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November 25, 2008

Garmin nuvi 765T Review

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9. Favorites

Favorites
Figure 63: Favorites

Saved locations are stored in Favorites, the nuvi 765T's personal address book. The list of saved addresses, or favorites, is accessed by tapping on Where to? > Favorites.

Address Confirmation Screen
Figure 64: Address Confirmation Screen

Destinations can be added to the Favorites list by tapping Save on the address confirmation screen.

Saved to Favorites
Figure 65: Saved to Favorites

Favorites
Figure 66: Favorites

The Favorites page, shown above, allows you to view all saved addresses, or view only those entries belonging to the Lodging category.

Viewing Favorites
Figure 67: Viewing Favorites

Favorites are always sorted by distance to your current location. Notice that the nuvi 765T allows you to associate a photo with each saved address. JPG or JPEG files are supported. Once a photo is copied to the nuvi, it can be attached to a saved address. When navigating to a saved address that has a photo attached to it, the photo is displayed on the nuvi 765T's screen upon arrival.

Editing Saved Places
Figure 68: Editing Saved Places

Touching Edit on the details page of a saved entry allows you to change the name, photo, map symbol, phone number, and category of a given entry. You can also delete the saved address by touching Delete.

10. Traffic


Figure 69: Traffic Map

The nuvi 765T includes free traffic service for the life of the device. The catch? It's ad-based, which means advertisements will periodically appear while using the GPS. The good news is that's not nearly as bad as it sounds, and the ads aren't terribly distracting or annoying.

When calculating the route to a destination, the nuvi 765T evaluates current traffic conditions and automatically optimizes the route for the shortest time. If a severe traffic delay occurs on your route while driving to the destination, the nuvi 765T automatically recalculates a new route to avoid the problem.

The nuvi 765T can receive traffic alerts using the included GTM 20 FM Traffic receiver, or via Garmin's optional MSN Direct receiver. The 765T's included receiver provides free, ad-sponsored traffic alerts, while the optional MSN Direct receiver requires an annual subscription, or a lifetime activation fee of around $130.

Traffic Provider
Figure 70: Traffic Provider

Once the traffic receiver is connected to the 765T, traffic service is enabled and the GPS is ready to begin receiving alerts. Note that unlike previous nuvis, the 765T doesn't require a subscription or activation. Just connect the receiver and you're ready to go.

Traffic Alert Received
Figure 71: Traffic Alert Received

If a traffic alert is received that will impact the planned route, the traffic icon changes color to indicate the severity of the traffic conditions on your route:

  • Green = Traffic is flowing normally
  • Yellow = Traffic is slightly congested
  • Red = Traffic is heavily congested or stopped

The traffic icon also displays how much time the delay has added to the trip. Non-severe traffic alerts won't cause the nuvi to find an alternate route, but you can still see how much of a delay the traffic will cause.

Tapping the traffic icon on the Map brings up the Traffic page, shown below.

Traffic Incident Details
Figure 72: Traffic Incident Details

The nuvi 765T automatically attempts to avoid severe traffic when an alert is received. However, you can also manually avoid certain traffic conditions by touching Avoid on the details page for a given incident.

Traffic Page
Figure 73: Traffic Page

The Traffic page allows you to view traffic conditions the following ways:

  • Show Traffic Map - displays traffic conditions on the map. You can manually scroll around and see all traffic incidents on the map
  • Traffic Search - lists all traffic delays that have been received, sorted by distance from your current location
  • Traffic on Route - displays the traffic incidents along the current planned route

Traffic Search
Figure 74: Traffic Search

Touching Traffic Search displays a list of all traffic alerts that have been received, listed in order of closeness to your location. More details can be viewed for each incident by tapping on the alert.

Traffic on Route
Figure 75: Traffic on Route

The Traffic on Route page displays the current traffic alerts that have been received along your planned route.

Ad Displayed on Main Menu
Figure 76: Ad Displayed on Main Menu

Ads occasionally appeared on the Main Menu in a small, horizontal blue box across the top of the screen. They seemed to only appear once per use, when the unit was first powered on, and never appeared on the Main Menu again until the unit was powered off and on again.

Ad Search Results
Figure 77: Ad Search Results

Tapping on an ad initiates a POI search for the relevant business. In this case, tapping on the Wells Fargo ad causes the nuvi to search for nearby Wells Fargo banks.

Ad Displayed During POI Search
Figure 78: Ad Displayed During POI Search

Ads can also show up during a POI search, and are contextual based on the type of POI you're searching for. For example, when searching for a hotel, the nuvi displayed an ad for Ramada hotels.

Ad Search Results
Figure 79: Ad Search Results

Touching the Ramada ad displays a list of nearby Ramada hotels.

Ad Coupons
Figure 80: Ad Coupons

On occasion, the nuvi displays coupon ads for discounts at nearby businesses. For example, while I was driving near a BP gas station, an ad for BP appeared on the map screen. Touching the ad brought up the coupon details screen, shown above. Touching the area inside the dotted line searches for nearby BP gas stations.

Driving to an Ad-Sponsored POI
Figure 81: Driving to an Ad-Sponsored POI

Touch Go! to begin navigating to the ad-sponsored Point of Interest.

11. Night Mode

Figure 112: Color Mode
Figure 82: Color Mode

The nuvi 765T automatically switches to "Nighttime" mode at sunset, darkening the screen brightness and adjusting the color scheme to better fit nighttime driving.

You can also manually force Daytime or Nighttime via the Color Mode menu.

Unfortunately, you can't create your own custom color scheme to use on the map, so you're limited to the Daytime and Nighttime modes that Garmin provides.

Daytime vs. Nighttime Map Page
Figure 83: Daytime vs. Nighttime Map Page

The Nighttime map keeps the same layout and controls, but adjusts the brightness and colors used to be more pleasing on the eye when traveling at night.

Daytime vs. Nighttime Main Menu
Figure 84: Daytime vs. Nighttime Main Menu

Switching color modes adjusts the colors and brightness of all menu screens, not just the map.

12. Navigating to A Set of Coordinates

Main Menu, Page 2
Figure 85: Main Menu, Page 2

Like previous Garmin nuvis, the 765T retains the ability to input a set of longitude/latitude coordinates as a destination address.

This capability can be useful for locations may not have an official street address, or used for Geocaching as well.

To route to a set of coordinates, tap Where to? on the Main Menu, and then scroll down to see the Coordinates icon.

Enter Coordinates
Figure 86: Enter Coordinates

The coordinates are pre-populated with the lat/long of your current location. Use the on-screen keypad to input the longitude and latitude coordinates, or touch Format to change coordinates formats.

Select Format
Figure 87: Select Format

The nuvi 765T supports the three formats shown above.

13. Using the nuvi 765T In Pedestrian Mode

Usage Mode
Figure 88: Usage Mode

It's a little buried in the menu system, but the nuvi 765T can be put into pedestrian mode if you want to use the GPS on foot to walk to a destination. To switch the nuvi into pedestrian mode, tap Tools > Settings > System > Usage Mode > Pedestrian > OK.

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