Garmin Nuvi 880: An Excellent GPS model from Garmin Nuvi Series

Written by Editor on Monday, February 02nd, 2009
Categories: Product Reviews       Tags: , , , , , ,

Model: Garmin Nuvi 880

Features:

The Garmin Nuvi 880 is a packet full of excellent features like MSN Direct services, text-to-speech functionality, and Bluetooth. The best it has offered is its navigation system which has got the speech recognition abilities. The accuracy of the speech recognition in Nuvi 880 is mind blowing. The combination of the great navigation technologies along with its compact and solid design make this model one among the best GPS in the same range of the other brands.

Let’s talk about its design:

Like all other Garmin Nuvi’s series, this model is also compact, sleek, and simple in design. It is 4.9 inches in width, 3.1 inches in height, and 0.7 inch in depth and it weighs only 6.2 ounces. Ease of portability between the vehicles is a big plus of this model. Nuvi also comes loaded with various travel tools as well as games.

It has a wide 4.3 inches touch screen with a resolution of 480×272-pixels. The display is so bright that reading the maps or any other features are made very easily. However, you can also adjust the brightness of the screen as per your viewing comfort or else you can put it on an automatic mode. Automatic mode will switches the colors of map for best viewing whether it is a day or night. The touch screen is an excellent feature. The onscreen keyboard is capable to show in both ABC and QWERTY formats. One of the best features here is the predictive text capability which means when you type few letters it will automatically extract all possible search results.

The software and the user interface are also very intuitive. Everything has been marked very clearly, so it is very easy for anyone to figure out every operation just playing it for few times. For most developed operations like multi-destination trip planning or your Bluetooth set up, you may need to go through the user manual.

It has 3.5mm headphone jack on the left hand side along with a mini USB port and a micro SD expansion slot. The power button is on the top and an external antenna jack plus the power or cradle connector is situated in the bottom.

What is included in the package?

The package of Garmin Nuvi 880 contains a vehicle mount (both windshield & dash), a USB cable, a car charger, remote control for speech recognition, and reference materials. The installation of the vehicle mount is very simple, and it holds the gps very secure through out the journey. There is a separate remote control available for the speech recognition, mostly it is found as the built-in in to the device.

The unit is preloaded with the City Navigator NT maps of North America with various points of interest specified. Its voice commands can perform 30 functions which include entering the addresses, volume adjustment, and hands-free speaker system activation, playing or stopping the music player, the trip computer viewing, as well as accessing the MSN Direct services.

What you can do with Nuvi 880?

If you would like to plan for a trip either by using a voice or a touch screen, you can start by entering the address followed by choosing the POI or else selecting the location from the favorites or recent found location. You can store up to 500 favorite’s locations in your Nuvi 880. It also supports multi-destination trips in which you add the waypoints on the fly. You can also chose from three route preferences that is faster time, shorter distance, or off-road and there are three usage modes like pedestrian, bicycle, or automobile. If you have special preferences to avoid certain types of roads such as highways or toll roads, it can also be done. There is a detour function available for avoiding specific part of the given route and in case you get off track, this GPS unit can do the automatic route recalculations. In case, you don’t require the guidance, you can also put the Nuvi for tracking your moves by tapping the View Map.

The Points of interest database consists of all the major categories such as lodging, gas stations, restaurants characterized by cuisine types, ATMs. It also has the database of many specialized interests like gyms, golf courses, nightclubs, and so on. The Nuvi 880 also comes with three-months of complimentary trial of MSN Direct services, which will let you get the traffic updates and the movie times by title or a theater, and it also allows you to search the nearby gas stations by the fuel prices. Plan your trip right from your PC through Windows Live Local and then send it wirelessly to your Nuvi 880. Also receive the latest weather forecast of your area, stock prices, news, and various local events. However, after completion of three months if you want to continue, then you would have to purchase the subscription plan.

Both 2D and 3D maps view are available with different colors for day and night. Plus and minus icons are made on the screen of map which also let you zoom in and out. There is a trip information page which shows the speed, trip time, direction and other details. Garmin Nuvi 880 also consists of a built-in FM transmitter.

Like in most other new Nuvi units, Nuvi 880 also has the “Where am I?” feature available. It provides you with the coordinates of your location, the intersection, and the nearest address.  It will also give the information about the near by police stations, hospitals, gas stations at location. This will surely give you peace of mind in case you need help for any of these services. You can also call these services or any other businesses or Points of Interests right from the Nuvi 880 as it is already integrated by a Bluetooth. Even the address book of your phone and the call history will also synchronize automatically with this GPS for an easy data transfer.

Garmin Nuvi 880 also consists of a number of various other tools useful for use outside your car. For example, there is a currency converter, MP3 player, a world clock, a picture viewer, calculator, and an Audible book player. Apart from these, it is preloaded with many games like Sudoku, Solitaire, and Space Shooter.

Specifications:

Dimensions:

Weight: 6.2 ounces
Width:  4.9 inches
Depth: 0.7 inches
Height: 3.1 inches

GPS System

Connectivity: USB
Antenna: Built-in

Feature Includes:

  • Custom POIs
  • Clock
  • Calculator
  • Built-in speaker
  • Automatic routing
  • JPEG photo playback
  • Built-in FM modulator
  • 2D / 3D map perspective
  • Hands-free calling via Bluetooth

Included Maps

USA, Canada, Puerto Rico

Included Software

MapSource City Navigator North America NT

Display

Type TFT Widescreen
Resolution: 480 x 272
Diagonal Size 4.3 in
Features Touch screen, and Anti-glare,

Connections

USB

Battery

Type: Lithium ion
Battery Life: 4 hour(s)

Included GPS accessories:

  • USB cable
  • Remote control
  • Vehicle mount
  • Car power adapter

Product Unique Selling Points:

  • Custom POIs
  • Sleek and compact design
  • Built-in speaker
  • Hands-free calling via Bluetooth
  • Automatic routing
  • Text-to-speech functionality

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