Garmin Nuvi 1490 T

[stiles watson]

First report on this GPS. The voice is much clearer, enunciation is better, and the speaker is louder. I only have to turn it up about 60 or 70% to get good speaker level. The 5" screen is better arranged than my older unit. It displays the speed limit on screen. I like the speed limit and my current speed being right together on the screen. If I go over, it turns red. However, in some areas the indicated speed limit can't be trusted. I found a couple of spots where the limit had been changed since the info was collected by the software providers.

This is a blue tooth device, so I checked out the integration with my cell phone. It worked very well with the points of interest,i.e., I found the nearest Ford dealership and punched the call button on the Nuvi and it dialed the number, all hands free. (No problems. just a routine oil change appointment.) It can be trained for voice dialing if I wish.

A life time subscription to live traffic report service came with the purchase. I have not used this feature yet. Another feature I like is the ability to choose between the "qwerty" and "ABCD" keyboard. My old one only had the ABCD and I prefer the qwerty, like a computer keyboard. There are some other nifty features, but that's enough for now.

[Art-n-Marge]

Hey Stiles,

What traffic service did you get? I understand MSN Direct won't be available after some time in 2012 (what happens after that)? If you got FM Traffic, how long is the lifetime for that? Besides traffic problems on your route, is there an active map that shows road conditions for all the major highways if you are not under guidance?

I use XMTraffic with my Pioneer GPS but it requires me to subscribe to XMRadio and XMtraffic gets added to that at about $120/year. I currently renew my 3 year subscriptions and I don't necessarily want XMRadio, but I must subscribe in order to get XMTraffic. Last I looked XM did not offer a lifetime subscription. Unfortunately, the definition of "lifetime" isn't necessarily my lifetime but probably theirs, if they go out of business, get bought out, or it's no longer available.

Just curious if you know the long term ramifications of your Traffic Reporting. And it sounds like you got a nice unit. If you are new to GPS' you'll get to a point of asking why you waited so long to get one. They become a very useful tool.

[stiles watson]

You are correct. The lifetime traffic is good as long as the relationship between Garmin and NAVTEQ lasts (NAVTEQ supplies the service). In the mean time, it is included with the device without additional fees. It does come with some very small advertising on the screen (gotta pay for it somehow), but it is unobtrusive.

On my last Garmin, there was a requirement to subscribe for the service. I never did, so after the introductory period was over, I cut off the end of the cord and hard wired it to an upfitter switch in the truck and got the dangling wires out of the cab. Worked fine as a GPS device, but no longer had the capacity to receive FM signals.

[rames14]

Thanks, Stiles. I have been eyeing the new Garmins. I have a Nuvi 680 with MSN and purchased it through 2012 when it gets discontinued. I really like the idea of the Junction View/Lane Assist. Thinking of the 1690 next year. We'll see how the prices go.