The Garmin 1390T GPS navigator with Bluetooth and included Traffic Receiver features a widescreen, ultra-slim design (approximately 25% thinner than previous models), enhanced user interface, ecoRoute, public transit mode, and text-to-speech on all models. The nüvi 1300 series are the first nüvi devices to offer pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps, which are available for select tourist destinations in North America and Europe and can easily be downloaded directly to the nüvi. The nüvi’s enhanced user interface features improved graphics and a new slide control for menu operation, while ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel. Also, Garmin’s new pub [Read More...]
Buy Garmin nüvi 1390/1390T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic at Amazon
i read a bunch of reviews on different models before i ultimately chose the 1390t. when it came down to the wire it was a hard choice between the 765t and the 1390t. The main difference I would like to point out is the charger. the 765t uses a mount charger, while the 1390t uses a micro usb fed directly into the unit. some users like the fact they dont have to unhook the charger when dismounting the unit(765t). like i said personal preference. oh and also no mp3 playback, fm tuner or multipoint point destination. 765t has all those.
real world test of features
user interface: so easy a caveman can do it. garmin definitely has the other brands beat when it comes to UI. i liked the feature set for price in the tomtom 940t, but the UI just looks so primitive. They need a major rehaul of that. the 1390t always gave precise directions without causing confusion. there was no lagging either. being able to update the ETA to total distance is a huge plus. almost always gave me the local speed limit. your speed turns red if you’re speeding.
bluetooth: i was actually rather impressed with the bluetooth. it was easy to sync with my blackberry 8800(dinosaur phone i know). i had to speak a little louder than normal conversation. this is mostly because you’re talking to the unit from 1.5 feet away. if the mic was more sensitive it would pick up more background noise. call quality was good on the other end. my friend couldn’t hear the road in the background.
lane assist: i like the fact that it shows you all available lanes that you can take. it almost always did lane assist where available. junction view with photo realistic pictures never showed. i drove on the grand central, LIE, northern state, southern state, belt parkway, cross island. these are all major highways in the long island queens area. maybe it only does interstate highways. who knows. i was really disappointed when i didnt see the 3d simulation at all.
traffic alert: the ads are unobtrusive and don’t show up while you’re driving. traffic reporting was pretty accurate when it did have reception. i never tried any alternate traffic routes. the traffic map shows where the traffic begins and ends and your location.
new thinnest model of all time: don’t make this the deciding factor for you. although the unit is 25% thinner than most other garmins, it’s really not a big deal. the other garmins (200 and 700 series) were thin to begin with.
POI: for some reason when i looked for a mcdonalds or bk it would show everything but the closest location. i only used POIs 3-4 times.
random: i don’t know why other people were complaining about speaker volume. i put it on a 100% thinking that it was going have weak speakers. i assure you, def not the case. it was practically yelling at me at 100%.
cons: no fm tuner, no multipoint destinations. you can have a via point though. price is a bit high. i paid 280 including tax for the unit. i think $200 wouldve been a more reasonable price.
conclusion: if you wants all the bells and whistles go for this model or the 765t. if you just need a simple gps get a 200 series. theyre a lot cheaper. all in all great gps. 4.0/5.0. if you want a full list of features with pics check out [...]. theyre affiliated with amazon, so take that for what you will.
***edit** 2 months later: 3/5 instead of 4/5 for ratings.
1)I use this device on the road every day now. I’ve driven all over queens, manhattan, and Long Island. One thing I found incredibly annoying is how it kept taking me off a highway only to remerge with it 2 exits later. It certainly was not the faster route to be following the gps’ advice in these instances.
2)Another major gripe I had was the constant recalculation. I would follow its directions and it would say recalculating. When making critical turns that are close by, this can get really annoying. I don’t know if this is a problem with my model or gpses in general or just garmin, but something needs to be fixed.
3) The suction keeps falling off the window. It may be because of the cold temperature. It recently dropped to the 40deg F. My friend uses a magellan (old non-widescreen 2-d version) on the same vehicle and her mount stays.
4)One thing I have to admit I absolutely love is lane assist. You really appreciate it when switching to different highways. It definitely is all it’s cracked out to be. However, The 3-D sign simulation(lane guidance) is just a marketing gimmick(at least I think so). Not worth paying the extra $$$. Lane assist is more practical and worthwhile.
I know this edit may have confused customers on future purchases, but READ OTHER REVIEWS to see if the problems I’ve had are common in all devices or just this one.
Just bought this GPS from Amazon and I’m having no problems with it at all. No sure why others have a problem with the speaker but it sounds fine to me. I bought this to replace my Nuvi 350 and it’s a major upgrade. The menus are much nicer and I like the Speed Limit display. I did have a little trouble with the bluetooth. After pairing my iPhone the “Phone” icon disappeared from my GPS. It didn’t seem to recognize my iPhone anymore. I went to the Garmin website, downloaded the 2.70 upgraded software for this unit (which has fixes for the speaker and bluetooth), did the pairing again, and now it works fine. I would definitely recommend this unit. Anyone who’s having problems should download the latest software for this GPS from the Garmin website.
I have used this 1390t for 2 weeks, great suction cup mount, super thin, bluetooth took 2 min. to set up, all an all aok, except the speaker sucks. This is whathappens when you make something so small and compact, something has to give. and on this product its the speaker. real tinny sound. its loud enough just real tinny. if I lower the volume then I cant here it.