( 55 reviews )
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( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 15 2009
Just got this in today, and hooked it up to my computer to register with Garmin, so I could update the maps. First thing I find out is that the SN is already registered! So basically I can do one of two things, just use the maps that are on it, and never be able to upgrade, or send this back to Amazon, and request an exchange for another one. With I guess no guarantee THAT one will be new, either. AND I'll be out the shipping charges again, sending this puppy back. Never did find a way to do anything with Amazon except return for "new" unit. AT MY EXPENSE. So I've written to Garmin support to find out what's going on, and then I'll see what to do. But I'm getting a little peeved at the whole thing.
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Posted: Aug 8 2009
I recently purchased the Nuvi 850 to replace my 6 month old 760 that someone stole out of my car. I paid $50.00 less for it, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It took me about a day to get use to it, and I'm having lots of fun exploring all of the other functions. I really liked my 760, but for the money, the 850 was a no brainer.
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Posted: Aug 8 2009
Well my original monochrome Streetpilot was called back into action but I couldn't get new maps for it. That unit still works perfect after 10 years and is used frequently on canoe trips since it's waterproof to 3ft and can use batteries. So I needed a GPS that could handle 100hrs of usage per week and have a replaceable battery with good routing and a music player that transmits to the car stereo would be nice. After 4 months/1600hrs usage I have not been disappointed. Maps are great, it's found 895/900 addresses in the Chicago suburbs and never complained of sitting in the direct sun all day. I have a deep voice and the voice recognition works surprisingly well for me with the windows up in a noisy van. A nice feature would be able to increase the priority of highways, quite often it suggests me taking a more direct route that is slower, since traffic usually moves well over the posted speed. I am happy that the unit offers Flat Map Viewing with the option of Track Up or North Up, the 3D view just isn't for me. The FM transmitter sends my music nicely to the radio and has a volume mixer that will announce directions while playing the music and gives me a heads up about when approaching heavy traffic (MSN Direct receiver). Another nice feature is that you can use the button on the steering wheel to control all the functions of the gps including changing the volume or skipping to the next track or play list. My dashboard is fairly free of clutter since there is only one wire that plugs in the cradle. Another routing feature I use frequently is the ability to avoid Tolls. You Can detour by roads in the route or by distance, a few reviews posted said that it wasn't an option. Apparently Garmin listened and implemented it for free with it's painless updating. You can change the vehicle that moves across the map (changed mine to a canoe lol) and the voices for free. Tom Tom wants money for it. The MSN Direct Receiver pays for itself by showing gas prices in the area. The games even the demos are good enough to keep the kids busy for a while. The calculator comes in handy at times but the best feature about this GPS is it's reliable. :-)
