Has the user interface of the 540 gotten better with all of the firmware updates?

austinsailing said:

Has the usability improved?

IMO no.

Having both a 530 (same button interface as 540) and a 1040 (same touch interface as 840) I would have to strongly recommend the touch interface as being much, significantly more usable than the buttons. In fact the 840 has the best of both world with both the buttons and touch interface. IMHO the 840 is well worth the extra $100 or so, of course I really like the screen size and exceptional battery of the 1040 but if buying today I might (depending on prices at the time) buy the 840. Again IMHO the solar options on both 840 & 1040 adds nothing (to battery duration) and detracts from screen clarity / brightness. In addition to the general useability difference the 540 has a few annoying feature deficiencies because Garmin has never got around to implementing button UI interfaces to control some features that are available on the 840.

Whereas the 530 was previously much more popular than 830 the position seems to be reversed for the x40 devices.

I use since 2 months the 540 and before 5 years long the 530.

The 540 is a step back regarding useability.

For me, 540 is just fine regarding price-to-functions ratio. However, I have to agree that it is not an user friendly device ;)

Most of my rides are on known routes, so the mapping feature (where the touchscreen shines) is used by me only during vacation. I can live with it and spent the price difference on more vital equipment. I also plan my routes using 3rd party applications, so the address navigation from 840 is not needed for me. In urgent cases, there is a function to send a location from phone to computer on the go.

What I didn't like about 840 and 1040 is, that there are 3 buttons (+, - and hand symbol) always visible on top of the map screen. These cannot be hidden, they do not hide automatically after inactivity (you can search for complaints in this forum). Especially the hand symbol is awkward, because it is on 12:00 o'clock position, obscuring exactly the point where you want to go. The non-touch version does not have this problem. It was also less noticeable on 1040 with bigger screen.

Thanks so much for your helpful reply!

Could you say which features aren't implemented on the 540 (as you said here "Garmin has never got around to implementing button UI interfaces to control some features that are available on the 840")

I know about not being able to search for an address on the head unit itself.

thanks

I really appreciate the insight about the 3 buttons that stay up on the Map screen. Like you, I always create routes on my laptop and then just download the file to the head unit.

Sometimes, on some of the cow paths we end up riding in northern Colorado, I need to zoom in on the map to clarify a turn. Is zoom'ing in/out a pain on the 540?

thanks

I'd say, that zooming and panning is moderately problematic. When entering map browse mode, the top right button alternates between 3 modes of two arrow buttons operation: +/-, left-right or up-down. Also, the device has a digital compass, so when you rotate with your bike, the arrow symbol showing your position rotates as well.

If you have a pre-programmed route, before a turn the device may automatically switch current screen to turn preview, with audible beep. This shows a map fragment with next turn visualization and time (in seconds) to this turn. After the turn is complete it switches back to previous data screen (sometimes with a small lag, but you can dismiss it manually).

In road cycling, I rarely need to stop and zoom the map to clarify the turn. I can imagine, that in the MTB mode it may be more problematic.

austinsailing said:

Could you say which features aren't implemented on the 540

Mostly shortcut actions via the touch & hold (T&H), like access to the "turn list" via (T&H) the guide text above the map, return to top of menu, multiple levels via (T&H) the back arrow, access to current Profile detail screens  via (T&H) the Profile label on main screen, access "hidden" beta menu via (T&H) area to right & below "HOME button, might also be an issue with setting both scales on elevation screen, there are more, none fatal but annoying.

The icons on top of the map are annoying and Garmin had the right solution (hide after x seconds..) on x30 but did not translate this to x40 and ignores many requests for it.

Another option is the Explore 2, bigger "touch" screen than 540/840 but smaller than 1040, usually cheaper than 540 but has its own annoying limitations (implemented for purely marketing reasons), limit on number of profiles, uninspiring battery life...(compared to exceptional 1040 and even 540/840, BUT on par with the 1050 !!!)