jjsC6
Well-known member
List price is basically $800. Anyone have a guess as to what this will relate to in real world pricing from the big discounters?
Garmin Zumo 660 GPS rumored to come out next week!
- Thread starter 2006FJR
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bramfrank
BramFrank
What FM thing? There's no mention of FM in any of the announcements or in the online literature.
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DeweyIsgod
Well-known member
It'll be $800 or thereabouts for the first several months. Just about every new product will go through a wave of popularity where all the techies who've been waiting for the latest do dad will buy the initial inventory. Given that this won't likely hit the shelves until March, you're probably looking at the fall before any meaningful discounts.
Lake Powell
Well-known member
Without XM reception, it's a no-go for me.
Otherwise I'd have already bought one, after having Xm on the 550 there's no going back.
Just hoping for next year a Garmin 770 with stereo blue tooth, Serius instead of XM, Ipod input and control, a good integrated helmet, and a Gen III FJR!
Is that too much to ask for?
Otherwise I'd have already bought one, after having Xm on the 550 there's no going back.
Just hoping for next year a Garmin 770 with stereo blue tooth, Serius instead of XM, Ipod input and control, a good integrated helmet, and a Gen III FJR!
Is that too much to ask for?
2006FJR
Administrator of Transportation
Thats a tall order but it sounds like we are on the same page. I hope we start hearing about the Gen III bikes in the next few months. I would love to see the 1400cc bikes start shipping in August or September. It's not gonna happen but I can d :dribble: ream!
I hope you're right, but I think there's a river in Egypt and it's name is De Nile. I'm actually not surprised by this...saddened, but not surprised. Garmin is now building traffic navigators, not GPSs, for the Camry crowd. We've been watching the move for the last couple of years. Wrapping a Nuvi in new clothes confirms it for me.
Paul Peloquin
Monmouth OR
bramfrank
BramFrank
Yes, the resolution in the vertical direction is more important on a GPS because it is constantly reorienting the display so that is the direction you are traveling. Having a wide screen display looks cool, but does not increase the meaningful information much.
The "display" uses the same technology. The reason it looks different is the software running on it. It does look more life-like and modern, but I fail to understand how that improves your ability to navigate, which is afterall the main purpose of the display.
You have obviously made up your mind that the 660 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I remain reserved and will wait to see how it pans out, but the 10 route limit thing is a serious flaw for a motorcycle GPS in my opinion.
Bionic Pelvis
Well-known member
Here Here! I've never found myself looking at the 550 going, "This just doesn't look as nice as my plasma TV. Crappy ol' thing." I check the map infrequently at best, usually just to confirm there are no weird interchanges or whatever in areas I'm not too familiar with. Besides, isn't that the argument our whole community has been making? "GPSs aren't dangerous on bikes. The voice prompts save us from having to look down at a map."
Of course, I'm willing to concede to the possibility that I'm just a crotchety old lady who is resistant to change. Maybe if/when the 550 goes down for the count, I'll reassess my opinions on the Zumo 4000 or whatever the latest and greatest is at that time.
2006FJR
Administrator of Transportation
One could argue that with lane assist you make better use of the wider screen? Also I like seeing a freeway or a road that that is up in the top corners of the screen that cannot be seen with a screen that is not as wide. So Garmin is making the screen wide so people think it is better and not because there is any value to it? Shame on Garmin for trying to fake so many of us out with a wider screen when it has no use! You keep repeating yourself that I think the 660 is the next best thing to sliced bread but I would argue you’re not reading what I ******* write. I keep saying that the 550 looks dated and the 660 does not. I have also suggested there very well could be another model around the corner that would better fit 550 owners when the time comes to buy another GPS.
As a 550 owner I certainly will not be upgrading. I like the physical buttons because I can feel them without looking at the unit. I also use my GPS speedometer much more than anything else. The text for the speed read out in the new model looks slightly smaller than the one on the 550 and again, I need that info at a glance. Heck, most of the time I'm running a route and will leave the screen up on the speedometer view (speed, tac, max/min, etc.). Maybe the new model has one, but as others noted, the view to the side with the wide screen isn't that great. I personally suspect they added that so that the picture viewing capability will improve (think competitor with the iPod Touch)
Personally, it looks to me like this was designed by marketing people and engineers not motorcyclists. Things I would use:
1. Longer view down the road. Seeing what's ahead without having to zoom out would be nice.
2. Give us a dev kit for it. Look at the iPod Touch. If we can add custom aps then we could track maintenance or some other thing that someone could develop.
3. Load it with things that are relevant to motorcyclists. If I'm in a strange city and need a new tire I could really use a listing of motorcycle dealerships.
4. Fix Mapsource! This isn't specific to the 660 but I would buy an upgraded unit just to get a better copy of that software. As a software dev manager, that software is horrible for motorcycles. Put the roads by class on different layers so that I can hide the interstate but still view those twisty rural roads at a lower magnification. Having to zoom in to a couple miles to see that twisty mountain road does not make trip planning easy. If I wanted to run an interstate from A to B I'd use Yahoo maps or just use the "go to" feature on the Zumo.
Personally, it looks to me like this was designed by marketing people and engineers not motorcyclists. Things I would use:
1. Longer view down the road. Seeing what's ahead without having to zoom out would be nice.
2. Give us a dev kit for it. Look at the iPod Touch. If we can add custom aps then we could track maintenance or some other thing that someone could develop.
3. Load it with things that are relevant to motorcyclists. If I'm in a strange city and need a new tire I could really use a listing of motorcycle dealerships.
4. Fix Mapsource! This isn't specific to the 660 but I would buy an upgraded unit just to get a better copy of that software. As a software dev manager, that software is horrible for motorcycles. Put the roads by class on different layers so that I can hide the interstate but still view those twisty rural roads at a lower magnification. Having to zoom in to a couple miles to see that twisty mountain road does not make trip planning easy. If I wanted to run an interstate from A to B I'd use Yahoo maps or just use the "go to" feature on the Zumo.
Fairlaner
The Bartender Whisperer
Calm down Trent it is just a GPS, and just to piss you off more i agree with Fred.
when they come out with a wide screen version of the 550 then i am in until then the 550 IMO is the way to go.
R
when they come out with a wide screen version of the 550 then i am in until then the 550 IMO is the way to go.
R
Great. Now we're resorting to swearing. Get a grip man. We're just discussing GPSes here
And yeah, I get it. Your big point is that the Zumo screen looks dated. So what? Does it work? Does it do what you want it to do? Does it have the appropriate features for the way you want to use it?
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Fairlaner
The Bartender Whisperer
It is Friday after all.........
Where is Tim when you need him.
:****: :****: :****:
R
Where is Tim when you need him.
:****: :****: :****:
R
tcfjr
Well-known member
One thing I'd really like to see in the Zumo replacement: a secondary audio input. The Zumo give you MP3, voice-prompt navigation, and XM radio. For me, the only audio I can't get directly from the Zumo is from my radar detector. If the Zumo had a secondary audio input, I could plug the V-1 into the Zumo, without the need for a separate audio mixing unit.
SouthernCruizer
Is it Beer:30 yet?
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EXACTLY!! Just last weekend I checked out my 550 mount to see if there was another audio input. I sure could have used it. Maybe the successor to the 660 will have it
2006FJR
Administrator of Transportation
johnny80s
Turtle Gears
Trent if you really want to be cool you will just print out a google map get rid of that piece of crap gps.
All the cool kids are using google maps now.
All the cool kids are using google maps now.
2006FJR
Administrator of Transportation
I really like using Google maps I just wish there was a way to get it to build in real time? Know where and how far gas stations are is also pretty cool. I would have liked to have some how found a way for them to integrate SPOT tracking and help/911 features. I am not likely to use the XM/Sirus but I would like to see the SPOt features. I will bring the iPod either way since I enjoy my music in the room at the end of a long day.
Are you considering a GPS Johnny?
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