kfgecko's Full Review: Garmin nuvi 660 Car GPS Receiver
Someone broke into my car and stole my Nuvi350. Since I loved the Nuvi so much, I replaced it with another, but this time with the 660 for its bigger screen.
WHY NAVIGATION
If you still aren't convinced about nav systems, here's my brief schpiel. I find myself selecting my 5-8 most common destinations (home, work, parents, school, etc) not because I don't know where those places are, but to get me out of wherever I am and headed in the right direction. In addition, it provides suggested routes, lists estimated arrival time, and keeps time/miles of your travel.
Years ago, my wife wasn't convinced that it was worth it either... but when we bought her car I insisted we add that option. After living with it, she loves it so much she told me to get one for my car.
With nav, it cuts some of the route planning before you leave the house; and insures you won't ever get lost. For safety reasons, this is important (for my wife especially) so we aren't wandering lost in a bad neighborhood and need to stop to ask for directions from a stranger.
Nav allows you to set favorite locations and gives you a great overview of the recommended route. As a portable unit, I was able to bring it (and the mount) on our vacation and install it quickly into the rental car. We never got lost, and I was able to do a lot of route planning for me and other family members staying at different hotels at the destination.
NUVI
Garmin has simply got the best interface, and this is of utmost importance in a nav system. As of 2007, the other brands are catching up, though. Sure you can add nav to a cell phone, a PC, etc. But the issue is that you are DRIVING and you need something that is easy to use, quick and easy to read, and works with minimal fuss. For these reasons, nav systems need to be optimized for this function. The hard to see cell phone, the awkward PC navs, and the "not bright enough" screens and complex interface of other nav system just rendered them unusable, even though they technically have the functionality.
The Nuvi line, on the other hand has really cut the fat. It just works, and does what it needs to do. The display is brightest in the field, the graphics are clear and easy to read, the interface is simple to use. Nuvi's are expensive for a reason... they are simply still the most USABLE out there. "Usability" is top priority, in my opinion.
NAVIGATION
Nav systems have been out for years now and the technology has pretty much matured. I won't go into much detail here as the raw nav functionality is pretty standard now. In general, map information is accurate up to the year of the release your machine is loaded with. That means that you'll find pretty much everything in the North America continent (USA including Hawaii & Alaska, Canada, Mexico) unless it was constructed after the release date of your database. You can always purchase updates (which are > $150) if necessary.
Routing is usually pretty good across the industry and are so close to each other that I haven't detected a particular strength by Garmin in this area. All do live re-route when you stray from the intended course. Someone intimately familiar with certain routes and their conditions may know a slightly more optimal route, but in general the nav systems will not get you lost.
In addition, navs have a "points of interest" data base which allows you do search for businesses, ATMs, grocery stores, gas stations, etc near your current location. This is extremely useful, especially when needing to locate a gas station, ATM, or restaurant when en route in an area you are unfamiliar with. Often, the phone number of the location is included to, which has allowed us to spontaneously call the places before even going there. The data base is of course subject to the time of its release date.
Nav costs nothing to use, because it works like a radio; it just receives positioning information from satellites. Like radio, this is one-way (receive only).
Nuvi 350 vs 660
I bought the 660 for it's larger screen, period. When using nav, you want as large a screen as possible to show as much map as possible, and still be able to make out the details. The 660's larger screen over the 350 accomplishes this and it really does help. The biggest drawback of the larger screen is the units larger size. With the 350, I could slip it into a pocket (shirt even). It was light and barely noticeable. The 660 on the other hand, is > 50% bigger and somehow that makes it cross the threshold into "bulky portable"; bigger and heavier. Not a big deal, but bothersome enough to make me wonder if the 350 is more convenient.
Both 350 and 660 had other features which I use regularly: the audiobook and MP3 players, photo album, and calculator. Since the 660 has an FM transmitter built in, I didn't need an external FM transmitter like I did with the 350. This makes things cleaner and less junk to set up each time (because you don't want to just leave your portable nav setup in the car... this is a big theft item) The FM transmitter work pretty well, allowing you to select any FM frequency. It's not totally clean, but good enough for audio books. Annoying for MP3s.
I occasionally use the MP3 player when walking around with headphones. But please note, THIS IS NO IPOD. The interface for browsing MP3's is just barely functional. You can't have any playlists which makes playing anything but whole albums a chore of scrolling pages of alphabetized lists of ALL songs you have on the device, while using up/down buttons (no scroll wheel). I see this as an MP3 player when you need music in a pinch.
Both 350 and 660 have external speakers which are adequate for relaying nav information. But unless you have a car with a very quiet interior, you'll be strained to hear audio books with distinction and MP3's will sound like a tiny hand held radio. However, in very quiet and small environments where you want low volume ambient music, then the speaker does a pretty good job.
TRAFFIC
The 660 has traffic receiver built in. Most people will be sorely disappointed. Updates are slow to receive (takes a few minutes to get updated), only apply to freeways, and the reports themselves only have 3 vague levels of traffic info. This does not give the user the clear traffic condition picture they would like
With lowered expectations, there are some value added that comes from the traffic: it will alert you to accidents, and give a vague idea of conditions... value much like the news radio. This information helps you make your own judgement. The nav will try to route around the congestion, taking city streets as alternate routes. In one case, it actually helped me find a better rush hour route.
OTHER FUNCTIONS
I have not yet used the other functions, like language translator, etc.
Keep in mind that this is a nav system optimized for driving or pedestrian use in a city environment. The Nuvi's have been simplified to only allow 1 destination, and insert 1 waypoint. True navs (like those used for hiking) allow multiple way points and backtracking via bread-crumbing. The Nuvi series does not have any of those "power user" nav features.
HARDWARE
The flat units come with a case to protect the screen from scratches. Because they are flat, they are easy to carry around. The Nuvi's have an adjustable suction cup mount which can be stuck to a window, or to plastic disk which can be 3M adhered to a dash board, etc. If you use the mount, there is a power cable that connects to the 12v power socket, allowing you to charge the unit while driving. In addition, the power automatically turns on and off the unit as you turn on/off the car.
The battery has lasted about 6-8 hours as advertised, allowing me to use it on plane trips (audio books).
CONCLUSION
Optimized for nav usefulness, I loved it enough to buy it again.
These are the components in the Garmin nuvi 660 Personal Travel Assistant - "Total Peace of Mind Kit w/ Nav-Mat": Three Year Extended Warranty Certifi...More at Beach Camera.com
This portable GPS receiver lets you hit the road with a host of helpful features at your fingertips. Voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, Bluetooth c...More at Best Buy®
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