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| Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $964.27
Buy Refurbished: $188.95
You Save: $775.32 (80%)
New (73) Used (4) Refurbished (10)
Avg. Customer Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 851
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 2.9 x 4.9
nv:Type: Receiver
Acquisition Time Cold: 38 Seconds
Acquisition Time Warm: 1 Second
Update Rate: 1/second, continuous
GPS Accuracy Position: 10 meters
GPS Accuracy Velocity: 0.05 meter/sec RMS
Inputs: USB
Inputs: Bluetooth
Display: TFT
Touch Screen: Yes
Voice: Yes
Expansion Slots: SD Card
Battery Type: Nonreplaceable Lithium-Ion Battery
Battery Life: 3 hours
Antenna: SIRF-GPS antenna
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Warranty: The Official Ford Licemsed Garmin nüvi 680 product features a full 3-Year Warranty from Garmin. The Ford Licensed Garmin nuiv 680 comes with a 3 year warranty certificate from Garmin in the box. This is a FULL 2-Years longer than the Garmin warranty offered by other retailers.
MPN: 010-00540-25
Model: 010-00540-25
UPC: 053759067992
EAN: 0753759067991
ASIN: B000MF4N42
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great GPS April 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the second Nuvi680 I have purchased. First one was stolen, but I liked the product so much I bought another. The hands-free bluetooth interface works great.
 Buy a cheaper model April 5, 2008
The exta features of this unit over the 650 are all questionable, starting with the big one, MSN direct. I supposedly live in the coverage area. That is iffy. The traffic data is very poor in the Dallas area. Even if it were better, the updating is too slow for a commuter who doesn't keep it hooked up before leaving. I echo the other comments about inaccurate gas price data. I won't renew when the free year is up.
I tried once talking to my wife using the Bluetooth, she said the echo was so bad she wouldn't talk to me if I used it again. The FM transmitter is useless in a city.
The route planning isn't great, but it will get you there. The logic doesn't account adequately for traffic or traffic signals.
Save your money and buy a 650.
I Love This Thing! March 30, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I already had two conventional GPS devices before I got the Garmin nuvi 680. To be precise, I should say before I won the nuvi in a raffle. Yes, I'm a lucky bastard.
The reason I bring this up is because I would never have bought what I called a "driving" GPS, not when I had two other perfectly acceptable devices (a Geko 201 and an eTrex, both Garmins). Mainly, I used these for Geocaching and if ever I needed a real-time map, hooking the GPS to my laptop running Streets and Trips was all I needed.
I'm so glad to say I was wrong--the Garmin nuvi 680 is a technological wonder that goes beyond anything I expected. First, the screen is bright and beautiful, the colors simply pop and it all stands out for readability in everything but the most direct sunlight.
Second, the features on it are incredible (a built-in MP3 starts things off nicely and three free audio books from audible.com are included). Featuring a vast database of data, one can easily search for, and more importantly, find just about anything nearby: food, hotels and motels, theaters, ATMs and banks, entertainment. And with the purchase of an MSN Direct subscription--there is a one-year free subscription that comes with the GPS--you get access to the closest gas stations *with pricing*.
I don't need to bore you with the feature set because that's easy to find, but I'll relate my experience in using it. Starting the device is easy: either push the power button (duh) or simply attach it to the car charger/mounting platform which is held to the windscreen by means of a pretty good suction cup that locks into place. If the car is on and providing a charge through to the charger, the device will turn on. How clever and convenient! By the way, I've had rather good performance from the suction cup, but you need to make sure that both the surface of the cup and the windshield is clean.
Actually using the nuvi is easy: the screen is touch sensitive (although I wish it were more sensitive because I feel like I need to almost bang on the screen sometimes to get a result) and the device works by touching "buttons" shown. If you're not a reader of manuals like me, diving in to using it is also easy and very self-explanatory. Grandma shouldn't have too much trouble with this thing. It presents you with a logical flow to things: first, where do you want to go? At this point, that database comes into play.
If it knows the city you're in (hey, it's a GPS!), you can choose to go either to an address, or you can search for other establishments and even parking. All by touching the screen. Now, for safety's sake, you understand this can get a bit distracting while driving and it's not like I haven't changed options and such while driving myself, but care needs taking when you're working the nuvi. It's dangerous to divide concentration like this and in fact, the nuvi shows a warning about this on each boot up to which the user has to acknowledge.
The Bluetooth feature is incredibly useful. It offers a hands-off connection to your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone with all the usual features (voice dialing, etc.). I really found it useful because the driver actually sees the incoming phone number while driving. One pairing exercise is all that's required and from then on, anytime the two are in proximity of each other, they connect up. The sound is excellent and I found I didn't need to raise my voice when using Bluetooth. The really amazing thing is, the nuvi can broadcast to one's car radio.
This means that instead of the small (although powerful) built-in speakers, you can converse with your pesky friend and hear sound throughout your car! MP3s and audio books can also be broadcast through the radio. This features is hit-or-miss for me though; there are times I can't get the transmission to work and others it works great! I'm still experimenting with this and with the various frequencies to find the best.
As a GPS user, I know that GPS signals are attenuated or degraded in certain conditions--like buildings in most downtown areas. Heavy overhead tree cover will also attenuate signals, but in my experimentation so far, the logic built into the nuvi seems to handle these problems quite well: it simply "knows" which street you're on, even if it's only receiving a partial set of satellite signals. I'm not 100% sure about this, but it seems to make sense.
A word (the last) on the turn-by-turn guidance and instructions. This is one feature I LOVE. Why? Well, say I have a turn coming up to the left but right afterwards, I need to be in the right lane because either my destination is on the right or the next turn is coming up on the right. Well, the nuvi handles this perfectly by giving you this exact information. That right there is the reason I'll be buying another nuvi if this one, hopefully not for a while, bites the dust.
Excellent, REALLY excellent.
A look at the Bluetooth on the Garmin Nuvi 680 March 18, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
There have been lot's of reviews regarding the GPS side of the Garmin Nuvi 680. Here's my review of the Bluetooth features:
With California banning the holding of a cellphone to your ear while driving, you're stuck with either a headset, a hands free Bluetooth unit, or using your phone's built-in speaker. I don't want to try and put on a headset in time to catch a call or try to hear the speakerphone over all the road noise. Plus the Bluetooth hands free sets are currently overpriced in my opinion.
This is where the Nuvi 680 shines.
When a call comes in, the Nuvi 680 shows the number. And even better, it will show the name I've assigned it in my contacts. A simple press of the touch screen and you're talking hands free. I use the FM transmitter to beam the conversation over a radio station so I can hear over the outside noise. It also handles a second call coming in (like the flash option on your home phone) so you can switch between callers easily.
You can also use the on-screen dial pad to place calls. If you're on a call that requires the pressing of an extension number, the dial pad screen works for that too.
But Garmin didn't stop there.
When you use the points of interest (POI) to find a place (restaurants, hotels, stores, etc.) and there's a phone number for that place, you can call it just by hitting the phone icon on the screen. I've used this feature many times to get things like movie times, place food orders, and see when a store is closing. I found this feature very handy when I'm traveling.
Another feature I liked is how my contact list from my cell phone shows up on the screen. This is a nice feature as I don't have to re-type them into the unit. Simply press the 'Phone Book' icon on the screen to access the phone numbers on your cell phone.
The Nuvi 680 also supports voice dial tags. It will use the voice tags that you created on your cell phone. This could be a mixed bag depending your cell phone's voice tag quality. I use Microsoft's Voice Command 1.6 which has the ability to simply say the phone number I want to dial. This is handy when I can't press the individual numbers to dial out. My only complaint is the screen doesn't show what's happening until the call starts. This can be a problem if the cell phone misinterpreted the voice tag and starts dialing the wrong number.
There are other options on the Nuvi 680 like a quick call home button. I also like the Call History button as it shows calls I've missed, dialed, or received. Again this information is gathered from your cell phone so it's always available whether the Nuvi was being used or not.
The Nuvi 680 can also handle text messaging if you're phone supports Bluetooth 2.0 too. I could not test this feature as my phone doesn't support bluetooth 2. I currently have the Cingular 8125. It's a little old but you can't beat the battery life compared to other smart phones!
Overall I've been very pleased the phone options on the Garmin Nuvi 680. I don't have to use a headset! Plus having the phone conversation beamed to the radio for increased loudness is great. While Bluetooth Hands free systems are nice, the high price you pay for one can be applied to the Nuvi 680. You'll get far more features than a simple speaker attached to your sun visor.
 Save Your Money, Do Not Buy This Product March 8, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
My advice is to save your money and not buy the 680. The MSN feature is worthless and unreliable. I live in Minneapolis (where there's supposedly a strong signal) and yet the MSN system has gone "inactive" seven times in the six months I've owned the 680. Each time means a long wait while MSN re-sends the signal, and the inconvenience of not having the feature work. I have updated the software, pushed every button MSN has suggested, and still the device continues to fail.
This is the worst major purchase (defined as a product over $500) that I have ever made. So do yourself a favor, and don't make the same mistake I made buying Garmin.
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