Yesterday I purchased a new Garmin Nuvi 660 portable GPS receiver to use in my new vehicle. So far, I’m going to have to give this little unit a rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Things that are fantastic about this unit:
- Garmin offers free software that allows you to load your own custom Points of Interest into the unit. You can then go to POI sites such as POI-factory.com and download free POIs to include in your device.
- This GPS device voice announces streets by name. Most others simply say “Turn left ahead…”, but this one says “Turn left on President Bush Freeway in 1/4 mile…”. This means that you almost never need to even look at the unit.
- The unit automatically dims the screen when the light goes down to save the strain on your eyes.
- Nuvi will connect to a Bluetooth enabled cell phone and you can use it as a handsfree speakerphone. It will even let you dial out using a touchpad, voice commands (if supported by your phone), or directly to one of the built in Points of Interest phone numbers.
- You can load MP3’s into either the available internal storage space on the device (over 600MB) or simply put it in a directory called MP3 on an SD card. You can then play them back while you are navigating and doing other things with the unit either through the built in stereo speakers – or you can broadcast them to an FM station for playback on your car’s stereo system.
- It will even pause MP3 playback when it makes directional announcements or when you take a phone call through your Bluetooth phone.
- Garmin offers an automated WebUpdater which noticed that my unit needed an upgrade and handled the transaction flawlessly.
- The boot up and satellite acquisition times are very quick compared to other GPS units I’ve used.
- The sound quality of the internal speakers is far better than any other GPS unit I’ve seen. The quality of sound transmitted through the vehicle stereo is good, and callers report that the voice quality through the speakerphone on the other end is quite good as well. Even while driving in a Titan at highway speed everything sounded fine on both ends of a call.
- The screen quality is excellent and the touch sensitivity is perfect.
- It is incredibly light. Not only is it small, but when you pick it up you expect it to be heavier than it is!
There are more nice features than this, but I’ll leave a little out so that future buyers can have a few pleasant surprises.
Things that could use a little work on this unit:
- It is almost unforgivable that a $1,000 portable GPS unit doesn’t come with a printed manual. They only include the manual on the CD and also on the unit if you plug it into your PC and look on it’s internal storage. True, the device is very simple to use, but if you really want to get the most out of it you simply need a manual. In fact, I’d say this is the most feature-rich toy I’ve ever purchased that doesn’t include a manual.
- The Travel Kit area on this device includes several extras such as the MP3 player, a World Clock, calculator, etc. Unfortunately you can’t remove unused icons. For example, there is an icon for SaversGuide, but if you don’t choose to purchase it for $50 per year you can’t get rid of the damn icon. The same goes for other costly built ins such as the Language Guide ($75) and Audible Book Player. Luckily the unit I purchased came with a free Travel Guide which is pretty useful.
The bottom line is that this is a costly little tool, but it can do a LOT of things to make your life better:
- Use it as a wireless speakerphone for your bluetooth phone.
- Play back MP3s from your personal collection while you’re driving around.
- Navigate all over the country with ease, even routing around traffic incidents.
- Find places to eat or things to do in the built in database.
In addition to the fact that the Nuvi is very feature rich, the thing I most appreciate is that every time I tried out one of the new features it just worked. I didn’t have to jack around with it to get it to work or anything. Nowadays gadgets that simply work exactly as advertised are rare, so this is something to really appreciate.
I give the Nuvi 660 a hearty thumbs up and highly recommend this to anyone that can justify the price.
UPDATE: Incidentally my first trip with this device, and the main reason I bought it, was to bring my new NSX home from San Francisco to Dallas. From California to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and through Texas it never got a single turn wrong and inspired tremendous confidence.
This little GPS has also made its way from Dallas through Austin and all the way down to Big Bend National Park in Texas, and it’s navigated me around Pittsburgh, PA. So far it has proven to be more accurate and faster than GPS units I have (or have had) in my 05′ Nissan Titan, 02′ Infinity Q45, 02′ Acura CL Type S, or 06′ Honda Civic. Plus I can travel with it!
I have a Nuvi 660 and the car charger is not charging any more. I found this out just before a trip out of town to Florida, a friend was wiggling the USB cord while attached and it would work intermittantly.
It was a PAIN in the _ _ _ making sure the unit was charged during the day at work so I could use it at night & in the morning.
I would just buy the cord ($14.00), but I’m afraid that the mounting unit into which I plug the USB cord might be the problem ($48.00 to replace this part)
Would you say it’s more likely that it’s one or ther other that’s the problem. Either way I just want to get it overwith at once. I only use the unit when I’m in my car, would you recommend using the cord with the FM Transmitter for traffic? ($99.00)
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks
Karen
The Nuvi can be used while charging with a USB connection. The sync mode screen can be bypassed and the GPS can be operated while connected to a computer. The trick is to put it in test mode by pressing the battery icon for 5 seconds BEFORE connecting the USB. Once in test mode, then connect the USB. Then exit the test mode. The unit will shut down. Simply restart as if connected by the car’s 12V adaptor until the USB connection is disconnected.
Credit goes to aophiuchus for finding this tip. See the Sun, 06/08/2008 – 5:33pm post
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/1212
qwerty keboard: Does anyone know how to install a qwerty keyboard onto the 660?
Video: Is is possible to play any type of video on the 660?
Could you tell me where did you buy the cigarette lighter adaptor plug with USB end that operates and charges at the same time your Nuvi 660 without going into Sinc mode?
What is it called?
I realize that your review is a year old but maybe you or someone else can help.
Thanks. Patou
My Nuvi 660 also craps out after months of use, now the unit couldn’t find satellite, and is completely useless. I need to contact Garmin ASAP since my one year warranty also expires.
I keep getting this message too and garmin said it will be 225.00 to look at it.
I can’t get mine to sinc with my Verizon Razor V3m
All mind does is search for the SATs but never finds them. Guess I will have to send it to them. It worked great for months then went nuts? It will plot a course and show it on the map but just can’t find the SATs?
Bob,
I’ve never seen that issue even once in the year I’ve had the GPS. :-(
John
I keep getting message that the signal has been lost. Anybody else have this. Have done the reboot and clear data by pressing upper left and right of screen along with holding the power button down. That doesn’t correct. Anybody else have this same problem?
Tell Ed to speak with John Humes. The Battery to the Nuvi info. The Battery Pac is from Battery Geek and has only one female barrel plug on it, thus needing a Male Barrel plug on the cord….on the other end of the cord you’ll need a “mini USB” male plug …that will plug into the side of your Nuvi to provide sufficent power to continue to operate. In the middle of the cord there is a charging card that is in a (VERY SMALL PLASTIC BOX). This card was removed from the cigarette lighter adaptor at TAG, and placed in this small box that Tag provided. So the long and short of the cord is….(Male Barrel Plug….5″ cord….small plastic box for charging card…sprial cord with Mini USB Plug). This Battery Pac also as enough power to operate the Nuvi for about 2-3 days without a charge, with it’s 8000mv. My email address is bman@nothinbut.net , this way you can contact me direct for any additional info.
As I explained on my second blog… this cord was made spiciffically for my needs and request, so there is no part number, however John will remember. I can call tomorrow and speak with Ed if you’d like? This way he’ll have an idea of what your asking for. Just let me know? Did you find the battery at Battery Geek? If you need the item number for the Battery let me know.
Navair
Fly Navy
If you need a manual for the 660 go to http://www.gpsmagazine.com
Search for indpth review nuvi 660 you can download and print anything you needed to know.
Hope this helps.
Love my garmin…
Ken
Grand Rapids MI
Navair, I contacted Ed Crane at TagCords in NJ. He’s asking about the part # on the cord itself. He’s also trying to look up your order so an invoice # or surname could help. I’m trying to understand the physical set up from the battery pack to the Nuvi as I am preparing for this and I don’t have it in my hands right now (upcoming X’mas gift). Can you please describe in detail the connections all the way and state if it’s a male or female end as well. I’m trying to get Tag to make the whole thing up for me. Any pics would be great too. Again, thanks in advance for your help.
The cigarette lighter plug that comes with your Nuvi, will only charge it. Because as soon as you plug it in the Nuvi goes into sync mode and you can’t do anything with it. Same applies for the USB cord.
Tagcords in New Jersey can make the cord up that will allow you to operate the Nuvi from a portable battery supply. The one I purchased from Battery Geek was over $100.00, but for me it was a matter of use not cost. This portable power supply has a 12vdc barrel plug that’s both for use and charging. It comes with a case and numerious adaptor plugs as well as a charging cord.
About TagCords….as I said I provided both the barrel plug for one end and the Mini USB sprial cord for the other end, they provided the circuit board box and labor. I believe the total was around 28-33 dollars. The cord I purchased from Ebay.
Tag’s info is http://www.tagcords.com their phone number is 800-824-7005 you can ask for Bonnie or John, regarding the exact cost for assembly.
Please understand, that if you use your Nuvi with the car dash mounting and associated cigarette lighter plug the Nuvi will work Ok, However I just found it to bulkie to carry this mounting adaptor around.
GOOD LUCK, let me know how you make out? If you like I can call Tag and toet them know you’ll be contacting them. As I said in my first note above They normally don’t do auto plugs, they make cords for the communications industry’s. However is John sees enough need he’ll make these too. Afte all you and I are not alone with this problem about power and portability. Everyone who buys a Nuvi has the same problem….their just willing to tolerate it.
Navair, I’m getting the nuvi 660 as an x’mas gift and I am interested in the set up that you described for true portability. Regarding the custom cord that you had made up, can you give me more detail about it? Which Tagcords company did you deal with? Does the cord have a part #, model #, serial # on it? What did it cost? You also mentioned about getting a cigarette lighter adaptor on eBay that will operate the Nuvi using it’s USB female plug on the Nuvi. Do I still need to get this? Thanks in advance.
PS to contact TAG you can’t just click on the link below it won’t work. You’ll have to manually type it on your address bar. Sorry
Hi Joe I’m not able to send you a link….. since I’m not real computer literate, but I’ve entered some information on another page of this Blog that might help. The cord was reasonable, the battery is somewhat $$. But Believe me I felt its worth the cost for the conveinence.
However I’m sure there are other battery packs out there that also use the 12vdc power plug, that arn’t as powerful as the one that suited my needs. Persistance pays off ! Good LUCK .
Anyone interested In solving their power problem……..for their Garmin GPS Nuvi please read……..(JOE ,I hope this helps ya.)
I purchased an exterrnal power supply from BatteryGeek Model #
BG 10-14-88, 8000mAh, (88.8 Wh) MORE THEN ENOUGH POWER FOR PROBABLY 24 HRS.
With the assistance from a GREAT Company (locally- but does business nationally, and would be happy to make and send you one), is TAG Inc. email is http://www.tagcords.com.
The cord they manufactured for me has a 12vdc barrel plug on one end, that mates to the portable battery. A charging card w/led, in the middle, and a mini usb plug on the other end. This cord mates no only to my Nuvi 670 for power, but also charges my Global Blackberry cell, and my digital camera. So I’m getting 3 uses from I cord. The battery would probably also power my laptop.
With persistance I now have enough power to operate numerious divices with one cord, made to my specks by TAG Inc. Contact by http://www.tagcords.com, and you can ask for John, Murry or any of the GREAT FOLKS at TAG,….. tell them Barry sent you!
This all prompted due to Garmin’s lack of “A customers Need’s”
Now I’m ………HAPPY – HAPPY -HAPPY !!!!!! And ready for my walking European Vacation. With enough power to last all day without a charge !!!!!
Navair, can you possibly post a link or show photos of how you hookedup an external power supply? Which batterygeek.net item did you buy?
Igor…. I purchased a cigarette lighter adaptor on eBay that will operate the Nuvi using it’s USB female plug on the Nuvi, and it doesn’t go into Sync Mode. Works GREAT! AND Along with the “BatteryGeek” power supply, everything smooth sailing NOW!
IT’S TRULY PORTABLE NOW!!
Well I purchased the BatteryGeek external power supply, “WORTH EVERY PENNY”!!! I also managed to find a cigarette lighter adaptor plug with USB end, that it will now operate and charge at the same time, without going into Sinc Mode, and there’s no need to also carry around the auto mounting adaptor so I can operate the Nuvi 670 as a stand alone unit. It’s just tooooo bad Garmin makes it’s customers go outside their support base to obtain the necessary equipt so the Nuvi will fully function as a portable device. OH WELL, so much for engineering…….
THANKS –“BATTERYGEEK”– GREAT PRODUCT !!! Thanks to you were now set for our Eurpean Hiking Trip with an additional 8 hours of time!
Navair, I have the some problem with charging. But it goes to sync mode no matter on charger. Car adapter or wall outlet – it is the same!!! I gonna kill myself… :(
Alex, thanks for the advice, and your 100% correct about the warrenty fact. To contiunue the warrenty it has to be hush-hush.
However it’s a done deal……….IT WORKS GREAT NOW!
I agree that a written manual would be ideal and expected. “navair’s” comment about engineering his own power supply was very funny in a good way, I mean man talk about going to any lengths and if it works great just don’t mention it if something happens in the warranty period, hush hush guy and congrats on the solution. Yes there are many great features such as the specific street names it produces and the Webupdater for newbees these things matter. To me a great tech product these days are dummy proof in their design and functionality, and that is said with love because as people get used to things the learning curve gets better and will probably buy the next best thing, good for the manufacturer in the long run. Nice info here and thanks very much.
Thanks John;
Although this won’t resolve My POWER problem. For my NUVI 670. Garmin’s internal battery only lasts about 2-3 hrs., and thats after adjusting the contrast to 30%, and time out feature to 15 min’s. At FULL power the Nuvi 670 only lasts 50 – 60 min’s.
I’ve come to the conclusion to resolve my “enough power” problem since Garmin doesn’t have “A Better Idea”. I’ll purchase a external supply from BarreryGeek, (about the size of a large pack of cigarettes), a charging cable and mount from Garmin. Cut off the Garmin charging cable, splice and solder the BatteryGeek cable to the Garmin window mount end and put the adjunct barrery pack in my pocket . With this combo it’ll give me 8 hrs of power without a recharge. Enough time to tour the various European cties, with the add-on $150.00 Garmin “European Travel Guide”. You’d think that for $1000.00 Garmin would consider the customer, and provide changeable replaceable batteries, like a digital camera has.
Oh Well so much for need or should I say Customer Service?
Again THANK YOU John for your consideration. All suggestions greatfully accepted.
FLY NAVY
Navair,
Check out this little accessory I just came across. http://sfplanet.com/product/CM05
It is a converter that lets you plug in your car charger to a wall outlet, but it seems quite small and compact. I image you could use it with a standard european outlet converter as long as you drop the voltage down from 220 to 110.
If anyone buys one please let us know how it works!
John
Your correct mine also came with the wall charger + several other european charging attachments. Charging isn’t the problem. Trying to use it all day without charging is the problem. AND the batteries arn’t accessable except by Garmin. Again the problem is the NUVI will ONLY OPERATE while charging with the auto adaptor.
Regarding the USB, again the Nuvi goes into Sync Mode, and will not operate, while its charging with that cable. You can’t turn it ON or OFF using the USB cable. Tech Support says this is normal.
Thanks anyway for the info, I do appreciate it.
Hm. My 660 came with a seperate, small, wall-wart style power supply. I also think that if it is plugged into USB and you turn OFF the NUVI, it goes into charging mode (can’t confirm at the moment).
I purchased the Nuvi 670, over $1100.00 with all the Bells and Whistels, Language Guide, Travel Guide, MP3, etc, for our trip to Europe. Tech support tells me “well it’s designed to be used in an auto, not as a stand alone”. HELLO ! It advertised as PORTABLE!
My problem is there is no way to change batteries, or even power the Nuvi w/o using the car adaptor. If you still want to operate the unit. If you plug in the USB cable the unit goes into Sync Mode, and not operational. Since were traveling by rail and staying in Hotels I wanted to carry the Nuvi on my “provided belt holster”. So I can use it throughout the days traveling. Now I have to rely on the over night charge which only GIVES ME about 4 hours of use after we leave the hotel for the days excursions. Garmin should have considered an alturnitive power source, or mfg’d it like a digital camera, with changable batteries! Other then that it’s still a great unit.
A-L-S-O a styless would have been a nice add on instead of the “fingernail”. I suppose I’ll have to purchase another 12vdc cord and auto stand, remove the mount, cut the cable and solder an adaptor plug so I can use an alternitive power source. This is the only way I can provide enough power to last the whole day. When I asked Tech Support is there was a way to change/override, “sync mode” Again I was told “NO!, it’s ment to be used in a Motor Vehicle”. I would think for the base price of $900.00, it would come with a BUTLER!
have a nuvi 660 works great. have a question. HOw to get cross streets to always show on screen ?
Jeff,
That is seriously wrong! I can’t remember now, but doesn’t it come with a 1 year warranty? They should definitely replace it for you for free. Please let us know how it turns out.
John
The battery on my 660 died and there is no mention of any way to replace it. Stories of factory only replacement don’t surprise me but I WILL be surprised if my unit which is less than 6 months old requires a $250 additional investment to replace the battery. If that is the case, I will be sure to relay that particular piece of bad news to all I see shopping for GPS units at the various stores I frequent.
Six months battery life when a majority of that time is spent plugged in inside my car? Unforgiveable.
I just bought the Nuvi 670. AFAIK, it’s pretty much the same as the 660 except the European cards are pre-loaded. That’s exactly why I bought it, since I’m leaving for France less than two weeks from now. I have a question for you satisfied users: how on earth do you change the starting point? We’ve been fiddling for hours, my husband and I. We managed it once, so we know it can be done, but we can’t seem to be able to do it again. When you travel around, you need to be able to have different starting points. Thanks for any help.
i have the nuvi 660 this unit is my second some one Brock in to my car an take my first 660 i have the lock on i hop they do the mistake send it to garmin for unlock.
the good think is the poi’s point of interest that you can download from INTERNET and can have warnings for traffic lights with camera or other thinks like warning for your speed on locations with seed zone .
you can edit the poi you can record your voice and the nuvi will Warning you with your voice for traffic cameras .
also some think els is the blouetooth and mp3 player you can listen the music you like from your car speakers and talk to the phone and listen the person you talk to from your car’s speakers.
if you are interested about poi’s email me
Jonathan,
Thanks for the compliment. :-)
I’ve not yet played with the 680, but here are my thoughts regarding your questions:
I was an MSN Direct subscriber a while back with the little watch that got updates… anyway the service was pathetic and I would never get anything from them again.
The integrated traffice receiver in the 660 has actually helped me navigate around traffic more than once which was fairly useful, though I’m not sure it’s really worth the monthly fees in general.
A qwerty system would be slightly quicker for me, being a touch typist, but again, I’m not so sure that would make much of a real difference.
With regards to the maps, I’m not sure if they are interchangeable or not… sorry.
So, basically I guess I’m saying that I wouldn’t be inclined to pay much more for a 680 than a 660, so just make sure there isn’t a large spread if you go for the 680.
Take care,
John
Nice review and follow up with the comments..
Any comments on the more advanced 680 with MSN Direct? Would it make a significant difference in my business commutes to avoid traffic. For instance I know certain routes are congested during traffic hours, but do the subscription services tell you to what extent?
Do you think a QWERTY entry system would be a vast improvement? I read somewhere that Garmin was considering this as an update.
Would it be possible to use Mapsource maps (international, topo, etc.) as an additional layer with the Navtech?
How about an address book for my customers. how many?
Did read one review right that if you shut it off it does not remember the last address imputed.
Also how do you compare it to the lawrence 500c
Thanks
Chris
John,
Now that you mention it, I have run into the multi-waypoint issue with the Nuvi and it was very annoying.
My friend and I were going to go look at houses one day and I wanted to program in 5 or 6 houses as waypoints, but could not for the life of me figure out how to do that. I was very frustrated, but ultimately had to do them one at a time. So I would say that I haven’t really found a good way of dealing with this.
When I was driving home from San Francisco and wanted to stop by the Grand Canyon I had to manually tell the Nuvi a nearby town to go to in order to get it to stop “efficiently” routing me towards Dallas. But honestly I haven’t really tried that hard to find a work around because it’s never seemed to be that big of a problem.
As far as the battery is concerned, I can find no mention of it anywhere. Also the case has no screws or easily visible manner of disassembly, so it would be difficult to replace. I guess I never cared because I always use it plugged into the power socket.
Take care,
John
Hi John,
Nice review on the 660. I’ve used a StreetPilot III for years, and have been considering a Nuvi 660 as a replacement. I love the large screen, small unit size, and the host of features. But there are several things that make me hesitate.
On my cross-country drives, I often want to take a more scenic route than what the GPS picks for me. On the StreetPilot, I can add multiple waypoints to make sure it doesn’t take me back to its original route. How would I do this on the 660, considering its one waypoint limitation? Does the 660 allow you to remove specific roads from the route as some of the StreetPilots can? I have visions of having to repeatedly make many shorter routes for a day’s driving rather than programming one long route, which would be a big step backwards for most experienced GPS users.
I’m just curious how you handled it if you wanted to take a route other than what your 660 picked for you.
Another concern is that I understand the battery is only factory replaceable, at a cost of around $250. I downloaded the manual, but it doesn’t indicate expected battery life. Do any of the docs that come with the unit mention this?
Thanks for your time.
JH,
First of all, fantastic info about the security feature. I didn’t know that but I’m going to try it!
Second, I promise you this is not a paid endorsement, I know no one at Garmin or anything like that.
I bought this specifically to use in my new NSX which I had to fly to San Francisco to pick up about a week later and drive home to Dallas. I paid $999 for it at Circuit City in Frisco, TX.
I did indeed do all of the first part of the article within one day of buying the unit. I’m like that with new gadgets. But you’ll notice I labeled the latter part as “UPDATE”. I should have put a date in there, but basically I added that a few weeks later.
If you read my About page you’ll see why I can afford to buy NSXs, Nuvis and all the other crap I Review on a whim. But I only review them because I enjoy sharing my experience with others. I only WISH someone would pay me to write all this crap! :-)
I hope that clears things up a bit for the record.
John
Oh, one other comment…
Great original marketing article, but please… That is an awful lot of knowledge, travel, and usage for a unit you bought “yesterday”. I don’t mind a marketing info article, but don’t pretend it is anything else.
It does include “Garmin Lock” (and a window warning sticker). Pro thieves should know about this deterant.
It is a software (firmware?) lock. You set your own pin. If you set it up, you need to enter the pin when u start the unit.
One neat thing is you can also set a “security location”… you literally take the unit to a specific location and save it as your security location. In case you forget your pin, you can take your unit to the security location, and it will unlock. (This seems very silly, since you would use your pin every time, so hard to forget, and if you are locked out because your wife changed the pin, she probably reset the security location too. But those things aside, I thought it was clever.)
Garmin claims there is NO WAY to unlock the unit without the PIN or by going to your saved location (or by sending the unit to Garmin, at which point if you have reported it stolen, it just may come back to you).
So, something to keep in mind, even if you are not concerned about theft much because you dont leave it in the car, you may want to set the PIN anyway, just so that nobody else does, either accidentally or on purpose!!
Steve,
Very good question, unfortunatly no good answer. The portability of this device makes it easy to steal. It’s basically just like a radar detector in that regard.
All I can say is that when I leave my car anywhere I take it down out of the window and put it somewhere out of sight. It does come with a nice carry case that you can slip it into when you are putting it away.
One of the nice things about the Nuvi 660 is that the mounting method is awesome. It snaps into and out of the suction cup holder, so removal is very, very easy.
Hope that helps,
John
I about to buy one of these for my wife but worry that it might be easy to steal. How do you secure the unit if it’s only attached with a suction cup to the windshield?
Steve
My 660 came with the traffic updater. you get the first 3 months free. After that the oost is $60/yr. The updater/antenna is also your power adapter. If the service is available in your area it is well worth the money. It picks up traffic info and you can see where the problems are o your screen. If you are in the navigation mode (directions to a particualr place)the nuvi simply reroutes you around the problem area. If you normal mode (just using the maps) it will warn you with an icon and a verbal prompt (“traffic” ahead, “accident” ahead) Last week, on the way to work, I got the prompt of an accident ahead.. I put myself into navaigation mode using “work” as a favorite. The unit automatically directed me off the highway at an earlier exit, avoiding the entire mess.. very worth while option!!!
I’ve just bought a Nuvi 660 after using TomTom Navigator on a PDA for a few years. The Nuvi is truely excellent. The build quality, ease of use, size and functionality is far better than the TomTom 910 I was considering buying. There are two things that bug me, however: 1. Having the ‘Warning’ start-up screen every time you turn it on and 2: having to enter the country you are in when inputting an address after the unit has been turned off – shame it doesn’t remember or at least give you a default. Oh and another thing, the voices are not as good as TomTom; and I’ve been unable to find any comedy voices for it to make your journey a bit more fun. But, these are relatively small gripes. Overall it is a fantastic bit of kit.
Ron,
Those retail sales people make big bucks to sell the extended warranties. The screen on this device is no more delicate than any other device I have with a touch screen. Cell phones, PDAs, etc. I’ve carried this thing all over the country, and use it almost every day in my car. That comment was an absolute lie.
The guy was trying to scare you into buying an unbelieveably expensive warranty ($150!!!). Please buy a Nuvi. You will love it. Please don’t by it from the scammers that were using fear tactics on you.
John
I just tried to order a 660 but quickly canceled the order. The guy I was placing the order with stated that the touch screen was very delicate and that I should get the extended waranty for $150.oo. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the comment Mike. I’m glad to hear that you had a similar experience to mine.
I also found it is quite amazing that the Nuvi has more accuracy than the GPS built into my high end automobiles. There are very few instances where it can’t find a specific location. And I’ve normally found that by searching a different way it does usually find them.
And yes, it’s very fast at both satellite aquisition and route calculation. And although the auto power is a necessity, even the 6 or so hour built in battery life is quite outstanding for something so small and powerful.
Take care,
John
I finally bought a GPS and decided to take the plung on the high end portable Nuvi 660. Outstanding is a rare comment I make for new tech items. I have not used all the features yet but I found it to hit the mark EXACTLY every time I traveled so far. In my sales travels in the NE USA and elsewhere, I have found every customer and prospects location that was programmed in. With 500 favorites to save, you can build up a directory of accounts for recall. I went into NY state small towns, rural locations, downtown cities, suburbs along with my home state of Mass. Traveled to the outskirts of Toronto to a sister company office and local address’s. The unit plots quickly and if you miss the turn, recalculates every little detail. Can’t find the address, plot the nearest intersections. The voice commands are execellent and as noted you almost don’t have to watch the screen. Back screens give you average speed, stopped time, travel time, directions, estimated miles and time for the trip entered. Now I will read the manual. Yes it is that easy. Got to have the 12v auto power.
Harvey,
Thanks for the comment. As far as your question is concerned unfortunatly, no, the Nuvi can’t do that.
It will allow you to program in a single waypoint on your route, but it doesn’t let you put in multiple stops. So, you could program in points A and B, but then after you get to B you’d have to put in C and D.
So, you wouldn’t be able to sit down and program in your entire delivery schedule, but the good news is that you could still take along your route sheet and when you finish one delivery just enter in the next point.
It takes about 30 seconds to type in an address so at least they make it quick and painless even if you can’t schedule the entire day in advance.
Here is a link to the Nuvi manual in case you’d like to see more details about the features.
John
Great Article, I have one question. Can you plot multiple points on the PC and upload them so it will guide you from starting point A, then point B, then point C, then point D, and back to point A. Basically as a delivery driver with new stops each day, program the stops in and go about my day.
Thanks for the descriptive article.