4. Navigating with the nuvi 1390T

Figure 26: Main Menu

Power on the nuvi 1390T, and within a few seconds the Main Menu appears, as shown above. Let's take a closer look at the information displayed on the Main Menu:

1. GPS Satellite Strength (Tip: touching and holding this icon brings up a more detailed satellite page)
2. Bluetooth Status
3. Usage Mode
4. Current Time (Tap to change time settings)
5. Battery Status
6. Where to? - Touch to find a destination
7. View Map
8. Phone Icon - Touch to make a phone call (only appears when the nuvi is paired with a Bluetooth compatible cell phone)
9. Volume
10. Tools menu

Garmin's menu is uncluttered and easy to understand, and the text is large enough to be easily read from the drivers seat.

Figure 27: nuvi 1390T's Map Screen

Whether navigating to a destination, or simply driving around, you'll spend most of your time with the nuvi 1390T looking at the Map Screen, shown above.

Let's take a closer look at the information displayed on the map:

1. Upcoming Turn Indicator - Displays the direction of the next turn, or lane guidance information when appropriate. Touch this icon to view the Next Turn page, or the Lane Assist page (if available).
2. Text Bar - This text bar displays the current navigation instruction. Tapping on this bar opens the turn list (a list of all up-coming turns)
3. Traffic - Displays traffic alerts that will impact your planned route. Touching this icon brings up the Traffic menu
4. Highlighted Route - The highlighted route is "painted", or marked, in magenta color
5. Zoom - Touch the plus or minus icon to zoom in and out on the map
6. Vehicle icon - This customizable icon represents your vehicle on the map. Tapping on the vehicle icons displays your current location (including nearest street address), and allows you to save your current position to the address book
7. Menu - Tap the Menu icon to return to the Menu page
8. Data Field - This customizable data field displays the estimated arrival time by default. Touching this icon lets you select any of the following: Distance to Destination, Time to Destination, Time of Arrival, Direction of Travel, Elevation, of Time of Day
9. Speed - Displays your current speed. When driving on a road with a known speed limit, your current speed is displayed in red if you are exceeding the posted speed limit. Touch this icon to view the Trip Computer
10. Speed Limit - When available, the nuvi 1390T displays the speed limit for the current road you are driving on

Figure 28: Lane Guidance

The upcoming turn indicator (top left on the map screen) displays lane guidance information, when available.

When approaching highway intersections, this indicator shows which lane (or lanes) you should be driving in.

Tapping this icon displays the Next Turn page and repeats the last verbal navigation instruction.

Figure 29: Junction View

Junction View automatically appears (where available) when approaching highway intersections. This view realistically displays road signs and junctions on the route, along with a large arrow that indicates the proper lane for navigation.

TomTom, Magellan, and Navigon have all released GPS units with similar 3D Lane Guidance features, but in my opinion Garmin's version is the best implementation yet. The 3-D rendering is visually appealing, and, more importantly, does a good job illustrating where you'll need to drive. Notice that highway signs displayed in the Junction View mirror the actual signage on the road, further enhancing the usefulness of this feature.

Figure 30: Turn List

The turn list can be viewed by tapping on the text bar (the horizontal green bar across the top of the Map Screen). Each turn can be selected to view a more detailed view of the turn, or the Lane Assist view if available.

Touch any turn in the list to display a more detailed view of the maneuver, as shown below:

Figure 31: Next Turn Page

The "Next Turn" page displays a 2D split-screen view of the turn, along with the distance and time to the turn.

When available, the Junction View button displays a 3D photorealistic rendering of the turn.

Tapping the up/down arrows in the lower-right portion of the screen cycles through the upcoming turns, one at a time. Voice prompts are also announced as each turn is viewed.

Figure 32: Trip Information Screen

Touching the Speed data field on the Map screen brings up the trip information page, shown above. This screen displays a running counter of various statistics about the "trip", or since it was last reset, including arrival time, distance, average and maximum speed.

If you have configured a vehicle profile via the ecoRoute features (discussed later in this review), fuel usage is also displayed.

Figure 33: Map Page, While Navigating To A Destination

A well designed map is essential for any GPS system. Garmin's map is easy to read, uncluttered, functional, and intelligently adapts to various driving conditions. The automatic zoom feature automatically adjusts the map's zoom level based on your speed and proximity to a given turn. Map scrolling is smooth and fluid, and the text is easy to read from the driver's seat.