Just a little note to all you geocachers out there - These work quite splendidly for paperless caching. There is a macro that you can download and process through GSAK in order to store thousands of custom waypoints on the nuvi.

LINKY

I received one for free 3 years ago and have been using it for caching ever since - I love how you can use the main turn-by-turn feature to get near GZ and then switch to 'off-road' mode in order to get a straight, as-the-crow-flies line to your destination. Good stuff!

aren't these things slowly becoming exstinct due to androids and iphones. Man i love google navigation

DGX wrote:You can put maps, more vehicles, voices, audio books, or mps on the card.

And pictures, too, if one were to feel so compelled.

This is a good GPS, with some nice features. The lane assist, however, is only coded for some of the larger cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, etc.) but not for many smaller cities (Charleston, SC, Memphis, TN, etc.). With that in mind, it does work well to ensure that you're in the right lane and don't get funneled off.

The microSD slot is also useful to store music and audio books that will play while showing your GPS map. Additionally, my 800 series model allows me to tie in my phone bluetooth headset for the mic and then to tie the output to the radio so that I get better sound quality when listening to teleconferences while on the road.

[checked specs] not sure if this unit is bluetooth capable. Minor ding if it is not there; the internal mic works really well. No feedback nor crosstalk when using the live mic and the broadcast through the car radio.

If I didn't already have one, I'd be in for one...

mfskarphedinm wrote:Thank you Amazon for the reviews! Dodged a bullet on this one.
No more!

I'm so glad that Amazon doesn't sensor consumer reviews. It'll be a sad day when they start doing that. While you have to weed through good and bad reviews, you can at least make your own decision based on your own gut instincts.

I had my 265WT stolen :-( and miss it. I was on the fence with this one, but think I'll jump to the other side. The stench of lemons on the other side seems quite strong, and I can't stand the smell of citrus.

Please Read:

LIFETIME MAPS AND LIFETIME TRAFFIC ARE NOT THE SAME THING!

Traffic is just for pointing out traffic slowdowns in a few SPECIFIC high traffic urban areas, not updating maps.

Map updates are not updated in real-time and DON'T show traffic. They just update the POSSIBLE ROUTES the device can send you over.

Thank you.

Bought one of these for my wife to use. It is terrible, takes a long time to recalculate routes and freezes constantly. When it freezes, you have no idea that it happened and if you're on a highway, you can drive many miles too far because the unit doesn't give you any instruction. Additionally, the unit is slow to draw maps and the maps are inaccurate; the TomTom app on my iPhone consistently out navigates the Nuvi 855, often plotting local routes that can be 10 to 15 minutes faster.

Avoid this unit at all costs.

DGX wrote:If you buy an 855 you are going to regret it. This model is a lemon. They continually freeze up on you and at some point the FM transmitter will quit working. I blew through 3 of these and all were returned.

By the time you buy the lifetime map update, you would be much better off taking that money and buying a newer, or at least a different model.

You have been warned. :]

I have had my version of this model since July 2009. The early lockups were fixed with a software update later that year. I've not had problems with mine ever since. The original units were set up to use some MS service for traffic, weather, and news. MS pulled the plug on their broadcast service, so Garmin had to revert back to another traffic service and use a different power cord/radio antenna. That's why this unit was discontinued and going for cheap. I, however, am totally pleased with this unit.

I can take or leave the map updates. The roads around here don't change that much and I don't see the need for the update. You get an initial download to the latest map for free when you buy and register the GPS anyways. That should hold most people for 2-3 years. YMMV.

My previous GPS was a Woot refirb of a Garmin C550. I paid for lifetime maps for that unit and the unit is still going strong. That unit passed to my wife when I got the 855 and it will next pass down to my daughters who start driving this summer. My 855 is trickling down to my wife when I get my new GPS next year, tho this deal has me hovering over the Big Yellow Button....

Before purchasing, consider this:

Leading consumer advocates have pointed out that because of smart phones (with gps), the gps industry is crumbling before our eyes.

Prices are plummeting as you read this. And they will fall even further.

Nice unit, but prices will be even lower as time moves on.

Also, does not have free lifetime map updates.

Wait until you can get a unit like this at this price point WITH free updates.

I love my Garmin! The fact I can remove it and walk with it makes it even better. Well worth getting the life time map update. In 2 updates you have made money and in 3 you have it all back.

waverider01 wrote:That vid just made me buy this. Thanks for sharing.

That vid was for the 885T!

By-Tor wrote:WARNING!!! I am a die hard Garmin fanboy, but I have to say that my 855 is the worst Garmin GPS I've ever had. I have had about 6 different models over the years, but the 855 has serious lag issues when entering addresses and I frequently have to remove the battery because of lockups. The worst part is that the unit can lock up the highway and you'd don't really notice because the road is pretty straight. Before you know it,you've blown past your exit because you are waiting on the GPS to tell you to exit. Not good.

I hate to agree, but I have to.

I have had Garmin units since the old clunky StreetPilot models, and when Garmin introduced the 800-series they introduced new hardware and software that had serious performance issues compared with the 200- and 700-series models that preceded them.

I had an 855 and ended up "downgrading" to a much more capable, much quicker, and much more accurate 255.

BTW - Here's the Garmin "decoder ring" for features that their previous models had. This is good for all 2xx, 7xx, and 8xx model numbers, and was updated last in October 2010:

205 = 3.5" display, no Text-to-Speech (TTS), US-only maps
205W = 205 + 4.3" display

255 = 3.5" display, TTS, North American maps
255W = 255 + 4.3" display
255WT(*) = 255W + FM Traffic (Best Buy exclusive)

265T(*) = 255 + FM Traffic + Bluetooth
265WT(*) = 265T + 4.3" display

275T(!) = 265T + European maps

285WT(+) = 255W + 9 months free MSN Direct + Bluetooth

(*) = Comes bundled with the GTM-25 NAVTEQ/FM Traffic receiver (free for life, ad-based)
(!) = Comes bundled with the GTM-20 TMC/FM Traffic receiver ($50/year subscription )
(+) = Comes bundled with the GDB-55 MSN Direct receiver (free for an initial period, $50/year after that or until EOS in 2012)

Essentially:
205 = just a GPS, US-only maps
255 = add TTS and North American Maps
265 = add Bluetooth
285 = add MSN Direct

To the above:
T = includes free lifetime FM-based NAVTEQ traffic (except the 285, which is MSN)
W = 4.3" widescreen display (the non-W models have 3.5" displays)

And then:
275 = European edition (add European maps and TMC subscription-based traffic)

The other models:
7X5 = 2X5 + 4.3" Display + FM Transmitter (GPS audio cues through your car stereo) + multi-point routing + Lane Assist
8X5 = 7X5 + Voice Recognition + significantly less reliable hardware and operating system

Notes on MSN Traffic:
- MSN Direct includes traffic, news, weather, nearby gas prices, and other wireless information.
- It is a subscription service. Several models inlcude 9- or 12-months of free service. Normal service is $50/year.
- Microsoft has announced it will be discontinuing MSN Direct on Jan 1 2012
- MSN Direct offers services in select geographic regions: MSN Direct Coverage Map [msndirect.com]
- Connectivity to MSN is provided via an antenna and receiver integrated into the GPS power cord.
- The GDB 50 antenna/receiver is bundled with the 285T and 855T.
- Connectivity can be added to the 205/205W/255/255W via the GDB 55 antenna/receiver (sold separately)

Notes on NAVTEQ Traffic:
- NAVTEQ is a traffic-only service.
- It is free, but it subsidized with on-screen advertisements.
- NAVTEQ offers services in select geographic regions: NAVTEQ FM Traffic Coverage Map [www.navteq.com]
- Connectivity to NAVTEQ is provided via an antenna and receiver integrated into the GPS power cord.
- The 255WT, 265T/265WT, 275T, 755T, 765T and 775T models all come with an included antenna/receiver
- Connectivity can be added to any 2X5, 7X5 or 8X5 model via the GTM 25 antenna/receiver (sold separately)

Thus, the 855 has all of the 255 features, plus the 7xx-series and 8xx-series upgrades:

255 = TTS, North American maps
7X5 = 2X5 + 4.3" Display + FM Transmitter (GPS audio cues through your car stereo) + multi-point routing + Lane Assist
8X5 = 7X5 + Voice Recognition + h/w and s/w issues

DGX wrote:If you buy an 855 you are going to regret it. This model is a lemon. They continually freeze up on you and at some point the Bluetooth will quit working. I blew through 3 of these and all were returned.

By the time you buy the lifetime map update, you would be much better off taking that money and buying a newer, or at least a different model.

You have been warned. :]

Yup, BT will stop working as it never had any bluetooth to begin with!

phacopida wrote:Lane assist sounds interesting - but is it accurate or realistically useful? Anyone?

Very accurate, and very useful. Don't listen to the posters who say that it's not. If you're driving on a very crowded, multi-lane highway, and everyone is speeding and driving like their pants are on fire, and there are both left exits and right exits, you'll be very happy with this feature.

If you've ever driven around Boston or Baltimore or Philadelphia or NYC or any big city, and don't know where you're going, the lane assist feature is extremely helpful. Cross Bronx Expressway or Harlem River Drive come to mind. I had to drive my mom to New York Presbyterian Hospital, (Weill Cornell Medical Center), for heart surgery a few years ago. I am not familiar with New York City, the expressways, and the ruthless way people drive there. If not for the lane assist, it would have taken a LOT longer to get there and a lot more driving around and aggravation.

Also, those who have had problems with this model have not have the software upgrade. So those negative reviews should be ignored.

Lastly, while I love my smartphone, no iphone or Droid will EVER replace the GPS units like this one. I have a Garmin and a TomTom for the cars, both work well, and a Garmin for hiking, climbing, and backpacking. I'm sure there are lemons out there, but for the most part, Garmin makes a great product, (as does TomTom). Your mileage may vary.

I got the Bruce Willis voice but every time I
miss a turn it just squints and stares at me.

fishbulb42 wrote:Also, the Garmin website has numerous voice and vehicle icon downloads. They've recently added Spongebob and Dora, which should keep the kids entertained on a road trip. Some are for a fee, but most are free, and they even have software for you to record your own voice prompts. Current config on mine is a pirate ship with Dr. Nightmare leading the way.

Be sure to check whether a specific download works for this model, though, especially before paying for it.

I suppose this all depends on where you live. If you are in a rural area, you have no idea how helpful lane assist is when the approach to the George Washington Bridge in New York City(for instance)is more like a railroad switch yard.

Unique616 wrote:I have one without lane assist, and if I had it, I don't think it would be particularly helpful.

On my model, the Garmin 265WT, it will say to me, "Make a left turn on Bob street in point five miles" and do a few follow ups as I get closer. Also, in the top left hand corner it will show a left arrow and 0.5 miles, for example.

To me, it's common sense that I need to be in the left lane to make a left turn, but I guess some people needed more help, which is why lane assist was created?

ToasterP wrote:Amazon

Garmin

Cnet

yay reviews

Yay, another Relay for Lifer! I relay in Sanford, FL.

Don't think that a stand alone GPS unit is any smarter than your phone when it comes to finding the shortest or fastest route. My Garmin routed me unto freeways when it would have been considerably faster to take surface streets.

If there is no construction in your area than you proabably don't need the map updates. I never updated the maps in mine and towards the end it did make a difference - especially when things like a freeway ramp existed when it didn't when the unit wss loaded with its' original maps when shipped.

lenzflare wrote:I've been considering buying a GPS. I make pizza deliveries and don't know the town at all, and my iPhone's GPS is unreliable and often takes the longest possible path.

As for the map updates, are those even important? My parents have had a Garmin for a few years and have never needed them updated. There's a main road that doesn't exist on the GPS, but it doesn't exist on Google Maps either.

Most--if not all--devices are above $100. Is the $80 price worth it, or would a more expensive unit be worth the investment?

Pinballnate wrote:I have this model and its ok. The speech recognition is pretty much worthless. First of all you have to find and press a remote button to use it, which kind of defeats the point. Second, you have to almost be screaming at the GPS multiple times for it to understand you. Its not very good at figuring out what you are saying and you constantly have to be watching the screen to see if its even close to following your directions. I think it is more distracting than just touching the screen. I have tried out the new model that has voice recognition and its way better, also way more expensive. So just buy what you want they mostly all get you there. Oh and no 3d maps on this one.

Maybe the problem is you are yelling at it and it starts to cry and shuts down!

If you buy this unit. Garmin gives you a free map update within the f1rst 30 days of purchasing and registering the unit at the Garmin website. The latest map update is 2011.40

I have had this unit for a couple of years and have never had a problem with it.

Thinking about getting one of these for motorcycle use. Nobody yet has mentioned the fact that it HAS A HEADPHONE JACK. Most GPS units, even more expensive ones, don't have a headphone jack.

Set the route, plug into your earbuds, slip it into breast pocket and ride using voice prompts only.

You would think that you could do the same thing with an iPhone. Nope. iPhone gets a really flakey GPS connection through a jacket pocket. Also, I don't *think* that Garmin for iPhone speaks street names.

No, you can NOT get a cheap bluetooth GPS unit and hook it up to your bluetooth helmet. Sounds like it would work, but your basic bluetooth GPS doesn't do audio out. The bluetooth is just for interfacing with a phone. You need A2DP (audio out) and need to step up to the much more expensive Zumo models to get that.

I purchased this device thinking that the speech recognition would improve safety and convenience. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The 855 totally freezes very frequently. And the only way to unfreeze it is to dismount it, open the battery cover and remove the battery, replace the battery, restart the device and wait. How safe is that when you're lost in a strange place in the dark, or driving down an interstate at 65 mph? And it will sometimes just decide to re-start itself. At least when it does that it will resume operations, but if you needed directions when that was happening, sorry, you're just out of luck. Don't believe me? Go to a search engine such as Google and input "Garmin 855" and "freeze". It will return over 3,000 hits!

And what's Garmin's attitude? First the website specifically suggests a software upgrade for this problem. Sorry, doesn't help. Then you contact them and they'll take it back and replace it with a "newly overhauled" 855. That's a nice way of saying they'll send you a USED unit and hope you don't complain again. Why do you want to have this defective unit replaced with something used? And they'll make you pay the return freight. And when the refurb still has all the freeze and self-restarting problems of the original, Garmin will tell you to send it back AT YOUR EXPENSE again and they'll replace it with another "recently overhauled" unit.

They've discontinued the 855 with good reason. This is a defective, unsafe item. And Garmin's attitude is to dump it on you.

Consider any other brand before making the same mistake I did.

efooter wrote:I would advise against buying a GPS until the FCC gets their stuff together with LightSquared. These products may be rendered useless in the near future.

EDIT:
A source for the crazy conspiracy theory, in case anyone is interested.

link is not working

Almeda wrote:Found a sweet video showing the speech recognition remote in action.....

http://youtu.be/OOJKhTN6iMg/

Ohhh, that video almost got me based on the handsfree dialing/texting stuff. That's the 885, not the 855 that's being sold here. The 855 does not have bluetooth. But, I think that vid IS a good example of the remote, assuming it works the same on the two models.

mhaserodt wrote:Ohhh, that video almost got me based on the handsfree dialing/texting stuff. That's the 885, not the 855 that's being sold here. The 855 does not have bluetooth. But, I think that vid IS a good example of the remote, assuming it works the same on the two models.

Yep, the only difference btwn the two is the Bluetooth feature and MSN Direct. The entire 805 Series is Speech Recognition
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=13542

Plus I see the maps and SW version are most up to date here from what I read on the Garmin site for the 855.

acsullivan20 wrote:you see that screen where it says locating satellites and has the big ? over the car? if you buy this you should expect to see that screen alot

Yeah, as long as you stay in your cave 24/7.

I use Google Maps on my Droid. Best GPS ever. And the thing updates itself for me.

I'm a Man I don't get lost! Pass

warmice wrote:I'm a Man I don't get lost! Pass

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem."

— Ronald Reagan

Forgive me please if this was addressed in the previous 4 pages but....

Does this have what I call "Map View"? Where you see, basically a road map and can pick the route you want?

Sometimes manual is the only way to go in my mind.

Thanks

Pete

Looky what just popped up on the @wootdeals twitter account:

TomTom XL 340TM 4.3" Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition) for $89.00 + free shipping http://j.mp/fRm1y9

mathetes121 wrote:my iphone is good enough for me!

You'll think twice about that when you're in an area with no data reception and your iPhone doesn't tell you squat.

Ever hear of a little thing called Android ??? I am pretty sure smart phones have eaten Garmen up.

ekmadden wrote:have an older Garmin nuvi. Still good. Way better than iphone. Paid like 5x as much. WAY better than iphone, even the $$ nav apps

So, how's the call quality?

cdheer wrote:Having owned a Garmin for a few years, I can honestly say I have no idea what you're talking about. Only time I've ever seen it say "locating satellites" is when the darned thing is indoors.

I've also had my 265WT for 2 years now and the only time it has a hard time finding satellites is when i'm indoors, or turn it on indoors and walk outside. Doing that, it usually takes a minutes to sync with the satellites to find out where I am (especially if I use it to go somewhere the day before then turn it back on at a totally different place).

Unique616 wrote:I have one without lane assist, and if I had it, I don't think it would be particularly helpful.


To me, it's common sense that I need to be in the left lane to make a left turn, but I guess some people needed more help, which is why lane assist was created?

In some rather large areas, particularly on interstates where many connections are made to other interstates and large streets it can be a little confusing. I've seen times where the GPS tells me to stay right, but it didn't really mean the far right, cuz that turns into an only lane in 1000 feet, but the right that will turn into an only lane in a quarter mile farther. which doesn't seem so bad until you're in rush hour traffic and all the lanes are pretty much filled, leaving little 'last minute' maneuvering room.

I think that's when the lane assist would come in handy. although it might be of some help on regular streets where there are multiple left turn lanes. e.g. I'd hope it'd tell you to take the right most left turn lane if you needed a right immediately after your left turn.

I'm mostly guessing here; I don't have lane assist on my GPS, but I've seen more than a few places where it'd be handy to have something suggest a lane when you don't have local knowledge.

all that said, I don't think it should be a must have for most GPS devices. some earlier poster mentioned, and I think that's where it makes most sense: if you very frequently drive in large, unfamiliar cities and have little time to backtrace/reroute for an occasional wrong turn/exit, this should have potential to be quite useful.

I've had one of these for over a year and it has saved my butt when I was caught w/o directions and in an unfamiliar part of town. One thing to keep in mind if you live in a cold climate - take it inside the house when not in use. If you keep it in the cold car (even while in a garage) there will be problems with the unit. Not a big thing but something of which you should be aware. Otherwise, a useful product with top notch customer service.

By-Tor wrote:WARNING!!! I am a die hard Garmin fanboy, but I have to say that my 855 is the worst Garmin GPS I've ever had. I have had about 6 different models over the years, but the 855 has serious lag issues when entering addresses...

I think this isn't unique to the 855 garmin, but to the x55 garmins. I have a Garmin 765t, which I adored until it was stolen (just got it returned!), and it had similar performance issues. The first letter or two would go really slowly, and then subsequent letters would be fast.

I always surmised that it was culling it's database of POIs/roads from ALL to the first letter of your name, not a small task for a little gps.

I got a Garmin 1490t as a replacement to my 765t when it got stolen, and it has similar issues, though it isn't as pronounced as the 765t.

Regardless, I have never had the 765t OR the 1490t miss an exit because of slowness. You might wanna update your firmware... or maybe downgrade it.

showcaller wrote:My Droid with Google maps doesn't flake out or lose signal anymore than my Garmin did, and my Garmin DID lose signal more than once!

You clearly don't head out into rural areas.

Go somewhere where Verizon has no data coverage and your Droid w/Google Maps will suddenly stop navigating you. A Garmin, meanwhile, will work essentially anywhere.