Garmin nüvi 880 Review

What the reviewers like:

• Entirely voice-commandable
• Every advanced feature Garmin has to offer
• Excellent navigation
• Easy to use

What the reviewers don't like:

• Expensive - nearly double the price of the next-most expensive Garmin
• Still has the nüvi 700 series' flaws

Garmin nüvi 880 review highlights

Reviews are scarce for the nüvi 880, simply because it has not yet hit the market. GPSMagazine.com is one exception: It has thoroughly tested every aspect of the nüvi 880, including voice commands, and it presents the results in comprehensive written and video reviews. PC Magazine has also tested the nüvi 880, and its review helpfully compares the features of the nüvi 880 and its closest competitors. CNet.com has a video review of the nüvi 880, but it was conducted in a studio, not a car, and therefore it doesn't mimic real-world conditions as well as the video review at GPSMagazine.com. PC World's and Laptop magazine's reviews are very brief, based on sneak peeks of the nüvi 880 at a trade show.

Even before the Garmin nüvi 880 hit the market, a couple of professional reviewers tested it and promptly dubbed the nüvi 880 the best GPS device money can buy. It is the first GPS device you can command entirely with your voice, and early tests show the feature really does work, unlike the limited voice-command features on the Magellan Maestro 4250 (*est. $305) and TomTom GO 920 (*est. $335). Experts say the feature is extremely useful, but it will cost you: The nüvi 880 costs nearly twice as much as the nüvi 780 (*est. $520), which is exactly the same unit, only without voice commands. Reviewers criticize the nüvi 880 for not solving the nüvi 700 series' recurring problems: The nüvi 880's speakers are no louder than the 700 series', there's still no way to exclude a specific road from a route, and the nüvi 880's FM transmitter (which allows users to route the unit's audio through their car stereos) still doesn't work all that well.

Also see full report: Auto GPS

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. GPSMagazine.com
Garmin nüvi 880 Review
Editors of GPSMagazine.com
May 22, 2008

This e-zine tests every feature of the Garmin nüvi 880, illustrating the review with screen shots, photos and a lengthy video of the nüvi 880 in action. GPSMagazine.com pits the nüvi 880 against the Magellan Maestro 4250 and TomTom GO 720 in three routing tests; the nüvi 880 wins all three.

2. PC Magazine
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Garmin nüvi 880
Craig Ellison
Apr. 24, 2008

This review includes pricing information, concise pros and cons, and a list of specs, as well as Ellison's take on the nüvi 880's new speech-recognition feature. He also discusses the similarities and differences between the nüvi 880 and several of its closest competitors.

3. CNet.com
Garmin Nuvi 880
Tom Merritt

This video review shows the Garmin nüvi 880's voice-command feature in action. CNet.com reviewer Tom Merritt demonstrates the nüvi 880 in a studio, not in a car, but the demo gives a good idea of how drivers can use the voice commands to find an address without touching the screen.

4. PC World
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Garmin's Hands-Free Car GPS
Yardena Arar
Jan. 6, 2008

Reviewer Yardena Arar gets a sneak peek at the nüvi 880 when Garmin reps drive journalists from the airport to their hotels to show off the unit during a trade show. Arar offers her first impression of the nüvi 880's voice commands and remote control in this brief write-up.

5. Laptop Magazine
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Best of CES GPS Navigator: Garmin nüvi 880
Sarah E. Anderson
Jan. 9, 2008

Laptop magazine names the Garmin nüvi 880 the best GPS device at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest trade show in the GPS world. The accompanying write-up is very brief, but reviewer Sarah E. Anderson names the nüvi 880's voice recognition and steering-wheel remote as its best features.

Also see full report: Auto GPS

Garmin nüvi 880 Review