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"Outstanding Quality" on by bennubird
Pros: Simply to use, accurate, intuitive, and fast
Cons: No bluetooth; expensive addon for integrated traffic reports; no carrying case
Summary: The Nuvi 650 is an excellent GPS. I purchased mine at Bestbuy and am very impressed with its performance. The negatives are that it does not come with a carrying case or an AC Adapter. The leading competitor to Garmin - Magellan does include the carrying case. However, after reading several of these consumer reports and talking with sales people I decided on the Nuvi 650.
The 650 is very intuitive. No guess work here. From mounting the gps to finding your way to your destination every step is a snap - literally. The level of detail and accuracy of the maps in my area (Gaithersburg - Germantown, MD) is spot on. The volume is plenty loud enough. This was a concern because other posters complained about this on another site. I have not issue with volume. The unit is bright and the maps are crisp. The unit is loaded with features - far too many to try to include all of the here. However, the unit does speak the names of streets and turns BEFORE you get to them. In addition, if you change your route for any reason the until will automatically create a new route based off your new location - neat. All of this is done while you focus on the most important task - driving and avoiding the idiots around you. Downloads are fast and so to is start up. Just suction the mount the windshield, snap the 650 in place, and enter your destination.
The unit has a large screen which is nice; however, it does not interfere with your view of the road.
The unit is light enough to carry with you and solid enough that you don't have to worry about too much when you do carry it.
There are a ton of POIs and basic info to go along with the points of interest - like telephone number.
There are other EXTRAs that are very good, but frankly they did not influence my buying decision. The MP3 player is a basic unit, but the sound quality is surprisingly good when using headphones.
I was disappointed that there was no carrying case. I could do without the AC adapter because you can charge the unit with your USB adapter which is included. The female power connection will mate with certain cellular telephone AC adapters - BE WARNED; DO NOT DO THAT! I tried just because and my unit locked up. I reset it and it was fine because I only did it for a minute or so. That can blow a fuse in the unit - according to a sales man at a local electronics chain store. I don't don't him. Transferring files between the unit and your PC is very easy.
This unit is great and accomplishes all that it was designed to do with ease. It is really fun to use.
For users who need or would like to have Bluetooth then the 660 model would be the appropriate unit. Be prepared to pay up to $100 more for that unit.
(I am in no way affiliated with Garmin; I am not a paid reviewer; this review reflects my opinion of this unit and no one else's. Any errors are unintentional.) -
"A Very Good GPS Unit" on by Macdawgg
Pros: Big bright screen, response time,size
Cons: No ac adapter or leather case
Summary: I was looking for a good GPS without all the bells and whistles(Bluetooth) which I didn't need and I came across this unit. So doing my homework I read up on Garmin as a company and a friend of mine has a 350 which he loves, Well I decided to try this unit and am I ever pleased!! The screen size and brightness are the biggest selling point of this unit. I was also pleased that it has the latest maps which are from Apr.06 I called Garmin and they are coming out with new maps around the end of July, first week of Aug. and I've been told that I get the new maps free when they come out-Garmin gives them to you free if you buy the unit within 90 days of the new maps coming out. The response time of this unit was impressive and it brought me right to my destination without a hitch!!!! If you don't care about bluetooth then I'd highly recommend this unit the only gripe I have is for the price it doesn't come with a CASE or AC ADAPTER. It's the same size as the 660 and you won't be disappointed!!
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"Never be lost again. And have fun while driving!" on by gravy11
Pros: Size; Graphics; Favorites; Rerouting; Options; Windshield mount; Speed; Overall information on travel screen
Cons: Battery life; Price; Not pin point accuracy
Summary: I work in sales and my buddies had been hounding me to get a Nav unit and I always resisted b/c I know where I'm going in my territory. Well, always up for a new gadget, I decided to get one.
Originally I started out with the lower priced units, but as always, I needed the features which I know I'll never use. It came down to this unit b/c the size of the screen, features and Garmin Rep.
The unit is very quick to respond. It has excellent graphics. Very sensitive touch screen which makes tapping in an address very easy and user friendly. You can map out a ton of favorites and select an icon so that when you pass a Favorite on the overall map, you see the icon and the name. If you go off route, it it very quick to reroute you. The directions so far have been spot on. The only hangup aside from battery life that I have is that when you pass a street, it takes the unit a second or two to catch up. It almost seems as if you are ahead of the unit. This is with most units, but I remember having an Acura TSX with Navigation and it was pin point accurate with my location.
Overall this unit is a no brainer. I got it from Buy.com for around $400. Any questions at all, just email me at gravy1199@hotmail.com. -
"I really enjoyed using it they few times it acquired a satellite." on by lexarijos
Pros: Ease of use, up-to-date POI's, attractive screen, & computer voice was pleasant and pronounced street names well.
Cons: The unit I had did not acquire a satellite while the vehicle was in motion. I also did not like the flip-up antenna.
Summary: This was my first GPS & I did a lot of research before purchasing it. I read a lot of great reviews and was really looking forward to my new toy. I had the device for 2 weeks and could not use it unless I remembered to turn it on before the car was in motion. I tried several times to turn it on/off to see if perhaps that would help. Even when I'd turn it on before driving, it would often take up to 2 minutes to locate a satellite. I figured I got a lemon and thought I'd exchange it for a new one, but while at the store, I was able to compare it side-by-side with a Magellan and purchased it instead- it has more features, a slicker look, & no flip-up antenna. It acquired satellite instantaneouls when I turned it on and that was while the vehicle was in motion.
Updated
Although the Maestro 4250 had a sleeker look (no flip-up antenna), came with a 3 month free trial to a traffic service that updates you on road conditions, and had the POI icons right on the map visible while driving, I found that the unit did not perform as far as getting me to a destination using the best route or even finding the nearest grocery store (which is how the POI function is supposed to work!). If I hadn't owned the Nuvi 650 for two weeks prior and experienced how well it navigated my routes & how accurate it was with the POI's, I may not have returned the Magellan and thought that all GPS' worked that way.
I would like to change my rating to a 9.
I can't give it a 10 because of the problem I had with not being able to establish a satellite while the car was in motion. -
"OK, but not perfect" on by srbarth
Pros: Nice 4.3 inch screen, easy to use out of the box.
Cons: Many lock up and need to shut off and re-boot system
Summary: First time I used it going from VA to NJ it wanted me to take major highway even though I was using a lest congested route. Kept wanting me to do U-turns and after several u-turn messages it would lock up and not give any information. Had to power down system and repower three times. I decided to just use the map only with no destination and it worked fine untill I was a good distance down the road and then I set my destination and it worked great. Even with these gliches I would recommend the Garmin 650.
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