Garmin 2820 V 660
- Thread starter EURTRAF
- Start date
I went from a 2720 to a 660 when the 2720 screen started to play up (I've since learned how to take the 2720 apart and clean it to cure the problem, but that's a different matter - 2720 now attached to SWMBO's bike).
If you're happy with the 2820 then personally I wouldn't change right now. I'd wait until the live traffic features of the new generation of Nuvis are ported to the Zumo range (note: I have no insider information that this will happen, I'm just guessing).
There's nothing wrong with the 660, although it takes a little getting used to after the 2720. It's got a couple of features that weren't on the 2720 - Bluetooth and MP3 player (I think these features might already be on the 2820?) I use the 660 as a Bluetooth hands-free when driving the cage, but otherwise I don't use the new features. The 660 seems to get a satellite fix quicker than the 2720, but it never used to bother me beforehand.
The biggest benefit is actually the battery. When touring, it means I can upload a route from Mapsource without having to find a power source for the sat nav, which I find quite a boon. Would it be enough to justify buying a 660? Not really, IMO.
If you're happy with the 2820 then personally I wouldn't change right now. I'd wait until the live traffic features of the new generation of Nuvis are ported to the Zumo range (note: I have no insider information that this will happen, I'm just guessing).
There's nothing wrong with the 660, although it takes a little getting used to after the 2720. It's got a couple of features that weren't on the 2720 - Bluetooth and MP3 player (I think these features might already be on the 2820?) I use the 660 as a Bluetooth hands-free when driving the cage, but otherwise I don't use the new features. The 660 seems to get a satellite fix quicker than the 2720, but it never used to bother me beforehand.
The biggest benefit is actually the battery. When touring, it means I can upload a route from Mapsource without having to find a power source for the sat nav, which I find quite a boon. Would it be enough to justify buying a 660? Not really, IMO.
PanEuropean
Registered user
I recently purchased a Zumo 660 to replace my 2820.
I have not noticed any improvement in functionality - in fact, it sometimes appears that the 660 is a bit slower than the 2820 when handling certain route modifications (e.g. inserting a new, intermediate waypoint into an existing active route). To be fair, this might be a result of the version 2012.1 cartography in the 660 being more complex than the version 2009 cartography I was using in the 2820... I can't do an 'apples to apples' comparison without buying 2012.1 cartography for the 2820, something that (now that I have the 660) makes no economic sense.
But - having used the Zumo 660 for two weeks on a 2,500 km ride through Germany and Netherlands, I can say with some confidence that I don't think that the 660 offers any advantages over the 2820. If I could do it all over again, I would buy a 2012.1 map update for the 2820, rather than buying a 660.
What was most disappointing to me is that the 660 does not appear to provide any increase in speed of computation (screen redraw, and especially route recalculation) over the 2820. In other words, the significant performance increase that was apparent in the past when I moved from a SP III to a 2600 series, then from a 2600 series to the 2800 series, is not apparent to me when going from the 2800 series to the Zumo 660. The screen resolution (quality of the screen image) appears to me to be the same on the 2820 and the 660.
My suggestion: Wait until the next generation comes out before buying new hardware. In the meantime, just buy new maps.
Michael
PS: If you have a GTM 10 traffic receiver, it won't work with the Zumo 660. This can be especially frustrating if your GTM 10 has paid traffic subscriptions activated - not only do you need to buy a new traffic receiver (GTM 12), you also have to pay the same fees all over again to activate premium subscriptions on the new traffic receiver.
I have not noticed any improvement in functionality - in fact, it sometimes appears that the 660 is a bit slower than the 2820 when handling certain route modifications (e.g. inserting a new, intermediate waypoint into an existing active route). To be fair, this might be a result of the version 2012.1 cartography in the 660 being more complex than the version 2009 cartography I was using in the 2820... I can't do an 'apples to apples' comparison without buying 2012.1 cartography for the 2820, something that (now that I have the 660) makes no economic sense.
But - having used the Zumo 660 for two weeks on a 2,500 km ride through Germany and Netherlands, I can say with some confidence that I don't think that the 660 offers any advantages over the 2820. If I could do it all over again, I would buy a 2012.1 map update for the 2820, rather than buying a 660.
What was most disappointing to me is that the 660 does not appear to provide any increase in speed of computation (screen redraw, and especially route recalculation) over the 2820. In other words, the significant performance increase that was apparent in the past when I moved from a SP III to a 2600 series, then from a 2600 series to the 2800 series, is not apparent to me when going from the 2800 series to the Zumo 660. The screen resolution (quality of the screen image) appears to me to be the same on the 2820 and the 660.
My suggestion: Wait until the next generation comes out before buying new hardware. In the meantime, just buy new maps.
Michael
PS: If you have a GTM 10 traffic receiver, it won't work with the Zumo 660. This can be especially frustrating if your GTM 10 has paid traffic subscriptions activated - not only do you need to buy a new traffic receiver (GTM 12), you also have to pay the same fees all over again to activate premium subscriptions on the new traffic receiver.
PanEuropean
Registered user
I used to just take the laptop to the moto, turn on the ignition on the moto, plug the laptop cable into the back of the 2820, and upload my new routes that way.
The battery in the 660 is, I suppose, a convenience, but as you said, certainly not enough of a product improvement to justify buying a 660.
BTW, the 2820 does support Bluetooth. Whether it supports Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) like the 660 I do not know, but after having listened to music from the Zumo 660 via a BMW Communicator 2 helmet audio system, I can tell you that the sound quality is crap. It might be stereo crap, but it is still crap, about the same quality as a tiny 8 transistor portable radio that I owned when I was a kid in the 1960s. I do recognize that this is the BMW Communicator systems fault and not Garmin's fault, however, that point is moot.
Michael
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