite easily assume that business-announced audio navigational audio would be offered very frequently throughout the US and I'm sure Garmin wanted us to assume this. An example from Garmin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6RGl_-EyY8

A much more honest way to introduce the feature would be for Garmin to have said something like "We're rolling out a new feature in our new automotive GPS devices in several cities and plan to expand the locations with future map updates..." In preparing this reply, I Googled around a bit and saw one forum post on another site from about one year ago suggesting that 52 cities offered business announced turns, although the number 52 couldn't be documented. On average, that's roughly one city per state.*

Second, and this is a long term complaint I have with Garmin and many other company's Customer Support services is that the answers given oftentimes don't answer the question asked, offer incorrect information, etc.

*Aha, I found a reference:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/automobiles/navigating-wit...

I've had the landmarks anounced in several locations; varrious cities in Md., Ny., Va., Wash. D.C., Nc., Tx., Ca. And I think Il. But right now I can't completely be sure of Il.

Perhaps I've been fortunate or misfortunate.

Whoops, in my reply above, I should have said the 52 city landmark reference was from two years ago rather than one.

It may be that in the past two years, the eight or so map updates have added additional cities. Let's hope so.

So that explains why few of us have had the landmark navigating reference...

Thanks for digging that up, Craig.

It kind of reminds me of junction view coverage. When I got my 755T in 2008, I was disapointed to find that there were no junction views in my area, not a single one, not even on interstates. I think the only junction views in Iowa at that time were in the Des Moines area. Over time, Garmin increased the coverage and quality of junction views to what we have now ... views of almost all major interchanges.

The last answer from Garmin. No more plans to follow up.

It does not work at every landmark. It is only for what is preloaded on the mapping software. Just as junction view files do not display at every junction.

The way the Garmin Real directions will work, if the landmark data is included in the software, it will give you Real directions if you hear the examples you provided, such as when it says Bank of America, and Crackle Barrel, and traffic light, and yes it does use certain companies, unfortunately, we do not have a list of those companies.

It will be in more of a more metropolitan area, or heavily populated areas. We also do not have a list of the heavily populated areas. I hope this answered your questions.

If I can provide further assistance, please let me know. Thank you.

I'm waiting for mine to say "Crackle Barrel".

I'd really like to hear some kind of directional instruction using a land Mark in Osdick Ca. That would really impress me!

If you don't know about Osdick, I'd recommend a google search.

I said that was my last follow up but I received another email this morning from someone else at Garmin and believe this may clear some things up between these two emails.

I am happy to assist you. The Real Direction and Real Voice is still very young, and like the junction view as time goes and more updates to the mapping are done more landmarks will be added. It will not have everything in the device as of yet. As long as you keep up with the mapping update, which it does appear that you are they will continue adding to the database. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

That's a great test of Real Voice because it includes the Carl's Jr., Starbucks, and a new instruction I've not heard before: "Make a slight right turn at the traffic light." (I'd never heard the "slight" before.)

Aha, I've finally heard landmarks mentioned (and also finally saw the 3D buildings displayed).

I have found that landmark announcements occur for all seven English language TTS3 voices: Serena, Jack, Samantha, Karen, Daniel, Lee and Sangeeta so it is not necessary to use Samantha to hear landmarks announced as has been previously suggested.

As long as one of the above seven voices are chosen for navigation, you will get landmark announcements if they exist. If you don't routinely (or ever!) hear landmark announcements, it's because you haven't traveled to a large city where Garmin has encoded landmark announcements into the map file.

That also have business names in the directions... You know, turn right after the Gulf station.

http://www.navteq.com/hdtraffic/

Seems like many of the cities in this list, I've been in and have received those kinda of instructions.

I'm waiting to hear the following, "Turn left after the drug dealer on the corner of papers and bud"