Review on 📍 Renewed Garmin 010-01681-02 DriveSmart 61 NA LMT-S GPS with Enhanced Smart Features by Greg Muin

Just bought to replace an old Garmin. Obviously technology has improved and the Garmin is way better than mine. I've only used it once on a 300 mile round trip - I didn't drive it so I was able to play around with it a bit. What struck me the most is that he has a very steep learning curve. I haven't used anything other than a Garmin in the last 15 years, both in the car and handheld for trail and hiking. I am familiar with the terminology and most available technologies. I've struggled with this model, trying to tweak it for my purposes and finding things - ie. I still don't know exactly which button to press and when. One particularly useful item I've seen (and on my old model) is a list of restaurants, gas stations, etc. I've seen them but haven't figured out how to get there yet. Every time I saw the screen I got there by accident and don't know how I did it. There are two things associated with it - the manual and the touchscreen. The manual is included on the GPS itself. This is a blessing and a curse. It's accessible but difficult to read. It would be better if it had a menu card but I haven't found it yet. This saves trees, but it's hard to read the manual and then do anything with the device (e.g. scroll back and forth a lot of menus). The touchscreen itself is both a blessing and a curse. It's very responsive, but it's TOO responsive. while holding it, as a non-driver (no car and no GPS), my finger, thumb, or shirt sleeve touched the screen and I went rabbit hunting. I lost my itinerary in the middle of this trip and found my list of restaurants that way without knowing how I got there. I'm sure I'll eventually learn everything I need to know, but it was a disappointment on first use. I have to be very patient as I don't like using the device unless I'm stopped. Pros I like about this new model: Route planning with waypoints Interface with Trip Advisor (although I'm not sure how to use it yet) Real-time traffic avoidance (same) Easy to see big screen Suction cup really worked the first time I used it good on the windshield but I will use it on the dashboard. Curve No battery warning. (I thought I had machine power but I didn't and the battery died without warning). Updating data is a hassle - you have to take the device inside for a good connection. The first update took over 2 hours. I would never do that with my cell phone or tablet. A few days later I make the same trip again as a driver. I will update my 2nd experience UPDATE JANUARY 21, 2019 I've spent a few hours with the guide and the device and I've come to the conclusion - the guide sucks. It has no index, no screenshots. Most of what I've learned came from total immersion and constant button-pushing. This is not always intuitive. I don't usually have a problem with this, but this product confused me. I think I've finally mastered the settings I need, but I know there are other things I might like. It connects to my phone via Bluetooth, but I don't quite understand why I bothered. It gets you where you want to go, the timing and calculation is pretty accurate, albeit slower than usual. I'm keeping it and would probably buy or upgrade it. For the refurbished price, I don't think it could be better. If I were a designer the only thing I would add would be to rewrite the manual with screenshots and icons, add an index, add menu sw program cards for better menu navigation and more responsive voice recognition. Half the time I was looking it didn't even come close to what I was looking for. I would also like to see a split screen with a map on the left and a list of restaurants on the right (Restaurant listings fill the entire screen. Names only if listed on the right, like a turn menu. Please ask if you have any questions.