thisisnascar

In anticipation of my 750 arriving on Monday, I want to go get an SD card for it today. I'm thinking I was a 4-gig version. I've been reading about SD cards, and it seems there are different types. Security vs. non-security types, micro vs. standard, etc.

What do I look for when I go to the store? Am I looking for just a standard 4-gig SD card or is it known by something else?

thisisnascar

No one knows?

markbrown47

I'm using a 4 gig SDHC card with no problems.

Mark

dav

Right, regular SD / SDHC. No micro or mini. No security. Speed class not particularly relevant (class 2 is most common on sale and is fine).

thisisnascar

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

mrmcsmitty

I have a 1GB micro card that came with an adaptor that makes it a regular. Originally used it for my Razor phone. It works fine on my Nuvi 750 as long as it is installed into the adaptor. And check out Untitled for incredible deals on sd cards and such. I have used them for several things and other than the AV Cable being wrong for my 3g iPhone, everything else has been OK.

Max

I've been visiting www.newegg.com and keeping an eye on their prices, they occassionally have a daily special that is pretty sweet.

The Class of card will only come into play when you're accessing photos or music library on the card, or pushing content onto the card. I use class 4 and class 6 most of the time but thats just because it's what I have.

__________________
Nothing free is good, nothing good is free.

EdGcom

1st time here and saw this note. I had same question and emailed Garmin Support, yesterday (3/10/2009). Got a response within 3 hours. Answer wasn't as complete as I would have liked, but sufficient. Appears SDHC cards are fine. They say "any" SD card. I've heard where users have 16 GB and they work also.

Their response:

*******************

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

I would be happy to help you with this. Our devices work with any SD card, but we recommend cards no larger than 4 GB. Cards with a larger capacity than this can cause the unit to operate slower than normal. Please let us know if we can be of any additional assistance.
With Best Regards,

Dan R
Product Support Specialist

Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Dan R
Garmin | Follow the leader

wegriffin8642

My only complaint is that the SD card is for JPEG's only---MP3's are stored internally and that limits the number of songs you can save for playback later....BUMMER...But now I am confused after posting this message...I will now edit it and ask for help. Being new to this forum, I read many of the "backlog" questions and answers and came across several comments about loading MP3's on the SD card and playing them thru the 750. How is that done? The instruction manual indicates that only JPEG's can be loaded on the SD card and reviewed, and that the MP3's are stored into internal memory only. Could someone please clarify this for me? If you can actually play back recorded MP3's on the SD card, how is that done?

dav

I had never heard of that restriction, so I just copied 1G of music onto my card (since it is a 1G card) and put it in the nüvi.

On the music page I had to press "search" but it found and plays them all. I don't think it has enough internal memory to have copied them all there, plus they disappear when I remove the card.

wegriffin8642

Thanks---I'll try again....great forum here...

EdGcom

Just confirming my prior post. I bought a 4 GB Sandisk and it works fine.

wegriffin8642

Thanks to all who responded to my query about MP3's on the Nuvi 750...and especially thanks to Dexter for the phone number via private email and the help via the phone. I did in fact have a "problem" with the Nuvi, but with his assistance, I was able to better describe the problem to Garmin and their tech help solved the issue(s). Putting a voice with a name helps sometimes...and I was able to assist him (after discussing several topics) in his issues with taking pictures remotely with his digital Canon camera. This IS a good forum--thanks again.

zookre

I am using a 2gig sd card which I have loaded 600 country song on and it works great

spork

Sorry to dredge this thread back up. But you guys seem like the experts, and I'm hoping you can help me separate the fact from the fiction regarding SD cards, MP3's and the Nuvi 750.

I'd like to get the 4GB (or 8GB) SD (or SDHC) card, and put about a squillion songs on it. But I've seen some disturbing claims.

This link suggests I'd have to nearly 6 minutes for the unit to boot each time if I fill a 4GB card with MP3's. That seems kind of ludicrous. Can anyone confirm this?

At least one guy says the unit can only recognize 999 songs regardless of SD card size. Apparently a tech from Garmin told him this.

Some say you should not use subfolders because entire subfolders at random will fail to load. Others say you should use subfolders because it will make loading/booting faster. Any insight here?

I'm wondering if there may have been any firmware upgrades since some of these observations.

Finally, I haven't seen anything about whether a bloated SD card will affect any performance other than the load/boot time.

Thanks in advance for any tips. It's not too late for me to choose something other than the n750 if that's the wrong choice.

HumVee

spork, I can see that you're really struggling with whether or not to purchase the n750. But I think you're just spinning yourself in circles. I doubt very much that any of the nuvis or zumos that have multimedia capability are going to handle all that much differently. They'd have essentially the same OS and hardware, minus some tweaks for specific features. And if you're not going to get a Garmin, what are you going to get that has better multimedia handling features?

Finally, if multimedia is that important to you, why don't you just buy an dedicated multimedia player to house your music collection, and use your GPS unit for navigation? The FM transmitters in these units are always subject to interference and signal loss, so you're constantly having to futz with them and are still not happy with the sound quality. And if you use the 3.5mm output jack to go into your car's Aux input, you could just as easily do that from an iPod Touch or Zune HD or some such. Then you could store your entire music collection, plus have room for movies and games and whatever else you need to keep you entertained.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do - just give you some thoughts about alternative ways to tackle your purchasing dilemma.... So buy your GPS unit (whatever you decide it should be), and if it doesn't do the job for your multimedia needs, save up for a dedicated media device as your next big purchase.

rugerkahr

Good recommendation, HumVee. I was thinking the exact same thing when I got to your post. The guy basically wants a dedicated music player so he should just get an iPod or something that will work MUCH better. Sure, the GPS can play some songs, but it really does make a crappy music player. All these added "features" that depart from a GPS being a GPS is a lot of the problems we're having with these dumbed down units, especially the Nüvis. Trying too hard to be everything to everyone...cutting out core features to make room for others...and failing...

spork

Thanks for the advice guys. Basically, I have a navigator already that I'm completely happy with - the N255w. The *only* reason for me getting a different unit is to add the MP3 capability. I also have an MP3 player that works perfectly well, and have been using it for years. The *only* problem with it is that the font is too small, and it's not in front of my face. I figured the perfect solution would be to get a navigator with MP3 capability. That puts it all right there on the dash in one unit. There's no concern about saving up for the right unit or units, it's entirely a matter of finding the right unit to fit my needs.

Also, I definitely plan to use the audio jack. I've never been satisfied with the FM transmitters in any case, and they wouldn't be worth a thing in my area.

If the Nuvi really isn't well suited as an MP3 player, than I think you're right that I better look for a better approach. I'm definitely not interested in a player that will take 6 minutes to boot every time I get in the car.

Is it your experience that I will be waiting that long for it to boot?

rugerkahr

Why don't you just try it yourself and simply drag/drop tons of music on to an SD card? It's by far from permanent and you'll know exactly how it behaves. I only messed around with copying music to the internal memory on my 660, but I don't remember it taking any longer to start up. It did "seem" to slow the unit down overall with the screen refresh rate, but that was just a casual observation because someone else had mentioned it. I don't keep any music on my 660, nor do I ever use it as a player. Just doesn't do it "good enough".

edited to add: I re-read your first post and it sounds like you don't have an SD card yet. I'd go ahead and get a 4GB (or even 8) card and they aren't expensive at all. You never know when one can come in handy if you don't end up using it for your Nüvi. Get a MICRO SD card for more flexibility. They'll come with an adapter to make it work with standard SD card slots...and they work just fine. Many cell phones use micro SD cards as SIM cards and I use them in my Garmin 60CSx hiking/handheld GPS to store maps.

HumVee

Thanks for the clarifications on your needs, spork. I understand your logic completely. It's not that the nuvis are bad music players - it's just that it won't be as good as a dedicated music player. But you're right that the nuvi display would probably help with your vision issues.

I never tried to load a ton of music onto my zumo 660. I'm at work now, but will give it a try when I get home, and report back to you.

spork

I don't currently own the N750. My current unit is the 255W. It doesn't play MP3.


Thanks again guys. I'd rather avoid putting two units on the dash (navigator and MP3 player), but I'm kind of liking your idea of a Zune or Ipod Touch. I spent an hour or so checking them out on-line. I'll try to go look at one in person.

Regarding my vision issues, I've got bad news for you guys... I've had 20/20 vision all my life - still do. But apparently when you get to your mid 40's you lose the ability to focus up close. D'OH!

rugerkahr

Uh oh. I turned 40 last October and still have 20/20 vision. Since I'm in the flying biz, I hope that's not true for me!

spork

I think you're going to start noticing your Lucky Charms aren't in focus pretty soon. That's how it hit me. The doc tells me the loss of ability to focus up close is one of the most reliable markers of age. I've been a pilot as well - for over 30 years. Still no problem with that. I'm 20/20 as long as I'm not trying to read something up close.

Grab a book and see how close you can focus on it.

rugerkahr

I can clearly read the teeny tiny text about calorie info, etc on my Subway napkin at less than a foot away.

spork

That's great news for you. I hope it stays that way. Most people are surprised at how quickly it changes once they start to notice it. But apparently that's only true because they don't start to notice the problem until they can't focus closer than 18" or so. As it goes from 18" to 24" or so the sense is that it's getting bad quickly.

The other thing that's worth noticing is how you do in dim light. In bright light your pupil constricts, and focus gets much better. In bright enough light even I might be able to read your subway napkin (although I can't stand Subway).

In any event, sorry for the off-topic tangent. Thanks for all the info. I now return you to the normally scheduled GPS discussion.

rugerkahr

Aw, what's wrong with Subway?

spork

Don't get me wrong - I'm all about junk food. I'll do McD's, B.K.. etc. In fact I consider Chick-Fil-A and Steak 'n Shake flat out gourmet. I just don't like Subway at all. The worst part is the bread they're so proud of. But I guess that's why they make menus.

Incidentally, I just did a little test on my eyes. In good lighting I can squint a little and read reasonable print about 3" from my eyes. In normal light I couldn't read the same print at 18".

rugerkahr

Subway is junk food in the same sense as Fatty D's and Booger Fling?

News to me when I eat my tuna or turkey sub on wheat with a salad full of veggies and a splash of oil and vinegar on it. I love their bread. It's always fresh and smells great. I've been digging the hearty 9 grain loaf lately.

spork

My apologies. I don't mean to disparage Subway unneccessarily. Perhaps I should say fast food rather than junk food.

rugerkahr

No problemo.