Garmin nüvi 885/885T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Speech Recognition | 
| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
Department: GPS/Navigation
List Price: $599.99
Buy New: $269.99
as of 9/9/2010 11:16 CDT details
You Save: $330.00 (55%)
New (12) Used (3) from $249.00
Seller: Great.Prices
Rating:  218 reviews
Sales Rank: 2153
Format: CD
Platforms: Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows 2000
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Display Size: 4.30
Battery: 1 Lithium-Ion
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 6.4 x 6.4 x 3.3
MPN: 010-00577-30
Model: 010-00577-30
UPC: 753759091279
EAN: 0753759091279
ASIN: B001N2MUD4
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Sleek, ultra-slim design fits in a pocket; High-sensitivity GPS receiver for fast satellite lock | | • | Pre-loaded with City Navigator NT maps for North America, including more than 6 million points of interest | | • | Speech recognition allow you to speak menu options and keep your eyes on the road; Bluetooth-ready for hands-free use of compatible phones | | • | Features text to speech for spoken directions with real street names, MP3 player, photo viewer, multi-destination routing, "Where am I?" and "Where's my car?" | | • | NOTE: Model number on the box is 885T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 885 as the "T" in 885T refers to the additional component | | • | Visit Garmin.com to get the latest firmware updates for your nüvi to keep it current and performing at its best. |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 218
 The Best Out There Garmin 885T March 2, 2009
S. Kumar (Louisville, KY)
205 out of 207 found this review helpful
Excellent features and very good GPS. It gets a satellite lock inside my house!!! The voice recognition is the gem in this thing. It really works and once you start using it, it is very useful and functional. You don't have to push buttons.
Positives: Voice recognitions, lots of POIs, on-line sites like POI-Factory to add custom POIs (easy to do), and a very good set of features. I have tried (it works) but not extensively used the bluetooth hands free and mp3 player yet (8GB microSD card ordered) but I think it will be useful. MSN Direct is the way to go and works very well. I am getting helpful traffic updates in Louisville.
Negatives: I have to say the volume on the unit should be higher. I realize the FM radio option is there, but sometimes you are listening to the radio or a CD and it is hard to hear the Garmin. On a trip do they expect you to only listen to the Garmin? I figure if I use the mp3 option on an FM channel that maybe that is a way around the CD because I assume it will give voice prompts through the music audio (have not tried). Also the few hands-free calls I have taken have given very poor sound on the Garmin speakers making it not useful (maybe a software update? Not sure they are using the A2DP or a good profile.). They must fixe these two issues. They should already have this perfected. One other small potential issue. The band for the voice recognition button barely fits my steering wheel (last notch), on some others that are larger it could be an issue (but I think this may be minor)?
I will post more as I use it. I should give it 4 starts because of the sound issues. I will come back and re-review as I use it. It is worth buying. My brother and siter have Tom-Tom and another Garmin (780) and this is definitely better. The voice command and satellite lock really distinguishes it. When you are driving you don't want to have to reach and push buttons on it. Garmin, please improve the audio ASAP.
LOVE IT!! March 27, 2009
J. Anthony (Buffalo, NY)
88 out of 89 found this review helpful
I recently purchased the Garmin 885t after having owned the Streetpilot C340. I felt that I wanted an upgrade for a couple of reasons. First, I liked the idea of being able to be more "hands-free" if I needed to make changes to my routes while driving and second I was hoping that the blueooth was good enough that I could also use my phone through the Garmin. The purpose would be to streamline what I need to hook up in my car.
I own an iPhone original and have tried a couple of FM transmitters for hands free calling in the car. Though they worked partially with my phone, none were completely compatible. I was so pleased to see how the Garmin immediately recognized my contacts and they are all up on the Garmin screen. Second, even though the iPhone does not support voice dial, I am able to verbally navigate through the Garmin to make calls. This for me is important so I don't have to fiddle with the phone in my car.
After having used the Garmin for a couple of weeks, I can say that I so far am very satisfied. The Garmin's navigation works as expected and as I was accustomed to with my older Garmin. There are many POIs and I am amazed at to what you can find just by saying the place by name (the more popular places). I do appreciate the lane assist feature, which works well in my area. It gives you arrows in the upper left corner telling you the direction of your next turn. Very handy. Be aware, however, that the Junction View does not work with Lane Assist in every area. This is not a problem for me as this is only an "extra whistle" from my perspective.
The voice commands work wonderfully. I am amazed at how well it understands me. This function makes entering information so much easier. I also love how you can use Google Maps to directly send favorite places to the Nuvi, as well.
In regards to the Bluetooth, I find that the Garmin's speakers are better than the nuvi 360 that I tried a year ago. I sent it back because the speaker and sound were awful on it. On the Nuvi 885t, I am able to hear the people speaking well but was told that there was an echo on their end when I spoke. I purchased Garmin's external microphone and people I talk to now say that it sounds much better. I've talked several times on it with no problems.
The FM transmitter works just fine for me, especially if I am just tooling around town. As a matter of fact, I found a station in my area where the music that I downloaded to my Garmin sounds just like I'm listening to the FM radio. No static at all. I like using the FM option because I like having the ability to listen to my callers and Garmin commands through my car stereo. I will admit that when I travel distances, I will probably opt to use my aux. cable with my iPod due to the fact that the FM stations would change frequently on longer trips (which would be a pain).
The suction cup has been great. It hasn't fallen once and I've taken it down a couple of times. If you do have problems, though, put a little moisture on the suction cup and it should stay put!
I haven't had the chance to experience the MSN direct or the picture viewer (doubt I will ever use that) so I can't comment on those features. I would like to add that customer support at Garmin is wonderful. I had to call a few times with questions and they were extremely helpful, kind, and supportive. (My Garmin was originally shipped in the Russian language).
I have been experimenting with this unit and learning how to use the Garmin in the house while I don't have to concentrate on the road. Though it is user friendly, there is still a lot to learn. I also took it with me even if I knew where I was going to "practice" the features. I'd rather get a handle on how to use it when I know my route. As silly as it sounds, it does help!
Kudos to this unit! NO regrets, even though I felt it was more than what I wanted to pay for a GPS.
Cutting edge as of March, 2009 March 9, 2009
Cyrano1818 (Chicago suburb)
46 out of 48 found this review helpful
I wrote a scathing review on the Garmin 785t. A Garmin CSR replaced the original 785t with a new 785t which was worse. In a surprise move, they replaced the second 785t with the 885t. This unit is awesome and I very highly recommend it.
In our family we have a Garmin 250 and a 880. The 885t's voice recognition is superior to the 880. Satellite acquisition is on par with the fastest of my experience and the need for recalculating was recognized within 2 seconds of passing the recommended turn. Graphics are top drawer and in my opinion, well superior to Tom Tom (before buying a Tom Tom, monitor the current suit brought by Microsoft against Tom Tom for OS patent infringement).
I am also pleased at the responsiveness of Garmin's CSR staff. All I did was explain the continuing problems and they spontaneously offered the 885t as a replacement. At a time when customer service is suffering from reduced staff due to budget cuts, Garmin did the right thing here and have won a loyal customer for now.
The nuvi 885t is a cutting edge unit at a fair market price. Will likely retire the 250 in place of a second 885t shortly.
More Than Pleased June 1, 2009
F. L. Wilson (Madison, AL United States)
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
This is the first nav system that I've owned. I had previously just printed color maps from Google Maps and kept them in a loose leaf binder when I went on a trip to places that I hadn't been before. After riding with someone that had a GPS nav system, I decided to give it a try.
Since I was new to these systems, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to set the system up for my trip (and I did read the included manual as well as on-line instructions). Once I figured out that the best way to navigate to each location was to put the destination into my favorites, then either nav directly to the destination, or, if I needed to specify an alternate to the default recommended route, to set up my own route, with the appropriate way points.
A couple of weeks ago, I took a photography safari to Florida, to several shooting sites and motels that I had not been to previously. I set up each destination in the Nuvi, and then selected the target destination from the Where To? menu. I couldn't believe how much easier the trip was with this system.
Instead of worrying about which lane to get in as I drove down the interstate, I just followed the directions from the nav system. What an improvement. With regard to the specific features of the 885T, I found it to be easy to use, though not as quick responding to my inputs as I'm used to with a PC. Still, it wasn't bad. Once I figured out how to set up routes with way points, It was fairly easy to do. I did use Google Maps to help with this process. To me, this is one of the advantages of a portable unit like the Nuvi as opposed to a built-in nav system - you can carry it into the house and sit in front of the computer to plan your trips.
I hooked up the Nuvi to my Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, and that worked as advertised. I was pleasantly surprised the first evening that I was driving, when the unit switched from daylight to night mode. It made the display easier on the eyes. I only had a couple of occasions where the lane view feature activated, but it did work as advertised, and was very helpful. The estimated arrival time feature was neat, and it became a sort of game to see if I could bring this time down - usually though, it went up as I got stuck at stop lights and in traffic. Still a very useful feature.
Another feature that was extremely useful was the display of the speed limit. This was incredibly accurate, usually changing in less than a second as I passed the signs on the highway.
The only thing that I really didn't like about the Nuvi was the included MSN service, which was basically useless to me, since I don't live in a covered area. I would still have used it for travel, except that when I started the registration process, I was asked detailed personal questions which are frankly, none of Microsoft's business. I decided that the limited functionality that I would get was not worth the price. In any case, that didn't detract from the usefulness of the Nuvi for the primary purpose that I purchased it. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase.
One Year Update: I haven't traveled much since my last report. I did take a short trip a couple of months ago to a place I hadn't been before, so I got the 885 out. Unfortunately, it had been affected by the lock-up problem reported by others, and while I tried to download the updated firmware, I was not successful. Since I am about to make another photo safari of about 2,000 miles next week, I tried again. This time, I called on the Garmin support number for assistance. After a 30 minute or so wait, a friendly and helpful person guided me through the update process, and I was able to update my unit with the latest software. It now appears to be back in working order. I'll report back when I get back from my trip in a couple of weeks.
Very Disappointing March 10, 2009
Wm J. Milosh (Oxford, MA United States)
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
After a full year: I used to be a die-hard Garmin fan having owned and used about eight of them. My daughter has two of them that still work perfectly and my wife has another, a 680, that she loves (and won't give back). But I now have a hearty dislike for the 885T and even bigger disappointment with Garmin. This unit will go dead on you if you don't drive your car every day - see my reviews about that below. Wanting to replace it - really wanting to get rid of it, I sent Garmin a couple of emails asking if they had any new units that don't go dead under similar circumstances. They won't give me a straight answer which suggests that all Garmin units have that problem. So, I'm looking at Magellan and Tom Tom. If you drive your car every day, you might like this unit. Oh for my 360 that kept a fresh battery even after months.
When I first bought this unit I gave it five stars, but after using it for several months I would only give it one star. Until I got this GPS, I was a Garmin devotee and supporter having owned and used many rock solid units. But this unit is very disappointing - even after one mandatory and several additional updates. It's almost as if Garmin has outsourced their programming to another company or management has changed. When I first got the unit, the ability to give it voice commands was great, but it turned out to be just a novelty whose use was short lived. I never use the voice commands any more because the unit locks up much of the time when using voice commands. As a matter of fact, the unit even locks up at unexpected times when using the search feature after spelling points of interest and I've never experienced this problem on any of my other units. Even after several updates to eliminate the problem, the unit will still restart unexpectedly for no reason at all and this time it did it at a most inconvenient time when I was going through several interchanges on my way from Massachusetts to Washington, DC. Routing isn't as solid and consistent either. The unit kept trying to route me through side streets going through New York on I95 toward the George Washington Bridge.
For some reason the battery doesn't hold a charge either. If you don't drive your car for several days and then try to use the unit away from your car, the battery will be very low or dead. I complained to Garmin about this and they sent me a new battery, but that didn't fix the problem. All my other units hold charges for many weeks away from the car and my old Nuvi 360 showed a fully charged battery after four months away from the car. I carried the Nuvi 360 to back up the brand new 885T - what a shame. Don't buy this unit.
An update: After several months, Garmin finally realized that this unit actually drains the battery while not being used. My battery goes flat when not used for three days, a major inconvenience. If you get in your car after three or four days and "need" the unit, you'll be out of luck until the battery gets enough charge to start - in my experience, an hour or so. Garmin recommended that I leave the unit plugged into my computer to maintain a charge, but that meant a forgotten GPS when I was in a hurry, another major inconvenience. I'm a Garmin fan, but not a Nuvi 885T fan. Don't buy this unit unless you're in your car every day. Even then it's proven to be a problem unit, even after many updates.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 218
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