Garmin nüvi 1490LMT GPS (Vehicle, 5" LCD)

2250 Reviews

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	Price: $279.99
	Price: $249.95
	Price: $149.88
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Pros: Large screen, Compact, User-friendly, Reliable
Cons: No volume control on the side, Short battery life

The Garmin nuvi 1490LMT is ideal for business and out-of-town trips. Weighing a mere 7.8 oz or 221.1 g, this navigator offers greater portability. It boasts a slim and compact body and has a 5" touchscreen display which allows you to view photos and maps in stunning clarity. It can be paired with a Bluetooth phone for easy, hands-free calling and even comes bundled with free Lifetime Map and Traffic updates. Its 2-D or 3-D maps and City Navigator NT street maps help you reach your destination while its Lane Assist with junction view guides you along the way. Thanks to its ecoRoute feature, you can save money and get there as fast as possible. Other features include a currency converter, measurement converter, JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones and calculator. You can also purchase an optional plug-in micro SD card and cityXplorer for more information about public transit. The only disappointments are its lack of volume control on the side of the unit for easy adjustment and its short battery life which can only last up to 3 hours. On the contrary, Garmin's nuvi 1490LMT has advanced features. It can sort out multiple destinations and enables you to navigate and save up to10 routes. It also has a "Where Am I?" emergency locator which ensures that you'll never get lost and Garmin Lock for protection against theft. From the standpoint of reliability and usability, this seems to be a solid performer. It lets you travel in a fun and intuitive way and it gives you all the information you need at the touch of a button.

Garmin nüvi 1450LMT GPS (Vehicle, 5" LCD)

2238 Reviews

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	Price: $259.99
	Price: $157.00
	Price: $229.99
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Pros: Lifetime free Map and traffic updates, Bright and readable touchscreen display, Preloaded with navigation data as well as advanced route planning
Cons: Traffic updates are only available in selected areas, Pedestrian navigation aid is not free, No storage media included

It shares much of the key features found in other Garmin GPS units, but the Garmin nuvi 1450LMT GPS Navigator also has functions that give it its own identity and sets it apart from the others. The most significant difference this particular model has is its real-time free traffic information update service that gives advance warning on buildups in your route through a Garmin traffic receiver antenna supplied with the unit. An alternative route is then recalculated to avoid having to pass through that particular spot. We noted that this traffic service does not cover all areas though. Alongside that is the 1450LMT's free lifetime map updates which require update roughly four times a year, or whenever a new update is available. All that information is accessed through the 5" touchscreen display which is backlit to make it highly readable even under direct sunlight and has a 480 X 272 WQVGA resolution. An issue with the sensitivity of TFT displays of Garmin GPS units seems to have been resolved with the 1450LMT as well. As for the shared features, like other Garmin models, this GPS unit comes preloaded with City Navigator data for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico and has nearly six million points of interest for your reference. Using the optional cityXplorer, pedestrians can use it to get around town faster with public transit directions for selected North American and European cities. However, this service is not free. This model also has the usual assisted navigation functions like lane assist, turn-by-turn voice prompts and advanced route planning. The most impressive sub-feature of this service is the ecoRoute system that determines the most fuel-efficient route as well as checking fuel consumption. With regards to the interface and memory, plus other hardware aspects, the Garmin nuvi 1450LMT GPS Navigator uses a microSD card, but none comes with the GPS. A USB cord is supplied to transfer data as well as to charge the unit but be sure to pick up an AC adapter along with the GPS too, as it has been observed that the USB connection does not supply enough power to fully charge the unit.

Garmin nüvi 1300LM GPS (Vehicle, 4.3" LCD)

1979 Reviews

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	Price: $107.31
	Price: $179.99
	Price: $179.99
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Pros: Preloaded with an extensive map, Has free lifetime map update services, Touchscreen display
Cons: Battery needs a powered USB port to charge better, No included USB cable

A free lifetime map update service is only one of the great features that the Garmin nuvi 1300LM GPS offers to the driving public. It comes ready for use right out of the box, as it is preloaded with enhanced map data for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, with the aforementioned update service keeping the existing map data constantly up to date. This GPS offers solid advanced navigation through audio turn-by-turn directions and even suggests the most fuel-efficient route based on current situations. The route calculations are done through a very quick satellite uplink and displays results faster than other GPS models. To top that off, it also has a few bonus features like a picture viewer, a world travel clock, a calculator and a currency/measurement converter. However, the unit seems to have issues with a few locales, as well as with some sections of cities where the height of the buildings along the road tend to obstruct the GPS' satellite connection. The nuvi 1300LM's main display screen is a 4.3 inch backlit TFT touchscreen display that is easy to read from any angle and even under direct sunlight. It opens up to a bright and intuitive interface that responds quickly to input. If you're the type who hates having fingerprint smudges all over your equipment, its support for styluses similar to those used by mobile phones and PDAs will also be appreciated. The voice prompts coming from the unit is loud and understandable, but can get scratchy when it reaches the upper levels. It has a rechargeable lithium battery that draws power from two main power sources: either through a USB connection or through your car's cigarette lighter socket. It is recommended, however, to use the USB charging method, specifically to use a powered USB port to charge the unit. This makes it seem as if the nuvi draws lesser power from the cigarette lighter socket and makes it act more like an auxiliary energy source for the GPS during long trips. A few other issues about this model are its lack of an included USB cord, which is nearly standard practice with other tech equipment, as well as the need to use its own updater application rather than getting updates through your browser. This makes the update process a little difficult, especially considering the fact that some previously released units have a software version that has bugs which can only be resolved by an update on their website. All in all, though, the Garmin nuvi 1300LM is a solid product for navigation needs that can be comfortably used even by non-technical persons.

Garmin nüvi 1350T GPS (Vehicle, 4.3" LCD)

1969 Reviews

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	Price: $149.00
	Price: $109.99
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Pros: Very easy to use, Simple to install, Long list of features, Works well
Cons: Basic features only, No USB cable and memory card included

If you are in the market for a budget GPS unit, the Garmin Nuvi 1350T is a good candidate. The option to download cityXplorer and its weight of 5.7 ounces make it a perfect tool if you plan on going to places you've never been before. It cannot process and follow voice commands like more expensive models but it provides voice prompts so you won't have to take your eyes off the road when driving. It also allows you to be aware of speed limits on major roads. No USB cable and memory card are included with the purchase but you can easily buy a USB cable and insert a microSD card. For the price you pay, it has quite an impressive set of features. There are some negatives that exist with most GPS units at this price level though, like the fact that it only shows a limited amount of information on the display. On the other hand, the 4.3" diagonal display is large and very easy to read. This could be really important if you're driving and trying to navigate at the same time. The touchscreen display is also very responsive and easy to understand and use. One really great feature of this GPS is the free lifetime traffic alerts that can warn you and reroute you if there are big accidents or even just heavy traffic or other problems that may cause delay when trying to reach your destination. Overall, we recommend the Garmin Nuvi 1350T for those who don't want to spend a large amount of money but still want reliable performance and maximum durability from their GPS unit.

Garmin nüvi 1390T Automobile Navigator (4.3" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD - USB)

1955 Reviews

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	Price: $135.00
	Price: $129.99
	Price: $129.99
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Pros: ecoRoute feature (calculates a more fuel-efficient route), Bright WQVGA widescreen display, sleek, thin profile
Cons: Touchscreen input sensitivity issues, software issues

A bright widescreen WQVGA TFT display measuring 3.81” in width and 2.25” in height spans the entire front of the Garmin Nuvi 1390T GPS, with the main body of the unit standing at 4.8" width x 2.9" height x .6" depth and weighing 5.7 ounces. It comes in piano black with matte and glossy plastic areas on its shell, and except for the solitary power button on top of the unit, all input is done with the touchscreen. The device comes packaged with a preloaded City navigator of the United States and Canada, an FM traffic receiver, a suction cup mount, a USB cable, and a manual for setup guidance. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated at around 4 hours of use supplies the power. Some users, however, have reported shorter charge load times with isolated units. Memory is internal solid-state, with support for microSD cards for expansion. The Nuvi also has an internal speaker for audio output like voice prompts. The Nuvi's software, on the other hand, include auto re-route for faster detour recalculation, route avoidance advisories, an ability to locate the nearest services like hospitals, police and gas stations, and the ecoRoute, which calculates a more fuel-efficient route to drive on and displays it on screen aside from the previously-mentioned city navigator. Its touchscreen display seems a bit slow in terms of response time, however, so people used to the responsiveness of other gadgets with similar input styles might be disappointed with the 1390T. Be that as it may, the Garmin Nuvi1390T GPS remains one of the more competitive navigation products in the market today.

Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Portable Navigator (2.14" Active Matrix TFT Color LCD)

284 Reviews

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	Price: $213.50
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Pros: Exceptional reception, Waterproof and rugged, Many features alongside the GPS functions
Cons: Includes basic map only, Software issue with certain firmware versions

The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx is armed with a suite of impressive features which make it an indispensable companion to the outdoors person. This handheld navigator comes in a waterproof case with a 256-color display screen measuring 2.14" diagonally. It is bright, easy to navigate and readable even under the glare of sunlight. A row of buttons line the sides of the shell, making it a breeze to operate even with one hand. It also comes loaded with a barometer, an altimeter and a compass to easily measure atmospheric pressure, altitude and direction respectively. The eTrex HCx connects via USB, supports microSD memory and is powered by two AA batteries that can last up to 25 hours of use. As with every GPS, the signal reception is the heart of the system. With this unit, it is exceptional. Thanks to its WAAS (wide area augmentation system) enabled GPS receiver that allows it to quickly establish location under cover of dense foliage or even inside buildings and other structures. It is sensitive enough to determine the current position of the user even without being in line of sight of a satellite. The included base map is basic, with about 1000 waypoints along its routes. Users who want more detailed maps need to purchase them through Garmin's website. Also, an issue with certain firmware versions can cause erratic behavior in the unit. Fortunately, this can easily be resolved by a software update to newer versions. Finally, the included user manual seems to be the subject of many criticisms due to insufficient instructions about the operation of the product.