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22 out of 29 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"Once again does everything EXCEPT navigate"
Pros: None- to me video games, MP3s and Audio books are no substitute for core functionality
Cons: Makes you drive to a "highlighted route" to start, only gives one direction at a time, informs of lane changes too late, when merging freeways does not give N,S,E,W direction until too late to merge
Summary: Once again Garmin has churned out a toy for tech nerds rather than a functional GPS product. The crack team of reviewers at Cnet spends more time testing the phone book merging capabilities, blue tooth, speach recognition and MP3 and audio book features than it does on the core GPS funtion (nice job guys you missed the boat again as this thing is horrible at getting you from point A to B - try starting with the basics before getting all hyped up with the nerd features). As usual for a Garmin product this GPS only feeds you one spoken direction at a time. In some instances the next direction appears in text on the screan slightly before it is spoken but even this is often unclear because it is often truncated (does not fit on screen). The result is that if you are being told to go from the 405 freeway to the 110 you don't know which direction to go on the 110 because the Garmin system waits to feed you the next turn until after you have completed the current turn. However, when merging freeways, you need to select the east, west, north or south direction BEFORE you exit and since the Garmin is ALWAYS late with this direction, you make the wrong guess 50% of the time and have to exit the freeway and turn around. In LA this can cause a 20-30 minute delay. Other GPS like the Navigon show you a reality view of the freeway (the lanes appear on screen as they do in real life) and there is a graphical arrow that directs you to the exact lane you should take to exit or merge on a freeway. The Navigon also has the next direction on screen along with an arrow if that direction calls for a turn (this solves the truncated problem). TomTom and Magellen devices also give you the next direction and show an arrow if that direction requires you to turn. The Garmin, on the other hand, will sometimes pop up a text direction of the next turn just before you merge allowing you to sometimes be able to swerve into the correct lane but the direction comes up so late that you usually cannot make the lane change without causing an accident. Moreover, especially on freeways exits that join multiple other freeways (e.g., exit for the and 101, highway 2) the written direction is truncated and you have no idea which of the multiple exit lanes to choose until you are about a quarter of a mile going the wrong way. This also happens on city streets where you have to make two turns within a few blocks of each other. The Garmin does not tell you about the second turn until it is too late to get into the lane. Other GPS systems like the Navigon tell you "turn right and make an immediate left" and they also give you two written directions (next two turns) along with an arrow showing the second turn.
To me the Cnet editors just don't get it. I need GPS to get me to the meeting not get me lost. Having my blackberry phone book download automatically to the Garmin is great because I need the numbers to call when I get lost and am going to be late. I just don't understand who uses their GPS for MP3s (the speakers suck) and video games? you have got to be kidding. If you want to do this stuff buy a cheap laptop its half the price. If you truely want a good GPS system DO NOT BUY this piece of junk- it does everything well except guide you to your destination.
- 6 replies to this review
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Wow, the other responses are TOUGH! I, for one, REALLY appreciate your review, dinsf2004. I am looking into my first GPS, and I definitely want something that is idiot-proof. Hubby not only isn't techy in the least (can barely operate an MP3 player), but would be FURIOUS if he ran into the kinds of issues you describe here. Thanks SO much for your review - we'll be looking for something "dumbed-down", reliable AND much cheaper.
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I don't know about this unit but I bought a Garmin 205W for basic navigation. I live in Atlanta. The first address I entered it can't find. The second (my employers address in downtown Atlanta) and the directions were 90% accurate. Back to the address it couldn't find, from there I entered directions to my home and the directions on the "downtown connector" I-75/I-85 were "last minute" to say the least, and if I didn't know the route I would not have been in the correct lane. So the complaints I read in the review above seem to match my experience with the 205W. To be fair, it did announce a "stay to the left" at a time that would have been suicide to attempt - very last minute! Of course I was already in the proper lane since of course I'm familiar with the route. I checked the Garmin website for a more recent map, but none was available. So far, it may not be a piece of junk, but it's disappointing at best. Needless to say, I plan to return the device.
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This makes no sense to me. I have and have had a Garmin ique for years, and it constantly tells me more than one direction at a time. Are you saying they took this out of their top of the line newer model? Plus it gives me PLENTY of time to merg lanes to change over to the 405 or 101 if need be. How do you come to this conclusion with this unit????????????
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You say "once again garmin has.............
Listen if you say that and you have one, dose not make any sence. Your review is off. -
Sometimes I think people should have to pass a test before being allowed to buy something just to make sure they have the capability to operate it properly. It sounds like your main issue is not reading the manual and/or just being too lazy.
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Garmin is considered to be the best by everyone (except you, apparently), has been used in General Aviation for decades, and easily blows away their competitors. Perhaps you should try something for those who have no experience with GPS systems - something along the lines of a TomTom? Then you can graduate to the more advanced & superior product that is Garmin.
Where to buy
Garmin Nuvi 880:
$629.00 - $699.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$679.99 | Yes |
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$629.00 | Yes |
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$699.99 | Yes |
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$651.23 | No |
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