Customer Reviews
Should have purchased it a long time ago 
2008-06-12
In the past I'd print out maps and directions from mapping programs to find my way to new places. In the last year, those directions failed me twice, once when I was try to get to a critical business meeting. That convinced me. After a lot of research I chose the Garmin Nuvi 780. I've had it for a little over a month. I should have bought one of these a long time ago. The screen is crystal clear and easy to read both day and night (the night view sort of looks like a photo negative) and voice directions are easy to understand even though some of the street names are not pronounced correctly. There are some quirks in the map programming but I've found the same quirks using other mapping programs so it's not unique to Garmin. The response time lags reality by a second or two. When I come to a stop the Nuvi continues show some forward speed for up to 2 seconds and when turning a corner there's a second or two delay in reorienting the map. These are not problems, just observations. Although the Nuvi is a bit pricy if I had to buy another one i'd get the same one. I highly recommend it.
Great Device and Easy to Use 2008-06-04
This is my first automobile GPS, and I did a lot of research before settling on the Garmin 780. I live in the Washington DC Metro area, so all of the extra features work here. Upon its arrival, I downloaded and installed the latest Garmin WebUpdater v.2.41 and then updated my 780 from software version 2.50 to 2.90. I also updated the Bluetooth and other firmware, along with the languages that I use. This all worked flawlessly in a Windows XP virtual machine on a Linux host. FWIW, the 780 will charge off of the supplied USB cable.
The 780 acquired the necessary satellites in just a few minutes when first activated, and does so in less than a minute for subsequent activations. I found the screen brightness to be fine for both day and night. I'm using the 780 with the Garmin Portable Friction Mount. Smashing windows and stealing GPS devices is the sport of choice in the DC Metro area, so I wanted no evidence of a GPS extant when I left the car. The friction mount works perfectly on my Honda Accord dashboard and stores easily in the center console, leaving no trace of a GPS behind. Very cool. The 780 easily fits in a shirt pocket, so it's not necessary to leave it in the car.
I tested the 780 immediately by driving during rush hour to a residence across the river in a tangle of park roads off of the beaten track, then returning at night. The Garmin had no trouble creating a very fast route to the destination that bypassed most of the heavy traffic during rush hour. On my return, I bypassed a turn on its preferred routing. It recalculated a new route in less than a second which was the exact right answer. The new route wasn't a recapture of the original route, which wasn't possible from that location, but an entirely new route. The routes it picked were appropriate for the times of day traveled, which can be a daunting task here if you don't know which roads go which direction during the appropriate rush hour. DC is a notoriously difficult area to navigate, but so far the Garmin seems up to the challenge.
I found the volume of the internal speaker to be more than adequate even with the radio, air conditioning, and windshield wipers going. Voice notifications led upcoming turns by an adequate amount, and the voice prompts always helped me get into the correct lanes in plenty of time for upcoming turns. During a particularly tricky section where several major roads converge on a bridge, then diverge on the other side, the Garmin gave almost constant appropriate guidance to ensure that I took the correct forks and turns. I was quite impressed.
The Bluetooth paired quickly with my Motorola Razr V3. It even provided its PIN code at the appropriate time. The phone functions work great and it's easy to hear over the 780 speaker. The party on the other side of the phone said that I sounded like I was in a tunnel, which is typical for remote devices for autos. I have another BT hands-free device and it garnered the same comments. The Garmin's on-screen phone cues make hands-free easy.
Activation of the MSN Direct service was simple over the Net. On initial activation of your free 3 month trial, they offer a 6-month extension for $9.95 which gets you to 9 months of service total for less than $10--a very good deal. MSN Direct information took a while to load the initial information, but then it said that in the Quick Start pamphlet. Once loaded, the traffic, weather, and news worked great. Gas prices were behind by several days, which is an eternity these days. My favorite (and cheapest) station wasn't listed.
Overall, I'm very happy with the 780. I'll be working it out heavily in the coming weeks, including on a road trip to another city with MSN Direct service. I can't believe that I waited this long to take the plunge to a GPS device for my car. Even though I'm a master with maps, the Garmin suggested a clever routing that I did not previously discover on my own. From what I've seen so far, the 780 will be a highly valued addition to my road warrior kit bag. I can recommend the 780 without reservation.
Garmin 780 - Great navigation, but lacking in other features 
2008-06-03
Pros -
1) Navigates very well. Allows avoiding tollways, highways, and other.
2) Large screen is definitely a positive aspect.
3) Touch screen navigation is easy to use and works well.
4) Reads Audible books very well. Voice is very understandable. If you stop, and restart the book later it will sometime lose its place, so be sure to set a bookmark.
5) MSN Direct traffic seems to work for the Houston area, although it sometimes takes a while to get an update on current conditions.
5) MSN stock prices are accurate. Gasoline prices are reasonably up-to-date and accurate. Sometimes a day or two old but within pennies per gallon.
Cons -
1) Does not come with case. (Come on Garmin!)
2) FM transmitter is weak, lots of static.
3) MP3 player is very rudimentary, no fast forward, or reverse. Just skip to next track or previous track.
4) Must be connected to auto power cable to get MSN features. So no news, stocks, or traffic until you get to the car. Or bring in the cable and suction mount and drag around the house. (As if)
4) MSN Direct News is a joke - a headline and a very short description.
5) Separate cable with antenna required for MSN direct.
Other
This device does very well what is was designed for. It navigates like a champ. If you want to play music or video get the Apple iPod Touch.
Haven't used the bluetooth so can't comment.
Garmin is the "Best" 2008-06-02
We are very pleased with the Nuvi 780. We just took a trip in the car for 2000 miles and it worked great. It did everything we expedited and more. We are very pleased with Garmin.
Fantastic GPS LOADED with features 2008-06-01
This is a GREAT GPS complete with the latest maps and excellent directions. Blue Tooth Features, points of interest and MSN Direct infomation adds so much more to the functionality of the system. Very few errors are ever encountered on the GPS. Adjusting The volume of the Blue tooth system is a little difficult and I could not get the FM Transmitter to be picked up on the car radio but it has an internal speaker. MSN Direct is highly recommended as it will pay for itself as you can monitor gas prices around you and select the one for the best savings. It snaps in and out of the cradle easily. The feature to find your car works great in open parking lots but is a problem in a parking garage. All things considered, you will love this product.
A great device but not perfect 2008-07-18
I bought the 780 for the MSN service only to discover that I barely need it. The fuel price updates are nice, but there is no way to sort the prices so I am stuck looking at them sorted via distance. Sometimes that gas station is behind me, and when I am traveling, I do not go backwards unless I must.
As far as finding movies, and the other features, they are fairly useless to me. I can find Starbucks and WalMart and all my favorite restaurants without that MSN service.
As far as gps technology goes, it is pretty good. Sometimes it tries to take me through gated communities or closed roads, and a couple of times, it has taken me in directions that make no sense whatsoever, but most of the time it gets me right where I am going. Sometimes it has directions that are better than the way I normally travel.
I don't trust it to plan critical trips without reviewing what it is going to do before I leave. I wish I didn't have to do that, but I think this is a reality with any gps.
There are several things I love about this gps above others:
1. Google maps lets you send points of interest to your gps. This is only available for Garmin or Magellan gps owners. This feature alone has made me love owning a Garmin. Nothing beats finding your location on satellite and sending it to your gps. Especially if you don't have an address. I found a friends property in the mountains via satellite imagery and sent it to the gps. Once you give the 780 your Google point, it takes you right to the door.
2. The audio out connects right to the aux plug on my stereo. While the audio is tolerable for navigation direct from the gps speaker, when I connect it to my stereo, the bluetooth phone conversations are crystal clear and the directions are pristine.
3. The database of poi's is amazing. I have yet to look for a store or restaurant that it could not find. While camping recently, I looked for a Wal-Mart in Flagstaff, AZ. It not only found one that I would not have been able to spot from the highway, but it took me through all sorts of streets to get to it so that I looked like a local in a town I have never driven in.
4. When navigating complex intersections, the 780 always tells me what side of the highway to be on. This has saved me many a frustrating experience of not being able to make a turn because of being in the wrong lane position.
5. The traffic monitor, which may or may not be related to the MSN feature, is pretty cool. When it is issues a traffic warning, clicking on the warning button gives you the option of rerouting. If rerouting does not save time, it warns you of that. So far, I have never rerouted. I have realized, unfortunately, that sometimes the traffic info is outdated. It has told me that I was going to have delays, only to arrive and find the roads crystal clear on more than one occasion.
After having had the 780 for almost 3 months and having put it through most of its paces, I am a very satisfied customer. I would have probably been just as happy with the 680, but I guess I will never really know.
Navigation feature is great, MSN feature fails 
2008-07-14
I travel in a major metropolitan area and should have no problem getting a signal for the live MSN content with this device, however its performance is extremely erratic and therefore unreliable. Who needs stock quotes that haven't updated in three days? I've made numerous phone calls to both Garmin and MSN and of course each blames the other. My last interaction with Garmin they told me it must be the tinted windows in the car that is blocking reception and I should be getting a good signal based on my location. Of course that doesn't help me. Then they said I could get better reception using the device outside the car, which is just stupid to suggest. You may not experience the same issues, but based on my experience I would recommend a less expensive model without the MSN feature to save money and frustration.
Sit back and leave the driving to Garmin 2008-07-08
LOVE IT. Even my wife loves it. This is porbably the first electronic gadget I've ever bought where my wife wants to use it more. Very easy to use. It only locked up a few times because I was zooming in/out too fast as it was navigating. perhaps if I let it go it might have caught up . It was no big deal to turn it off and on to get me going again. The MSN is great. It actually gave me a thunderstorm warning and asked if I wanted to go around it. Traffic updates were good, gas prices were dead on, most of the time. Weather forcasts were great, The "text to speech" was cool. We chose the Ennglish mans voice and he would read any text messages I received on my (bluetooth) phone. Pretty funny. The FM transmitter isn't great at all. What else can I say, I've owned the Garmin eMap (VW bug)and thought that was nice, but this is like a Porsche. Garmin's website is also great for updates and software. That's all, now I want the voice recognition nuvi880 but really who needs that!!! Enjoy and buy this unit NOW!
Great, when it works! 
2008-07-01
I loved my new Garmin. Mapping and ease of use better than the GPS in my Mercedes. However, I was on a trip in Florida (nearly 2000 miles from home) when the screen froze with a 'firmware update in progress' message. Unfortunately, ....it never updated. I got in contact with support (took 2 days) and was told how to do a 'system reset'. Great, I lost all of the poi's and locations I had programmed in. I wouldn't buy one again, based upon this experience. For those of us who travel a lot, and who like to pre-program destinations, stops etc... The thing just has to work!
Good, but needs more integration 2008-06-29
Overall, I love the GPS. It tracks quickly and accurately and the trial service for MSN Direct is a great idea to try it out before committing.
My only problem is that the MSN direct screens are in their own menu item and it's 2 or 3 levels deep to get what you want. It would be nice if the MSN screens could integrate with the Garmin screens so you didn't have to go to different areas for different things. A "one stop shop" if you will.
Overall, very nice unit and pleased with Garmin.
