Garmin nüvi 1490/1490T 5-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

Wed, Apr 14, 2010

Factory Refurbished
High sensitivity GPS receiver with Hot Fix; Voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions
Preloaded with City Navigator NT for North America
Easy-to-use 5 inch enhanced touchscreen interface
Bluetooth wireless technology; Lifetime traffic; Lane assist; Junction view; EcoRoute; Public transit mode; Pedestrian navigation

Product Description
The large screen nÜvi® 1490T offers multiple-point routing and lane assist with junction view to help you manage busy highway interchanges. It also has subscription-free traffic alerts for most cities, hands-free calling, pedestrian navigation options and ecoRoute™.Amazon.com Product Description
This is a refurbished GPS. Refurbished generally means that the unit has been returned to the manufacturer, who brings the navigator back to like new conditions. Some GPS may contain cosmetic blemishes. The large screen nüvi 1490T offers multiple-point routing and lane assist with junction view to help you manage busy highway interchanges. It also has subscription-free traffic alerts for most cities, hands-free calling, pedestrian navigation options and ecoRoute. Navigation is just the beginning. See Even More
It’s easy to see where you’re going on nüvi 1490T’s 5-inch touchscreen display. View map d… More >>

Garmin nüvi 1490/1490T 5-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

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5 Comments For This Post

Johnny N. Quach Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 7:33 pm

very happy with this product, strongly recommend to buy one, very easy to use,easy to see and very good with bluetooth.
Rating: 5 / 5

Michael Monroe Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

This is my 2nd Garmin NUVI. It is awesome. the screen is large. I mean large. It accepts commands quickly. the screen is very clear and the commands are excellent. It has several new features that appeal to me. It shows elevation (I live in the mountains and this is important ) The ability to list several address and follow the best path to each makes sales calls easier to schedule. I would highly recommend.

I had a few glitches at first, contacted Garmin via email-they responded within 24 hours and I downloaded the newest software which solved the problem. I bought this unit refurbished, and was a little concerned, but it carries the same warranty so I was ok with that. It was $199
Rating: 5 / 5

Terry V Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 8:16 pm

Purchased early March, started using right away, very little setup as compared to the Lowrance I previously had in the vehicle. After several days the unit stopped working and I called Garmin, the customer service rep was very knowledgable and had me going in a few minutes. Since then no problems and the Bluetooth feature works far better than having than having the earpiece even if you are limited to 33 feet distance from the unit.

. Great Unit.
Rating: 5 / 5

Andy Royce Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 10:51 pm

I, like others before me, researched many makes and models of GPS units and finally settled on the Garmin 1490T (T for traffic support). I’ve used this unit for over almost two months and am very pleased with my selection. At first I was not sure I would use it every day back and forth the twenty two miles to work but after initial use I have it on almost all the time. Reason…for the traffic updates. The traffic update feature is well worth the added expense as it gives you plenty of warning both visually and via voice that there is traffic ahead…the traffic shows on the screen with either yellow or red beside the route you are on. When the traffic icon warning goes yellow or red (it tells you how long the delay is) you have the option to select the traffic icon and can then push options to see where the traffic is being reported ahead of you and you have the option to route around the problem.

Other features I like are the fact that this is a wide screen which means I can see more of what is on the map even when other information is on the screen like miles per hour arrival time distance and so on. This model comes with a feature called junction view which I was skeptical of at first but when it comes on is very handy because it shows you a picture of complex interstate intersections with easy to follow verbal and visual directions. It has pictures of only complex interstate intersections…spaghetti junctions. The picture pops up when you are about .8 mile from the intersection so you have a visual image of what the intersection looks like. Kinda cool. If you are directionally challenged you will like this feature. There are also features for 2D and 3D tracking…2D for an overhead shot of your route that automatically zooms in when you get close to a turn and 3D for an upclose look at your route all the time…2D is best overall and 3D when your route is complex.

Other features are this one has a pedestrian mode for using in strange places and when you want to find the bus stops. It is supposed to work if you are on a bicycle. This one has lots of options for shortest route or fastest route or most economical like most GPS units. Depending on what option you select may generate some strange routes. I tried all the options and found one day it had me exiting from the interstate then getting right back on several times…very strange. I saw in advance what it was doing and ignored the command to take the exit then later changed the setting to fastest route and that corrected the strange commands.

It also has the ability to connect to Bluetooth which is OK but people complain there is lots of background noise…they can still hear me but it is not the best feature if your car has wind noise. Bluetooth connects automatically when you turn the GPS on and will not work if you also have an ear bud Bluetooth…turn the ear bud off.

Finding a place is very straight forward. You are prompted for the city, then the house number then the street name. When you start entering the street name the unit will respond with some options to select from. Very easy to use the on screen keyboard…not while driving of course but non-the-less easy to use.

Routing is a challenge if you know the best way to get to your destination because the GPS may route you differently depending on how it is set. You can force it to go a certain route by selecting intersections to route through. If you do not know the way then let the GPS do the route for you and you will be fine. If you go off route or stop along the way it will recalculate reroute you in a few seconds.

I used the Points of Interest feature a few times and find it does a nice job of finding gas stations, restaurants and other points near to where you are.

This GPS also connects to your computer for updates and to a Garmin product called MapSource. MapSource is kinda cool because you can use it to upload and download routes from your GPS to the computer. Create a complex route on a map on your computer with lots of waypoints or stops along the way then download the route to the GPS and you are good to go.

One stumble I had was when I purchased my 1490t it was described as used or refurbished but I got a nice discount over a new one. When I went to get the free map update I got a message from (…) saying that I did not qualify because I was outside the 60 free period. Since I had just bought it and received it a few days prior I wondered if it had anything to do that it was refurb. I poked around on the mygarmin site and noted that it showed that my particular serial number had already received a map upgrade almost eight month prior to my owning this device. I sent an email to the support people and they simply had me send them a copy of the sales receipt to validate my recent purchase. Then they set (…) so that it recognized my unit as eligible to receive an updated map.

Now I am good to go with fresh maps and am pleased with my purchase…it works well and the Amazon price was the better than any of the others on offer.

Rating: 4 / 5

Henry G. Grote Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

I puchased the Garmin Nevi 1490T (Refurbished)It took two exchanges before I got one that worked correctly.Maps wouldn’t come up, adderesses couldn’t be found,including the city I was looking for. This model, although seems to have a lot going for it, when it’s working, has a lot of this product on the market in refurbished condition….everyone seems to have them for sale. If you don’t mind the waiting to get one that works, it a good deal, from Amazon. They have been great with trying to correct the problems, by sending me completely different units and they paid the postage each time, without giving me a hard time. I would say buy Amozon………. think about the refurbished Garmin 1490T
Rating: 4 / 5

Johnny N. Quach Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
very happy with this product, strongly recommend to buy one, very easy to use,easy to see and very good with bluetooth.
Rating: 5 / 5
Michael Monroe Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
This is my 2nd Garmin NUVI. It is awesome. the screen is large. I mean large. It accepts commands quickly. the screen is very clear and the commands are excellent. It has several new features that appeal to me. It shows elevation (I live in the mountains and this is important ) The ability to list several address and follow the best path to each makes sales calls easier to schedule. I would highly recommend.

I had a few glitches at first, contacted Garmin via email-they responded within 24 hours and I downloaded the newest software which solved the problem. I bought this unit refurbished, and was a little concerned, but it carries the same warranty so I was ok with that. It was $199
Rating: 5 / 5
Terry V Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Purchased early March, started using right away, very little setup as compared to the Lowrance I previously had in the vehicle. After several days the unit stopped working and I called Garmin, the customer service rep was very knowledgable and had me going in a few minutes. Since then no problems and the Bluetooth feature works far better than having than having the earpiece even if you are limited to 33 feet distance from the unit.

. Great Unit.
Rating: 5 / 5
Andy Royce Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
I, like others before me, researched many makes and models of GPS units and finally settled on the Garmin 1490T (T for traffic support). I’ve used this unit for over almost two months and am very pleased with my selection. At first I was not sure I would use it every day back and forth the twenty two miles to work but after initial use I have it on almost all the time. Reason…for the traffic updates. The traffic update feature is well worth the added expense as it gives you plenty of warning both visually and via voice that there is traffic ahead…the traffic shows on the screen with either yellow or red beside the route you are on. When the traffic icon warning goes yellow or red (it tells you how long the delay is) you have the option to select the traffic icon and can then push options to see where the traffic is being reported ahead of you and you have the option to route around the problem.

Other features I like are the fact that this is a wide screen which means I can see more of what is on the map even when other information is on the screen like miles per hour arrival time distance and so on. This model comes with a feature called junction view which I was skeptical of at first but when it comes on is very handy because it shows you a picture of complex interstate intersections with easy to follow verbal and visual directions. It has pictures of only complex interstate intersections…spaghetti junctions. The picture pops up when you are about .8 mile from the intersection so you have a visual image of what the intersection looks like. Kinda cool. If you are directionally challenged you will like this feature. There are also features for 2D and 3D tracking…2D for an overhead shot of your route that automatically zooms in when you get close to a turn and 3D for an upclose look at your route all the time…2D is best overall and 3D when your route is complex.

Other features are this one has a pedestrian mode for using in strange places and when you want to find the bus stops. It is supposed to work if you are on a bicycle. This one has lots of options for shortest route or fastest route or most economical like most GPS units. Depending on what option you select may generate some strange routes. I tried all the options and found one day it had me exiting from the interstate then getting right back on several times…very strange. I saw in advance what it was doing and ignored the command to take the exit then later changed the setting to fastest route and that corrected the strange commands.

It also has the ability to connect to Bluetooth which is OK but people complain there is lots of background noise…they can still hear me but it is not the best feature if your car has wind noise. Bluetooth connects automatically when you turn the GPS on and will not work if you also have an ear bud Bluetooth…turn the ear bud off.

Finding a place is very straight forward. You are prompted for the city, then the house number then the street name. When you start entering the street name the unit will respond with some options to select from. Very easy to use the on screen keyboard…not while driving of course but non-the-less easy to use.

Routing is a challenge if you know the best way to get to your destination because the GPS may route you differently depending on how it is set. You can force it to go a certain route by selecting intersections to route through. If you do not know the way then let the GPS do the route for you and you will be fine. If you go off route or stop along the way it will recalculate reroute you in a few seconds.

I used the Points of Interest feature a few times and find it does a nice job of finding gas stations, restaurants and other points near to where you are.

This GPS also connects to your computer for updates and to a Garmin product called MapSource. MapSource is kinda cool because you can use it to upload and download routes from your GPS to the computer. Create a complex route on a map on your computer with lots of waypoints or stops along the way then download the route to the GPS and you are good to go.

One stumble I had was when I purchased my 1490t it was described as used or refurbished but I got a nice discount over a new one. When I went to get the free map update I got a message from (…) saying that I did not qualify because I was outside the 60 free period. Since I had just bought it and received it a few days prior I wondered if it had anything to do that it was refurb. I poked around on the mygarmin site and noted that it showed that my particular serial number had already received a map upgrade almost eight month prior to my owning this device. I sent an email to the support people and they simply had me send them a copy of the sales receipt to validate my recent purchase. Then they set (…) so that it recognized my unit as eligible to receive an updated map.

Now I am good to go with fresh maps and am pleased with my purchase…it works well and the Amazon price was the better than any of the others on offer.

Rating: 4 / 5
Henry G. Grote Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
I puchased the Garmin Nevi 1490T (Refurbished)It took two exchanges before I got one that worked correctly.Maps wouldn’t come up, adderesses couldn’t be found,including the city I was looking for. This model, although seems to have a lot going for it, when it’s working, has a lot of this product on the market in refurbished condition….everyone seems to have them for sale. If you don’t mind the waiting to get one that works, it a good deal, from Amazon. They have been great with trying to correct the problems, by sending me completely different units and they paid the postage each time, without giving me a hard time. I would say buy Amozon………. think about the refurbished Garmin 1490T
Rating: 4 / 5

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