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Garmin Nuvi 650

Mar
15
2007

The Garmin Nuvi 650 should be available soon and marks a new entry point to the Garmin Nuvi widescreen series (600 series). Widescreen GPS devices are commonly only found in the upper end of GPS devices. But many people who are looking for a widescreen don’t necessarily want a device loaded with advanced features they might never use. The Nuvi 650 will fit this role.

In fact, the main selling points of the 650 might be what it doesn’t have. For example it does not come with Bluetooth hands free calling, it does not come with a traffic receiver, and it does not come with an FM transmitter. If any of those features are something you would use, consider moving up to the Garmin Nuvi 660 which offers all of those. An optional traffic receiver is available, however at an additional cost.

The predominant feature is the widescreen display, but there are a couple of other “extras” you do get with the Nuvi 650. An MP3 player is included, although without an FM transmitter don’t set your bar too high when it comes to good quality sound at highway speeds.

Text-to-speech is also included on the Nuvi 650. So in dense urban areas if you don’t have enough time to glance over at the display, you can listen for the name of the street you need to turn on in addition to the distance cue. The retail price is $750 and it should be available within the next couple of months.


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233 Responses


  1. I need a full list/definition of the icons on the 650′s map. The posted list is incomplete.
    Thanks.

    Reply
    Bob - January 7th, 2009
  2. Is it possible to download Europe maps for the Garmin Nuvi 650?
    thanks
    Heather

    Reply
    Heather - January 11th, 2009
    • Yes, you can get them through my.garmin.com or order them on SD card.

      Reply
      Tim - January 11th, 2009
  3. I recently purchased a Garmin Nuvi 260W for my husband, who is a trucker. The salesman advised there was an accessory that could be purchased for truckers routes, but I am unable to locate anything on it. Any ideas would appreciated.

    Reply
    Debbie - February 22nd, 2009
    • No such accessory exists for the Nuvi.

      Reply
      Tim - February 22nd, 2009
  4. I have owned a Nuvi 650 for a couple of years now, and it has come pretty handy. I purchased the Europe SD card for or trip there last year and saved us a lot of grief, particularly around the one way streets of Paris.
    Lately, I am having trouble with the touch screen: Last month it was off calibration [I will press "t" and it showed a letter a couple of boxes down], so it was virtually impossible to enter an address.

    Yesterday, apparently stopped working all together: It tells me that I need to upgrade the maps, and presents me with the OK at bot. right, but I cannot press it.

    I pressed the reset button in back, and now takes me to the main page, but I cannot select any features: the touch screen does not work!!!

    Any way to work around this? Thanks!!

    Reply
    Fernando - June 16th, 2009
  5. My Nuvi 650 has the same touchscreen problem. Tried the software update and reset, no luck.

    Just shipped it back to Garmin for repair today.

    Service dept. is good.

    Reply
    Dennis - June 19th, 2009
    • How much did they charge you, or you were under warranty still?

      Reply
      Fernando - August 29th, 2009
  6. Hi,
    A siilar quandry to those above.
    I am looking at sat nav system .
    Priority Speaks “Street Names”

    Have narrowed it down to three models
    Nuvi 650 discontinued but can buy newly overhaled.
    Nuvi 760 Just been discontinued.
    Nuvi 1340 No bluetooth but offers lane guidance.
    I do not drive for a living just need to know my way around
    recreationally.
    Thanks in advance

    Phill

    Reply
    Philip MacKenzie - July 7th, 2009
  7. hi, my garmin nuvi 650 was stolen last night. what do you recommend i replace it with in the nuvi line and for a comparable price as the 650? thanks

    Reply
    mark o’donnell - July 7th, 2009
    • Mark, depending on the features you use, the Garmin Nuvi 255w and the Garmin Nuvi 265WT are probably pretty close and have a few advantages over the 650.

      Reply
      Tim - July 8th, 2009
      • thank you very much for your prompt reply. we use it for family trips and it looks like the 255w is the similar devive and will suit our needs. thanks again mark

        Reply
        mark o’donnell - July 8th, 2009
  8. I’m a first-time buyer, having only experienced the Magellan Navigator in rental cars in the past. I have several questions.
    1.With the touch-screen interface feature, does the screen get full of finger prints and have to be cleaned often?
    2.I will be using the new unit in rental cars. Does the dashboard disk allow stable mounting and can it be removed without damaging the dash?
    3. With audio coming through the car’s FM radio, will we be able to listen to music at the same time?
    4. With route planning, can I choose which routes to keep?
    5. I will be receiving and unwrapping the new unit in Costa Rica. When I rent a car in the US, do I need to allow 30 minutes to an hour for the unit to acclimate to the satellites?
    THANK YOU for this very helpful site!

    Reply
    Phylliss - July 12th, 2009
    • 1) Some models are better than other, but overall it isn’t an issue.
      2) No, it is put on with an adhesive, it can damage the vehicle. For a removable option consider a friction mount (aka bean bag mount).
      3) Not unless the music is coming from the GPS.
      4) I don’t understand the question.
      5) It shouldn’t take that long. 10 minutes is more likely.

      Reply
      Tim - July 14th, 2009
  9. I have a problem with this Nuvi 650. The touch screen is mess up. After recalibrate, it works, but randomly it mess up again. There was a time, it mess up, and I could not touch the “TOOL” icon to recalibrate. I shut it off for a few days, and all of sudden, I was able to touch the “TOOL” icon and recalibrate. Anyone has this problem?
    In the mean time, I bought a different model to use.

    Reply
    Phil - August 29th, 2009
    • I posted the same problem in June of this year, except I didn’t know how to re-calibrate it [see above]. My screen went kaput after a while. It turns on and everything, but I cannot press anything on the screen. I contacted Garmin, and they want $108 for the repair!!??.
      I think I will go for a different brand, since they want also a ton of money to update the maps….
      This units are becoming disposable almost…

      Reply
      Fernando - August 29th, 2009
      • same here just stopped working no touch screen tryed reset severalX no luck glad I didnt upgrade for $120… waste of $$$
        most times i could predict a better route, and or the beast brought me to an empty lot!

        Reply
        fred alex blumberg - September 2nd, 2009
  10. we want to buy a Garmin for driving only, no other features needed except ease of entry for streets and city, voice prompts and turn by turn voice prompts–we have used the Neverlost system and found it easy, something like that–what version do you suggest for non technical folks

    Reply
    Micky - September 13th, 2009
  11. I have a Garmin nuvi 650 personal travel assistant. It has the software that came installed in it. I will be traveling in and around Tucson this winter. Do I need an upgrade? What is the best way to get updated?

    Reply
    Mary - December 19th, 2009
  12. I bought my garmin nuvi 650 2 yrs ago and suddenly my touch screen wont response.Is this a very common problem since my friend has the same model and she has the same problem.

    Reply
    Art Leviste - January 22nd, 2010
  13. Seem to have the touch screen issue as others noted. My nuvi 650 is a little over 2 years and the touch screen just went kaput with little warning. I saw on this this site that the Sharp touch screens are defect prone: http://www.sharc.net/gps_LCD_repair.htm

    Not sure what recourse (if any) we have here.

    Reply
    Steve Chen - January 28th, 2010
  14. when i click on address it states no map data.there should be pre installed maps i tried to download and still will not show a map

    Reply
    ;arry elitzer - February 20th, 2010
  15. My nuvi 650 had touch screen problem shortly after the 1year warranty expired. It happened after the firmware upgrade. I asked Garmin to send me the older version of firmware, but got refused.
    Garmin kept telling me to go to ‘tool’ to recalibrate the screen when the touch screen is not responsive at all.

    Reply
    Xinya - April 16th, 2010
    • My 650 did the exact same thing. Tech support sent instructions about how to fix it and that worked — but not permanently. It still locks up frequently for no reason at all.

      Reply
      Ken - May 11th, 2010
  16. My 650 just stopped speaking. I have checked all the settings (TTS, mute off, volup etc) and even reset it, but still no voice. any suggestions? Thanks. John

    Reply
    John - May 4th, 2010
  17. My Nuvi 760 touch screen won’t respond at all. The unit fires up and shows me where I am, seems to be accurate with the map, but I can’t use the touch screen at all. Tried master reset, tried recalibrating the maps, but no luck. Any fix for this besides a Garmin repair? This is the second garmin I’ve had and neither one has lasted much more than 1-2 years.

    Reply
    Wendy - May 24th, 2010
  18. I received this from a Garmin technician… try it and see if it works.. [It didn't in my case]

    “Follow these steps to get the screen on that unit to respond.
    1. Plug the device into the computer and allow it to go into Mass Storage Mode
    2. While in Mass Storage Mode have the customer locate the device on the computer and delete the gupdate.gcd file in the Garmin folder.
    3. Safely remove the nuvi via the Safely Remove Hardware feature on the computer. Once prompted unplug the nuvi from the computer
    4. Power off the nuvi
    5. Power on the nuvi by holding the power button. Continue to hold the power button for about 1 minute at which time the screen calibration option will display.
    6. Calibrate the touch screen.

    Good luck!!!!

    Reply
    Fernando - May 24th, 2010
    • As my touchscreen is unresponsive, I am willing to try this method but cannot locate the gupdate.gcd file in the Garmin folder. Any suggestions?

      Thanks.

      Reply
      Mike - June 2nd, 2010
  19. There was no “gupdate.gcd” file in the Garmin folder!
    What do I do now?

    Reply
    Frank Cernese - June 6th, 2010
  20. Garmin Nuvi 650 touch screen suddenly quit working. Worked fine last week, touch screen completely unresponsive today. By reading above comments, seems that this is a “common problem”
    Nuvi was purchased less than 1 year ago, so should be under warranty, but there is a “clause” in the warranty…if purchased through an online auction, no warranty. (I did purchase it through an e-bay store…not through auction however, but I’m guessing that they will consider my warranty void)

    Reply
    Laurie - June 9th, 2010
  21. garmin 650 is fully charged and stopped receiving GPS signal. How do I reset or correct this issue.

    Reply
    Dale - June 27th, 2010
  22. Same issue as above. 650 touchscreen just stopped working. Less than 2 years old. We actually took good care of this. I tried all the solutions above. No file named gupdate.gcd I think we’re screwed. Seems like we all got this at about the same time. Seems like it was planned by Garmin. Seems like a plan to lose customers. Thank god I didn’t buy the map update. It would have been useless now. Hopefully there’s an app for my iPhone.

    Reply
    chris - July 19th, 2010

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