GPS Reviews and Prices

Nüvi 1390LMT packs big features including free Lifetime Maps and Traffic into a thin design. This thin navigator also comes with lane help with connection view, pedestrian navigation alternatives, hands free calling and ecoRoute to compute a more fuel efficient path. The nüvi 1390LMT packs big features into a thin design. Traffic info is updated constantly, and map updates are available up to four times a year, with no subscription, fees, or expiration dates. Travel tools include JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. EcoRoute calculates the most fuel efficient path, tracks fuel handling and more. Cheap, Widescreen GPS Vavigator With Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates
Includes Free Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates
With free Lifetime Map and Traffic updates, you generally have the most up to date maps, points of interest and navigation info available at your fingertips. Traffic info is updated constantly, and map updates are available for download up to four times a year. Both features are prepared to go, right out of the box, with no subscription or update fees and no expiration dates. Know the Lane Before it is Too Late
No more guessing which lane you have to be in to make an forthcoming turn. Lane help with connection view guides you to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit, making unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate. It realistically displays road signs and connections on your path with arrows that point to the correct lane for navigation. Lane help with connection view is available in choose metropolitan cities. Navigate City Transit
With its improved pedestrian navigation potential, nüvi 1390LMT is the ideal travel friend for to get around town. Download optional cityXplorer content to assist you navigate city public transit. Know where to walk, where to catch the bus, subway, tram or another transportation, and how long it’ll take to get there. Nüvi 1390LMT easily fits in your pocket or purse. CityXplorer maps are available for choose cities during North America and Europe. And with prices as low as $9.99, you will have money left over to use up in the big city. See More
With nüvi 1390LMT’s widescreen display, you will generally get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, smart color. Its sunlight readable, 4.3 inch (10.92 cm) display is easy to read, from any direction. Get Turn by Turn Directions
Nüvi 1390LMT’s intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions: “Where To?” and “View Map.” Touch the color screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice prompted, turn by turn directions that speak street names to your destination. It comes preloaded with in depth City Navigator NT street maps, almost six million points of interest (POIs), 2 D or 3 D maps and the speed bound for most big roads. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the bordering terrain. With the 1390LMT’s improved user interface, you may be able to slide your finger to conveniently scroll between screens. You also can upload custom points of interest (POIs). And with HotFix satellite prediction, nüvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker. Make Hands free Calls
For hands free calling, nüvi 1390LMT integrates Bluetooth wireless technology with a fitted microphone and speaker. Just pair it with your matched Bluetooth phone and talk hands free through the 1390LMT while staying focused on the road. Simply dial numbers with nüvi’s touchscreen keypad to make a call. To answer calls, just tap the screen and speak into its fitted microphone. Enjoy convenient one touch dialing for contacts and points of interest. Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. Nüvi 1390LMT saves you gas and money with ecoRoute a green feature that calculates the most fuel efficient path, tracks fuel handling and more. The 1390LMT will include many travel tools as well as JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. With photo navigation, you may be able to download pictures from Garmin Connect Photos and navigate to them. With its “Where Am I?” emergency locator, you generally know your place. Simply tap the screen to get your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations. The 1390LMT features Garmin Lock, an anti theft feature, and is matched with our free Garmin Garage where you may be able to download custom voices and vehicles. Improve your travel experience with optional plug in microSD cards. What is in the Box nüvi 1390; Preloaded City Navigator NT North America (U.S, Canada and Mexico); Lifetime Maps and Traffic; FM Traffic Receiver With car Power Cable; car Suction Cup Mount; USB Cable; Dashboard Disc; fast Start Manual

386 of 392 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of five stars it is a mixed bag but in general is pretty good, November 9, 2010
By M. Erb (Syracuse, NY) See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) () This review is from: Garmin nvi 1390LMT 4.3 Inch movable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics) 12/10/2010 Addendum: Alert I bought a second nuvi 1390LMT and that one started giving me pop up warnings after it turned on. Two different pop ups were observed. 1. “This accessory isn’t supported” 2. “XM isn’t supported.” Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the USB power plug and USB plug receptacle on the nuvi were corroded. They had come that way from the factory and I hadn’t noticed the defect throughout installation. I called Garmin and they told me to return the device to for substitute, which I have done. Got to love for their excellent return policy. Have to question Garmin quality control to let something like this slip through. I posted a picture of the corroded plug and receptacle in the buyer pictures area. Now back to my original review…

In a nutshell, the 1390LMT performed reasonably well. It has features that I’ll never use or will use rarely at best like Bluetooth and EcoRoute. The “Where am I?” feature is useful. The initial satellite acquisition took a couple minutes which is normal. Successive satellite acquisition was pretty fast after the initial acquisition. I like that I’ll never have to pay for another map update. For the rest of the story, read on.

I bought the 1390LMT as an upgrade to my maturing StreetPilot c340 Garmin StreetPilot c340 3.5 Inch movable GPS Navigator. I really dont have issues with my c340. It’s a hard, basic GPS that typically gets me where I want to go. I say typically because the maps are now three years old and it on occasion does not know about new streets and such. Plus, as most GPS’s will sometimes do, you on occasion get directed to non existent places. Someday I will tell you the story of being guided to Home Depot only to find that I had “arrived” but all I saw was a big open field with a bunch of mooing cows but no Home Depot. Another time I was told to turn left into a parking lot and once that happened I was stuck in an endless loop of mis direction by the Garmin. Most hardened GPS users will have alike tales. Being told to turn left when the display indicates a right turn and things of this nature.

In any way, I wasn’t wanting to pay the high price for a map upgrade for my old and relatively big & clunky c340 so I started to search for a substitute. I looked at and read a mind numbing number of reviews for Magellan, TomTom and Garmin GPS’s. Since I had comparatively good luck with my Garmin c340 (I’ll tell you about my misadventure with the nuvi 1300 afterward on in this review) I took a look at the bewildering product mix of GPS’s that Garmin produces. Each series of Garmin GPS has between two to eight variations. For example the 1300 series will include the nuvi 1300, 1300LM, 1350, 1350T, 1350LMT, 1370T, 1390T and 1390LMT. That is many of choices and that’s just for the 1300 series. You have also got the 205 series, 500 series, 705 series, 1200 series, 1400 series, 1600 series, 2200 series, 2300 series, 3700 series representing about 45 differing GPS devices.

Let me assist you if you’re as lost as I was. The “T” stands for Traffic. “L” stands for Lifetime. “M” stands for Maps, “W” stands for Widescreen and so forth. So a 1300T gives you lifetime Traffic updates whereas a 1350LMT will give you lifetime maps and traffic updates. And inside each model you’ll get varying amounts of other features like Bluetooth, the speaking of street names, photo navigation, MP3 player, 3D terrain view and such. Then you have got 2.8″ displays, 4.3″ displays and 5″ displays. You’ll have to choose what maps you want included with your GPS. Do you want or need Canada and Mexico? If be sure the model you decide has those installed by default. Or you could add them afterward I think by buying the map you need but of course that will entail spending more money. It can literally take years off your life trying to decipher all this and choose on a GPS that’s most proper for you.

My take on this is to get the most basic GPS you may be able to deal with. 4.3″ screen is most likely the best size for majority of people and cars. Truckers may want the 5″ screen. Traffic updates do not work in rural regions and many small cities. In big cities, traffic updates are of doubtful value (many people complain about this feature.) Do you really need an mp3 player in your GPS? Most likely not. Do you really care about “EcoRoute”? Most likely not. “Lane Assist” sounds really useful, and it’s when and where it works, but it does not work everywhere so it is not as useful as it sounds.

It’s not easy picking a GPS. But I chose the 1390LMT opposite to my advice to you. It has many of feature bloat. Many of the features I’ll not use and quite honestly, all I really want a GPS to do is get me to my destination as precisely as possible.

As it happens, I have both my c340 and the 1390LMT installed in my car so I can evaluate their performance at the same time, side by side. It is quite weird because on occasion they’re both talking and saying exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. Other times, like announcing forthcoming turns, the 1390LMT will speak up 1st. On occasion by just a couple seconds, other times it states the next turn as the last thing it says after announcing a last turn. For example it’ll say “Turn left on major Street then turn right in one miles.” Whereas the c340 will say “Turn left on major street” and after a while it’ll say “Turn right in point three miles.” I can not figure it out but typically the 1390LMT gives more in depth information and usually does so with a bit more advance notice, which is largely appreciated, particularly at highway speeds.

I did notice that the screen icons and menus changed somewhat between the c340 and the 1390LMT. Alike in many ways but just different enough that if you’re familiar with the old layout, the new layout will frustrate you a bit till you un learn the old way of navigating the menus/screens. One thing that really frustrates me is that “Spell Name” for a place requires an extra screen touch. With the c340 I’d just have to touch “Where To?” , then “Name Search” but with the 1390LMT I have to touch “Where To?”, then “Points of Interest” then “Spell Name.” One extra button push may not seem like many, but it’s if you aren’t used to it.

I shortly owned a nuvi 1300 about a year ago and caused by awful touchscreen responsiveness, I returned it. I am happy to report that that’s not an issue with the newer devices. Seemingly a firmware/software update some months ago addressed that and other issues. The touchscreen on the 1390LMT is quite responsive and correct.

The volume and sound quality of the 1390LMT is decent enough though the c340 had a fuller sound whereas the 1390LMT has a scratchier, more treble sound. I didn’t notice any distortion that many people have stated at 100 volume.

Screen light is good and the screen may be seen pretty well in bright light though it does wash out a little. The screen also does a pretty great job in the glare department, decreasing it to a controllable level.

What I like the most is the “Where am I?” feature. When you click that button on screen, it shows you your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations. You may also then save that places as a favorite. Useful.

What I like the least is when you arrive at your destination, the nuvi doesn’t generally say what side of the street it’s on. As a comparison my c340 could “Arriving at Home, on left.”

The Bluetooth works but it is not the best quality sound. I favor my Plantronics bluetooth headset Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth Headset Retail Packaging. But in a pinch (like when my headset battery dies) this will work. I had no issues pairing my phone to the nuvi.

If you need your 1st time GPS, this might be a good choice, but you could save money by to get the more basic 1300LM which gives you the lifetime maps updates and dispenses with many of the non essential “features.” On the other hand, if you liVe in a big metropolitan area and you think the Traffic feature could be useful, then get one of the models that have that features.

I could most likely write many more but I have most likely bored you enough by now. I like the 1390LMT in general but do not and will not use many of the features so I should opted for the 1300LM which could provided me the major function of to get me where I have to go and lifetime maps which is vital and will save me lots of money in the long run.

Inexplicably, the nuvi 1390LMT on occasion routes me crazily. For example I was .1 mile from an expressway that could have taken me to my destination the fastest, but the GPS routed me on local roads. The same distance but could have taken much longer. I made sure that the settings were for “Fastest” not “Shortest” so I can not explain this strange behavior. It happens usually so I just go how I know to go and the Garmin will “recalculate” the path and the second time is typically the right path (or the path that I think is the best.)

I’d recommend to get the Garmin movable Friction Mount as it’ll make hiding your GPS much easier when you’re in parking garages and other places where GPS theft is a likelihood. The suction mount rarely works well in the long run. My c340 was generally falling off the windshield because the suction could be lost, especially in.Read more ›

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of five stars Adds while driving., November 24, 2010
By Papa Carlo (San Diego, CA) See all my reviews This review is from: Garmin nvi 1390LMT 4.3 Inch movable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics) I got this GPS from another store. Out of the box I noticed it had two stuck pixels. This may be not a big deal but it’s observable when driving at night and is kind of annoying.
The more vital issue that just struck me is popup ads on the screen. Every time you start driving you see them. They can pop up when you stop on the red light. When you start driving the popups go away ater not many minutes, but is not starting moving on intersection when the light switches to green requires double attention on the road ?
I find these ads obtrusive and I could rather pay or get rid of the traffic feature that causes this.
I am not a lawyer but it may be these ads are really illegal. As an example California car Code 2890 (West 2004) exactly states that any display observable to the driver is illegal, with some exemptions as well as world positioning display. But an ad popping on the GPS screen isn’t a part of positioning procedure.

So to make the story shorter here are the highlights. Do not take me wrong. The GPS is still among the best out there. But here is what I could like to get improved:

1. Popup ads. A big minus!
2.If you know the road don’t rely on the GPS to get you a better path. I noticed that the routing isn’t generally best. On occasion it’s just anecdotal. It takes you off a freeway, directs to another one, then leads through many back roads and will return close to the original freeway. The time lost is five minutes on a 15 minutes path. Note this is at night with no traffic whatsoever.
3.Traffic feature isn’t that dependable. On occasion it reports traffic when there’s literally no a single car on the road. I suspect the above mentioned mis routing may be caused by this.
4. Stated speed limitations are five miles lower or higher than the real one in about 50.

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54 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of five stars Traffic isn’t free, it is ad supported, November 17, 2010
By J. Suarez “j.Benjamin” (The Twin Cities) See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) () This review is from: Garmin nvi 1390LMT 4.3 Inch movable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates (Electronics) It does everything I bought it to do, and it does it well.

The problem is I PAID for this item, and they dont have entitlement to show me ads. Today I accidentally clicked on an ad and it froze up on me.

I called costumer support, and they told me my only alternatives are to turn off traffic, or to pay them another $50 dollars.

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