13. Audible Books

Figure 56: The Audible Book Player

I've never purchased any audiobooks from Audible, but if you do, then the nuvi's got you covered. After activating your account on Audible.com, downloading the book you purchased to your PC, you can transfer the book over to the nuvi via Audible's downloadable management software, AudibleManager.

The nuvi player allows you to save your current location in the audiobook with a bookmark (the icon on the right in figure 54). The player supports MP3 files and AA audio book files.

Getting MP3s and photos onto the nuvi is a matter of connecting the nuvi to your PC and using it just as you would any external hard drive. Once you connect the nuvi to your PC (or Mac), the nuvi and the SD memory card will appear as additional drives in My Computer. Just drag and drop the MP3s or JPGs you wish to copy onto the nuvi SD memory card, and then disconnect the nuvi from the computer and you're ready to go. I know some people like to have file management software from the GPS manufacturer (such as TomTom's HOME application, for example). Personally I much prefer the Garmin method for the following reasons:

• I don't have to install another application on my (which then needs to be kept up-to-date as new versions are released)
• I don't have to learn a new application
• Using a file management program is almost always more time consuming than just dragging and dropping the files directly
• Using the nuvi as a USB hard drive mean it will work fine on any USB capable system. I don't have to worry about Garmin releasing a MacOS version.

The only potential downside of directly accessing the nuvi via USB is that you could potentially accidentally delete important system files, so take care when deleting anything on the nuvi (you can be less careful on the SD card).

14. Photo Viewer

I'm less sold on the feature of an integrated photo viewer than the MP3 player, which is actually quite useful. I suppose if you're traveling and don't have a digital camera or a laptop, and want to show relatives photos of the family or recent escapades, then perhaps this could be a nice feature.

The Picture Viewer is accessed via the Travel Kit menu.

Figure 57: Telling the nuvi Where to Look for Photos

If the nuvi detects the presence of an SD memory card, tapping on the Picture Viewer from the Travel Kit menu will prompt the nuvi to ask you where you want it to look for photos.

Figure 58: Photo Thumbnails View

After telling the nuvi where to look for your photos, it creates a thumbnail contact sheet view that you can browse and tap on the photo you want to see. Alternatively, you can tap on Slide Show and have the nuvi cycle through all the photos, one at a time.

Figure 59: Viewing a Photo on the nuvi 660

Screen resolution and brightness on the nuvi 660 is excellent; the screen is better than on the StreetPilot c550, and photos look good on it. The nuvi Picture Viewer supports JPG files.

When looking at a photo, you can zoom in and out and pan by dragging the picture with your finger.

15. World Clock

Figure 60: World Clock

For the James Bond in all of us: those of you who find yourself in Morocco on Monday, London Tuesday, and Monte Carlo Wednesday -- the nuvi World Clock is for you!

16. Currency Converter

Figure 61: Converting Currency

The Currency Converter is accessed via the Travel Kit menu, and allows you to convert from virtually any currency to any currency.

I could see this being a very handy feature when traveling abroad. Although, to really make the nuvi 660 the ultimate travel companion, Garmin would need to add global maps to the unit.

Figure 62: Choosing the Currencies for Conversion

Tapping on the currency buttons allows you to set the source and target currency for conversion. The list of currencies is extensive -- looks like pretty much every currency in use is included.

Figure 63: Updating the Conversion Rate

The nuvi 660 ships with currency conversion rates pre-programmed, but if you're actually using the converter you'll want to update the conversion rate. Doing so is easy: tap on the Update button shown in figure 59.

17. Converting Units of Measurement

Figure 64: Unit Conversion

The nuvi 660 also includes a metrics conversion tool. Called the Measurement Converter, this tool is also accessed via the Travel Kit (Main Menu -> Travel Kit -> Measurement Converter).