Garmin nüvi 670 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
I picked Garmin because their web site gave better info on their products than other manufacturers. The size and shape of the Nuvi sold me over their PDA-based products. This 670 has a larger screen than the 370 and has the pre-loaded European maps which the 660 model lacks.
The unit has worked properly right out of the box and even acquired the GPS signals inside our house.
The maps display clearly in both 3D and 2D views, with detail appropriate to the level of zoom, which can vary from tens of meters out to showing the whole continent. Mounting the unit in the center of the windshield just under the mirror reduces the obstruction and places it where one is already used to looking. As expected, full sunshine compromises visibility even with backlighting set to 100%. At night, reducing the backlighting to 50% still gives a brighter image than the car's instruments.
The pre-loaded maps include some fairly out-of-the-way restaurants and hotels that I've visited before. Searches for points of interest can start from other locations, so you can get directions to an out-of-town location that you haven't already visited and saved.
Calculation of routes works well with the caveat that the the unit can't know that I prefer to use a scenic route or to turn onto busy main streets at a light.
You can select from several voices. I first picked a classy British lady to read directions, and was quite happy with the result. However, her pronunciation of street names once we got to Quebec make me laugh. Picking the French voice cleared that up, but now I can't wait to hear what that one will do to English place names.
I've had no use yet for the Bluetooth and FM TMC traffic features. Ditto the so-called "must have" features such as MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, currency and unit converters, and extra-cost SD cards. However, I do find the world clock feature, displaying up to five time-zones, useful. The MP3 player is just that; CDs ripped in .wma format won't play.
Overall, I'm satisfied with the purchase. I rationalize the expense (maps only cost a few dollars) by noting that, although I can plot out a route on a map, a few minutes into the trip, I'll have forgotten the directions. Write them on paper? What, and miss all this fun?
It's been years since I have been so happy with a purchase. This product is amazing. My mistake was not buying this when it first came out. I was on the fence about buying this and if you are simply considering it, buy it and try it out for a month, you will not return it, it's just too good. The only difference from the 670 and 660 is the europe maps. The incorporated traffic is worth every cent of the whole product if you live in a traffic area. Buy it now.
I am extremely satisfied with this GPS. This is the only one I have used, but it is very easy to use, and has lots of useful extra features. I only speak English and live in Germany, and having a European GPS is invaluable. It also features pedestrian and bike modes, which are very useful in Europe. The built in FM modulator makes for easier listening in the vehicle, and the built in MP3 player allows for music listening while the stereo is tuned for the FM modulator.
The only downside is the battery charge only lasted for about three hours while walking around downtown, and the unit was mostly on standby in my pocket.
For about ten years I had been using a Garmin 12 Map for my travels. It worked quite well and still functions as if new. I was quite curious to discover the differences that one decade would make in a navigational system. To claim here that the changes are astonishing would be both accurate and vastly understated. The Nuvi 670 includes a variable FM transmitter that permits the audio to run through a car or home stereo on any vacant FM frequency (although there are few such frequencies any more). The Nuvi also includes VERY detailed maps of the USA, Canada, all of Western Europe and some of Eastern Europe. It has a superb MP3 player, a photo storage capability and a useful talking book player.
At 6.2 ounces it feels light and portable, even in a shirt pocket (where it fits easily). The screen is clear, bright and functions well on its internal (Lithium Ion) battery, via an (included) AC adapter or the 12/24 Volt car-charger (also included) that simultaneously serves as a traffic info antennae that will also run through the car's FM radio. The tiny built-in speaker provides good quality sound and volume, so the FM radio is not necessary (if there are no vacant frequencies or you are outside of a car/home).
The car charger only connects to the Nuvi via the suction cup adapter (for windshield mounting) so a user needs to carry the mounting system on trips to be able to use the car charger. As with all portable GPS receivers, mounting is an issue because the windshield suction cup obscures some visibility, and leaving on the dash (even with an optional "bean bag" mount) makes the unit subject to sliding or falling during sharp turns or sudden stops. However, because reception is VASTLY improved (over my 12 Map Garmin), satellite signals can easily be recceived anywhere inside the car, so I am now placing the unit on the center console where it works just fine.
I recently purchased a new car and decided NOT to include the factory GPS because it was far more expensive than the Garmin (MSRP $2,500), less functional and not portable. I am convinced that was the prudent choice, and when I eventually sell this new car, I get to keep the GPS.
I do plan to take the Nuvi to Europe this fall. The map coverage there seems as complete as that in the USA.
Clearly I am quite pleased with my second Garmin. The company has earned my loyalty AND the record profits Garmin has earned from being such a leader in a complex field.
I used this Garmin Nuvi 670 just for a short time but I do like the features it has and just for the few times I used it I like it allot.
I tried the navigation, the hands free bluetooth technology and the FM transmit. in my area the traffice control does not provide service at the momement so i can not tell much about that.
This is a brief initial review, see lower down for more
I bought this to replace a Tomtom Navigator 5 system running on a Dell x51v with the external Tomtom Bluetooth receiver. The major issues with that were a terrible lack of POIs, terrible time and distance predictions, poor routing and no control of the map view.
First thing I noticed on opening the box is that the mains charger comes with adapters for all the countries I regularly visit, so I clicked the US two pin adapter in place, plugged it in then plugged the lead into the 670. It came on immediately and said it was loading maps. A few seconds later it showed a map. It was already locked on! That's a huge advance from the old days when it took at least 4 minutes for my GPSIII+ to find the satellites. I am in the middle of the top floor of a large open plan building, the position shown was accurate.
Without looking at the manual I got rid of the touch beep, bound it to my bluetooth phone, set the timezone and voice and set it up to navigate to a restaurant for lunch. All in under 15 minutes with time out for work.
In the car I mounted the unit to the windshield and plugged in the power conenction, it immediately lit up green to show it was connected to the traffic system. I was expecting to have to register and sign up for a service agreement, instead it came up and showed it was already enabled with 3 months to run. A few minutes later I looked at the traffic detail map and saw it already showed the local problem areas. Very cool.
Apparently the 2.60+ firmware handles 4Gb SD cards so I ordered one and look forward to trying the MP3 player.
I tested the POI list by looking for gast stations and particular stores in the area, it had everything I knew of and more, so I am very hopeful at this stage.
I'm looking forward to trying the hands free too, all we did so far is dial another cell phone in the car and laugh about the echo we got. Sound quality and volume seemed good. I'm going for a 1500 mile road trip to Utah this weekend, so I'll update after that.
1685 miles later...
Garmin certainly has accurate maps for CA, NV and UT, they seemed very up to date. The option to "avoid dirt roads" was especially welcome and saved me some nasty miles that the direct route would have taken on unpaved roads. Routing was mostly good, but could do with some more skepticism on the choice of rural state roads. I was happy to take route 88 into the Sierras from the bay area because I was on a road trip, but I80 is probably 50% faster.
The one significant bug is a holdover from previous Garmin products like the GPS V, it is also an issue it shares with Tomtom. While heading down an interstate, let's take I880 from Oakland to Fremont as an example, with many miles of straight ahead to go, the 670 will direct you off at a ramp, it likes to take the I238 ramp towards Livermore, and then immediately back on. This is amusing to a local, but it could be very confusing to a visitor. It did the same to me in 395 south through Reno last night, that did confuse me. This is a bug that should have been eradicated years ago.
Another issue with the GPS V is still present in the 670. When recalculating the map display is suspended, so right when you need to see what's going on you have a useless map. When routing resumes it gives the verbal instructions before repainting the map. Not good. In contrast the Tomtom always recalculates silently and just flashes up the new route. The Tomtom never leaves you with a dead screen. I don't like to be told every time the route is recalculated, when I go the wrong way, for whatever reason, there's no brownie points to be gained telling me off. At the very least there should be the option to disable this 'feature'.
POI selection is absolutely outstanding, at least compared to other things I have used. It makes the Tomtom implementation look like amateur night. You can select the POI by type, gas stations, shops and restaurants are my favorites, then either go straight to the list of hit SPELL and type in part of the name. It will match on any part of the name, so you can include partial names, even partial words, and it will still show the matches. Once you have your list you can select by address, direction and distance, or see the POI on a map. The direction changes from compass direction when stationary to relative direction when moving, so you don't have to waste your time looking at gas stations you passed twenty miles ago.
I did have one POI which can obviously never have been true, the Shell station near Lohi, UT has obviously always been a house. But mostly the POIs are very accurate.
It is disappointing that you can no longer select different on-screen data, I liked that with the old units and miss it. That's a big step backwards. I want to know time-to-next, time-to-go, course, altitude and other things that used to be offered.
There is a weird issue with map detail and zoom level, small roads appear and disappear as you zoom in and out. Let's be clear, a small road that is visible on a small scale (big area) disappears as you zoom in and then only reappears at some of the highest scales (most detailed) when you can't see any context, or even if it's actually the same road.
In general though, the automatic map scaling is very good, the 3-D view shifts to a track up view as it zooms out, this addresses my major gripe with Tomtom in that it allows you to keep your route in context and see how you are getting on in the big picture. As the view zooms in it adds a lot of street detail, much much better than Tomtom.
The time to destination predictions remain excellent. Outstanding. It was within minutes on the driving time over a distance of hundreds of miles on each occasion. Tomtom is often pessimistic by 50%, totally inadequate for planning purposes.
Is it worth it? Is it as good as it should be? For me, no and no. For $850 I can get a decent laptop, that's a lot more hardware, so that's not where the money went. They are still not addressing their software issues, they have faulty algorithms that have been unmodified for years and inherited from old products. As a software engineer I am disappointed but not surprised. Near work it will still sometimes tell me to take three right turns instead of an entirely legal left.
But it is very good. Garmin's mechanical people have done a great job, this is obviously a class device. But the software and systems people aren't as good.
Overall? If I could edit the rating I'd drop at a point or two now. But I still haven't seen better. At these prices it's not like there are many people who are willing to try them all.
Contrasting my own companies attitude to software errors (we are one of the biggest suppliers in the cell phone, commercial radio, wireless networking and many other fields), we would not allow even a mildly irritating bug to remain in one of our products for years. So I am wondering if I should return this on principal. I'll try support first, in the past that didn't achieve much.
8,000 miles later
Yes, I do a lot of miles.
Lasting impressions: I almost always have the voice prompt switched off, the guidance is repeated too often on high speed roads and I hate to hear it continuously telling me that it is recalculating when I don't agree with the way it told me to go.
There have been too many instances of ridiculous routing, you need to zoom out and see of the route looks sensible. Most do. A good example of a bad one was in Yellowstone National Park, I was in Canyon Village and wanted to return to my hotel in West Yellowstone, about a 35 mile trip fairly well due west. The first part went OK but then I was directed north 60 miles on US89, 30 miles west on I90 then 60 miles south on US191. I ignored the advice and the continuous u-turn instructions and recalculation. As I arrived at the Wyoming/Montana border, about three miles down a straight road from my hotel, the Nuvi crashed. Screen controls didn't work. When I swiched it off and on again it discovered there was a three mile route to the hotel instead of the previous 170+ mile suggestion. Strange.
The traffic information has been a mixed blessing too. As traffic builds in the morning and evening rush hours it seems to be added in realtime, but it doesn't seem to be purged out when it is no longer present. So if I go in to work late at 10am the roads are running at the speed limit but the traffic information on the Nuvi still says they are at a crawl. On Friday night I went to dinner after work, when I left at 11pm the roads were quiet and most people were doing 15mph over the limit, but the Nuvi told me that I880 was jammed solid with a 30 minute delay for the next few miles. That had probably been true six hours earlier, but not in the last four. This isn't a fault with the unit, it's a fault with the traffic service, when switched on the unit gave the correct route. Bad traffic information also gives unreasonably pessimistic ETA estimates.
Would I buy it knowing what I do now? Still yes. I still think Garmin are the best of the current offerings, they just need to fix a few things and beat up their traffic information provider.
The nuvi 670 is my third Garmin GPS. The first one was Street Pilot II, very hard to use. The second one was C330, very easy to use. I also have built-in GPS in two of my cars too. The new Garmins are all very easy to use. I bought the 670 for traveling in north America and Europe. Also bought the bean bag, what a waste! Within the first two miles I tried, it just flew off the dash board in a straight acceleration at a traffic light. I am sticking with the suction cup.
A couple interesting things: A street near where I live was built about three years ago and it wasn't in the nuvi still. I tried to look up some hotels and attractions in Venice, Italy and Geneva, Switzerland but the nuvi didn't even list the two citis (read on). I e-mailed Garmin tech support and was told I have to be near the cities to be able to find the POIs. What a bunch of BS. It worked when I searched POIs in Zurich, why not Geneva and Venice? Later I found out by myself that, if the spelling of an European city in its native language is not the same as its English spelling, the nuvi may not list it after you enter the city name in its English spelling. You need to enter the native spelling. For example, I entered "Geneva", it listed a bunch of Genevas in the U.S., but not THE Geneva in Switzerland, same thing with Venice. I found out the Geneva is Geneve and Venice is Venezia in native language. Once I typed Geneve and Venezia, it worked!
I guess you need to play with it a bit to learn the tricks but all in all it's a nice device.
Man, what a disappointment! The Nuvi 660/670 is a beautiful device - a sleek design with an excellent screen, and great position accuracy. Since this is our second Garmin (we currently own a Quest), we were mainly interested in a GPS device with an up to date US & European point of interest (POI) database. The Nuvi 670 seemed to fit the bill perfectly given its large POI database.
But this is exactly where the device failed. We tried more than 25 POIs in Atlanta, GA where we're currently based. The 670 was unable to successfully guide us to a single POI correctly. We tried various well known shops that have been around for at least 5 years, e.g. Publix, Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart (including a Wal-Mart Superstore that has been around for 10 years), Target, Barnes & Nobles, etc. Either it did not know that the shop existed, or it guided us to a non-existent shop. The same applied to fuel stations.
If we provided it with an address it worked like a dream and the accuracy was great. But the POI database proved to be totally useless. Fortunately Amazon's after sale support is brilliant and they allowed us to return the Nuvi 670.
Oh yes, Garmin has no after hour support...
The good: Lots of bells and whistles; Bluetooth, mp3 player, custom points of interests.
Nice options for pedestrian and bicycle mode. Although I am not sure it's waterproof
enough if you get stuck in the rain.
The bad: For what you get, Garmin could have done a better job. Driving on the freeways in
southern california, don't expect to hear the navigated directions with the window down.
Same goes for trying to use the bluetooth in making phone calls. That's even with the
volume cranked all the way up. I can hear the radio just fine with the windows rolled down.
Although it's a nice thought of adding custom POI's, such as for safety cameras out here.
The directions almost require you to have a technical degree, to upload them.
Garmin if you are reading this, make it easy on the novice and test your products better.
If someoone wants to add a custom POI, make it easy by having an icon that will automatically
log the location you are at as a custom POI.
Also do a better job of testing the products for volume controls with the windows up and down
in various traffic areas, conjested or not.
I bought the unit as a replacement for a unit that was stolen. All I can say is that it's AWSOME. The menus are intuitive, the instruction are clear, the bluetooth works flawlessly, the traffic alerts are spot on and the GPS acquires super fast. This is by far the best unit out there. Yes, it's expensive, but it is worth the extra coin to have the european maps preloaded and all the extra cool features in the ultra-sleek package.
First time buyer of GPS device and I certainly do love how the capabilities of Garmin Nuvi 670, from giving directions to accurately pin point the exact locations that aren't even listed, as long as you know the exact address it'll get and give what it's capable of, compared my Garmin to people I work with their Tom Tom doesn't even do much what Garmin has. I never regret paying so much for a device. Delivery is a success also, I didn't wait for a long time to receive it.
From an ergonomics and hardware perspective, the Nuvi is clearly the class leader. It does cost too much and the simplicty of the interface greatly limits flexibility.
Hardware. The Nuvi makes the TomTom and other units look downright bloated and clunky. The industrial design is not quite in the Apple league but is the best thing available at the moment. The SiRF chipset is far superior to those used in older GPS units (including some current Garmin StreetPilots). It locks signal quickly, the screen is bright, the voice to text is clear, etc.
I have owned many GPS units of all makes and types. Thus, unlike many 1st time GPS owners, I am no longer mesmerized by the fact that GPS can find my street address. The Garmin, like many other brands does a very good job at getting you from point A to point B. Garmin's maps and algorithms do seem slightly better than some others but it will still send you on some routes that a local driver would not use. the fact that the 670 is preloaded with maps of both Europe and the USA is a great feature IF, and only if, you have a need for this.
My biggest frustration with the Nuvi lineup is the limited configuration options. Garmin, in an effort to appeal to soccer Mom's, has really dumbed down the interface compared to years ago when you could configure just about everything including display of MGRS data. The Nuvi has even less flexibility than the StreetPilot series when it comes to configuration options.
Like any brand of GPS, the Garmin will often recommend a route that is simply absurd. This is where the interface falls down because the only place to select from shortest time, shortest distance, etc., is in the system configuration menus. Magellan, for example, asks you every time if you want "shortest time", "shortest distance", "least use of freeways", "most use of freeways", etc. If Magellan suggests a goofy route you simply go back one screen and pick an alternative. This also provides a quick and easy way to compare various routing suggestions. To do so on the Nuvi you have to return all the way back to the system settings and even then you only have shortest time or shortest distance. I do understand that many folks want to keep it as simple as possible but I also think Garmin should include an "advanced settings" menu for those who want more. Yes, the StreetPilots are more configurable but they are dinosaurs from a hardware perspective.
The TMC traffic service is a mixed bag. It is only useful in certain metropolitan areas. Likewise, the information is often not current. It is like listening to the traffic report telling you that Route XYZ is fine when you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on that very road. Quality of data really depends on the geographic area and the road itself. But yes, the way Garmin built the FM receiver into the power cord is a thing of engineering beauty.
Bluetooth may or may not work for you. When I try to pair my Nokia 9300 the Nokia sees the Garmin but the Garmin never sees the Nokia. If this feature is important to you then do check the Garmin site to see if your phone is listed as a compatible unit.
The graphics are good but nothing special. Again, about on par with everyone else.
I have not tried using the Nuvi as an MP3 player. I already own an iPod.
The big question becomes, is it worth the money? This is a tough call considering that some GPS units are now at the $200 mark. If you fly from city to city and want to take your GPS along then the Nuvi is a good choice. It is great to be in a strange city where you jump in a rental car, plug in an address, and away you go. If you want the basics or do not need the slim form factor there are much better deals from Magellan, TomTom, and even Garmin. The Nuvi is a better product but i do not think it is so much better that it justifies the huge price premium. I might feel differently if it had some amazing graphics engine or there were an "advanced configuration" menu that allowed me to tailor it to my own quirks and needs.
I did buy the 670 for the size and the USA/Europe maps. For those specific needs it is the best in class. I do love the Nuvi hardware but I still prefer the software and configuration options on my 4 year old Magellan Roadmate.
I have had other GPS before this one. This holds all the US and Europe maps, has an incredibly bright and big LCD display, is multilingual and extremley interactive and easy to use. I LOVE this one, and I will take it now to Germany with me.
I'm probably considered the "soccer mom" referenced in a previous review. I bought the Garmin Nuvi 670, as an upgrade to our current TOMTOM 910. It's much easier to carry & attach to the windshield compared to the TOMTOM 910 - my Garmin Nuvi bluetooth was a one time connection (TOMTOM wants to reset often), and back to my original comment of being a soccer Mom, it's worth it's weight in gold when I don't have to rely on a 10 year old to give me directions to their house after practice!
On the other hand, I frequently travel, state to state and occasionally international - I find when I get into a rental car, in an unfamiliar city, my portable navigation system is my best friend. It certainly doesn't hurt to do some "personal due diligence" prior to any trip - map out your locations, google & research addresses - and program them in prior to your trip (if they're not already listed in POI's) I would never plan my entire trip based solely on POI's programmed into my navigational system.
The nuvi offers extras that have definitely come in handy - to say the least, having a currency exchange calculator built in to the unit has often been helpful (although it needs to be manually updated). I haven't tested the language dictionary/conversion - but what a neat feature if you need it. Calculator - good to have too.
I'm just beginning to use the Nuvi to it's full potential, but have been very pleased w/ trips to Vancouver BC, Victoria, along w/ a great deal of the west coast to AZ... the real test will be in London this fall. Don't let the cost deter you, it's definitely worth it.
I purchased the Nuvi 670 for use in both US and Europe, and just returned from a 2 week trip driving in Germany, Austria and Italy. The 670 worked as advertised - just turn it on and it found the satellites and our location and was ready to navigate. I used the included suction cup mount, wedged into a dash tray. No problem with satellite connection. Internal speaker was excellent. Maps were very detailed. The 670 found every small road we used, even the winding one lane paths in small towns. Pronounciation of street names was comical, but adequate, especially when coupled with the clear text line at the top of the screen that gave the name of approaching cross streets and the turn instructions in the lower right corner. We could not have navigated in some places without the Nuvi, as the street maps we purchased were not as detailed and were impossible to follow quickly enough. This is a superb product.
So many features can sometimes mean too complicated to use, but not with the Garmin 670. The CD of instructions was helpful and once you got the just of how things work you can easily figure out how to utlize all of the other features. I plan to go to europe in the fall so I can not comment on the europe map quality but I am sure it will be excellent.
I have used this now for several months. I have a Garmin quest that I am extremely happy with so most comparisons are made to that. In general I'd higly recommend the unit.
Pros:
1. Fast satellite acquisition
2. Directions spot on
3. Very intuitive interface
4. Voice directions loud and clear (sometimes mispronounced but not a big deal)
5. Big clear display
6. Very compact for the amount of functionality it provides and the screen size. It will fit into jean pockets provided you don't have anything else in there. I wanted something with a large screen and if you don't need the additional functionality and looking for more portability go with the 3xx series. I wanted the extras since I'm planning europe trips so I'm fine with the extra girth.
7. Bluetooth functionality works great with my slvr l7.
8. It's good that they made their connectivity using mini USB rather than some proprietary plug.
NOTE: I don't have any major cons with the devices but there are a fe minor annoyances:
1. Speaker seems too soft to recieve calls over unless you have it mounted quite close, not sure if this is a function of the unit or the phone on the other end since directional instructions come through loud and clear. Also I haven't tried recieving through the FM transmitter
2. Havn't played with it too much but I have a garmin quest and it's routing algorithms seem a little better than the nuvi. The nuvi tends to try and take side streets rather than use freeways even with all avoideances turned off. I'm hoping this is just a settings issue.
3. Disabling the europe maps doesn't seem to affect stratup times too much.
4. For the asking price would have been nice if they included some extras like the language dictionary, but I'm not sure what the margins are on these things.
5. Would be nice if you could change the number diplay subsections to whatever you want. On my quest I can customize the number readouts to show things like total distance left, speed etc. Don't seem to be able to do this with this unit and this is an annoyance since it displays the time left which is often wrong and ultimately not that useful. Hoping that Garmin will release an update for this.
Functions not used:
1. FM Transmitter
2. European maps
3. Language dictionary
I pick this one by the size of the screen and the fact that has the European map. We travel a lot and we go also to Europa so i'm hoping to use it there.
Buying thru Amazon i did get a better price than thru other online stores.
The unit was bought for a holiday in Massachusetts in April 2007 and I'm glad I did. It made driving around so much easier.
And it seemed like a better idea compared to buying a US map for my Garmin iQue 3600 (European version).
Likes
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Ease of use. You don't need to consult the manual much.
The size of the display.
The speaker is loud enough.
USB interface to pc: with Windows XP the unit and the SD card in it are assigned drive letters and you can transfer pictures or mp3 files by "drag and drop". Lovely.
You don't have to select a specific postcode/city when looking for an address. You can make do with streetname and number, and then search the lot. A friend of mine has a unit (different brand) that forces a postcode/city selection, it really bugs him and I see why.
Bluetooth interface: Connected easily to my mobilephone (Motorola K1).
FM transmitter: I think I like it even though you have to choose GPS or radio, you can't have both.
It pauses the mp3-player when giving directions and it doesn't interrupt when you are on the phone (via Bluetooth, of course). Neat.
TMC: I like it and the equipment for it is not bulky.
Missing features
-----------------------------
Routes: I don't always agree on the suggested route. So give us routes or at least a few more via points (instead of just the one avaiable).
An example, with the iQue 3600 you can make a route and have it suggest the best order.
Track log: I miss the track log I have in my iQue 3600.
I want current speed on the map display. Speeding fines are up, authorities are less lenient (at least in DK) and my speedometer is very inaccurate.
It would be useful if you could customise the map display.
Configurability, overall: There is not enough. You can't make the unit individual to suit your taste.
Dislikes
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Danish letters: You never know beforehand when a name or word is spelled correctly or the Danish letters have been substituted for the two-letter equivalent. Fix that, please, Garmin.
Maps: Ran into problems around Logan Intl Airport, Boston, when I was pressed for time and later also in Denmark. (Tracklog might have helped a bit).
I don't think that map updates coming out once a year is often enough.
Gallery: "Slideshow" shows the pictures in the order you transferred them to the unit. You should have more choice here, e.g. order, size, date and random. Also, you should be able to control the interval between pictures.
This is the Best darn GPS on the market I tried the Garmin 3600 iQue and this is better by far. easy to use touch screen and it works like a charm. I also like the bluetooth hands free compatibility with my cell phone when I'm on the road.
We plan a trip to Europe and this GPS has European Maps. I mark this GPS a 5 star buy
I bought my Nuvi to take to Europe, which I did. The problems outweighed the joys by far. I was disappointed with the following. 1. Many streets in Rome, Florence and Paris (3 major European cities) were absent and not on the map. Also, many restaurants were not included in the section on Places to Eat. 2. Most of the time it took "forever" to contact the sattelite. I would stand in a Piazza waiting for up to 10 minutes for the transponder to connect with a sattelite so I could begin a search. 3. The batter was impractically short lived and could only be recharged in a car or in an electric socket. 4. I never knew which direction I was going in. There is no compass function which would tell me the way to my route.
I think the major problem here was that I was always on foot when I used this GPS. Even though I set it to the pedestrian setting, it tried to take me on streets that were appropriate for vehical travel. For a walker, I found this to be a total bust and a waste of money. I returned it when I got back to the U.S. and Amazon gave me a refund. Bravo to Amazon but thumbs down to Garmin. They need to do better.
In general, it works well. However, I am having trouble with the BlueTooth link to my Motorola Razr cellphone. It works fine when
I call out, but only answers properly about 50% of the time.
When it malfunctions, I can not hear the person calling, but they
can hear me. Also, it's not the easiest thing to figure out how
to make it drop the Bluetooth connection. So when it is acting up,
its hard to drive & drop the connection at the same time...
If you don't want to attach it to the windshield, you can buy the
dash top friction mount 010-10908-00. It has a ball mount which
connects directly to the socket mount that comes with the Nuvi.
So far it is working very well for me, does not move around on the
dash, and it is easy to set on the floor when I park the car.
This is a remarkable GPS, portable, easy to use, and surprisingly accurate.
There's a lot to like about this unit. The MP3 player is outstanding. It plays well enough through the built in speakers, but when coupled with the FM traffic antenna and a car radio, the sound is superb. Absolutely no static, no interference, unlike add on FM transmitters for iPOD's. If I really want to listen to music, the audible directions can be disabled.
The number of languages and voices is amazing. Arriving in France with a US voice, pronunciation of street names was hilarious. Switching to French solved that problem. I liked the ability to have english words and directions on the screen, but French spoken. So the unit would read, "take the second exit in the roundabout", but the audio would be "prend le deuxiem sortie au rond point." The spoken word gave up once in a while in Sweden, instead of really messing up a street name, the voice would spell the name. This only happened twice during travel in Italy, France and Sweden.
Ease of use, the unit does take some getting used to. Some of the settings aren't exactly obvious. And it took a bit of time to figure some things out. I really disagree with the comment in another review about changing the settings for Car, Bicycle, Pedestrian, off Road, etc. That is down right simple to change. Three presses and you are there. I frankly would hate what the Tom Tom does, ask me every time how I want to get there. You usually set this once and then never set it again.
Map detail is phenomenal. I was on a shuttle bus INSIDE Charles DeGaulle airport, taking me from my plane to the terminal. I turned on the unit and the "alley way" we were on inside the airport was listed. The entry doors were even on the map. Frankly, I've never seen a paper map with that much detail. The unit had sidewalks in a small southern suburb of Paris. The address of a friend in Sweden, where the development is two years old, was on the map. Walkways in Genoa Italy near my hotel were listed. I never saw a single street or alley anywhere I travelled in Europe that was not listed.
Direction accuracy. The Nuvi 670 never took me a wrong direction while travelling in and around Genoa, Italy; suburbs of Paris; and Stockholm, Sweden. Chicago area is a major piece of cake. Whenever I misunderstood a direction (more on that in a minute), the device simply recalculated the route. I've used so many other systems that make you feel awful about deviating from a route - Hertz neverlost is the absolute worst. Almost all of them tell you to make a U-Turn. I never heard that statement once out of this device. I made some pretty foolish errors, all my fault, and the device simply got me back on track. Stockholm was very challenging, not for the device, but for humans. There are many bridges and multilayered areas in that city. Twice I made the exact same mistake, taking a right exit instead of just staying to the right. When you see the paper map of this area, it's almost impossible to not make this mistake. Tunnels, multiple ramps, and bridges all in the same area did confound my ability to navigate.
The traffic warning system is very odd at best. In the US, no problems with this unit. It's as good as the radio or internet traffic websites, they both use the same information. In Italy, there was no traffic information. In France the service exists, I understand it is free, but the service refused to work. Sweden isn't supposed to have a traffic information service (it wasn't listed on the Garmin website), but there it was in Stockholm in all it's glory, functioning beautifullly.
The safety camera warning system is also strange. France seems to have a million of these. Fixed ones were pretty accurately warned. The system actually beeps if you exceed the published speed limit for that camera - say 90kph. The strange thing, the computer can't figure out which road you are on or which direction you are travelling. If you are on a highway and happen to cross a road that has a mobile warning, you will get say a 40kph warning on a 110kph speed limit road. Strange quirk in the software.
There's really little I wish would change in this system. I can learn to live with most of it's shortcomings. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
Is it worth this much money? Absolutely yes. In that equation I also compared the Nuvi 660 and the cost of adding European maps and the FM traffic antenna. I've tried so many times to learn how to use NeverLost, and about 10 different navigation systems in rental cars. This is so much easier and consistent.
This is a good piece of hardware (receiver, screen, interface) but Garmin could have added a some features to make it better for raw navigation.
The Nuvi DOES NOT show:
-Longitude or latitude,
-Compass heading (in degrees not just N,S,E,W),
-Altitude,
This is data that is certainly available but Garmin has decided it's not worth their time to provide it. It could easily be added as its own menu item and would make the device that much more useful for backpackers, mariners, bikers, hikers, etc. As it stands it's pretty much useless for anything other than driving.
If they got serious about it (and remember this is JUST SOFTWARE) they could allow you to set a heading with the touch screen, display topographical information, average speed along a given route, deviation form shortest route, etc. - and of course keep all the features it has now. A week for a good programmer - tops. C'mon Garmin, you can only gain customers by doing this.
Other problem: The Nuvi 670 I have froze up about once every two hours on the road requiring a power down and re-boot.
Was looking for a GPS navigator, and decided to buy the 670 since we were planning a trip to Italy. Whether walking around the cities/towns or driving in the countryside of Tuscany, the Nuvi 670 delivered what I needed. I can't begin to imagine how many times we would've been lost had we not had the Nuvi.
If you are driving around in the country, I would recommend you disable the navigator's use of Unpaved Roads. In my case, it used them a lot more frequently than I would've expected.
You'll also find that some places out in the country (i.e. restaurants, hotels, etc.) don't know or publish their street address, especially the street number. But, it's pretty easy to take an educated guess, which ususally gets you very close to the intended destination.
Finally, I could bicker about the pronunciation of the Italian street and town names, but that really wasn't a big deal at all.
Well, this machine is impressive, the first time I turned it on I got a fix in less than 10 seconds! There are nevertheless some flaws:
For instance, The Nuvi 670 shows a route from point A to point B, and then a totally different route from point B to point A.
Many things are optionnal and expensive (for instance, the language dictionnaries).
The translations are approximate... and very funny! For instance, "Powerline Dr." in spanish turns into something like "Poder linear Doctor", which had my family laughing for 10 minutes! I haven't tried french, but I am sure I'll get some nice surprises also.
The manual is not very detailed, and I haven't been able to put a destination in the "favorites" folder before I get there... Strange.
There is no way I can hear my iPod through the speakers of the Nuvi (the TomTom offers that feature, and by the way is about half the price!)
I think I still have to use it more to get accustomed to it, and to be able to discover and take advantage of the tons of features.
After using the Nuvi 670 for a few months I will have to say that it is wonderful. This is the only driving GPS I've owned but I've used numerous built-in ones and rental car ones. There is much to like about it. The traffic option is good but quality varies by location. The map does appear to be just a bit behind when you're driving too.
I have not had the opportunity to use it Europe, just in the US.
Would I buy it again? YES!
Here's a quick list of the Pros & Cons
Pros
- Reception is very good and locks on quickly
- FM traffic information is useful
- Very easy to use
Cons
- Street & merchant database is a little old in some areas
- FM traffic information could be displayed a little better
- Searches for some merchants never return
- FM transmission audio quality is REALLY bad
(Believe all the reviews, it's THAT bad!)
Just took this to Italy. It was just great for driving. Option for selecting "truck" versus a car keeps you off the smallest streets, a plus if you are not used and do not care to drive the small windy roads in the mountains or within cities. You can also insert a waypoint to avoid or bypass certain areas. Very up to date. Only a few new intersections or rods were not mapped. In the "pedestrian" mode, you can use it to wander a city, after marking your parking place. One problem is the slight ambiguity of which way to start, when walking. A north arrow would be good. Also, the battery will run out if used continually for a few hours of walking, so be careful. Be sure to have the 12 volt charger for the car. Other than those two issues, it was absolutly great.
The Fedor Europe addition was pretty good, but not must. Overall, I would not go without it. I also use it extensively in the US, as I travel often.
We have had in-car GPS units in my wife's last two Infiniti FX 35s and I always considered them the benchmark for in-car navigation but the Nuvi 670 is clearly superior.
I use the 670 in both my BMW sedan and my Porsche 911 and it is markedly better than the in-car systems offered by either of these manufacturers.
So far it has performed flawlessly. It's easy to program and the maps are nicely detailed. An easy-to-use menu system lets you quickly customize the unit's functionality to your personal preferences. The included windshield mount puts the unit up where your eyes should be - watching the road and traffic - not down at dash level.
The traffic alert system works just fine in my area and it is a terrific help in avoiding delays. The traffic data links up to the 670 through a special power cord that includes an FM receiver.
Don't lose this cord - the replacement cost is north of $200! A standard vehicle power cord is $30 and is what I use when I take the unit on business travel or vacation trips. After the initial trial period the traffic alert service costs $60 for an annual subscription fee.
The unit updates over the Internet via your computer and thanks to a recent software fix it is both PC and Mac friendly.
I plan to use the 670 both in-car and - thanks to the battery and built-in maps for both North America and Europe - on foot in Italy this summer. This wouldn't be my pick for a back county hiking GPS but I'm looking forward to seeing how it helps me get around Rome on foot.
When you factor in the other features Garmin builds into the Nuvi that go beyond navigation (Photo Viewer, Bluetooth link, MP3 player, SD card slot, etc.) and the add-ons and accessories available you have the Swiss Army knife of portable GPS units.
Just took this to Italy. It was just great for driving. Option for selecting "truck" versus a car keeps you off the smallest streets, a plus if you are not used and do not care to drive the small windy roads in the mountains or within cities. You can also insert a waypoint to avoid or bypass certain areas. Very up to date. Only a few new intersections or rods were not mapped. In the "pedestrian" mode, you can use it to wander a city, after marking your parking place. One problem is the slight ambiguity of which way to start, when walking. A north arrow would be good. Also, the battery will run out if used continually for a few hours of walking, so be careful. Be sure to have the 12 volt charger for the car. Other than those two issues, it was absolutly great.
The Fedor Europe addition was pretty good, but not must. Overall, I would not go without it. I also use it extensively in the US, as I travel often.
Was looking for a GPS navigator, and decided to buy the 670 since we were planning a trip to Italy. Whether walking around the cities/towns or driving in the countryside of Tuscany, the Nuvi 670 delivered what I needed. I can't begin to imagine how many times we would've been lost had we not had the Nuvi.
If you are driving around in the country, I would recommend you disable the navigator's use of Unpaved Roads. In my case, it used them a lot more frequently than I would've expected.
You'll also find that some places out in the country (i.e. restaurants, hotels, etc.) don't know or publish their street address, especially the street number. But, it's pretty easy to take an educated guess, which ususally gets you very close to the intended destination.
Finally, I could bicker about the pronunciation of the Italian street and town names, but that really wasn't a big deal at all.
Well, this machine is impressive, the first time I turned it on I got a fix in less than 10 seconds! There are nevertheless some flaws:
For instance, The Nuvi 670 shows a route from point A to point B, and then a totally different route from point B to point A.
Many things are optionnal and expensive (for instance, the language dictionnaries).
The translations are approximate... and very funny! For instance, "Powerline Dr." in spanish turns into something like "Poder linear Doctor", which had my family laughing for 10 minutes! I haven't tried french, but I am sure I'll get some nice surprises also.
The manual is not very detailed, and I haven't been able to put a destination in the "favorites" folder before I get there... Strange.
There is no way I can hear my iPod through the speakers of the Nuvi (the TomTom offers that feature, and by the way is about half the price!)
I think I still have to use it more to get accustomed to it, and to be able to discover and take advantage of the tons of features.
After using the Nuvi 670 for a few months I will have to say that it is wonderful. This is the only driving GPS I've owned but I've used numerous built-in ones and rental car ones. There is much to like about it. The traffic option is good but quality varies by location. The map does appear to be just a bit behind when you're driving too.
I have not had the opportunity to use it Europe, just in the US.
Would I buy it again? YES!
Here's a quick list of the Pros & Cons
Pros
- Reception is very good and locks on quickly
- FM traffic information is useful
- Very easy to use
Cons
- Street & merchant database is a little old in some areas
- FM traffic information could be displayed a little better
- Searches for some merchants never return
- FM transmission audio quality is REALLY bad
(Believe all the reviews, it's THAT bad!)
This is a good piece of hardware (receiver, screen, interface) but Garmin could have added a some features to make it better for raw navigation.
The Nuvi DOES NOT show:
-Longitude or latitude,
-Compass heading (in degrees not just N,S,E,W),
-Altitude,
This is data that is certainly available but Garmin has decided it's not worth their time to provide it. It could easily be added as its own menu item and would make the device that much more useful for backpackers, mariners, bikers, hikers, etc. As it stands it's pretty much useless for anything other than driving.
If they got serious about it (and remember this is JUST SOFTWARE) they could allow you to set a heading with the touch screen, display topographical information, average speed along a given route, deviation form shortest route, etc. - and of course keep all the features it has now. A week for a good programmer - tops. C'mon Garmin, you can only gain customers by doing this.
Other problem: The Nuvi 670 I have froze up about once every two hours on the road requiring a power down and re-boot.
This is a remarkable GPS, portable, easy to use, and surprisingly accurate.
There's a lot to like about this unit. The MP3 player is outstanding. It plays well enough through the built in speakers, but when coupled with the FM traffic antenna and a car radio, the sound is superb. Absolutely no static, no interference, unlike add on FM transmitters for iPOD's. If I really want to listen to music, the audible directions can be disabled.
The number of languages and voices is amazing. Arriving in France with a US voice, pronunciation of street names was hilarious. Switching to French solved that problem. I liked the ability to have english words and directions on the screen, but French spoken. So the unit would read, "take the second exit in the roundabout", but the audio would be "prend le deuxiem sortie au rond point." The spoken word gave up once in a while in Sweden, instead of really messing up a street name, the voice would spell the name. This only happened twice during travel in Italy, France and Sweden.
Ease of use, the unit does take some getting used to. Some of the settings aren't exactly obvious. And it took a bit of time to figure some things out. I really disagree with the comment in another review about changing the settings for Car, Bicycle, Pedestrian, off Road, etc. That is down right simple to change. Three presses and you are there. I frankly would hate what the Tom Tom does, ask me every time how I want to get there. You usually set this once and then never set it again.
Map detail is phenomenal. I was on a shuttle bus INSIDE Charles DeGaulle airport, taking me from my plane to the terminal. I turned on the unit and the "alley way" we were on inside the airport was listed. The entry doors were even on the map. Frankly, I've never seen a paper map with that much detail. The unit had sidewalks in a small southern suburb of Paris. The address of a friend in Sweden, where the development is two years old, was on the map. Walkways in Genoa Italy near my hotel were listed. I never saw a single street or alley anywhere I travelled in Europe that was not listed.
Direction accuracy. The Nuvi 670 never took me a wrong direction while travelling in and around Genoa, Italy; suburbs of Paris; and Stockholm, Sweden. Chicago area is a major piece of cake. Whenever I misunderstood a direction (more on that in a minute), the device simply recalculated the route. I've used so many other systems that make you feel awful about deviating from a route - Hertz neverlost is the absolute worst. Almost all of them tell you to make a U-Turn. I never heard that statement once out of this device. I made some pretty foolish errors, all my fault, and the device simply got me back on track. Stockholm was very challenging, not for the device, but for humans. There are many bridges and multilayered areas in that city. Twice I made the exact same mistake, taking a right exit instead of just staying to the right. When you see the paper map of this area, it's almost impossible to not make this mistake. Tunnels, multiple ramps, and bridges all in the same area did confound my ability to navigate.
The traffic warning system is very odd at best. In the US, no problems with this unit. It's as good as the radio or internet traffic websites, they both use the same information. In Italy, there was no traffic information. In France the service exists, I understand it is free, but the service refused to work. Sweden isn't supposed to have a traffic information service (it wasn't listed on the Garmin website), but there it was in Stockholm in all it's glory, functioning beautifullly.
The safety camera warning system is also strange. France seems to have a million of these. Fixed ones were pretty accurately warned. The system actually beeps if you exceed the published speed limit for that camera - say 90kph. The strange thing, the computer can't figure out which road you are on or which direction you are travelling. If you are on a highway and happen to cross a road that has a mobile warning, you will get say a 40kph warning on a 110kph speed limit road. Strange quirk in the software.
There's really little I wish would change in this system. I can learn to live with most of it's shortcomings. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
Is it worth this much money? Absolutely yes. In that equation I also compared the Nuvi 660 and the cost of adding European maps and the FM traffic antenna. I've tried so many times to learn how to use NeverLost, and about 10 different navigation systems in rental cars. This is so much easier and consistent.
In general, it works well. However, I am having trouble with the BlueTooth link to my Motorola Razr cellphone. It works fine when
I call out, but only answers properly about 50% of the time.
When it malfunctions, I can not hear the person calling, but they
can hear me. Also, it's not the easiest thing to figure out how
to make it drop the Bluetooth connection. So when it is acting up,
its hard to drive & drop the connection at the same time...
If you don't want to attach it to the windshield, you can buy the
dash top friction mount 010-10908-00. It has a ball mount which
connects directly to the socket mount that comes with the Nuvi.
So far it is working very well for me, does not move around on the
dash, and it is easy to set on the floor when I park the car.
I bought my Nuvi to take to Europe, which I did. The problems outweighed the joys by far. I was disappointed with the following. 1. Many streets in Rome, Florence and Paris (3 major European cities) were absent and not on the map. Also, many restaurants were not included in the section on Places to Eat. 2. Most of the time it took "forever" to contact the sattelite. I would stand in a Piazza waiting for up to 10 minutes for the transponder to connect with a sattelite so I could begin a search. 3. The batter was impractically short lived and could only be recharged in a car or in an electric socket. 4. I never knew which direction I was going in. There is no compass function which would tell me the way to my route.
I think the major problem here was that I was always on foot when I used this GPS. Even though I set it to the pedestrian setting, it tried to take me on streets that were appropriate for vehical travel. For a walker, I found this to be a total bust and a waste of money. I returned it when I got back to the U.S. and Amazon gave me a refund. Bravo to Amazon but thumbs down to Garmin. They need to do better.
This is the Best darn GPS on the market I tried the Garmin 3600 iQue and this is better by far. easy to use touch screen and it works like a charm. I also like the bluetooth hands free compatibility with my cell phone when I'm on the road.
We plan a trip to Europe and this GPS has European Maps. I mark this GPS a 5 star buy
The unit was bought for a holiday in Massachusetts in April 2007 and I'm glad I did. It made driving around so much easier.
And it seemed like a better idea compared to buying a US map for my Garmin iQue 3600 (European version).
Likes
-----
Ease of use. You don't need to consult the manual much.
The size of the display.
The speaker is loud enough.
USB interface to pc: with Windows XP the unit and the SD card in it are assigned drive letters and you can transfer pictures or mp3 files by "drag and drop". Lovely.
You don't have to select a specific postcode/city when looking for an address. You can make do with streetname and number, and then search the lot. A friend of mine has a unit (different brand) that forces a postcode/city selection, it really bugs him and I see why.
Bluetooth interface: Connected easily to my mobilephone (Motorola K1).
FM transmitter: I think I like it even though you have to choose GPS or radio, you can't have both.
It pauses the mp3-player when giving directions and it doesn't interrupt when you are on the phone (via Bluetooth, of course). Neat.
TMC: I like it and the equipment for it is not bulky.
Missing features
-----------------------------
Routes: I don't always agree on the suggested route. So give us routes or at least a few more via points (instead of just the one avaiable).
An example, with the iQue 3600 you can make a route and have it suggest the best order.
Track log: I miss the track log I have in my iQue 3600.
I want current speed on the map display. Speeding fines are up, authorities are less lenient (at least in DK) and my speedometer is very inaccurate.
It would be useful if you could customise the map display.
Configurability, overall: There is not enough. You can't make the unit individual to suit your taste.
Dislikes
--------
Danish letters: You never know beforehand when a name or word is spelled correctly or the Danish letters have been substituted for the two-letter equivalent. Fix that, please, Garmin.
Maps: Ran into problems around Logan Intl Airport, Boston, when I was pressed for time and later also in Denmark. (Tracklog might have helped a bit).
I don't think that map updates coming out once a year is often enough.
Gallery: "Slideshow" shows the pictures in the order you transferred them to the unit. You should have more choice here, e.g. order, size, date and random. Also, you should be able to control the interval between pictures.
I pick this one by the size of the screen and the fact that has the European map. We travel a lot and we go also to Europa so i'm hoping to use it there.
Buying thru Amazon i did get a better price than thru other online stores.
I have used this now for several months. I have a Garmin quest that I am extremely happy with so most comparisons are made to that. In general I'd higly recommend the unit.
Pros:
1. Fast satellite acquisition
2. Directions spot on
3. Very intuitive interface
4. Voice directions loud and clear (sometimes mispronounced but not a big deal)
5. Big clear display
6. Very compact for the amount of functionality it provides and the screen size. It will fit into jean pockets provided you don't have anything else in there. I wanted something with a large screen and if you don't need the additional functionality and looking for more portability go with the 3xx series. I wanted the extras since I'm planning europe trips so I'm fine with the extra girth.
7. Bluetooth functionality works great with my slvr l7.
8. It's good that they made their connectivity using mini USB rather than some proprietary plug.
NOTE: I don't have any major cons with the devices but there are a fe minor annoyances:
1. Speaker seems too soft to recieve calls over unless you have it mounted quite close, not sure if this is a function of the unit or the phone on the other end since directional instructions come through loud and clear. Also I haven't tried recieving through the FM transmitter
2. Havn't played with it too much but I have a garmin quest and it's routing algorithms seem a little better than the nuvi. The nuvi tends to try and take side streets rather than use freeways even with all avoideances turned off. I'm hoping this is just a settings issue.
3. Disabling the europe maps doesn't seem to affect stratup times too much.
4. For the asking price would have been nice if they included some extras like the language dictionary, but I'm not sure what the margins are on these things.
5. Would be nice if you could change the number diplay subsections to whatever you want. On my quest I can customize the number readouts to show things like total distance left, speed etc. Don't seem to be able to do this with this unit and this is an annoyance since it displays the time left which is often wrong and ultimately not that useful. Hoping that Garmin will release an update for this.
Functions not used:
1. FM Transmitter
2. European maps
3. Language dictionary
I purchased the Nuvi 670 for use in both US and Europe, and just returned from a 2 week trip driving in Germany, Austria and Italy. The 670 worked as advertised - just turn it on and it found the satellites and our location and was ready to navigate. I used the included suction cup mount, wedged into a dash tray. No problem with satellite connection. Internal speaker was excellent. Maps were very detailed. The 670 found every small road we used, even the winding one lane paths in small towns. Pronounciation of street names was comical, but adequate, especially when coupled with the clear text line at the top of the screen that gave the name of approaching cross streets and the turn instructions in the lower right corner. We could not have navigated in some places without the Nuvi, as the street maps we purchased were not as detailed and were impossible to follow quickly enough. This is a superb product.
So many features can sometimes mean too complicated to use, but not with the Garmin 670. The CD of instructions was helpful and once you got the just of how things work you can easily figure out how to utlize all of the other features. I plan to go to europe in the fall so I can not comment on the europe map quality but I am sure it will be excellent.
I have had other GPS before this one. This holds all the US and Europe maps, has an incredibly bright and big LCD display, is multilingual and extremley interactive and easy to use. I LOVE this one, and I will take it now to Germany with me.
I'm probably considered the "soccer mom" referenced in a previous review. I bought the Garmin Nuvi 670, as an upgrade to our current TOMTOM 910. It's much easier to carry & attach to the windshield compared to the TOMTOM 910 - my Garmin Nuvi bluetooth was a one time connection (TOMTOM wants to reset often), and back to my original comment of being a soccer Mom, it's worth it's weight in gold when I don't have to rely on a 10 year old to give me directions to their house after practice!
On the other hand, I frequently travel, state to state and occasionally international - I find when I get into a rental car, in an unfamiliar city, my portable navigation system is my best friend. It certainly doesn't hurt to do some "personal due diligence" prior to any trip - map out your locations, google & research addresses - and program them in prior to your trip (if they're not already listed in POI's) I would never plan my entire trip based solely on POI's programmed into my navigational system.
The nuvi offers extras that have definitely come in handy - to say the least, having a currency exchange calculator built in to the unit has often been helpful (although it needs to be manually updated). I haven't tested the language dictionary/conversion - but what a neat feature if you need it. Calculator - good to have too.
I'm just beginning to use the Nuvi to it's full potential, but have been very pleased w/ trips to Vancouver BC, Victoria, along w/ a great deal of the west coast to AZ... the real test will be in London this fall. Don't let the cost deter you, it's definitely worth it.
From an ergonomics and hardware perspective, the Nuvi is clearly the class leader. It does cost too much and the simplicty of the interface greatly limits flexibility.
Hardware. The Nuvi makes the TomTom and other units look downright bloated and clunky. The industrial design is not quite in the Apple league but is the best thing available at the moment. The SiRF chipset is far superior to those used in older GPS units (including some current Garmin StreetPilots). It locks signal quickly, the screen is bright, the voice to text is clear, etc.
I have owned many GPS units of all makes and types. Thus, unlike many 1st time GPS owners, I am no longer mesmerized by the fact that GPS can find my street address. The Garmin, like many other brands does a very good job at getting you from point A to point B. Garmin's maps and algorithms do seem slightly better than some others but it will still send you on some routes that a local driver would not use. the fact that the 670 is preloaded with maps of both Europe and the USA is a great feature IF, and only if, you have a need for this.
My biggest frustration with the Nuvi lineup is the limited configuration options. Garmin, in an effort to appeal to soccer Mom's, has really dumbed down the interface compared to years ago when you could configure just about everything including display of MGRS data. The Nuvi has even less flexibility than the StreetPilot series when it comes to configuration options.
Like any brand of GPS, the Garmin will often recommend a route that is simply absurd. This is where the interface falls down because the only place to select from shortest time, shortest distance, etc., is in the system configuration menus. Magellan, for example, asks you every time if you want "shortest time", "shortest distance", "least use of freeways", "most use of freeways", etc. If Magellan suggests a goofy route you simply go back one screen and pick an alternative. This also provides a quick and easy way to compare various routing suggestions. To do so on the Nuvi you have to return all the way back to the system settings and even then you only have shortest time or shortest distance. I do understand that many folks want to keep it as simple as possible but I also think Garmin should include an "advanced settings" menu for those who want more. Yes, the StreetPilots are more configurable but they are dinosaurs from a hardware perspective.
The TMC traffic service is a mixed bag. It is only useful in certain metropolitan areas. Likewise, the information is often not current. It is like listening to the traffic report telling you that Route XYZ is fine when you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on that very road. Quality of data really depends on the geographic area and the road itself. But yes, the way Garmin built the FM receiver into the power cord is a thing of engineering beauty.
Bluetooth may or may not work for you. When I try to pair my Nokia 9300 the Nokia sees the Garmin but the Garmin never sees the Nokia. If this feature is important to you then do check the Garmin site to see if your phone is listed as a compatible unit.
The graphics are good but nothing special. Again, about on par with everyone else.
I have not tried using the Nuvi as an MP3 player. I already own an iPod.
The big question becomes, is it worth the money? This is a tough call considering that some GPS units are now at the $200 mark. If you fly from city to city and want to take your GPS along then the Nuvi is a good choice. It is great to be in a strange city where you jump in a rental car, plug in an address, and away you go. If you want the basics or do not need the slim form factor there are much better deals from Magellan, TomTom, and even Garmin. The Nuvi is a better product but i do not think it is so much better that it justifies the huge price premium. I might feel differently if it had some amazing graphics engine or there were an "advanced configuration" menu that allowed me to tailor it to my own quirks and needs.
I did buy the 670 for the size and the USA/Europe maps. For those specific needs it is the best in class. I do love the Nuvi hardware but I still prefer the software and configuration options on my 4 year old Magellan Roadmate.
I bought the unit as a replacement for a unit that was stolen. All I can say is that it's AWSOME. The menus are intuitive, the instruction are clear, the bluetooth works flawlessly, the traffic alerts are spot on and the GPS acquires super fast. This is by far the best unit out there. Yes, it's expensive, but it is worth the extra coin to have the european maps preloaded and all the extra cool features in the ultra-sleek package.
First time buyer of GPS device and I certainly do love how the capabilities of Garmin Nuvi 670, from giving directions to accurately pin point the exact locations that aren't even listed, as long as you know the exact address it'll get and give what it's capable of, compared my Garmin to people I work with their Tom Tom doesn't even do much what Garmin has. I never regret paying so much for a device. Delivery is a success also, I didn't wait for a long time to receive it.
The good: Lots of bells and whistles; Bluetooth, mp3 player, custom points of interests.
Nice options for pedestrian and bicycle mode. Although I am not sure it's waterproof
enough if you get stuck in the rain.
The bad: For what you get, Garmin could have done a better job. Driving on the freeways in
southern california, don't expect to hear the navigated directions with the window down.
Same goes for trying to use the bluetooth in making phone calls. That's even with the
volume cranked all the way up. I can hear the radio just fine with the windows rolled down.
Although it's a nice thought of adding custom POI's, such as for safety cameras out here.
The directions almost require you to have a technical degree, to upload them.
Garmin if you are reading this, make it easy on the novice and test your products better.
If someoone wants to add a custom POI, make it easy by having an icon that will automatically
log the location you are at as a custom POI.
Also do a better job of testing the products for volume controls with the windows up and down
in various traffic areas, conjested or not.
Man, what a disappointment! The Nuvi 660/670 is a beautiful device - a sleek design with an excellent screen, and great position accuracy. Since this is our second Garmin (we currently own a Quest), we were mainly interested in a GPS device with an up to date US & European point of interest (POI) database. The Nuvi 670 seemed to fit the bill perfectly given its large POI database.
But this is exactly where the device failed. We tried more than 25 POIs in Atlanta, GA where we're currently based. The 670 was unable to successfully guide us to a single POI correctly. We tried various well known shops that have been around for at least 5 years, e.g. Publix, Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart (including a Wal-Mart Superstore that has been around for 10 years), Target, Barnes & Nobles, etc. Either it did not know that the shop existed, or it guided us to a non-existent shop. The same applied to fuel stations.
If we provided it with an address it worked like a dream and the accuracy was great. But the POI database proved to be totally useless. Fortunately Amazon's after sale support is brilliant and they allowed us to return the Nuvi 670.
Oh yes, Garmin has no after hour support...
The nuvi 670 is my third Garmin GPS. The first one was Street Pilot II, very hard to use. The second one was C330, very easy to use. I also have built-in GPS in two of my cars too. The new Garmins are all very easy to use. I bought the 670 for traveling in north America and Europe. Also bought the bean bag, what a waste! Within the first two miles I tried, it just flew off the dash board in a straight acceleration at a traffic light. I am sticking with the suction cup.
A couple interesting things: A street near where I live was built about three years ago and it wasn't in the nuvi still. I tried to look up some hotels and attractions in Venice, Italy and Geneva, Switzerland but the nuvi didn't even list the two citis (read on). I e-mailed Garmin tech support and was told I have to be near the cities to be able to find the POIs. What a bunch of BS. It worked when I searched POIs in Zurich, why not Geneva and Venice? Later I found out by myself that, if the spelling of an European city in its native language is not the same as its English spelling, the nuvi may not list it after you enter the city name in its English spelling. You need to enter the native spelling. For example, I entered "Geneva", it listed a bunch of Genevas in the U.S., but not THE Geneva in Switzerland, same thing with Venice. I found out the Geneva is Geneve and Venice is Venezia in native language. Once I typed Geneve and Venezia, it worked!
I guess you need to play with it a bit to learn the tricks but all in all it's a nice device.
This is a brief initial review, see lower down for more
I bought this to replace a Tomtom Navigator 5 system running on a Dell x51v with the external Tomtom Bluetooth receiver. The major issues with that were a terrible lack of POIs, terrible time and distance predictions, poor routing and no control of the map view.
First thing I noticed on opening the box is that the mains charger comes with adapters for all the countries I regularly visit, so I clicked the US two pin adapter in place, plugged it in then plugged the lead into the 670. It came on immediately and said it was loading maps. A few seconds later it showed a map. It was already locked on! That's a huge advance from the old days when it took at least 4 minutes for my GPSIII+ to find the satellites. I am in the middle of the top floor of a large open plan building, the position shown was accurate.
Without looking at the manual I got rid of the touch beep, bound it to my bluetooth phone, set the timezone and voice and set it up to navigate to a restaurant for lunch. All in under 15 minutes with time out for work.
In the car I mounted the unit to the windshield and plugged in the power conenction, it immediately lit up green to show it was connected to the traffic system. I was expecting to have to register and sign up for a service agreement, instead it came up and showed it was already enabled with 3 months to run. A few minutes later I looked at the traffic detail map and saw it already showed the local problem areas. Very cool.
Apparently the 2.60+ firmware handles 4Gb SD cards so I ordered one and look forward to trying the MP3 player.
I tested the POI list by looking for gast stations and particular stores in the area, it had everything I knew of and more, so I am very hopeful at this stage.
I'm looking forward to trying the hands free too, all we did so far is dial another cell phone in the car and laugh about the echo we got. Sound quality and volume seemed good. I'm going for a 1500 mile road trip to Utah this weekend, so I'll update after that.
1685 miles later...
Garmin certainly has accurate maps for CA, NV and UT, they seemed very up to date. The option to "avoid dirt roads" was especially welcome and saved me some nasty miles that the direct route would have taken on unpaved roads. Routing was mostly good, but could do with some more skepticism on the choice of rural state roads. I was happy to take route 88 into the Sierras from the bay area because I was on a road trip, but I80 is probably 50% faster.
The one significant bug is a holdover from previous Garmin products like the GPS V, it is also an issue it shares with Tomtom. While heading down an interstate, let's take I880 from Oakland to Fremont as an example, with many miles of straight ahead to go, the 670 will direct you off at a ramp, it likes to take the I238 ramp towards Livermore, and then immediately back on. This is amusing to a local, but it could be very confusing to a visitor. It did the same to me in 395 south through Reno last night, that did confuse me. This is a bug that should have been eradicated years ago.
Another issue with the GPS V is still present in the 670. When recalculating the map display is suspended, so right when you need to see what's going on you have a useless map. When routing resumes it gives the verbal instructions before repainting the map. Not good. In contrast the Tomtom always recalculates silently and just flashes up the new route. The Tomtom never leaves you with a dead screen. I don't like to be told every time the route is recalculated, when I go the wrong way, for whatever reason, there's no brownie points to be gained telling me off. At the very least there should be the option to disable this 'feature'.
POI selection is absolutely outstanding, at least compared to other things I have used. It makes the Tomtom implementation look like amateur night. You can select the POI by type, gas stations, shops and restaurants are my favorites, then either go straight to the list of hit SPELL and type in part of the name. It will match on any part of the name, so you can include partial names, even partial words, and it will still show the matches. Once you have your list you can select by address, direction and distance, or see the POI on a map. The direction changes from compass direction when stationary to relative direction when moving, so you don't have to waste your time looking at gas stations you passed twenty miles ago.
I did have one POI which can obviously never have been true, the Shell station near Lohi, UT has obviously always been a house. But mostly the POIs are very accurate.
It is disappointing that you can no longer select different on-screen data, I liked that with the old units and miss it. That's a big step backwards. I want to know time-to-next, time-to-go, course, altitude and other things that used to be offered.
There is a weird issue with map detail and zoom level, small roads appear and disappear as you zoom in and out. Let's be clear, a small road that is visible on a small scale (big area) disappears as you zoom in and then only reappears at some of the highest scales (most detailed) when you can't see any context, or even if it's actually the same road.
In general though, the automatic map scaling is very good, the 3-D view shifts to a track up view as it zooms out, this addresses my major gripe with Tomtom in that it allows you to keep your route in context and see how you are getting on in the big picture. As the view zooms in it adds a lot of street detail, much much better than Tomtom.
The time to destination predictions remain excellent. Outstanding. It was within minutes on the driving time over a distance of hundreds of miles on each occasion. Tomtom is often pessimistic by 50%, totally inadequate for planning purposes.
Is it worth it? Is it as good as it should be? For me, no and no. For $850 I can get a decent laptop, that's a lot more hardware, so that's not where the money went. They are still not addressing their software issues, they have faulty algorithms that have been unmodified for years and inherited from old products. As a software engineer I am disappointed but not surprised. Near work it will still sometimes tell me to take three right turns instead of an entirely legal left.
But it is very good. Garmin's mechanical people have done a great job, this is obviously a class device. But the software and systems people aren't as good.
Overall? If I could edit the rating I'd drop at a point or two now. But I still haven't seen better. At these prices it's not like there are many people who are willing to try them all.
Contrasting my own companies attitude to software errors (we are one of the biggest suppliers in the cell phone, commercial radio, wireless networking and many other fields), we would not allow even a mildly irritating bug to remain in one of our products for years. So I am wondering if I should return this on principal. I'll try support first, in the past that didn't achieve much.
8,000 miles later
Yes, I do a lot of miles.
Lasting impressions: I almost always have the voice prompt switched off, the guidance is repeated too often on high speed roads and I hate to hear it continuously telling me that it is recalculating when I don't agree with the way it told me to go.
There have been too many instances of ridiculous routing, you need to zoom out and see of the route looks sensible. Most do. A good example of a bad one was in Yellowstone National Park, I was in Canyon Village and wanted to return to my hotel in West Yellowstone, about a 35 mile trip fairly well due west. The first part went OK but then I was directed north 60 miles on US89, 30 miles west on I90 then 60 miles south on US191. I ignored the advice and the continuous u-turn instructions and recalculation. As I arrived at the Wyoming/Montana border, about three miles down a straight road from my hotel, the Nuvi crashed. Screen controls didn't work. When I swiched it off and on again it discovered there was a three mile route to the hotel instead of the previous 170+ mile suggestion. Strange.
The traffic information has been a mixed blessing too. As traffic builds in the morning and evening rush hours it seems to be added in realtime, but it doesn't seem to be purged out when it is no longer present. So if I go in to work late at 10am the roads are running at the speed limit but the traffic information on the Nuvi still says they are at a crawl. On Friday night I went to dinner after work, when I left at 11pm the roads were quiet and most people were doing 15mph over the limit, but the Nuvi told me that I880 was jammed solid with a 30 minute delay for the next few miles. That had probably been true six hours earlier, but not in the last four. This isn't a fault with the unit, it's a fault with the traffic service, when switched on the unit gave the correct route. Bad traffic information also gives unreasonably pessimistic ETA estimates.
Would I buy it knowing what I do now? Still yes. I still think Garmin are the best of the current offerings, they just need to fix a few things and beat up their traffic information provider.
I used this Garmin Nuvi 670 just for a short time but I do like the features it has and just for the few times I used it I like it allot.
I tried the navigation, the hands free bluetooth technology and the FM transmit. in my area the traffice control does not provide service at the momement so i can not tell much about that.
For about ten years I had been using a Garmin 12 Map for my travels. It worked quite well and still functions as if new. I was quite curious to discover the differences that one decade would make in a navigational system. To claim here that the changes are astonishing would be both accurate and vastly understated. The Nuvi 670 includes a variable FM transmitter that permits the audio to run through a car or home stereo on any vacant FM frequency (although there are few such frequencies any more). The Nuvi also includes VERY detailed maps of the USA, Canada, all of Western Europe and some of Eastern Europe. It has a superb MP3 player, a photo storage capability and a useful talking book player.
At 6.2 ounces it feels light and portable, even in a shirt pocket (where it fits easily). The screen is clear, bright and functions well on its internal (Lithium Ion) battery, via an (included) AC adapter or the 12/24 Volt car-charger (also included) that simultaneously serves as a traffic info antennae that will also run through the car's FM radio. The tiny built-in speaker provides good quality sound and volume, so the FM radio is not necessary (if there are no vacant frequencies or you are outside of a car/home).
The car charger only connects to the Nuvi via the suction cup adapter (for windshield mounting) so a user needs to carry the mounting system on trips to be able to use the car charger. As with all portable GPS receivers, mounting is an issue because the windshield suction cup obscures some visibility, and leaving on the dash (even with an optional "bean bag" mount) makes the unit subject to sliding or falling during sharp turns or sudden stops. However, because reception is VASTLY improved (over my 12 Map Garmin), satellite signals can easily be recceived anywhere inside the car, so I am now placing the unit on the center console where it works just fine.
I recently purchased a new car and decided NOT to include the factory GPS because it was far more expensive than the Garmin (MSRP $2,500), less functional and not portable. I am convinced that was the prudent choice, and when I eventually sell this new car, I get to keep the GPS.
I do plan to take the Nuvi to Europe this fall. The map coverage there seems as complete as that in the USA.
Clearly I am quite pleased with my second Garmin. The company has earned my loyalty AND the record profits Garmin has earned from being such a leader in a complex field.
I am extremely satisfied with this GPS. This is the only one I have used, but it is very easy to use, and has lots of useful extra features. I only speak English and live in Germany, and having a European GPS is invaluable. It also features pedestrian and bike modes, which are very useful in Europe. The built in FM modulator makes for easier listening in the vehicle, and the built in MP3 player allows for music listening while the stereo is tuned for the FM modulator.
The only downside is the battery charge only lasted for about three hours while walking around downtown, and the unit was mostly on standby in my pocket.
It's been years since I have been so happy with a purchase. This product is amazing. My mistake was not buying this when it first came out. I was on the fence about buying this and if you are simply considering it, buy it and try it out for a month, you will not return it, it's just too good. The only difference from the 670 and 660 is the europe maps. The incorporated traffic is worth every cent of the whole product if you live in a traffic area. Buy it now.
I picked Garmin because their web site gave better info on their products than other manufacturers. The size and shape of the Nuvi sold me over their PDA-based products. This 670 has a larger screen than the 370 and has the pre-loaded European maps which the 660 model lacks.
The unit has worked properly right out of the box and even acquired the GPS signals inside our house.
The maps display clearly in both 3D and 2D views, with detail appropriate to the level of zoom, which can vary from tens of meters out to showing the whole continent. Mounting the unit in the center of the windshield just under the mirror reduces the obstruction and places it where one is already used to looking. As expected, full sunshine compromises visibility even with backlighting set to 100%. At night, reducing the backlighting to 50% still gives a brighter image than the car's instruments.
The pre-loaded maps include some fairly out-of-the-way restaurants and hotels that I've visited before. Searches for points of interest can start from other locations, so you can get directions to an out-of-town location that you haven't already visited and saved.
Calculation of routes works well with the caveat that the the unit can't know that I prefer to use a scenic route or to turn onto busy main streets at a light.
You can select from several voices. I first picked a classy British lady to read directions, and was quite happy with the result. However, her pronunciation of street names once we got to Quebec make me laugh. Picking the French voice cleared that up, but now I can't wait to hear what that one will do to English place names.
I've had no use yet for the Bluetooth and FM TMC traffic features. Ditto the so-called "must have" features such as MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, currency and unit converters, and extra-cost SD cards. However, I do find the world clock feature, displaying up to five time-zones, useful. The MP3 player is just that; CDs ripped in .wma format won't play.
Overall, I'm satisfied with the purchase. I rationalize the expense (maps only cost a few dollars) by noting that, although I can plot out a route on a map, a few minutes into the trip, I'll have forgotten the directions. Write them on paper? What, and miss all this fun?