Garmin has finished introducing and rolling out its new heavy hitting systems to close up the 2007 year with a bang, and it looks like the Garmin Nüvi 760 GPS system will quickly rise to the top as not just the most feature and experience rich personal travel assistant GPS unit available, but also one of the most desired and best selling devices for the Christmas season as well.
Review of the Garmin Nuvi 760 Hardware
There have been a bunch of changes to the new ‘premier’ 700 series units, and the Nuvi 760 (with exception to the 770 which also adds European and transatlantic data) is easily the most stacked and high end unit available as 2008 comes around the corner.
Design & Appearance of the Nuvi 760
An ultra sleek and sophisticated new design has been adopted for the nuvi 750, nuvi 760 and nuvi 770, with the ultra smooth and minimalistic ’slim form factor’ of the recent 200 series being integrated with the larger and more vivid 4.3″ wide screen touchscreen display and some hot new color (gunmetal / metallic type of finish)
The Garmin Nuvi 760’s internal antenna / signal strength
Also changed from the previous top of the line nuvi 6XX series, is that now we have an integrated yet just as receptive and powerful internal antenna - something you will be quite happy with if you have owned a previous garmin gps, as the internal antenna adds to the aesthetic appeal while also making it easier to handle and mount without comprising the strength of reception.
Physical Interface on the Garmin 760
On the top of the new garmin 760 / 750 / 770 design you have a sliding power switch, with slide and hold function to turn on the device, and also the ability to lock it as to not make undesired slides while handling the unit or when its in your pocket etc…
You still have the SD memory card expansion slot along the left hand side of the unit for storage, upgrades, multimedia playing… along with a headphone jack for quiet listening and the usb and power connection are found along the bottom of the unit.
Garmin’s Nuvi 760 GPS mounting
The mounting of the garmin nuvi 760, nuvi 750, and nuvi 770 are just great and simple now - where GPS mounting has been a customer complaint many times over - the simple ball and socket joint mounting is sturdy and reliable (nothing more frustrating then seeing your new expensive toy going smash) and allows for simple small adjustments and fast unmounting / remounting on the fly.
The 700 series new 4.3″ touchscreen
If you have ever owned a GPS system before, one of the most noticeable and useful improvements you would probably notice right away with the garmin nuvi 770, nuvi 760 and nuvi 750 series PTA’s (personal travel assistants) is the incredible bright and easy to read 4.3 inch wide touchscreen display. It is by far the brightness and most vivid screen I have seen thus far, with no issues of being able to read small text or fuzzy symbols coming up like it has so frequently has for myself on older units. The larger touch screen has incredible sense, and ever a person like me with clumsy and fat fingers can easily type on the new keyboard system (finally both qwerty & normal keyboard modes both optional!)
Stay tuned for more comprehensive garmin nuvi 760 reviews covering the navigation experience and software / user interface aspects of this unit
