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Review: Garmin nuvi 2599 LMT-D and Smartphone Link App

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What is it?

The Garmin nuvi 2599 LMT-D, apart from the encryptive name is one of the many offerings Garmin has in the world of satellite navigation. Packed with features such as 5 inch touch screen, live traffic guidance, lane guidance, voice commands as well as Bluetooth calling, it offers a lot to all kinds of drivers. It is also compatible with Garmin’s Smartphone Link app, which enhances the functionality of this, allowing you to get smarter updates, accessing your phone book, as well as placing markers on exactly where you parked your car.

The SatNav

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A quick look at the specs:

  • 5.0-inch pinch-to-zoom, dual-orientation display
  • Detailed maps of Europe with free lifetime map updates and digital traffic, the best traffic avoidance solution available from Garmin
  • Find new and popular restaurants, shops and more with Foursquare®
  • Bluetooth® technology for hands-free calling³
  • Voice-activated navigation allows you to keep your hands on the wheel

We tend to take satellite navigation for granted these days, thanks to our phones. However, it is only when you plug in a physical satnav that you realise what you’re missing out on. The range from Garmin is a fine example, where it provides you with great navigation, as well as hooks up with your phone. And as power user knows, a bespoke device will always be better for what it is designed than a do-it-all. Take cameras for example!

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Straight out of the box, the SatNav is ready to go. Best feature on this? The Voice Activated Navigation. During my testing I got so reliant on it that I totally forgot to use the touch screen. If I was driving and I couldn’t say something properly, I would just fret and decide not to go there, rather than realise, hey, I can type that in too!

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Of course, then there are other features such as the ability to make and receive phone calls and access your phone book. Live traffic is great, specially if you drive around the likes of Oxford around peak hours. It helps you re-assess your route, and will always give you a choice. There are other perks too, which I will cover in the app section. Of course, the device doesn’t need to be connected to your phone for traffic updates, which is great.

Then there are the things that we probably take for granted, but work so well. For example, lane guidance, tells you exactly which lane to be in. Drive around London? You will know exactly how important this is. Detailed maps even show you exactly what you will see on signs on the road you’re travelling on, and what road to take. Remarkably brilliant, and yet so easy!

Another great feature, which most people will appreciate are speed camera alerts too!

The App

If you thought the SatNav on its own was great, pair it with the SmartPhone Link App, and see it power up!

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  • Send addresses, contacts and other destinations from your Smartphone to your GPS.
  • Receive and report mobile and fixed safety camera locations.
  • Receive Live traffic
  • Get guidance to your final destination and save your spot for your return
  • Access advanced weather conditions and road alerts
  • Receive dynamic parking information such as pricing and availability

It starts off as a simple pairing with your phone. You can make phone calls. Navigate to your contacts. See the weather. Nice things, but you can always do them with your phone anyway.

Then come the specialist features, the live weather updates, the quick traffic updates, the ability to find places on the go, and looking for places via FourSquare.

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Then there is the little matter of updated information about mobile speed cameras, potential speed camera areas, and such warnings. You can even look at live stream from cameras.

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Best feature though, and kudos to Garmin for including this, is the ability to mark where your car is parked. We have often gone shopping, to concerts, to events, and totally forgotten where our car is on the way out. This clever little device remembers where you parked, and guides you to it!

More information

More on the nuvi 2599 LMT-D can be found on Garmin’s webpage:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/on-the-road/in-car-sat-navs/2014-range/nuvi-2599lmt-d/prod138336.html

It retails for £179.99.

More on the Smartphone Link App can be found at the following link:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/prod111441.html?cID=389?pID=111441

It is free for both iOS and Android devices. Our review was based on the Android version of the app.

Verdict

Satellite navigation has gone from being extra ordinary, to normal, to something that is now packed with every smartphone. However, this doesn’t mean that actual hardware satnavs don’t have their place any more. Together with your phone’s technology, a physical device can be more powerful than ever.

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