Garmin - Nuvi 850

You would think that the present Garmin Nuvis are absolutely the last word on latest navigation devices. However, wait till you see the most recent of the Garmin Nuvi series, one of which is the Garmin Nuvi 850.

The Nuvi 850 is one of the first to include speech recognition and has thus raised the bar for all GPS devices in the market. Using the device is very simple. All you need to do is to attach the wireless remote (that comes with the device) to your steering wheel and just push a button to start talking. The remote activates the voice commands and you are ready to give the device your first command. No further set-up, fine-tuning or training is required for the device. Once the speech recognition feature in the device has been activated you can give commands to manipulate various controls of the device – just state the menu option as they are displayed on the touch screen. You can thus perform almost any of the common tasks associated with the unit by just using your voice and without having to ever touch the screen. Can driving get any less stress-free?

Features

The Nuvi 850 also comes with other improved user-friendly features. For example, the model does contain the popular points of interest database with over millions of places included in the database. However the point to note is that you can now carry out fairly complex searches on this database. Imagine you are returning home late from work and are in the mood for some Chinese kung-pao. Just turn on your Nuvi 850 and say ‘Find the nearest Chinese restaurant’ and like a genie saying ‘Your wish is my command’, the Nuvi will come up with a listing of nearby Chinese restaurants. Once you make a pick, just say it out loud and the Nuvi 850 will automatically come up with the planned route and start giving you detailed voice instructions on how to proceed from turn to turn.

The Nuvi 850 will not only take you safely and securely to your destination, it will also allow you to keep track of where you or your vehicle are. If you just use the ‘Where am I’ feature, you will not only be told your exact co-ordinates but the device also bring ups the nearby emergency locations like police stations, hospitals, gas stations, nearest street and intersection – making it a perfect travel companion to have in an emergency.

You can use the Nuvi 850 for navigating and also for advance trip planning. The device allows you to study and save up to 10 routes and also specify many via points to take all the stress out of long, on the road, trip planning. Just as you can plan for the future, you can even take a peep at the past, if there is some place you had visited and wished to recall – a special trip log remembers upto 10000 points you have visited.

With other add-on features like a Travel Guide and updates through MSN Direct, the Nuvi 850 is truly one of the most advanced navigators in the market today.