3 comments about Garmin nüvi 660 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Bilingual).

1. I had originally gotten a TomTom Go 720, which I thought to be a great piece of equipment. The only problem being, that it's Bluetooth function wouldn't work with my CDMA Sprint phone. So, I returned it for the Garmin nuvi 660. The FM transmitter is decent. The Bluetooth function is exceptional. The mic/speaker works great, and the mapping software is pretty decent
   Also, I was able to get quick satellite fixes from within my house (10-15' from the windows)
   
   Pros:
   *Car mount allows for one step installation. Power is delivered through the mount, therefore no need to detach from mount and unplug several cables, everytime you get in and out of the car.
   *Turns on/off with car power.
   *Bright screen for good sunlight read-ability.
   *GPS function can be turned on/off to save battery usage.
   *Bluetooth/speaker phone is crystal clear.
   
   Cons:
   *Menus not very intuitive. (TomTom interface wins here)
   *Processing speed should have been a little faster. Mapping feature a little jerky.
   *Clunky antenna must be flipped out for GPS usage. Not ideal for shoving in a pocket.
   *Text-to-Voice feature needs improvement. Hard to understand. I end up just looking at the screen to read to directions.
   
   Hardware winner: Garmin nuvi 660 - Pops in and out of car easily.
   Software winner: TomTom Go 720 - Intuitive menus run seamlessly. (If my phone would have worked with the TomTom, I would have kept it.)



2. To pay the price for this GPS and not get routing WITHOUT multiple waypoints is unconscionable. What was Garmin thinking?
   
   The routes chosen by the 660 are neither the shortest or quickest, and the FM transmitter is probably there but it does not transmit a signal 4 feet to my vehicle radio antenna. Adding a cheapie third party FM transmitter to the earphone jack gets a good signal to the vehicle radio. The 660's transmitter simply doesn't work.
   
   Aside from those short comings the unit works okay. But then so do other competing units and at a much lower price.
   
   Keep shopping.



3. My first extensive trip using my Garmin nüvi 660 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator was to Austin, TX. I was given the Garmin nuvi for Christmas and had never been to Austin before. I landed at 10:30 PM and programmed in the address of the hotel where my reservation was. The Garmin failed. It directed me out to the desert. I stopped and turned around. I was able to rouse the night manager who directed me back to town and the correct address. As it is pitch black in Texas at night and I was tired, this was not an enjoyable experience. Most of the time, however, the unit has given accurate directions.

No comments about Garmin Edge 305HR+ GPS Navigator and Bicycle Computer with Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence Sensor (010-00447-30).

No comments about Magellan Maestro 3200 - GPS Automotive - Mfr Part #980-0007-001.

No comments about Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS(010-00630-00).

No comments about Nextar SNAP3 Super Slim GPS Navigation System with 3.5-Inch Touch screen, TTS and Bluetooth.

3 comments about Nav-Cam 7000 Portable Satellite Navigator.

1. Received this as a gift. I'm a computer programmer and generally very adept at figuring out how to use gadgets. However, the printed instructions are minimal and the instructions on the accompanying CD are just as minimal, which is to say they are entirely insufficient. So far I have only attempted to use the navigational features. I tried briefly on three separate occasions to enter a location to drive to and did not succeed. Frustrated, I gave up after about 5 minutes each time. On the fourth occasion I finally realized that it had not accepted the address as I entered it. There was no feedback indicating the device could not find the street name, so I did not know I should try an alternate naming convention (i.e. spell out SOUTH instead of using S for an abbreviation).
   
   So now I can enter addresses. Hooray! But wait, I still have some complaints. The device often doesn't keep up with the vehicle position. I'll be driving at 40 mph on city streets or 65 mph on highways, and fairly frequently the map stops updating and appears to be stuck. This happens when I set it to simply follow our location and also when I enter a drive-to address. It's more obvious with the drive-to address because it shows the calculated route in green, but when it loses our position the green abruptly stops and does not indicate how the path should proceed.
   
   It's also painfully obvious when I enter my home address as the drive-to address. I'll be driving along and thinking it's doing a good job, and then, for no apparent reason, it may tell me I need to turn onto a street several seconds after I already turned onto the same street.
   
   I haven't actually tried to use it to get to a location I don't already know how to get to. I worry that it may be very frustrating to have to backtrack because I've missed a turn on a busy highway.



2. Don't waste your money even 99c. It only causes you headache and frustration. I don't understand why Sams carries this.
   The first time I tested it I entered the street name and it did take me to that street. That was it. Driving on that street it kept on telling me "Turn left then turn left", and then "Turn right then turn right". To where? Who knows?
   Entering the street number and address to test it the second time whatever I entered was just there. It didn't tell you it could NOT find it. There is no enter button, and no feed back from the program. What a good program! That's what happened when I entered my parents' address (build more than 20 years ago).
   The third time we entered my friend's address (build around 5 years ago), it could NOT find it either.
   Also, it takes a QUITE while for the gps to get its signal.
   I went to the manufacture web site to down load the new software and it now could give you some feed back like "No match" to let you know it can't find the address. Also now it can find my parents' address but still tells me I am there even if I am still 2 miles away.
   Yesterday, my girl friend and I tested it again driving from my house to my parents' one (about 5 miles apart). I could get to my parents' house while it haven't yet found the location of the destination.
   This is the worse electronic device I have ever used.



3. I've owned this GPS for a little under a year. Yes, it has definitely helped, however, here is what I wrote to the manufacturer.
   
   I uploaded the software update a couple of weeks ago and I am dismayed at the results. The previous version could display the distance to the next turn, distance to destination, time to destination, next street, and turn arrow. Why can't this one? It is not possible to display the distance to next turn for instance if you had the others up because you would have to give up something.
   
   In addition, the voice is being truncated (this problem has gotten worse). So lets say you are continuing on I-4, it would say, "continue on I....." and cut off the rest, or "if it wanted to say continue for 104 miles" it would say "continue for (BLANK) miles" or just stop at "continue for". I thought the software update was there to fix these problems?
   
   If you enter an address, it could give you up to 3 separate choices for a street name - each of them is valid because it is the street, but if you choose incorrectly you could be BLOCKS away from the destination. As an example.
   
   Enter 537 Hampshire Lane
   
   And as you type Hampshire Lane
   
   You get
   
   Hampshire Lane
   Hampshire Lane
   
   Which do you chose? If you chose the incorrect one, it will put you in different block (even though you are on the correct street). One time this problem put us 2 miles from the destination even though the unit was telling us we were there. We had to troll up and down the street in two miles in either direction before we finally found it. Why, if the building number is entered would it take you to the wrong block? Why does it not enable you to enter the whole address and then let you chose the block? This is by far the worse problem that we have faced.
   
   And lastly, I had a couple of occurrences where I am driving down a street and I KNOW that I am supposed to be on that street for several more miles when the directions tell me to make a right turn. Then about 100 feet past that right turn, it tells you to make a U turn and then another right turn. You can clearly see on the map that you are going to make 3 stupid turns. On a street which is obvious that is easy to catch. But in a city or someplace that you are totally unfamiliar with, that is just unacceptable.
   
   Put your money on another brand, their units suck.

No comments about Lowrance XOG™ Road-Trail-Water GPS w/ HotMaps HandHeld Cartography.

1 comments about Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. Over the holidays I was able to compare my recently purchased Navigon 7100 to a relative's Garmin 250W and I found that I was confirmed in my choice of the Navigon. I know they have differing features, so I'm just talking about the apples to apples comparison: My Navigon's 7100 had a much easier to read "reality view" screen than Garmin's display. The screen sizes are the same (4.3" full-color) but the views differed greatly, with the 3D graphics of Navigon's being much more user friendly, especially the signage feature. For anyone not good at interpreting maps, this feature is fabulous as it's so much more intuitive. The night view of Navigon was also easier for me to read.
   
   With regard to the navigation itself, I found both Garmin and Navigon had the same shortfalls- local routes they chose didn't compare to my own knowledge (even on optimum vs. fast mode), but out-of-town directions were valuable on both. Both had workable voice directions that used passable street names- not stellar, but I did like Navigon's voice better. The POIs on my Navigon work well for my needs, and I didn't really compare those on the Garmin. I liked the menu on my 7100 better but that may be because I'm more used to it than Garmin's.
   
   The differences between these units come down to the features that I paid more for on the Navigon but that I simply can't get along without- the 7100's "out-of-the-box" traffic is a godsend, the bluetooth calling that linked to the POIs dampens my craving for an iPhone, and the Zagats Reviews are always helpful when figuring out where to eat/visit. One of the more superficial reasons I like my Navigon so much more is that the look of the unit is much sleeker and simpler than the others out there. Again, my iPhone craving is appeased with my Navigon as it shares similar simple yet sleek characteristics. I also like the mount itself on the 7100 which is a much better design than Garmin's where we had to always wet the suction cup to make it stick.
   
   All around, I'm happy with my purchase of the 7100.

5 comments about Cobra Electronics Nav One 2500 Mobile Navigator.

1. I decided to try the 2500 after trying the 4500 and returning it (Why? I have no idea!) The unit is a small, but the interface is really bad. The 3D graphics are POOR! The unit does not tell you to turn when you are supposed to, at the actual turn, instead it beeps. If you are approaching a turn, it will tell you announce the following:
   "In 0.2 miles, turn left"
   When you get to the actual turn the unit just beeps, with no turn direction, so if you don't remember if you had to turn right or left when the unit announced it 1/4 mile back, tough luck. Look at the screen. The screen rendering is also bad. The unit I tested, when the route was claculated and displayed, all streets not on the route (side streets) were not displayed. Even though these units tell you to turn left right etc., sometimes two streets are close together and you need to glance at the display to see if you are turning on the first or second street. So if the side streets are not displayed, you have to guess which is your turn. Also, many times the unit will tell you that your destination is left, when it is on the right and vice versa. The maps are horribly outdated with many streets no longer in existance still being directed to. Also, a lot of streets already in existance for years are not on the system. Spend an extra $100.00 and get a Garmin Nuvi with text to speech turn directions and a whole lot of other stuff. Stay away from Cobra products. They make great radar detectors, but make horrible GPS units.



2. It's Simple To use and the voice is clear as a bell. It lets you know if you're turning left or right ahead of time so you're prepared and when you get to the exact spot for the turn it beeps. And... If it's so hard to remember what direction was told to you a minute ago, there's a directional arrow at the bottom left which points in the turn of your direction. If you miss your turn the system reconfigures to where you are and will direct you from there. Again, I like it.



3. I have had the cobra naveone 2500 for about 4 months now. I was looking for a lower end unit with a lot of points of interest and one that covers Canada and the US. Mine came with an ac adapter, 12 volt cord & windshield mount. Others have an internal battery power source that would have been a nice feature.
   As with many reviewers on other gps units this has similar flaws. In an area you are familiar with it seems to take you on round about routes at times to reach your destination. When you are in an area unfamiliar it will get you there.
   I mainly bought the Cobra because I heard it locked on to satellite fixes faster then some other brands. It will do this within 30 seconds most times.
   When driving through a tunnel it re-acquires the sattelite position in about 5 seconds when you have a view of the sky again. A couple of strange anomolies I have found occur everytime at the same locations. When driving on a Vancouver expressway in 2 areas the voice command tells me to exit but you can clearly see on the map its routing you off the exit, across the intersecting road and back onto the same expressway again. One intersection,the voice promt will always tell me, right turn ahead but the map and arrow indicate a left turn.
   Id say if you follow the map its 99% accurate, the voice command maybe 90% accurate so always refer to the map or turn by turn list.
   I updated the unit with Cobra the first week I had it. There were 3 updates issued in the time mine was manufactured and sitting on the shilf in the box.
   A Walmart store and the road into it that were built just over a year ago do not show up yet on the map.
   Another reason I chose this Cobra over the Magellan was that there customer service was good. Originally intending to get a magellan but once I started reading reviews , quickly heard nothing but horror stories about there customer service with Magellan.
   All in all the Cobra works well enough for me. It offers more points of interest stored in memory then most others in the price range and does aquire sattelites very quickly as I was told.
   I have read a lot of reviews from Magellan, Garmin, Tom Tom and other gps units and all have very similar complaints regarding routing and anomolies as metioned on my local expressway.
   I think gps units have a long way to go yet till they are 100%efficient.
   GPS units are not as good as I had expected but are still too valuable a tool to be without.
   I will be travelling across the US a couple times this year and will really be able to put the Cobra to the test.



4. If you travel the roads across the USA, please do not buy this unit. I am a professional truck driver, and I have had nothing but headache after headache using it. The GPS is too slow, so you are actually past an off ramp or exit when it shows up on the screen. It will take you off a major Interstate, drive through small town streets with stop lights, and then put you back on the exact Interstate it just took you off of. When it recalculates, it will freeze the screen, you cannot turn it off or change the touch screen, your only option is to unplug it. You have to watch the screen carefully, the voice command will tell you "bear right", when actually you go to the left, or it will tell you to turn when you make no turn at all.
   I could go on and on, I have updated it, returned it for a new unit, still the same problems, I paid way too much for it at a truck stop and they will not refund my money, so please do not buy this junk from Cobra.
   I only gave it 1 star because the software made me, if I could have I would have given it a -5.



5. Pros: Works most of the time. Will get you there.
   
   Cons: No internal battery, must be plugged in to be used. Slow. Unit shuts off for no reason. Some routes are definitely the long way around. Did I mention slow?
   
   I've owned the Cobra NavOne 2500 for over a year now. It is the first GPS system that I ever used. The unit is fairly easy to use, the menus are relatively intuitive with some quirks.
   
   In order to load a destination you must first pick a state then start entering the street address, number first. As you enter the street name the choices of letters on the entry screen adjust so that your chances of mis-spelling a name decreases, pretty good feature with the following glitch: the unit searches its internal state database as you're entering the name, in New Jersey, where I live it isn't a problem but when I travelled to Florida last summer it made address entry excruciatingly slow as the unit tried to match what I typed to its internal database. In some instances I thought the unit had frozen. After the street name is entered the unit then gives you a list of towns in the state that have that particular street name. Most of the time the town name is shown but sometimes you have to hit the "more" icon to get an additional list. It seems odd that the unit doesn't display all of the possible choices right off the bat. All of the previous destinations that you enter are saved. I haven't ran into a memory problem yet even though I have 10 addresses in the database.
   
   As with other users that have GPS units I checked its accuracy by using it around my area. Results varied WIDELY!! Most times it would find the most direct route and sometimes it would take me way out of my way. In looking at the wider map the roads that are the most direct route were in the database but the unit refused to go that way.
   
   Since this is the first GPS unit I owned I didn't realise how slow it is. When the unit is first turned on it takes over two minutes to start up then load the maps. When you make a turn that doesn't follow its instructions it takes anywhere from 30 seconds or longer to recalculate a route. In comparison, my daughter's Tom Tom flashes the new route in under 15 seconds.
   
   It's not a bad unit but there are better ones out there. I was surprised to see the price! Way too much for a unit that's a generation or two behind the times.

3 comments about Netropa I3 All in One GPS System.

1. Best value for price. Don't overpay for a TomTom or another with a national name. Intellinav produces the components for cell phones. Worked perfect since I got it. Tell you when you are speeding, in a school zone, and will tell you alternate roads if you are traveling during rush hour.
   
   Best of all....if you miss your turn, or chose a little different way to go, it immediately gives a new course. My Uncles Garmin freaks out and tell you to U-tern, and does not adjust



2. I ordered this the Intellinav 3 from the manufacturer's website for 169.00. This unit replaced my TomTom 700 which had died after three years of regular use. Upon setting it up the unit is VERY BASIC compared to the TomTom that passed away. There is only one voice; a robotic sounding female voice. You can not add a voice or change the color combination of the maps as I could with the TomTom. It has a few directional quirks. For example the road through my town winds and curves. The Intellinav sees these as turns. It keeps telling me to turn left/right with every bend while staying on same road!
   
   The volume,even at its loudest can not be heard about the AC and radio. I added a set of battery powered speakers, courtesy Radio Shack, and now the unit is nice and loud.
   
   Its' ability to find the shortest and fastest route is OK. Recalculating a route is fairly fast. And yes, it will announce street names.
   
   I wish my TomTom were back...



3. Great GPS - it is really a drive with confidence product
   The product is very useful.
   1. Voice directions are good.
   2. It speaks street names nicely with freeway numbers and east/west/north/south etc
   3. The point of interests are accurate and it covers almost all POIS.
   4. The accuracy is good. The timing of the voice prompt is good.
   5. Safety features are useful - It says "Wake up" or whatever u enter in it in fatigue mode.
   6. Its tells if destination is on right or left (very useful to me) .
   7. In safety mode it tells if school zone and to watch for children . Also tells u turn on head light. Speed alerts are good.
   
   I recomment it .
   
   I HAVE TRIED GERMIN , MEGALLAN AND TOMTOM before ..I was not happy with them.
   Intellinav is much better than these brands
   So I recomment people as I have good experience with it.