Garmin nüvi 650 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin nüvi 650 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: A whole new world!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nuvi 650 is a life-changing device for someone who gets so easily lost as me. Before I had it, I tended to always use the same old simplest routes and go only to the stores and restaurants I know I could get to without getting terribly lost. I also tended not to go out at nights because landmarks were harder to see. Now with the GPS I have new confidence and it's like a whole new world opened up to me! No sooner do I pass the street that I was supposed turn onto and "Karen's" voice tells me it's re-calculated the route and clearly pronounces something like "In .2 miles turn left onto Susquehanna St". Some other GPS route's can not say road names like that. I'm going to new parks and lunch spots, and trying out new scenic routes to the office.
It has many points of interest loaded meaning that you don't always need to know the exact address to go to. I can just spell out "Panera" and lets me choose from all the surrounding Panera bread stores. Also it lets you save your favorite places so you can quickly click and go. There's even a "go home button". Garmin really thought out all the things a user would want to do and designed an incredibly friendly user interface.
An additional plus of the unit is the high sensitivity GPS receiver. Even when it is cloudy and storming outside I have had no trouble getting GPS satellite reception. This makes me feel safer coming home when the when the windshield is awash with rain and street signs hard to make. The GPS unit lets me know things like "Make left on Broad Street in .2 miles", and then just before the turn tells me "Turn left on "Broad Street".
The screen is very clear and the maps are good, and even just by listening I can find my way because the unit gives such clear instructions.
I was unsure about how much I'd use the mp3 functionality of the unit. It does come in handy though because sometimes I get absorbed in a really good song and forget to make a turn. When I use the GPS unit as my mp3 player, it pauses the music momentarily to give me the next direction so I pay attention to it. I was able to take the SD card from my camera and drag and drop my mp3 files onto it for the nav system.
I did think it odd and slightly inconvenient that it didn't arrive with a standard charger for an outlet. On the other hand it did however come with a cigarette lighter charger for the car which is where I use the Nav system, and other companies could have considered that an optional accessory. I usually charge up the unit via the usb hub on my computer and that's been working out just fine.
All in all, Way to go Garmin!
Digital camera Review: Absolutely the best for $$$
Summary: 5 Stars
I strongly recommend this product for people with the same requirements as me: just a navigation unit. I specifically did not care for the hands-free option or radio transmitter option - just a good navigation unit. Hands-free is great, but I don't want to have this in the car all the time. Radio transmitter is a great idea - but as in other ones I tried before, this one (so I've read) is no better. The quality just does not cut it for me. Bottom line: wide-screen, reliable, easy-to-use, awesome price, free 2009 maps, etc. What more could you want?
Note: I did extensive reading on other units before buying this one. Some are pretier and may have a few extra bells, but when it came to overall quality (not even price), this seemed to be the best choice.
Digital camera Review: Accurate. Readable. Easy-to-Use
Summary: 4 Stars
The Garmin Nuvi 650 is a capable, easy-to-use device that does the job. The screen is exceptionally readable and easy-to-see. It mounts and dismounts with one hand and is very functional and simple to use.
I purchased the traffic reporting Mt-20 adapter to get traffic and accident alerts. It was a hefty add-on at a price of $120.
Garmin could do a smoother job with the computer voices and adding traffic and weather as standard features. Also, this unit is not blue tooth compatible (get the 660 model for that feature). All in all, though, a handy tool for the price.
Digital camera Review: Adult Friendly
Summary: 4 Stars
Product is intuitive. Good value. Easy to store waypoints. I prefer the 3D view, but its easy to switch from mapview. Reception is fairly good even in
the city.
Digital camera Review: Almost good enough as advertised
Summary: 4 Stars
I updated the latest maps since I got my unit few days ago. All features seem to be working well. But it couldn't locate a nearby restaurant (La Madeleine in Houston)that has been in existence for quite awhile. It located one branch 7.6 miles away which was not the branch we were going to. Other establishments near the restaurant were located successfully though when I tested it. Hmmm... Inserted an SD card with mp3 songs. Excellent sound.