I have this unit, purchased in November for $98. Overall, it works very well. There is the occasional lockup, where you have to remove the battery to get it working again. But it's not a big deal, and I've had that happen maybe 3 times since I bought it.

Someone asked what the memory card slot was for. I have my memory card filled with music (and use MP3s, they say they support FLAC, but it doesn't work reliably). My car has an audio in jack, so I can play it through the car's stereo. And I can control the music from voice commands. I use the verbal sequence "Music Player", "Album", "Can't buy a Thrill", "1" and it starts playing that album from track 1. A lot of times, I'll just turn on the random function, tell it to load All songs, and then just have my music randomly play.

Entering voice commands for for the navigation works just as well. The only thing that would be better is if it would verbally prompt you for the info. Instead, you have to glance at the screen to see that it's now asking for House Number, for example. But you can use the voice command to tell it the house number, and that works well.

The voice command worked through a separate wireless mic that came with the unit. It's meant to be attached to the steering wheel, but I have mine attached to a stationary handle on the driver's door. Warning, I haven't used it with the windows open, so I can't say about that. And when I'm going over bumpy roads, it can't understand me over the road noise. But on normal roads, with the windows closed, it works great.

I resent the assumption that Hurley was a stoner.

Fireye wrote: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.

Actually, I believe it's the 8xx garmins that have problems. My 255 does not exhibit any of the issues discussed here.

I pulled the plug on one of these. I own a Garmin Nuvi 885T and am currently switching the GPS between my vehicle and my wifes vehicle. Now I can leave one in each vehicle and my wife will have a GPS.

The 885 is nearly identical to the 855 except the 885 has bluetooth. Our stereos have built in bluetooth so that is not a big deal.

I have been happy with my 885T and the voice command works moderately OK. The important thing to remember is that background noise will cause interferance to the voice commands. Hit mute on the stereo and speak clearly. I also have an iPhone but prefer a regular GPS. If you go into an area with bad cell reception with an iPhone then you will lose your data. On an iPhone if you need to make a call or do something else then it is a hassle going back and forth.

I have been mostly happy with my 885 or I would of not pulled the trigger on the 855. I prefer Garmin over TomTom or I would of gone with the other deal. Plus the voice command is a nice feature and we are already use to the Garmin since both units are nearly identical.

Mebct76 wrote:Does it have a seductive British female accent available? If so, i'm in. Where is the bedside mount?

It does as well as an Australian and others.

I have a Garmin in my wife's SUV. It has been a great unit. In my truck I have a built in Nav and don't like it as much as the Garmin.

Garmin is a good company... they have good GPS... Probably would of been my second choice after my TomTom I bought...

sfcchase wrote:Notice in the picture it say locating satellites. Get used to that. Save your money, buy a tomtom.

I have had both Garmin and TomTom and it is true, TomTom locks onto satellites more quickly than Garmin, and Garmin drops the signal more often, but usually picks it up again quickly. I would say that the Garmin is a little more frustrating to deal with than the TomTom but not a deal breaker for me.

richellelander wrote:Doesn't look like it has lifetime maps. I like my TomTom. It was $150, but it has lifetime maps and lifetime traffic updates which work great.

Unless Garmin's product ID has the LMT suffix on it, the device does not include lifetime map and traffic updates ... I don't think that's a feature Garmin provides except at time of purchase. Since map updates are really expensive (more than the cost of this unit), you probably will just end up using this as is (the installed maps are already dated, although you may get one update at time of purchase at no extra charge ... not clear a refurb has that).

sfcchase wrote:Notice in the picture it say locating satellites. Get used to that. Save your money, buy a tomtom.

Try taking the unit out of the trunk of the car and putting it on your dash : -)

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

Good thing you're only "pretty sure", as you're completely wrong.

stevef2222 wrote:link is not working

I fail with URLS
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=206519&f_src=lightreading_gnews


Anyhow, as any of you would learn in a Signals and Systems course, analog filters aren't perfect, and have roll-off. If parts of the spectrum used are too close, you'll have interference.

DGX wrote:885t vs 855. I love Garmin Nuvis. The 855 is junk.

The only difference is whether it includes an external traffic receiver. The units are identical.

I've got this model and I love it. I've used it for a couple years now and have no trouble getting satellite reception and have had no recent lockups - maybe a total of two early on.

Garmin makes it real easy to update the software and maps through their web site - I did spend the ~$90 to get lifetime maps after I needed a hospital when I was way out of town and my old map guided me to one that had moved (not good), but that was my failure, not Garmin's.

For this price, I have no hesitation saying get one if you need one.

Reading the thread, I wonder what model most people are commenting on.

We have 855's in two cars and the one and only issue with them is the delay when entering the first two characters of a spell operation.

No lock-ups, no late turns, no low volume, and strangely, no problem finding the press-to-talk button since it is attached to the steering wheel...

On the positive side:

- One of few remaining Garmin models that plays mp3s [and mutes play when giving directions].
- Stores multiple multi-point routes.
- Solves shortest distance routing for multiple destinations.
- Does traffic with add-on receiver [often discounted].
- button activated voice recognition isn't listening all the time for the kids in the back seat.

For $80, not bad at all.

I have one of these too. Never had a problem with it. You have to speak clearly when giving the address but it certainly works well. I have used this in rural areas as well as the Los Angeles and Minneapolis metros. NEVER BEEN LOST!! I paid twice the woot price...this is a STEAL!

mikehell wrote: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.

I have an iPhone 4 and I use it while riding. Never had a problem with GPS reception in my pocket and I have used it in downtown San Francisco which is sometimes difficult to get good GPS reception with the tall buildings.

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

EBrossette wrote: I also have an iPhone but prefer a regular GPS. If you go into an area with bad cell reception with an iPhone then you will lose your data. On an iPhone if you need to make a call or do something else then it is a hassle going back and forth.

Depends on the GPS app. I really like the Tom Tom app and it doesn't need cell reception. Neither does Navigon. Garmin does need Data, but that app isn't very good

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

I have had one Garmin Nuvi or another for years and really liked them, but after I got my iphone and the Tom Tom app I gave the Nuvi to my wife and I don't miss it at all. I really can't think of anything that the Nuvi does better than the iPhone. The screen is brighter and updates more quickly on the iPhone 4. The GPS finds satellites in less than 5 seconds as opposed to up to a minute (or more sometimes) with the Nuvi. Obviously the iPhone is more expensive and has a monthly fee, but I already pay that. The GPS is an added bonus.

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?

When you're just driving down a simple street, then yes, common sense tells you that if you're making a left turn you need to be in the left lane.

Lane assist is more for highway driving, particularly metropolitan areas, where there are exits on the left and right, multiple lanes for exits, or lanes that end where the exit is merges off. My GPS doesn't have this feature, but I can tell you from experience that driving through a place like downtown Atlanta, it would have been a lot nicer to have lane assist.

Of course, if you don't do any highway driving, you probably won't get as much benefit from the lane assist feature.

Anyone else think that using an image where the GPS is searching for a satellite is negative advertising?

I bought the 1390 with lifetime maps and traffic plus the beanbag dash mount for $167, and I'm very happy with it. Not sure I would buy one that didn't offer lifetime maps.

Yeah, was a garmin nut too. Until my first one was stolen. (Smashed window, about 1k in damages) It was amazing.

Picked up a 755t from Amazon to replace it... nightmare. Hangs, takes you 9 jillion miles out of the way, tells you to "turn right" when there's no road there, sitting outside sam's club it says nearest one is 250 miles away, battery life outside the car... about 10 minutes.
When it hangs sometimes you can get it back, sometimes you have to reformat it. Sometimes you can get your favorites back, sometimes they're just gone.

Yeah, you can get a lemon with anything but with the problems I had with this one I found that, even under warranty, customer service also... sucks. THAT is worrisome.

So, thinking of tom-tom for the next one. They have one model with free life time maps.

FWIW Garmin=king in the states - tom-tom=king in Europe.

Recommended POI: 3239 Rt. Harwood
Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC J7V 8P2

w116tjb wrote:Anyone else think that using an image where the GPS is searching for a satellite is negative advertising?

No. Most sensible folks know GPS doesn't work well indoors. I assume the pic was taken indoors.

Dear Woot,
Just wanted to let you know that I applaud the end of this round of Woot shenanigans. This one and April 1st were truly Epic. Perhaps one of these times I'll be crafty enough to score a Carp during the tomfoolery.

I'm not sure which side of the webpage would be more fun. Thinking up how to outfox several million people or trying to be one of the first of those million to figure it out.

Keep up the good work!!

Sincerely,
A persistent Wooter

dalsanto5 wrote:lifetime updates!

"Includes lifetime map updates: no"
Copied directly from the garmin site.

You will have to buy them. Also, since it is refurbished, Garmin will not give you a free map update to begin with. This model is approximately 3 years old so the maps will be a little old. I have one and has advantages and disadvantages.

To those asking whether map updates are necessary - for the most part, no. It just depends on what you're using the GPS for.

The map updates *mostly* include new POIs and updated business listings. So, for delivery drivers (or any other instance you already have the address), the GPS will find the address just fine without updates.

If, however, you need to rely on being able to punch in the name of the restaurant you want to go to, you may need the updates. Obviously, if the restaurant is newer than your last map update, it won't even be in the system.

Similarly, if there has been major road construction recently, directions may be outdated and you may benefit from an updated map pack.

Almeda wrote:LMAO...anyone who buys 3 of the same model and breaks them all - I'd be bitter too...

I bought one, 2 were replacements from Garmin...asshat.

So I can transmit my Ipod through my car speakers with this?

whatsarcane wrote:It would seem to me you are going to have to update the maps on a newer model over time anyway, so what have I been warned about?

The fact that this model is junk and you can buy a brand new model with lifetime map updates included. You apparently can't read. Go ahead buy 3. I don't give a Battlefield Earth (2000).

I have this unit. It is a bit slow on recalculations and the map moves slowly compared to most. Not too bad though. Being slow is it's biggest disadvantage. Also, since it is a refurbished unit, you won't get one free update like you do when you buy a new one. One of the advantages is the lane assist. Speed limits are also shown. The micro sd slot is great if you listen to music. Load a few hundred, or more, mp3s on a micro sd card and play it through your FM radio. It does a great job and sounds good. The player on the device is easy to operate. I bought a FM traffic cable and does an adequate job with traffic. All around a very good deal for $80. I don't believe it has bluetooth. Voice recogniiton works very well.

Slide the power button to off and hold it for 10 seconds and it will reboot. Then you won't have to take the battery out.

tallgu66y wrote:You will have to buy them. Also, since it is refurbished, Garmin will not give you a free map update to begin with. This model is approximately 3 years old so the maps will be a little old. I have one and has advantages and disadvantages.

REMINDER:

It has 2010 maps & a 1-year warranty even on this refurbished unit according to Woot's good description:

"Warranty: 1 Year Garmin"

"In the box:
Garmin nüvi 855 4.3” GPS System with 2010 Maps & Speech Recognition"

Check out the 855's negative reviews on Amazon. This model has a lot of duds.

$79 on Amazon for Lifetime Map updates + $84.99 on Woot for Garmin Nuvi = Worth it!

Would never buy anything from Garmin-- they are a right wing contributor up there with the Koch brothers. BOYCOTT!!

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

At some of the complex multiple freeway interchanges, it is worth its weight in gold.

iansmom24 wrote:Would never buy anything from Garmin-- they are a right wing contributor up there with the Koch brothers. BOYCOTT!!

Awesome. You helped me make my decision to buy.

jenandlaw wrote:I resent the assumption that Hurley was a stoner.

Here Here!! I agree! He just like chicken!,, and obsessing over numbers.

sessyman wrote:Does this come with lifetime map updates or would we have to buy them?

No, you get one free depending on the package, then it is the same price (if not more) for updates and maps. i have had one for 1 yr. there are maps i need to download but have not b/c i don't see any sense in paying more for vital updates than for the actual device...rip off.