Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Speech Recognition Review. Garmin International's nüvi 855 is a GPS navigator and personal travel assistant featuring voice-activated navigation and lane assist with junction view. Navigate with confidence while nüvi directs you to the preferred lane while driving. Also, see realistic images of upcoming junctions where available. Lane assist guides you to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit, making unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate. Click to enlarge Junction View gives you a photo-realistic screen that shows you both the road detail as well as the signs as you will see them on the road. Click to enlarge This advanced model feature voice-activated navigation and lane assist with junction view. Click to enlarge The nüvi 855 offers full coverage mapping for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The preloaded map data features nearly six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provide...
"Voice recognition is a must-have for GPS!" 2009-05-20
By Robert Schroeder (Scottsdale, AZ)
I bought the 855 as an upgrade to my StreetPilot C550. I was reluctant to buy it, based on the less-than-stellar reviews on here, but after using it for a week, I have no complaints at all. Maybe that's due to the fact that I'm upgrading from the ancient 550, and not the 7X5 series. The other reviewers are right, the on/off switch can be awkward, and you need a fingernail to push it over to the left. But that is such a minor complaint, in my opinion. Also, some people say they like the smoother refresh that the 7X5 series has, and this is more jerky, as you move along your route. Well, you're not supposed to be watching it when you're driving anyway. Oh, and it only has 500 waypoints, compared to 1000 on other models. I'll be lucky if I use 100.
What makes this GPS so remarkable is the voice recognition! I feel like I'm using Star Trek technology. It rarely has any problem understanding what I tell it. Hands free GPS navigation! I never have to pull over to type a new destination (or try to do it while driving). I can't imagine any of the minor complaints offsetting the awesomeness of the voice recognition. Now that it's available, I wouldn't have a GPS unit without it. If your budget allows for a voice recognition GPS with 1000 waypoints, an improved on/off switch, and smoother screen refresh, then by all means get that one. But if you're looking to spend about $300, and want voice recognition, do not hesitate to buy the 855. I wouldn't exchange it for a non-voice recognition unit that has those features that this one lacks.
"Excellent Unit - answers for "Problems"" 2009-05-21
By M. S. Broder (NC, USA)
This GPS works exactly as expected. The remote button attaches easily to the steering wheel. Wait until the green indicator shows up on the screen. It has an excellent voice recognition interface, and the advanced GPS features that I want. This is really helpful when you are traveling alone and can't stop. You don't need to use the touch screen
It reads street, and highway lane names.. The where am I ?, Point of interest (POI) features are very useful. It stores location when you remove it from the vehicle mount. It takes you back to your car in a mall parking lot. It re-routes fast without complaining & asking you to turn around. Easy to add and change order of "via" points. You can pre-program easily at home.
I suggest that potential buyers & users go to the GPS Magazine site and read the Garmin 885T review with step-by-step photos & examples of its functions. The 855 is the same unit without Blue Tooth & the Microsoft network. Here's the link:
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2009/01/garmin_nuvi_885t_review.php
Here's a link to a PDF of the full owner manual
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/nuvi855_OwnersManual.pdf
1. The serial number is printed on the outside of the unit box, and in the battery compartment.
2. Connect on line with USB cable. Register your unit, and then follow instructions to download "plug-in" which identifies your unit, and then updates your software & most recent maps. This took me 20 minutes with a cable modem.
3. You can charge the battery with the USB cable plugged into your computer. No need for AC charger.
4. On off switch: . Slide left to turn on, it springs back to center. Slide left again to turn off. Slide right to lock ( prevents accidental activation.)
5. Volume control. There are 2 separate controls. After you press VOLUME, press MIXER. There are 3 separate volume controls there, VOICE, MEDIA,( PHONE which doesn't function on this unit). My factory setting for voice was 70%. Others might be lower. This should be increased to 100%.
6. The MEDIA setting is for the micro SD card . You can buy 2 2GB cards & SD card adapter for $19 or less.
7. The FM link to YOUR CAR RADIO is restricted in power by US law, so that other cars won't get your signal. It varies in effectiveness depending upon where your FM antenna is in your car!
8. If you want to play recordings on the Micro SD, try using an adapter from Garmin headphone output into your radio. On older radios, a cassette player adapter will work.
This unit is a great deal, and works well if you read the instructions.
Try it at home, you can walk outside if you don't get satellite signals. Try all the functions & use the voice commands. Then practice on a familiar route until you get used to the functions.
"Nice upgrade" 2009-10-18
By Stan M. Bober (Mishawaka, Indiana)
I've had a Garmin Quest for close to 5 years and I had a decision to make. Upgrade the map for about $100 or put the money towards a new unit. A deciding factor was the fact my Quest has an internal battery and if that went bad, it had to be sent to a service facility for replacement. That cost was unknown to me but with both battery and map cost staring me in the face, a new featured GPS made sense to me.
The 855 fits me best as I don't need Blue Tooth and I can always upgrade to MSN Traffic. The voice interaction is really fun but it's far from perfect. Other reviewers have evidently had better luck getting the 855 to recognize their voice commands. It does OK but and we're still in the learning stage. The best feature is the lane assist. After having it through major cities like Atlanta and Chicago, I wouldn't dream of having another GPS without "lane assist." Lane Junction is still under development and not a big deal. I can only remember two or three viewings of Lane Junction and that's going through two major cities.
My old Quest was great but two things irritated me. 1. The flip antenna would flip down to the closed position and it was very hard to get to an edge to open back up. 2. The most frustrating irritant was driving into an area and the maps needed were not loaded into the unit. The Quest would hold 115M of detailed maps and that is about 2 - 3 states worth. It took close to one-half hour to open the Garmin map on my computer, choose the maps I thought would be needed up to 115M, then download them to the Quest, and then deleting previously loaded maps.
The 855 did away with both irritants and I'm really happy with that along the price offered by Amazon. The routing by the 855 at times has been questionable and I've outright ignored some of the suggested routes knowing they were much slower and maybe even longer as well. Such as taking me through two lane city routes when a 4 lane by-pass was faster and even more direct to the destination?
Overall, the 855 is an amazing Hi-Tech device and for the money, hard to beat. With its battery being replaceable and lifetime map upgrades available for purchase of less then $100 through Amazon, this unit may possibly be the last GPS I'll ever need?
I forgot to add, I did download the TTS/Voice Editor and raised the volume of one of the voices. That made a big difference and did away with one of the 855's biggest complaints of "can't hear due to low voice volume." I wear hearing aids and I can now hear the voice commands. I read all I could on the Voice Editor and followed their instructions including copying and saving the factory voices as a "just in case" something went wrong.
"Nuvi 855 Great GPS Navigator" 2009-11-09
By R. L. Steeper (Melrose, MA USA)
I purchased my first Garmin unit 6 years ago and it worked flawlessly until it was recently stolen (forgot to lock my car doors). I'm actually glad that it was stolen as it forced me to purchase a new unit. The Nuvi 855 is a major advance in GPS navigation technology. The solid state memory, battery power, and voice recognition are all great new features. It is amazing how the Nuvi 855 can recognize my voice commands even with the car noise at open highway speeds. It seldom makes an error. Voice recognition is probably not necessary with the easy to use touch screen but it is just plain fun. In researching other user reviews before purchasing this unit one of the common complaints was that the internal speakers did not provide enough volume even at 100%. I did not find this to be the case. I generally have to keep the volume at 70% or it is too loud. Garmin's recent software update may have addressed this problem. Updating the unit's software online is extremely easy when connected to a computer via the supplied USB cable. For a bit more fun you can download celebrity voices into the unit to guide you to your destination. The Garmin support website is excellent and easy to navigate. I highly recommend the Garmin Nuvi 855 or any Garmin product. I also recommend purchasing from Amazon.Com as they have the best prices around for GPS units.
"Garmin Nuvi 855 - Extremely Useful, I'm Keeping Mine!" 2009-07-21
By Robert Fair (Texas)
Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
Garmin nuvi 855 GPS Navigator & Personal Travel Assistant w/ Speech Recognition
I've had my Nuvi 855 for four months now. I've used it to navigate all over my home state of Texas and used it on trips to Canada and Hawaii. It worked perfectly in all locations. In Hawaii the "points of interest" feature was especially useful. I only had to search for "blow hole" or "castle" and it would pull up the attractions I was looking for.
I used the Garmin web site to update the firmware, voices, and maps as soon as I bought it. I had to send an email to Garmin to get the "free" map ugrade for new purchases but they honored it right away. All updates were easy to perform by following the on-screen instructions with the included software. After experimentation I settled on the "Australian Female" voice as the best to listen to. The accent made the Hawaiian street names sound hilarious, but it works perfect for me.
One feature I really like is that if you miss a turn (on purpose or by accident) it doesn't bug you to make a U-turn and go back. If there is another route within reason it "recalculates" and gives you new directions based on your current path. My only other GPS experience was with a different brand and it would continually tell you to take a U-turn if you didn't follow it's directions. This was very annoying in a construction zone. The Garmin's method is perfect if you're doing a bit of sightseeing on the way to your destination.
I would recommend this device to my friends and family. It's been great for me, and my wife (who is very critical of most technology I buy) even loves it.
By Robert Schroeder (Scottsdale, AZ)
I bought the 855 as an upgrade to my StreetPilot C550. I was reluctant to buy it, based on the less-than-stellar reviews on here, but after using it for a week, I have no complaints at all. Maybe that's due to the fact that I'm upgrading from the ancient 550, and not the 7X5 series. The other reviewers are right, the on/off switch can be awkward, and you need a fingernail to push it over to the left. But that is such a minor complaint, in my opinion. Also, some people say they like the smoother refresh that the 7X5 series has, and this is more jerky, as you move along your route. Well, you're not supposed to be watching it when you're driving anyway. Oh, and it only has 500 waypoints, compared to 1000 on other models. I'll be lucky if I use 100.
What makes this GPS so remarkable is the voice recognition! I feel like I'm using Star Trek technology. It rarely has any problem understanding what I tell it. Hands free GPS navigation! I never have to pull over to type a new destination (or try to do it while driving). I can't imagine any of the minor complaints offsetting the awesomeness of the voice recognition. Now that it's available, I wouldn't have a GPS unit without it. If your budget allows for a voice recognition GPS with 1000 waypoints, an improved on/off switch, and smoother screen refresh, then by all means get that one. But if you're looking to spend about $300, and want voice recognition, do not hesitate to buy the 855. I wouldn't exchange it for a non-voice recognition unit that has those features that this one lacks.
By M. S. Broder (NC, USA)
This GPS works exactly as expected. The remote button attaches easily to the steering wheel. Wait until the green indicator shows up on the screen. It has an excellent voice recognition interface, and the advanced GPS features that I want. This is really helpful when you are traveling alone and can't stop. You don't need to use the touch screen
It reads street, and highway lane names.. The where am I ?, Point of interest (POI) features are very useful. It stores location when you remove it from the vehicle mount. It takes you back to your car in a mall parking lot. It re-routes fast without complaining & asking you to turn around. Easy to add and change order of "via" points. You can pre-program easily at home.
I suggest that potential buyers & users go to the GPS Magazine site and read the Garmin 885T review with step-by-step photos & examples of its functions. The 855 is the same unit without Blue Tooth & the Microsoft network. Here's the link:
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2009/01/garmin_nuvi_885t_review.php
Here's a link to a PDF of the full owner manual
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/nuvi855_OwnersManual.pdf
1. The serial number is printed on the outside of the unit box, and in the battery compartment.
2. Connect on line with USB cable. Register your unit, and then follow instructions to download "plug-in" which identifies your unit, and then updates your software & most recent maps. This took me 20 minutes with a cable modem.
3. You can charge the battery with the USB cable plugged into your computer. No need for AC charger.
4. On off switch: . Slide left to turn on, it springs back to center. Slide left again to turn off. Slide right to lock ( prevents accidental activation.)
5. Volume control. There are 2 separate controls. After you press VOLUME, press MIXER. There are 3 separate volume controls there, VOICE, MEDIA,( PHONE which doesn't function on this unit). My factory setting for voice was 70%. Others might be lower. This should be increased to 100%.
6. The MEDIA setting is for the micro SD card . You can buy 2 2GB cards & SD card adapter for $19 or less.
7. The FM link to YOUR CAR RADIO is restricted in power by US law, so that other cars won't get your signal. It varies in effectiveness depending upon where your FM antenna is in your car!
8. If you want to play recordings on the Micro SD, try using an adapter from Garmin headphone output into your radio. On older radios, a cassette player adapter will work.
This unit is a great deal, and works well if you read the instructions.
Try it at home, you can walk outside if you don't get satellite signals. Try all the functions & use the voice commands. Then practice on a familiar route until you get used to the functions.
By Stan M. Bober (Mishawaka, Indiana)
I've had a Garmin Quest for close to 5 years and I had a decision to make. Upgrade the map for about $100 or put the money towards a new unit. A deciding factor was the fact my Quest has an internal battery and if that went bad, it had to be sent to a service facility for replacement. That cost was unknown to me but with both battery and map cost staring me in the face, a new featured GPS made sense to me.
The 855 fits me best as I don't need Blue Tooth and I can always upgrade to MSN Traffic. The voice interaction is really fun but it's far from perfect. Other reviewers have evidently had better luck getting the 855 to recognize their voice commands. It does OK but and we're still in the learning stage. The best feature is the lane assist. After having it through major cities like Atlanta and Chicago, I wouldn't dream of having another GPS without "lane assist." Lane Junction is still under development and not a big deal. I can only remember two or three viewings of Lane Junction and that's going through two major cities.
My old Quest was great but two things irritated me. 1. The flip antenna would flip down to the closed position and it was very hard to get to an edge to open back up. 2. The most frustrating irritant was driving into an area and the maps needed were not loaded into the unit. The Quest would hold 115M of detailed maps and that is about 2 - 3 states worth. It took close to one-half hour to open the Garmin map on my computer, choose the maps I thought would be needed up to 115M, then download them to the Quest, and then deleting previously loaded maps.
The 855 did away with both irritants and I'm really happy with that along the price offered by Amazon. The routing by the 855 at times has been questionable and I've outright ignored some of the suggested routes knowing they were much slower and maybe even longer as well. Such as taking me through two lane city routes when a 4 lane by-pass was faster and even more direct to the destination?
Overall, the 855 is an amazing Hi-Tech device and for the money, hard to beat. With its battery being replaceable and lifetime map upgrades available for purchase of less then $100 through Amazon, this unit may possibly be the last GPS I'll ever need?
I forgot to add, I did download the TTS/Voice Editor and raised the volume of one of the voices. That made a big difference and did away with one of the 855's biggest complaints of "can't hear due to low voice volume." I wear hearing aids and I can now hear the voice commands. I read all I could on the Voice Editor and followed their instructions including copying and saving the factory voices as a "just in case" something went wrong.
By R. L. Steeper (Melrose, MA USA)
I purchased my first Garmin unit 6 years ago and it worked flawlessly until it was recently stolen (forgot to lock my car doors). I'm actually glad that it was stolen as it forced me to purchase a new unit. The Nuvi 855 is a major advance in GPS navigation technology. The solid state memory, battery power, and voice recognition are all great new features. It is amazing how the Nuvi 855 can recognize my voice commands even with the car noise at open highway speeds. It seldom makes an error. Voice recognition is probably not necessary with the easy to use touch screen but it is just plain fun. In researching other user reviews before purchasing this unit one of the common complaints was that the internal speakers did not provide enough volume even at 100%. I did not find this to be the case. I generally have to keep the volume at 70% or it is too loud. Garmin's recent software update may have addressed this problem. Updating the unit's software online is extremely easy when connected to a computer via the supplied USB cable. For a bit more fun you can download celebrity voices into the unit to guide you to your destination. The Garmin support website is excellent and easy to navigate. I highly recommend the Garmin Nuvi 855 or any Garmin product. I also recommend purchasing from Amazon.Com as they have the best prices around for GPS units.
By Robert Fair (Texas)
Garmin nüvi 855 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
Garmin nuvi 855 GPS Navigator & Personal Travel Assistant w/ Speech Recognition
I've had my Nuvi 855 for four months now. I've used it to navigate all over my home state of Texas and used it on trips to Canada and Hawaii. It worked perfectly in all locations. In Hawaii the "points of interest" feature was especially useful. I only had to search for "blow hole" or "castle" and it would pull up the attractions I was looking for.
I used the Garmin web site to update the firmware, voices, and maps as soon as I bought it. I had to send an email to Garmin to get the "free" map ugrade for new purchases but they honored it right away. All updates were easy to perform by following the on-screen instructions with the included software. After experimentation I settled on the "Australian Female" voice as the best to listen to. The accent made the Hawaiian street names sound hilarious, but it works perfect for me.
One feature I really like is that if you miss a turn (on purpose or by accident) it doesn't bug you to make a U-turn and go back. If there is another route within reason it "recalculates" and gives you new directions based on your current path. My only other GPS experience was with a different brand and it would continually tell you to take a U-turn if you didn't follow it's directions. This was very annoying in a construction zone. The Garmin's method is perfect if you're doing a bit of sightseeing on the way to your destination.
I would recommend this device to my friends and family. It's been great for me, and my wife (who is very critical of most technology I buy) even loves it.
