Product Description
garmin Nuvi 680 travel assistant with a super-bright 4.3-Inch diagonal color display and flip-up antenna.
GOOD:
Its a great GPS Unit.. Although refurb, I could not find anything that would make it something lesser than a new unit. I like the voice prompting and Bluetooh integration.
Combined with MSN Direct service this GPS has saved me many hours by routing to avoid traffic, construction and accidents.
BAD:
FM integration is not that great.
UGLY: Garmin Customer support is worse than you can imagine.. Long waits and lack of courtsey. They don't upgrade the maps for refurb units I think and new ones also have a time limit for upgrades. The unit packing does not say anything like ACT NOW to get new maps... and then you will get into long waits or email exchanges with Garmin Support (or lack of it)
JUST LIKE ALL THE RECENT NUVI GARMIN PRODUCTS THIS ONE THINKS JUST LIKE YOU DO. EASY TO USE, WORKS LIKE A CHARM, PRICED RIGHT
I was prepared to spend over twice as much on a Nuvi 760 till I did a bunch of research online. I have found out that the best opinions are not necessarily from professional reviewiers but from average users, the statistical base is much larger and this is where the bugs are discovered.
Apparently, (check this out for yourself) Garmin used to buy vendor supplied microchips from SiRF (Star III version) very high quality and very sensitive, and has switched suppliers to STmicroelectronics for less expensive chips, and possibly in-house mfg and/or other vendors as well for it's newer cheaper units. I'm not knocking STmicro, this is second hand info I'm relaying to you. Do your homework!!!
It's tough to figure what is installed in which unit without doing some legwork (finger-work) and checking the "About" screen on the unit which will tell what chip mfg you have.
Wiki has an explanation of the Sirf chipset as well as SiRF itself at their website.
Back to the 680. Another reason it has no trouble locking onto the satellites is the flip up antenna on the rear of the unit, it incorporates an external antenna jack on the side of this if you want to utilize one.
The screen is plenty bright except when the sun is shining into your windshield and you are wearing sunglasses, then it's hard to see or I'm just getting too old.
Audio output of the female synthesized voice is loud enough but some street names are hard to understand when she/it speaks.
Colors on the screen work out well for me and you won't have any trouble figuring out what kind of road is what, railroad tracks, golf courses, parks etc...
The screen refresh rate is disconcerting, I would like to see smoother movement and maybe the newest ones have that, but then the sensitivity is not as good (hearsay, I don't own a newer one so I can't say for sure). You can only fit so much processing power in one of these and the technology is a couple of years old. For it's age it is impressive.
I updated to the 2010 mapset (took a whole day 8+ hrs to download to desktop and the unit!!) which is included in the price and tried out the free MSN service. I'm glad the MSN is free 'cause it's worthless to me. I live in a rural area which it won't cover, but even near Novi Michigan which is definitely NOT rural, there isn't any service it can pickup. I did get an icon with a thundersorm on it that now won't go away! and it's been sunny for 2 days. If you check the MSN coverage maps they are rather sparse on coverage. I'll have to drive to Detroit soon to check it out. So look to someone else to give feedback on that. One reason it may be ineffective is the MSN receiver is in the DC adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket. Not a good place for an antenna which needs a clear view of the sky.
The cradle and windshield mount are excellent, no issues.
I have used the Bluetooth function with my Moto Razor and it works fine, no more fumbling with the cell while I'm driving, it's loud and the audio quality is good, I haven't had any complaints.
It will take an SD card on the right side for mp3's, maps, pics, poi files.
This unit does way more than I need it to do and I'm very satisfied wih it. I would have no problem recommending it to anyone I know, especially for the 168 bucks I paid for shipped.
I really enjoy this GPS. The first time I used it was around my home area to see how it worked in an area I am familiar in before I used it away from home. My wife and I were going out to eat but we did not know what time the restaurant we were going to closed. I typed in the name of the restaurant in the GPS and hit search. it came up with the name and telephone number of the place, as well as other places in the area with the same name that we didn't even know about. Where we wanted to go was closed, so I used the blue-tooth feature to have the GPS dial one of the other restaurants. It was still open and we used the GPS to direct us right to their door. This restaurant was actually better than where we usually go.
The only other GPS unit I have to compare this to is Microsoft Street and Trips, that I use on my laptop. I really like the Microsoft product too, but a laptop is sometimes too big to haul around. I use the Garmin 680 on my motorcycle hooked into my intercom system and can hear directions inside my helmet.
If you like the features of the Garmin 680, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
i bought this Nuvi 680 before doing a trip to California (I live in Argentina). It came with a 1 year suscription to MSN, this was really helpful to avoid traffic jams in LA. And also lead me to San Francisco with no problems.
It was refurbished, but it was like buying a new one.
I trully recomend this product.
Having tried the TomTom 720 and the Navigon 7100, I would have to say that this is head and shoulders above the others.
I do not write many reviews, but I feel strongly that Garmin is the way to go. Save yourself some time and just get the best Garmin you can.
Came with 2009 maps installed. (The Navigon had a 1.8GB update to download and install, so it was nice to have the current maps installed.)
Love the fact that it came with 1 year of MSN Direct.
Bought a refurbished Nuvi 680 after reading positive reviews which indicated a free map update WAS INCLUDED with the purchase of a refurb unit. Free updates are not included and fact costs $70. For that price, and had I known this, I would have purchased a new unit. Additionally, and as noted by other reviewers, all cities are not serviced by MSN Direct. In my opinion, it's another feature you can't use. Also, the Travel Kit features are not included and must be purchased as an add on.
This is my first GPS, did lots of research on products and settled on the Nuvi 680. Now that I have it, I have to say it's a big rip. Bottom line: buy a new unit, not because the refurbs are not reliable but because the map updates are not included (and my unit last acquired a satellite in Feb., 2008) and updates are expensive.
Good Product if you travel and are directionally challenged. It will locate any business you need and direct you there. The refurb was in perfect condition and easy to set up. Photos look great on the wide screen and MP3s sound clean. Bluetooth works great, connects flawlessly.
I am very pleased with this GPS. My cousin had a Garmin Nuvi and that made me switch to this one over the TomTom. The unit came in a factory refurb box so its not confused with a new model but looks like a new model. Very high quality. The unit works very well and despite other reviews that I have found online, it takes me directly to the location that I input.
Pros: Large display, easy functionality that wont leave you guessing what to do next, long battery life so shorter trips won't require the battery cord to be plugged in, text to speech works flawlessly but not available in all languages (not a problem for me but maybe for some), very good reception indoors and in inclement weather.
Cons: Screen touch sensitivity can be a bit to sensitive at times but that may be because I have big fingers. :) No other cons.
As many above have stated this unit is loaded. Finding this many features for the money will be an extreme challenge. Just to put anyones mind at rest that is wondering both the software updates and the first map update (within 30 days of the first 'uplink' of the unit) are indeed free. I verified this with Garmin before buying a refurb. As a side note Garmin's customer service was easy to get ahold of and very helpful. The MSN Direct component has been extremely useful, particularly for hunting down low gas prices. The hands free bluetooth ability has been very surprising. The sound quality is very good. Frankly I expected poor sound quality, it has replaced my earpiece when in the car.
Functionally as a GPS so far the 680 has been flawless. I had some worries about it being a refurb but outside of the price nothing points to it being a refurb.
For a sub $200 GPS unit I highly recommend the Nuvi 680 Refurb. I personally bought mine from DigitechDeals and have been very satisfied.
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About Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished) detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2865 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Garmin
- Model: 010-N0540-25
- Dimensions: 6.50" h x 6.50" w x 6.50" l, 2.00 pounds
- Native resolution: 480 x 272
- Display size: 4.3
Features
- Pre-loaded with complete Navteq Maps for North America
- 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions; Accepts custom points of interest (POIs)
- Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker allows for hands-free calls
- 480 X 272 pixels
- Super-bright, sunlight-readable color screen
Read more Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
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