TomTom GO 930 vs. Garmin Nuvi 880

• The Contenders
• Design
• User interface/navigation
• Features
• Route guidance
• Performance
• The winner is...

Round 2: User interface/navigation

Do you need the manual to turn it on?

Garmin Nuvi 880

Sexiness is one thing, but are the devices easy to use? In round 2, we examine the design and usability of the devices' menu system and interface.

Player	Wayne	Antuan	Bonnie	Total
TomTom GO 930 GPS	2 The 930 presents a fairly typical interface, with its many icons presented over a few pages. Kind of lacks inspiration, but it works.	3 I like the way TomTom suggests street and city names while you type to speed up address entry. The navigation interface is great looking and customizable. A huge irritant is the fact that most menu screens lack a back button, so if you select a wrong option, then you have to start over from the home screen.	3 The TomTom GO 930 is pretty intuitive. I was able to use it right out of the box, without having to open the owner's manual. However, its menu system isn't as simple as the Nuvi 880, so there's more scrolling and work involved accomplishing tasks.	8
Garmin Nuvi 880	4 I like the Nuvi 880's base-menu screen, with three options: destination, map, and volume control. You can get into deeper menus as needed, but this simplified menu makes a huge difference.	4 The Garmin is hands down the easiest to navigate with huge, easy to hit icons for choosing a destination and viewing the map on the main-menu screen. I don't like that changing the volume level requires five button presses, but everything is clearly labeled and easy to find.	4 I love the minimalist design of the Nuvi 880. The main-menu page doesn't overwhelm you with options; just your basic, most important tools. For all the features the Nuvi offers, Garmin did a good job of keeping the GPS easy to use.	12

Winner: Garmin Nuvi 880