Heat00

going to deal with the mounting/having to use cradle aspect of it in order to get some very important features, most important is the mult-routes. a must have for me. not to mention the lane assist with junction view doesn't hurt.

still a little unclear on 2 items:

1. are upgraded maps included?
2. lifetime traffic is included, right? (like my 255WT)

any other reason to get a different unit instead?

Seems like this is the one that has every feature I want.

Thanks!

HumVee

Heat00, it would help forum members to know what makes and models of GPS units you might want to consider, if you told us what your criteria are. Could you list them? Maximum price you're willing to spend would also be useful, as well as how you plan to use your GPS (personal, work or both...and if for work, what kind of work you do).

Yes, the 765T's Specifications and In the Box tabs list Lifetime Traffic. This is ad based. You will occassionally see advertising displayed on your nuvi - a small price to pay for free traffic updates. You get one free upgrade of your preloaded map, if you do it within 60 days of first using your Garmin GPS unit (and having it acquire satellite lock). If you wish to continue to receive map updates, you must purchase a Garmin nüMaps Lifetime Map Update subscription (which can be purchased from direct from Garmin, or from third parties such as Amazon or local retailers such as REI).

I know that I'm going to sound testy - but many of your questions can be answered by clicking on the links I made for you, and doing a little reading. I'm happy to answer your questions or give you my opinions - but sometimes reading can be a faster way to learn something than posting a question. You can also try searching the GPS Discussion forum, where many of the same questions keep cropping up and being answered.

Heat00

yes thanks.
i've done thousands of comparing etc. and I have the 255wt already in other car. ads don't bother at all.

personal and work use, real estate, hence the multi route feature is very usefull.

the real concern, to which i haven't found via searching, is the mounting options. hard to tell without having it here if I have a good spot for it. especially with the fact of the 765 needed to be in the cradle and it cannot be plugged in directly to the unit.
guess it's a leap of faith, suction to window is the worst ever mounting option and not a solution. not only is it in the way of seeing, very visible to theifs and in direct sunlight with wires running up or down in the way.

HumVee

I agree about the suction cup mounting - especially as these GPS units keep getting bigger and bigger. I'm still trying to understand what your list of "very important features" is. So far, I've seen:

1. Important:
   • Multi-Route
   • Traffic updates
2. Nice to have:
   • Lane Assist / Junction View

You haven't mentioned things like Auto Sort (multiple destinations). I would think that would be very useful to you, as you could input a number of addresses you or your client might want to be able to see, and then tell the GPS unit to find the best route to visit all of them. That's described on page 14 of the 765T's Owner's Manual. You also didn't mention Bluetooth functionality, the media player, etc...so are those important? Without you listing what you care about and what you don't, it's really hard to make specific recommendations!

If we only consider Garmin GPS units with the 3 features you actually mentioned + bundled Lifetime Traffic (which appears to be a given), Garmin still has 4 current Automobile specific models for you to choose from: nüvi 755T, nüvi 765T, nüvi 775T & nüvi 1490T. The 755T is the least expensive, but doesn't have Bluetooth (for connecting to your Bluetooth enabled cell phone). According to GPS Magazine, all of the 7x5T series comes with the GTM 20 traffic receiver you're not crazy about (because it requires the cradle). This Amazon link has a very handy table showing a bunch of Garmin nuvis and what traffic service they can have, and whether the receiver is an option or standard.

From what I can tell (especially from reading this GPS Magazine review), you should be looking at the 1490T, which uses the GTM 25 traffic receiver that has the USB Mini-B plug that goes straight into the GPS - you don't need to use the cradle! What do you think?

Word of warning for anyone looking for a nüvi with MSN Direct Traffic: Microsoft will be cancelling the service as of 01/01/2012...so you'll have less than a year of traffic service, and then you'll have a useless traffic receiver (other than to power your device)! This is a different service than the FM Traffic with Lifetime Subscription - which remain unaffected.

MTalvola

Heat00, no matter what new or refurbished unit you get from a "Garmin approved" retailer you will, as previously mentioned, have 60 days to get the latest map upsate. Garmin just released the 2010.40 City Navigator North America update two days ago on Jan 21. That's when I found out about it and usually the GPS forums are "johnny on the spot" with immediately reporting stuff like that. I'd go ahead and get that update. Don't wait for the next one because your 60 days will most likely run out before the next update release. And, when you register it, the free update link won't stay there but a week or two from what I've read.

Heat00

you pretty much nailed it and I had it narrowed last night to those exact 4 on the garmin website comparing. The 1490T seems much more expensive and bigger than the 765T. The 755T does not have bt like you said although every report I've read says the BT in these units is completely useless. I alerady bought a separate motorola BT unit but would love to have it built into the NAV to eliminate a device and cord etc. The media and some of those other functions are also useless to me, I don't care. The plug situation/cradle etc is important however I found the 765T on Best buy's site for 199. I was thinking this is the solution and just deal with the suction mount somehow. Perhaps use the sticky circle and stick to the dash and just try to run and hide the wire best I can.
I would still prefer like my 255wt as it can then be mounted without the suction cradle however I may be able to pull it off.

Most of the other features are the same or non-important. the auto sort multiple destinations is a must, more important than the mounting options for sure.

The difficult part is you don't know how or where to mount it until it gets here and you've already bought it and every car is different.
so there is no trial and error, really. hard to know which mounting solution will work best. I took my wifes 255wt out of her car last night and was playing with positions in my car, using the suction mount (assuming the mount is similar, as it's hard to tell from pictures) and I found 2 spots that MAY work but they're not completely flat. so how the hec do you know if it will stick and hold??? this is my biggest problem.

I would like to know from people who have tested: Is the bluetooth useable? Can you hear ok from the small speaker, even while driving on highway? If not, isn't it rendered useless??

MTalvola

Bluetooth pairs up with my phone just fine and it works "okay" overall, but a great many are still underwhelmed. That's the general consensus I've seen. It works on mine fair enough, but it can be hard to hear and sometimes the road noise/feedback gets through to the person on the other end. It's enough of a bother that I just use a separate Bluetooth earpiece for the rare times I even talk on the cell while driving.

That observation is from a general sense, however. Hopefully, your specific GPS model will be better in that regard.

Also, you're really stressing over this mounting situation of a PORTABLE unit. Maybe you should have gone with an in-dash unit. Seriously, I use a vent clip mount and it's pretty inconspicuous. I don't mind the single wire running to the cigarette lighter charger because that's the antenna for traffic and shouldn't be bundled up or buried in the dash anyway for best reception.

Heat00

yes exactly but the 765t cannot be used with a vent clip. that was going to be my choice but then the cradle is gone and you cant plug in the wire.

and yes, i'mstressing over themount. didn't have a choice on this car to get the in dash.

the vent clip is great but is there a way to use that with the 765t? I don't understand how

HumVee

So what's wrong with the 1490T? You could use that model without the cradle. It's $94 more than the 765T (on Amazon), but has everything you say you want, plus the largest display available (5" diagonal). If you're willing to go with factory refurbished, it's only $45 more than the 765T - that's with free shipping from Amazon. Factory refurbished still has full 1 year warranty. Also, I've heard that your credit card may extend the warranty (by an additional year or longer) - check with your credit card provider. I would think that $45 would be worth it, so that you can stop worrying about the mount PLUS get the traffic receiver that would let you hide most of the cabling under the dash. The traffic module on the GTM 25 is only a few inches from the nuvi.

MTalvola

I'm sure Google works just as well there as it does here. I found the links below and they DO make them. Even with pictures. I used the highly cryptic terms "garmin nuvi 765t vent clip". Took mere seconds. Seriously.

CAR VENT MOUNT FOR GARMIN NUVI 610 660 670 680 765T 855 - eBay (item 360195785739 end time Feb-02-10 17:16:13 PST)

Garmin Nuvi 765T Car Vent Holder

VENT MOUNT FOR GARMIN NUVI 765T 775T 785T 855 855T GPS - eBay (item 150401416279 end time Jan-29-10 08:06:59 PST)

View Product Arkon Removable Air Vent Mount for Garmin at The GPS Store

ANY vent mount with the standard "ball end" will work with a Nuvi because you use the cradle that CAME with it. Just pop it on the ball.

Heat00

"Dude", perhaps you should read the beginning of this thread.

This was my first question and you all told me that the 765T plug from Cigarette lighter, must be plugged into the suction/cradle, not the unit. If this is true than the a/c vent mount in your picture, WILL NOT work with a 765T

MTalvola

Um, it DOES plug into the cradle that COMES with the 765t (like any other cradle powered Nuvi) and that cradle SNAPS on to the ball end of whatever mount you end up using...or the suction mount it comes with in the box. Clear enough?

LOOK at all the pictures in the first link and read the quote below from the very same.

"The mount uses your existing Nuvi cradle. Like the Garmin mount, we use the round hole in the back of the cradle to attach to our vent mount. All ports and controls can be fully accessed."

HumVee

Let's stay civil, everyone. That being said, it looks to me like MTalvola is right. So your choices are: Buy the 765T & use its crade with the vent clip solutions that MTalvola found for you, or buy the 1490T and use it without the cradle.

Poolveteran

Hi,
I find the Garmin suction cup mounts very reliable.Or is it that you don't want it in the windshield?Just wondering.

Heat00

do not want it on windshield. it is annoying, distracting, and encourages theft.

some very good ideas here and now that I understand the 765t does have mounting options that work for me, it is being ordered today

Thank you all for the education and sugesstions.

HumVee

You're welcome, Heat00. Good luck with the mounting!

BabyDoc

Have you considered using a friction (beanbag) mount? What's nice about this mount is that you can move the GPS to whatever position you like on your dash. When you don't need the unit you can hide it under the seat or on the floor mats and cover it over with a plastic bag. If you are having any problems with road noise and your bluetooth understandability, you can even reach over and pickup your GPS and speak more directly into it. .

I personally would recommend the 1490T over the 765T for several reasons. The screen is larger, but not too large. It is much brighter and easier to see in bright sunlight. Keyboard entry on the larger screen is much easier. Many people with bigger fingers have complained of difficulties with the 765T even after calibrating the screen. Furthermore, the 1490T's speaker is larger and the volume is louder and clearer than with the 765T. The BlueTooth on the 1490T is particularly good, compared to some other Garmin models
The thing going for the 765T that the 1490T lacks is 3-D view of buildings in some cities.

I see that you have ordered the 765T and hope that it works out for you.
Still consider the friction mount. You can get a good deal on one on Amazon.

HumVee

I suggested something similar in post #6 of Heat00's original discussion thread on this topic, BabyDoc: traffic antenna & 765 questions

I also suggested the 1490T in posts #4, #9 & #13 above - but it's great that you actually have personal experience with that model and can talk about its positive features! As you say, at this point, Heat00 has committed to the 765T - but your comments may be useful to someone else who is looking at the same choices.

Heat00

thank you again. I haven't ordered yet but am about too.
I think the 1490T may be too big. I will look into it if it has all of the other features like multi route auto sort, traffic, etc. and especially if the bluetooth is useable.
I tried an aftermarket bt from motorola and it was very annoying. would be great if the BT in the garmin actuall works and is useable. when I say useable, i mean the other party can hear you and you can hear them, even if driving on hwy at 80.

all my previous cars had BT built in and all worked fine during any conditions, unless the windows were open.

it seems like all the aftermarket ones, to me anyways, are unuseable. keep in mind i use this for business/work and drive a lot.

Heat00

The cheapest price i've seen for the 765t is actually best buy, cheaper than when I checked amazon. 199 brand new, online only. seems like a good price.

the beanbag is not an option with my driving lol. it will not stay in place and it's a bit sloppy in my opinion. i can't stand any wires hanging down or not secured along with hardware not secured. not worried about theft as these are so cheap no one is breaking in for one anymore. also park in the garage at home so its safe. however permanetly mounting with wires hidded is the way i'll go. hopefully the round sticker will hold where I want it, if not i'll go the a/c mount way. both are out of plain site for the most part and wire can be run down and secured, out of the way.

I know I sound crazy but to me theres nothing worse than wires all over the place lol.

my last 2 cars had nav built in but they both were not very good. the garmin is just so much easier, quicker and better than my bmw nav its not even funny. only downside is the mounting / wires etc. also miss built in bluetooth. can't find a good option for this.

i spend hours in the car and lots of the time on the phone. nav and bt are critical.

Heat00

this is interesting.....

GpsPasSion Forums - 765T vs 1490T ?

guys, what are your thoughts? is the 1490 a lot more expensive, harder to mount?? anything else missing...3d maps is bs i don't care.. fm transmitter is non-sense feature... all others seem to be same...

Heat00

review just found... looks good except one item that looks like a deal killer. no hitting the button to view list of streets coming up. this is not acceptable dont you think? very important feature, doesn't show a list of the streets on a programed route?
also seems to be 30% more expensive for the extra size... i like the fact that the speaker is much larger and louder, might make the BT workable?

Need to hear from owers of the 1490 and 765 to really compare. real world tests are the best.

One of the first things you notice about Garmin's nuvi 1490T is the bright, luxurious 5-inch screen. After you've spent time navigating with the 1490T, other GPS devices will feel downright small and hard to read.
Another apparent benefit of a large 5-inch display is a larger-than-average internal speaker. The nuvi 1490T is about 35% louder than Garmin's 4.3-inch nuvi models. Hands-free phone calls and navigation prompts are significantly easier to hear.
Once you've gotten over the joy of a 5-inch display, the second thing you notice about the 1490T is the overall responsiveness of the device. Menu screens zoom by, and you can enter text as quickly as your fingers will allow. Map scrolling is also smooth.
About 25% thinner than previous nuvi generations, the 1490T measures just over a half-inch thick, making it one of the sleekest looking GPS units on the market today.
Equipped with free lifetime traffic, lane assist with junction view, Bluetooth, text-to-speech (it speaks actual street names), and multi-destination routing, the nuvi 1490T offers many of the same features found on Garmin's high-end nuvi 765T.
Like Garmin's nuvi 1390T, the 1490T fully supports Garmin's cityXplorer maps, and can provide enhanced pedestrian navigation. For example, when walking around New York City in Pedestrian mode, the nuvi 1490T is able to include bus and subway stops when calculating the route to a destination. CityXplorer maps cost between $10 and $15, and available for most major cities in North America and Europe.
Garmin's ecoRoute is a useful feature that helps drivers save money, and provides business travelers with good mileage logging capabilities. Drivers who must frequently file expense reports for work-related driving will greatly appreciate the Mileage Reports feature, which makes it easy to keep accurate records of distances driven and gas used. Mileage reports can also be archived onto a computer and saved for record keeping or tax purposes.
Unfortunately, the 1490T still doesn't allow you to browse a list of upcoming turns and manually exclude a specific road or highway - an important feature found on nearly all other GPS devices, including Garmin's own nuvi 8x5 series, and searching the POI database for a specific business name is oddly slow.
A few minor quibbles aside, the nuvi 1490T continues to evolve Garmin's popular nuvi product line, bringing best-of-breed navigation and ease of use to a 5-inch platform. 5 inches may not sound like a big difference compared to the more standard 4.3-inch screen, but trust me, your eyes (and ears) will thank you. I quickly grew so fond of the large, bright display, and the new enhanced interface, that I'm very likely going to replace my current nuvi 765T with a 1490T. I highly recommend this GPS.

HumVee

I don't understand this statement - especially the "nearly all other GPS devices" reference. If you tap the top green header in map view, you get a listing of all your upcoming turns in the route - that's true. That's certainly the case with my zūmo 660 - but I can't edit from that view. I can't believe that the 8xx series nuvi's would be that much different - and if they were, I would think that Garmin would make that a selling point to differentiate them from other models.

From what I see in the nüvi 855 manual, editing routes for the 8xx series nuvi's looks just like my z660 - you go to Where To? > Custom Routes/Favorites/Recently Found > Edit, then go to Add/Remove Points. You can only do this with routes you've created (others don't have the Edit option). Looking at the manual, I don't see that the interface is any different for the 8xx series compared to other modern zumo's & nuvi's I've handled. Does anyone own one of these, and know for a fact that you can make edit's on the fly right off the map view page?



Regardless, besides this minor quibble (which I take issue with), the review sounds overwhelmingly positive regarding the 1490T. Here is a side-by-side specification comparison of a 765T, 855 & 1490T.

• The 765T has 3-D buildings (on select maps in select cities, not a huge selling point in my opinion) and takes the older SD card format instead of the newer microSD
• The 855 has voice command, but can only store half the waypoints/favorites/locations as the other two, doesn't have Bluetooth & doesn't come with a traffic receiver.
• The 1490T has the larger display, is louder & brighter and does have Bluetooth (but not A2DP stereo Bluetooth, if that matters to you).
• All 3 units have the important traffic routing features (route capable, auto-sort destinations, route avoidance, detour).
• There's a few other minor differences between the units, but nothing big. Go through the specs yourself if you want to know more....

You're correct that real-world tests are best. BabyDoc likes his 1490T, and that review you found was positive. Perhaps you can find retailers around town that have demonstration models of the 765T and 1490T on hand, so you can operate them and get a feel for both?

Heat00

thanks. not sure what a2dp stereo bluetooth means? fm transmitter? if so, this is worthless as i drive a lot in a major city and when i tested this with a stand along bluetooth unit, it always loses reception while driving in the middle of a call.
unfotunately you can't test the bluetooth in a store, need to test in car while driving

i don't care about the larger screen, the biggest improvement for the 1490 to me is the review I read about the speaker being much larger, clearer, and louder.

need to know how well the bluetooth works. that to me is worth the extra $$

HumVee

A2DP is (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile - yeah, they got cute with the abbreviation & used A2 instead of AA). It is a new(er) Bluetooth profile standard, that allows fo stereo audio transmission. I agree that it's not important for your stated needs. It was huge for me on my z660, as for the first time us motorcycle riders could listen to stereo music in our A2DP capable motorcycle helmets instead of just hearing everything in dual mono (the same sounds sent to both ears).

It is not FM transmission that lets you broadcast output from your GPS unit to your car's stereo. It's strictly a Bluetooth device to Bluetooth device advancement, and both devices have to support the profile to make it work. I use a Nolan helmet with the N-Com E-Box Bluetooth kit 2. A2DP is strictly meant to satisfy audiophiles that weren't happy with dual mono. Of course, nothing beats a wired connection for offering the best sound - but A2DP was a big leap forward for the crowd that desired wireless stereo headsets.

BabyDoc

I own a 1490T. This statement is not completely true. If you tap the green bar at the top of the map screen, you get a list of all upcoming turns. What is true is you can't exclude a specific turn or roadway using this list. (I don't believe you can do this with any Garmin Turn List, including the 765T's Turn List.)
Still, you can go into Tools, and select to exclude highways, uturns, toll roads, high traffic roads, etc. which will have an influence on the routing but not on a specific road. I am not sure any Garmin allows for this specific by name road exclusion when planning a route using the Nuvi itself, although you can do this with MapSource. I will say, however, that in practice if you are driving and approaching a road that you don't want to turn onto, all you do is hit Detour. The Nuvi will recalculate a new route that excludes that road, unless no other approach to your destination is possible.


Another thing about a 5 in screen needs to be stressed. Key entry is much easier with a larger screen. Tapping small icons on the screen, never easy when icons are crowded together, is easier when working with a bigger screen. While the resolution and detail on the 1490T screen is no better than Nuvi's with 4.3 in screens, you could argue that you won't see any more on the 5 in screen. That's probably true, but unless you have small fingers, you'll will still experience a major difference with a 5 in screen, when it comes to easier screen entries.

HumVee

Good points, BabyDoc! On my zumo 660, I can change the keyboard layout to allow for larger buttons (spread across several screen pages), to allow for easier operation while in motion - but since I try to make a habit of pulling over to do anything complicated (like manually inputing new routes), I just leave it in the QWERTY mode so that all of my buttons are accessible in one screen.

Heat00

well i pulled the trigger on the 765t.

in the end I didn't think it was worth almost double to get a slightly larger screen and a louder speaker (although for BT it was tempting).
the best price i saw was a good $120more than the 765t.

HumVee

Not a problem, Heat00. The 1490T is currently $91.44 more than the 765T on Amazon, but I understand your reasoning. And after all, the only person that has to be happy with your choice is you!

Heat00

funny story:

got my 765t, used it all day. worked great. a little sluggish compared to my wifes 255WT which I found strange, but hardly a problem.

BT worked great, connected and was crystal clear on the other end however at highway speeds, the speaker was not loud enough for me.

So, I sold it today on the spot to my partner and ordered a 1490T lol.

I think the 30% louder speaker is just the difference I need.

will post results as soon as this one arrives. it appears that the 1490t does not have a2dp whatever technology? Hopefully bigger speaker will make up for that?

too late now lol, 1490t is on its way.

also still puzzled as to why the newer, more expensive 765 isn't nearly as "smooth" or quick as my older 255WT lol.