Introduction to the Garmin Nuvi 650
The Garmin Nuvi 650 is a remarkable product from Garmin, it’s one their higher end models that strikes strong impressions upon first usage. This is a powerful travel assistant designed for the user who loves to know where they are going, as well as bring an incredible amount of convenience at the same time. This is a strong contender as one of the best in its class of GPS navigators.
 |
| Figure 1: Garmin’s sophisticated GPS navigator designed to bring maximum convenience to the user |
Design of the Nuvi 650
The Nuvi 650 is a statement of bold design from Garmin. The most notable feature from this device is the wide touch screen. With a resolution of 480 x 272 pixels, the views from the device is not only very easy to see, but as well as easy to type from. This model does retain the highly appealing portable aspect of Garmin’s other models available. Measuring at 4.9″W x 2.9″H x .9″D the 650 is slim and handheld, but at the same time the screen is large and wide to give the user no trouble in using it. The unit itself is also quite light, this makes it easy to bring around with you no matter where you go. What is impressive is the lengthy 7 hour battery lifetime, this is more than plenty for any trip. When you need to, the recharging is quick and easy. The clean and sleek shell of the device nicely finishes the packaging.
 |
| Figure 2: An incredibly well designed navigator to look great yet save space |
Garmin 650′s Interface
One of the best parts of the 650 is the interface. The interface in general is very user friendly and intuitive. It is clear, sharp, and easy on the eyes. Menus are easy to locate and select, especially with the touch screen. Ever tried typing on clicky buttons mounted on a GPS unit? Not very convenient. Typing on the Garmin Nuvi 650 was nothing but easy, thanks to a responsive and accurate touch screen.
 |
 |
 |
| Figure 3: Simple, clean, and easy to navigate interface system. | Figure 4: Large buttons, easy to get to the tools that you need. | Figure 5: A simple yet easy to use typing interface. |
Navigation
The Garmin Nuvi 650 GPS unit does come preloaded with maps, so it’s ready for immediate usage. Navigating can’t be any easier than with this handy unit. The device takes the users defined address and it immediately greets the user with a colorful and vivid map of the area. At the same time, the Nuvi calculates based on your current position, the best route for you to take to get to your destination. An icon will show you on the map of where you are. Along the way, a speech system will direct you by audio, it will tell you to when to turn in how ever much distance – very convenient and much safer than looking at something else while driving. Should you even stray off of your path, take a wrong turn, or have to detour, the Nuvi 650 will recalculate a new path for you to continue towards your desired location, this is done quickly and without a problem. To further bring you convenience, the Nuvi 650 is already preloaded with a bunch of points of interests, that’s pretty much your hotels, restaurants, ATMs, and so on.
 |
 |
| Figure 6: Colorful and crisp maps are easy to use and understand. | Figure 7: Informative status can be brought up during your trip to. |
Other Features
Not only is the Nuvi 650 easy to use in navigating, there’s other tools included that will aid the frequent traveller. One of the nice features is the ability to add a custom point of interest, that can be for any purpose. You can even set a proximity alert to that point should you come near it. It is also FM traffic compatible, which has the capability to have updated traffic reports on your maps should you need it, this is quite handy in dense cities where traffic can become congested in places. Beyond that is an mp3 player. The user can bring their mp3 collection on a SD card and play it straight from their Nuvi. Of course there’s always the essential traveller’s tools, which includes world clocks, converters for units and measurements, calculators, and anti-theft functions. It is also quite easy to update as needed, through USB on your PC or Mac.
 |
 |
 |
| Figure 8: An integrated mp3 player allows you to play mp3s from the nuvi, straight out of your SD card. | Figure 9: Picture viewing function lets you to view jpegs on the large touch screen from the nuvi 650. | Figure 10: Bluetooth compatibility allows the user to connect their the mobile with the nuvi 650 for handsfree calling. |
Conclusion
The Garmin Nuvi 650 is a very solid product indeed. With how well it performs in navigation, as well as packing enough features to make it useful for anyone, it puts most competitor units to shame. The maps on the Garmin units are impressive, being clear and understandable at first sight is definitely one of the best traits from this. The wide screen from this model also makes it even more attractive, as not only are the maps more viewable, but using the functions are much more enjoyable. This is an excellent unit for the consumer interested in a one time GPS unit that does enough for the price. Afterall, no one should have to go through needless amounts of different models to get what they want. This has definitely given praise worth first impressions and is highly recommended as an ideal GPS travel assistant.
