5. The Main Menu

Figure 26: Garmin nüvi 500's Main Menu

When you power on the nüvi 500, the Main Menu appears. From here, the following items are displayed:

1. GPS satellite strength
2. Usage mode. Touch to change to driving, walking, bicycling, or boating mode (boating mode is only available if you have marine maps loaded on the nüvi 500)
3. Battery status
4. Current time (touch to change time settings)
5. Touch to find a destination
6. Touch to view the map
7. Touch to adjust the volume
8. Touch to use the tools (such as settings, where am I?, Help, and Routes

6. Switching Between Driving, Walking, Boating, & Bicycling Modes

Figure 27: Usage Mode Icon

Touching the Usage Mode icon, shown above, lets you switch the nüvi 500 between driving, walking, bicycling, or boating modes. Boating mode is only available if additional marine maps are installed, such as Garmin's BlueChart g2 Vision, or Inland Vision marine cartography

Figure 28: Selecting A Usage Mode

Usage Modes are used to quickly configure the nüvi 500 for use in the car, on foot, on a bicycle, or, if additional marine maps are installed, on a boat.

Figure 29: Would You Like To Configure Your Walking Mode Settings?

The first time you select a new Usage Mode, the nüvi 500 asks if you want to configure the associated settings for that mode.

Figure 30: Choosing A Vehicle Icon

Choose an icon to represent your "Vehicle" when navigating on foot (or on a boat or bicycle, depending on the selected Usage Mode). Additional icons can be downloaded from Garmin's website (here's a link to the icon directory).

Figure 31: Setting the Usage Mode's Map View

Select whether you prefer to see the 3D map view, North Up, or Track Up.

Figure 32: Walking Route Preference

The nüvi 500 needs to know if routes should be calculated using on or off road settings.

7. The Map Screen

Figure 33: nüvi 500's Map Screen

1. Next Turn Indicator - Touch to view the next turn (when navigating in off-road mode, touching this icon brings up the compass screen)
2. Text Bar - This text bar displays the current navigation instruction. Tapping on this bar opens the turn list (a list of all up-coming turns)
3. Highlighted Route - The highlighted route is "painted", or marked, in magenta color
4. Zoom - Touch the plus icon to zoom in on the map, or the minus to zoom out
5. Speed Limit - When available, the nüvi 500 displays the speed limit for the current road you are driving on
6. Vehicle icon - This customizable icon represents your vehicle on the map. Tapping on the vehicle icons allows you to save your current location (even if there's not a valid street address at your location)
7. Arrival Time - Displays your estimated arrival time. When not en route to a destination, your current speed is displayed here. Tapping this icon opens the Trip Information page
8. Menu - Tap the Menu icon to return to the Menu page
9. Turn In - Displays the distance to the next turn. Tapping this icon displays the Next Turn page (a detailed view of the upcoming turn) and repeats the last voice instruction

As you travel to a destination, the nüvi 500 guides you with voice prompts, arrows on the map, and directions at the top of the map. Your route is marked with a magenta line. The nüvi 500 uses he same excellent map screen found on Garmin's other nüvi GPS units, but adds the oft-requested upcoming turn indicator.

The map screen is displayed automatically when navigating to an address, with your route marked with a magenta line, as shown above. The map screen can also be manually invoked by tapping on "View Map" from the Main Menu.

Figure 34: Trip Information Screen

Tapping on the Arrival Time from the Map screen brings up the trip information page, shown above. This screen displays a running counter of various statistics about the "trip", or since it was last reset.

Figure 35: Turn List

The Turn List is a list of all upcoming maneuvers. The turn list can be viewed by tapping on the text bar (the horizontal green bar across the top of the Map Screen). Each turn can be selected to view a more detailed view of the turn, as shown below.

Figure 36: Next Turn Page

The "Next Turn" page displays a detailed view of an upcoming turn. This split-screen view shows a 2-dimensional drawing of the turn on the left side of the screen, and a text description of the turn on the right side. Also displayed are the distance and time to the turn.

Tapping the up/down arrows in the lower-right portion of the screen cycles through the upcoming turns, one at a time. Voice prompts are also announced as each turn is viewed.

Figure 37: Speed Limit Indicator

When the nüvi 500 knows the posted speed limit for the road you are traveling, the speed limit is displayed on the map screen, as shown above. This feature can also be disabled if you prefer not to see it, although I find it very useful -- especially during long highway stretches between posted speed limit signs.

Figure 38: Automatic Map Scaling Feature

As you approach an upcoming maneuver, the nüvi 500 automatically adjusts the map scale, zooming in closer as the turn approaches. Once you've successfully made the turn, the map automatically zooms back out to show more distance.

Take a look at the side-by-side map screens shown above. Notice in the left image how the nüvi has automatically zoomed the map to a street-level view in order to clearly illustrate the upcoming turn. Having completed the maneuver, the nüvi slowly zooms back out to show more of the map, as shown in the map on the right side.

Automatic map scaling works well on the nüvi 500. Scale adjustments are made smoothly over a few seconds and feel natural as you drive.

Figure 39: Map Screen, Navigating To A Destination

The map screen is one of the most important aspects of any GPS, and the nüvi 500 actually manages to improve Garmin's already first-rate map display by adding the much needed upcoming turn indicator (shown in the upper left portion of the screen).

The map screen is well implemented and carefully designed. It's easy to read, and screen re-draws are smooth and fast. Garmin does a good job displaying key information without letting the map get cluttered or confusing. For example, notice how the green "information bar" across the top of the map screen mimics the color and font used on actual highway signs. Also notice how the angle of the 3D map makes it easy to see upcoming maneuver, and how the magenta highlighted route is easy to see.