Garmin nüvi 250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Silver)

I have used Garmin products before and like the reliability and performance. This unit works very well and in addition a great value price wise. The touch screen works perfectly - no more hassling with non-user friendly buttons. Very easy to navigate the GUI and always seems to find a signal quickly. Routes seem to work well for me (have had it for 2 weeks so not fully tested on routing). Voice prompts are functional and options exist for different languages - I like using the English accent voice. Another great benefit is the size - no external antenna and a small thin unit with a big screen (big enough for me)very well packaged. You could carry it around for hikes or biking as it has that mode and can easily fit into a pocket. All in all I'm very satisfied and use it every day for business because it saves me time and money.
~By a viewer (USA)

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Garmin 010-00679-25 Forerunner 50 with Heart Rate Monitor and Foot Pod

I did a lot of research before purchasing and was down to the 305, 405, and 50. I really wanted a GPS watch, but the price of the Forerunner 50 with footpod and HR monitor couldn't be beat. I also liked the smaller watch and the fact that it didn't need to be charged.

After owning it a week:
I really like the watch. I don't typically wear them, but it is very comfortable. It is only slightly larger than a typical watch and has a fine adjustment on the band. I'm wearing it all the time.

The hardware is impressive. The foot pod and HR monitor worked very well right out of the box, and were comfortable to wear. They "paired" right away and were ready to go when I was ready to run. The ANT installation went as advertised on windows vista, and the upload works automatically for Garmin Training Center, but not Garmin Connect.

Possible improvements:
For the watch itself, the number of "views" while in training mode can be confusing. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it with use or reading manual, but it is clearly more than I'm used to.

Installation: The process seemed to drive you toward choosing either Garmin Training Center (software on your computer) or Garmin Connect (web sofware), but not both. I didn't know the pro/con of either, so I wanted to try both. It was awkward when it wanted me to install ANT drivers again for the installation of the second one. I canceled the installation at that point - but found that Training Center was installed.

Software: It is really not clear to me if Garmin Training Center is still being developed. They seem to be improving Garmin Connect (web) regularly, but at its current state, it doesn't have any benefit over Training Center. (remember - I'm not seeing the GPS/maps, so maybe there is distinction there). So after a week, I still find myself bouncing back and forth. There are a few bugs in Garmin Connect and a few notable features that I would really like to see (that is available in other web training software).

Results:
I'm very happy with the HR monitor and cadence results. They seem spot on and reliable. I'm still working on the distance and pace. I did a test 3 mile run on a measured course and found that it recorded 3.1 miles. I messed up a calibration run by hitting the wrong button, so I'll be trying that again (a subsequent 8 mile run was recorded as a 9 mile run... argghh). I've found that the instantaneous pace is not accurate, but hope it will improve with calibration. Garmin Connect is also doing something weird with the average pace calculation... but I think that is a bug that will be fixed.

Overall I'm very happy with the purchase, but hope they continue to improve the software. Currently, that is the weakest link. If they don't, there may be other sites that accept forerunner uploaded data to fill the gap. ~~ Review by T. DeLorey (Lynchburg VA)

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GARMIN 010-00329-05 Forerunner 101 Personal Training Device

I am a moderate runner. I run every weekday with distances from 2-4 miles. However, I wanted to change up my routine, and I have started running 10 miles on Sundays as I read that the inclusion of a long slow run does heaps for your running. I didn't want to get stuck doing the same run after gmapping out the 10 miles, so I decided to buy a forerunner.

Things that sold me on the forerunner 101:
a. pedometers need to be calibrated well or else you have no clue how accurate the read is. In addition, in order for the pedometer to be accurate, you must maintain a steady overall pace which means hills, slopes, uneven grounds, even grass/mud will affect your stride making the pedometer inaccurate at times. this made me realize that I needed a gps monitor.

b. i didn't want to spend loads of money...so the 101 was a really inexpensive model...$100 at most places (dick's or target).

c. I didn't need the bells and whistles. I don't pay much attention to heart rate...and I don't need to upload my personal running info onto my computer, so the 305 and 405 forerunner had a lot of options and applications that I didn't need.

Overall, the 101 is great because you can switch out the AAA batteries (which is a BIG plus, I don't care what I hear different.) You get 12-15 hours out of the batteries, but honestly, it's not a hassle at all. The satellite signals were easily acquired and I live in a city. My suggestion is that you actually stand outside as you turn on your GPS forerunner because it acquires the signal much faster rather than sitting inside (even if you place it next to a window). It takes about 15-30 minutes to acquire the signal when you turn the GPS forerunner for the first time. It takes about 1-2 minutes every subsequent use after that(unless you drive or travel to a faraway place).

In addition, if you live near tall buildings or in a busy city, the interference may confuse the forerunner , but i have always found that the signal comes back after just a few seconds...and it recalibrates and adds the distance from where it last received signal.

All in all, this has made my runs very enjoyable. I am not restrained and bound to the same jogging route, and it has made jogging that much more pleasurable. I love this toy!

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Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Automobile Navigator

I own both the Nuvi 660 and the 760, I'm writing this review for people having trouble deciding between the two as the price difference between the two products at the time of this review is about 100 dollars. I'm not going to focus on the feature differences, as that information can be easily obtained from specifications and online reviews. The 660 was a fine product back in 2005-2006, but the new 760 outdoes the 660 in practically everything, but there are some key usability fixes that make the 760 a better buy for the frequent user.

1. 760 has much better fonts for street names than the 660. This may seem like a trivial update to some, but the 760's fonts greatly improve visibility. The 660 uses all capitalized text for street names on the map, and the font is incredibly cartoonish and unaligned, something like the scribbling Comic Sans font on the PC. The 760 uses your standard Verdana-like font with street names in capitalized and lowercase letters. The fonts on the 760 are smaller, cleaner and surprisingly much easier to read while driving. The maps end up looking professional, and not some cartoony children's video game.

2. 760 has better rendering in 3D map mode than the 660. In the 660 when you are zoomed in under 3D map mode, the roads close to your car are displayed incredibly large, so large that they run into other roads, making the zoom function essentially kind of useless for dense roads. The 760 does not oversize your roads just because you zoomed in to view smaller roads in detail. This fix is very nice for those who drive in places with dense roadways, like New York City.

3. No antenna on the 760 makes hooking up your Nuvi to the cradle one step easier. On the 660 you need to flip up the antenna before attaching the cradle. For people who park their cars on the street overnight, removing the GPS from the cradle for storage in the console or glove compartment is a must, and it's a lot easier hooking up the 760 to the cradle than the 660. It's hard to aim the 660 to its cradle in the dark as you have to align both the bottom edge and the charge port under the antenna. In the 760, the charge port is directly on the bottom of the unit; you can attach it to the cradle with one hand in the dark easily on the 760.

4. It takes the 660 a good 45 seconds on average (sometimes longer than 2 minutes) after boot up to locate the satellite on a cold start. If you have firmware 2.6 installed on the 760, the satellite acquisition time after boot up is between 10-20 seconds. After the firmware update, my 760 also holds a stronger lock to the satellites than my 660, I can get satellite lock inside my house with the 760, whereas I can't get a lock with my 660 (adjusting the antenna does very little).

5. The ability to set multiple ad hoc viapoints on the 760 means it's a lot easier creating alternate routes (very handy to avoid a specific interstate or a high traffic road). Whereas the 660 gives you just one viapoint. (Review by J.Yin)

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Garmin nüvi 770 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant

Features of Garmin nüvi 770 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant:

• 4.3-Inch Diagonal Touch Screen Color Display
• 480 X 272 Pixels, Wqvga Display With White Backlight
• Preloaded With City Navigator(R) North America Nt & Europe Nt
• Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology For Hands-Free Calling
• Speed Limit Indicator Displays Speed Limits For Highways & Interstates

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Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator

Features of Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator:

• High-Sensitivity GPS Receiver
• Color-Handheld Mapping Ideal For Both Marine & Outdoor Use
• Bright, Sunlight-Readable Color Tft Display
• 64 Mb Micro Secure Digital Card For Storage Of Optional Map Detail
• Fast Usb Connectivity Makes Loading Charts & Maps Quick & Easy

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GARMIN 010-10747-03 12-Volt Adapter Cable

Every Garmin product is designed to meet the most demanding standard: customers' satisfaction. That's why Garmin equipment is manufactured to give you reliable service for years to come, with intuitive features you can grow into over time - all at a price you can afford. Charge your GPS as you drive with this 12-volt adapter cable.

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