Garmin nüvi 1200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
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3.5″ Diagonal Color Display, 320 X 240 Pixels Ultra-slim Design?approximately 25% Thinner Than Previous Models Msn(r) Direct Compatible Easy-to-use Touchscreen Interface Text-to-speech Feature Preloaded With City Navigator(r) Nt Detailed Mapping Coverage Of The Lower 48 Us States, Hawaii & Puerto Rico Bluetooth(r) Wireless Technology Ecoroute(tm)?suggests Fuel-efficient Routes To Save Drivers Money & Fuel Public Transit Mode?allows User To Navigate Using Buses, Tramway, Metro & Suburban Rail Systems Offers Pedestrian Navigation Capability Enabled Through Optional Cityxplorer(tm) Maps, Which Are Available For Select Tourist Destinations In North America & Europe & Can Easily Be Downloaded Directly To The NA1/4vi(r) Micro Secure Digital Card(tm) Slot Includes Garmin Lock(tm) Anti-theft Feature Built-in Li-ion Battery Includes Vehicle Suction Cup Mount, Vehicle Power Cable & Dashboard Disc
Features
- High-sensitivity GPS receiver for fast satellite lock; sleek, ultra-slim design fits in a pocket
- Pre-loaded with City Navigator 48 States NT maps, including millions of name-searchable points of interest
- Pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps; ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel
- Public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems
- Turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names (text-to-speech)
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 1 x 3 x 4 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
Worth it
I purchased a different Garmin for my parents which cost 3 times as much as this one. I loved the fetures so when I was looking for one I went straight for Garmin. This one is so much smaller and easy to store away even in your pocket. It performs the same as the bigger models.Size does matter.
I only paid $102 and feel it is worth every bit of it.
I have enjoyed using this device. As a Realtor, I know where most of the streets are in our small town, but when showing in other counties, it has been a life saver.
Easy to use and very affordable
I had been looking for a GPS for a while and ran across this model. At $104.00 it is hard to beat. I really like all of the features.
A Good Product
Although I doubt that it came as new as was told because first it started in spanish and also I did not get free update after registering. Garmin told me that this nuvi get the satelite signal in year 2009.
Although co. provided me the link for free update but somehow it did not updated because even after updating the Garmin website says new update available. Same goes witht software upgrade. No matter how many times I did upgrade, it always said new software version available.
I took a trip to Orlando and it worked perfectly as we expect to do. Only issue is that it did not come with the mini USB cable to connect to your computer. Normally Garmin provides one with their product.
Also they are not providing the user manual which you have to download from web site and print it for handy reference. Don’t understand why they have given feature as ‘EcoRoute’ because it does track of the milage. I did not understand that after setting up via point and reaching there how the trip continues, if I have to stop my navigator.
For the price you pay, it is good choice.
Not Happy
I had my Garmin nuvi 1200 3.5 inch screen portable from February 10, 2010 to April 23, 2010. On that date, I was putting in a garage sale address, pushed DONE and the screen cracked! I’m so glad I was local instead of on a trip somewhere. I didn’t know if I should return it to Amazon or to Garmin–Amazon never answered my email. I’m more upset about that than I am the Garmin product. I am a VERY good customer & I feel like the first problem I ever had was ignored. I went ahead and contacted Garmin and they are mailing me a refurbished one…it all still leaves me perplexed and disappointed in both the Garmin name and Amazon for not answering me.
Missing features of Garmin 200
I would have liked to know the features that it did not have that were on the Garmin 200. The Garmin 200 notifies of lane changes in advance. The 1200 notifed of a lane change when I was within yards of it.
a nice GPS
I used this GPS last week for a trip to Albuquerque, NM and found it was awesome. Not only it is light, but it works perfectly, and accurately for auto and walking as well. I drove on the Highway 14 from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and it gave me very reliable advise, including those ghost towns. It is much beter than Nuvi 255w I purchased last spring for a trip to Orlando. The GPS 255w worked terribly, frequently providing wrong and incorrect routes, or very long and inconvenient ways.
In my opinion, this set is nice with a price around $110 at Amazon (cheapest). There is no big difference between 3.5 or 4.3 inch display, and no need for bluetooth if you have a cell phone, or ipod.
The only thing I was not satisfied is there is no USB cable for connecting to computer, and there is no wall power adaptor included in the box. However, I used my cell phone’s cable and power adaptor for Nuvi 1200.
useful but a lot of improvements could be done
basically it works, maps wise (i tried it in california only).
pros:
+you can’t get lost, it will correct ‘any’ mistake you make while driving.
+the price is good compared to their competitors.
cons:
-when you buy it tells you the device ‘needs’ to be connected to your pc to register the product. however it does not come with a cable that you would need to buy (luckily, it has a mini usb connection so your digital camera cable will do) . the web site is useless, after you enter the serial number yourself, by hand:why do you need a cable for that???
-the screen is too sensitive … after entering the address and putting the gps on the dash, slights (and unavoidable) touches ’screw everything’.
-the is no volume dial on the case (no mechanical wheel) so if you want to turn down the volume in known parts of the trip (ie to listen to the news) good luck: you need to do it with the screen, cumbersome when you are driving.
-same goes for the brightness: sometimes you need to dial it up or down quickly.
-gook luck to go to a particular restaurants when you know the name but not precisely the address. it looks for minutes (it seems like hours!) to tell you at the end of the search that it is not found … how hard is for them to get the answers form google or yahoo and display it to you?
-when you enter an address the keyboard is in alphabetical order … hum?! so, you require a pc, a connection to the internet, a mini usb cable and … the keyboard displayed on the device is in alphabetical order??? sorry, it does not make sense. since you enter the language you are using they could display the appropriate keyboard for it so it is easy to type the addresses!
so, it is just ok. i don’t know how the other brands work so i can’t compare. however, changes must be made to make this device more user friendly, that is a fact.
Quality issues
I’m on my third unit. The first one had a bad USB port and would not take a charge, the second developed a white line across the screen after a few hours of use. I’m rating it as 1 star but Amazon’s return and replacement policy is 5+stars. The replacements came within a few days.
Horribily Sluggish, Touch screen is bad…etc..
Con: I really wanted to like this device, after all garmin has a good reputation. And there are a lot of positive reviews. I was extremely hestitant about getting this device as there was nothing but bad reviews for many months (on 1200/1250.) Now I know why. The 1200 was something of a bear to setup and update, mostly it was just tedious. I’d be fine with that if the unit was a useful product after all that. It isn’t.
The touchscreen on my 1200 seems to be calibrated incorrectly. If you go to enter a “n” for example sometimes it will give you a “u.” Then during data entry it will freeze, I am trying to enter Paramus,NJ right now. (I set NJ manually, the unit is *fully* updated with the latest map software and firmware.) Entering the “P” and the “a” is an ordeal. I pressed the “done” button 10-15 times, waiting for it to unfreeze. “Newark” is fine… sometimes. The freezing seems random as if the processor is trying to do something else. However there is nothing for it to be doing except responding to the touchscreen and pulling a simple database lookup. Once it told me there was no match for Paramus, then it did find it on the next try.
I wonder if this thing is is junk in every aspect from design, to execution, to mapping or maybe the processor was taken from a pocket calculator. I am not being impatient, besides if I am, I would not feel comfortable being massively lost on the highway fighting with the strange quirks of this unit if that’s all it is. I think not. I could go on about how bad this thing is for another 3 pages. I’m going to return it or run it over with a truck.
Pro: It would be simple and easy to use if it did work.
Buen equipo y muy facil de usar.
Me ha parecido un GPS muy fácil de utilizar. Su interfaz es mu amigable y muy rápido en su funcionamiento. Hay algunos aspectos aún que mejorar. Muy básico en sus funciones, pero muy preciso. compacto y liviano. Fácil de llevar a todos lados. Recomiendo su uso.
A very good unit
I have tried quite a few different auto GPS units. Any of the Garmin units, in my opinion, are easier ‘more user friendly’ than other brands. I like the compact features this 1200 offers.
Paper maps are better
The most telling critique of this is that I had to buy a paper map to get home…
What I didn’t like about it:
1) Lock up / crashes / freezes often.
2) Really slow looking some things up.
3) Can take like 15 minutes calculating a route.
4) Confuses left and right.
5) Directions by street name rather than distance.
6) Often directs a turn when you’re already crossing the street you should turn on.
7) Microscopic text on a tiny screen.
What I liked about it:
1) Not much.
When following directions, it often confuses left and right. Most of the time it’s something silly, like “arriving at destination, on the left” and the destination is actually on the right, but some times it’s really annoying, like yesterday, it told me “keep left” for an upcoming freeway interchange, then said “take ramp on the right” when my exit was at my 3 o’clock many lanes over… nice.
It also likes to say “turn on … street” as I am already crossing … street, too late to actually make a sane turn.
Another annoyance is that it says turn on a street and gives the street name. I find most streets are not well identified, so it’s difficult to know where to turn if the streets are close together. Come on, if I knew all the streets by name, I probably would not be using the gps… tell me how far until turn, like 500 feet or 100 meters.
One time I asked it to route me home from a rural town I didn’t know my way out of, and it took over 30 minutes to calculate. By the time it was done, I had stopped and bought a map at a gas station and was well on my way.
This is no where near as good as the cheesy cheap gps I bought off of Woot two years ago.
Amazing…
DEFECTIVE ITEM – HAVE TO PAY VANN’S RESTOCKING FEE
I purchased this item as a gift at Amazon but it was through Vann’s. The recepient used the item for the fist time just recently. After arriving at the destination that item malfunctioned and she had to go and buy another GPS to return home.
Vann’s agreed to return the product for refund, but they are charging a stocking fee for a defective item.
So I have to pay shipping costs to return the item and a restocking fee for something that was defective.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND PURCHASING ANYTHING THROUGH VANN’S.
Relieved my daughter can find her way to new places.
My daughter travels some and it is not safe to get lost, or try to read a map while driving. This navigator is like mine so she already knew how to use it. Now mine is where I need it to be when I want to use it.
Great product
The Garmin nuvi 1200 is a great product, and very easy to use. Especially for those who aren’t very adept at technology (like me), and just want a simple product, this GPS is a great option. Also, the GPS is small enough to be easily transported from car to purse or bag to keep it safe. The only drawback is that the GPS is occasionally wrong with the directions, but this can be expected with almost any GPS.
Great entry level unit
I like the Garmin nuvi 1200 but I don’t love it because we also have had a Tom Tom 130 for about a year. Thin like our Tom Tom and the mount is easy and secure. Speaker has good volume and the screen is very good. I like the nuvi’s speak road names feature and I think it must see more satellites because it places you closer to the actual destinations front door than the Tom Tom. It has a “back” button to navigate the menus rather than touching mid-screen like the Tom Tom. Not bad, just diffent that I’ll have to get used to.
I got the nuvi because it can handle the oddball addresses that some states have, such as rural Wisconsin, which is most of the state. An example being W1234N123 Maple Ave which Tom Tom maps can’t handle that but can get you to that street and you have to find it from there. Tom Tom customer support is also poor.
But the nuvi menu system is less intuitive than the Tom Tom. I had to spend more time on initial setup and it isn’t obvious where some some features are set. For instance the nuvi is supposed to have 5 million POI but I don’t know where it is or how to turn it on. On the Tom Tom it is built in and you can check/uncheck what you want and also add more from the website. I saw POI on the Garmin site but I haven’t yet worked out how to enable POI on my nuvi 1200, or if it isn’t even there until I somehow download the all. All in all the nuvi works fine and I know I’ll get used to it but if Tom Tom could map Wisconsin (I have a lot of trips there) I’d stick with that.
DOA
The touchscreen on this gps unit did not work out of the box. I am only leaving this feedback to applaud Amazon’s return procedure, it simply couldn’t have been easier! A big fat 5 STARS for Amazon.com…a piddly 1 star for Garmin.
Losing satellite, wrong destination and read the “capabilities” carefully
Got my Garmin 1200 from my husband for Xmas. We figured it was long past time for us to get with the technology and perhaps clear the glove box of it’s assorted paper maps. After 2 weeks of using this thing around Central NJ and Philadelphia, I’ve rekindled my love of (reliable) paper maps and online maps.
Days after Xmas we drove down to Philly. Seemed to work fine and we were amused by being “told” where to turn. Once we got into Philly proper, we were told to turn onto streets going the wrong way and regularly lost satellite signal. Being in an unfamiliar area, we were not happy and out came the paper maps…
Next trip to Maple Shade, NJ left me at 124 Old Kings Hwy (warehouse area), not the 124 EAST Kings Hwy that I’d chosen. Having scoped out the trip the night before on mapquest, I had a little idea where I needed to go and drove off fuming and thankful it was daylight. Just as I see my target destination down the road…yep, lost the ole satellite signal again. Once at my destination, I ended up meeting another guy with the same Garmin. His cannot even find his home address!
Finally, my husband chose this particular model for the Pedestrian applications, thinking we’d get great use of it on vacations. Not so fast. If you read the manufacturers babble carefully you’ll notice the word OPTIONAL late in the sentence bragging about pedestrian maps and such. They don’t mention it’s FOR ADDED COST at 10 bucks per city with a limited list of cities. Oh, and even if I decided to spend it and download the map – you need a cable they didn’t actually provide. Another $12 or so. You’d also need this cable to REGISTER your product and get map upgrades. Discovered all this tonight when trying to register and look for upgrades.
If I can find the receipt, this is going back.
junk
Sound does not work. I went to mygarmin site to register and download my one free map. Tried several times and download would not complete and launch. I would not buy another Garmin product.