Garmin 760 Nuvi GPS Review

Posted by GPS Ratings | Posted in Find The Best Brand Name Personal And Car GPS Ratings | Posted on 17-07-2009-05-2008

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The Garmin 760 Nuvi GPS brings two exciting new features — multi-destination routing and, “Where am I?/Where’s my car?” — to its popular pocket-sized GPS navigator lineup. As with all nüvis, you get Garmin reliability, the fast satellite lock of an integrated high-sensitivity receiver, a slim, pocket-sized design with a gorgeous display, an easy, intuitive interface, and detailed NAVTEQ maps for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico with more than 6 million name-searchable points of interest. All of the 700-series navigators also feature a rich array of features including spoken directions in real street names, MP3 player and photo viewer, and an FM transmitter that will play voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle’s stereo system.The nüvi 760 and  770 add integrated traffic receivers and Bluetooth capability for hands-free calling. The nüvi 770 adds maps for Europe. The nüvi 780 adds enhanced MSN direct content capability..

Click Here To Get Half Off Your Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator

Wider screen lets you see more of what’s around. Compare these actual size views of a 3-inch (diagonal) screen

slim form factor
Garmin’s nüvis pack top of the line features into a slim form factor.

3-inch screen

and a 4.3-inch diagonal widescreen
4.3-inch screen

New Features — Where Am I? Where’s My Car?
The Garmin 760 Nuvi GPS is the first to answer two common questions: “Where am I?” and “Where’s my car?”

At any time, with a single tap of the screen, drivers can display their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations. And to help drivers find their car in an unfamiliar spot or vast parking lot, all nüvi 700s automatically mark the position in which they were last removed from the mount.

New Features — Multi-Destination Routing
This lets you enter several spots into the device (day care – supermarket-cleaners – office – day care, for example) and it will plot the fastest route. And once you’ve found the best router, the “Route Planning” feature lets you save up to 10 different routes, Garmin touts the feature for providing, “the most efficient route for errands, deliveries and sales calls.” The feature also makes this an instant essential accessory for anyone who shops garage sales (you know what we’re talking about).

A trip log provides an electronic bread crumb trail of up to 10,000 points, so you can see where you’ve been on the map.

See Better, See More
The super-bright, 4.3-inch (diagonal) touchscreen display gives is anti-glare for ease of viewing during the day and automatically changes its color profile for easy viewing at night or in dim light. It offers 2d or 3D perspective views.

The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.

First Rate Map Data
All nüvi 700s come preloaded with highly detailed City Navigator NT road maps for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This map database features nearly six million points of interest (POIs), including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.


Hands-Free Calling

In more and more places, it is becoming illegal to use cell phones while driving without a hands-free kit. WIth Bluetooth capability, microphone and speaker, you can match your Garmin 760 Nuvi GPS to any bluetooth-capable phone to make hands-free mobile phone calls. Simply dial the phone number with the nüvi’s touch screen keypad to make a call on a compatible phone. To answer an incoming call, just tap the screen and speak into the built-in microphone. Making and taking calls on the road has never been easier, or safer. In addition, Garmin makes it a breeze to look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or even tap into your cell phone’s call history log.

Click Here To Get Half Off Your Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator

Integrated FM Traffic Receiver

TMC traffic service coverage map Steer clear of traffic with an integrated FM traffic receiver designed to receive alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you’ll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you’re forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi’s sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there’s no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a “silent” FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.

A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network is included with purchase of this device. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.


Garmin Lock

Garmin’s patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location

Easy To Use Interface
Garmin’s interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip.

Garmin's own navigation is easy to use


Beyond Navigation


Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.
MP3 PlayerA handy MP3 player lets you play songs stored on SD memory cards.
nüvi 250W accepts custom points of interest (POIs). .

Navigation is just the beginning. All nüvi 700s feature travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, MP3 player, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.

They are also compatible with optional content plug-ins available via SD card, such as the  Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize your nüvi for all your travel needs.

Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

Trick Your GPS Ride

custom vehicle icons
Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.

All nüvis support configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle’s position on the map.

What’s in the Box

nüvi 760, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America, FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable, 3-month subscription to TMC real-time traffic services, Vehicle suction cup mount, USB cable, Dashboard disc, Quick start manual

Notes

  • Optional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
  • The FM transmitter feature is only available in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
  • Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
Where You Can Buy A Garmin 760 Nuvi GPS System
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Garmin Foretrex 301 and 401

Posted by GPS Ratings | Posted in Stay Up To Date With Technology and GPS News | Posted on 16-06-2009-05-2008

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Foretrex401_altimeter.jpg

Garmin is announcing the Foretrex 301 and 401 today – two new wrist mounted GPS units that have beefed up capabilities including, for the Foretrex 401 wireless communication with other Garmin units for sharing of waypoints, tracks and routes. The waterproof navigation devices are small enough to wear pretty easily, but contain the ability to navigate to waypoints, and track back to your position when you need to get back from your adventure. The Foretrex 401 has an altimeter and an electronic compass built in, along with the wireless capability that also allows you to add a heart rate monitor, or cadence sensor. The downside here is that the units don’t track over a map, but more than the basics are covered in a wrist mountable format.

Weighing about 3 ounces and powered by 2 AAA batteries, Foretrex won’t weigh you down while enduring a day’s adventures with up to 18 hours of battery life in the 301 and up to 17 hours in the 401.

Full Press Release Below…..

Garmin® Announces Rugged, Waterproof Foretrex® 401 and 301,
Wearable Navigation that’s Easy to Use in Tough Conditions

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the Foretrex 401 and Foretrex 301 GPS navigators, integrating a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and USB interface into a lightweight, waterproof device for light hikers, skiers, campers and military personnel to wear comfortably on their wrists.

“Whether you’re on a leisurely hike or in the toughest conditions imaginable, you need navigation that’s simple to use and easy to access,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Our new Foretrex models help you keep your hands free and your focus on the path ahead, all while ensuring you make it to your destination as easily as possible.”

Rugged and waterproof, Garmin’s new Foretrex 301 and 401 models boast a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM that quickly acquires and maintains satellite reception – even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons – and accurately monitors and stores your routes, tracks and waypoints. When the day’s activities are done, just turn on the TracBack® feature, and Foretrex will retrace your path right back to where you started. With Foretrex, you can always find your way back to any important place, like your campsite or vehicle, using the breadcrumb trail, data fields and compass screen on the easy-to-read LCD display. The new Foretrex models feature dual-position readout so that you can view your current location in multiple formats, including latitude/longitude and an alternate position format of your choice, simplifying navigation for professional, military, search-and-rescue and recreational uses. Foretrex 301 and 401 also incorporate a trip computer, sunrise/sunset and hunting and fishing information and can connect to your PC or Mac via USB connection.

Adding even more features to the mix, Foretrex 401 has an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. Foretrex 401 allows you to wirelessly share routes, tracks and waypoints between certain Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado devices, and it is also compatible with Garmin heart-rate monitors and cadence sensors.

Weighing about 3 ounces and powered by 2 AAA batteries, Foretrex won’t weigh you down while enduring a day’s adventures with up to 18 hours of battery life in the 301 and up to 17 hours in the 401. And you can chronicle your activities by storing up to 500 waypoints, 20 routes or a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 10 saved tracks.



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Garmin Foretrex 301 and 401

Posted by GPS Ratings | Posted in Learn About And Find Popular GPS Navigation Products | Posted on 16-06-2009-05-2008

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Garmin_Foretrex_301

Apparently there is still money to be made in the entry-level handheld GPS market – the Garmin Foretrex 301 and 401 are being announced this morning. These two wrist-mounted units update the Foretrex 201, adding a high-sensitivity receiver and USB interface.

The Foretrex 401 ups the ante, adding an electronic compass, barometric altimeter and the ability to wirelessly share data with compatible Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado receivers. The 401 is also compatible with Garmin heart-rate monitors and cadence sensors.

Garmin is touting the new models as lightweight, waterproof devices for light hikers, skiers, campers and military personnel to wear comfortably on their wrists.

The Foretrex series has been among Garmin’s lowest priced handheld receivers. They are capable of basic backcountry navigation, and while they don’t have a basemap and you cannot add detailed maps, they can display a rudimentary sort of “map” (seen above) showing your track, waypoints and route.

The units, weighing an incredibly light 3 ounces, are powered by three AAA batteries, lasting up to 18 hours in the 301 and 17 hours in the 401. There is no word yet on availability or price.

foretrex_401_altimeter



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Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor Review

Posted by GPS Ratings | Posted in Find The Best Brand Name Personal And Car GPS Ratings | Posted on 30-11-2008-05-2008

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Garmin does it again with their impressive Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor . I know it’s not your conventional GPS navigation system, but I couldn’t resist writing a review on the Garmin Forerunner 305, one of my favorite Garmin products!

The Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor is like having a personal trainer monitoring your work out sessions 24/7, 365 Days a Week!

With the Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer you receive a professional personal trainer along with the impressive features of modern technology. Now, your personal trainer is an affordable ONE-TIME cost!

The Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer combines GPS technology, Stored Workout Sessions, Organized Workout Information, and Workout Tracking Capabilities to ensure a productive, smooth, and happy workout!

Satellite Signals

Utilize basic navigation capabilities with the built-in high-sensitivity GPS receiver that can track your location under trees, and buildings.


Wireless Heart Monitor

Monitor your heart rate using the wireless heart monitor!

Compare Workouts

Compete against previous workouts that are stored in the Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer With Heart Rate Monitor. Compare paces, heart rates, and use it to train for sports!

Get Data At Any Time

The Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer With Heart Rate Monitor has three main data screens that allow you to gather and view data at any time. Plus, each workout is stored in the device. You can analyze any workout and watch your workouts increase intensity!

Track Your Workouts

Plan, analyze, and store data from workouts using interactive graphs and charts created using Garmin’s Training Center software, included with the Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer!

Overlay runs on maps and view areas of elevation that affect your performances.


Key Product Features

* High-Sensitivity GPS Receiver with Basic Navigation Capabilities.
* Monitoring Capabilities of your Heart Rate, Speed, Distance, Pace and Calories Burned!
* Training Center™ Software to Create, Manage, and Analyze Workouts.
* One-Button Push Changes Heart Rate Profiles, a Stop Watch, and an Auto Learn Feature That Adapts To Your Fitness
* Waterproof Construction So You Can Bring Your Personal Trainer ANYWHERE!


What’s In The Box…

* Forerunner 305
* Heart rate monitor
* Garmin Training Center® software
* Docking cradle
* Expander strap
* AC charger
* USB cable
* Owner’s manual
* Quick start guide

Overall Pros

* Affordable price for its capabilities!
* Radically new design is better in every way
* Amazing accuracy and fast satellite acquisition time
* So simple to set up and use, you will actually use it

Overall Cons

* No Mac OS compatibility
* Okay, it’s bigger than a sport’s watch — but so much more powerful

Where You Can Find Great Prices On A Garmin Forerunner 305 Personal Trainer With Heart Rate Monitor


Read Other Customer Reviews

All I hoped for!
By: M. Leuzinger

With a few one-star reviews, I was a bit hesitant to order this. Now, after two weeks of use (10 runs of 2 to 2.5 miles each), I have no regrets with the purchase whatsoever.

I haven’t had any of the problems reported by any of the one-star reviewers. It syncs to the satellite in a reasonable* amount of time, seems to track my pace very well, tracks distance well, and the heart rate monitor seems WAY more accurate than the dedicated exercise machines at my local gym.

*by reasonable, it does take a minute or two to sync to the satellites each time. That’s the only thing I could possibly think of improving, but it’s not a big deal. Being the super-impatient person I am, I often turn on the watch, set it on my front porch, go back in and change into my running outfit, and by the time I come back out it’s ready to go.

I haven’t seen the pacing issues others have reported. I’m a beginning runner… but if I keep a solid pace… it reports about 10mins/mile… if I push a little harder… about 9mins/mile… if I let up… about 11mins/mile. It seems very consistent over my entire 2-2.5 mile run.

I have a 2.1 mile run where I’ve done the same exact route about 6 times… and when I compare the maps of each run… they overlap almost exactly.

I have thyroid and heart issues, and this watch gives me the confidence to know I’m not exceeding my max hr for too long (I can easily get into the 180’s) and gives me the feedback and stats to keep me motivated.

Last but not least, I’ve bought dozens and dozens of items from Amazon over the years, and this is the first review I’ve taken the time to write – hope that gives you an indication of how happy I am with this product. ;-)

Pretty Nice, some room for improvement
By: J Joyce

I have had my Forerunner 305 for almost 3 weeks now. Previous to this I used a Polar S150 (wired bike mount) for several years and a entry level Polar before that, so I am used to basic heart rate monitor but not advance data recording or GPS.

I have tested the Forerunner 305 running, biking and swimming and have been generally very impressed.

General: The concept of acquiring satellites before I get going took a little getting used to. After the first couple of times I generally get satellite acquisition within about 30 seconds as long as I am outside or in my enclosed front porch. I set the unit down so that it is completely stationary while acquiring satellites. I get spotty to no reception indoors. The heart rate monitor functions well in comparison to my Polars. I have only had erratic heart readings at the end of one bike ride (fixed by adjusting the strap), which is better performance than I generally would get with the Polars (Except for Swimming, see below). The grade measurements are so erratic as to be totally useless. I have had the grade measurement vary from 8% to 25% back down to 5% within one minute of sustained climbing on the bike. I believe this is due to a poor averaging algorithm (2 point average as opposed to smoother averages involving more points). This is something I intended to test once I figure out how to access the raw data. Data recording is interesting, but is highly dependent on the software used to analyze it. Training center software is decent but unsophisticated (lack of user configurable option is disappointing in a $300+ product). Motion Based has been fun to use, especially the map player. As noted in a previous post of mine errors in distance calculations arise due to Motion Based insistence on connecting erratic track points recorded when you are standing still.

Running: To this point I have done about half a dozen runs of 3-3.5 miles each on a couple of different courses. Mostly I run on trails with trees (no real leaves as of yet) with some street and open field running mixed in. Generally in the trees I average an accuracy of about 25 ft, which I consider to be pretty good. The tracks and distances are both reproducible to within this approximate 25 ft range. I have found the “instantaneous” pace to be somewhat erratic but generally within approximately 5% of the short term mean. The auto stop feature (I have it set to stop if pace falls below 30 min mile) working decently on the run but occasionally does not register that I am stopped. Overall I am very excited to easily track my running distance and have a pretty good idea of my pace.

Biking: Used for approximately 10 bike rides both on and off road. Despite some concerns that the antenna faces the wrong way when mounted on the handlebars (I mount mine by wrapping the monitor around a piece of foam) I generally get great GPS reception on the bike. Accuracy is generally about 15 ft on open road and 25-30 ft.on trails. The speed and distance seems to be very accurate and the precision (reproducibility) is within 1%. The auto stop feature works extremely well on the bike, starting and stopping the unit within 1 second. The one down side is that the buttons you are most likely to use for cycling are on the side of the unit (the up/down and occasionally the mode button).

Swimming: I have only tested in an indoor swimming pool, hoping to be able to record my heart rate. Unfortunately, unlike my Polar S150 the heart rate signal cannot be measured in the water. I did these tests with the receiver under my swim cap, which was pretty comfortable and I could access the buttons easily. There may be more utility for swimming in open water.

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