# Anyone own a Garmin Nuvi 885T?



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I need a new Nuvi because my old one decided to develop a distracting film over the screen. I was looking at the 885T which seems really nice due to the voice recognition, but I see reviews saying you're better off with a 785T. The only real difference I am seeing is that the 785T offers 3D Building Rendering and a section of the display that you can configure to show you different information while the 885T doesn't but offers the voice recognition.

Has anyone had experience with either of these? Is the 3D building rendering really that great of a feature? It just seems like an "ooo neat" factor that'd get really annoying after a while assuming you're even driving in an area with that information available. The voice recognition is getting good reviews on the 885, but if anyone has any real experience with it and can let me know how well it actually works that'd be great!


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I just ordered Garmin nüvi 765T. All of them seems same though. lol.  I order this since this one has Integrated FM receiver with lifetime traffic. I didn't really look into others much.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah, this one has the FM traffic and integrated MSN as well.  I found the FM serviceable on my last Garmin but lacking and the subscriptions kind of odd to figure out, though this could definitely have improved by now.  I'm interested in seeing how MSN compares and it's like $150 for a lifetime deal.  I also wanted to make sure I got an internal FM transmitter.  I hate these things because they never work right and Garmin's aren't that great to begin with, but it works in a pinch and I tend to let the internal speaker do all the audio anyway.

My big draw on the 885 is the voice recognition.  It's a pain when you're going 80 down the highway and suddenly realize you need gas to jump through the menus.  You've passed four exits before you get your waypoint set.  I just found it odd that a few reviews were talking about the 3D building feature being missing from the 8xx series as if it were actually useful.  I guess it could be if you're going by landmarks, but I tend to think the grey boxes crowding the map would get annoying.


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

I've never owned a GPS, but I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 255W.  Now I'm wondering if it's too basic to be much good.  In your opinion, do all models pretty much work the same, just some have more bells and whistles? I guess I'll have to buy one and use it to see what I like/need.


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## Veronica (Jan 23, 2009)

ellesu said:


> I've never owned a GPS, but I'm looking at the Garmin Nuvi 255W. Now I'm wondering if it's too basic to be much good. In your opinion, do all models pretty much work the same, just some have more bells and whistles? I guess I'll have to buy one and use it to see what I like/need.


I just got the 255W a few weeks ago. It's my first GPS, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I think it's great. The nicest thing is that it announces the street names--i.e. Turn left at Main Street, 500 feet; intead of Turn left in 500 Feet. I think it's a good budget option, but I don't think it has much in the way of the latest and greatest bells and whistles.

I've also been using it for geocaching. It's really designed for driving, but it has been serviceable as a geocaching device.


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

Thanks! That's the one I'm going to get.  ....There are so many out there it gets confusing.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Here are the big things to look for on a GPS from what I have been reading.  I did a lot of research when getting my first Nuvi 660 and here I am again trying to make sure I get a good one.

If you want to ever do any sort of geocaching or using it on foot, you need one that will work not hooked up to a power source.  As far as I know most Nuvis do that.  The wide screen is also important to me, I feel so hedged in with smaller screens and I like to have as much real estate as I can get.  The size is also important.  Some are very bulbous and bulky while others are slimmer boxy designs.  My 660 is slim, but still not something I'd like to carry in my pocket.

Lane Assist is the big new thing and I know for a fact it's going to be something I absolutely want on my next GPS.  It's great having turn by turn directions, but when you approach an exit with 8 different lanes and all you get is text and a voice telling you which to take it can get confusing and I have taken the wrong lane several times in such cases.  Lane assist will actually give you a physical representation of the exit complete with interstate signs and show you an arrow depicting which lane you're in and which lane you want to ultimately go to.  This, from what I have read, has been most successfully implemented by Garmin.

Ease of use is another big thing for me.  I don't want to slog through too many menus to get things done.  This would also include the speed of the route calculations for me.  I don't know much about their 2x5 series which you're looking at, but Garmins are usually pretty good on menus and speed of routing.  The only drawbacks I'm seeing is they don't grey out letters on the keyboard when typing to make it so only letters that make sense are available (which I think I prefer it not doing) and sometimes detours aren't as well implemented.

Traffic updates are also something I really like but these tend to cost a yearly subscription.  I am seeing where a lot of models actually offer lifetime FM Traffic though which is nice.  The one I'm looking at only has MSN which will cost me $130 for lifetime access, but FM traffic was always too slow so I'm eager to give the trial a try.

The biggest and most important thing to look at with a GPS is its routing engine, though.  I've seen multiple side by side tests with other leading models and the Nuvi series trumped them all, consistently choosing the quickest routes with the best directions and it actually takes into account the side of the street destinations are on.  One test had a Magellan get them to the destination but then they had to go around the block in order to park there while the Garmin approached it from the correct side of the street.

There are a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles you can get.  MP3 players, picture viewers, bluetooth support, etc.  FM transmitters are nice (not to be confused with FM Traffic) and I've heard this is the one place Nuvis fall behind the competition.  It's not a huge deal, though, and worked well enough for me on my 660.  This just allows you to hear your GPS through your stereo speakers by hijacking an unused FM station to broadcast through.

You've made a great decision already by narrowing it down to a Garmin Nuvi.  I've used several in the past and they are by far the best I've run across, even trumping most built in GPSs in cars I've seen.  My grandfather has GPS in his new car and ran out to get a Garmin immediately because it was so bad.  I'll look more in depth at the 255W to see if anything glaringly bad jumps out at me.  I'm in GPS research mode so it'll be fun looking at another model besides the two I've been staring at the last week.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Okay, right off I'm seeing the Nuvi 265T adds Blue Tooth and FM Traffic features along with everything the 255W does and it's only $3 more on Amazon. The screen is not as wide, however, so you have to decide which is better for you... a wide screen or traffic support. You could also look at the 265WT (which is the 265T with a widescreen) but that will run you $30 more and by the time you get there it's only a $60 jump to the 765T. Why yes... this is me enabling. The 765T does include Lane Assist which I feel is a huge feature to have on a GPS right now. It also has the 3D building view which I still fail to understand but would be nice if you tend to drive my landmarks and it has the FM transmitter. I'll put a picture of Lane Assist and the 3D building view at the bottom of the post.

The 265T does not auto-sort destinations which I am not sure if will be a feature you find you may need or not. This basically allows you to input several destinations then the Garmin will pick a route to hit each one in the order that makes the most sense. This is something I'd hardly ever use, but for someone who has to make a lot of appointments or deliveries or something it could be a God send. It doesn't have an FM transmitter which, again, may or may not make your decision on the purchase. I don't see anything about lane assist or ecofriendly routing or anything either, so if these are important to you it might be worth looking into the 700 series models.

Edit: Another small thing to mention that could make a big difference in the long run between the 2x5 and 7x5 models is the mount. They both use similar window mounting, but the 7x5 series Nuvis have the power cord integrated into the mount itself while the 2x5 series models plug directly into the unit. This makes mounting and unmounting the Nuvi itself far easier with the 7x5s since you don't have to mess with plugging and unplugging cords each time and also means less pieces to get lost.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

And handy Amazon clickable links so Harvey doesn't have to come in and add them...

255W


265T


265WT


765T


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

Thank you! I'm loving Lane Assist, so the 765T may be the way to go.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The Lane Assist is definitely a have to have for me, and I think that model even comes with lifetime FM Traffic which can be invaluable as well.  You'll find yourself using your GPS all the time just to be able to avoid accidents and backups even when you don't need it to tell you where you're going.


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## Veronica (Jan 23, 2009)

oooooooo!!!!  Lane Assist!!  I'm not crying without it, but that is an awesome feature, and my next GPS will most definitely have it.

My 255W does tell me if it's exit left or exit right (I think), but that doesn't narrow it down all that much when you've got 8 lanes going to 6 different highways.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Scheherazade said:


> And handy Amazon clickable links so Harvey doesn't have to come in and add them...
> 
> 255W
> 
> ...


You are a good man, sir! Thanks.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Veronica said:


> oooooooo!!!! Lane Assist!! I'm not crying without it, but that is an awesome feature, and my next GPS will most definitely have it.
> 
> My 255W does tell me if it's exit left or exit right (I think), but that doesn't narrow it down all that much when you've got 8 lanes going to 6 different highways.


Yup, I love my 660 and it doesn't have Lane Assist either. It's rare that a turn confounds me, but it happens enough that it annoyed me. It's almost always my fault though... I get itchy trigger fingers on turns and I'll look up at my GPS as I take it and know I took the wrong one way before "Recalculating" pops up. There were a few times I was genuinely stumped though. If my screen wasn't acting up... and actually, it seems way less severe than it was but I'm already too invested in the idea of a new one to change my mind now... I probably wouldn't have been looking for a replacement.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Today I used my new 765T for the first time. I like it. The response time to re-route when I made a mistake was fast. The voice was very clear. It is easy to follow. There's some things I wish it will let me change more easily, like data. I don't know why but some city is not listed... but the address I input was found... very odd. Well I'll play with it little more.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I've heard the 7x5 series moves more smoothly on the actual map screen than the "flagship" 8x5 series ones.  It confounds me a bit why they wouldn't put features on their top of the line models that they have on their other high end models.  I really think the voice control is going to be worth it to me more than 3D buildings and smoother movement, but it still makes me wonder why it just didn't have those as well.  Seems odd that a city wouldn't be listed... which is it?


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Scheherazade said:


> I've heard the 7x5 series moves more smoothly on the actual map screen than the "flagship" 8x5 series ones. It confounds me a bit why they wouldn't put features on their top of the line models that they have on their other high end models. I really think the voice control is going to be worth it to me more than 3D buildings and smoother movement, but it still makes me wonder why it just didn't have those as well. Seems odd that a city wouldn't be listed... which is it?


The voice control won't work for me since my English is not that good.  I've been using GPS for more than 9 years and the first one that I had and still using is the one I like the best. It's the GPS that Toyota put in their car in Japan. I don't know how the GPS of Toyota in the US. 765T will be my third GPS in the US.

The city which didn't show is Anaheim Hill, CA. I input Ana and it shows only Anaheim. So I choose that and input the address and it shows on the map... very odd. I wonder if I will be able to reach to the destination with this one. lol.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah, that's strange.  I know like Manhattan can be input both as Manhattan and New York City and the Nuvi will accept both, maybe Anaheim counts as both.  The GPS in our SUV is pretty aweful, and like I said my grandfather hated his GPS that his car came with.  My Corolla wasn't fancy enough to have one -_-.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I love GPS. You'll be able to go anywhere and won't get lost. lol. When I was using my GPS in Japan, the US didn't have one yet so I was hoping it will be available soon. When I saw one in my sister's car, Nissan, I was pretty excited but... it wasn't as good as Toyota's. I don't know... maybe the way they make in the US and Japan might be different. So when I got Prius for my daughter last year, I didn't get the GPS option for the car. It will cost more than $2000 to put one in... and you can get the portable one for less than $300.

The first one I got didn't had the text-to-speech so I really hated it. It will tell you to exit on "Exit 8" on the freeway but you won't be able to see that until you were about to pass it. lol. So I got the one that have the text-to-speech feature a year later. It was much nicer to know which street you are suppose to turn or exit. 

One thing to remember about the portable GPS is that you can't leave it in the car under the sun on very hot day. That the GPS gets direct sun light. My first one got damaged and won't even start when I left it in the car. I didn't even know why it didn't work until I got the replacement from the manufacture (it was still under warranty) and the note it said like don't leave it under the sun. Since then I always put it somewhere more cool, if possible, when I leave it in the car.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Yeah, that's the one thing I dislike about portable GPSs... I tend not to take my Nuvi with me a lot because I don't want to carry it around. I'm hoping the 885 is slimmer. I end up using my phone GPS if I get lost... which is actually quite usable. I would hate to have a GPS without spoken road names. I'm surprised they even make them like that anymore.

There seems to be two major map companies out there, one was better than the other for a good while but now they're both pretty equal. I haven't had a problem with my Nuvi except once when it told me to drive -through- the town hall building in Norfolk... it was convinced a road was there. The big thing like I said before is the route calculator which Garmin apparently does the best. I've also noticed the Garmins give better directions in terms of the actual phrasing. An example of other GPSs from gpsmagazine.com's review of the 885t kind of shows what I mean by this...

Magellan phrasing was...
►0.1mi Main St S
►0.1mi US-6/Main St N
►0.1mi W I-84
▲14mi W I-84
►4.1mi W I-84

TomTom
►40yd Main St S
►100yd Main St N (US 6)
►240yd 84 WB
◄14.1M Bear left onto 84 WB
►4.1M Bear right onto 84 WB

Garmin
►300ft Main St S
►300ft Main St N
►0.1mi Keep right onto I-84 W to Danbury
◄14mi Keep left on I-84 I-84 W
▲4.1mi Keep right onto I-84 W to NY State

I'd post the whole routing test here, but they're kinda long. You can see just from that little snippet how much more user friendly the phrasing gets from one device to the other though with the TomTom sort of middle of the road... pardon the pun. Plus the Garmin uses feet while the TomTom used yards and the Magellan didn't even go lower than by the mile. You can see them at http://gpsmagazine.com/2009/01/garmin_nuvi_885t_review.php?page=10 . In that example the Nuvi route took 1:19 over 80 miles, the Magellan was 1:29 over 80 miles and the TomTom was 1:30 over 79.2 miles.

And here's the link to the one I'm pretty much decided on.. if you can't tell I've pretty much geeked out and went research crazy on these things the last couple weeks.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Okay... now that I'm looking to buy it, the 855 $242.21 and the 885T is $373.38.  Is it really worth $131.17 for what is basically just Bluetooth and maps of Europe?  I've never really used Bluetooth so not sure if it's really worth that much extra for it and not sure I'll be in Europe anytime soon, and if so I can always buy the maps.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Doh, nevermind.  It includes the MSN Traffic receiver too so definitely worth the extra.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Anyone who was interested in a GPS, they just put the 885T on sale for one day only, Saturday the 29th, about $80 off making it $309. I'm glad I procrastinated on ordering mine, but I just did!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

That's a good deal!  If I needed one, I'd get it for sure!  


Love my Garmin 350 (I think that's the number...).  It has an SD card slot, I bought a card with maps of Europe.  We driven twice in Europe with it, one trip to Spain and this most recent trip to Finland.  It worked great both times, I'm sure it saved our marriage!!!  Our Finnish hostess was amazed by how good it was and I even had it speaking Finnish for awhile for her entertainment.

What I love is that even when we're lost, the Garmin (named "the Hussy") never is.  She ALWAYS knows where we are.  I like the lane change thing; we don't have too much trouble with that as when I'm navigating, I can figure it out pretty well, but if I were driving alone I would want it now.  I'm sure when I go shopping for my next one, it will have it on it.

Thanks for doing all the research!

Betsy


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

Scheherazade....you rock! I just rushed here to post about it and found you'd already visited.  I got one too. As Bestsy said....thanks for your research. This is one time when procrastination worked for me, too. Before I could pull the triger (punch the order key) on the 765T, the price went up. While waiting on it to go back down, this one popped up and....with all your enabling positive recommendations, I decided to go for it.

Betsy the Quilter


Betsy the Quilter said:


> What I love is that even when we're lost, the Garmin (named "the Hussy") never is. She ALWAYS knows where we are. Betsy


LOL! It remains to be seen if my hubby will _listen/believe_ a GPS, or will continue to go his merry way (which, more times than not is waaaay out of the way).


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

I came to post about the sale too.    Glad to know you guys get it on sale. The day I order my 765T, in the morning it was $300 something. Costco had it on sale for $279 so I was going to get it from Costco but I didn't know it was online order only so I went to Costco to see it. While I was doing this and that, the price on Amazon dropped to $279. So I got it from Amazon.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

ellesu said:


> LOL! It remains to be seen if my hubby will _listen/believe_ a GPS, or will continue to go his merry way (which, more times than not is waaaay out of the way).


I assure you the continuous "Recalculating." becomes almost accusatory and you feel like you've done something wrong, so he will strive to follow the directions for fear of hearing it (especially if you download the British voices). And yay, I'm glad everyone managed to get in on this. The thing still retails other places for the $600 pricetage, so taking that into account it's an amazing deal. But even $80 less than I thought I was going to have to pay from Amazon's already low price... well that'll go a good way toward replacing my sunglasses. Now if I can get my AC fixed I'll be riding in style again.

And yeah, all this price dropping has me wondering if the new big thing isn't coming out soon, but I'm okay not paying $300 more for the new big thing... I think. I am an admitted technophile, but I will resist.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I got my 885T today and I'm loving it.  It's sitting here getting map updates as we speak, but it took me to school earlier after I downloaded a Black Pearl pirate ship to be my vehicle icon ><  The voice recognition software is pretty outstanding.  I live on a road named after a city in England and misspelled by my glorious city and it actually found it despite it being such an odd word.  I had the windows down on the interstate and it still understood me.  It was almost alarmingly hot when I took it off the cradle the first time, but the second time not so much and maybe it's meant to get kind of warm.

It helped me avoid 35 minutes of a traffic jam on the way home with my MSN Live which I am definitely going to buy access to when my trial runs out.  It's really fun being able to get weather updates and see the local radar at the push of a button and a barked command.  Some of the screen elements are smaller than on my other Nuvi, like the MPH and Distance and such at the bottom, but I imagine I'll get used to it and it still has the trip monitor screen if I really want to see it all bigger.

I have not seen the lane assist in action yet.  I'm not sure if it's something I haven't figured out or if it's a service I need to download from the site or what.  I know they said "Where available." but Norfolk/Va. Beach is a pretty large metropolitan area.  Having the speed limit posted in the bottom left corner is really nifty too.  It -is- jerkier than the 7x5 series ones like the reviews I read said, but I really think it's worth that for the voice recognition.  Once I figure out lane assist I'll update.

The one bummer is it won't let you "type" words out with the voice recognition, but it literally has done every other menu command plus a few others I just tried for kicks so I can deal with having to type in names when I save a location.  When searching and the like you just say the names and it looks for them so no typing involved there.

(Edit: I apparently needed a firmware update so who knows what that might change.  I suppose the same goes with the map upgrade.)


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