Garmin nüvi 660 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Reviews

• Best Pocket GPS On the Market (at the time)

  
  By AKXQIYQ44DXRY on 2006-09-28
  This is the first GPS unit I owned and couldn't be more pleased. After consulting with friends who have owned multiple GPS units and reading various reviews, this is one of the nicest, feature-packed, and most importantly, accurate unit on the market. Just this morning, I opted to take a longer route to get to the highway because the street I usually take was under construction. I've driven sparingly on that alternate route for 4 years and never realized there was a small intersecting street in a business district I can cut through to get to the highway more quickly. The Nuvi 660 pointed that out, basically shaving off over a mile in distance, traffic congestion, and plenty of frustration. GPS owners tell me having one will change my life... I'm starting to believe.
  
  To clarify on another review: It DOES come with 6 million POIs... for free. It's located under the subcategory of "Where to?" in the "Food, Hotels..." icon.
  
  Update 10/22/06 - Just took this Nuvi on an East Coast trip to Washington, D.C., VA, NJ, PA, NY and its performance exceeded my expectations. It found just about every addresses and POIs I entered, except for one because the store recently changed its name. Needless to say, I never got lost. In one instance, I searched for the nearest Target in Fairfax, VA. Not only it got me there, but told me where to drive around inside the shopping center's parking lot, leading me right up to the front of the store!
  
  Update 11/08/06 - After nearly two months of use, the unit still works well. However, I found that real time traffic indicator is not as useful as initially thought. It would give me the typical obvious traffic jams around town, but who doesn't already know it, unless one is not from here. I've come to realize that no GPS has the capability of knowing which back roads to take to avoid traffic jam in all instances. Only you (the user) being familiar with local roads and its driving conditions can make such a decision.
  
  Update 1/30/07 - The unit suddenly stopped receiving satellite signals yesterday. Tried every method from resetting/rebooting to installing lastest software, but no success. Called tech support this morning and they were able to fix the corrupted software remotely within an hour without having to send in the unit for service.
  
  Originally, it wouldn't support my 4gig SD memory card, but with the latest Garmin software 3.20 update, it now recognizes it. I'm using the RiDATA PRO 4GB Secure Digital (SD) Flash Card Model SDCR4G. Also, my Verizon Treo 650 links up a little better now when in talk mode, albeit still won't maintain a stable connection, ie. phonebook, when in standby mode.
  
  Update 6/4/07 - My brother-in-law was so impressed with the 660 that he upgraded from a lower-end Garmin this past Christmas. Last month, his Nuvi stopped receiving a signal. He tried calling tech support, but was unable to fix it remotely like I had. He ended up sending his in for repair. They still were unable to correct the problem at the repair center, so they gave him a brand new replacement. Despite the inconvenience of the malfunction, he came away satisfied with Garmin customer service.
  
  6/29/07 - This unit links up with my iPhone via Bluetooth without a hitch. Bye-bye Treo 650...
  
  My wish list for a better Nuvi:
  - have option to select a default city, instead of entering state & city every time
  - alphabetize the favorite list and let user create sublists
  - have an alternative qwerty keyboard layout
  - design a better mount.. suction cup sucks!
  
  6/11/08 - Although the Nuvi 660 served me well, I upgraded to the Nuvi 760. Overall, it's a better unit than the 660. If you're deciding whether to get the 660 or 760, consider the 760 because it has a newer map version, faster boot-up (but still has difficulty picking up signals indoors like the 660), no flip-up antenna, slightly brighter screen, QWERTY keyboard, better suction cup mount, and a few other feature enhancements. On the downside, the traffic receiver marginally works and the FM transmitter is still staticky like the 660. By the way, the 660 has been discontinued by Garmin as of January 2008 (if that's a concern to anyone). But if you already have the 660, no need to upgrade because it's still a very capable unit.
  
  6/23/08 - Garmin has a 2009 MAP that one can upgrade for FREE if request within the 30-day period of the unit's registration date. My Nuvi 760 came with 2008 preinstalled. Since I was unable to get the free upgrade via Garmin website, I had to call in and was put on hold for 25 minutes! Anyway, the tech support guy was very helpful in taking me through the steps to register for the free map update. I opted for the CD instead of download. It costs $10 for the shipping/handling via UPS Ground, but he waived the fee for me. Nice! Although I did this with the 760, the same offer should work for the 660, except for the waiver on the shipping :o)
  
  

• Nuvi 660 is full of Problems...NOT worth the money

  
  By A3VESAHUS6MNQH on 2006-11-21
  I must have been one of the first to order the nuvi 660 from Amazon and now I see that they have already increased the price of this new Garmin product that is full of unacceptable problems. I tested the 660 extensively in FL and IL. The first one I got had many frustrating flaws so I returned it.
  
  I got a replacement nuvi 660 and found new frustrating problems with this unit:
  
  1. It keeps taking me on the scenic route, despite being on the 'fastest time' setting and even when there is barely any traffic on the highway!! Although this may be alright when you know the route (i just ignore the nuvi) but, its VERY frustrating when I want to go to a new place and am unfamiliar with that route. When the setting is on "fastest time", I except such an expensive GPS unit to take me to the destination in the fastest time possible and dont expect it to take me on the scenic route filled with traffic lights. This is a very frustrating flaw and repeats itself even when it is not connected to the traffic receiver.
  
  2. The charge only holds for about 2 hours maximum.
  
  3. While travelling on a regular route, it directs me to take an exit (which is actually the correct route and the one I routinely take to work) but, once I take that exit it starts recalculating for no apparent reason and directs me to a different, scenic, route (yes, even when traffic receiver is off or when there is no traffic)!! This happened everyday on the same exit every time I tested it and also on few other routes in FL.
  
  My nuvi 350 doesnt have this problem at all and takes me on the correct path every time.
  
  This is another frustrating flaw when you are in a new area and dont know the route.
  
  4. If you miss an exit on the highway then it takes a nail biting amount of time to re-calculate or even detect that you took the wrong exit.
  
  5. I took the 660 to the midwest recently and tried to find a hotel (nation-wide hotel chain), which has been there for yonks but the 660 couldnt locate it despite clearly entering the address. This was VERY frustrating because I was short on time. I wished I had the directions printed on mapquest.
  
  I tried different ways, moved to various locations hoping that the 660 will accept & detect the address/hotel but it didnt. It didnt locate it even when I tried to find the hotel by entering the name. Finally I went into the "find lodging,food" menu and then entered the hotel name in the "ABC" menu...it eventually detected the hotel this way. I lost a lot of time just trying to figure this out when I shouldnt have had to. I had the correct address of the hotel and yet the 660 just couldnt detect it when I entered it!!
  
  There were other problems I encountered with the original unit I had returned, which I dont have time to post here now. But in my view, the nuvi 350 outperforms the 660 in many ways. I wanted to upgrade to a bigger screen but am truly disappointed with the 660s' performance.
  
  I am returning this second unit too and getting my hard-earned money back.
  
  Based on my experience and in my opinion, its not worth investing hard earned cash in nuvi 660 until Garmin fixes the problems.
  
  I hope Gramin is taking these problems seriously and trying to fix them, via software updates, if possible. I guess there is nothing they can do with the products already in the market if its a hardware problem.
  
  Bottom line: Buy the 660 only for its big screen but in my view and based on my experience, the nuvi 350 is far more superior to nuvi 660 in terms of guiding you to your destination without hassles.
  
  Hope this unbiased review helps anyone who is planning on getting the nuvi 660. Personally, I wouldnt even think of upgrading to the nuvi 660 until Garmin fixes the numerous problems of the 660. It is simply NOT worth it.
  
  

• Wow!! Just unbelievable! Run, don't walk and get one NOW!

  
  By A3IPSECQAUAT8V on 2006-09-29
  With this unit, Garmin has blown TomTom out of the water. The 350/360 were slick units but arguably came up a bit short in the display department when compared to the TomTom - that's all a distant memory now.
  
  This is the most elegant AIO (all in one) GPS navigation solution I've come across to date. IMO, it represents the best compromise between size and functionality on the market today. Beyond this point, increasing the screen size enters the diminishing return territory. The SiRFstarIII chipset, while no longer the absolute best on the market, remains a reliable workhorse with rapid satellite acquisition under even less than ideal conditions. The mapping details are excellent though, as with all mapping programs, is not beyond reproach. The 660 has the most recent highly detailed City Navigator NT maps.
  
  The voice prompts are loud, clear and timely. The ease of use is just fantastic and the visibility and quality of the display are now the gold standard in the industry with a 4.3" WQVGA LCD screen and 480 x 272 pixels. It uses the same low reflection screen as the 360.
  
  POI access is excellent and can be navigated to much more simply than the TomTom unit which requires additional cumbersome steps. The attachment system for the Nuvi is superb and very secure. You can access your POIs directly by name rather than having to go through a cumbersome category menu and then only getting the POIs by proximity as is the case with the TomTom 910. Garmin simply blows TomTom away in the POI functionality department.
  
  This device is intended as an extremely simple point to point navigating AIO GPS navigation solution and is not intended to enable the use of way points or easily changing the course selected by the unit. You have essentially two options: the shortest route and the fastest route. Fortunately, the mapping program selects routs that are very acceptable. Personally, I like to look at the overall route and fiddle with it. This unit is not designed for such use. Microsoft Streets and Trips is ideal for this kind of tinkering, but terrible for point to point navigation while on the go at which the Nuvi has no peer.
  
  Make sure and get the most recent firmware updates on the Garmin website which will fix the known bugs and further improve the functionality. Insofar as functionality goes this unit is as simple as the 350/360. Even my 85 year old father can use these things! He is, to put it kindly, technologically challenged but his 350 is so intuitive and easy to use that he's had no problems whatsoever. He doesn't like to be distracted while driving so he plans his trip before leaving and simply listens to the voice prompts.
  
  The new bluetooth feature enables the use of your hands free bluetooth enabled phone. It's a nice feature, but as with all bluetooth devices that I've used it's still not as good as talking directly on the phone. I personally have not used the built in FM transmitter and so cannot comment on it.
  
  I can heartily recommend this product. Garmin has knocked one out of the park.
  
  

• Generally great product with a few small issues

  
  By A192CQMTRV3QOL on 2006-12-01
  I recently purchased the nuvi 660 for a road trip from the Midwest to New England. I am now using in my daily commute. The product has performed great overall. Most of the features worked well, and the advertised capabilites are fairly represented. I strongly recommend the product, subject to the caveats below.
  
  I also considered purchasing the nuvi 360, but ultimately decided on the 660 because it has the traffic data receiver and the ability to put the audio through the car stero using an FM transmitter.
  
  Now for the issues I have encountered:
  
  1- The FM transmitter works well in rural areas and small urban areas, but not so well in major metro areas such as Chicago or New York. There are simply too many radio stations in major metros for the nuvi to be able to find a space on the radio dial that is quiet enough to not have interference.
  
  2- The auto-tune feature for the FM transmitter is essentially useless. This feature is supposed to find a place on the radio dial that is quiet enough for the nuvi to use. However, I found that it did a very poor job of this. I almost always had to manually tune the nuvi to a blank area on the radio dial. This is not hard, but a bit of an annoyance.
  
  3- The nuvi will lock up if the FM transmitter is on and you go through some electronic toll collection gates. I only ran into this issue in Pittsburgh. I-Pass/EZ-Pass don't have this effect. The manual does mention that this can happen.
  
  Note - if you have a line in jack on your car stero, you won't have to deal with the above problems as the nuvi has a line out jack.
  
  4- Navigation instructions in areas with multiple merging roads are often spoken late, and sometimes are inaccacurate. I have run into this problem in 4 different areas so far. Each location had several interstate highways with various merges and exits, and the nuvi was hard pressed to keep up.
  
  5- Routing around traffic is not very good. The traffic data is clear and accurate, but the features that finds routes around the traffic mostly suggests routes that are not going to save time. I find it more useful to use the traffic map display and find my own way around the traffic (of course, you have to know the area to be able to do this).
  
  

• Nuvi 660 extras = Widescreen + integrated FM traffic receiver

  
  By A1SHS8M64GZTQ on 2006-12-17
  Why buy the Nuvi 660 over Nuvi 300 - 360?
  
  * uses larger Widescreen.
  * includes FM Traffic receiver
  
  Why buy the Nuvi 310, 360, 660 over the Nuvi 300 or 350?
  
  * Bluetooth cellphone integration
  
  Why any of the more advanced Nuvi's over the Nuvi 300?
  
  * Spoken street names
  
  
  I began the day by splurging on the top of the line Nuvi 660. And then by that night I was kicking myself for spending my cash on a bunch of features I didn't really need. After all, didn't I just want a point-to-point GPS unit. In addition, I had a nice earpiece for my cell phone. What good was bluetooth on my GPS going to do? Answer: alot!
  
  First of all, let's get the boring stuff out of the way. Garmin's user interface is intuitive and easy to learn - no need to waste time with directions, just start clicking and learning. If you want a point-to-point GPS then you can choose any of the Garmin automotive series and be satisfied.
  
  However, the feature that surprised me was the Bluetooth cell phone integration. And that's because the Nuvi isn't just a speakerbox for your cell phone, it's a phonebook. First of all, the Nuvi easily imported my contacts from my cell phone. I dind't know it could do it, the screen just started asking me if I wanted to copy my contacts to the GPS unit.
  
  The easy phone contacts import was great, but wait, there's more. I clicked "Where to?" then clicked "Food, Lodging..." then "Food" then "Asian" then "Edokko on Floring Rd." Well, not only did I get an option to "Go!" to Edokko, I also had a little phone icon with the phone number right next to it. I clicked the phone icon and next thing I know my cell phone/GPS is calling the restaurant and broadcasting the signal through my car stereo. So basically, it dawns on me that the Bluetooth feature is not a redundant feature - I have an entire phonebook in my point-to-point GPS!
  
  Another useful feature was the MP3 player. Basically, you buy an SD card to increase the available memory of the GPS and import the MP3 files you have already generated for your iPod. As you drive down the road listening to your favorite tunes the Nuvi mutes your music and reminds you that you have a turn coming up. Does the same thing when a phone call comes in over your bluetooth phone. Very smooth feature for cutting down on the multi-tasking.
  
  If you do get an automotive Garmin GPS be sure to note that you can click-drag the map just like you can with Google Maps. So if your navigator/passenger wants to get a heads up they can click drag the map to the next turn. Or they can also click the heading icon in the lower right to see a slide show of the coming turns. These features make navigating an unfamiliar route much easier - cuts down on the last minute surprises.
  
  Finally, I haven't made mch use of the FM traffic cautions, however, I can imagine it would be quite valuable to know that the current parking lot/freeway you are stuck in is due to an accident or road construction rather than just normal traffic congestion. It would give you an idea of how far ahead things were going to break up so that you could make an alternate route decision.
  
  On the whole I recommend this product. I also recommend the less expensive products as long as you get the bluetooth phone feature. The bluetooth addition is well worth the extra expense you will incur. Are additions of the widescreen and FM traffic receiver worth the extra expense of the Nuvi 660? That is a little more questionable. But you won't feel like you got ripped off when paying for those extra features either.
  
  Edit Re: Safety
  I have been using the Nuvi for the last month between Portland, OR and Kelso, WA. There have been recent storms (you probably saw all the buzz on the news) that have iced over the roads and caused heavy snow that drastically reduced visibility. In other words, I was in an area I didn't know and visibility was hampered. The Nuvi made driving these unfamiliar roads a breeze. I didn't have to struggle to find road signs so that I didn't miss my turn. I could place almost my full concentration on road hazards - ice - and other drivers. My car partner has nicknamed my Nuvi "Garson" - because it takes us right to the type of restaurant we are hankerin' fer.
  
  Edit Re: Charger
  I have a RAZR phone - because I a victim of marketing. This works out great with the Nuvi because the charger input/computer interface cable for both devices is 5-pin USB. One cable for two gadgets, nice!
  
  
• A terrific gps unit
  By A3NEAETOSXDBOM on 2007-09-11
  This is the first gps unit that I have owned. I did extensive research. I wanted a unit that was fully portable, easy to use, and could be charged in the car, from an outlet, or from my laptop. I bought the Nuvi 660 and after using it on long and short trips am delighted that I got it.
  
  Leaving a restaurant late at night in a strange town and missing the turn for the road back to your hotel can spell trouble, but when this happened to me the Nuvi 660 took me on a different route that got me back safe and sound. Likewise, in familiar areas where I know the address of a store but can't read the street numbers, the Nuvi conveniently announces when I am arriving at the store and on what side of the street it is. And finding someone's house at night is a snap.
  
  The screen on this unit is very bright, and can easily be seen with sunglasses on in direct sunlight. The speech directions are very clear and easy to understand.
  
  I particularly like the ability to spell the name of a drugstore or supermarket chain, etc. when I am in a strange town to see if there are nearby locations. I also have used the unit to locate a park to go running in when I was away from home.
  
  Keep in mind that no gps unit is a substitute for common sense or advance planning on a long trip. Don't expect to travel your favorite backroads or shortcuts, but also know that you can explore a strange area in confidence without constantly worrying about how to backtrack onto your original route.
  
  Here are some specific tips when you first buy the unit:
  
  Register at mygarmin.com
  
  Download the WebUpdater. http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/. Use it to update the software, and then use weekly to check for updates.
  
  Download POI Loader. http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/. This will enable you to download custom points of interest.
  
  POI Factory has over a million free points of interest. http://www.poi-factory.com/. For example, you can download rest areas for various highways so that on a long trip you know exactly where they are.
  
  Two words of caution re bluetooth: (1) Does not work on many phones(like mine). Check to see if your phone is listed: http://www8.garmin.com/bluetooth/phones.jsp; (2) if you tune to an FM station with no reception to use your phone, then you cannot listen to the radio.
  
  I substituted the default splash screen with a splash screen containing my cell phone, email, and office address in case I lose the unit(like forgetting to take it off the table in a restaurant). Type text in Word, cut and paste to Paint,save as jpeg file. Copy this file into the jpeg folder on the Nuvi, go to System, display, change splash screen.
  
  Back up the files on the Nuvi onto an external hard drive on a weekly basis. That's a lot simpler that having to re-input all of your different custom points of interest in case something goes wrong.
  
  If you go to a mall or somewhere else where there is a large parking lot, when you arrive touch the screen once, then press save, and name the location. You can then use the Nuvi to find your car easily since it has a pedestrian mode.
  
  I like that on any trip the Nuvi shows not only the total distance, but also the distance already traveled, average speed, maximum speed, and time of arrival, which is not static, but changes depending on whether you get stuck in traffic or really start moving. I also like that if you stop along the way, it is not necessary to re-input where you are going.
  
  I do wish that this unit could save particular routes (such as the backway I come home from the office), but for my purposes that does not matter.
  
  The MP3 player is not nearly as convenient as using my ipod. Moreover, the sound using the internal speakers is mediocre. You can use your car's radio speakers by tuning to an FM station that is not in use, but I can so the same thing with my ipod, so I don't bother with the MP3 player.
  
  The traffic alert feature has yet to activate even though I have travelled on major highways. I suspect this feature works only in close proximity to major urban areas. So depending where you live, this feature may not be available at all.
  
  The 660 comes with a travel case that is convenient to use when transporting it. The unit is only slightly larger and thicker than my Palm TX handheld, which means that I can put it in my back pocket even with the case on.
  
  The unit has many other features that you can explore, but the most important thing for me is knowing that I don't have to worry about getting lost anymore.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Good idea poor design poor implementation.
  By A10B2F3RJ6F5AM on 2007-04-14
  I have had my Nuvi for approx 6 to 7 months and overall I am somewhat satified. Initally I could see no flaws it was perfect I recommend the Nuvi to 3 friends and they all bought one. First impression, features on the Nuvi 660 are without a doubt very cool and a step above everyone else. Now to the not so good stuff which is really a deal breaker for me. First after a month and half the unit locked up, my friends locked up after 2 weeks of light use. Once a nuvi locks up it has to be sent back to Garmin the reset does not work restarting it wont work nothing. We both had the same issues and our units where replaced with refurbished units. My second issue involves the suction cup which is insufficent to hold the Nuvi properly onto the glass. Do not use it at all cost. Every car that it has been placed in the suction cup has failed and the Nuvi to my horror has come falling back to earth each time. For between 600 to 1000 buck you would think they could provide a more secure mount. The Dashboard mount that I have purchased works well. The FM transmitter is not really a feature I would purchase the Nuvi for. If you live in a city the quality of the audio is poor at best. Bluetooth hand free communication is cool when it works and is not sending me false signals. BE VERY CAREFUL the nuvi has a small list of bluetooth enabled phones that it can work with very small. If I pair my phone with the Nuvi, I get continious ghost calls to my Nuvi every 3 to 8 minutes where I have to tell the nuvi to ignore or it will just keep ringing for a bit. I wish I could continue recommending the NUVI like I once did, but with all of the issues it's kind of a lemon. I have worked around most of the issues and it's acceptable to use with many of it's key selling points disabled so my recommendation would be to save some money and purchase a cheaper model with just gps. The Nuvi's bells and whistles are not worth the expense. I expect better from garmin really a let down.
  
  
  
• Best All-in-One GPS Currently Available
  By A32LC23AHFNB0A on 2006-10-05
  The Nuvi 660 takes all of the best features from the competition (including Garmin's other units) and blends them successfully into one unit. I tried several other GPS units before settling on the 660 (Navman 550, Lowrance iWay, Garmin 330, Nuvi 360) and while all were more than competent for the average user, I found myself missing certain features from the other units. None of the units "had it all"--until the 660.
  
  The first thing I noticed with the 660 is the screen. It is much brighter and readable than any of the other GPS units I tried. What good is a realtime map if you can't see it? The iWay and the Navman were often times impossible to read in direct sunlight. Garmin wisely chose a white map background, which effectively eliminates screen glare. The maps on the 660 are always easy to read. They almost have a Sunday morning comics feel to them as they scroll by. I also found Garmin's POI's (points of interest) database to be more current and comprehensive than the other units.
  
  The biggest knock I had with other compact units like the Nuvi 360 and the Navman was the tinny sound from the internal speakers. They were barely audible on the highway. The Lowrance iWay 350 had a wireless FM receiver that let you listen through your own car speakers--a huge improvement. Unfortunately, this feature was not implemented on any of the other units until the 660. In addition, the 660 comes with a 12 volt adapter and a 3 month trial subscription to Garmin's traffic update service. This was a $150 option with the Nuvi 360 and optional on the other units as well. I found the traffic update service more useful than I thought it would be. I am also a big audible book club fan and it was well integrated into the 660. Although mp3's and audible books are features on many other GPS units, they are useless features unless you can hear them through your car speakers. The 660 is the only compact unit that can at the present time (the iWay is too bulky to be considered compact).
  
  The bluetooth features on the 660 also put it in a class by itself. I have a LG (Verizon) 8100 bluetooth cell phone which easily connected through the 660. I could receive and make calls through the 660 very easily. The wireless FM transmitter allows you to listen to your party through your car speakers. Again, this is highly recommended because of road noise. The 660 even allows you to import your phone contacts into the unit! Although my phone did not support this feature, my son's phone (RAZR) did and it was amazing.
  
  Finally, the windshield mount is sturdy and easy to use. Some of the other units (Navman and Lowrance) had cheap plastic mounts which felt like they would snap eventually. Garmin's units excel in this area. The 12 volt car charger plugs into the mount rather than the GPS unit itself, which makes it easy to remove and store the unit when it's not in use. The 660 is still small and slim enough to fit into a pocket or purse.
  
  Overall, the 660 gives you the best of every feature currently available in a GPS unit.
  
  
  
• A life saver
  By A12291NT63FVEO on 2006-12-04
  My wife has a tough time with technology. It took a lot of explaining for her to figure out email. When I got my Garmin, she gave me a lot of kidding about "another gadget for the techie." Recently, she was going to make a 400 mile trip to visit her sister in Milwaukee. On prior trips she would meet her sister at a truck stop 20 miles from town and leave her car there as she is also big city driving challenged. I convinced her that with the Garmin she could drive all the way to her sister's front door. I told her that I would enter in the address and give her step-by-step instructions on how to use it.
  
  On the day that I was going to show her how to use it I first needed to make a quick stop at a store. When I came out, she had already punched in the address and had it all ready to go. I was amazed. She figured it out all by herself.
  
  Next came the travel day. As she entered Milwaukee all her driving fears came together in a perfect storm. Big unfamiliar city, darkness, heavy rain, rush hour traffic, alone. All she had was the Garmin to guide her. Several times when her exit came up she was boxed-in in the wrong lane. She just drove past and was confident as she heard "recalculating" and was given further instructions. The Garmin took her right to her sister's waiting arms.
  
  When I talked to her that night her first words were, "I take back everything I ever said about the Garmin." Garmin has two very thankful and loyal customers.
  
  
  
• Product is overrated
  By ATCUUQYLUSL9Q on 2006-11-24
  I was excited to this get GPS. I didn't realize there would be so much problems with it though.
  
  First off, the good things:
  1) It's very cute.
  2) Screen is large enough.
  
  Next, the bad things:
  1) The bluetooth disconnects everytime the device is turned off. Expect to have to establish connection with your cellphone EVERY single time you turn it on. When bluetooth is disconnected, the device has this annoying pop-up message that says "Phone Disconnected" and it comes on constantly even though you've clicked OK each time.
  
  2) The FM Transmitter doesn't work properly, so you'll have to use the speakers on the GPS.
  
  3) I work in downtown LA, so it takes awhile to search for satellite. It also tells me to turn left on 6th street, when I'm suppose to turn right.
  
  4) I am told to exit on a street that is not even on the freeway signs.
  
  5) It's hard to search for universities and colleges. I went under Community and can't even find Cal State Fullerton. Even typing it in didn't work. I did somehow find it though.
  
  6) I'm so use to one-touch click. This device uses double-touch click. That doesn't help when you're driving on the freeway and you have to double-touch on "Answer" twice when your cellphone rings.
  
  7) The traffic alert is a big joke. Downtown LA is full of traffic and it didn't detect any significant accidents. When it did detect traffic, it was nothing. You can't even tell which street the traffic was suppose to be on.
  
  8) Hearing the voice say "Recalculating" got on my nerves. I've used other GPS devices, and they don't say that constantly everytime you miss a turn. Instead, it recalculates on its own without telling you that.
  
  I realize it doesn't give the BEST route options, just the nearest street it recognizes. If I could return this device for a full refund I would.
  
  
• Dazzling screen - brighter than ever. *** Best GPS I have owned.
  By A11T807LX2EF00 on 2006-10-08
  I have owned the Garmin 360, 350 and StreetPilot III. I have also owned the Tom Tom GO. The Garmin 660 is the best one yet. I still had my 360 when I bought my 660 and had them side by side on the windshield. The difference in brightness of the 660 display was awesome. Night and day. Of course they both use the same maps, but the 660 seems to give you a heads up a few seconds ahead of the 360. Though the 360 is more compact and fits into my pocket a lot easier, the 660 far surpasses the 360 in a brighter and bigger map screen. It's an easy tradeoff.
  
  Besides the brighter display I liked the change to the main 'where to menu' of the Go Home option. It saves a step for something you use often.
  
  I miss the direction arrow on the map screen that the 360 had. It was nice to know where north was on occasion. Though you can find the direction of travel by going to the stats page, it isn't as easy as quickly checking the screen.
  
  I just downloaded traffic cameras POIs. They work great with the 660.
  
  By the way, someone mentioned that the 6 million POIs don't come with the unit and are an extra cost item. I have not experienced that with any of the Garmin units I have had. My only complaint is that the databases are not always up-to-date... but that is true with any GPS unit.
  
  All in all, you can't go wrong with the 660. And the price is already falling!!! What next Garmin? Keep up the great work.
  
  
  
  
  
• Great unit. Not perfect, but darn close
  By AD9MNP7YY3BS on 2006-10-10
  I have a somewhat unique perspective among the reviewers in being someone who is coming from the Garmin iQue 3600 (Garmin's first PDA-GPS hybrd) to the Nuvi 660. I left the iQue due to poor battery life, which has caused me to lose my custom point-of-interest and other data several times when I went more than 24 hours without the unit charging (even though it was off). And yes, I did replace the battery. It failed a second time after that.
  
  The Garmin Nuvi 660 brings a number of advantages over older units like the iQue 3600 including:
  1. Preloaded maps for all of North America
  2. Brighter, larger screen
  3. 3D overhead views (makes it easier for those of us without a sense of direction)
  4. Spoken street names (iQue says "Turn right in 500 feet", Nuvi says "Turn right in 500 feet onto Main Street.")
  5. FM Traffic from ClearChannel ($60 per year, first 3 months free with no activation required and no personal info given until you actually pay)
  
  So far, I have owned the unit only a short time. (updates to the review to come). But so far it is a joy to use. The new suction-cup cradle (over the friction mount used by the iQue) is excellent, and provides better visibility and stability. The routing is almost the same, but you can see the updates maps improving accuracy and less attmempted to route me down a street which recently became "No left turn." The screen is far brighter, more readable than the iQue. The traffic is quite neat, though I am not yet sure if I will pay for it once the free trial runs out. But it is nice to know in my driveway what the traffic is like 30 minutes away closer to work. And I find myself using the MP3 capabilities more than I expected, due to clear sound and the great feature of the Nuvi MUTING THE SOUND when giving directions.
  
  The only feature of the iQue I am missing so far is the speed always being displayed. On the Nuvi, it is displayed during unguided driving, but is replaced by a "arrival time" display when driving with directions. You can get back the speed by jumping to a secondary screen, but I liked having both directions as my car's speedometer is about 5 mph off.
  
  UPDATE 10/12/2006: A few more notes to help prospective buyers...
  THE GOOD:
  1. Traffic works well, giving sufficient detail to avoid "hot spots". I still need more time to see if it is worth $60/year to me, but I am leaning towards it right now.
  2. The MP3 player is clear and the integrated FM adapter is a god-send for folks like me with cars without a tape adapter.
  3. Directions are fast and accurate, and recalculation is faster than on my iQue.
  4. If you are driving and are viewing nearby Points of Interest (Food, Hotels, etc.) it updates in near-realtime to show you what is closest to you. So if the first screen of choices does not appeal, you can keep driving and see what else comes up.
  5. The Bluetooth is GREAT! It is nice always having a hands-free device on-hand in the car, even when my headset is drained or left at home.
  6. It is easy to underestimate how useful having a defined "home" address and telephone number on the unit is. For my iQue, my home was treated like any other address and took several clicks. For the Nuvi 660, it takes only two clicks to either route home or call home when I am stuck in traffic and will be late. It has become a KILLER feature for my daily use.
  
  THE BAD:
  1. Traffic is not always timely. A few times I have actually gotten deeply into a traffic jam before the traffic alert popped up.
  2. MP3 does not play tracks in their original order, but rather in alphabetical order based on the name of the track. This can be disconcerting for soundtracks and other albums where order is important.
  3. FM adapter is not the strongest. The adapter for my iPod only ever cuts out when I am in standing traffic next to someone else with a stronger adapter. The one in the Nuvi has cut out when I was alone on the highway.
  4. I really miss a paper manual that I can bring with me in the car. CD/PDF is fine, but that means I have to wait until I am home with my Mac to look up the "how to" directions.
  
  
• Not Ready to Fall in Love
  By AXEBO3BWCTWCK on 2007-06-22
  From someone who has been using an automotive GPS for 7 years, a little philosophy first, if you please. A GPS should do 2 things very well: Show where you are (location), and provide accurate routing to get you to your destination. Inherent in accurate routing are 3 things: accurate maps, maps that are updatable so future accuracy is assured, and a good algorithm. These - location and routing - I call, "Primary aids to navigation."
  
  
  
  Additional "features" fall into 2 categories: "Supplemental navigational aids," that assist getting to your destination and those that are unnecessary "fluff."
  
  
  
  The supplemental aids breakdown into 2 categories, as well: Primary and Secondary supplemental aids. Primary supplemental aids are real-time (RT) or near real-time (NRT) data: traffic, weather radar, nearby fuel prices, and to a lesser extent, safety camera locations. Without exception, RT and NRT data aids are subscription-based services.
  
  
  
  Secondary supplemental navigational aids are places to eat, or other places you may need to find on-the-fly in unfamiliar areas, such as banks with an ATM, and stores. These are known as "points-of-interest" (POI). Primary and secondary supplemental aids aren't absolutely necessary to navigation, but contribute greatly to the overall navigation functionality and experience. Most would consider these as, "must have," as part of any GPS.
  
  
  
  What remains is fluff. Of far too many current upper-range GPSs, 50% is navigational aid, and 50% is fluff. Bluetooth, MP3, an FM transmitter, and photo displays - all included with the Nuvi 660 - fall into the fluff category. Sure, they might be fun to fool and fuss with to take your mind off of driving - gee, what a capital idea - but they are not navigational aids: they're distractions.
  
  
  
  That said, this review does not include commentary on the fluff.
  
  
  
  PRIMARY NAVIGATIONAL AID: Good to excellent for urban and suburban areas; challenged by rural areas
  
  
  
  The Nuvi 660, like its 650, 670, and 680 counterparts, picks up GPS signals rather quickly. The display is easy to read. The touch-screen menu system is fairly easy to find your way around (sic). Setting up a route is a matter of plugging in a destination by using the touch screen keyboard. You don't even have to spell the whole name; only enough so the Nuvi can narrow down the search results to a manageable level. When I typed, "Fairfield," it successfully pulled the Fairfield Inn of interest out of its POI database even though the hotel was over 250 miles away. Good. The POI database seems reasonably robust, although I noticed at several exits along Interstates 85 and 65 in Alabama, about 35% of the gas stations were not in the POI database.
  
  
  
  ROUTING
  
  There's some good, and some not so good about the routing. I live in a rural area. Google Earth (GE), which also uses the NavTeq maps, successfully chose the route 20 years of experience taught me to be the fastest. The Nuvi insists on routing me on slower, narrower roads, as though every state route (SR) or county route (CR) has the same properties or precedence as every other. In the case of a SR that I often use, it is 4-lanes wide with a 65mph speed limit. That's probably not the norm, but GE figures it out; Nuvi does not. Also, routes may not be imported from an external source, otherwise I'd import the GE route into the Nuvi. Considering the same maps are used by both GE and Nuvi, the determining factor becomes the routing algorithm which is inadequate for the Nuvi in rural areas.
  
  
  
  The Nuvi routes quite well in urban and suburban areas, though. While transversing Atlanta's spaghetti junction at I-85 and I-285, "Wilma" (yes, I named her) accurately got us through the maze, telling us to keep left or keep right as appropriate for upcoming lane changes. (33°37'13.72"N, 84°28'28.39"W.) Wilma also kept up with the changes even though we were flowing with traffic through the junction at a goodly pace.
  
  
  
  
  
  PRIMARY SUPPLEMENTAL AIDS
  
  
  
  For RT/NRT data aids, the Nuvi 660 comes with a 3 month traffic subscription to Total Traffic Network from Clear Channel. The subscription activates automatically when you are in range of one of the participating transmitters. Mine activated when I was about 30 miles out from the Atlanta area. Since we never ran into any traffic, it is difficult to surmise the effectiveness.
  
  
  
  
  
  SECONDARY SUPPLEMENTAL AIDS
  
  
  
  Some may disagree POIs don't have a higher level of importance than what I assign...they ARE fairly important, especially when you're looking for someplace in particular and don't have the address. Fair enough, but I believe the primary navigation and primary supplemental aids hold higher precedence.
  
  
  
  Unlike Garmin's StreetPilot III, the Nuvi does not clutter up the screen with all nearby POIs at the "most detail" setting. This makes it significantly easier to find the particular POI you're seeking. The Nuvi fixes the scale at which you can see POIs, whereas the older SP III allowed adjusting the scale.
  
  
  
  
  
  SUMMARY
  
  
  
  If you're looking for your first GPS and live in or frequent an area covered by the traffic network (www.garmin.com/fmtraffic), the Nuvi 660 is an acceptable choice. Auto-routing seems to work very well in these areas and along Interstates. If you live in a rural area, then the less expensive Nuvi 650 is a smarter buy. Additionally, auto-routing in rural areas where's there's lots of farm, county, or state roads, is not as well refined.
  
  
  
  If you are looking to replace an older GPS, my advice is to wait about a year. In that time, there should be some high-end interconnected units available which sound to have great promise for accurate mapping and traffic information outside of urban areas using the cell phone system.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• GOOD, BUT NOT WORTH THE MONEY
  By A19HBRDB7I8LZ1 on 2006-11-30
  I've had the unit for about 2 months now, and here is a list of my pros and cons:
  
  PROS:
  
  1.) Fast satellite acquisition and route calculation.
  2.) The display is clear and bright (no problem seeing it in sunlight)
  3.) MP3 player is nice, but there's only 500MB or so of space.
  4.) The voices are fairly pleasant.
  
  CONS:
  
  1.) Traffic feature is a good idea, but it doesn't help that much. The data seems too delayed to be of much help, but occasionally it will route you around an accident. The detour button does a good job of rerouting you once you are stuck in traffic, but other cheaper GPS systems have detour buttons as well.
  2.) FM modulator doesn't work very well. You need to use the AUX line or internal speaker.
  3.) I find the voice prompts are often issued too late.
  4.) The widescreen display makes no sense. The screen should be oriented vertically so that you have more screen real estate in front of your car, not to the sides.
  5.) The voices are not particularly good at pronouncing words. Some of the street names are pronounced in a weird way, and you might miss your turn.
  
  All in all it works pretty well, but the only reason to buy this unit over some of the less expensive models is for the FM modulator (which doesn't work that well) and the integrated traffic (which doesn't work that well).
  
  
• So FAr So Good
  By AF51LMN89CVYZ on 2006-09-30
  I have only had the unit for a few days - these are initial impressions and comments only.
  1. Support: I have owned a street pilot for over three years and have always found Garmins Support Services to be first rate, responsive and willing to go the extra mile - I had some Q's on the 660 after I got it and the support was still great. I suggest emailing them though unless you have 20 to 30 minutes to spend on hold.
  2. Amazons product description is inaccurate - top whit; "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." Actually the 6 million POI's is an added cost add on - and is not included in the database. AMAZON take note and correct - unreakized expectations lead to angry customers.
  3. Screen legibility is better than the NOVA 350 I sent back (for other reasons) the larger screen size makes the maps displays easier to read. There is a wash out problem when the sun is low on the horizon and hits the screen directly - I think all of the GPS products using this thinner screen technology have the same problem - not just the Garnin 660 - The Street Pilot III I had NEVER washed out, I will be trying one of the after market anti glare /anti scratch products - if it works I will re-append a comment
  4. The PC version of City Navigator 8 CD is not included in the box - however you can go to Garmins web Site and order a locked version of it for free (including free shipping) and then (according to tech support) you can install on your PC and unlock it with the code supplied in the box.
  5. The text to speech features for upcoming turns is very useful, without it just where you actually should turn can be comfusing for complex intersections or exit/entrance ramps.
  6. The 3-d option is much better than the aforementioned Nove 350, and again makes complex intersections/turns much clearer.
  7. The touch screen for entering data, alone, was worth upgrading from the SP/III
  8.It DOES NOT support multiple VIA or STOPS, you can only enter ONE stop/via point in a route. my old SP/III allowed multiple via points.
  9. It would appear you cannot store routes or create routes on the pc and download them to the NUVI 660 (according to Tech Support) these last two points are the biggest disappointments for me as I used both extensively.
  10. Price- I see Amazon has dropped its price from $999, they need to drop it further to remain competitive - hint-hint - check out answers.com online dictionary its search engine finds places google doesn't (4x4 was good)
  Overall I gave it 4 instead of five for points 3,8 and 9
  
  
  
• Very good but not great GPS....
  By AZ4352XO4HH3M on 2007-09-30
  I got the Garmin Nuvi 660 to replace my SteetPilot c340 because with my small car the c340 was a little too big and cumbersome. I found that the units are almost the same as far as navigation goes. I was relieved that my Nuvi 660 already came preloaded with the new City Navigator 2008 v9 Maps.
  Here are some pros and cons that I found with this unit.
  
  Pros:
  - Thin and lightweight
  - Easy to use right out of the box
  - Nice super bright and clear wide screen color display
  - Very detailed 3D graphical map
  - MP3 player, picture viewer, ability to listen to audio books and bluetooth technology
  - SD memory card expansion slot
  - USB port
  - Can use your own pictures that are stored on the GPS or SD card as a slash screen or screen saver
  - Can choose different point of interest icons
  - Clear turn by turn directions, speaking street names, highways and even the name of your destination. (I like to use the Australian female voice, Karen, because she has the nicest voice and pronounces names the best ;o) )
  - Easy to use touch screen interface
  - Can select different car-shaped icons for map navigation
  - Has useful goodies such as a world travel clock, currency & measurement converter and calculator
  - FM transmitter
  - Different modes other than car modes such as pedestrian mode(this unit is so portable that this mode will allow you to navigate while walking so that you won't get lost)
  - Headphone jack(especially useful when using the pedestrian mode)
  - Anti-theft lock
  
  Cons:
  - Somewhat slow to recalculate when missing a turn
  - I wish there was a volume dial at the side of the unit ex. I keep the voice prompt on the loudest volume so that I can hear it over car noise or road noise but when I get a call it's loud as well. I wish I could quickly turn down the volume instead of having to press several options to get to the volume menu all while talking to the person on the other end. This can be a big problem when I'm trying to drive as well. Maybe there should be a separate volume for bluetooth and one for voice navigation.
  - The touch screen can be a little more responsive in some areas such as when hitting "State". Here I have to press twice or hold down the button for about two seconds before it goes on to ask me for the City.
  - The voice prompt comes in a little late sometimes. I've missed turns a few times because she's says "turn right" too late. Maybe I'm driving too fast for the voice prompt to catch up.(Shrugs)
  - The battery life could be better
  
  All and all this is a very good unit. The performance between my old c340 and my Nuvi 660 is pretty much the same with some notable improvements. I'm glad I got this one.
  
  Some people have said that the Garmin does not take you on the best routes of travel, sometimes taking you round about ways as oppose to the most convenient or quickest route. My advice is to never use a GPS if you know your way or if you know the best way to reach a destination. If you know your way, it can be really confusing and frustrating following the directions the GPS gives you. Only use this unit if you have absolutely no idea where you're going or where you are. When you do that, this unit can be a life saver.
  
  
• This is the best GPS system to date
  By AGGAQLXPVGM5D on 2006-12-29
  Upgrading from an old GPS that I used when riding my bike around town (the Garmin GPS III Plus), this was a world of difference. First of all the size is that of a PDA which is compact enough to carry in your pocket and walk around with it. It comes with a leather case, USB connection, AC and DC cords and a Garmin Travel module from Fodor. It has an internal Lithium battery that cannot be changed by the user. The only external control is a power switch which turns on the unit, toggles between FM and internal speaker, and decreases the light intensity. Everything is operated through a touch screen. I highly recommend a screen protector before operation.
  
  Set up was a breeze. I hooked it up to my PC and updated the firmware which was painless. I proceeded to register the item online to unlock the licenses necessary for operation. I proceeded to charge it and use it the next morning. The signal reception is strong and actually worked in my house which my prior one did not. The screen is large (at 4.3" it is the Biggest of the Nuvi lineup but small in comparison to the less portable Garmin Street Pilot 7500 at 7 inches), sharp and clear and so is the voice direction. The English from the American voice is clear but robotic. I go back and forth between Australian and British Female English voices.
  
  A security feature allows you to lock the device with a PIN that you create and can only be unlocked by you with the PIN or at the factory. I highly recommend activating this option so that if it is stolen, it is rendered useless. Set up requires a clear view to the sky to set a "Safe location".
  
  Navigation with the menus are easy. The main screen allows simple adjustments such as volume and brightness, or in depth adjustments can be made. There are links to go to your destination, see the map or use the internal card.
  
  A travel card of North America is useful covering major US cities. A short description, phone number, link to go to the location and ability to access through Bluetooth is available.
  
  The FM transmission is easy to set up. Clarity of the voice is decent as is playback of MP3s but no where near the sound quality that an audiophile would appreciate. Clarity of speech for bluetooth communications is good but my callers report difficulty understanding me (it may be due to them using a cellular phone also - since one land line caller had no issues).
  
  Navigation is great. I set my home address so I can always use it to navigate home (mainly to scout for traffic). You can look into category of business or location, enter an address, spell a name or go by intersection. You can also save a location by its latitude and longitude location. From the navigation screen, you can choose the trip computer giving detail about current speed, direction, maximum speed, average speed, trip time, idle time and moving time. Another choice from the navigation screen allows you to preview the directions step by step - to check behind the directions yourself.
  
  Additional features that are helpful include the estimate time of arrival - it gives you a very good approximation of your commute time. I found it useful when planning a trip (i.e. to Business X - the time of arrival is in 35 minutes and I will arrive at 5:05 PM). It is usually within 3 minutes for my experience thus far.
  
  I have not experimented completely with "Avoidance" criteria (U-turns, dirt roads, highways, tolls, traffic) of navigation but there was one time it advised a left turn where it was impossible to do so and another time it advised a U-turn where I told it to avoid it. It did help me navigate out of being lost in downtown DC in the midst of one way streets.
  
  You can visualize your map by having North up, Tracking up (meaning it exposes the map to the direction you are heading) or a nice 3 D feature which is easier to use when navigating in unfamiliar territories. When a turn is missed or you take another route, it automatically recalculates your directions. The vehicle or icon representing your mode of transportation can be customized and more vehicles are available from the website. The map also shows how much distance until your next turn which is helpful for those 'last minute' lane changes (which I don't advocate).
  
  Traffic notification is automatically initiated upon start up and you get 3 months to try it out. It covers major metropolitan cities and the usage fee is $60 USD a year. You don't need to be on that stretch of highway to see the areas affected by traffic (I can zoom out and see the whole DC Metro and Baltimore region highways - quite depressing when you see what is affected with traffic). It rates degree of severity for traffic congestion and specifies what intervals are affected. Accessing it during a commute is not a wise thing to do but an icon notifies you an incident is occurring. A road is highlighted if it is affected by traffic. A neat feature is that you can select to avoid that road on your ongoing route - I have yet to try that and tried to stomach the "Beltway traffic" (I-495).
  I noticed it is not always notifying you of accidents - I do not know the lag time between a slowdown and when reporting occurs since I have seen traffic stopped without notification.
  
  I have not set up 3rd party "POI"s, points of interest, since not many free ones exist in the US. There are a couple of 3rd party sites that require a $5 Paypal fee for ticketing Traffic Lights that are scattered throughout the United States.
  
  Affixing the GPS to the windshield is easy and stable. The DC power cord is obtrusive and an 'eyesore' but it is functional.
  
  Additionally, an expansion card can be used to store music. There is only about 600 MB free on the internal memory for storage. I personally use a Sandisk 2 GB card which works without a hitch. Not too much documentation is provided on the use of MP3s other than it can be used and music can be stored on internal memory or the storage media. Sound quality from the speaker is marginally good but no where near what an audiophile will appreciate. There is no equalizer and it has only one speaker. Music is paused when the GPS is system is speaking.
  
  You also have a world clock with up to 5 countries, currency and metric conversion, and a calculator. Too bad it doesn't include a scheduler and address book - since it would be the most comprehensive PDA to existence.
  
  I never uploaded photos but 'stock photos' are available to change your startup screen. The quality of viewing images is good. A couple of things that may be useful are a Savers Guide that you can purchase for discounts throughout the US (I didn't get that yet) and a module for dictionary and phrase guide (mainly European countries).
  
  In summary, setup and use is about as good as it gets. With the added features of Bluetooth and Traffic updates, it is the best as it gets for navigation. It can be used afoot or by vehicle through my personal use.
  
  GPS accuracy is quoted to be less than 10 meters but I set it up on WAAS which has an accuracy of less than 5 meters which does use more battery life.
  
  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ITEM - at least until the next best thing comes out.
  
  PROS:
  Quality of screen
  Ease of use
  Versatile and comprehensive data
  Compact size and light (6.2 oz)
  Can be used in any type of vehicle including your own two feet
  FM Traffic reports - worth its weight in Platinum if your area is covered
  Upgradeable to 4 GB using an SD card (with the latest firmware upgrade)
  
  CONS:
  Single speaker
  Lack of CD for internal software (However, you can write to technical support to request a disk if you are a US customer)
  Limited internal memory for MP3s
  Expensive expansion modules and software disks for Europe and other countries
  
  UPDATE: Today there were numerous traffic alerts including notification that an accident occurred on my current route. I proceeded to avoid the segment of highway using the avoidance criteria on the fly. For a commuter, this feature really does make a difference in the experience of driving to and from work with this feature! The 10-15 minutes of my life that I saved was well worth this feature. I am still amazed at how painless this was.
  
  
• Love it
  By A14KNNYFI643RU on 2006-10-05
  I travel a lot for work and started with a bluetooth TomTom device for my Palm Treo phone. It worked well but the screen was so small and I had issues with using the GPS and my work email at the same time. I decided to try the 660. I bought a Garmin for my Dad a year ago and I always loved the interface.
  
  This week is my first trip out of town with it. It easily fits in my bag and is very portable.
  
  The windshield mount works great. GPS does not move at all when mounted. Also easy to remove the unit from the mount when not in use. Push a button and then put it back in the case for safe keeping. Screen is easy to read even during the day. I live in Florida and so far no problems reading the screen.
  
  The traffic feature is also cool. It announces "traffic ahead" and puts an icon on the screen. I can touch the icon, see what the problem is and then press the 'avoid' button to be rerouted around the problem. I will definitely sign up for this service when the trial expires.
  
  Maps seem pretty accurate so far but not sure how up to date the POI are. There is a Best Buy near my house that has been there for years and it does not show up. I have also been unable to find some bigger restaurants and stores when out of town although I am not sure how long they have been there.
  
  The bluetooth and the wireless FM seem to work well. I tested these a little and the phone call quality seemed to be good. No problems pairing with my Treo. The ability to have directions announced over your speakers is cool as well. I have not tried the music player.
  
  Easy to use. I have not even looked at the manual it is that intuitive. I highly recommend this especially to people who travel out of town a lot.
  
  
• Yes !!!! Features that other reviewers missed are:
  By A3I9VSSDDPG477 on 2006-10-13
  Yes, this gets 5 stars & the best of 5 GPS products that i have owned. I won't go into same details which other reviewers already mentioned. Featurs not mentioned by others are as follows:
  
  can we use blutooth or MP3 while navigating ? The answer is yes.
  1. If you are on phone call, navi works but only visually & no voice prompts during the call. this is good.
  
  2. When you listen to MP3, navi works and it pauses music while annoucing the turns.
  
  3. To switch between internal speaker mode and car stereo mode, manual says hit power button twice, this is weird but oK.
  
  4. The screen is great but still 2730 & 2830 street pilot screens are unbeatable & brightness can't adjust automatically in 660.
  
  5. Garmin lock feature with stickers that go on car windows are good.
  
  6. You can't have your own phone book on 660. it will show only the phone book that is on your cell. Won't pick up my blackberry phone list.
  
  7. can buy foreign maps in SD cards & take it for intl travel.
  
  The best gps of all !!!
  
  
• Charge doesn't hold!
  By ACUQVK0W8W1KQ on 2006-11-12
  Well, I was looking forward to use this baby on my vacation. We drove from Vegas to Kingman, AZ (less than 2 hrs drive). It didn't make it, even though it was fully charged. It then shut off automatically (I had the charger plugged in). The next day, we drove from Flagtaff to Tucson. After 45 minutes on the road, it shut off again.
  
  It never located the street in Flagstaff I was looking for, even though it had been built 3 years ago. When we arrived to Phoenix, it took us on a scenic route (extended our trip by 15 minutes) to get us back on the Interstate.
  
  FM receiver did not worked.
  
  As far as global position, it's off by 125-150 feet.
  
  This is an overated product! Very disapointing. I should have stuck with my laptop for Global positioning and street finding. At least, I didn't have to spend $750 and I knew of its limitations.
  
  Looking forward to contact Garmin when I come back from my vacation!
  
  
• Don't buy this for the FM transmitter
  By A2L58168JQFQVE on 2006-11-08
  I have been using the Nuvi 660 for the past 40 days. The wide-screen is pretty nice and the ability to house the entire North American continent is very convenient. I purchased this unit to replace my TomTom Go that died after 18 months of use (TomTom offers a 1 year warranty). Here are my perceptions:
  
  1.The FM Transmitter is useless. The radio antennas in my vehicles are all in the back of the car. The transmitter range in this unit appears to be about 2 feet. I was able to pick up the unit on my car radio when I had the Nuvi on the back sill. I think this FM transmitter will only work if the vehicle has it's antenna imbedded in the front windshield.
  
  2. The direction of the next maneuver can only be seen by going to another screen. This creates interaction with the unit while driving. The next manuever should be seen on the main screen. (TomTom has this feature).
  
  3. Similary, the time of arrival is the only cue as to how far you are from your destination on the main screen. You can find the total miles to go on another 'dashboard' screen. This should be able to be configured for the main screen as well. (TomTom also gives you this info).
  
  4. The routing can be a little odd sometimes, but I also found this to be true with TomTom. Neither are perfect it seems, but the Garmin maps appear to be more up-to-date than TomTom's. (Some of TomTom's were 4 or more years old)
  
  5. Garmin support is far far superior to TomTom. I have phoned Garmin several times for questions or issues (I have a few wrist-GPS devices too). I always get to speak with a real person within minutes of calling. TomTom takes weeks to get back to you and it is only via email.
  
  6. There are some issues with the traffic receiver. As another reviewer mentioned, sometimes I have to unplug the power supply several times to get the traffic to work. I have not spoken to support about this yet.
  
  7. One reviewer mentioned that it would be nice for the unit to shut itself down when power is removed. The Garmin does this automically and it shows a message that the unit will shut down in 30 seconds if it is not confirmed to stay on. Garmin does this so on can keep track of the total trip time (and average moving/stopped speeds). It is a nice feature.
  
  8. Without the FM transmitter capability, the MP3 player and book reader are useless. the volume of the 660 is very faint and it is difficult to hear spoken directions when the vehicle is moving.
  
  This unit could be greatly improved with a software update to offer better info on the main display and to correct the quirks with the traffic receptions.
  
  
  
  
• This is the best there is on the GPS market
  By A32FSFUDTG1JOW on 2006-11-28
  Ok,
  So this is the 4th GPS i have owned, from the Garmin street pilot in the early 2001 timeframe to 2 magellans and now back to the Garmin product line. The magellan was a great product, till last week it no longer was able to locate satelites, even on sunny days, so back to circuit city it went and with its 2 year coverage plan, it was replaced and upgraded for free to the new Garmin Nuvi. Magellan was very good, and accurate, but the Nuvi beats it hands down. The cell feature is great, hands free works flawlessly, once its set up correctly of course. it did drive me nuts with the cell disconnected message on and on and on till i reset it and reestablised the phone link in bluetooth, since then its been fine. Key is to let your phone find it, not the Nuvi find and pair your phone. Then it does not give you the constant disconnect message. Frankly, its a GPS and its a piece of electronics, its not a missle navigation system, not for the price we all paid, its going to be slightly off, and yes this one will also lead you to a dead end street on occassion, the point is you cant close your eyes and not use good judgement as to where your vehicle is going. Point of fact, its not human, and its only as good as the maps that are loaded. Bottom line, it works great, better than the magellan, by far better, cause it states the street names, does not ding at you when you need to turn, etc.
  Buy it and see for yourself, if you cant appreciate the purpose of having a GPS, get a rand mcnally road map, it will accomplish the same thing. Just keep in mind that its an electronic device designed to aid in the navigation, not to be the end all. Nothing short of a guided missle has that capability for 700 dollars. Also the cheapest out there for this unit seems to be BJ's wholesale. Circuit city refunded me 175 ( difference in price plus 10 percent plus tax savings) dollars off the trade in amount of the insurance plan when i brought it the ad from BJ's that had the Nuvi for 749 - so paying 899 is a thing of the past, but hey that circuit city protection plan is worth it, as it replaced my unit with the latest on the market for free, then gave me cash back as well. Good luck and have fun.
  
  
• Garmin NUVI breakdown
  By AIU2FSNNBSJ08 on 2007-03-22
  This $700 product lasted about 7 days. We called Garmin 3 or 4 times and got instructions on a 'fix', none of which worked. Instead of replacing the unit, Garmin instructed me to return it to them for repair, which I did on 3/16 at a UPS charge/cost of $24.81, which I presume will not be refunded. Thus, I paid over $700 for a 'repaired' product once it is received back from Garmin. If possible, I would have rated this product as "zero" stars, but your comment box does permit anything lower than 1.
  
  
• Lacking expected performance
  By AA9YYZ3ES1DEM on 2006-12-16
  After using this product for about a month I have noticed several areas where I find the functionality of this GPS lacking.
  
  Things I don't like:
  One of the first things that I noticed after receiving this product is that this product does not come with a printed instruction manual, but a CD manual. For a product in this price range I think a printed should be included.
  
  The acquisition time varies wildly. It can be instantaneous to taking over 5 minutes while driving on typical roads. The gps is pretty useless until it acquires a location fix also because it will not calculate a route until it has a fix. This makes the product useless for short distances unless you want to wait for the gps to acquire a fix.
  
  The database also seems incomplete. For the city of Tallahassee, it only lists 1 post office [.........].
  
  You also are unable to view your current speed from the map view if you have a destination set. Because vehicle speedometers often read faster than the actual speed, I would like to have this information displayed at all times.
  
  The mp3 player feature has difficulty distinguishing between files with the same name in different folders. Pretty much the GPS will play the files but it will play the files with the same name one after another with no way to choose between the different files.
  
  The mount included is not CA or MN legal.
  
  Requires many steps to return to the map view.
  
  There has been several times when gps have the pointer icon going the wrong direction so you cannot see the upcoming streets.
  
  Things I like:
  Even with all its flaws, it does have a workable database of businesses and is a handy tool for navigating around unfamiliar places.
  
  I would not make this purchase again after using this product for a month.
  
  
• Garmin NUVI 660
  By A1Q2IQ9QN5VVAN on 2006-12-19
  Get it!
  
  Pros:
  
  1. Large and bright screen!
  2. Audio and text directions! Good volume! Voice can be male or female or in different lanquages or English variations!
  3. Easy to use! Even a caveman can do it(oops)!
  4. Bluetooth with my LG phone hands free!
  5. Just finished loading MP3 files into it! Can listen independently or throught the car stereo system! Too cool!
  6. Mine came with a travel kit. Maybe they all do? Has all kinds of extras on it I haven't even used yet!
  7. SD card (purchased seperately) for expanded memory!
  8. Fast satellite acquisition!
  9. Free software upgrade through Garmin's website! Maps and software seems pretty good!
  10. Smaller and lighter than my pocket digital camera! I carry it around when not in my car so it won't get stolen. You can use it independently from your own vehicle. Easy to clip onto the mounting bracket or to remove when leaving your vehicle.
  
  Cons:
  
  1. Pricey!
  2. Some minor errors with directions but nothing significant. I am sure all GPS units have some problems here.
  
  
• NUVI 660 is still not there yet.
  By AXMSCAQLBBCCX on 2006-11-19
  The Garmin Nuvi 660 is technically excellent. However, if you check carefully, the route created by its logic may be very much in error. We just purchased the Nuvi 660 for our trip from Miami back to our home in NY. Normally, when entering the Washington DC area, we take the "Beltway" and never enter the city area. We requested the "fastest" route and the Nuvi 660 did not utilize the Beltway. Actually, the route it created required us to get off the highway at Pennslyvannia Ave. to then once again get back on the highway (I295 South). There were also numerous other odd routes after this that the "660" came up with. In checking Mapquest, which I am not a great fan of, it appears the route chosen by the "660" may have been the shortest, but certainly not the fastest. Possibly, the Nuvi can't differentiate those two choices although it has a choice for both in the menu. My assessment is that the "660" has what is known as "spell check mentality". That is when spell check verifies words, those words