Garmin Nuvi 880 Review

Garmin has produced some amazing devices in the Nuvi series. Garmin Nuvi 880 is the latest device in the Nuvi series to hit the market. The device was first showcased at CES 2008 where it caught the fancy of the users. Sleek design, solid performance, speech recognition etc are just some of the aspects of this device. Speech recognition has although been implemented in other GPS devices but it hasn’t been much successful. Garmin Nuvi 880 hopes to change all that and more.

Garmin Nuvi 880 specifications :

• Dimensions : 4.9″ x 0.7″ x 3.1″
• Weight : 6.2 oz
• Connectivity : USB
• Antenna : Built-in
• Display : 4.3″ TFT touchscreen with 480 x 272 resolution
• Features : 2D / 3D map perspective, Built-in FM modulator,
  Built-in speaker, Custom POIs, JPEG photo playback,
  Hands-free calling via Bluetooth, Calculator, Automatic routing,
  
• Navigation : Waypoints - 50, Routes - 10
  Garmin Lock, Clock
• Digital Player : Yes, JPEG,MP3
• Card Slot : microSD
• Battery : Lithium ion
• Approx. price : $799

Design

Garmin Nuvi 880 has a sleek and compact design making it easy to carry. It manages to accommodate a large display in its small size. The display is a 4.3″ touchscreen with 420 x 320 resolution. It has high levels of brightness making text clearly visible and maps look great. The brightness can be adjusted and there is also an automatic mode for viewing maps. The display has a QWERTY keyboard and the responsiveness of the screen is very good.

The user interface is intuitive and hence easy to navigate. The menu structure has been well laid out combining both basic and advanced tasks together. The device also has an microSD slot along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Vehicle mount is included in the accessories that come with the package. The speech recognition function is controlled by a separate remote control. Vehicle mount is also bundled in the package, and can be self mounted without much difficulty.

Features

The maps loaded on the device are provided by City Navigator NT which are of North America with loads of points of interests (POIs). Speech recognition function is very well implemented in this device. A total of 30 functions can be controlled using the speech recognition feature which includes entering address, adjusting volume, media functions of player, activating handsfree speaker, accessing MSN Direct services etc.

Trip planning can also be started using speech recognition or the touch screen. There are a lot of ways to plan your trip. You can start by entering the address, a POI or select a location from recently browsed stuff. Detours can also be configured if you plan to take one. The Navi 880 is smart to find out deviations from route and automatically recalculate the directions.

The POIs include almost all the places that you are likely to visit and are sorted in categories for easy access. It also supports addition of custom POIs through its interface. Three months of free subscription of MSN Direct services comes with the device. MSN Direct services give you access to live traffic conditions, movie timings and fuel prices in nearby gas stations. The regular price for MSN Direct service is $49.95 for an year or $129.95 one time payment. Not too expensive if you ask me for the kind of services it provides.

Coming on to the maps, both 2D and 3D views are supported in both day and night colors. Direction of the map can it set to the direction you are driving in or set it to fix north at the top. You can zoom in or out of the map using the plus and minus buttons provided. A trip information page displays your speed, direction, trip time etc. Voice aided turn by turn navigation is present alongwith text-to-speech functionality. It also packs in a FM transmitter which allows you to route device audio to car audio for better clarity in noisy conditions.

There is a cool feature on the device called “Where Am I?” which provides you with the co-ordinates of your current location, the nearest intersection or an intersection. But it doesn’t end there, it also provides you with nearest POIs such as hospitals, gas stations, police stations to help you locate in unknown location. These services can be reached through a simple call which is triggered by the device itself as it has a bluetooth.  Your phone book, call history seamlessly syncs with the device so that you can launch a call from Nuvi 880 itself.

We haven’t touched upon some of the other functions of the device. A Travel Kit is included that contains a MP3 player, an Audible book player, a JPEG picture viewer with slideshow, converters, world clock, calculator.

Performance

The device takes a little under two minutes to get a satellite lock from cold start in optimal conditions. Subsequent starts reduce the time to under a minute and many a times a few seconds is all it takes. The tracking accuracy is precise even when vehicle is moving at high speeds. The trip advisor feature is easy to use and helps you get to your destination quickly. Voice assisted turn by turn navigation is fast to guide you to follow directions. The instructions

Speech recognition capabilities of the device are far superior to those found on other devices. It is highly accurate and works without any quirks. External noise isn’t an hindrance to the device for getting it to recognise our voice, which makes it amazing. The voice feature scores over the touch screen due to obvious reason when you are driving. Overall the device works beautifully harnessing all its power and utilising it to the maximum.

Pros :

• Sleek and compact design
• Excellent feature set
• Free 3-months MSN Direct services
• Integrated bluetooth
• Excellent speech recognition
• Good performance

Cons :

• Expensive
• Slow startup
• Route calculation takes time

Final Thoughts

The Garmin Nuvi 880 is an excellent product with loads of features and solid performance. The speech recognition feature is the best feature of the device as it works flawlessly. MSN Direct services come in handy a lot of times. The startup time is a bit slow and also the route calculations take a fair bit of time. Apart from this, the Nuvi 880 does its job perfectly but comes at a heavy price tag.

My Rating : 4/5