Garmin Nuvi 760

But you gotta love the qwerty keyboard!!!!!!!!

I can understand this keyboard might be nice to have over the current 600 series, but exactly what is the big advantage? I don't use the keyboard all that much, so its really not that big a deal to me. What am I missing here about the keyboard? The option of avoiding one segment of the route (had this on my Magellan Roadmate 760 and used it many times) would be of much greater value to me, IMHO.

I use the keyboard a lot!!!!! It helps me narrow down POIs. I do "Spell Name" more then I do anything else to be honest cause I am not sure if it would be considered food, lodging, etc.

I call Garmin and it's confirmed . The 760 is not WAAS.

Here is the message:

The reason that the 7xx's never see the WAAS satellite is that they do not support WAAS. This is exactly what you are experiencing. The 7xx and the 6xx are equal in non WAAS mode. The 6xx is just a little more accurate in WAAS mode. There is nothing wrong with your 760's software.I believe WAAS is not supported in the 7xx line to conserve battery power.

Reference:

Product Support Specialist
2nd Shift Automotive Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-397-8282
www.garmin.com

I have the 680 and the 760 on side be side. When I turn on WAAS on the 680 I get one additional satelite in this area. It is 51. When I turn it off, that one satelite always turns off. The 760 picks up the same satelites as the 680 when the WAAS is turned off. The 760 never sees 51.

However, the accuracy is better on the 680 than the 760 when the 680 WAAS is turned on. When it is turned off, they are about the same.

My feelings about now are mixed. There are some things that are much nicer. A few new features. Upon powering on the first time, the satelites were aquired as quick if not quicker than the 680. With the two side by side the 680 sees to be a little more sensitive in that the weaker birds will appear on the 680 first.

On the 680 the map as a scale that is displayed so you can get an idea as to the zoom level. The 760 does not have it. Not a big deal, but interesting to not the things one notices when they are use to them being there.

That is all for tonight, I will mess with it more on the way to work tomorrow.

The scale would be a biggy for me.

I am going to continue evaluating the 760 for a while. However, I am considering returning it. The screen stinks, especially at night. If you can imagine the difference between standard definistion and high definition television, that is the difference between these two. The screen on the 760 is washed out and poor contrast.

If there is a feature that you have to have and have never owned the 680, then it is a decent GPS. If you have owned a 680, I don't believe you will be happy with the 760.

I am still reviewing the feature that are exclusive to the 760, but so far, I don't see a reason to keep it.

Interesting to hear your comments about the display of the 760. I recently purchased the 660 for use in my wife's car, which doesn't have on-board nav. Granted, it's simple enough to operate, and has a good display. I do like the Bluetooth, too. That part worked exceptionally during a recent out-of-town trip. I even got her to key in a destination.

What I miss: bread crumbs and the ability to create and save multiple routes, especially to download routes from my PC to the GPS. For these reasons, I am seriously considering trying to sell the 660, and replace it with the 760.

Mark, I thought the 760s were delayed until early next year. Did they release some last month, only to find out some major bugs, some of which you've described, like the display issue?

Something should be clarify here, 760 has the same display than other 4,3 " from GARMIN. They do not change anything for the display. SAME GOOD DISPLAY. Same contrast.WQVGA color TFT with white backlight like all previous 6xx serie.

Like other NUVI'S SERIES. The new 760 is a high quality product.The first firmware update will be release in few weeks.

Dont worry and be happy, you will appreciate.

Thank you for your candid comments...I WAS considering moving to the 760 but after what you have posted I decided not to.

MArk claims that he is looking at the 760 and 680 side by side and the 760 does not provide as good a screen image as the 680.

The QWERTY keyboard is of little use. If I had a choice, I would rather have QWERTY...but how often do you really use it? I like the 680 and I think I will wait for the next generation unless Mark posts something unexpected.

I want to upgrade from my c530 but, Ive been waiting for the reports to start coming in on the 760 before I decide which unit I'm going to get. I appreciate Mark's ongoing evaluation. No offence to Mark but Ill be waiting on more reports before making a decision.

This baffels me. There is all of this excitment over a qwerty keyboard and little over the 760's abilitly to do bread crumbs and create and save multiple routes with multiple waypoints. That will be a must have for me when I upgrade from my c530.

The 660 and 760 both use the same screen. If your 760 had crappy relolution, you may have a defective unit. I would get on the phone with tech support.

Both units use:

4.3" diagonal
3.81" x 2.25"
480 x 272 pixels
64,000 color
TFT
Super-Bright
Widescreen

DEFINATELY, wait for the reports. This is just my opinion, nothing more. However, like I mentioned earlier, compare the features. If there is not something about the 760 that you just really need, for the money, you may be just as happy with the 660 or 680.

I suspect in the very near future gpsmagazine.com will post one of their lengthy reviews of the 760. That will be interesting reading.

They have been on sale at Circuit City for a number of days. I am hearing that other places are now selling the 750 etc. So, it appears they have been offically released.

I have decided to keep it which is a good thing. I figued out the screen deal. You need to position the Nuvi where you are looking at it straight on. If it is below eye level and you are looking downward from above, that is when it gets hard to see. the 680 does not have this issus. However, I looked at a number of other Nuvi's on display today and they all have that issue except the 680 (the only 600 series they had).

I bought a Nuvi 760 last sunday at Best Buy as a semi-truck driver for the fact that it has the multi-waypoints (routes) option. After I charged it, I noticed there is no "Truck" option in the vehicle-routing profile.

In the c330 and even the Nuvi 660, the vehicle-routing profiles
includes Car/Motorcycle, Pedestrian, Bicycle, Truck, Bus, Emergency,
and Taxi.

I learned this week in NJ, CT and Bronx/Yonkers, NY that the device will get you from point A to B efficiently if you drive a car as I was faced with 11' 1' low clearance bridges. MS S&T rescued me twice. smile

Spoke to Garmin on the phone and got this email:

Dear Eddie,

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

I will be more than happy to assist you with this. The Nuvi 760 does not
offer vehicle type for truck. The routing capabilities is not anything
less than the other Nuvi's that offers vehicle type for trucks. The
vehicle types were added in hopes that the future mapping will allow to
integrate with this feature. Our mapping provider does not include this
feature so we are unable to use this for alternate route.

With Best Regards,

Maria S
Product Support Specialist
Automotive Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-397-8282 (fax) Att: Maria S
www.garmin.com

So I hope to learn how to build athe POI with a proximity alert with stop me from returning this beautiful packaged unit.

Btw, QWERTY comes in handy for typing addresses in for.

Just my two cents worth. Hope this helps

I can go to the Garim website and it certainly the pecifications make it look like they two units have the same screen. I can tell you that this appears to be the same screen that is in most of the Gramin wide screen format devices. I went out yesterday and messed around with display models to confirm.

While this screen appears to be the same as the other wide screen Nuvi's, it is not the same as they put in the Nuvi 680. That screen is far better, brighter, more contrast and can be viewed from most any angle.

I had to have it to sort multiple waypoints and set up routes.

So this leads me to this question, does the "truck" vs "car" vehicle matter? I have heard reports that the truck vehicle will try to keep you on interstates. However, from the post above, it appears that it doesnt do anything right now.

Hi Mark,

I find there are 2 exlusive features that exist in the 7xx series while the 6xx series does not have, that are track log & routes.

Track log, can it be saved to the SD card?
Since now Nuvi can save track log, can it be used with nRoute - launch nRoute, connect Nuvi with laptop and you will be able to see your current location??

Routes, how does this feature works? Does it work similar to Mio or Magellan gps receivers, which getting from point A to B and you'll be detouring to more than 15 places, then you could input all 16 (including the final destination) destinations and it will plan the most efficient route? What is the maximum number of detours?

Please review those 2 features.

Thank you.
Henry

I have not gotten taht far but as soon as I do I will post someting.

Thank again Mark...

Are you keeping your 750/760 or are you still in eval mode?

I have decided to keep it! I really like the multi-via's and being able to create routes. I am not excited about the screen, but it is the same one they use in most of the units except for the 660 and 680. Many may argue with me but the screen is better on my 680 as I described before.

I have examined the WAAS capability in my 680 and can't really tell all that much difference in the accuracy with the WAAS on or off. The 760 accuracy runs about 5-10 feet less accurate than the 680 with WAAS off. At the end of the day, it does not seem to affect the unit's ability to perform well.

So far I have not been able to figure out how to get it in the diagnostics screen but still trying.

I am often critical. When I am purchasing a "top of the line" device, I expect a greater amount of perfection than I would otherwise expect. I expected it to be just as good as the 680 with more features, improved technology, etc. So, the price is higher and the following is missing or different (these are just the ones I have discovered):

1. No AC power supply
2. No leather case
3. suction cup mount although works, is not as good.
4. Screen is not the high contrast screen found in the 680.
5. No WAAS capability (not sure this really matters)
6. Some features require more screen taps to get to.
7. Stuck with the TMC traffic receive, should have a choice.

New Features:

1. Different UI - Similar to 200w
2. Multiple VIA's
3. Multiple Routes
4. Bread Crumb Trail
5. Bluetooth works better
6. Case greatly imporved.
7. Built in antenne (slight loss of senstivity)
8. Supports both TMC and MSN Traffic receivers (but you don't have a choice).
9. Shows speed limits on major highways
10. More zoom levels than 680.

Bottom line, I like it and am going to keep it. On a scale of 1 - 10, I would give it a 9.

Garmin as mentionned the following responses:

"760 series are designed to be used conveniently in pedestrian mode as well as vehicle mode."

"Since you will be outdoors as a pedestrian the screen also has a shadow mask to reduce the glare of direct sunlight. This makes it more readable while in pedestrian mode. This reduction in sun glare also reduces the viewing angle. This is a design feature, not a defect."

Product Support Specialist
Automotive Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
-------------------

I guess , it's nice to know that.

Concerning the screen difference mentionned by markn455 for 6xx versus 760, the answer from Garmin will be provide in few days. I am not surprise that could be in relation to their "shadow mask" or a warm white light LED instead of cool white light LED.

It shoud be brighter if they use a cool white LED.

But anyway , i appreciate their New 760.
Me too i give them 9/10.

I have seen them both close on accuracy. However, the 760 is about 5-10 feet LESS accurate then the 680 with WAAS off. The 680 will stay in the mid teens. The 760 will stay in the upper teens to the mid 20's most of the time. I have on a couple of occasions seen the 760 get to the low teens but not very often.

To get into the diagnostics, touch and hold the battery level indicator for a few seconds and release. This is the same way you would get into the time settings by pressing the time display and the satelite strength, location, speed and elevation displays by pressing the signal strength indicators.

I just received my Nuvi 760 this morning, so have not touched everything, but am happy with the unit so far. I have had several Garmin units and have been using a Nuvi 660 most recently. I welcome back the tracking and multiple waypoint features.

The screen was initially set to about 40% brightness and was not good in the daylight when first started. I adjusted it to be about 80% and it is quite bright. I used my Nuvi 660 in a convertable and it was visable with the top down. I expect that the Nuvi 760 will be as good or better in direct sunlight.

So far sensitivity is as good as my Nuvi 660 and was in the teens all day. That's within the wheelbase of my car and certainly within sight of anything I need to find. I let it initialize in open sky for a few hours the first time I turned it on and it seems to be fairly accurate.

The UI is a bit different, but so has every generation of Garmin. They are always familiar and fairly intuitive. It just took me a few days with each one and I didn't want to go back to the previous one.

The ball mount is not a tight as I would like, but I will fix that and not complain. I will always see features that I would like to have, but they are probably already in the works at Garmin. I will just enjoy this one until the next one that has what I like arrives to market.

The Garmin service is second to none.

I will use the Nuvi 760 a while longer before making further commet.

Bill

I am glad to hear that Bill.

Very interesting.

Thank's

NUVI 760 -- PLEASE DONT WORRY concerning the satelite reception.

I certified the fix issue will coming very soon.
For those who had many GARMIN like me. Just remember the C-340. Same built-in antenna for the 760.

Do you remember the update 4.00 to 4.30 ---> at that time it was the >>Improved satellite acquisition <<

After that everybody was happy because Garmin Support team released an update for their reception problems. So don't worry again and please be patient.

For thoses who wants to remember that issue for StreetPilot C-340 , go and read the changed from version 4.00 to 4.30 .
Following web link:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=1167

Other Street Pilot has been fix the same way when they come on the market. And you know how ? After the users claim an update to fix the Satelite reception.

The same pattern will occured this time because they release again their product to fast without a minimum of test. So be patient.

760 will be a very nice product.

Royy /
Alias EUREKA

Hi,

Can the nuvi760 be operated without being in GPS mode? For nuvi6xx, you only need to keep the antenna back and you can use the unit without being connected to the gps satellites.

Henry

Yes, it can be operated in "Simulation" mode (GPS off). If you fiddle with it indoors, it will seek satellites for a few minutes and automatically revert to Simulation mode, or you can set it to simulation when you turn it on.

Cheers........ Joel

I had a lock up issue on my new 760 on cold start and exchanged for a new unit...now it's all working nice. happy with this model.

Yes , 760 can be operate in simulation mode but only 1 X speed. Not fast but enought for simulation.

I am still undecided on this unit. Some of the features are really nice. I hope the accuracy, rubband effect, startup times, etc. Can be address by firmware update and soon.

I am traveling to San Francisco Monday. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to aquire after traveling almost 3,000 miles.

A good review of the 7XX series can be found at www.GPSLodge.com. They are unbiased in their assessment, and give it very favorable reviews. Worth the read for anybody in the market, or considering upgrade.

Joel

First one now available from the GARMIN WEB SITE

Updates & Downloads

Nuvi 750 and 760 software version 2.20 as of October 30, 2007

Changes made from version 2.10 to 2.20:

-Added support for Afrikaans text language
-Updated some text translations
-Fixed bug with routing around closed entry ramps
-Fixed issue causing incorrect rounding in the Currency Converter
-Fixed bug that could cause the unit to hang during some searches
-Fixed issue causing time on the Trip Information Page to be skewed
-Fixed issue with not being able to select French Sebastian TTS voice
-Fixed issue that could cause any traffic delay to be represented as a 1 minute delay
-Fixed issue that could potentially display a blank page when creating a new MP3 playlist
-Fixed occasional issue with address selection causing the review address page to not display.
-Enhanced traffic presentation

Well , they are working enought faster i guess.
Bravo GARMIN, keep going. Excellent services. I should say the best one as usual.

Still waiting for the update ""Improved satelite reception" for thoses who have some acquisition difficulties.

I am sure they are working on it. We hope actually like they did in the old past with C-340 for that satelite improved update.

Royy

I'm quite incredulous at some of things in that list.

For example, how can they be fixing 'rounding errors in Currency Convertors'? They've obviously been writing stuff from scratch instead of re-using what they've already got. Why do they keep doing this?

Seems like utter, total madness to me

(Unless of course, all their Currency Converters have a problem - but they're only going to fix this one!)

Yes , you are right Phil.

We don't know why they choose to fix thoses minors bugs first. I think they are working with a list of priority they had received from the people who test the product before release on the market. It's a normal process. Other bugs reported will follow after thoses one.

But in general it's a good news beacause they are working on list (reported or not).It's just the beginning of many updates. But they are doing faster than expected. If you remember the product was just release few weeks ago and not everywhere on the planet. He will be available everywhere in another 2 weeks from now.

That's why i call that an excellent service. Well it's better than nothing.

And if i remember what i read somewhere , GARMIN want to be the best one for sale and service this year. Something is going one for a big financial acquisition.

Here is a link to another review from GPSmagazine.

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/10/garmin_nuvi_760_review.ph...

I learned a few things from reading this that I had not noticed yet in my few weeks of using the 760. It includes what seems to be every screen possible and explanations of each. It's better than the owners manual!

The review had some great information regarding how the routing is done along with comparisons of routing done by two other brands. It gave an explanations as to why the results were different based on the maps used and the routing methods.

Bill

We are in the market to get our 1st GPS & I've decided to get a Garmin, but have no idea which one the 680 or the 760????

What do you all suggest?

One thing I liked about the 680 is the 1 year free MSN Direct, but I like the multiway feature of the 760.

Maybe they caught the NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome from a previous employer.

Happens all the time to both software & hardware engineers.

Flash,

First, you probably should have started your own thread with your question, but since you are here now, I'll try to answer your question and hope you can get back here to see the answer. Not totally sure what you mean by "multiway feature" of the 760. Either the 680 or the 760 will offer you (depending on your settings in the unit) one way to get to your destination. The difference in these units is that the 760 will allow "routing" to a destination, which may or may not be the way the unit would have routed you. The routing feature on the Nuvi 7XX series is new to this series. Lots of folks that have GPS devices want the routing function, but (before now) had to get a Zumo class device to achieve it. You can get a free year of MSN Direct with the 760 by purchasing the auto power supply accessory. That would get you the best of both worlds........

Joel

I started a new thread right after I posted on this thread. Haven't gotten too many replies yet, but hopefully more will though.

The multiway feature - I was talking about the routing. Thanks for clarifying that! I didn't know that you would still get a 1 year free subscription with the power cable. Wonder if that's worth the $100+ ?? Especially with how much the 760 costs!

Thanks again!

The routing feature on the 760 allows you to plan a route with multiple destinations, I think up to 50 in one route. The unit will optimize your route for you or allow you to select to order of the stops along the way to the final destination.

The 760 comes with the TMC traffic power adapter (30 days free trial) at no additional charge. I use this on both my 660 and 760 and find it invaluable. It saved me from sitting in traffic for an hour and being late to the airport the first time I used it. Well worth the $60 per year cost just for that time alone, but useful to me on a daily basis.

I can't speek to which traffic system is better, but TMC traffic has been useful in every major city in which I have traveled. I carry other tools to know the weather. I get gas when I need to and pay what I have to, so am not sure having the device look for 'cheap' gas would be a feature that I would find useful. The 'Where Am I' feature on the 760 will show you the closest gas stations any time you push the button.

Bill

Thank you for more great information!

So, which one do you like better the 660 or 760?

Thanks again!

In New York there are parkways and some other roads that forbid truck and RV traffic. One of the main reasons are the low clearance overpasses that exist on these roads as well as weight restrictions. I have a Garmin C550 that I use to route my RV properly to avoid these situations. This unit is capable of truck routing. It could be a major problem if a truck or RV operator who is unfamiliar with an area got onto one of these roads. I have considered an upgrade to the 760 but I am not sure now. Does anyone know how to get around this situation or if Garmin intends to address this condition?

I really like the 760 better for a few reasons, but will keep the 660 because it too is a great device and, although my wife and kids think I need therapy for my gadget habit, they enjoy using one of the 'spare' GPS units when they leave town to shop, etc.

I drive a convertible that takes advantage of the improvements in the 760 screen. The 660 was visable in full sun, but the 760 is better. I still have a 2620 because it has the tracking and multiple via point routing, so enjoy having those features back in the smaller package of the 760. Although not very functional, I like the black case with the silver trim. It just matches the car better, but is not a decision factor for which unit to purchase.

I see that some have mentioned issues with the reception. I had a 660 where the antenna was bad and Garmin replaced it without question. I had a new unit 3 days after sending the unit to them. My experience with the 760 does not show aquiring signal to be a problem. Just today, I took the unit out of the car while I was in a store for about an hour. When I returned to the car and put the 760 back on the cradle, I had 10 feet of accuracy within about 30-45 seconds. Each morning before going to work, it takes a bit longer to aquire signal, but still not much over a minute. I think it reduces the aquisition time to stay in one place to allow the unit to aquire signal for the first time each day. I stop at the end of the driveway to put on my seat belt, let the car run for a minute and get settled before taking off for work. By the time I leave, the unit has aquired signal and is ready to go. If I hurry off, it will take several blocks before signal is aquired. It is the same with the 660 as with the 760.

Sorry for the rambling response, but I'm sure that you will not be disappointed in the 760. If you use it daily, you will probably be surprised how it will change your driving experience in your home community. It also allows you to become more familiar with the unit before going to an unfamiliar city and having to learn how to work the unit when you really need it to work for you and be able to focus on other things.

I used it a recently as tonight when going to dinner and riding with another couple. They asked how to get to the restaurant, so I fired up the 760. We even had to detour to surface streets for a traffic accident and the response of the other couple was that they needed to get one for each of their kids.

Just tell it where you want to go and follow the instructions. Trust the device while it takes you to your destination. It makes traveling in an unfamiliar area near home or different city very relaxing.

Bill

I returned my 680 after the internal speaker and FM transmitter went belly up. I have been waiting for the 760 to become available before buying another GPS. Based on these comments I'm not sure now whether I should just buy the 680 again. I noted that you can get the MSN traffic by buying the reciever for an extra $125.00. I found the gas price feature very usefull when it worked which was not always. I agree with Mark they should give you the option. Since I'm not planning any trips in the next few months I think I'm just going to wait and see what develops.