Recently announced, the garmin nuvi 750, 760 and 770 series gps travel assistants are the answer to many peoples questions with the addition of new features and the standard issue features that used to be available on only a select few high-end models. The core function of the nuvi 750, 760, & 770 still hold up with Garmin’s top of the market reputation, with a new look and new set of additions that will have some enthusiasts drooling.

A new sleek and slim form factor mesh well with the gunmetal silver color of garmin’s nuvi 760 and 770 systems, while the 750 has a darker grey color that is visually delicious as well. The x50, x60 and x70 modeling structure still holds true with the nuvi 750 being the base unit, the nuvi 760 adding bluetooth and the nuvi 770 having transatlantic data preloaded as well for possible cross continent travelers.

Garmin GPS fans will be able to spot the difference between the 3 and the past series easily; with each of the models now coming standard with an FM transmitter (ability to relay sound through car audio system rather then the device itself), a hot 4.3 inch widescreen (480 by 272 pixels), and a newer and sensitive internal antenna that help make the shell and design of the new units that much sleek and attractive keeping it easy to slip into a pocket and mount or unmount in a car on the fly.

Appearance 

Except for the power switch on the top of the case, there are no visible controls on the nuvi 750. All operations are performed via the 4.3" color touch screen. The power switch is located on the top of the nuvi 750. Sliding the power switch to the left turns the unit on or off, and sliding the switch to the right locks the screen. The left side of the nuvi 750 is home to a headphone/audio out jack and an SD memory card slot (SD memory cards can be used to store photos, music files, or additional maps).

The speaker and external antenna connector are located on the rear of the 750. Most people probably won't need the external antenna connector, especially given the nuvi 750's high-performance internal GPS antenna. Note that the nuvi 750, like the 200-series nuvi models, has an internal GPS antenna instead of the fold-out patch style antenna used on the older 300 and 600-series nuvis. The internal antenna means there's fewer moving parts to break, and also makes it easier/faster to dock and undock the nuvi 760 from the windshield mount.

The bottom of the nuvi 750 is home to the mini-USB connector (used both for data transfer between a PC/Mac and the GPS as well as charging the nuvi's internal battery), and the multi-pin connector that connects to the windshield mount. Garmin consistently does a better job with its mounting hardware than its competitors, and the nuvi 750 is no exception.

The nuvi 750 is mounted in the windshield using a suction-cup mount and quick-release cradle (shown below) that snaps onto the end of the mount, forming a ball-and-socket type joint that allows the GPS to be easily angled into the desired viewing angle.  This ball-and-socket style mount has proven very effective for Garmin, and is used on all new nuvi and StreetPilot GPS units. Garmin's well designed mount is easy to use and holds the unit firmly in place and vibration-free while driving.

The suction mount is secured to the windshield by lowering the lever on the mount into the locked position. Nuvi's cradle provides power to the GPS and makes it easy to dock and un-dock the GPS from the windshield mount. Note that the 12v power cable connects to the cradle, and not the nuvi directly. So there's no need to re-connect any cables when mounting the nuvi in the car; just snap the nuvi into the mount and you're ready to navigate.

The nuvi 750 shares the same mounting hardware as the more expensive 760, 770, and 780 nuvis, which explains why the docking cradle has a microphone input even though the nuvi 750 doesn't have bluetooth. The upside? Some users have reported success boosting Garmin's underpowered FM transmitter by connecting headphones to the microphone jack and laying the headphone across the dashboard. More on this later in the review.

The mount has a socket at the rear that snaps onto the ball of the suction mount. Squeezing the button on the bottom of the cradle releases the nuvi 750 from the mount. The nuvi 750's windshield mount is powered, meaning that the 12v cigarette lighter power adapter connects to the right side of the cradle rather than the GPS unit itself. So once the mount is in setup in the car, you don't have to worry about the connecting or disconnecting any cables before using the GPS; just snap the unit into the mount and it's powered and ready to go.

This is a slight design change from previous nuvis which had the power connector located at the bottom of the cradle. I found the new location of the power connector an improvement over previous version, as the power connector is now easier to see and to connect. Also, the previous design was cumbersome for those using a friction mount, as there was barely enough clearance between the cradle and the dashboard. The beauty of Garmin's windshield mounting hardware is its simplicity. With almost no moving parts to break, this mount is economical, simple, small, and highly effective. Connecting the cradle to the mount is simply a matter of pressing firmly on the mount until the ball snaps into the socket on the cradle. To remove the cradle, simply twist the cradle to the right or left until it snaps off the mount.The included USB cable is used to update the nuvi's internal software and to transfer music and photos from a Mac or PC to the GPS.

Garmin provides an adhesive mounting disc as an alternate to the windshield mount. By sticking the mounting disc to the vehicle's dashboard, it's possible to mount the GPS on the dashboard instead of the windshield. If local laws prevent you from using the windshield mount, I recommend a friction mount instead of the adhesive mounting disc option -- it's easier to move and you don't have to stick anything permanent on your dashboard.

Mounting the nuvi 750 in the car

Mounting the nuvi 750 in the car is simple and doesn't require any professional installation. Simply attach the windshield mount to the glass, dock the GPS, connect the power cable and you're ready to start using the GPS. Locate the area on the windshield where you want to mount the GPS, then press the suction cup mount against the glass and lower the locking lever into place to secure the mount to the windshield. Some States/countries prohibit you from mounting anything in the windshield. If you happen to live in such a place, you can use the permanent adhesive mounting disc (included) to attach the mount to the dashboard instead of the windshield glass. I prefer to use the windshield mount, as it's easer to remove when you want to hide the GPS from view (i.e. when parking the car on a city street or parking lot).

The included 12v power adapter is relatively short and narrow, and the cable is long enough that I was able to connect it to the front or rear 12v power connector in my vehicle. The 12v power cable connects to the mounting cradle instead of the GPS unit directly, making it that much simpler to dock/undock the nuvi 750 from the windshield mount. Once the 12V power adapter is connected to the cradle, it's ready to be snapped onto the tip of the windshield mount. Garmin's excellent windshield mount derives much of its strength from its simplicity; to connect the cradle to the mount, you simply press the cradle onto the mount until you hear it "click" onto the ball of the mount. Together, the two pieces (cradle and mount) form a socket and ball type joint that can easily be angled into the desired viewing angle. There are no screws to loosen, or levers to unlock - adjusting the nuvi is simply a matter of applying slight force and angling the GPS into the desired position.

To release the nuvi from the cradle, press the release button located on the underside of the cradle, and tilt the nuvi away from the mount. Throughout my testing I found Garmin's windshield mount to be excellent, holding the nuvi securely in place and vibration free, even when driving at highway speeds. Adjusting the viewing angle of the mount was easy, thanks to the innovative mount design that doesn't require tightening any knobs or levers when making adjustments. The secret to Garmin's highly effective mount is its simplicity: lightweight with very few moving parts makes for a reliable, solid connection that will stand up well to normal wear and tear.

Garmin's Map Screen

Whether navigating to a destination or simply driving around, you'll spend most of your time using the nuvi 750 looking at the map screen. The nuvi 750's map screen has an updated look compared to the older nuvi 600 units. Compared to previous nuvi map screens, the 700-series screen is slightly more refined. The information bars at the bottom and top of the screen are slightly thinner on the 700 series, displaying more map area on the same size screen. The anti-aliasing has also been improved, creating smoother lines along the map. The 750's Icons now have a 3D bevel-effect, and the text is slightly bolder.

I found the updated map screen an improvement over the older style map screen: those familiar with Garmin nuvis will find everything where they expect (everything still functions just as it did in previous models, and is in the same position), but the visual presentation has been enhanced slightly. It's unlikely Garmin will roll out this updated map screen to existing nuvi 300 and 600-series owners, though there's no reason the company couldn't do so via a simple firmware update. Garmin says it curre

Finding an Address

The nuvi 750 allows you to input a destination address a number of different ways. The most common method, however, is to enter a street address. In the following example, we'll enter a destination address in New York City: 135 Central Park West, NY NY. It doesn't get much simpler than this: after powering on the nuvi 750, the Main Menu screen appears. From here, you can view the map, search for an address, adjust system settings (wrench icon), or adjust the volume (speaker icon).

Also notice that the Main Menu displays the GPS signal strength, Bluetooth icon, battery level, and current time (Tip: pressing and holding the GPS signal bar for 5 seconds displays more detailed signal strength information). To begin entering a destination address, tap Where to? from the Main Menu. Most of the time you'll probably be driving to a street address (as opposed to a business name or an intersection). After tapping on Where to? from the Main Menu, tap on Address to begin inputting a street address.

The nuvi 750's address entry system is slightly different from previous nuvi models. Unlike the nuvi 600 and 300 models, which prompt you to enter the State first, the nuvi 750 defaults to the State you are currently located in and asks for the city name first. If your destination address is in a State other than your current location, you'll need to tap on Change State/Province. After tapping Change State/Province, the nuvi 750 displays an on-screen keyboard.

I'm entering a destination address in New York State, so I type out N-E-W-space, and the nuvi automatically produces a short list of matching States (just one, in this case) to choose from. I'll tap on New York and continue on to the next step.  The nuvi 750 feels fast and is very responsive, allowing me to enter the city name as quickly as I can type, without any annoying delays or sluggishness.

However, I did find myself wishing Garmin would implement a text entry system more like Magellan's excellent QuickSpell system, which dims out invalid letters as you type, only allowing you to press keys that would spell a valid city name. TomTom also has a similar, though less refined, text entry system. These assisted text entry systems reduce the likelihood of misspellings and speed text entry overall. Now that the nuvi 750 knows we'll be entering an address in New York State, we're ready to tell the GPS what city our destination address is in.

If you know the name of the city your destination address is located in, tap Spell City to enter the name. If you're not sure what city the destination address is located in, tap Search All to search the entire selected State.

Since I know my destination address is in Manhattan, I'll tap Spell City to continue. Entering the city name is identical to the process for entering the State name; once enough letters have been entered the nuvi automatically produces a list of results. Also, just like the State entry screen, tapping on the folder icon in the upper left corner displays a short list of recently found city names. After tapping M-a-n on the keyboard, the nuvi produces the results list, shown above. I'll tap Manhattan, NY to continue. Like most GPS units, the nuvi 750 asks you for the house number before the street name. Some users new to GPS find this confusing, but you get used to it quickly enough. Some other GPS units allow you to specify the order in which you want to enter address information. For example TomTom's GO models allow the user to specify whether they want to enter the street name, city name, or house number first. Unfortunately, the address entry order cannot be customized on the nuvi 750.

Another minor complaint is that the nuvi 750 doesn't display the valid range of possible house numbers when entering a destination address. Magellan's Maestro GPS units, for example, display the valid range of houses along the chosen street, allowing you to enter a valid a house number even if you're not sure of the exact address. The final step in entering the destination address is inputting the street name. I'm entering an address on Central Park West in New York City, so I start to spell out C-E-N-T-R-A-L and then press Done to see a list of matching street names. Note that I could have also continued spelling out the street name until so few matching names exist that the nuvi automatically displays the results list.

With the address successfully entered into the nuvi 750, I can now either view the address on the map (Show Map), save it to my address book (Save), or start driving to it by pressing the large green Go! button. Tapping on Show Map in the previous menu displays the destination address on the map. This is a useful feature that allows you to see what the streets will look like at the destination address before you start driving. Tap on the green Go! button and the nuvi starts routing to the destination address.

As you approach an upcoming maneuver, the nuvi 750 automatically adjusts the scale, zooming in closer as the turn approaches. Once you've successfully made the turn, the map automatically zooms back out to show more distance. Notice that the nuvi has automatically zoomed the map to a street-level view in order to clearly illustrate the next turn. Having completed the maneuver, the next turn isn't for another 4 miles, so the nuvi slowly zooms back out to show more of the map. Automatic map scaling works well on the nuvi 750. Scale adjustments are made smoothly over a few seconds and you hardly notice it's happening.

Conclusion

Garmin's nuvi 750 is aimed at consumers who want high-end navigation, but don't care about bluetooth or traffic features. And that's just what the nuvi 750 delivers: first-rate GPS navigation. The nuvi 750's routing engine is identical to the more expensive nuvi 760 and 780, so it was no surprise that the 750 chose the same routes as Garmin's more expensive models.

Compared to the nuvi 650, the nuvi 750 brings a new, brighter screen, multi-destination routing with the ability to optimize (sort) the stops by distance, displays the speed limit on the map screen, tracklog support, and a new "Where Am I?" and "Where did I park?" feature. The nuvi 750 is aggressively priced and delivers sophisticated GPS navigation with text-to-speech in a wide-screen format for under $400.