heloflyer's Full Review: Garmin nuvi 850 Car GPS Receiver
I have been watching the price of GPS units fall for the last five years as the capabililty and reliability of Car units has improved dramatically. The challenge with technology is getting over the fact that a gadget you buy today is going to be half the price in a year or two. With that in mind, I set out to find a GPS that provides the following base technology:
* Spoken word recognition for hands-free automobile use
*Time tested reliability and accuracy with navigation tools that are user friendly
*a 4.3 " screen which is bright and easy to see from angles in varying light conditions(twilight and overcast days)
*Driving directions manage you through complex freeway interchanges with advanced notice on lane changes
*Added features such as traffic, MP3 player and JPEG photo uploads incorporated into one unit
After researching it carefully, it appears that there are three basic levels of GPS Automobile units available. The major players are Garmin, Magellan and TomTom with other solid performers on the market. On the budget side($80-$150), there are basic GPS units available that provide accurate, easy to follow directions at a par with add-on units you can get in a rental car. They are simple to use and work. In the middle cost tier($200-$350)you have an assortment of features such as a larger screen, audio player,turn-by-turn voice commands and games. These units are full-feature GPS units and you can pick and choose specific features that you value such as traffic information. Finally, there are the high-end models ($400-$1000) that incorporate all the bells and whistles with the additional feature of voice recognition technology.* *Note: as of this update, prices were falling on all of these units-bargains are out there
Looking at all my requirements, the Nuvi 800 line of GPS navigation systems was my final choice.
KEY FEATURES:
Voice Recognition- Voice recognition technology has been around for a while, but if you have ever found yourself shouting a name or phone number repeatedly into a cell phone, you know it is a technology that is a work-in-progress. The Nuvi 800 series, however, seems to have finally mastered the recognition capability. You can actually drive and say things like "go home" or "find fuel" and it will confirm and provide you directions home or to the nearest gas station. This comes at a cost, though, and most units are priced $300-$600.
Traffic Updates-the Nuvi 850 has the capability of providing you traffic updates on the screen with the little icons you see on your favorite news programs.(accidents-alerts-delays) the Nuvi 880comes with the receiver antenna cord in the box if you don't want to purchase separately. I view this as a "nice-to-have" feature and will buy the combination power cord/antenna receiver online. Of course, the Nuvi 880 may drop in price over the next year so watch for bargains.
Tunes and Audio-. You can play music or broadcast the audio commands generated from the unit over your FM radio in your car. You just select an unused station (88.1/88.5) and it broadcasts in your car just like an MP3 player antenna. My only issue is you get a lot of static or side-tone in the city that is annoying when you are trying to listen to your favorite song.
I found a Nuvi 850 at on sale at a Circuit City(Yes, it was a closeout sale) for $425. You basically get every available feature in the 800line, but need to purchase a traffic receiver(which is built into the power cords) at additional cost if you want to use that feature.
Ease of Navigation-Even as a novice to the technology, it is easy to figure out how to navigate in about 5 minutes. You just plug in an address or you have a selection of commonly required destinations like restaurants or fuel locations. You are given the option to select to find all the locations that are close to you or close to a destination point. Once you select a location, the unit provides turn-by-turn verbal instructions and a variety of screens to monitor your enroute progress.
"It ain't perfect"-One note on GPS technology, they still haven't figured out that shortcut you take to avoid a left turn in rush hour traffic. So if you see a gas station across the street, "Jill" might take you through four turns and a u-turn to get you there. So, if you know where you are going, use common sense and let the GPS recalculate on the fly to avoid pointless waiting in traffic.
Why the 800 series Nuvi? The voice recognition technology is the real bonus of spending extra cash for a 800 series Garmin. You get a little thumb button attachment to put on your steering wheel and press it whenever you want to give a voice command. It works great. Push the button, it asks for a command and you can speak in a normal voice tone to get results. If you can't memorize a few simple shortcut commands("go home", " find fuel") you just read the text on the screen verbatim and it moves through the screens to follow your commands.
I think that finally, with the Nuvi 850(and 800 series) you have the ability to safely enter information and commands while driving without distracting you from the knucklehead in front of you that is cutting into your lane.(or being that knucklehead entering data manually and running off the road) I have used it extensively and it just plain works.
Overall, I would strongly recommend the Garmin 850 and I think if you are new to the world of GPS, you will find that it is easy to use and works great.
Simply speaking, n vi 850 Automobile Navigator is one advanced navigator. It features speech recognition (SR), a widescreen display, preloaded maps, a...More at Buy.com
simply speaking n�vi 850 is one advanced navigator. it features speech recognition (sr) a widescreen display preloaded maps an fm transmitter and...More at UnbeatableSale, Inc.
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