Review on Garmin Widescreen Bluetooth Discontinued Manufacturer GPS, Finders & Accessories by Noah Smith

I gave my favorite Garmin 770 to a friend/colleague so I decided to upgrade. After reviewing all of the Garmin alternatives, which are bewilderingly numerous, I settled on the 1490T. I used the unit for many weeks before writing this review to really try and get a feel for how the 1490T works. Overall I am very satisfied with this device. A slightly larger screen is welcome. The onscreen capabilities are a significant upgrade over the 770. For example, the device warns the user in advance that there are only left or right turn lanes, so you can start switching to the desired lane as a turn approaches. The special on-screen traffic icon is also an improvement - you can click on the "Traffic" map to see if there are any real traffic problems on your route. Like the 770, the 1490T redirects and recalculates the route when the traffic seems worthwhile. Here in Southern California, this is a useful and necessary feature. The 1490 is much better integrated with traffic functions than the 770 and will warn you of traffic ahead much more consistently. The ads aren't particularly annoying and it's worth using the lifetime traffic feature, which was very important to me. Route planning seems to be pretty good with this device. Every now and then he drives a different route than I do, but mostly not, and of course he always takes you there. My 770 was great in this regard, as was the 1490T. The track merge display on this device is a big improvement over previous devices. It's very easy to determine which lane of the highway the device is trying to direct you to. This was often confusing on the 770. Here in Southern California with its many freeway intersections and interchanges, it helps a lot. I'm giving it five stars because overall it's a really great and must-have accessory. There are a few nits. The main downside I have is the way it handles Bluetooth, which is a bit odd to be honest. Simply connect my 770 to my iPhone 3GS, the phone list loads immediately and is ready to use as a hands-free kit. This is important in California because the state of nannies requires you to only use your cell phone in the car and the police will issue you a ticket if they see you talking on your cell phone. Unfortunately, the 1490T doesn't work well with the iPhone 3GS. First, I found that when the iPhone is in a locked state (which is what happens most of the time), when the phone is within Bluetooth range of the Nuvi, the Nuvi 1490T either doesn't communicate with the iPhone, or it will. restricted with no phone book list or last call icon. So I try to approach my car with an unlocked iPhone while the Nuvi turns on. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn't. Most of the time my Nuvi 1490T does not load my phone book and recent calls list. But sometimes it will. I can't find any rhyme or reason that makes him sometimes do it and sometimes not. This function is unstable and unsatisfactory; I have tried everything to find a workaround that always works to make the device download my phone list from iPhone 3Gs. Vain. Garmin should update the software to fix this issue. Speaking of software updates, it's important that you log into the Garmin website and check for software updates when purchasing the Nuvi. You do this by connecting the Nuvi 1490T to your computer using the supplied USB cable. Usually there is an update and my device didn't work at all with the phone list until I updated the Nuvi software. Don't skip this step. One more thing: I want it to be Europe. Come on Garmin, don't be stingy. Overall this is a great device with a great screen and feature set. It's a pleasure to use. Bluetooth functionality requires immediate fine-tuning. Come on Garmin give us a software fix. RDB.