My wife wanted to use my Ipod in her car so I said ok because I have one on my new Garmin Nuvi 855. My 855 is voice recognized GPS. It has a mp3, so I downloaded my music library and hook it up to the prius AUX. Now I can play my music when the GPS gives directions the music shuts down and the directions come over the speakers. Also when Im playing music the GPS and MP3 take verbal commands on which songs to play and so on. The garmin cost at the time 199.00. Pretty cool voice command with Nav and MP3. Also when I use my built in blue tooth the MP3 and Nav pause.
Especially cool when comparing the cost of $199.00 vs. 1,800.00, i.e. your awesome Garmin vs. the bloody Prius NAV... Good on you mate...
Neat! I was thinking about using my Nuvi for the mp3 music as well. You said you used the aux jack in the car but then you mentioned bluetooth. Does one work better than the other?
The Garmin 855 is listed at $399 and doesn't have bluetooth. The Garmin 855T is listed at $499 and does have bluetooth. Where do you buy one for $199?!!
You can get the 855 brand new at Costco or Amazon for $250 right now, refurb ones go for less on eBay. I think my Costco had them on sale for $199 over the summer.
The lane assist feature is very cool. Garmin got (licensed) it from Navigon, which has backed out of GPS hardware business in US. I had a Navigon 500 for less than $140 for Christmas of 2007. Lifetime traffic and Lane Assist included with 4.3" display. That was cheap. Nothing today can beat that price. Electronics prices can drop very dramatically. Websites such as dealsea.com can keep you informed of great deals. Before you click on "Place Order", check retailmenot.com to see if there is any hidden coupon codes that you are not aware of. Sometimes, it will save you a few bucks.
My 855 doen't have blue tooth but I have it with the model III when using the blue tooth and GPS or MP3 plugged into AUX the 855 pauses for the blue tooth which is cool.
