TUNE DIGITALLY

Review by Tammy Parker:

I bought this to replace my other coby. I like it. Very light wich surprised me and good picture and i just dropped it and it still works which is a plus.

Pros

-easy to read

-easy music transfer

-portable

-sounds awsome especially with skull candies

- puts your music in order and even has album/artist order as well

Cons (nothing big)

- hard to find music when you have alot since you only have a push button but just hold it and it goes by kinda fast

- when you want to search for a new song you have to start from the beginning everytime which sucks but o well

- takes a few seconds to turn on and shut off but aging no biggie

Over all, good player and is well recomended

Review by Jason Lallo:

Sound quality is great. Good battery life. Very light and thin. Has a nice little screen, and rubber backing. Loads of features for [...] bucks (normally retails for [...] - rightly so), and nice 4 gigs of capacity! Obviously it's not an ipod touch, but I'd take this over a classic ipod or ipod shuffle/nano ANY DAY.. I also like that I don't have to feel like I'm handling glass when I use it. I owned an ipod touch, and I was almost afraid to handle it because it felt so delicate. This product actually feels light and durable. Also, it makes for a great flash drive, as well as having excellent reception in the FM tuner.. I highly recommend this product for anyone who wants a good mp3 player at a great price.

Review by Jeff ten Bosch:

This little device is a high quality and very easy to use 'MP3' player. Of course it does more than just play music. From a usability perspective, I think it rivals the iPod interface and provides more feedback. While I really love the device, there are some things that I wish were a little better.

Pros

----

- Very nice screen and just big enough that if you were stuck on a plane, watching a movie still is an enjoyable experience.

- Simple and very intuitive interface. I love the fact that the iPod-like wheel actually rotates.

- Expansion via MicroSD cards is a great feature. I was able to swap the MicroSD card between my BlackBerry and the Fuze and be able to share images, and music.

- The FM Radio and ability to record from it is one of the coolest features. There's something about the randomness about radio that I still really like. And the ability to record a song that I don't already have can save you some money.

- I haven't used the external mic yet, but I think that's a neat feature to have when you have a thought and want to record it. I can think of several times where I've had a thought and wasn't able to write it down.

Cons

----

- The most frustrating experience I've had with the Fuze is the ability to get Video transferred. I've tried multiple formats and have been very unsuccessful in finding the right format to use. This is the main reason I've not given it a full 5 star review. Of course it's ridiculous to think that this would be a 'Movie' player. However, I have some great concerts that I would love being able to watch as well as listen to. I'm not interested in watching a movie.

- The on/off switch is great if you want to make sure that you don't accidentially turn on/off. However, I think it's overly difficult. Especially if you have large fingers. I would have preferred to press the Play button for a couple of seconds.

- The device 'hiccups' when scrolling through music that has album art. For some reason, when you get to the list of albums, the select button doesn't work until the album art appears. Often requiring you to double-click. Not a big deal, unless you're quickly trying to find a song to add to the play list.

- Finally, the device is either too new or not popular enough to warrant accessories. I really want to buy a protective cover, but they don't exist. I've read that some people are using Nano covers, but they don't fit well enough. This is really bad if you want to use the Fuze while exercising or cutting the lawn.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Fuze to anyone looking for a low-cost small media device. The cons shouldn't sway you away from buying it, but they are good to know. I'll update my review when I figure out the right combination of video formats for the device.

Review by Chet Ragsdale:

This player has really just become available. I ordered thru an Amazon seller, before it became available. Shipping was a little higher. But I wanted it right away. This thing is a perfect size, but beware..little if any accessories exist for it at the moment. I am sure this will change. A skin would be nice to protect the front face..which is very attractive to scratching. The thumb wheel works great, and I have big thumbs. All the menus are easily accessible and it syncs with Windows Media

Player 11 quickly and easily. I have mostly older CD's that I wanted to rip to file and then sync. Most all of the cover art was available with WMP11 and it rolled seamlessly into the Fuze. Several view modes while playing , one with the EQ, one with the cover art enlarged, one with time of song and time left etc;. Screen is big enough to suit my needs and it plays very well through the aux jack in my car. Battery seems to last longer than some. I would say the only drawback is that this battery is NOT replaceable according to Sansa, so hope it lasts awhile. Overall the price is great and the ease of carrying a few Micro SDHC cards give it unlimited potential. Great unit.

UPDATE: After having this a couple weeks, I would give it 5 stars, GREAT little unit...With the Fuze itself and the 4 Gig Micro SDHC card, I now have 2163 songs on it. I also had a 2 gig card with a 150 songs on it and counting. Performs flawlessly.

UPDATE 2: Dec.19,2008. I still have had no problems with mine. No skipping, or ticks. And no problem with a myriad of different headsets.

I'm sure its possible to get defective units, as anything produced in mass quantity is going to have a few slip through with a defect or two. But, from my point of view.....no problem

UPDATE 3: Jul 10, 2009. One minor drawback. With the Fuze volume all the way to max and my car volume on max, it still...on some songs is not loud enough for me. Some rock music, you know.....you just might like loud. This does not always allow that, especially over road noises. Sitting still it is fine, but if you like loud music through the car stereo, this could be a little lacking.

Review by D. Dowd:

One of the best not an ipod mp3 ever! The Sandisk Sansa Fuze has well over the potential to stop the ipod dead in its tracks. Only problem is its not popular enough. So to prove the extream slimilarities to the ipod here are some comments:

-The 4g ipod:9,the 4g sansa fuze: under ,(Sansa's advised price is ),coming in many more colors and just gray.

-Doesnt have a touch wheel, but has a turning wheel.(personal preferance)

-Dont need itunes so you can just get songs and videos from the internet (or windows media player)

-Full color screen and no differnece in menus, you can see the album cover,next son and everthing.

-Can pick up FM radio stations and favorite the ones you like.

-Has a voice recorder(to help remeber those sudden ingenius ideas!)

-You can also record the radio, so if you know u luike the upcoming son you can record it and save a bit of money!

Overall you can see that ipods aren't the only cool multi media, portalble devices out there! So if you dont have enough money to get a fancy smacy ipod and buy all you songs for a dollar a piece and videos for more(the majoriy of us!) this is a very good and reliable product.

Five stars

Review by *~*LaPrieta*`*:

I've owned mine for a month now, and it's great. My sister's both have ipods and they're jealous about the idea of being able to add more space onto it. Also, it works as a voice recorder, and u pick up fm stations off it too. To me it's better than ipod, although it's not a cool looking.

Review by Tammy Parker:

I bought this to replace my other coby. I like it. Very light wich surprised me and good picture and i just dropped it and it still works which is a plus.

Pros

-easy to read

-easy music transfer

-portable

-sounds awsome especially with skull candies

- puts your music in order and even has album/artist order as well

Cons (nothing big)

- hard to find music when you have alot since you only have a push button but just hold it and it goes by kinda fast

- when you want to search for a new song you have to start from the beginning everytime which sucks but o well

- takes a few seconds to turn on and shut off but aging no biggie

Over all, good player and is well recomended

Review by Jason Lallo:

Sound quality is great. Good battery life. Very light and thin. Has a nice little screen, and rubber backing. Loads of features for [...] bucks (normally retails for [...] - rightly so), and nice 4 gigs of capacity! Obviously it's not an ipod touch, but I'd take this over a classic ipod or ipod shuffle/nano ANY DAY.. I also like that I don't have to feel like I'm handling glass when I use it. I owned an ipod touch, and I was almost afraid to handle it because it felt so delicate. This product actually feels light and durable. Also, it makes for a great flash drive, as well as having excellent reception in the FM tuner.. I highly recommend this product for anyone who wants a good mp3 player at a great price.

Review by Tammy Parker:

I bought this to replace my other coby. I like it. Very light wich surprised me and good picture and i just dropped it and it still works which is a plus.

Pros

-easy to read

-easy music transfer

-portable

-sounds awsome especially with skull candies

- puts your music in order and even has album/artist order as well

Cons (nothing big)

- hard to find music when you have alot since you only have a push button but just hold it and it goes by kinda fast

- when you want to search for a new song you have to start from the beginning everytime which sucks but o well

- takes a few seconds to turn on and shut off but aging no biggie

Over all, good player and is well recomended

Review by Jason Lallo:

Sound quality is great. Good battery life. Very light and thin. Has a nice little screen, and rubber backing. Loads of features for [...] bucks (normally retails for [...] - rightly so), and nice 4 gigs of capacity! Obviously it's not an ipod touch, but I'd take this over a classic ipod or ipod shuffle/nano ANY DAY.. I also like that I don't have to feel like I'm handling glass when I use it. I owned an ipod touch, and I was almost afraid to handle it because it felt so delicate. This product actually feels light and durable. Also, it makes for a great flash drive, as well as having excellent reception in the FM tuner.. I highly recommend this product for anyone who wants a good mp3 player at a great price.

Review by Mark Christensen:

This is a fairly decent device. It's fairly simple to get the files on the system with the software included on it. It's simple to use, in that the menus are straight forward. I've only tried the video and radio parts, since those can be some of the trickiest.

The bad parts of this is that fast-forwarding and rewinding video is tricky, because it doesn't always register that you pushed the button, or it only registers it for a moment. If you press and release, it skips to the next chapter. So, you should see where that is going. Also, the screen scratches up easily, and no screen-protectors have been made that accommodate this device, since it is too wide for iPod Nano accessories, and too small for anything larger. It also uses a .mtv format, instead of a .mp4 format.

Basically, it's worth , but not more.

Review by L. Blankenship:

The Coby MP601-2G is an mp3 player that is marketed toward budget friendly consumers. I picked up one a few days ago as a throw away player to leave in my car and take in my pocket to avoid damage to my more expensive and higher capacity iPod Nano. The player has a washed out, tiny screen and a confusing menu system. However, after a few minutes of use, it becomes fairly easy to learn the counter-intuitive navigation style. The system does not include an installation cd, but has user manual pdf's and installation software stored on the internal memory. Windows 7 automatically recognizes the device as an external storage drive. You can install the software to tranfer files, but I prefer manually dragging and dropping files to the player directly. If you do decide to drag and drop, you will need to refresh the mp3 database on the player to find your files. The unit comes with 2GB internal storage, which is very small in this day and age, but may be suitable for someone with a smaller media collection. The screen size at 1.4 inches is useless for picture or video viewing, so I would recommend against that. I personally down-converted my media collection to 96KBPS MONO files, which still sound really good and keep files small at around 2MB/ file. I've been able to store just under a thousand files which is a decent collection for traveling. Overall, I do recommend this player as a device that costs little and if it were to be stolen, stepped on, submerged in water, dropped, lost, etc wouldn't be a big deal or loss due to the cheap price.

Review by booknerd:

I recently ordered this product off of Amazon and I am extremely satisfied.

First I will give you a run down of what equipment I use this with. My laptop (Entertainment HP, 2GB RAM, with Vista), my surround sound (Phillips Hi-Def), my Sony PS3 (not the PS3 itself, but the charger for the controllers), car stereo, & iHome speakers.

When I was browsing potential MP3 Players my main concern was playlists and if the player could hold up under pressure (aka being on my arm while jogging, being dropped, and tossed around in general).

I have put songs on it (mostly MP3 & WMA format) from Windows Media Player on my laptop. In order to create playlists, I first put them as a list in Windows Media Player and then right clicked on the list in order to send it to the player. All of the songs were in the exact order I put them in (in the past I had experienced a problem with the MP3 Player jumbling things)! The menu is easily to scroll through using the navigational keys. The player also remembers where you left off in a song and in a list. If I turn it off during the middle of the song all I have to do is scroll to "Now Playing" in the menu to pickup where I left off. It came with a disc to install it, but all I had to do was hook it up to my laptop with the usb cord. No installation was necessary (although my computer did have me name it). No additional software was necessary. Windows Media Player was enough. I have not found a way to delete songs off of the player without hooking it up to the computer, but this is not a huge deal for me since everything else is perfect.

The volume goes up to 31. I generally do not put it over 16 or 17, which is plenty. The battery life has varied some. I think this has to do with the days when I am constantly scrolling through songs as opposed to days where I select my list and let it play. This makes it generally 7 to 10 hours, respectively.

It holds up while I am jogging. I always prefer to purchase electronics that can take some abuse since I am clumsy. This player has held up under my treatment (which is saying a lot)!

To charge it I did not purchase a charger. I use the charger I bought for the PS3 controllers. It works just fine and does not take forever to charge. I also like that there are no batteries I have to replace.

I also hook the player up to iHome speakers so I can "jam out" when I am doing laundry or some other house chore. It also works well with the surround sound system I have. All I have to do is plug it in with the usb cord.

I highly reccomend this MP3 player if you're looking for something that works with the rest of your electronics. In the past I have purchased players that have had serious compatability issues and it drove me nuts trying to figure out how to use them. Next I am going to purchase one for my nine year old. He already can use it perfectly! So, if you're looking for compatability, user-friendly features, and durability, look no further!

Update as of 10/4/08

I dropped the mp3 player off the upstairs deck at my house and thought I broke it, but luckily there is a reset button on the lower back of the player. You have to use a small point (I used a thumb tack) to press the button. It was a total life saver.

Update as of 1/8/09

I noticed when I was updating the playlists that the playlists already on the player that had less than 18 songs on them were jumbled. All of the playlists in which I had placed 18 or more songs on them remained perfect and in the order I had originally specified.

PS. I would highly advise buying different headphones.

Review by Joseph M. Stapp:

This is a fantastic product! It's about the size of an Apple Nano (the older one); holds a tremendous amount of media; is very durable; and costs about 1/3 of the cost of a Nano. The best part is not having to mess with the

I purchased this to replace my last Coby mp3 player. Coby is a gem in the rough. Many people don't know about this company. They put out a quality product at a much more reasonable price.

There are only two small down-sides. You can't delete the file from the unit. You have to plug it into a computer. Also, the controls take a little getting used to. Even though it has a circle, it doesn't have the feature of scrolling by tracing the circle with your thumb as Apple does.

Transferring files is very easy. You can either use software like Windows Media Player, or open the files yourself to give complete control. You can't as easily do this with Apple. The battery lasts a long time as well. The best part is you don't have to mess with proprietary software with Apple that restricts your capabilities to add music for a cheaper price than iTunes.

Review by Claudia McCall:

Excellent product! My only complaint is that no really detailed instructions were included, and so I wound up learning a little about how this product interfaces with my computer by trial and error, which did waste a bit of my time. Once I figured one or two things out, tho, I found this little MP3 to be user-friendly, and very enjoyable. It has great sound, and I am enjoying listening to my local NPR station alot more easily than I do on my old school dial radio in my bedroom.

I especially love having so many of my favorite songs at my fingertips, and the size and weight are great advantages for my upcoming vacation, as I will be traveling by bus, and this is alot less cumbersome than my old CD player and 40 CDs would've been. The graphics are easy to understand, and the red color is so me! Cudos also to Amazon -- this thing arrived with lightning speed, very impressive, and it gave me plenty of time to rip and sync. One accoutrements package later, and it was all good. Alot of my co-workers are impressed that this little baby does so much for such a great price. And also, I have small ear canals, and have found the Sansa earbuds to be the most comfortable of the several pairs I own, not too shabby! All in all, great product, great price. Thanx alot!!!

Review by hy0918:

i actually bought this player at Best Buy but i thought i'd write the same review i did on best buy site and hopefully it would help some people make decisions.

I was looking for an mp3 player with radio and voice recording feature which crossed out ipod off my list and led me to sansa fuze. i gave 4 star because i had some trouble with converting and putting videos in the player.

Design

i was worried a little bit when i was pictures online because it looked very shiny and plastic. i bought it anyway cause it met my needs. it really looks nothing like the picture, the red is dark and rich, the shininess doesn't look cheap at all and the wheel is matte (is that the right word? kinda like brushed metal) like the back, which makes this player look really high quality in my opinion. i was very happy when i opened the box to see all this.

Features

i only had this for couple of days, but no major problems so far. i've only tested out audio, video, and radio. the sound quality is really great and custom eq is very nice. radio is awesome as well, nice clean signals without static etc. putting/converting videos on this player (even with the sansa media converter) was a pain and it took hours of search on google but i found the forum with the solution. here's the link to the forum if anyone needs it.

http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=smc&message.id=933

after going through all that, i put in some videos of concerts which looked really good. it's not crystal clear or really high quality but the screen is kinda small to watch long videos so it should satisfy anyone who thinks the video feature is a nice plus. i haven't tested out the voice recording and the micro sd card slot but i think they're gonna be awesome. you can put in 8gb micro sd card and make this 12gb player for little bit over $[...]! and with all these awesome features? it's definitely a must buy for people looking for a great deal.

Mac compatible!

by the way, this player works with Mac! you can't put videos or photos on it, but you can put music in it by drag and drop. i think even if you can't use is to watch videos or pictures, it's a great deal for a 4gb player that has expandable memory.

i'd recommend this player to all microsoft and mac users. but make sure to buy the $[...] replacement plan just in case the wheel or usb port breaks by using them alot. hope this lengthy review helped a little!

Review by Brian Geisel:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1EN44PBAXWTNV Summary: It's a great product, but the software is lacking. It does require a lot of processing power to produce decent videos, so do everything you can to let the capture software have all of the processing power.

For reference, I was using an AMD Athlon 64 XP Dual Core 6400+ CPU with 4GB of RAM when recording this video. I am running the software on a Windows XP 32-bit machine.

This video was recorded with minimal software interference, but I'm also happy with the quality of the processing for low-light conditions. In this case, I was looking to get the best motion performance, so I turned off all of the auto features in order to get the best picture with the light I was using.

As you will hear in the video, the built-in microphone isn't terrible, but it does have a pretty high noise floor. That is fine if you're using Skype, but lousy if you are trying to record higher quality videos. In this video, I used the Audio Technica AT2020 Side Address Cardiod Condensor Studio Mic (except for the built-in mic demo).

All in all, it's a great webcam for producing online videos. If you don't have external software, or don't have a top of the line computer, there may be a webcam that does what you need without so much hassle. For high quality stuff, this may well be the best hardware on the market.

Review by THATCH:

I'm a big Skype user and have used the QuickCam Pro 9000 for quite some time. While Skype doesn't recognize this Microsoft cam as an "HQ" cam (or at least not yet, if ever), I have found that this cam excels as compared to the QuickCam Pro 9000 in three ways:

1. This cam produces much richer colors. Some may say it borderlines oversaturated or "technicolor" but I really enjoy the brilliance of the colors

2. Low light conditions keep rich and bright color. I find with the QuickCam it loses contrast to brighten up the picture.

3. Launch time. I find with the Quickcam Pro 9000 the "ramp up/turn on" time is undesirably long when receiving an auto answer Skype call. This cam is ready to go immediately.

As far as focusing goes, both the QickCam Pro 9000 and this cam aren't great at it in dark lighting conditions.

The widescreen view is a really nice change from the normal 4:3 perspective. It really helps show your surroundings more and give a better feel to where you are.

Installation was easy, and the cam itself seems far smaller than I was expecting.

Under some conditions Skype callers on the receiving end prefer this video over the HQ Skype capable Quickcam Pro 9000. In some cases they prefer the Quickcam.

I saw that some people mentioned the high hardware requirements so I wanted to let you know what I'm using it on:

Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit

Core i7 2.66

3 GB memory

I'm not going to outright say that this is a better webcam than the QuickCam Pro 9000 but it definitely gives it a run for it's money, and offers a few unique features that the QuickCam Pro 9000 does not, all in a smaller more attractive cam size & style.

---update--

After several months of use, I have found that I'm using this cam more than the Logitech Quick Cam 9000. They're both equal in stature in my mind, but this one is better at low light use. I often Skype at night when the room is comfortably dim, so this has become my preferred camera. Even though it's not listed as an HQ cam for Skype, it still provides better overall performance for the way I use it.

Review by Brian Geisel:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1EN44PBAXWTNV Summary: It's a great product, but the software is lacking. It does require a lot of processing power to produce decent videos, so do everything you can to let the capture software have all of the processing power.

For reference, I was using an AMD Athlon 64 XP Dual Core 6400+ CPU with 4GB of RAM when recording this video. I am running the software on a Windows XP 32-bit machine.

This video was recorded with minimal software interference, but I'm also happy with the quality of the processing for low-light conditions. In this case, I was looking to get the best motion performance, so I turned off all of the auto features in order to get the best picture with the light I was using.

As you will hear in the video, the built-in microphone isn't terrible, but it does have a pretty high noise floor. That is fine if you're using Skype, but lousy if you are trying to record higher quality videos. In this video, I used the Audio Technica AT2020 Side Address Cardiod Condensor Studio Mic (except for the built-in mic demo).

All in all, it's a great webcam for producing online videos. If you don't have external software, or don't have a top of the line computer, there may be a webcam that does what you need without so much hassle. For high quality stuff, this may well be the best hardware on the market.

Review by THATCH:

I'm a big Skype user and have used the QuickCam Pro 9000 for quite some time. While Skype doesn't recognize this Microsoft cam as an "HQ" cam (or at least not yet, if ever), I have found that this cam excels as compared to the QuickCam Pro 9000 in three ways:

1. This cam produces much richer colors. Some may say it borderlines oversaturated or "technicolor" but I really enjoy the brilliance of the colors

2. Low light conditions keep rich and bright color. I find with the QuickCam it loses contrast to brighten up the picture.

3. Launch time. I find with the Quickcam Pro 9000 the "ramp up/turn on" time is undesirably long when receiving an auto answer Skype call. This cam is ready to go immediately.

As far as focusing goes, both the QickCam Pro 9000 and this cam aren't great at it in dark lighting conditions.

The widescreen view is a really nice change from the normal 4:3 perspective. It really helps show your surroundings more and give a better feel to where you are.

Installation was easy, and the cam itself seems far smaller than I was expecting.

Under some conditions Skype callers on the receiving end prefer this video over the HQ Skype capable Quickcam Pro 9000. In some cases they prefer the Quickcam.

I saw that some people mentioned the high hardware requirements so I wanted to let you know what I'm using it on:

Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit

Core i7 2.66

3 GB memory

I'm not going to outright say that this is a better webcam than the QuickCam Pro 9000 but it definitely gives it a run for it's money, and offers a few unique features that the QuickCam Pro 9000 does not, all in a smaller more attractive cam size & style.

---update--

After several months of use, I have found that I'm using this cam more than the Logitech Quick Cam 9000. They're both equal in stature in my mind, but this one is better at low light use. I often Skype at night when the room is comfortably dim, so this has become my preferred camera. Even though it's not listed as an HQ cam for Skype, it still provides better overall performance for the way I use it.

Review by j eastman:

Let's face it...I'm just a hobby musician. A guy in his mid-30's who has tinkered with music most of his adult life. I've played both as a solo artist and with bands. I've also been fortunate enough to spend time in actual recording studios with true professionals. None of this qualifies me as an expert...but I do have a certain level of familiarity on the subject.

I purchased this mic to supplement my home studio. I was hoping to get a little better sound than my usual stable of dynamic mics provide. I think I got pretty lucky with this purchase - it's my understanding that in this particular price range, you shouldn't expect a whole lot. I mean, it's just a microphone, right?

What I will say is that I was certainly satisfied with my purchase. I've used this microphone in conjunction with a tube preamp on a handful of recordings with great success. I bought this with the intention of using it for vocals, but I've found that I actually prefer it to record my acoustic guitar - this microphone picks up all the sound that I'm looking for from my acoustic - it's the nice, mellow, and full bodied sound that I hear when I'm playing, but that I was never able to capture before. In terms of its originally intended use, I felt is was only a slight improvement over the SM58 that I typically used for vocals - however, I wouldn't put too much stock into my assessment, as vocals are not one of my strengths when it comes to music (let's face it, autotune was created for a reason, right?)

Granted - everyone is going to have different opinions of this product, and I happen to think it works great for those of us on a budget. In terms of value - it is a great product for a fantastic price. I liked this microphone so much, I plan on buying at least one more.

Review by Evan MACK:

This mic has a great pick up and produces a clear sound. It is best to have 2 and record in stereo.

Review by Truth Teller:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YDETSE67YWC This camera is worth buying in this price range for people who generally use Windows Live products (messenger, etc) and normally do basic web cam sessions with a resolution no greater than 640 x 480. If you'd like to do full screen video using other software like Skype, you'll want to get a higher end Microsoft camera or something like the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 (my favorite). I've been using the Quickcam Pro 9000 for the past year and have really liked it, however, it seems to be at least double the price of this MS camera. One downside to this Microsoft camera is that the microphone can be a bit faint and the sound can be a bit off. That said, unless you have high expectations for crystal clear web cam chats, then I can certainly recommend this camera for people mainly interested in ease of use with Windows Live Messenger and other Instant Messaging programs. It was easy to install and is extremely easy to use. I recorded this video in 320x240 resolution using the included software. Thanks and have fun shopping!

Review by Mark:

Microsoft's LifeCam VX-5000 is a good all around webcam at a reasonable price. While some of the features are improvements, this is not the highest end model you can get and not even the top of the line in Microsoft's line-up. You may have to do some more research and demanding users will want to step up. But for those that are looking for the best bang for their buck, this model should definitely be in the running.

Pros

+ Good Price for basic webcam

+ The flexible base is probably the best design out there for working with a variety of monitors, including laptops, flat screens and traditional monitors

+ The included software is very easy for non-techies to install and configure using simple buttons

+ Ability to zoom, pan and tilt are nice, though now standard, extras

+ Easy settings also allow for easy video effects

+ Advanced features are just a click away, allowing customized settings

+ For those who want to do IM and chat, this seems to be tightly integrated with those applications and Windows Live

+ Integrated Microphone is a nice feature and one less thing for your desk

+ Nice indicator light alerts you to when webcam is capturing

+ The options to take a snapshot, record video or record sound are nice and useful for basic multimedia stuff

+ Nice range of model accent colors: i.e. Blue, Green and Red

Cons

- Video quality perhaps not good enough for professional (work) use yet

- The video capture (listed at 30 frames per second) still seems to perform too slowly to capture fast movement (try waving your hand)

- The microphone sensitivity is average and the camera must be directed at you for it to capture sound adequately

- The highly touted low light performance and auto-adjustment works slowly and not as well as the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000

- The software installation includes too much scumware, adware and software for chatting and other things you may not want; just more stuff to remove

- The 640 X 480 video resolution does not easily scale to full screen and won't satisfy demanding users

Comparing Against The Alternatives

Yep, despite some strong points, this guy still has a lot of cons. If you are a basic user many of those cons will be irrelevant in light of the excellent price. Most of my main points are highlighted in the pros and cons. But there are a few points that need emphasis.

The Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 offers a *true* 2.0 megapixel sensor, while this guy only gives you 1.3 megapixels, and those are interpolated which basically means they are not based on the direct sensor but are *enhanced* from the VGA resolution that is captured by the camera. So one would expect the VX7000 to capture video better. Similarly, the Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000 captures high definition video at twice the video resolution. Either of those might be options, but each at slightly higher price tags.

If you really want a very clear picture and don't mind spending twice as much, then the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 is worth looking into. It definitely has a better auto-adjustment feature than the VX-5000 and also sports Zeiss optics for those that are into that. The Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF is another high end camera that also has some auto-focus features at a higher price tag, around 0. Do your research depending upon your needs.

While it's not really a con, all three versions of the VX-5000 camera that I've seen look black. The accent color is not very noticeable. So my advice is to just get the cheapest one. They are selling at different prices and the prices fluctuate so you will definitely want to watch them carefully.

If you need an inexpensive webcam and don't need high definition video, this unit is one of the best options. More demanding users should step up to higher end Logitech and Creative units.

Enjoy!

Review by J. J. Marino:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RRJX2RJN2AHGB This is my video review of the AT2020 USB microphone from Audio-Technica. USB Microphones are made to be plugged in directly to a laptop or desktop. I connected this to a Vista 64 laptop during filming and did the voice over on a Macbook Pro.

Text review:

I give this product a 5 star rating. It is easy to use, high quality and very competitively priced. This is a great desktop mic to use for making podcasts or recording music.

I am not a musician so I am not able to speak to that aspect of the microphones ability. I did use it to make several voice over videos and it performed perfectly. Never a hick-up or any spurious noises heard at all.

I did not include specs into my video review because it would add to the file size and be too small to read here on Amazon's video player.

Regular readers of my reviews know I try to supply specs when necessary.

Here are the specs:

Element: Fixed-charge back plate permanently polarized condenser

Polar pattern: Cardioid

Frequency Response: 20Hz-16,000Hz

Power Requirements: USB power (+5VDC)

Bit depth: 16

Sample Rate: 44,000 kHz

Weight: 374g (13.2 oz)

Dimensions: 162.0 mm (6.38") long

52.0mm max body diameter (2.05")

Output connector: USB type

Accessories: Pivoting stand for 5/8"-27 threaded stands, 5/8"-27 to 3/8"-16 threaded adapter, soft protective pouch, tripod desk stand; 3.1m 10' USB cable

System Reqs: Mac OSX, USB 1.0 or 2.0 64MB RAM minimum. Windows XP Home or professional USB 1.0 or 2.0 64MB RAM minimum.

So for a great USB microphone I recommend this highly!

About the video: After uploading I noticed that Amazon's codec (video compressor) has made the video quality sub-par. I will try to reupload it again with a different codec.

Thank you for watching!

Review by Billy S. M. Luong:

I was looking for the pre Amp for my microphone to do do voice over video and found this USB microphone from Audio technica. So I did not have to buy the preamp . Just plug it to the USB port then you go. It was very easy to use and noise floor very quiet, it does not record the fan noise from your computer or the background noise in the recording room, very happy with the purchase.

Review by A. Dent:

Please be aware that this is NOT a longer USB cable. It is an extension cable with 'Type A' connectors at BOTH ends (male and female) - meaning that this cable will NOT connect 2 devices by itself. It will only work with and extend a 'regular' USB cable that has a 'Type A' male connector at one end. 'Type A' is the type of connector that would normally plug into your computer or laptop USB port.

These being said, I found it quite useful with peripherals that come with permanently attached cables that are not as long as I wish they were. I am using mine with a Logitech Driving Force GT Racing Wheel and with a T-flight Hostas joystick on which we can use a longer cable.

There's not much to say other than everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified and connectors at both ends appear to be gold-plated and solidly built. This is important because, unlike a HDMI cable that you usually plug it in at the back of your equipment and it's likely to stay there, USB cables tend to be plugged in and out many times and this is even more so the case with an extension cable.

While USB cables are clearly a commodity item these days, AmazonBasics cables do have a couple of advantages over the competition.

- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.

- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty.I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.

- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' USB or HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.

- PRICE - This cable may appear more expensive than others but keep in mind that, unlike most, it qualifies for SuperSavers and Amazon Prime free shipping.

I am awarding this item 5 stars for price and quality - there's nothing to complain. There may be better deals out there, pricewise but I decided to go with the Amazon brand in this case for the reasons cited above.

____________________________________

Note:

I ended up using the 9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters version of this wire because the price difference is insignificant and, if you need it to be shorter, just make a little loop, no big deal but if you get a short wire the only way to extend it is to get yourself an... extension cable

Review by A. Dent:

Please be aware that this is NOT a longer USB cable. It is an extension cable with 'Type A' connectors at BOTH ends (male and female) - meaning that this cable will NOT connect 2 devices by itself. It will only work with and extend a 'regular' USB cable that has a 'Type A' male connector at one end. 'Type A' is the type of connector that would normally plug into your computer or laptop USB port.

These being said, I found it quite useful with peripherals that come with permanently attached cables that are not as long as I wish they were. I am using mine with a Logitech Driving Force GT Racing Wheel and with a T-flight Hostas joystick on which we can use a longer cable.

There's not much to say other than everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified and connectors at both ends appear to be gold-plated and solidly built. This is important because, unlike a HDMI cable that you usually plug it in at the back of your equipment and it's likely to stay there, USB cables tend to be plugged in and out many times and this is even more so the case with an extension cable.

While USB cables are clearly a commodity item these days, AmazonBasics cables do have a couple of advantages over the competition.

- EASY RETURN - I know because I had to return quite a few items for various reasons. Amazon makes it very easy and, if you are returning the item because it came defective or damaged Amazon pays for shipping.

- WARRANTY - these wires come with a 1-year warranty.I am highly confident that Amazon will be around to honor its warranty and I'm not so sure about vendors I know less.

- QUALITY ASSURANCE - I've never had any problems with 'cheap' USB or HDMI cables but it may be reassuring to have Amazon's name on a wire. My assumption is that Amazon did insist on some quality checks before they stamped their logo on the product.

- PRICE - This cable may appear more expensive than others but keep in mind that, unlike most, it qualifies for SuperSavers and Amazon Prime free shipping.

I am awarding this item 5 stars for price and quality - there's nothing to complain. There may be better deals out there, pricewise but I decided to go with the Amazon brand in this case for the reasons cited above.

Review by Zipidee:

This is by far the best "on the go" webcam I have ever owned. I can't tell you about the technical specifications, but I can tell you the picture looks great! I have another laptop that has a built in webcam and a desktop PC that I use a Logetech Quickcam and this webcam beats them in quality of picture and ease of use. The Logetech webcam has a a few more features but this also comes with fun and interactive options that will have your have family and friends laughing while they look at you via the webcam.

Installing the software did take quite a while (about 13 minutes) but once you are done installing the software, you plug in your webcam, answer a couple questions and you are all set to chat. I love the different ways you can set the camera up to your monitor. I use the clip since it fits my monitor perfectly. The stand it very sturdy and tall. The attachment discs will stick on any clean surface on your laptop cover. It also comes with an extra attachment disc in case you loose one. The magnet on the webcam is very strong and it will hold it's place securely. The webcam can also be easily adjusted to go up and down without "popping" or sliding off.

The sleek and small size of this webcam makes it easy to tuck into a laptop bag and the plastic case ensures you will not scratch or damage the lens.

The built-in microphone works perfectly and sounds crystal clear. I tried the webcam in low light conditions at first and it automatically focused and lighten the view and it was clear. I have attached pictures to the product so you can see for yourself how clearly the picture looks in low light conditions.

Review by M. M Magliaro:

Background:

I installed this on two Windows XP Professional SP2 systems.

I followed the instructions to the letter, installing the CD FIRST, before plugging in the camera.

I am a 30 year software developer who has tested dozens of webcams over the past 5 years and writes videoconferencing software for Windows using DirectX.

1. The installer is obnoxious. On the first XP system, it displayed the progress box, with the progress bar filling and emptying, for 30 minutes, and it never finished. Twice during installing, the spoolsv.exe service (part of Windows....) crashed. I never could get the installer to work.

2. On the second system, it worked, but then, lo and behold, I am besieged by badgering to install Windows Live Messenger. I unchecked the box during installation, which tells it I DO NOT WANT that installed.

And STILL it drops a shortcut for Windows Live Call on my desk top, which, when I click it, tells me I should install Windows Live Messenger.

Delete C:\Program Files\Microsoft LifeCam\icepick.exe to nuke this app, and delete the shortcut, to get rid of this.

3. Every time you log in, you get the annoying tray icon application, and sometimes a popup window from the LifeCam application. Argh!!!! Logitech does this too. You have to dig into the registry, find the "Run" folder, and delete the entry for the LifeCam in there, to stop this.

4. The EULA license agreement you have to agree to, in order to finish the installer, specifically says that you are required to let this thing automatically connect to the internet and download software updates for itself. BULL TO THAT. Right there, I do NOT want this thing on my computer.

NOW, it gets out of the realm of invasiveness and annoying behavior, into real performance problems...

5. Managing video from this camera with generic applications like Amcap causes very weird behavior. Large black blotches all over the screen, sluggish PC performance. (this is a Core 2 Duo Dell Latitude that I just got 3 months ago, with a real NVidia video module in it, and 1 Gig of RAM... it is no slouch for performance)

6. IT CAN ONLY DO 15 FRAMES PER SECOND.

That, right there, rules it out as a decent camera in my book. If you want to do sluggish webcam chats with Yahoo or something, fine. But if you want any kind of smooth video, forget it. Any decent camera these days just HAS to do 30 fps.

7. CPU load is high. A simple 15 fps 352x288 capture to the screen, like in AMCAP, consumes 15% CPU on my Core 2 Duo machine. Compare that to only 6% for a Logitech QuickCam Pro For Notebooks, which produces every bit as good video, at TWICE THE FRAMERATE (30 fps).

Summary:

Video performance poor.

Installer shoddy.

Privacy/software updating invasiveness.

Obnoxious foisting of Live Messenger onto the user.

Stick with Logitech.

Review by Dodongo Dislikes Smoke:

This Nuvi does several things very well, and I've yet to discover any serious shortcomings. My thoughts:

Navigation: Excellent, as is typical with Garmin units. On a couple of occasions the voice (right now I'm using Australian Karen) told me my destination was on the wrong side of the street.

Map: The map is clear, the refresh rate is fast, and all of the right information is provided on-screen, including details for upcoming turns and junctions, speed limit, and traffic alerts. It's annoying that I can't choose to switch the display of my current speed to some other piece of info. I already have a speedometer. The 3D buildings feature seems pretty gimmicky, and is implemented sporadically, even in downtown Boston. When there is coverage, most buildings are monochromatic blocks, and not the photo-realistic buildings seen in screenshots.

Lane Assist: This feature has been spot-on so far. It's nice driving in a new area and not getting flustered about being in the wrong lane. I have yet to see the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shown in the many 765t screenshots -- however, I've done very little highway driving, and I believe this screen requires that the user press the top-left (upcoming turn icon).

>>>>>UPDATE: After some highway driving, it turns out that the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shows up automatically before potentially tricky highway junctions. Very nice.

Traffic: As far as I know, I have not been re-routed because of traffic. However, it's very easy to bring up a list of major roads and their current traffic conditions, and to avoid them at will. The pop-up advertising associated with the "free" traffic is pretty subtle, and never distracting.

Bluetooth: I'm impressed with this feature so far. It mated with my phone (old Motorola RAZR V3) easily, importing all of my contacts in the process. The ability to instantly dial any point of interest (e.g., to check on store hours) is brilliant. The volume from the speaker is reasonably loud. I also tried sending the audio to my car stereo using an audio cable, and the output seemed a bit low (I had to turn my car stereo way up). I have not yet tried sending the audio to my car stereo using the FM transmitter. I called my voicemail, and the built-in microphone picks up my voice reasonably well with the engine running. I'm not sure how well it would work with highway speeds. I'm told that the cheap Garmin microphone (which plugs into the cradle, not the unit) improves voice quality.

>>>>>UPDATE: This is true -- the microphone is an improvement, though it adds yet another long cord to your long cord collection. Also, I've tried the FM transmitter. It works, albeit with a certain amount of static. I imagine this feature would intolerable if you are driving a long way.

Other features: I haven't used the SD card slot for anything. I haven't tried the photo viewer or the mp3 player, and I probably won't.

Build Quality: Seems solid. The unit has a certain heft to it, and it's covered in a soft, rubbery coating. I've also dropped it already (because I'm an idiot) -- still working beautifully.

Suggested improvements: Garmin doesn't make it easy to look up the actual coordinates (latitude and longitude) for favorites or points of interest. This information should be available at the press of a button.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with my purchase. The 756t is not cheap right now, and if you can live without the new features, you might be better off with an older unit. That said, if you're looking for a gps device with all of the latest features and compatibility, this seems to be a solid pick.

Review by Terry Stanard:

I'll try to make this a unique review by comparing the pros and cons of FOUR different Garmin units I've tried: c330, 265t, 765t, and the 885t. There are few reviews that offer face-off comparisons between models which can assist in making a purchasing choice. I'll share some highlights for each model, beginning with the one I've owned for over three years. Bottom line: If you want to go cheap, the c330 still works fine with new maps loaded - I literally drove all over the country and rarely had any problems. If you are looking for a new model, get the 265t and you won't be disappointed. Don't buy the 765t. Consider the 885t but be ready to return if the volume output is too low.

Note - with all models I had the latest firmware updates and maps at time of writing the review.

>> Streetpilot C330. Owned it over 3 years. It is an older model, and not flat like all new models today. Instead of flat, it has something of a triangular shape, and the mount has takes up more space. It is harder to pack in bag or suitcase because of this, and is the primary reason I decided to upgrade. To its credit, it is built more sturdily than any of the new models. I'm sure it could survive multiple falls. The screen is smaller, but plenty bright and easy enough to read when the sunlight falls on it. The touchscreen is sensitive and I never had much complaint with it. It is has an important feature missing from all new models - a wheel volume control on the side. All new models make you hit an icon on the screen to adjust the volume, and then you must touch again to change the volume in increments, and touch one more time to return to the map. The volume is plenty loud on the c330, which is not always the case with newer models. The icons on the map are simpler. For instance, the vehicle is a blue triangle rather than a car. The maps are not as detailed, but sufficiently so. There are no spoken street names, but the prompts are good enough to get you where you want. You can still purchase map updates that will load on the unit, although the onboard memory can only support a region of the US at a time. The GPS receiver is fine most of the time, but failed me in Chicago with all the tall buildings, and I sometimes had to wait for service when leaving a rental car garage. Overall, it is a very good unit and Garmin would do well with future models to bring back the side volume control, and the tank-like build quality.

>> 265t. Owned it about two weeks so far. This is the most recent model I've purchased, and I am impressed. I will lead with a weakness, however. I bought a refurbished model on Amazon. It saved me about over a new model, but I had to contact Garmin multiple times to get the free map update. It had been previously registered and the free map update was not available. Garmin had to reset the registration. I wrote them and sent a copy of my purchase receipt, and they reset the registration. Other than this, I would not have realized it is refurbished just by looking at it. The operation is also fine.

I want to emphasize something - you really don't need a widescreen model (e.g, 265wt). Trust me on this. The only thing afforded by widescreen is the QUERTY-style keyboard. A few people might miss it, but I don't even though I'm a daily user of keyboards. The widescreen gives you more visible map coverage on the left and right, but it is not needed for navigating. Everything you need to see is in plain view on the squarish screen of the 265t. To best of my knowledge, all of the other functions are the same. The 265t is also smaller and easier to stow away. Save yourself the extra dough and get the 265t over the 265wt.

The 265 shares the most important features as the more expensive 700 and 800 series. In fact, I only miss a couple of things from these other models. For instance, the 800 series can be controlled by speaking commands - very nice. The 700 series can display time remaining to destination, or distance to destination. Handy! I understand there are more flexible routing options with the 700 and 800, but I never use those so can't comment. Gpsmagazine.com claims the 700 and 800 have stronger GPS receivers, but I noticed I can get a signal from inside of my home with the 265, so I am hoping that it works just as well as the 700/800 in cities with big building all around. The 265 lacks 3D buildings, lane assist, and junction view. Lane assist is helpful, but the other two only show up once in a while depending on your location. It lacks a built-in MP3 player, but I don't think I miss that either (more on my experience with this below). The 265 has smooth scrolling of the map like the 765, which the 885 lacks. It also has free traffic service, but so far I haven't benefitted from this (more below). One thing better about the 265 is the volume. It is just as loud as the c330, louder than the 765t, and MUCH louder than the 885. Using the bluetooth, I can make a phone call and hear and be heard without any problems. Overall, I think the 265 would be a far better bargain for most people - saving 0-0 over the high end models but sill including great features.

>> 765t. Used it for a couple of months then returned. I won't repeat what I said above. Actually, I was really disappointed with this model for a couple of reasons. The traffic feature did not work at all for me. I drove over 500 miles to DC, and then back, and it never helped me once. I hit construction. No warning. I hit accident backups. No warnings. I got stuck in horrible downtown DC traffic, and was told I would be delayed 3 minutes, which stretched into 2 hours! Here is what I found unforgiveable, though. It sometimes told me to turn in one direction, then correct itself after I made the turn to get me going the other way. At first I thought it was me, but no, the darn thing actually got the turn direction wrong about 5% of the time! This is totally inexcusable, especially when you are entering or leaving a highway. If you are told to go onto an onramp, and then it changes its mind, you could spend another 5-10 minutes getting turned around again. I don't know why this unit had this problem. It was the one reason I had to return it. I recommend purchases from Sam's Club or Costco, which allow you to return items months later (hold onto that receipt!).

The bluetooth worked for my phone, and the volume was good enough to make calls, although callers told me I was hard to hear sometimes. I did not try the MP3 player to see whether the volume was sufficient. The FM transmitter is a joke - the signal is super weak and unuseable. Some reviews say to get an external FM transmitter to compensate, but that means spending more money and seems silly.

On the plus side, I used the 3D building view to help me find the Lincoln Memorial on foot in DC, but that was only the one time it helped me. The junction assist (photo realism for highway interchanges) is nice, but you will only see it in some cities.

>> 885t. Used it for 3 weeks then returned. I'll lead with the one problem I had with my unit that caused me to return it. The volume was too low. I could hear the turn prompts well enough. But it was not nearly loud enough when driving at highway speeds for phone calls or the MP3 playback. When making calls, I could not hear the caller very well, and could not be heard clearly. When using the MP3 player, I really strained to hear an audiobook, and using earbuds did not help any. It could have been a problem with my particular unit. I can't say. I may purchase another unit to see if the volume is better. Like the 765, the FM transmitter is unuseable.

However, I really liked controlling the unit through speech commands. It works very well, and is safer to do than taking your hands off the wheel to use the touch screen. You may to strap a button onto your steering wheel that is used to engage the speach recognition. It takes getting used to having it there when turning the wheel and feeling it under your grip sometimes. Even so, if they put this feature on all of their other units it would be AWESOME. Please, Garmin, keep this feature for the future! I also liked the MSN Direct service. The traffic service actually worked for me, much better than on the 765t. You can see weather forcasts and even look at a local weather radar. This can be helpful if you are driving a long ways and concerned about heading into a storm. You also can monitor stock prices, get fuel prices for nearby gas stations, and movie times. I found however movie times were not displayed for second run (discount) theaters in our area.

Lane assist and junction view worked as well as the 765t. I did not have problems with the unit telling me to go the wrong way, like I did with the 765t. As I said above, I might buy another 885t to see if the volume issue was specific to the first unit and not the model.

Review by John H. Williams:

Garmin with NavTeq maps is the way to go. Nearly perfect routing. Reliable maps. Very solid combination generally. This particular unit is an excellent combination of features and, as a refub, a stunning value.

The features that allow this device to stand out from most other Garmins are these: (1) Instant on and instant navigation when turned back on where it was turned off. (2) Lane assist in major cities in some intersections. (3) Multiple stops (Via Points) from your starting point to your destination (many Garmins don't do this). (4) Lifetime traffic. You have to put up with small, rather inconspicuous ads now and again, but it's really no big deal. (5) There is no antenna to extend. It's built into the base unit. (6) It's really, really sensitive. Really. Sensitive. Works great. (7) There are transparent images of large buildings and structures that aid somewhat in navigation but even more, are entertaining and interesting.

You really can't go wrong.

What does it lack? (1) Most notably, voice recognition. (2) MSN services, but that is scheduled to be shut off for lack of interest anyway.* (3) A way to turn off the navigation to carry it around listening to the MP3 player when you're out of the car. It's constantly finding GPS signals in the grocery store and announcing when it's lost the signal in the store. I certainly don't need that and certainly don't need the battery being drained trying to GPS while I'm in Barne & Noble. It would be nice to be able to turn the GPS off while using other features, like the MP3 player and Audio Book player. (5) The FM transmitter that assists using the GPS and MP3 player with the car stereo is apparently as strong as the FCC permits, but it's still not strong enough to overcome competing stations in the city. It's just not a good connection. Too much noise. Some FM transmitters do better, and I've actually plugged my Garmin GPS's audio output into Belkin FM transmitters that seem to do a better (but still not great) job. (6) It doesn't have Europe on it. Just all of North America.

These really are niggling complaints. It's a great unit. I'm loving the instant on. didn't realize how much I'd like that until I got it.

[...]

Review by R. Goff:

After having used the 760/780 for a year I picked up this unit for my wife to use.

I had it on order for a 4 days and it didn't ship even though it was in stock. Had the option to cancel that order and I reordered when it hit 9 and chose two day shipping and it shipped right away, annoying, but I digress.

The unit arrived in perfect condition except for a few fingerprints which easily wiped off, and included all accessories. I was able to register the unit on the Garmin website, and was offered a free map upgrade.

Things that differ from the 760:

- bar along the top - instead of displaying the upcoming crossroad, the 765 displays the street you are driving on. Pretty useless. I would much rather have it display the upcoming crossroad.

- Upcoming turn arrows in the top left are a nice addition.

- The 765 still displays your current speed on the lefthand tag when navigating a route. On the 760 - that vanished and was replace with something else when on a route.

- The righthand tag can be customized to display the ETA, current time, or elevation.

- Zoom in / out buttons are now both located on the righthand side, as is the shortcut button for the mp3 player. The mp3 button is quite small.

- Lifetime traffic works well and was timely on my commute home last night. Unit correctly anticipated traffic and routed me around it.

- Bluetooth does not work as well as the 760. Had great difficulty pairing with a Motorola W385. I eventually did after several tries, but will not download the contacts. I need to "connect" every time I turn on the nuvi. My old 760 had no problem and connected automatically once the phone was in range.

UPDATE - bluetooth works much better after I abandoned trying to pair through the GPS and instead just searched for devices via the phone only. My phone picked up the 765 easily, then afterwards I changed the setting on my phone to connect automatically. It now connects as painlessly as the 760 did. Phonebook downloaded as well. Voice dial does not work though.

- FM transmitter was initially very weak (as is the one on the 760) but I discovered that if you go into the service screens (Press and hold the battery icon) - you can set the transmitter to "High Power" and it works much better. It is now quite acceptable.

- Battery does not last long at all on the 765. Low battery comes on in about 20 minutes with the screen set to full brightness. You can gain run time by setting the screen dimmer.

-Screen smoothness / refresh rate and icons are much nicer than on the 760. Screen also seems easier to see in sunlight.

- The 765 acquires satellites much quicker.

- speaker is louder on the 765. I could barely hear the 760.

- 3D building view is pretty cool.

- Have not seen the junction view yet, though I have only used it for a few days.

UPDATE - Junction view worked well on my recent Thanksgiving trip. Doesn't kick in very often though.

- Both units support multi point routing which is a major consideration if you want to force the route to be where you want. I use the Nuvis on my motorcycle and seldom want to take the most direct way but rater specify which scenic or twisty roads I want to ride to get there. Either the 760 or 765 will do that for you.

Overall the 765 is a nice improvement, though the short battery life, and lack of upcoming crossroads are the major drawbacks.

Pluses are a nicer looking screen / graphics, fast acquisition time, and better FM transmitter (once set to "High Power)

All considered, a worthwhile upgrade.

Review by Dodongo Dislikes Smoke:

This Nuvi does several things very well, and I've yet to discover any serious shortcomings. My thoughts:

Navigation: Excellent, as is typical with Garmin units. On a couple of occasions the voice (right now I'm using Australian Karen) told me my destination was on the wrong side of the street.

Map: The map is clear, the refresh rate is fast, and all of the right information is provided on-screen, including details for upcoming turns and junctions, speed limit, and traffic alerts. It's annoying that I can't choose to switch the display of my current speed to some other piece of info. I already have a speedometer. The 3D buildings feature seems pretty gimmicky, and is implemented sporadically, even in downtown Boston. When there is coverage, most buildings are monochromatic blocks, and not the photo-realistic buildings seen in screenshots.

Lane Assist: This feature has been spot-on so far. It's nice driving in a new area and not getting flustered about being in the wrong lane. I have yet to see the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shown in the many 765t screenshots -- however, I've done very little highway driving, and I believe this screen requires that the user press the top-left (upcoming turn icon).

>>>>>UPDATE: After some highway driving, it turns out that the full-screen 3D Lane Assist Junction View shows up automatically before potentially tricky highway junctions. Very nice.

Traffic: As far as I know, I have not been re-routed because of traffic. However, it's very easy to bring up a list of major roads and their current traffic conditions, and to avoid them at will. The pop-up advertising associated with the "free" traffic is pretty subtle, and never distracting.

Bluetooth: I'm impressed with this feature so far. It mated with my phone (old Motorola RAZR V3) easily, importing all of my contacts in the process. The ability to instantly dial any point of interest (e.g., to check on store hours) is brilliant. The volume from the speaker is reasonably loud. I also tried sending the audio to my car stereo using an audio cable, and the output seemed a bit low (I had to turn my car stereo way up). I have not yet tried sending the audio to my car stereo using the FM transmitter. I called my voicemail, and the built-in microphone picks up my voice reasonably well with the engine running. I'm not sure how well it would work with highway speeds. I'm told that the cheap Garmin microphone (which plugs into the cradle, not the unit) improves voice quality.

>>>>>UPDATE: This is true -- the microphone is an improvement, though it adds yet another long cord to your long cord collection. Also, I've tried the FM transmitter. It works, albeit with a certain amount of static. I imagine this feature would intolerable if you are driving a long way.

Other features: I haven't used the SD card slot for anything. I haven't tried the photo viewer or the mp3 player, and I probably won't.

Build Quality: Seems solid. The unit has a certain heft to it, and it's covered in a soft, rubbery coating. I've also dropped it already (because I'm an idiot) -- still working beautifully.

Suggested improvements: Garmin doesn't make it easy to look up the actual coordinates (latitude and longitude) for favorites or points of interest. This information should be available at the press of a button.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with my purchase. The 756t is not cheap right now, and if you can live without the new features, you might be better off with an older unit. That said, if you're looking for a gps device with all of the latest features and compatibility, this seems to be a solid pick.

Review by Terry Stanard:

I'll try to make this a unique review by comparing the pros and cons of FOUR different Garmin units I've tried: c330, 265t, 765t, and the 885t. There are few reviews that offer face-off comparisons between models which can assist in making a purchasing choice. I'll share some highlights for each model, beginning with the one I've owned for over three years. Bottom line: If you want to go cheap, the c330 still works fine with new maps loaded - I literally drove all over the country and rarely had any problems. If you are looking for a new model, get the 265t and you won't be disappointed. Don't buy the 765t. Consider the 885t but be ready to return if the volume output is too low.

Note - with all models I had the latest firmware updates and maps at time of writing the review.

>> Streetpilot C330. Owned it over 3 years. It is an older model, and not flat like all new models today. Instead of flat, it has something of a triangular shape, and the mount has takes up more space. It is harder to pack in bag or suitcase because of this, and is the primary reason I decided to upgrade. To its credit, it is built more sturdily than any of the new models. I'm sure it could survive multiple falls. The screen is smaller, but plenty bright and easy enough to read when the sunlight falls on it. The touchscreen is sensitive and I never had much complaint with it. It is has an important feature missing from all new models - a wheel volume control on the side. All new models make you hit an icon on the screen to adjust the volume, and then you must touch again to change the volume in increments, and touch one more time to return to the map. The volume is plenty loud on the c330, which is not always the case with newer models. The icons on the map are simpler. For instance, the vehicle is a blue triangle rather than a car. The maps are not as detailed, but sufficiently so. There are no spoken street names, but the prompts are good enough to get you where you want. You can still purchase map updates that will load on the unit, although the onboard memory can only support a region of the US at a time. The GPS receiver is fine most of the time, but failed me in Chicago with all the tall buildings, and I sometimes had to wait for service when leaving a rental car garage. Overall, it is a very good unit and Garmin would do well with future models to bring back the side volume control, and the tank-like build quality.

>> 265t. Owned it about two weeks so far. This is the most recent model I've purchased, and I am impressed. I will lead with a weakness, however. I bought a refurbished model on Amazon. It saved me about over a new model, but I had to contact Garmin multiple times to get the free map update. It had been previously registered and the free map update was not available. Garmin had to reset the registration. I wrote them and sent a copy of my purchase receipt, and they reset the registration. Other than this, I would not have realized it is refurbished just by looking at it. The operation is also fine.

I want to emphasize something - you really don't need a widescreen model (e.g, 265wt). Trust me on this. The only thing afforded by widescreen is the QUERTY-style keyboard. A few people might miss it, but I don't even though I'm a daily user of keyboards. The widescreen gives you more visible map coverage on the left and right, but it is not needed for navigating. Everything you need to see is in plain view on the squarish screen of the 265t. To best of my knowledge, all of the other functions are the same. The 265t is also smaller and easier to stow away. Save yourself the extra dough and get the 265t over the 265wt.

The 265 shares the most important features as the more expensive 700 and 800 series. In fact, I only miss a couple of things from these other models. For instance, the 800 series can be controlled by speaking commands - very nice. The 700 series can display time remaining to destination, or distance to destination. Handy! I understand there are more flexible routing options with the 700 and 800, but I never use those so can't comment. Gpsmagazine.com claims the 700 and 800 have stronger GPS receivers, but I noticed I can get a signal from inside of my home with the 265, so I am hoping that it works just as well as the 700/800 in cities with big building all around. The 265 lacks 3D buildings, lane assist, and junction view. Lane assist is helpful, but the other two only show up once in a while depending on your location. It lacks a built-in MP3 player, but I don't think I miss that either (more on my experience with this below). The 265 has smooth scrolling of the map like the 765, which the 885 lacks. It also has free traffic service, but so far I haven't benefitted from this (more below). One thing better about the 265 is the volume. It is just as loud as the c330, louder than the 765t, and MUCH louder than the 885. Using the bluetooth, I can make a phone call and hear and be heard without any problems. Overall, I think the 265 would be a far better bargain for most people - saving 0-0 over the high end models but sill including great features.

>> 765t. Used it for a couple of months then returned. I won't repeat what I said above. Actually, I was really disappointed with this model for a couple of reasons. The traffic feature did not work at all for me. I drove over 500 miles to DC, and then back, and it never helped me once. I hit construction. No warning. I hit accident backups. No warnings. I got stuck in horrible downtown DC traffic, and was told I would be delayed 3 minutes, which stretched into 2 hours! Here is what I found unforgiveable, though. It sometimes told me to turn in one direction, then correct itself after I made the turn to get me going the other way. At first I thought it was me, but no, the darn thing actually got the turn direction wrong about 5% of the time! This is totally inexcusable, especially when you are entering or leaving a highway. If you are told to go onto an onramp, and then it changes its mind, you could spend another 5-10 minutes getting turned around again. I don't know why this unit had this problem. It was the one reason I had to return it. I recommend purchases from Sam's Club or Costco, which allow you to return items months later (hold onto that receipt!).

The bluetooth worked for my phone, and the volume was good enough to make calls, although callers told me I was hard to hear sometimes. I did not try the MP3 player to see whether the volume was sufficient. The FM transmitter is a joke - the signal is super weak and unuseable. Some reviews say to get an external FM transmitter to compensate, but that means spending more money and seems silly.

On the plus side, I used the 3D building view to help me find the Lincoln Memorial on foot in DC, but that was only the one time it helped me. The junction assist (photo realism for highway interchanges) is nice, but you will only see it in some cities.

>> 885t. Used it for 3 weeks then returned. I'll lead with the one problem I had with my unit that caused me to return it. The volume was too low. I could hear the turn prompts well enough. But it was not nearly loud enough when driving at highway speeds for phone calls or the MP3 playback. When making calls, I could not hear the caller very well, and could not be heard clearly. When using the MP3 player, I really strained to hear an audiobook, and using earbuds did not help any. It could have been a problem with my particular unit. I can't say. I may purchase another unit to see if the volume is better. Like the 765, the FM transmitter is unuseable.

However, I really liked controlling the unit through speech commands. It works very well, and is safer to do than taking your hands off the wheel to use the touch screen. You may to strap a button onto your steering wheel that is used to engage the speach recognition. It takes getting used to having it there when turning the wheel and feeling it under your grip sometimes. Even so, if they put this feature on all of their other units it would be AWESOME. Please, Garmin, keep this feature for the future! I also liked the MSN Direct service. The traffic service actually worked for me, much better than on the 765t. You can see weather forcasts and even look at a local weather radar. This can be helpful if you are driving a long ways and concerned about heading into a storm. You also can monitor stock prices, get fuel prices for nearby gas stations, and movie times. I found however movie times were not displayed for second run (discount) theaters in our area.

Lane assist and junction view worked as well as the 765t. I did not have problems with the unit telling me to go the wrong way, like I did with the 765t. As I said above, I might buy another 885t to see if the volume issue was specific to the first unit and not the model.

Review by Randy S. Little:

I have had this device just over 2 weeks and traveled from Los Angeles to Colorado. It was an early xmas gift Well first off the device came with a nice scratch on the screen which is not horribly noticeable but you should be ready to receive a not perfect device. I have been back and fourth with Garmin for several days because the clock even when set manually is off by 1 hour for all functions other then just the time. So while I have it set to tell me the right time the world clock gives every city off by one hour and all the trip times are off by 1 hour. When you go to type in a manual search for a POI (which are very out of date and limited compared to even my old TomTom 510 and TomTom POI system) the system will hang as you start to type and it feels like the unit has locked up for a couple seconds. The best traffic you can buy for it is the MSN direct package which is being phased out in 2012. That wasn't mentioned in the product description. Just that the MSN direct life time was available. I guess by lifetime they mean less then 2 years.

I highly recommend against getting this product. I wanted to return it but was told I can only exchange it for the same device. Normally I don't send reviews because hey you buy something its not so great you return it. Well not with this. You buy it and you are stuck with a product that you can only hope will work for you.

I plan to post a blog of the rest of my trip comparing the results of the nuvi 765t against my old TomTom 510 since they both use the Navtec maps. Comparing the ancient 510 (with fm traffic) routes and POI accuracy. I will post the blog address later if I am able. I have just never been so dissatisfied. It has so many cool features but that doesn't seem to really matter if it can't get me safely from point a to point b. Also the refurb comes with old maps and to upgrade to the new maps will end up costing you more then just buying the New product that comes with 30 day map guarantee.

Garmin has offered to send me a new one but if the refurbished one is bad that doesn't make me feel warm and cozy about a new one that in theory has had less Quality assurance checks. I just wish I could return it for a refund but I can't.

Review by Cyrano1818:

This is the third Garmin in our family. We have an 880 and an 250. This is the slowest to load maps at start-up, slowest to acquire a satellite at start-up and slowest to re-draw the map when the car makes a turn (I've already completed the turn before it begins re-drawing)...this is a very disappointing unit. To test a theory that it may not be the unit, I purchased an antenna extension from Garmin and temporarily installed it outside the car; this had no affect in speeding up the problems listed above, thus telling me it was clearly the unit and not a poor satellite connection.

I contacted Garmin who informed me that they are aware of the problems and should be sending a software update shortly. That was 3 weeks ago, perhaps indicating a declining focus on customer support.

It appears Garmin rolled this out before the problems they were conscious of were solved, just to get a new unit into the marketplace (similar strategy used by Microsoft). The price and problems associated are not worth the (slightly) enhanced graphics; given you only glance at the screen periodically, you really don't notice the difference in graphics between this and the 880/250. The much touted "lane indicator" graphics does not surface at every highway turnoff where multiple lanes are involved; perhaps that also might be included in the update we are still waiting for.

If I had it to do over again, I would purchase a Nuvi 760 and a MSN Direct receiver on line. By buying the two parts separate, it becomes the same thing as a Nuvi 780 at much less cost. The 760 is a much better unit at half the price of the 785t or 880.

Perhaps Garmin might spend less on marketing flawed products and reallocate those funds to contracting their immense line, better products at roll-out, and more responsive customer service.

I would stay with Garmin or Tom Tom products as they use established mapping companies; Garmin has the edge on the map system they use while Tom Tom recently purchased their own exclusive mapping company (GPS for Dummies).

Dec 11, 2008 update: I recently updated the available software and firmware from the Garmin site. Screen refresh is no faster and it seems that when you first turn on the unit and the satellites are acquired, the screen position has you facing in a different direction than I am in reality. Apparently the CSR with whom I spoke in November was given wrong information; no fix to the problems of which Garmin "was aware" has been provided to date. Judging from other "t line" reviews, the 785t might be the only "lemon". I guess you have to decide how important is MSN Direct in making your model selection.

Jan, 2009 update

A CSR at Garmin made arrangements the exchange my 785t for another one. No luck...still slow. ex: I completed a left turn yesterday before the unit told me to make a left turn and before the screen icon indicated I was making a turn. Hope they know enough to not save money by using a slower microprocessor, especially for what they charge for their units.

Review by William M. Gibson:

**Update 8-13-09**Don't let the recent software glitch scare you off from this unit. By now many people have heard that a software problem caused all 885T units (and several others) to malfunction. Although it was a bit of a hassle, Garmin replaced my unit (and everyone's elses) promptly. New units purchased now will not have that problem.

**Original review**I had a C550 and loved it but it got stolen so I had to buy a new GPS. I started with a Nuvi 885T because I was intrigued by the voice activation. The good news is that the voice activation works very, very well. The bad news is that I found the overall operating feel to be slow and choppy, a fact that is mentioned in several other reviews. Also, I had some issues with the unit locking up, so back it went.

I've had the 785T now for a couple of days.

Here is what I like:

* Quick to lock in satellites, even on cold start

* Accurate directions

* Smooth scrolling

* Customizable display

* Lane Assist works nicely and I like it. Useful feature.

* Junction View works nicely and I like it, but in my opinion it is not nearly as useful as Garmin would lead you to believe. A photo realistic image of upcoming street signs flashes across the screen for about 5-8 seconds, with an indication as to which lane you should be in.

* Bluetooth connected with my Blackberry no problem

* Ability to send addresses from my computer to the unit wirelessly. I've used it. It works.

* Small/lightweight (unlike my old C550)

* MSN Direct works well. MSN Traffic seems to work well, although some other reviewers prefer Lifetime Traffic. I think that is a matter of personal preference, and also depends on where you live. I live outside of Washington, DC, so MSN coverage is strong.

Here is what I do not like:

* Speakers barely loud enough. My C550 had rich, deep, loud sound. The Nuvi 785T, like all the Nuvi's, has shallow, slightly tinny, not quite loud enough, sound. I am really surprised that Garmin has not addressed this, as this is probably the number one complaint that I have, and that I have seen in other reviews. Unlike some other reviews, this wasn't a deal breaker for me, as I find the volume and clarity to be basically acceptable, but just marginally so.

* The underpowered speakers make the Bluetooth component less than perfect, but still useable

* The distance remaining and arrival time are slightly smaller than my C550, but it is noticeable and slightly irritating (only slightly). I wear reading glasses, so sometimes I have to squint at the screen a bit

* I am constantly taking the unit in and out of my car (don't want to have this unit stolen like my last one). Almost every time I have to fiddle with the mount so it clicks in. It has to line up perfectly, or it won't click in, which requires 2 hands and a bit of concentration. Should be easier and more intuitive than that.

* Updating the maps was an adventure. I don't believe this was the fault of the unit, but rather Garmin's website. The map updates are a HUGE file (192 mb), and twice it hung at about 180 mb requiring me to start all over. A little frustrating, but again, I don't fault the 785T for this, and eventually I got it all squared away.

Overall, I give it 4 stars. Not perfect, several flaws, but overall, I like it and recommend it.

By the way, here is a buying tip if you are interested in this unit....keep your eye on it and check the price daily. Amazon changes their prices dramatically from day to day. They do that on all of their products, but I seem to notice it more on GPS units. One day this might be 0, then the next day it might be 0, then the next day it might go back up to 0. My bottom line? Anything under 0 is a buy, and a good value for the Nuvi 785T.