Garmin nuvi 855

The Garmin nuvi 855 is a portable GPS navigator, ultra-slim form factor designed with a 4.3-inch diagonal (10.9 cm) touch screen WQVGA TFT display with white backlight, 480-by-272-pixels high resolution, voice-activated navigation, plus a highway lane assist which direct users to the preferred lane with viewing images of upcoming junctions. This GPS gadget is fitted with high-sensitivity 12 channels GPS receiver for fast satellite lock, 2D maps and 2D views, 3D maps and 3D views, 6 million Points of Interests (POIs) with 500 way points (favourites or locations), and FM transmitter. It features an MP3 player for entertainment, photo navigation, a remote control, multiple route planning, Garmin Locate, speed-limit indications, conversion calculator, and route avoidance. Besides that, it also support PC connectivity with its USB mass storage device, microSD card slot for additional storage, and has a standard headphone and microphone jacks.
The Garmin nuvi 855 offers an innovative Speech Recognition capability that can accept voice commands without any need of an additional setup. In addition, it is also comes with a push-to-talk wireless remote which can be attached to the steering wheel, thus enabling users to use the system hands-free, even when driving. The Speech Recognition also able to answer simple question such as where the user is or where a certain place can be found. Its 3D Lane Assist Junction View feature will display highway signs enabling you to find the right direction when approaching interchanges and exits, thus ensuring you to choose the correct lane, while the Multi-destination routing function allows you to plan your trip with multiple stops in the order for you to optimize the journey with the most efficient route which will also be a cost saving factor in terms of time and money. Some of the navigation features that can help users during their journey include information of current speed, least use of freeways, which road to use to avoid toll, route recalculation, shortest distance routing, quickest time routing, and speed limit indicator (displays speed limit for most major roads). It also allows users to search for specific destination according to State, Suburb, Street or, Point of Interest (POI), plus it allows customize POIs to be added to the GPS. In addition, the system also provides Text-to-Speech feature which enables users to hear a voice calling out the street names along the journey enabling you to know when to make the next turn and stay focus on your driving.

Other Features
Other features include pre-loaded with City Navigtor NT maps for United States, Canada and Puerto Rico provided by NAVTEQ, high-sensitivity internal (non flip-up) antenna which is also usable for on foot navigation, Garmin Lock anti-theft feature, plus the system is compatible with Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ that can run on Windows 2000 or later and Mac® OS X 10.4 or later. Besides that, it also supports audio book player (subject to subscription to Audible.com), JPEG picture viewer, Garmin Games, alarm clock, auto time zone, trip computer records (recording the vehicle’s mileage, max speed and total time) and also include a wireless FM transmitter which enables you to enjoy listening to the audio, including voice prompts, MP3s and audio books, through the vehicle’s sound system. This feature is also compatible with optional FM traffic alerts or optional MSN Direct content (which is available through MSN Direct data subscription service) where it will enable users to view updated road conditions with real-time traffic assistance, search for movie times or find the nearest petrol stations, restaurants, and auto teller machine. With the photo navigation function provided by the device, users will be able to download Google Panoramio pictures via Garmin Connect Photos website where you can choose from millions of geographical-located photos through its photo sharing community for much easier navigation throughout your journey. In addition, transferring of addresses can also be done directly to the GPS navigator using Google Maps or Mapquest, and also using the USB 2.0 mass storage device. The Garmin nuvi 855 has a dimension of 4.9-inch (12.5cm) in width, 0.7-inch (1.8cm ) in depth, 3.1-inch (7.8cm) in height, weighs in at 6.2 ounces (176 grams), and it is powered by a rechargeable (removable) lithium-ion battery that has an average battery life up to 4 hours of usage.
The device represent value for money due to its advanced technology of in-car navigation systems that offers various kinds of features such as extra wide touch screen display for better visibility, the innovative voice-activated navigation and lane assist which allow the viewing of upcoming junctions. With all those features incorporated in the GPS navigator, users will definitely be driving with full of confidence.

Reviews

“These worthy extras greatly enhance the value of an already fantastic product. The Garmin nuvi 855 has successfully raised the bar in navigation technology making it definitely worth the $499 price tag. Street prices are usually below $450 making it an excellent buy.” (CarsGPSreviews, 2009)