Garmin nuvi 680 Car GPS Receiver

If you read my other reviews you will see I was the owner of a Magellan Product, it was a GPS. Great Piece of S***.

Now lets talk a few moments (ok if I go through each & every option it will be longer than a few moments..) about the Garmin 680.

1. The size of the unit makes it comfortable to put in a suit jacket if I am parking in NYC which I often do. It is very light and I have no problem carrying it with me.

Does this make it worth the money, not yet... Unlike some of the larger heavier GPS units out there the unit holds very firm and secure to the windshield. Worth the money, not yet...

2. Screen Clarity: The screen is crisp and clear and a pleasure to view. In comparison to others I find it easier to view in sunlight as it does not wash out nearly as bad as the others. Yes there is some level of washout, but it is still visabile and easy to view.

3. Touch Screen: Very reactive, easy to use, not overly sensitive.

4. Ease of Use: Well there are so many options within the unit, it would be unfair to say "easy". Simple to use would be a better word. The menus are user friendly and very simple to follow to get where you want within the software.

5. Acquiring Satellite Start Up Time: Here is where I figured it would be a let down. Other units take several minutes the first time to initialize (actually each and every time when you first start it up after not using for a few hours or so) I took the unit out of the box, plugged it in LESS THAN 45 SECONDS to find my location. The surfboard antenna is amazing!!! Each time I use the Garmin I am amazed at how quickly it acquires the satellites.

6. Accuracy: Excellent. The unit is consistent in plotting accurate routes, you would expect this, but others (see prior review) actually have misrouted into dead end streets even with updated mapping software. The Garmin also finds shorter routes to get places. I plotted to get home from a client on the Garmin & compared to the Magellan. Magellan took me 1.5 miles out of the way and added about 5 minutes to the trip.

7. Built In options: (here is where we can get into so many numerous areas)

a. Bluetooth - Initialliy I thought big deal, well I now rely on it in the car in lieu of the ear piece. The speaker is clear and very audible. The people I speak to have stated the clarity is great.

b. MSN Access: Live updtes for Traffic, Weather etc. Well for Weather, you will know if it is raining where you are... It does however advise of Storm Watch etc.
Traffic updates are amazing, the unit will atually re-route you around traffic jams, IT WORKS!!! The software also advises of estimated traffic delay times. The other day it flashed the traffic symbol and stated severe traffic ahead. The icon showed a 45 minute delay. I was coming up on a tunnel exit. I opted to turn on the news, sure enough 30-45 minute delays were on the radio. The Garmin re-routed me to a bridge which had minor delays. I was amazed!

This is included for the first year, then it is $49.95 per year or $129.95 for lifetime membership.

c. MP3 Player. Nice Option, better if you use the item out of the car. In the car well you have you stereo. I dont use this option.

d. Off Road Navigation. Yes OFF ROAD. Biking, ATV, 4x4 whatever your like or hobby you can take this unit off road and it will navigate you to your desitnation. Other units simple say "You have travelled to far from the road"

e. The FM Transmitter is a bit weak even within the car. But I look at this way, do I want to hear static on my car stereo only so the NUVI can broadcast where to turn through my cars speakers. So while this is a negative, I really don't put much weight into this weakness.

f. Photo Viewer: You can put your camera's memory card and view the pictures. Obviously on a much larger screen than your camera which is also amazingly clear. I like this option as it allows more than one person to view a picture at a time.

8. Battery Life is fantastic. After a bit over 8 hours of usage the unit finally asked to be recharged.

9. Windshield Mount: Solid windshield mount keeps the unit secure and in place. The nuvi is easy to angle on the mount, and it doesn't vibrate or shift while driving.

10. Antenna Reception: SiRF's Star III GPS chipset yields phenomenal performance. I even got 4 out of 5 signal strength bars indoors! The SiRF enabled nuvi performed well in Manhattan's GPS challenging urban environment, tracking even behind tall buildings and short tunnels. I actually retain signal through the Holland Tunnel, but do loose it in the Midtown Tunnel.

The real CONS I have found.

When inputting a street name, it's not easy to see where the delete (backspace) key is (it's buried on the top right as a gray left arrow).

No physical volume control (you have to navigate the menus to adjust the volume, although this is less of an issue if you're using the FM transmitter to use your car's stereo instead of the nuvi's internal speaker)

I would still tell everyone to buyt this unit. I am having a great time using it, and ultimately is it veru easy and user friendly. I have had it for about three weeks and use it every day.