Garmin nüvi 660 4.3 Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Editorial Review
With a gorgeous widescreen display, the Garmin nüvi 660 GPS Personal Travel Assistant is your answer to the call of adventure. A sleek navigator and a keen travel assistant, the nüvi 660 is preloaded with highly detailed City Navigator NT road maps for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This map database features nearly six million points of interest (POIs), including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions, and the data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.This preloaded navigator brings all this fantastic map data to your fingertips with a super-bright, 4.3-inch widescreen display for improved map viewing, day or night. Use the touch screen interface to select destinations, look up POIs, and play your favorite MP3s and audio books. The display also helps you control hands-free calling, traffic alerts, and the FM transmitter, all from the screen of your personal travel assistant.

Which nüvi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators

Wider screen lets you see more of what's around. Compare these actual size views of a 3-inch (diagonal) screen

and a 4.3-inch diagonal widescreen

Widescreen -- See Better, See More
The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.

FM Transmitter -- Hear Better, Hear More
Instead of straining your ears to hear turn-by-turn directions or your favorite MP3s, you can enjoy wireless FM audio transmission via the nüvi 660's wireless FM transmitter. Tune your car's radio to the appropriate station and you'll hear all the nüvi's audio, including voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle's stereo system. The nüvi 660 includes many "must-have" entertainment and travel tools, including digital music and audio book playback, JPEG picture viewer, currency converters, and more. All these great features make the nüvi 660 a complete Personal Travel Assistant.

First Rate Map Data
The nüvi 660 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.

In addition, the nüvi 660 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs

Important note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. If you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store.

Hands-Free Calling
In more and more places, it is becoming illegal to use cell phones while driving without a hands-free kit. The nüvi 660's Bluetooth capability, microphone and speaker lets match it to any bluetooth-capable phone to make hands-free mobile phone calls. Simply dial the phone number with the nüvi's touch screen keypad to make a call on a compatible phone. To answer an incoming call, just tap the screen and speak into the built-in microphone. Making and taking calls on the road has never been easier, or safer. In addition, Garmin makes it a breeze to look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or even tap into your cell phone's call history log.

Integrated FM Traffic Receiver

Steer clear of traffic with an integrated FM traffic receiver designed to receive alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.

In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous  there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a "silent" FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.

A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with purchase of this device. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.

Easy To Use Interface
Garmin's interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip.

Beyond Navigation

Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.

A handy MP3 player lets you play songs stored on SD memory cards.

nüvi 250W accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger.

Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 660 features travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, MP3 player, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the map.

This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via SD card, such as the Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs

Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI's) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

Trick Your GPS Ride

Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.
See more icon options

All Garmin nüvis support configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle's position on the map.

With this GPS system on board you'll be prepared to steer clear of traffic with the integrated FM TMC traffic receiver. The nüvi 770 is designed to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.

What's in the Box
nüvi 660 GPS navigation system, preloaded City Navigator North, America NT data, vehicle suction cup mount, A/C charger, carrying case, FM traffic receiver/12-volt adapter with 3-month free trial subscription, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, sample language guide content (preloaded), sample travel guide, sample MP3s (preloaded), sample audio books (preloaded), owner's manual, and a quick reference guide.

Notes

Optional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
The FM transmitter feature is only available in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
This nüvi comes with a free, three-month trial for MSN Direct services.
Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.

Which nüvi is Best for You?
Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.

	Screen Size inches (w x h)	Included Maps			Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names)	Traffic	Bluetooth	Media	FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system)	Multi- Point Routing	Battery life (hours)
	Screen Size inches (w x h)	Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico	AK and Canada	Europe	Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names)	Traffic	Bluetooth	Media	FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system)	Multi- Point Routing	Battery life (hours)
nüvi 200	2.8 x 2.1							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 200w	3.81 x 2.25							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 250	2.8 x 2.1							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 250w	3.81 x 2.25							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 260	2.8 x 2.1							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 260w	3.81 x 2.25							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 270	2.8 x 2.1							Photos			up to 5
nüvi 350	2.8 x 2.1					FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 8
nüvi 360	2.8 x 2.1					FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 8
nüvi 370	2.8 x 2.1					FM (receiver included)		Photos, MP3s			up to 8
nüvi 650	3.81 x 2.25					FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 7
nüvi 660	3.81 x 2.25					FM (receiver included)		Photos, MP3s			up to 7
nüvi 670	3.81 x 2.25					FM (receiver included)		Photos, MP3s			up to 7
nüvi 680	3.81 x 2.25					MSN (receiver included; 1-year free); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 7
nüvi 750	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 5
nüvi 760	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 5
nüvi 770	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 5
nüvi 780	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (receiver inc.; 3 months free) receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 5
nüvi 850	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 4
nüvi 880	3.81 x 2.25					MSN-enhanced (receiver inc.; 3 months free); FM (with opt. receiver)		Photos, MP3s			up to 4
nüvi 5000	4.5 x 2.7					MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)					external battery only

Cached date: AWS Called=true

Customer Reviews

okay but too expensive given the imperfections

2008-05-13
(long review)

After taking a business trip to visit a dozen retail stores and spending hours preparing maps, taking wrong turns, stopping to take cell phone calls, etc., I decided it was time to get a GPS with bluetooth. I wanted something that would help me on such trips in the future but also with mp3 as our car has no CD or mp3 player built in. So I bought the universally recommended Nuvi 660 in December of 2007, and tested it on the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area where I live.

GPSes have come a very long way since the first time I tried one a decade ago (and thought it was useless). But for the 450 dollars or so I spent on the device, I am not impressed. Most of my frustrations with the Nuvi are probably applicable to most GPS units as of 2008, from what I've been able to gather . So here are my pros and cons for this unit:

Pros:

Once the unit is on and mounted, it is easy to use with a very readable display and a nice user interface.

The GPS talks in a very clear, easy to understand voice, and I mostly don't need to look at it while driving.

If I do want to look at the GPS, there are several different views, and helpful hints within the views that are very logical and easy to use. For example, I love that it tells me that the turn will be in 200 feet.

For the most part, it gets me within a 100 feet of where I need to go.

When errors are made, it is pretty graceful about recovering by recalculating new directions.

The FM transmitter combined with MP3 is really great - replacing our pile of cassettes with modern technology - it's really my favorite aspect of the Nuvi 660. The integration with the GPS function is good as it pauses the music when speaking - so this makes it better than having separate mp3 and GPS devices. A great side benefit of the FM transmitter is that you can use the car radio's volume control knob.

The volume of unit is loud enough to hear in noisy conditions (when not using FM transmitter)

I like the trip info page - by recording the time on different routes, I can see which is the fastest, which has most stop time, etc.

My 3 year old son totally loves this device and is really into watching the car go on the map to a place he chooses. He is learning about maps, big versus small maps, left, right, etc. And we have a bunch of toddler music loaded on it so it ends up as a great entertainment device for long car or plane rides.

Allows for a variety of ways to input addresses directly on the unit, and being able to save favorites and bring them up easily is very helpful.

POI database is nicely integrated into the GPS, and even nicer when a phone is hooked up with bluetooth.

Cons:

The basic mapping function is mediocre in the hilly area where I live (though I admit the roads around here are a killer test for a GPS unit as they are big curves and hills, many roundabouts with 5 or more roads, and some complicated highway interchanges, including the "maze." Here are navigation drawbacks:

1) Assumes I will be going maximum speed limit as opposed to an average which is slower due to traffic, construction, school zones, stop signs, and traffic lights - so therefore rarely chooses the fastest route. This also means that the Nuvi's time predictions are almost always too optimistic.

2) When road veers slightly, the GPS does not warn me, and this has sometimes caused me to take a wrong turn when there's a fork in the road.

3) When navigating complex highway interchanges such as "the maze," Nuvi does not tell me which lane I should be in. While it sometimes correctly says which side of the highway an exit will be on on a straight, simple highway, it often gets this wrong when there are multiple highways merging or peeling off.

4) There have been errors in the maps on several occasions that lead me to a dead end or did not correctly place a road.

While I love the GPS voice navigation, it lacks a few things that force me to look at the screen, such as when I need to veer left, or "you need to take the FOLLOWING left onto Smith Ave. To get the best navigation out of the device, it helps to look at the screen.

While it doesn't bother me, my wife found the window mount to be very visually distracting so she simply can't use it - and she even complains when I am using it and she is in the back seat. Of course this will be true of all window mounted units. It is possible to buy a dashboard mount which modestly improves this issue.

Getting the Nuvi on and off the dashboard adds an extra minute to each car ride. The dashboard mount is better as it cuts down the time a bit - especially because you can just take the whole thing and put it on the floor in 2 seconds when you're leaving the car.

No buttons for volume, mute, and brightness - means I am forced to navigate the screen while driving, something I'd rather not do (and my wife gets very nervous when I do it anyway).

Primitive power management - no sleep mode, and turning it on takes a leisurely 30 seconds. Also, it took me a while to figure out several things you really need to know about turning it on, such as you need to hold onto the power button for several seconds, and that the GPS positioning happens much faster if you have the antenna up when turning it on).

Some things about setup are awkward. Bluetooth was the worst - I was lucky enough to find a forum post explaining I needed to downgrade the Bluetooth software to 2.4 to get it to work with my Blackberry Curve 8320 - Garmin tech support did not know.

Other than a complicated custom POI software you have to download from Nuvi (that I haven't tried yet), there's no simple way to get in addresses from your computer. If I want to visit 15 places on a 3 day trip, I'd much rather type the addresses in my computer, not using the much slower on-screen keyboard.

The included manual is skimpy and leads to common mistakes/confusion such as how to mount/dismount onto the windshield, that only mp3 format works for music, stating clearly the kind of SD disks to buy, describing the turning on/off tricks, etc.

The online manual is incomplete despite being fairly wordy. To discover many features or clarify how the unit worked, I often went onto various online forums to find answers. Luckily this is a popular model so I always found answers (eventually).

Picking a destination using the map is a tad awkward.

Have to go through a warning screen every time it powers on.

It's nice to have a slide show feature but it doesn't allow ordering, or sorting by date.

In Summary: If you're hoping to buy a GPS unit that will be as good as a decent human navigator that knows the area, you will be disappointed by this unit, and pretty much everything else out there. The maps are not perfectly accurate, and the unit doesn't have data on stop signs, traffic lights, school zones, etc., so you will often be sub-optimally routed. However, the device certainly beats printing out dozens of maps and having to stop the car and look at a map after every wrong turn when you're traveling alone in a new area. The media player and bluetooth features are nice additions that integrate well with the device. So it basically does the job, but it seems pretty expensive given the imperfections.

GPS

2008-05-13
I bought this for my husband and he is thrilled. He has been looking for one for a while and says this is has all the features he wanted.

Love it!

2008-05-13
I bought this GPS for my boyfriend for his birthday/graduation present. It was the first GPS either of us had ever used. It was easy and fun to set up. We used it the day after he got it to take a 2 hour trip. We were extremely happy with it's performance. Not only does it give excellent directions, but it also keeps track of how many miles and your average speed and such, and it was helpful in finding somewhere for us to have dinner. We also used his phone through the bluetooth and listened to music through it. All together, we are very happy with this purchase.

excellent purchase

2008-05-13
After checking out various products in several stores, I was all set to buy a lower-model Garmin. I came to Amazon, thinking I'd get it for a somewhat lower price. To my enormous surprise, not only did I find that lower-model Garmin available at a good price, but Amazon had the nuvi 660 ($650+ in stores) priced at under $350! With free shipping! The 660 had some excellent features, but I hadn't felt comfortable with the extra cost; I ended up getting it through Amazon for LESS than I'd have paid for the lower-model machine in a regular store.

It works perfectly. Couldn't recommend it enough! Don't buy a car charger separately, though, since it DOES come with one. I would suggest you DO buy the Dashboard Friction Mount, because the suction cup windshield mount is only okay. The Friction Mount works nicely.

Still Got to Watch the Signs

2008-05-13
Plugged in to find nearest Walmart in Atlanta, GA and ended up at the flag with no Walmart in site. Sometimes can't find satelite and asked you what city you are in. Maybe the battery was low...who knows. Those 6 lane highways you really got to watch the signs and don't depend completely on the Garmin Nuvi to know it all. Other then that it serves the purpose in keeping you from getting lost and always being able to find home. :)

A good guide

2008-05-13
With a gorgeous widescreen display, the Garmin nüvi 660 GPS Personal Travel Assistant is your answer to the call of adventure. A sleek navigator and a keen travel assistant, the nüvi 660 is preloaded with highly detailed City Navigator NT road maps for the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This map database features nearly six million points of interest (POIs), including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions, and the data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.This preloaded navigator brings all this fantastic map data to your fingertips with a super-bright, 4.3-inch widescreen display for improved map viewing, day or night. Use the touch screen interface to select destinations, look up POIs, and play your favorite MP3s and audio books. The display also helps you control hands-free calling, traffic alerts, and the FM transmitter, all from the screen of your personal travel assistant.

Which nüvi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators