Question is will the new functions like multi-destination routing and where is my car be able to have software upgrade on the nuvi 680? Does Garmin do such a thing in the pass?

wait till you see the WiFi, GPRS 5" display Nuvi that will pop up. It will make these Nuvi 7xx look like an 8 track player.

I wonder how much longer the 6xx will be available and how much the price will go down?

The entire nuvi line has become a joke. I'm sure that it's Garmin's biggest seller, probably because if you add up every sale of the 230 different nuvis combined (OK a slight exaggeration) it'll be a huge amount.

Obviously, Garmin doesn't consider the end user and their potential buyers as being very savvy. The reason that I say this is that one doesn't have to buy the high end nuvis (unless they absolutely want features like MSN Direct) because even the cheapest ones have the same software. So Garmin throws these little bells and whistles (some useless) on some units and charge the customer a couple of hundred bucks extra.

Now comes the nuvi 7xx series which SHOULD have been a software update to ALL the nuvis. But no, Garmin promotes it as if it developed new features, even though the Streetpilot xxxx had them in the past. To make matters worse, the nuvi 7xx probabaly won't include all of the Streetpilot xxxx feautures such as detour by road, custom avoids, and placing priority on the roads driven? Why? Because Garmin will probably include these on the nuvi 800 or something, and charge a premium---features that come standard on other cheapo gps units not named Garmin.

Quite frankly, I'm sick of Garmin's tactics. If Magellan or TomTom or whomever can make a gps that works as well, is less buggy and provide better support, I'd no longer be a Garmin owner. But they currently don't. That's the biggest problem. I don't like being a sucker to Garmins shady game plan. So I'll hold onto my 2730 and nuvi (and TomTom One) until another manufacturer blows me away or Garmin rethinks its strategy.

Hey RobGPS! You know what?! If you do not like Garmin then do not buy it. Buy ‘cheapo’ GPS and enjoy. But stop bitching all the time. There is NO perfect GPS and there will never be one. Because if somebody makes one then he and everybody else will be out of business very soon. So if you do not like what is on a market now and since you are so smart ass, why do not you start your own GPS company and make THE Perfect GPS. Just shut up and enjoy what is on the market. When you die then nothing will matter and just imagine how perfect GPS units will be in 50 years…

Hey Sawahara! You know what?! I'm so sorry that you have such obvious low standards. Companies like Wal-Mart and manufacturers of junk thrive on such customers like yourself.

Maybe it was difficult for you to comprehend what I wrote but I will repeat that what Garmin is promoting as "new" features is actually not new at all. They existed in the Streetpilot xxxx series. Then Garmin decided to dumb down their software with the nuvi series.

Now they are being re-introduced slowly but surely. If you cannot see this as a blatant marketing strategy by Garmin to milk whatever they can out of the nuvi series, then I don't know what to tell you. And yes, most other manufacturers offer these features in even their low end models.

So, what could have been an update is now being touted by Garmin as the latest innovation. Only, they are returning these features piecemeal to get whatever they can out of the nuvi line, which quite honestly lacks innovation. Hence, my belief that Garmin will further milk the nuvi line by reintroducing custom avoids and road exclusions on future Garmins and tout them as the latest and greatest.

That said, Garmin still makes the best gps out there, even if I'm not thrilled with their tactics.

But, I'm truly happy for you and your choice to go with the flow. Life must be blissful for you, eh?

Robo makes some good points. I have to agree with him. The multiple destination feature should have been in the entire Nuvi line.

My concern with the 700 series is: will it be using SiriF III chip or are they going to use an in-house chip that the 200 now uses. I returned a nuvi 200 (bought for a gift) as it kept losing satellites . I recently ordered a nuvi 350 instead as I'm hoping it still uses the Siri chip--sure hope they didn't downgrade the chip in the 350. I paid $360 so it's fairly reasonably priced.

What really upsets me is you can't pick a routing option for "use mostly highways". Many reviews complain about being directed to travel off the hwy and then back onto it. That just doesn't make sense.

I have an alpine in-dash nav unit (RB1)made for Chryslers that is 3 years old. It doesn't have a touch screen and doesn't speak the street names, but otherwise it is a complete package with multiple destination planning, turn arrow on screen, compass on screen, distance to destination on screen, minutes to arrival, trail feature, and more. It also replaces the radio and has a cable for cd changer input. And it's Sirius compatible and steering wheel control compatible. I sure wish the Garmin Nuvi line had the gps features of the alpine unit.

I feel let down and unhappy about my nuvi 670 when I try to use it. Not only can I only download waypoints from MapSource, but the darn things don't even ask if I want shortest or quickest route. The nuvi 7xx series will at least do that basic thing, but, is the absolutely useless static-filled FM transmitter going to be any better?

If you compare my satisfaction level owning the SPIII with that of the Nuvi series, it's way way lower for the nuvi.

Even I find that strange as the Nuvi is vastly smaller, lighter, and faster than the StreetPilot III - but the SPIII at least did the basics right.

It's a wierd feeling as the Nuvi is still "better" in most ways than the SPIII - but feelings are feelings. I feel ripped off by the entire nuvi line of products because basic things are totally omitted (like a QWERTY keyboard, or usable FM, or even putting POIs in a category that makes sense - not in "Food Lodging dot dot dot" which is ridiculous.

Sigh.

I have to agree with Robo also. The Nuvis are great but I think it's high time for Garmin to stick a few more user options on their products. For example, I'm somewhat of a fan of Magellan's Split Screen TruView when you approach the next turn. The closest Garmin gets to that is touching the "distance to next turn" on the bottom right of the screen. That brings me to the fact that I also would like to see what my next turn is going to be by just looking at the screen and not having to touch it while I'm driving.

Now those may be considered just "extras" (or $2,000 per GPS for Garmin) but I swapped GPSs for a day with a friend of mine who bought a Mio C220 for $200. I was blown away. I could practically adjust every pixel on the screen. It was very nice with the amount of customization and I was planning to buy one until it routed me somewhere.

The only other point I wanted to bring up was just out of curiosity to what other people think but does Garmin's map motion seem a little slow at times? I know a couple of portable GPSs out there that have very smooth map motion but Garmin's has always struck me as a little slow. Just curious.

Overall, Garmin is still the best but if another company picks up its game, I'm going to have follow Robo's lead and get out of the Garmin circle.

Well....well .....well!!!!! Now what must I say??????

Being using Garmin products now for a very long time(the companies). Finally decided I'm going to buy my own and go for top marks and bought a Nuvi 660 a month ago, having expecting all the basics with a few nice bell's and whistles and being on a trip in Dubai and needing a GPS, I thought it to be the right time to do my purchase.

Well only to find out that it doesn't have the famous FM and doesn't have the "basics" multi routing and tracking!!!

.....AND that the new 700 series with all I need is about to be launch!

Now, are there going to be updates for "stupid" guys like me, or will that have being the best $750,00 wasted ever?

Had a nuvi660
I purchased a 660 one month ago and it performed just as as it was required to do so. I read all the reviews and everyone said that this was the unit to get.
Then I read about the 700 line coming out this month. Well back has gone the 660 and I will wait for the 750 (bluetooth never used it). I look forward to a review of the 700 series when it hits the market so I can make a better choice and it MIGHT be current for a least 4 months until Garmin introduces the 800 series.

just my thoughts

No RobGPS, you do not get it.
I am sick of people who just whine all the time. Bad GPS, bad cars, bad this, bad that. So why do not you move your fat ass and do something? Complaining on this and similar sites does not do the trick. Did you call Garmin and complain? Did you ask to talk to their project leader? Did you write them a letter (no e-mail, paper letter with tracking number)? Most likely no. So that is why all companies around the world do whatever they want. If current customer does not like their product, there is 1000000 other waiting in line to have it.
And if you have such great ideas what perfect GPS should be why do not you organize meeting with Garmin people and show then the light?

It is way better then watching TV 24/7 while talking on your cell phone and listening music while munching all those McShit burgers.
Dumb American.

I wish this new garmin would have the AAA tour book. This is something I would really would like to have on it.

I hope that the Nuvi 760 offers shortest time, shortest distance fastest time, least use of highways and most use of highways. I own the Garmin Nuvi 660 for about a year now, when the new update came out for the latest mapping I went to best buy bought the disc and installed it. Well let me say i use my gps about 10 to 20 times a day and it will not stop taking me off the highways. I know some people might say hey go to avoidinces and uncheck highways I have already done so. Is there anyway to fix this. I did not have this problem with the previous version of maps. Also when I arrive at my destination 8 out of 10 times it is off by 0.1 or 0.2 tenths of a mile now this may not seem that bad however if you are on a busy road and you have an address plugged in and the unit is off by that much especially in the dark it is hard to find the correct home or business. can i uninstall this and go back to the previous maps. I think it is a software problem because this never would happen with the older maps believe it or not. The new mapping keeps on telling me to get on the highway and then quickly get off this is wrong. thanks Lew if anyone has any suggestions let me know. My wass is on and i have the latest firmware downloaded 4.10

Lew:

I have nuvi 350 (same 2008 maps as your 660) and haven't noticed much of a problem with it telling me to get off the hwy too soon. I'm in Massachusetts and do some fairly distant driving at times.

I do wish they would incorporate the 'most use of hways" though but haven't really had much of a problem yet with routing. I sure wish it had segment deletion but I guess the 700 series will address that. I have that feature in my in-dash 3 yr old alpine unit in one of my cars and it works much better than the garmin in many ways.

But the Garmin serves it's purpose at a reasonable cost. I paid $375 with shipping from Compu-plus. And they have no fee for returning any product for any reason.

Lew:

I have nuvi 350 (same 2008 maps as your 660) and haven't noticed much of a problem with it telling me to get off the hwy too soon. I'm in Massachusetts and do some fairly distant driving at times.

I do wish they would incorporate the 'most use of hways" though but haven't really had much of a problem yet with routing. I sure wish it had segment deletion but I guess the 700 series will address that. I have that feature in my in-dash 3 yr old alpine unit in one of my cars and it works much better than the garmin in many ways.

But the Garmin serves it's purpose at a reasonable cost. I paid $375 with shipping from Compu-plus. And they have no fee for returning any product for any reason.

well, I hope magellan picks up its ass because I've done my research, trial/error in a span of 6 months, and I am buying a Garmin.

Robogps has a very good point but I simply just don't have time to wait any longer and I need a gps because I need it for the road.

Sawhara what is your problem?

When will your review be out on the new garmin 700 models.

I'm curious to see if Garmin has addressed the slow recalculation times for missed turns that was present in the 600 series. That has been a serious enough problem upon occasion that the TomTom910 looked good by comparison.

Fletch, to echo Dave's comment, when will you have a review of the 700 series up?

I'm just in awe at how SAWAHARA doesn't get it.....this is a blog, a discussion of thoughts and ideas of the product in question - can't you read at how very many have agreed with ROBOGPS? I'm thinking of getting the 750.

I Agree with M Panes & RoboGps.

Instead of holding back and releaseing new products with technology that could be implemented in previous models with a software uppgrade is plain greed and should be punished by death (Greed=deadly sin). Maby not but it's not the way you make your customers happy. If possible the manufacurer in this case Garmin could try to keep older models alive with upgrade packets.

PS If Sawahara thinks Robogps is a whiner, and does not like whiners, then why whine on Robogps?
IMHO I think the Sawahara rant was way whiner than the reflection of Robogps.
DS
Stay Fresh!

Gentlemen: I have an idea for future GPS unit design. I enjoy changing the voice accent from American to British. Why not automatically change the voice accent to regional US depending where you might be traveling at the moment. For example, New England, deep South, Appalachian, Fargo North Dakota, etc. You may already have a unit that already does this. I just haven't heard of it. You've come up with everything else!