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My Overall Rating : ★★★★½

Garmin nuvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Review

When most people think of a GPS device, the first name that pops into mind is Garmin Nuvi. Garmin’s Nuvi 200 line of navigators was an excellent blend of ease of use and value. The new Nuvi 2×5 line of GPS navigation devices seeks to build on that reputation with a few new features, while still keeping the price relatively low. The Garmin Nuvi 205W is one of two entry-level models in the 2×5 line, and features only the most basic navigation features.

The standout feature in this new model is the “Where am I?” option that can come in handy during an emergency; but mostly the 205W represents a significant performance boost over the older Nuvis. Buyers who like what they see in the Nuvi 205W can choose to step down to the 205, which features a smaller screen, to save a few bucks, or up to the 255W, which adds text-to-speech to the feature set.

Design
The Nuvi 205W’s chassis will be immediately familiar to anyone who has ever used a Garmin PND. The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches tall by 0.8 inch deep and features a color touch screen that takes up almost the entirety of the front panel. The screen measures 4.3 inches diagonally and displays full-color imagery at a WQVGA resolution of 480×272 pixels.

Along the top edge of the unit is the power/lock slider. Pushing this slider toward the power icon powers the unit on and off. Moving the slider toward the lock icon will lock the touch screen. The left edge of the unit houses an SD card slot, while the back panel is home to the speaker and mini-USB charging/connecting port.

The unit ships with a 12-volt power cable, a suction cup windshield mount and cradle, an adhesive disk for dashboard mounting, and a quick start manual. The cradle features a good amount of articulation from its ball-jointed neck and better adhesion than the TomTom EasyPort mount. However, the Garmin’s mount is much bulkier than the TomTom’s, and less portable.

After powering on the Garmin, the user is taken first to the Nuvi’s main menu screen. Two large options are displayed for “Where to?” and “View map.” Along the bottom edge are smaller icons for volume, tools, and–if a destination has been chosen–stop or detour route.

Choosing “Where to?” takes users to the destination entry screen where they are given the choice between entering an address, searching points of entry, or browsing stored favorites.

The Nuvi’s interface is a bit more primary than the competition from TomTom, but at the same time, is slightly easier to navigate and understand.

Features
The Nuvi 205W and its smaller sibling, the 205, are Garmin’s entry-level models in the Nuvi 2×5 line, and predictably the units are not feature-packed powerhouses. However, the Nuvi 205W has a few tricks.

The unit comes preloaded with City Navigator NT map data for the contiguous United States, Canada, or one European region, depending on where the unit was purchased. (Our tester was loaded with maps for the lower 48 states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.) For major roads and highways, the Garmin displays a speed limit icon as a warning for drivers approaching or exceeding the limit.

“Where Am I?” is a feature tucked in the Tools menu that displays your current GPS coordinates/elevation, the nearest address, and the nearest intersection, all of which can come in handy when relaying your location to emergency services or roadside assistance. The feature also provides quick links to the closest hospitals, and police and gas stations.

The unit comes preloaded with seven vehicle icons, with dozens more available for download on Garmin’s Web site.

While the 205W doesn’t support traffic updates out of the box, it can be upgraded to support lifetime FM traffic updates or subscription-based enhanced MSN direct service with add-on antennas and/or cradles.

In addition to navigation-based features, the Nuvi 205W also features a picture viewer (which displays photos stored on the internal memory or an inserted SD card), a world clock, a calculator, and a unit converter.

Performance
Cold boot time for the Nuvi 205W was noticeably faster than for the Nuvi 200 that it replaces, with a much faster satellite-lock time, which means less waiting between flipping the power switch and hitting the road.

Powered up and locked on, we searched for a few well-known points of interest. Nearby POIs are loaded quickly. The Nuvi doesn’t support any sort of predictive text entry or autocomplete, but inputting a POI name or address is painless thanks to the Nuvi’s responsive onscreen keyboard and fast search. The screen seems to buffer inputs, so you can quickly type a name without waiting for the Nuvi to register your inputs.

Our destination chosen, we hit the road and found the Garmin’s routing of our test trips to be quick and, in most cases, identical to those chosen by the TomTom XL 340. Because the Garmin doesn’t have to process IQ Routes or MapShare data, routing on the move and rerouting after missing turns is noticeably faster on the Nuvi 205W. (On the other hand, the Garmin doesn’t benefit from learning better routes or free map micro-updates.)

Bottom Line
Most users in the market for the Garmin Nuvi 205W should probably cross-shop the TomTom XL 340, which stacks up almost feature-for-feature with the Garmin. The TomTom unit’s IQ Routes and MapShare features potentially give it a slight edge over the Garmin in the long run. However, the Garmin is a much faster, simpler, and easier-to-use device right out of the box, making it a better choice for nontechnophiles.

We gave the Nuvi 205W high design marks for its intuitive interface and big, bright screen. Its feature set is limited, but adequate for an entry-level device, resulting in an OK feature score. Finally, the Garmin’s speedy booting, routing, and data entry earned it a good performance score.

Let’s take a look at all of the Garmin nuvi 255W features/specification:

  • Factory Refurbished
  • 4.3-inch auto navigator with an anti theft feature
  • HotFix calculates your position faster to get you there quicker
  • Compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content
  • JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock, currency converter, calculator and more

If you want to buy Garmin nuvi 255W, you can get it cheap online through Amazon.com here. They offer special discount price and reliable shipping service.

Let me show you what current owners have to say about it:

“…I actually could not decide between the Garmin Nuvi 255w or the 750 model, so I decided to buy them both for comparison. I mounted them both to my car windshield and gave them various addresses to find together. I found that both models took the same routes and announced upcoming turns and street names at practically the same time.

One thing I noticed about the 255w was that it was updating my position on the road more often, I’d say about 3 times as often as the 750. This made for smoother graphics on the 255w of the vehicle moving along displayed roads, where the 750’s display was more of a “jerky” movement. I also found that the display on the 255w was a bit brighter, clearer, and more vivid than on the 750 in both daylight and at night. Another feature I like on the 255w is the graphic turn indicator in the upper left corner, which the 750 lacks. This is a small arrow which shows upcoming turns and the distance to that turn.

It also show things like a fork in the road, (ie: a Y intersection), and which fork you will be taking. The 750 just displays text on the top line for upcoming turns without the arrow. It’s just a little extra feature on the 255w which I happened to really like. The 255 also automatically adjusts the font size of displayed text so that even lengthy text will fit.

Another feature on the 255w is a display of the posted speed limit on the road which you are currently on right above your current displayed speed. I found myself not even looking at my car speedometer as I could easily see my current speed and the speed limit of my route at a glance. The 750 doesn’t have this feature. I also like how they moved the zoom in (+) and zoom out (-) buttons on the 255w to the same side of the screen which makes it a bit easier. On the 750 the zoom buttons are on opposite sides of the screen.

Now there are some features on the 750 that the 255w does not have. The 750 can broadcast it’s sound over your FM radio with the supplied cigarette lighter cable, and it has a headphone jack, which I found to be nice features. The 750 also has an MP3 player and an Audio-book player, which the 255w does not. Another really nice feature of the 750 is the car locater. This is a great feature if you are parking in a really big lot, such as at an amusement park or a fair. The 750 marks your location when you remove it from the car, then you take it with you and it remembers where you parked and takes you right back to your car. The 255w doesn’t have the car locater.

I also thought the the voice prompts of the 750 where more pleasant sounding than the 255w’s. The 750 sounds more like a real female voice, where the 255w sounds more robotic. Another thing to consider was that I paid $50 less for the 750 and it came with the FM transmitter cable and a USB cord to connect it to your computer for updates and downloads.

My final decision was to keep the 255w and return the 750 because I really liked the graphic turn indicator and the posted speed limit and current speed indicators. I didn’t find a need for the 750’s MP3 player and Audio book player, but that is up to personal preference. Since the USB cable was not included with the 255w, I purchased it on this site for $10. I also intend to purchase the MSN direct cable when it is available in August 2008…”

If you want more info on this Garmin nuvi 255W, I suggest you take a look at the Garmin nuvi 255W reviews on Amazon here. A lot of consumer positive response to this Garmin nuvi 255W here.

Here is why Garmin nuvi 255W is worth buying:

Garmin nuvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator : Pro

  • Easy to use.
  • Fast satellite pickup. Hotfix works.
  • Included POI list is great.
  • Speed of map updates is awesome. Very smooth.
  • Search for POI and streets are fast.
  • Fast recalculation of routes.

Garmin nuvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator : Con

  • No easy way to delete images.
  • No easy way to organize custom POI’s. You have to use POI-Loader.
  • Documentation is poor.

Conclusion

I would recommend this GPS to anyone. Simple yet powerful.

This Garmin nuvi 255W can be ordered directly from Amazon.com today. CLICK HERE for the best price and get your Garmin nuvi 255W today! They are 100% secure site so you can be rest assured that your details are protected when ordering.

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