Garmin nuvi 805 Series | 855 and 885T Auto GPS Navigators Review

Garmin’s nuvi 805 series of GPS satellite navigators has two models; the Garmin nuvi 855 and Garmin nuvi 885T (T for traffic receiver. The 885T also has Bluetooth wireless technology for connecting a compatible cell phone for hands-free phone calls (worthwhile for convenience and safety) and comes with 3 months free MSN Direct service.

Garmin Nuvi 805 series

Speech Recognition – Garmin Nuvi 885T and 855

Speech recognition is the standout feature of the Garmin nuvi 805 series allowing the use of spoken instructions to enter your destination, select options and perform other functions. The remote control (attaches to steering wheel) is used to start or stop speech recognition when required.

Spoken commands can be in the form of; reading any text on the screen, using shortcut commands, pronouncing a popular place name and recite an address. Text on the screen might be “back” to go back to previous menu. Shortcut commands skip menus and go straight to where you want to be. Some shortcut command examples are; Go Home, Hands Free or Volume Down. There are even shortcut commands specific to MSN such as; Show News or Show Weather. You can say “Find Nearest” to search a location category (from POI) for example you may say “Find nearest gas station”. The Find Place by Name option only works for popular, well-known locations – otherwise you have to use the Were To? Menu categories

The Garmin video below is for the Garmin nuvi 880 but it gives and idea of how Garmin’s speech recognition works in real life.

While Garmin’s speech recognition is a useful tool it requires the use of a structured voice instructions rather than more natural conversational language inquiries as with the Pioneer’s recently announced AVIC-F500BT. The Pioneer AVIC-500BT is a hybrid auto navigation device which will fit in the dash and can be removed to become a personal navigation device away from the car. The AVIC-500BT uses VoiceBox’s Conversational Voice Search Platform. A detailed review of this speech recognition software is included in our review of the AVIC-500BT.

Other notable Garmin nuvi 805 series features include; 4.3 inch widescreen WQVGA (480 x 272 pixels) TFT touchscreen, Lane Guidance, Multi-Destination Routing, Bluetooth Wireless Technology (nuvi 885T), Multimedia Features(JPEG picture viewer, MP3 player and Audiobook player), Travel Guides and GarminSavers Guide, microSD card slot, pre-loaded maps (NAVTEQ) for US, Canada and Puerto Rico and Garmin Lock (theft prevention).

Navigating with the Garmin Nuvi 805 Series GPS Navigators

Through the Where to? icon Garmin has provided numerous ways to enter your destination through numerous category and sub-category choices including; searching for or entering an address, searching for or selecting a POI, using a favourite, selecting home, an intersection or a geotagged photo (see below). It’s possible to set waypoints (Garmin refer to them as via points) and request a reroute while navigating your plotted route.

At any time it’s possible to find exactly where you are by tapping the Where AM I? icon on the GPS display. You can display your exact coordinates, nearest address and intersection as well as the closest service selected from a menu. It’s a handy feature for an emergency.

If you often have trouble finding where you parked your car then you will appreciate the nuvi 805’s feature which remembers the position where it is removed from its mount so it can guide you back there if necessary.

Included in the 805 Series Garmin nuvi Box

nuvi 805 series GPS navigator
Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America
MSN direct receiver (885T only) with vehicle power cable
3 months free MSN Direct service (nuvi 885T only)
Speech recognition remote
Vehicle suction cup mount
Dashboard disc
USB cable
Quick start manual

Resources

The less expensive Garmin nuvi 205 models have a smaller 3.5 inch screen, no FM transmitter, lane assist, multiple destinations, 3D building view, garmin locate, MP3 player or audio book player.

User Manual for Garmin nuvi 805 Series – 850 and 855T

Garmin nuvi 805 Series Quick Start Guide