Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

Pre-loaded with complete Navteq Maps for North America
2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions; Accepts custom points of interest (POIs)
Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker allows for hands-free calls
1 year free subscription to MSN Direct Traffic, Weather and Entertainment Service
Super-bright, sunlight-readable color screen

Travel throughout North America without loading any more maps with the Garmin nüvi 680 Personal Travel Assistant with MSN Direct. Plus, you can receive door-to-door directions while staying on top of local weather, traffic, and more with nüvi 680. The device features a colorful widescreen, hands-free calling, and an FM transmitter, then takes it up a notch by adding dynamic content from MSN Direct, as well as a convenient digital travel kit that includes an MP3 player with sample MP3s, audio books, a picture viewer, a world clock, currency and measurement converters, a calculator, and more.

This pocket sized personal travel assistant has a super bright, sunlight-readable color screen. See side view.

Easy

Rating: (out of 184 reviews)

List Price: $ 329.99

Price: $ 115.00

TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)

Portable GPS device with 4.3-inch widescreen touch LCD with text-to-speech capabilities
Preloaded with US and Canadian maps from TeleAtlas and millions of POIs, with ability to add and customize your own
EasyPort mount easily attaches to your windshield and folds away for easy portability
Traffic-capable with optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver
Includes car charger; internal battery provides up to 3 hours of continuous usage

Amazon.com Product Description Boasting a 4.3-inch widescreen LCD for easier viewing in the car, the TomTom XL 330 and XL 330S features the plug and play ease of use, rock-solid navigation, and sleek design we’ve come to expect from TomTom. Both models come pre-loaded with highly accurate maps for the United States and Canada, with TomTom Map Share technology that enables you to instantly modify street names, street direction, and POIs on your own device. Both models share the same navigation and user interface features. Howerver, the XL 330S adds text-to-speech, which means instead of hearing “turn right in 50 feet,” you’ll hear “turn right in 50 feet at Ohio Street.”

TomTom’s XL 330 series GPS devices have a 4.3-inch widescreen

Rating: (out of 15 reviews)

List Price: $ 119.95

Price: $ 119.95

10 comments

massage man says:

August 25, 2010 at 7:24 am (UTC -5)

Review by massage man for Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Rating:
The latest Garmin is very impressive. However, I don’t like the fact that finding some of the accessories is so challenging. For example, I purchased this GPS because I was taking a trip to California. Unfortunately, the laws in California prevent you from attaching the Nuvi directly to the windshild, so you’ve got to purchase a separate accessory, which I did, the Garmin Portable Friction Mount. It works great in terms of not sliding around the dash. I was on San Francisco streets and if it was going to fly off – it would have, but it was rock steady. The problem is that I didn’t know that you need more than just the friction mount. There is another accessory that goes between the Nuvi and the friction mount. Because I found out about the California law just before I left, I had no time to figure out what that extra part is – so I just used a series of rubber bands to affix it to the Friction Mount base.

It would have been easy for Garmin to spell this out, but I could find no information to let me know which part to purchase to go with the “Universal” Friction Mount or even that you needed an extra part. I still don’t know what that part is. The rubber bands worked OK, but it’s lame.

As far as the MSN Direct, it works pretty well for the Weather & Traffic, and it does let you know about some movie theaters – not even close to a complete list – at least not in the NYC area, and then the gas prices…. At one point, when my rental car gas indicator was on E, I thought No problem – I’ve got the Nuvi. Well, it took me to a non-existant gas station, which was harrowing considering I was about to run out of gas and didn’t know the area. It gave me a ghost gas station two different times and locations. So I’m on the fence about renewing. Also, I know of some local stations that have better gas prices that don’t even show up on MSN, so it hasn’t got a complete list of stations/prices.

Even though, I purchased this right after it came out – it has come down in price over $160 since I purchased it less than a month ago – I am happy that I bought it. It was invaluable in getting me around S.F. and the Wine country. But, I could have been just as happy with the 660 had I known about the hiccups with MSN Direct. So, I learned that I can’t totally trust the MSN, but it does still give some information. It also would have been better if you could download the MSN info without having to plug it into the car cigarette lighter.

A big plus is the Bluetooth. It’s invaluable – the only way to make phone calls in the car – it couldn’t be easier, and a great connection. Of course, you get that with some of the previous versions of the Nuvi.

All told, the 660 would have been the better purchase for me. You could take a chance that the MSN will get better in accuracy on the 680, now that the price has come down so much from when I purchased it – it might be worth the extra $.

UPDATE:

Since I first posted this review in May, Garmin wised up. The only Garmin Portable Friction Mount I could find when I purchased mine, does not go with the 680. At least not without 2 parts. From what I can glean from other reviewers, I could purchase another item to go with what I already have, but my total cost for both would be over $50.

Garmin now has the correct Friction Mount in the accessories section for the 680 on their website. List price: $40.00 (#010-10908)- Amazon price: $28 (at this point).

Don’t be fooled by the CUSTOMERS WHO BOUGHT THIS ITEM ALSO BOUGHT section on Amazon.

Check the Garmin website to be sure.
Dave says:

August 25, 2010 at 7:38 am (UTC -5)

Review by Dave for Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Rating:
I have three hand-held GPSs and two cars with factory installed GPS. The Nuvi 680 beats them all.

Once you get hooked on using a GPS, it becomes indispensible.

I like the 3D cartoon-like display on the Nuvi 680. It is much easier to read at a glance. The 2D displays on the other GPS units cannot display the names of all of the cross roads because there is not enough room on the display and they are written along the road at odd angles. The Nuvi 680 gets around the problem by showing the name of every road as you approach it on the banner bar at the top. That way it does not need to show every minor road, only the major ones. This is a great improvement.

The other features on the Nuvi 680 are: Bluetooth hands-free cell phone (my factory-installed GPS units have this also – a great feature), MP3 ( I have over 300 hours of music recorded on the SD card), JPEG ( I have not used this, and I am not sure this is a safe feature anyway), POI ( These are easier to access on the Nuvi than on other units and are very helpful), and MSN Direct( It displays storm warnings automatically- this was helpful in Chicago while I was there), Sound output on the car’s speakers (this is good, but you must select an unused frequency and it is is very hard to find one in large cities. I would like to see Garmin extend the frequency range below the FM band like my car is capable of to get highway messages).

If it was not for the fact that GPS is bundled with many other good features in factory-installed cars, I would opt for the Nuvi 680 as the preferred GPS unit.
T. Anderson says:

August 25, 2010 at 7:39 am (UTC -5)

Review by T. Anderson for Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Rating:
This is a nice little unit. I used to program GPS applications so I have used a few. The software running this unit is great. The GPS algorithms for finding the shortest or the longest route work excellently. I tested with 4 separate routes. When you deviate from your route the unit is a little slow to pick up on it, 2 or 3 seconds depending on how far you have moved, but then it starts recalculating and gets you back on track.

The maps are easy to read and the views (2d and 3d) are easily switched and zoomed.

The MP3 player works great. It plays music and when it needs to give a voice command it pauses the music and tells you what it needs to tell you. The FM tuner works well too. Although if you come in range of a station the station takes over.

The hands free calling works great. As soon I as I get in the car it finds my phone. If music is playing, it is puts it on pause until you are done on the phone and then turns it right back on.

The user interface is very intuitive and user friendly. I have hardly needed to use the manual or help.

The MSN direct features work good also. They take some time when you first turn it on to download all the information. The traffic feature has worked well. The data has been up to date so far. If it tells you a road is closed, LISTEN TO IT!!!!! We decided not to and sat in 4 hours of traffic because we thought “No way could the turnpike be closed.” We could have totally avoided it.

The movie data in my area have all been up to date and have included some theaters I didn’t know existed. The gas feature usually has data (prices) that is a day or 2 old, but it did list all the gas stations in my area.

At first when I used the suction cup mount I thought it was defective because it kept falling off. After reading the directions, I discovered that I need to clean all the dust of the window before trying to use it. Since I have discovered that little trick it has worked great. We have used it in our 2 cars and truck.

We do yard sales on Saturday and my girlfriend had to make maps with MapPoint every week. Now we just put the addresses in as we go.

Having a GPS like this definitely changes the way you travel. Running errands is great. I type in the name of the store I want to go to and go to the closest one. Then type in the next one. I have discovered a lot of store locations I didn’t know about.

Over all the purchase was definitely worth it.
M. Wright says:

August 25, 2010 at 7:51 am (UTC -5)

Review by M. Wright for Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Rating:
Overall very impressed with the Garmin 680. The maps and display are very easy to read, the tts sounds great, and it seems very accurate. So far the MSN Direct has proved valuable, routing us around stopped traffic, helping us find the best gas prices, and accurate weather. Yes, it is pricey, but proves you get what you pay for. If you don’t need/want the bluetooth, fm transmitter, msn direct (680) or integrated traffic receiver (660), then just get the Nuvi 650 and save some money. Despite the price, I am really happy with my purchase. I wasn’t expecting much from msn based on other review, but in Atlanta it has worked great! Also, I wasn’t really anticipating using or being interested in the bluetooth, but I’m hooked, very convenient. Call Garmin tech support, not only do they usually pick right up, they are friendly, helpful, and knowlegeable about their products, unlike some competitors.
Ron says:

August 25, 2010 at 8:32 am (UTC -5)

Review by Ron for Garmin nüvi 680 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Rating:
I have enjoyed this device greatly in my recent travels. It has been invaluable in business. It has also been wonderful on weekend “leisure” trips. When I take those trips I love to avoid the highways. I can set the avoidances in the navigation menu to try to avoid highways and it’ll keep me off the interstates and more on the backroads. I’ve discovered some great restaurants this way! If I’m on a timetable, though, I just tell it to take the highways and I’m off on the fast track. It can route differently, depending on timetable and situation. In short I would be lost without it now that I own one. The only thing I don’t like is the suction cup mount for the windshield. It does not hold that great or long, but there are alternatives.
Mike Wilson says:

August 25, 2010 at 8:51 am (UTC -5)

Review by Mike Wilson for TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
Rating:
I found this GPS unit easy to use and accurate. But, it came with old maps in it, and, in-spite of an advertised 30 day free map update, TomTom told me that because it was refurbished (even though it was factory refurbished), they wouldn’t download new maps. So, I sent it back.

Don’t buy TomTom factory refurbished GPSs.

Mike
A. Khval says:

August 25, 2010 at 9:48 am (UTC -5)

Review by A. Khval for TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
Rating:
And if you want to update it with more extended map then you will not manage it, because USA + Canada takes almost all memory.

It’s a pity, nice device otherwise.
James Kipp O'Sullivan says:

August 25, 2010 at 10:16 am (UTC -5)

Review by James Kipp O’Sullivan for TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
Rating:
I really like the TomTom, but I strongly recommend buying new…the refurbished version has (in my case) 18 month old maps on it…and they will not allow you to update them for free…will cost me an additional 90.00 Other than that, the computer interface, ability to update non-map information and ease of use is excellent. But the maps were a big disappointment (from Ohio to Myrtle Beach there were several times it thought I was driving through fields because of new road areas).
D. Kriszun says:

August 25, 2010 at 10:43 am (UTC -5)

Review by D. Kriszun for TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
Rating:
Here is my quick assessment:

- 2 year old may without the option to update… That’s a rip off. Buying a new unit comes cheaper than buying an map update.

- Route suggestions are sometimes weird and definitely not the best. Especially when you know the area

- The original holder is iffy. Buy something more ridged and holds better. Ebay has a lot of options for a lot less money than TomTom asks for
Yooper says:

August 25, 2010 at 11:19 am (UTC -5)

Review by Yooper for TomTom XL 330 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
Rating:
I have had this unit for about 6 weeks and have been to Chicago, LA and Portland. The maps are just fine in the unit and have been 100% accurate thus far. Giant screen is very helpful and the software is a breeze to use. If you do not already own a GPS…..Buy one. It will take the stress out of driving to an unknown location.