Bought this sat nav as a replacement for a 5 year old basic tom tom which gave up the ghost. This garmin has very good voice guidance which even tells you the name of the road you need to turn into. The screen is bright and clear. A few points i wasn't happy about, perhaps they can be overcome but i could't find anything in the menus to sort it out.
I always like to know how far away we are from our destination in miles but this unit only seems to indicate the estimated time of arrival. Also the re-routing function doesn't kick in half as quick as my old tom tom unit. Overall it's not as good as expected for this price.
Faulty satnav replaced with star performer. After discussing with a previous purchaser of this satnav from amazon, dr trevor clarke,who had to return his twice, i was half expecting problems. Sure enough the device's touch screen was not fully operational, it could not get a satellite signal and appeared not to charge. Not a lot of use and amazon replaced without quibble. I think garmin has a problem with this satnav with 3 out of 5 devices supplied to trevor and myself being defective.
The replacement was excellent. Worked well straight out of the box. Controls not quite as intuitive as the navman it replaced but i soon got used to them. Loads of useful features, and i would recommend it anyone. One slight irritation i have found is that you have to navigate to at least a street by name rather than just the centre of a town or village, but it does offer you the choices for you to select.
Pros
- A great SatNav, highly recommended
- Great machine- really works well
- Bought this rather than a Tomtom - and very glad I did !
- Good but some major functionality issues
- Garmin Nuvi 1390T
- Excellent Quality & Easy to Use
Cons
- Garmin 1390T - Disappointment
- Frustrated - not quite good enough
- Good when it worked!
- Garmin paper weights
Negative Review of Garmin Nuvi 1390T 4.3" Sat Nav with UK and Europe Maps
Features of Garmin Nuvi 1390T 4.3" Sat Nav with UK and Europe Maps
- Street-level mapping for UK&ROI, Western & Eastern Europe (42 countries) with 60-Day nüMaps™ Guarantee
- Built-in Cyclops™ speed camera database (includes fixed camera locations and mobile hot-spots)
- Lane Assist/Junction View - illustrates the correct lane choice for upcoming turns and exits
- Award winning free Premium Lifetime traffic subscription for the UK and other European countries
- 4.3 inch wide touchscreen display, sleek, ultra-slim design that fits easily in your pocket.
Bought This Rather Than a Tomtom - and Very Glad I Did !. I bought this garmin product a couple of months ago, having had tomtoms (and 1 garmin)in the past. I deliberately waited a while before reviewing it to put it through its paces. I have mainly been a tomtom user but my latest tomtom (europe xl) was nicked from the car! so i needed a new unit. I was a quite disappointed in the tomtom, particulalry since the batteries would flatten if it wasn't used for a few days then would take a few moments to spring into life - very poor really and not unheard of apparrently. So. This time i bought a garmin. This model is much much much more improved than my earlier garmin. It is easy to use (the wife got the hang of it in no time), fires up quickly, retains its charge, speaks street names and road numbers (wow - how good is that - it's brilliant). Never thought i'd use bluetooth for my phone, but hey. Its so easy i don't know how i managed without it. I could rave on and on about this unit, but you probably get the picture by now (i give it 10/10). The ultimate endorsement is that both of my lads, who both have tomtoms, are thinking about ditching their tomtoms and buying a garmin - can't be bad can it !.
Good But Some Major Functionality Issues. I've been using the 1390t for about one month in and around london. I bought it for the competitive price, lifetime traffic and camera database. The package certainly seems to include a lot for the price. And so to my findings. The good stuff1. Map quality seems good. Few mistakes around london2. Lane assist. This really works! for me, in london, its saved my bacon quite a few times. Possibly one of the most useful features. 3. Screen size is excellent with clear, easy to read maps and menus. 4. Camera database seems spot on - for box fixed and mobile cameras. Get red alerts if you are over the speed limit on approach. 5. So far seem realiable. Has not frozen, crashed, locked or got confused. 6. Pc connectivity is straightforward plus you get one free map update too. The bad stuff1. It gives road names not numbers or instructions. I really need instructions such as 'take second right' or 'turn onto a406 north circular'. Instead i get 'turn right in to acacia avenue' - this only works if you know all the street names in the uk. So major, major problem. Worse, major road signs show road numbers not names - so you still need to look at everything - kind of defeats the purpose of satnav. 2. Traffic alerts can be unreliable in london. In london traffic alerts can pop up, then disappear. Sometimes get no warning at all before hitting traffic. Grrr. 3. Route choice is interesting. Fastest route can be slower that shortest. Eco route can be least direct and most winding. Maybe thats just london and could be better in other parts of uk. 4. Cables are rather intrusive. Traffic antenna plugs into main cable about 30cm away from satnav unit. Summary. The satnav is rather good. Well made, reliable and shows maps and locations. But. For me the street name issue is a killer. Maybe it'll grow on me but i suspect not. .
Garmin Nuvi 1390t. I have had the product for 4 weeks and found it to be an amazingly good unit. Navigation is easier than with tomtom and the traffic warnings are brilliant with excellent diversionary information and re-routing that have kept me moving all of the time. The unit refused to start 5 days ago and will only recycle off-startup-copywrite screen-loading maps-back to off! it has currently been returned to the supplier for repair/replacement, as soon as possible, i hope as i am literally 'lost' without the traffic information. I bought a garmin because they are supposedly 'more reliable' than tomtom! if it had been, i would have awarded all 5 stars and a very strong recommendation to any reader. As it is all i can say is garmin are letting themselves down, at the moment, in my book! a real shame. (october)the first unit was replaced and now the new unit cannot acquire or hold sufficient satellites to function as a gps unit. Garmin technical support helpful but nothing has so far reinstated satellite navigation (including a software up-date etc)! where next? just 2 months with 2 units and results no navigation! (november)now 1 december!just received 3rd 1390 unit and seems to be working fine; so fingers crossed. Garmin replaced with new but claimed that the returned unit was 'working fine when tested '; but they offered new replacement 'for goodwill and without liability. ' i guess you take it as it comes, if it does the job. I still expect great things, as it is excellent; when working. .
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 12.2 x 7.5 cm ; 163 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 558 g
- Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
- Item model number: 1390 Traffic - UK & EU
- ASIN: B0021L9BJ2
Conclusion of Garmin Nuvi 1390T 4
My old gps didn't have euromaps and was 5 years old so i needed an upgrade+ very easy to use+ points of interest + favourites work well+ pedestrian mode works well, finding fuel, shops, money, restaurants in an unusual town is now very easy+ built quality top+ voice clear+ route calcuations very quick, 850km takes 5 secs to calculate+ add in a 'via' point if you want to detour. When you select a new desitination while driving a current route, it asks if this is a via point or a new destination. (some reviews says it doesn't have this feature???)+ speed limits displayed, 99% accurate and very handy+ fixed speed cameras, good to know where they are+ distance to go, time to go etc, very accurate+ very secure windscreen mount and clasp. It shows the road signs exactly as they are making it easy to navigate through major junctions/intersections (eg basel border for ch fr, ge)- kept repeating a speed camera area, software bug, not sure, had to reset (hold power button 10 secs) put in new route then put original route back in then ok- calculation jammed at 79% when stopping in services, had to do system reset- when power cable is plugged in to back, every time you start your car, the gps powers on, would be better if you powered it on manually. If it wasn't for this sat nav it wouldn't have workedwe had opportunity to compare it as we hired the second unit from the car hire company.
The unit we hired was an older garmin. It was not wide screen and didn't have traffic knowledge or bluetooth. We each had highly frustrating situations with the hired one in which we simply couldn't find our way- telling us to turn where there were no roads/one way roads. The speed limit is really handy- british roads are not well signposted. They have the limitied speed zone sign everywhere telling you its open road, but the open road speed limit changed depending on if you are on a motorway, country road or and highway.
It even knew that there was a temporary change in speed at most of the road works. I think that was actually why it was wrong a couple times- might have been a previous decrease in speed limit that no longer applies. Turns out that although i plugged it in each time i used it the charge gradually decreased. It is clear and accurate and understands traffic so will divert you. I bought this garmin product a couple of months ago, having had tomtoms (and 1 garmin)in the past.
This time i bought a garmin. It is easy to use (the wife got the hang of it in no time), fires up quickly, retains its charge, speaks street names and road numbers (wow - how good is that - it's brilliant). Screen size is excellent with clear, easy to read maps and menus. Pc connectivity is straightforward plus you get one free map update too.
It gives road names not numbers or instructions. Instead i get 'turn right in to acacia avenue' - this only works if you know all the street names in the uk. Worse, major road signs show road numbers not names - so you still need to look at everything - kind of defeats the purpose of satnav. Traffic antenna plugs into main cable about 30cm away from satnav unit. Navigation is easier than with tomtom and the traffic warnings are brilliant with excellent diversionary information and re-routing that have kept me moving all of the time.
As it is all i can say is garmin are letting themselves down, at the moment, in my book. (october)the first unit was replaced and now the new unit cannot acquire or hold sufficient satellites to function as a gps unit. Garmin technical support helpful but nothing has so far reinstated satellite navigation (including a software up-date etc). Just 2 months with 2 units and results no navigation.(november)now 1 decemberjust received 3rd 1390 unit and seems to be working fine; so fingers crossed.
Garmin replaced with new but claimed that the returned unit was 'working fine when tested '; but they offered new replacement 'for goodwill and without liability. This garmin works perfectly, picks up satellite signals instantly and has a bright, easy to use screen and controls. Much to my surprise, the touch screen works with motorcycle gloves on. My garmin worked first time straight from the box. Don't waste time getting your map up to date - plug the gadget in and start using it.
Phoned garmin technical and they said it was vital to update software before using. I did this and have had none of the reported problems with unit turning off etc. Calculates / recalculates route very quickly and works well. One feature it has, is to tell you the name of the road to turn into, however i found this could lead to you frantically looking for a road name which could be distracting. Speed limits (with updated maps) were generally accurate but did not reflect all of the reduced limits introduced in the last 12 months or so. Found that entering post code did not always correctly identify road but by entering the name of the town you could then choose the road. 2) it gives the name of the road3) traffic updates are very correct and they are free4) lane guidance is helpful , especially if new to the area5) easy to understandcons:1) twice it happened that the unit kept restarting on it own , so we had to manually shut it down and restart. Updating the software and downloading latest maps from garmin's website was a simple process although it did take about two and a half hours (my connection speed is about 4mps). I have been particularly impressed by processing speed : acquiring satellites, re-calculating routes and re-drawing map terrain.
Spoken instructions are very timely and 'text to speech' translation when announcing street names is generally pretty accurate. There is no option for downloading 'celebrity' voices so if it's important to you to have ozzy osbourne directing you then go for a tomtombluetooth works as well as most handsfree apparatus and pairing the nuvi with my ageing samsung was effortless, although the phonebook was not imported to the device but i suspect this to be a shortcoming of the phone rather than the nuvi unit. Two accessories you may wish to consider :a protective case (the amazon basics pouch is perfect)a non slip friction mount so you can place the unit exactly where you want it on the dashboard fascia (on most cars the windscreen is too far away to comfortably and safely reach). I bought the garmin 1390t a couple of weeks ago, the first sat nav i've owned. I've used it about half a dozen times so far, mainly for driving long distances to locations that i'm not familiar with for work.
The vocal instructions while driving are precise and are at very useful times and distances ahead of exits, roughly when you'd need to think about preparing to change roads. I've had this for about 3 weeks and can't fault it, yes the cables are on the big side but it works well and gets you to your destination very well, i prefer the 3d view as some road junction's are quite difficult in 2d view and the device will advise you to turn into xxxxxx road in 50 yards or whatever, all well and good if you know where that road isand if you are a stranger to the area then most likely you won't, but overall a neat piece of kit apart from the cables. Late one night, while driving round luxembourg the a1 was closed and the unit re-routed us through the centre of the city with no problems. Shipped with poor mapping for romania, but the free map update fixed that - contrary to some other reviewers' experience, the map update was smooth. It never activated in the uk; garmin eventually told me that the antenna i had was for us traffic alerts, and i would need to swap for the uk / eu antenna (which to garmin's credit, they offered to do for free).
Good Product. I am using the garmin for 1 month now and leaving few issues i am satisfied with the product. Pros:1) wide and clear screen and sleek. 2) it gives the name of the road3) traffic updates are very correct and they are free!!!!4) lane guidance is helpful , especially if new to the area5) easy to understandcons:1) twice it happened that the unit kept restarting on it own , so we had to manually shut it down and restart. I guess its happening when the power cable is a bit loose. .
Nuvi 1390. This is my first sat nav so some of my observations could apply to all types. Was concerned with some negative reviews of this product. Phoned garmin technical and they said it was vital to update software before using. I did this and have had none of the reported problems with unit turning off etc. Calculates / recalculates route very quickly and works well. One feature it has, is to tell you the name of the road to turn into, however i found this could lead to you frantically looking for a road name which could be distracting. Tried it on a couple of journeys i was familiar with and on one occasion it led me down narrow country roads which is not the way i would normally go. Maps update was about 3. 5 gig which nearly took me over my monthly limit so beware if you are on a limited service. Speed limits (with updated maps) were generally accurate but did not reflect all of the reduced limits introduced in the last 12 months or so. Found that entering post code did not always correctly identify road but by entering the name of the town you could then choose the road. Overall i would recommend this unit. .
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