5 comments about Garmin nüvi 780 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

1. Overall, I love the GPS. It tracks quickly and accurately and the trial service for MSN Direct is a great idea to try it out before committing.
   
   My only problem is that the MSN direct screens are in their own menu item and it's 2 or 3 levels deep to get what you want. It would be nice if the MSN screens could integrate with the Garmin screens so you didn't have to go to different areas for different things. A "one stop shop" if you will.
   
   Overall, very nice unit and pleased with Garmin.



2. I loved my new Garmin. Mapping and ease of use better than the GPS in my Mercedes. However, I was on a trip in Florida (nearly 2000 miles from home) when the screen froze with a 'firmware update in progress' message. Unfortunately, ....it never updated. I got in contact with support (took 2 days) and was told how to do a 'system reset'. Great, I lost all of the poi's and locations I had programmed in. I wouldn't buy one again, based upon this experience. For those of us who travel a lot, and who like to pre-program destinations, stops etc... The thing just has to work!



3. LOVE IT. Even my wife loves it. This is porbably the first electronic gadget I've ever bought where my wife wants to use it more. Very easy to use. It only locked up a few times because I was zooming in/out too fast as it was navigating. perhaps if I let it go it might have caught up . It was no big deal to turn it off and on to get me going again. The MSN is great. It actually gave me a thunderstorm warning and asked if I wanted to go around it. Traffic updates were good, gas prices were dead on, most of the time. Weather forcasts were great, The "text to speech" was cool. We chose the Ennglish mans voice and he would read any text messages I received on my (bluetooth) phone. Pretty funny. The FM transmitter isn't great at all. What else can I say, I've owned the Garmin eMap (VW bug)and thought that was nice, but this is like a Porsche. Garmin's website is also great for updates and software. That's all, now I want the voice recognition nuvi880 but really who needs that!!! Enjoy and buy this unit NOW!



4. I travel in a major metropolitan area and should have no problem getting a signal for the live MSN content with this device, however its performance is extremely erratic and therefore unreliable. Who needs stock quotes that haven't updated in three days? I've made numerous phone calls to both Garmin and MSN and of course each blames the other. My last interaction with Garmin they told me it must be the tinted windows in the car that is blocking reception and I should be getting a good signal based on my location. Of course that doesn't help me. Then they said I could get better reception using the device outside the car, which is just stupid to suggest. You may not experience the same issues, but based on my experience I would recommend a less expensive model without the MSN feature to save money and frustration.



5. I bought the 780 for the MSN service only to discover that I barely need it. The fuel price updates are nice, but there is no way to sort the prices so I am stuck looking at them sorted via distance. Sometimes that gas station is behind me, and when I am traveling, I do not go backwards unless I must.
   As far as finding movies, and the other features, they are fairly useless to me. I can find Starbucks and WalMart and all my favorite restaurants without that MSN service.
   As far as gps technology goes, it is pretty good. Sometimes it tries to take me through gated communities or closed roads, and a couple of times, it has taken me in directions that make no sense whatsoever, but most of the time it gets me right where I am going. Sometimes it has directions that are better than the way I normally travel.
   I don't trust it to plan critical trips without reviewing what it is going to do before I leave. I wish I didn't have to do that, but I think this is a reality with any gps.
   There are several things I love about this gps above others:
   1. Google maps lets you send points of interest to your gps. This is only available for Garmin or Magellan gps owners. This feature alone has made me love owning a Garmin. Nothing beats finding your location on satellite and sending it to your gps. Especially if you don't have an address. I found a friends property in the mountains via satellite imagery and sent it to the gps. Once you give the 780 your Google point, it takes you right to the door.
   
   2. The audio out connects right to the aux plug on my stereo. While the audio is tolerable for navigation direct from the gps speaker, when I connect it to my stereo, the bluetooth phone conversations are crystal clear and the directions are pristine.
   
   3. The database of poi's is amazing. I have yet to look for a store or restaurant that it could not find. While camping recently, I looked for a Wal-Mart in Flagstaff, AZ. It not only found one that I would not have been able to spot from the highway, but it took me through all sorts of streets to get to it so that I looked like a local in a town I have never driven in.
   
   4. When navigating complex intersections, the 780 always tells me what side of the highway to be on. This has saved me many a frustrating experience of not being able to make a turn because of being in the wrong lane position.
   
   5. The traffic monitor, which may or may not be related to the MSN feature, is pretty cool. When it is issues a traffic warning, clicking on the warning button gives you the option of rerouting. If rerouting does not save time, it warns you of that. So far, I have never rerouted. I have realized, unfortunately, that sometimes the traffic info is outdated. It has told me that I was going to have delays, only to arrive and find the roads crystal clear on more than one occasion.
   
   After having had the 780 for almost 3 months and having put it through most of its paces, I am a very satisfied customer. I would have probably been just as happy with the 680, but I guess I will never really know.

5 comments about Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

1. Works great, the MSN direct works exactly as they advertise and the software is very intuitive. Yes the FM transmiter is weak-guess what they all are weak and yes the navigation will do some strange routes- again they all do.
   My cons are price of unit and then still will have to pay for subscription when free period expires. The traffic portion on MSN works well but is not intergrated with rest of system as well as I think it should be. And lastly materials used on unit could be little nicer, I also have a Harmon/Kardon 810 that is beautiful and feels more solid but the Garmin is easier to use.



2. I've had my 680 for quite a while now and it has served me very well. Even the movie times and weather feature which is sort of a gimic has come in handy on several occasions. Roads are a mess in the area I live in but the maps have always been enough to get me to my destination. I've also used it on several trips around the US with much success. The wider screen is nice and the interface is easy and intuitive.



3. The 680 works better than a few other gps's i've used and had alot of features but needs some work on the usability. If garmin had just made the menus customizable so you can decide what is shown on the map screen and put a "go back to map button" on every screen i'd likely give it a 5, for example, if your deep in the menus you have to hit the back button over and over to get back to the map. Also, you can't see the speed or the time when in route to a destination. I am still happy with my nuvi but would probably not buy it again unless (cough cough to any garmin guys reading this) garmin makes a few simple software changes.



4. I bought a Garmin Nuvi 680 quite a while ago. Prices have plummeted since then, and probably will continue. This is a great device, and has helped me many times. We even took it on a trip to Baltimore and Philly (we're in SoCal), and it is totally portable when you buy a beanbag (friction) mount. It took us to every historical site, and even to the local Baltimore McDonalds (you can take it on walks, by setting the Pedestrian mode, and it will route you even the wrong way on one-way streets, since you're walking). It did its best to figure out the bizarre maze of streets in older sections. It knew the layout of Valley Forge and Fort McHenry. It took me right to my mother's birthplace in Washington D.C., and Babe Ruth's birthplace in Baltimore. The Marine Memorial at Arlington is hard to find, but it found it. I would have never found half of these places without it. It even knew where every alley was, and called them "alley".
   
   The 4.2" touchscreen is great, and the text-to-speech very clear. It interfaced via Bluetooth to my cell phone effortlessly, and downloaded the address book automatically. Makes a great hands-free device. In simulation mode you can tell it to go cross-country, and it will start out on its trip, and just keep going (until it runs out of power because it's sitting on the bed, not plugged into the car).
   
   I have one criticism, and it's a big one. Garmin doesn't really care about you after the sale. I fell for the Garmin email that told me to update my mapping software "today!" No mention that within a week their distributors would be selling it for $15 less than their $70 price. When I got the software and loaded it, I found that this "2009 Update" added next to nothing. A Marine Air Station which had been leveled, and turned into a major shopping center over two years ago, was still listed as the air base. Major streets which had been extended through there were not shown. A local shopping center which has been here for five years is not shown, even though other, smaller shopping centers are. Garmin's only comment to this was that they depend on the same source of mapping information as everyone else. I though these companies had people keeping their software up-to-date, and that you could keep updating your maps for much less, if not free. So much for their industry leadership. If I find that something I need to find is not on my Garmin, I'll be checking out Tom Tom and others to see if they can do better. Hopefully they try harder.
   
   I agree with the reviewer who liked the Garmin friction (bean bag) mount. That and the car power adapter/MSN receiver work well (even if every time there is a drop of rain, MSN lists a flash flood alert in the OC). But the mount did slip off my dash several times, and so I fashioned a simple little metal hook and attached it to the mount, and that hooks into a defroster vent to keep it from sliding. Easy to do.
   
   I love "Miss Garmin" (as we call her), even if she does sound a bit put out when she is "recalculating" (when you don't follow her directions to the letter). She won't let you get lost, even if some times she takes you in strange directions.



5. We are very happy with this product. It is easy to operate and has many capabilities. We shopped long and hard before deciding on this particular Garmin, and we weren't disappointed!

5 comments about Magellan Maestro 4210 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. This is my Tomtom review:
   
   I brought this as an upgrade to my Magellan 2200t, and even through it had more features than my 2200t the directions were terrible. I know that any GPS device is not 100 percent on the money and in a lot of cases it is off a little. The Tomtom was often trying to make me take turns onto roads that I didn't have to take to get to my destination. One time I followed the directions to see where it would take me. I made a right and then just a little while later it told me to make a left. That left would have put me in a ditch and into the woods. And the deal breaker was the way I had to access the Point of Interests (POI). I now have a Magellan 4210 and while driving if I see a POI on the screen all that I have to do is tap the screen to view a list of all the POI in the area. Now with the Tomtom I would have to work my way to the menu screen to see something or find something of interest. Also in bright sun light forget about looking at the screen. And my Magellan screen changes from a daytime screen to a nighttime screen. But I will give them credit for a few things, free map updates, and you can customize the voices. I'm very happy with my Magellan 4210 and even happier Amazon allowed me to return the item.
   
   
   Short but sweet Magellan 4210 review:
   
   Brought a Tomtom to replace an old Magellan 2200t big mistake because the Tomtom sucked in my opinion. This 4210 works great and is as accurate as any other, I'm grateful that I was able to return that piece of crap Tomtom. I would highly recommend this GPS to anyone looking for a great toy for the car. Get a Magellan it will not disappoint.



2. I can't begin to say how disappointed I am with my Magellan purchase. But let me try. After 10 months the plug for the car charger broke. After 45 minutes on the phone with customer service I am now being asked to ship this in to the repair center in Texas. 10 Months and the unit breaks and now I will have to wait 2 weeks for the unit to be returned. I must say that a GPS is a great tool for a driver. But, if you are looking to buy a unit then you should consider looking at TOM TOM or Garmin or any other company that may build a better unit.



3. I've been using various types of GPS units over the last nine years and the Magellan 4210 is my latest model. I first purchased the 3250 but only used it for about a week before switching to the 4210. The major differences between the two are the voice recognition commands, the bluetooth connectivity, and live traffic compatibility. The voice recognition on the 3250 did not work very well as it was very finicky in recognizing any commands. The car had to be as quiet as possible, no radio. The bluetooth feature worked well enough but callers on the other end said calls sounded strange. Traffic is not an issue in my locale so this feature wasn't going to be used. Once I saw the 4210 was on sale locally for less, I made the switch and I'm very satisfied with the 4210. All the features function very well and I don't miss anything from the 3250. The larger screen is a must-have.
   
   I also spent some time with a TomTom XL One recently and prefer the 4210. I like the flow of the menus better and find the Magellan easier to use. I especially like the ability to find a restaurant by type of cuisine, something you can't do with all other GPS units.
   
   Another plus for the 4210 is its size. Very compact and easy to carry around if you don't want to leave it in the car.
   
   I didn't use to be a fan of Magellan products but this unit has swayed me. I've even bought the same model for a gift to a family member.



4. Phew, I'm so glad I didn't listen to the negative customer reviews for the 4210. If you read the item description correctly, you'll see that this system does not have the text to speech capability (the 4250 and other higher end models do), but I'm not willing to pay an extra $70+ to hear the name of the street read aloud. This system has what I wanted: widescreen, thin (0.7"), a lot of Points of Interest (6 million should do), and helpful screen guides (I really like the ETA function). I'm glad I waited for the prices of GPS systems to go down a bit, and I'm very happy with what I got for my money.



5. this product was use on our trip to Florida and worked great. i would recommed this to all travelers.

5 comments about Pharos 150 Drive 3.5-Inch Touchscreen TTS Portable GPS Unit, Black.

1. This is a good budget GPS. I used it to discover a couple of short cuts to work already. I modified it to support calculator, notepad, photo viewer, word/excel/ppt/pdf viewers, and mp3/video players, etc. in additional to the Destinator GPS program (Thanks daniel53 and others). It's a very nice toy especially for tech-savvy users (5 stars for being able to modify it).
   
   The user interface may not be super intuitive as some high-priced units.
   
   BTW, make sure to try the "avoid roads" feature under the "Manage Route." You can create one or more sets of roads to avoid (or not to avoid).
   
   If Pharos can provide free map updates, as the previous reviewer mentioned, then I'll give it a 6-star rating. :-)
   
   Added: 7/20/08:
   
   * Flaw found: two instances of endless-route-recalculation bug; my new rating is 4-star.



2. I took a chance and ordered this GPS even though I didn't recognize the name, because of the reviews here. I am in outside construction sales and travel all of Central Virginia and many times off the beaten path as you can imagine. Although I carry a laptop with MSN Streets & Trips loaded on it I really wanted a GPS especially with "text to speech" so I could keep my eyes on the road. I am an Amazon Prime member and as usual Amazon had this at my door the next day. Much to my disappointment, though it would never get a gps signal. I waited for hours and it never happened. I finally called Pharos customer support and after trying a reset and waiting it still said "no GPS antenna found". Kudos to their cs as they answered quickly and suggested I wait for a return shipping label to come and then send it to them at their expense. Though they were helpful, I contacted Amazon and asked to return it for exchange and they had a new one here this morning. I plugged it in and boy what fun, quick start up and extremely accurate. Made my day a whole lot easier. The 150 is a great unit so far and Amazon once again made a potentially bad situation good!



3. This was a wonderful purchase-it is everything I wanted in a GPS. Very easy to use even for a female. The price was great. Love it and would recommend for all.



4. I paid $70 after the $30 Amazon card deal so I can't complain too much. I like the text-to-speech function. That and the price is probably the pros I can say about this unit.
   
   Here are the cons:
   * Takes forever to get a signal. Sometimes up to 7 or 8 minutes.
   * The mount is terrible. Very difficult to take the unit out.
   * My unit does not give a warning when the battery is low. It just shuts the unit off.
   * Battery life is TERRIBLE. I get about 1 1/2 hrs.
   * I had to reset it twice in the past 10 usage.
   
   But I can live with it since I got it for cheap.



5. A very versatile gps tool, with potential beyond its advertised capabilities. a very functional interface. It could be improved with additional map resources and upgradability, but its well worth the price as is.

5 comments about Garmin nüvi 250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Silver).

1. The product works just as advertised. The size is great in that it can fit in a pocket. But you should have the accessory case, that I did buy. One complaint is that in order to register the product you have to do it online and through the device itself. That menas you need a "mini-usb" cable that is an accessory. I ordered it through Amazon with no problem. But it should come with the product. It cost about $10.00 from Amazon. I still have been unable to connect to Garmin with the cable and contacting support has been impossible..



2. Garman came exactly how I ordered it. It is a wonderful gadget, I wonder how I've lived so long without one!



3. I always thought I knew LA well. That I could get anywhere with a Thomas Guide. SSSSOOOOOOO wrong. This takes away all stress. If you take a different road, at first it tries to get you back to the original route, but eventually it accepts your new route and helps you from there. And the British accent is AWESOME!



4. This product works great, it just seems as though the battery doesn't lat 5 hours like it says it does...other than that, it's great!



5. I bought this for extensive travel in Southern California this summer and it has been wonderful. I have not needed a map at all--just download the updated maps from the Garmin website and you are set. You can also use settings to avoid freeways, etc., which has been nice for seeing more of Los Angeles. If you screw up and make a wrong turn, it automatically recalculates to find an new route. I am recommending this to all of my friends. Anyone who says they are "directionally challenged" while driving should have one of these.

5 comments about Garmin nüvi 770 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator.

1. This 770 Nuvi saved our trip in England by getting us everywhere easy, smeazy. When I came home I set up the handsfree bluetooth with my cell phone and that was amazing. It was a breeze and the 770 also took the numbers from my cell to set up a very handy phone book. All this in just seconds. What a great little unit.



2. I have owned no less than 6 Garmin GPS's. The customer support has continued to get worse and worse. I've literally tried for months to get the Nuvi 770 to work with my Blackberry Pearl and haven't been able to get it to work. It is a major undertaking to even get to customer support, let alone get a fix. It is rare that their website menu's work correctly or completely, when trying to get updates. The E-mail support is many times "canned" and is not an appropriate responce to the problem. When shopping check out the ratings on customer support of the brand you wish to buy.



3. My first problem was with Amazon who copped a "not our problem" deal with me when a concern did arise. Then the Garmin was defective and I returned it which was the second lousy experience with all the aggravation entailed. finally those lovely folks charged me a large restocking fee for a unit that in fact was defective. The net result was I will probably never buy from or through Amazon again and perhaps not online again. I will go to local shops and malls for all my future purchases of anything. Public beware!!!
   Marie Young



4. I thought my problem was unique, until I read some of the other reviews. A little more than one week after I started using it, the 770 locked up at "Map Loading," a problem you'll find mentioned in a number of reviews. From that point on it was useless and is currently on the way back to Amazon. Before it died, the 770 would, inexplicably, loose Blu-Tooth contact and display a "phone Disconnected" screen. repetitively turning it on and off, would eventually eliminate the problem. Unfortunately, the problem reoccurred every time I began another trip.
   Barry



5. I also read a lot of the reviews here and did have a few reservations before I bought the 770 based on those reviews.
   
   But ultimately I did buy it and it's been absolutely amazing! The bluetooth handsfree for the phone worked flawlessly, the FM traffic is spookily on the money (I'm a professional photographer living in NYC and it even re-routed me around median grass mowers)!!!
   
   From what I've read there does seem to be lemon's out there, so I would recommend testing all features when receiving the unit but it's been a absolute marvel for me and I can only give it 5 stars so far. One of the things that I would strongly suggest is to read the online manual before buying (which can be found here):
   
   [...]
   
   Other than that, just haven't found a fault with it besides the battery life, oh, and the price of map updates.

5 comments about TomTom GO 930 4.3-Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. I bought this about a month ago as my first ever GPS. The mounting and operation are easy, the image crisp, and the voice-overs prompt.
   
   Some things, however, have bugged me:
   1) A recently opened section of I-40 in Greensboro, NC, simply does not exist on the latest map I downloaded. I can (somewhat) overlook small road omissions, but a transcontinental interstate?
   2) When starting in my garage (where the unit obviously cannot get a satellite signal) it often takes several minutes of driving around to finally pick up a signal, then occasionally loses the newly found signal for some time. This doesn't happen all of the time, and never lasts, but still frustrating.
   3) Battery life is very short. Basically, keep it plugged in whenever you're driving around.
   4) More of a personal gripe: Your speed is highlighted in red when you're speeding for a little while, even if only by 3 mph. I'm always speeding somewhat, yet always matching the device's estimated arrival; it shouldn't condone my speeding with it's arrival times while condemning it with it's Scarlet MPH.
   
   All in all, however, my first month has been quite a pleasure. The points of interest are great, and I actually find the voice recognition to be moderately accurate.
   
   As far as seeing the screen in daylight, I've not had the same problems as other reviewers. It could be the mounting location--mine is fairly high on the windshield to keep it closer to me; I think that I'm inadvertently allowing less sunlight to hit it as a result. Fortunately, the mount is simply a suction cup that can be remounted again and again.
   
   By far the most impressive feature is the calculation of travel times. I often finish 1-3 hour drives within 2 minutes of the device's estimated arrival.



2. Despues de usarlo por 3 semanas, encontre un problema con los parlantes cuando se expone al sol por largos periodos, se queda mudo, y se arregla solo cuando esta frio. pero no ha sucedido de nuevo.
   la coneccion del telefono es buena aunque necesita mas volumen ya que cuando manejas aun con las ventanas serradas hay ruido, pero funciona bien, yo diria que la pueden mejorar conectandolo al FM, con eso uno escucha las llamadas atravez de los parlantes del carro.



3. We haven't had much time to use this just yet but we had bought the GO 910 last year and really liked that one. We only bought this one because the other one had been stolen recently. I do like how the mount is much easier to use than the 910 and being much slimmer. Our 910 was very easy to use and I expect the same out of our 930; because of this I am sure if we ever buy another GPS it will certainly be a TomTom model.



4. Directions lead me wrong many times! Sometimes many blocks off. Once it even had me go in circles almost like the thing was playing a joke on me. The other day it even said, "you have arrived at your destination" while I was on a 4 lane road and the place was still a turn away further down. Also the arrows change directions on you out of nowhere. I'm not sure if the device is confused or it has some major glitches in it.
   
   The device also doesn't seem to pick up a lot of locations compared to many other GPS's out there for a lot cheaper. It also doesn't pronounce street or city names well at all. Yes, you can change the voice (I'll be doing this soon) but not sure if that will help or not. For instance, I live in Washington DC and it says "Washington" like, "Way shwing ton" with a long "a" sound. Very odd!
   
   It's also very sensitive to how you type in things. My husband went to find a Walmart and it kept saying it couldn't find it. After playing with it for a while, he realized you need to type in Walmart like, "Wal mart" with a space. If you don't type it exact it doesn't pick it up. Same with commas, etc. Yet regardless, it doesn't have nearly as many POI I've seen as other devices out there & doesn't pick up many side streets.
   
   The lane guidance is a joke. I live in a major city (D.C.) and have only seen it once. I would have much rather saved the extra $100 or so and bought the step down since it's not worth the money at all.
   
   Yes, some of these things may just be minor to some but when adding all these things together, it's not worth the price. There is better out there for less! Maybe when they fix many of the errors on this device it will be worth it. Until then, I wouldn't waste my money on it.



5. This is my second TomTom--also have the GO510. Very much like my 930T--the traffice feature here in DC is very useful. There is also a shortcut feature on the menu that brings up the functions you use most often on a single screen. However, there is still no "DONE" soft key on every screen so at time if you want to go back to navigating you may have to push the "BACK" softkey numerous times. Hugely annoying flaw that takes multiple unnecessary key strokes. The other incredibly annoying feature is that you can no longer navigate directly to a Zip Code, you must first enter the state where the Zip code is then enter the Zip code you want to navigate to. Not sure how they screwed that function up, but on my 510 you punch in the zip code without having to have the state in first. Finally, when it asks you for a zip code, it makes the numbers very small and difficult to touch but when you are inputting a house number, the number screen converts to large text numbers and entering each number is easy. Seems our Brit friends at TomTom could figure out every Zip Code in the US is numbers only and every one of them is unique to the Nation, not to a state. I'd likely buy this model again but not without doing more looking around to see if some other model didn't have a better, US-centric, interface.

5 comments about TomTom ONE 130S 3.5-Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigator.

1. The TomTom 130 is a great gps unit, with being able to download other peoples points of interest to add to your own for free, ease of use, reliability, and on top of it all it's only $150 with no subscription or service fees for navigation use.
   
   Pros- There are so many great features about the TomTom but the greatest features that I like in this unit is definitely the points of interest downloads you can find on TomTom Home for free, be warned that some may be off a little or not even there at all since they are points that people plotted and uploaded on their own and not actually the work of the TomTom company. The TomTom also recalculates a new route and displays it automatically if you missed an exit or a turn.
   
   Cons-There are only a few minor flaws that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating first being that the sound level is weak, you can hear it just fine as long as the windows are up and the radio is off otherwise forget it, but even then I am more a visual person and the on screen route guide is great. The other being that it takes just a second or two longer than I would care to show me the next turn on the display or to recalculate a new route if you missed a turn for when you are driving through a city and need results fast, even then it's not all that slow.
   
   I drove from Killeen, Tx all the way to Washington, DC just using my TomTom, finding places I wanted to eat and stay along the way not once looking at a map or getting stuck in traffic jams. Overall it really is one of the most useful toys you can buy and for only $150 I would gladly pay $250 for this thing if I had to.



2. I picked this up for a cross country drive and it served that purpose very very well.
   
   In the era of google maps and the iphone I often found myself expecting the device to allow me to slide the map around and easily search for places to eat in the area. It doesn't really do that, and isn't advertised as a device to do that. But just be warned that its easy to expect more nowadays.
   
   This is a bare bones GPS that performed flawlessly for me in that regard. There were a few times during my trip when it might recommend going around the block to get to a street when it was easier to just cross right over to it, but thats a pretty normal thing from a GPS and was in no way a show stopper.
   
   The audio is a problem. 1. The voice is too low to hear even over road noise, let alone while listening to the radio and talking on the phone. 2. When cranked to the max the speaker quality is so poor that what voice you do hear sounds like someone talking through plastic wrap. very distorted and very tinny. These complaints are well explored in other comments.
   
   My other complaint is the way you enter addresses is not standardized to the way we enter addresses on the internet, its all a little backwards. First you enter letters of the state and wait for it to offer closest matches, then you enter the city and wait for it to offer you closest matches, then you enter letters of the street and wait for it to offer closest matches, then you enter the street #. Would be nicer if I could just enter the address with a qwerty touchscreen keyboard as a full address and let it narrow it down from there. Would save a lot of time. The term 'a lot' being relative of course.
   
   The software is great, it updates easily. There's lots of other free voices you can download which is all pretty cool.
   
   Give me a dual-touch slide UI and the ease of google maps for local searching and I'll buy it.



3. This is my first GPS. It fuctions as advertised, and so far, nearly every trip has been correctly mapped out by the 130S. Just a few notes to be aware of: There is only one voice option that will allow text-to-speech, which means that if you use another voice option or a downloaded voice, you lose the street name announcements. For me, this means I am limited to the one voice. That's fine with me, but if you simply must have Mr. T give you directions, you will not hear street names. Also, the text to speech isn't perfect. "Br" - which is how the word "bridge" is abbreviated on the screen - is always pronounced "branch" by the 130S. Also, some words are so far off their correct pronunciation that they are unrecognizable, such as "Goethals Bridge", which comes out "Goot - halls - branch". But the text-to-speech is generally OK.
   
   My wife complains that the mount is hard to set on the windshield, and that it falls off. I have not had any problems with the mount.
   
   I had to call to find this out, but the 130S will charge off a computer using the supplied USB cable, so you may not want to pay up for the AC charger option.
   
   Recently, I was trying to find a street address in Brooklyn, NY, but for some reason, the 130S would not let me enter a house number. As soon as I entered the street name, it took me to the map. This only happened once so far, so I guess it's no big deal.
   
   Features I find useful: The variable volume setting, which increases or decreases speaker volume based on your speed. It works well. The "home" and "recent destination" options are quick ways to set up the 130S, and allows you enter the destination at home, shut it down, then retrieve the destination once you're in the car. Screen is very readable (I don't see why a larger screen is useful).
   
   TomTom customer support has been pretty good. You can get a live person quickly, and the one time I called, I got a knowledgable, courteous customer service rep.
   
   Finally, the 130S is fast - it locks onto the signal quickly, and can recalculate quickly, too, which is great if you miss a turn.
   
   The 130S is a great GPS and a great value!



4. Very easy to use. Everything makes sense right from the start. So far directions have been accurate. I live in a rural area that changed from routes to street addresses only few years ago, so some of the streets are missing, but don't need directions close to home anyway.



5. This product is amazing for the price -- works very well except for the last time , a week ago both Tom Tom as well as the GPS in my rental car directed me through [what they believed as the fastest route , though I have travelled in this city before and knew the roads well!!!!!]
   and finally I ended up in a roadblock where it was not easy to even turn around, finally I found that the road was blocked only a week before my trip.
   
   Otherwise I love this gadget-- no more print outs ,guess work , stop to check the maps or ask around.
   The voice command is great-- wakes you up [ if you happen to fall asleep behind the wheel]love it--particularly the Cleetus --cracks me up

5 comments about Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator.

1. I retired a couple years ago as a commercial pilot who dealt with GPS's on a daily basis and have a factory installed unit in my Acura TL.
   
   I bought this unit to use as a pedestrian sight-seeing in France and Switzerland. This review is only my experience trying to use the Garmin Nuvi 270 as a pedestrian in European cities. I make no supposition how it would work in a car in the USA nor in a car through the narrow streets of Europe or as a pedestrian in US cities..
   
   The Garmin Nuvi 270 has a pedestrian mode and is pre-loaded with maps of Europe. At slightly over $300 the unit was very appealing so I bought one for my trip in May 2008.
   
   The Good:
   
   1. The touch screen is very responsive
   2. The screen is very clear and bright.
   3. 3.5 inch screen, in my view, is the perfect pedestrian size.
   4. The database used is good by today's standards.
   5. Physically the 270, in my opinion, is the correct size for walking.
   
   The Bad:
   
   1. The first bad feature and by far the overriding issue is the Nuvi 270's inability to acquire satellites in European cities . (Without Satlilite communication the Nuvi 270 is not able to navigate.) I read all the reviews posted on Amazon and elsewhere, although many mentioned this issue, none seemed to adequately drive this point home enough for me not to buy it. On our day trip to Strasbourg, France, I held the unit out at ½ arms length for 1 1/2 hours while walking and saw only two screens, `Acquiring satellites' or `unable to acquire Satellites do you want to continue'. The unit never ever acquired enough Satellites in Strasburg to even show where we were, let alone navigate. I even stood on a round-about in the middle of a busy intersection for 20 minutes hoping it would acquire enough Satellites to be functional....it did not! I cannot over stress this enough....it was useless in Paris, where it would acquire for a short time and then lose them during the walk, in Geneva where it acquired them on the lake, but lost them in town. In Marseilles where it acquired them going to an island but quickly lost them in town.
   2. Once acquired, satellite retention is very poor. Sometimes aircraft GPS', as well as my Acura will take a couple minutes to acquire satellites, particularly if the unit has been moved while turned off, but once satellites are acquired they seldom lose reception, if ever unless you drive through a tunnel. The Garmin Nuvi 270, on the other hand, readily loses reception.
   3. There is no Operating manual available for the Garmin Nuvi 270 either in the box or on the web. Only 11 quick start booklets in 11 languages.
   4. Once you have looked for a destination it now resides in Recently found places, but cannot be deleted unless all destinations are deleted. If there is a way I couldn't figure it out as there is no manual.
   5. When charging, the unit says it is charging but never tells you when it is fully charged. I let it charge for over 24 hours and it continued to display, `charging'..
   6. The unit has a segmented bar that let's you know how much battery charge is left, but Garmin obviously hasn't figure out how to correlate that to time. A total of 5 bars, one would think 2 bars would indicate 40% left. WRONG, 2 bars generally meant less than 20 minutes left of usage.
   7. Does not use changeable batteries, so if you're away from your hotel, walking, you can't put fresh batteries in; coupled with not having any real clue how much charge you have left on the permanently installed battery, leads to a problem. (How much do I conserve, how much charge is left in real time, etc.)
   8. You can't plan your trip unless you are there. For example: If I'm in the USA and I want to see what attractions are located around the hotel I plan to stay in in Paris, the unit will not do it. It will only show me the attractions located close to where the unit physically is at that point. (Assuming you can get reception).
   9. The current satellite reception strength indicator is not visible on the map screen.
   10. When walking, in pedestrian mode, you have two choices for screen orientation. One allows the map to orient in the direction you are walking, the other North remains at the top of the screen. For the short time my 270 was able to retain satellites, I tried both. The unit's computing speed coupled with current satellite available accuracy makes the mode where the screen orients in the direction you are walking near useless. The screen near continually `hunts' for correct orientation. (Perhaps when the next generation satellites are all up and SA has been removed completely, this mode will work) Best to leave it on North at the top although I could not fully evaluate this in Paris because I never had constant satellite reception long enough.
   11. The screen is easily washed out by bright sunlight.
   12. No place exists on the unit to attach a lanyard; this is a problem in that the unit's case is very smooth and can slide out of your hand easily.
   
   All in all the unit is the right size for a pedestrian with a nice touch screen, but falls unacceptably short in Satellite reception capabilities and battery longevity (3-4 hours) given the batteries can't be changed. Assuming it found a few satellites where are you going to charge it during a 10 hour walking tour, or a hike, or a bike ride?



2. It's small, fits in a breast pocket. It's light weight, It doesn't have much of an instruction manual because if you work with it for a while, you learn all the things it can do. Sure, it might be nice to have the GPS say: "Turn right on Vine Street in .2 miles" instead of "turn right in .2 miles"... but the display shows the name of the street anyway. It does more than I thought it could because the Garmin site really doesn't elaborate on it's functions, such as multiple languages. It's fun just learning how to use it and I'm looking forward to using it in Italy soon. It comes with a suction cup mount and 12V car charger. I have purchased the leather case, a wall charger (for use in 110/220 volt) and a (off brand) 512mb memory chip. We already had two Garmin devices for sports, so the Garmin/USB cable we owned was compatible for downloading software updates and photo transfers on the Nuvi 270. I've already found and memorized my hotels in Italy on the map, but of course, it will not be able to plot out the driving routes until over there.
   
   I will add to this review after the trip.
   
   So far, I highly recommend the Nuvi 270 GPS. Seems like a good product and worth the money.
   
   2/14/2008
   Back from Italy safe and sound... What a great trip and it was made easier and safer by using the Garmin Nuvi 270. This thing worked great in Italy, with only a few hitches. 1. We learned quickly the "AVOIDANCES" needs to be disabled, otherwise it will not go on toll roads, make U-turns, things like that. We turned them all off and it worked better for us. 2. Remember to check your Pedestrian or Automobile modes. 3. Take the first several round-abouts carefully and listen to the Garmin lady say: "...then to round-about, turn right on 2nd exit..." 4. Be mindful of your battery supply. 5. Consider the satellite signal problems in very narrow city streets. 6. Because there is no detailed user manual, it will take time and practice to learn all the things the Garmin Nuvi 270 can do.
   
   The Garmin in Pedestrian mode took us to our hotel in Venice. In the car, it found our way in and out of Florence. Got us to the Rome Airport and helped us day trip around Tuscany. The most impressive thing was going to a friend's house in Northern Italy. The Garmin navigated us from Venice to Valdagno, up hills above the town, rural roads got narrower, then one lane, then onto a gravel path, right to the front door of their home. They couldn't believe it when we drove up to the house. In Siena, we found our way back to the car by GPS. In Rome we really needed it with Pedestrian mode. This little machine made a huge difference in vacation navigating. It reduced travel stress,( very important factor on a vacation). As we used it each day of the trip, we learn another thing it does, then another thing, then another method of searching... you get a feel for the machine and learn to use it better as time goes on.
   
   The Garmin Nuvi 270 perhaps is not the fanciest of the GPS units, but it worked great for us on vacation and now we use it for day trips or even finding places in our own city. Great product, very reasonable price.



3. Advantages are relatively cheap, has all US and most European maps built in, Also has an SD card slot for other optional area maps.
   
   It does NOT have all the fancy features which for me are fairly useless except to make you pay a lot of money, such as MP3 payers, bluetooth phone speakers, traffic reports for cities, etc. It also does NOT say which road to turn on. For example, much more expensive units might say "Turn right on Main Street", where this GPS only says "Turn right", and you have to read on the top of the display which street to turn on (but it's the one you are at!). This is not a big deal to me.
   
   It is fairly small, which is good and not so good. It is not "wide screen" so it shows less information. However, I think has very acceptable readability, and does not obscure the road while hanging on the suction cup mount. On the other hand, the small size it is easy to pack and take overseas traveling. It is even small enough to carry with you walking around a foreign city so you can get back to the hotel if you get lost. You can walk to restaurants you pick from the unit, and you can even set it to "walk mode" instead of "drive mode" so it ignores one-way streets, etc. when you are walking or bicycling around. Of course, it only has roads programmed in, and not park paths, etc.
   
   It has a built in battery that is charged through the included cigarette lighter plug. It lasts at least 8-10 hours I think? It has a USB charge connection on the GPS, but I think the voltage requirement is higher (1V?) than most laptop computers put out (0.5V), so it may not charge by plugging into a laptop?? I don't know yet.....
   
   It has lots of "Points of Interest" such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc, although some of the POI's in Europe are sometimes sparse. For example I was looking for a ATM cash machine in a little town in Germany, and it said the closest one was 12 miles away. However, there were a few actually in the small town I was in, just not listed.
   
   Also, it has many languages built in for the voice commands. German, Spanish, English, French, Chinese, and many other obscure languages are included. The "British" vs. "American" english accents are entertaining.
   
   Out of the box, it is set up to NOT allow you to program it while moving (Safe Mode). However, this CAN BE SWITCHED OFF to allow a passenger (or a danger seeking driver) to fully program addresses or find Points of Interest when the vehicle is moving.
   
   In short, I would definitely buy it again.



4. As a "Mapaholic" I was hesitant to surrender to a GPS. The Garmin has allowed me to be map-free! (Although I still keep them in the car.) I rely on "her" telling me where to turn - and if I miss the turn she will get me back on track immediately. What a relief.



5. Purchased, took to Europe, and had great results. Got me everywhere I wished to go for a month of a driving tour. The voice sometimes got irritating, but other than that, I was very pleased.

5 comments about Garmin StreetPilot c330 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory-Refurbished).

1. Bought this for my wife because she liked my Garmin Street Pilot. Ease of use was very critical. This takes care of her problem of not being able to read a map. Have recommended to others, as well.



2. Two stars only because new technology has passed it by. Otherwise a great unit for the price.
   
   I have had this unit for two years. Garmin discontinued it last year and is not supporting it. I do know that Garmin is not supporting the software I suggest that you ask Garmin if it will provide a free map upgrade for a newly purchased unit. The unit is a solid performer and easy to read. I recommend the dashboard mount. It does not move around and is easy to store when you park. GPS' are the Number 1 "smash and grab" item. Just leaving on the windshield mount may be enough incentive for some one to smash a window to see if the unit was left in the car. This Garmin has a number of outstanding features. My favorite features are its easy to read screen and its long battery life. Depending where I am, it takes between 30 seconds and three minutes to lock onto a satellite. The steps to input a destination could be more efficient. There are a lot of neat features to explore. The POIs are limited and out of date. If you do not mind old tech (slower satillite connection) and maybe an earlier map version, this is a great choice.



3. Customer service rep and Superviser were the worst I have ever ran across
   All they did was telling Me what I did wrong
   Never did they ask what can We do to make this OK
   I can never tell every one I know or meet
   You will never have a problem with Amazon
   But product was great



4. Great product. I used this on the way to my boyfriend's house and I was amazed at how accurate it was.



5. The garmin is a great product. Amazon does a good job with the shipping and prompt delivery