Garmin Nuvi 855 - 4.4 in. Car GPS Receiver
- Form Factor: Fixed
- Map capabilities: Internal, Map cartridges / Data cards
- Screen Size: 4.4 in.
- GPS Type: Automobile
- Input Method: Touch Screen, Voice Command
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"Recalculating" Message Became a Driving Distraction
Pros
Lane change, voice recognition, spoken streets.
Cons
Constant "recalculating" message makes this unit to distracting for safety.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Nice lane changes, but the constant reiteration of the word "recalculating" made it more of a distraction than a help.
The Garmin Nuvi 855 is the third GPS I've purchased, with the first two getting sent back. I've only been using GPS's a few months, and it's a new experience.
This product came with a USB cord, and a cord to plug into my cigarette lighter of my car, as well as a cheap looking gizmo to stick it to the windshield. It did NOT come with the AC adapter, or even a case! And you can't work the unit while it's plugged into the USB.
It has voice recognition, so you can speak your commands. Which I really liked, because trying to hit the right letters on their keyboard didn't work for me. It also spoke the directions aloud.
It comes with one map update with the first 30 days, and it took about 4 hours to update. I tried it before updating it, and found it had restaurants in the wrong place, as well as our local Sam's Club, a fixture for 20 years was not even included in their points of interest. After updating the maps, both were there. I figured it was a cheap way to sucker us into purchasing the map upgrade for about $100.
Now came the time to figure out how to get put the unit in my car without risking breaking the windshield by trying to anchor it there. Also, with people over 40, the windshield is not the idea location anyway, since we need the lower half of our bifocals to see detail anyway. I purchased the friction mount for another $25, and it works well.
This unit has lane change descriptions, as well as a nice bright screen. One can configure the screen to dim after a few minutes to conserve battery. It has an off-road feature which is supposed to allow one to find their car in a parking lot, but I never could get it to work. You also have the choice of fastest or shortest distance.
It also has a simulator mode, so you can set up your route and play it.
Now the drawbacks.
It tends to lock up, and it's a matter or removing the battery, to reset it. If you turn hit the power button, it does not really turn off, it stays on, with the screen off, so if you want to make sure it's off, remove the battery. Back to the locking up. I'd used it several times around town to see how it worked, but the very first time I used it to go to a unfamiliar part of town, it locked up. I've used it only once since.
It also says, take exit (instead of on ramp, or off ramp). And sometimes, the streets are so mispronounced, it's hard to understand.
But the really bad thing about the unit is the fact that every time you don't go the designated route, it says "Recalculating" in an annoying voice. For this reason, alone, I began to realize that instead of being a driving aid, it was a driving distraction.
This product came with a USB cord, and a cord to plug into my cigarette lighter of my car, as well as a cheap looking gizmo to stick it to the windshield. It did NOT come with the AC adapter, or even a case! And you can't work the unit while it's plugged into the USB.
It has voice recognition, so you can speak your commands. Which I really liked, because trying to hit the right letters on their keyboard didn't work for me. It also spoke the directions aloud.
It comes with one map update with the first 30 days, and it took about 4 hours to update. I tried it before updating it, and found it had restaurants in the wrong place, as well as our local Sam's Club, a fixture for 20 years was not even included in their points of interest. After updating the maps, both were there. I figured it was a cheap way to sucker us into purchasing the map upgrade for about $100.
Now came the time to figure out how to get put the unit in my car without risking breaking the windshield by trying to anchor it there. Also, with people over 40, the windshield is not the idea location anyway, since we need the lower half of our bifocals to see detail anyway. I purchased the friction mount for another $25, and it works well.
This unit has lane change descriptions, as well as a nice bright screen. One can configure the screen to dim after a few minutes to conserve battery. It has an off-road feature which is supposed to allow one to find their car in a parking lot, but I never could get it to work. You also have the choice of fastest or shortest distance.
It also has a simulator mode, so you can set up your route and play it.
Now the drawbacks.
It tends to lock up, and it's a matter or removing the battery, to reset it. If you turn hit the power button, it does not really turn off, it stays on, with the screen off, so if you want to make sure it's off, remove the battery. Back to the locking up. I'd used it several times around town to see how it worked, but the very first time I used it to go to a unfamiliar part of town, it locked up. I've used it only once since.
It also says, take exit (instead of on ramp, or off ramp). And sometimes, the streets are so mispronounced, it's hard to understand.
But the really bad thing about the unit is the fact that every time you don't go the designated route, it says "Recalculating" in an annoying voice. For this reason, alone, I began to realize that instead of being a driving aid, it was a driving distraction.
