 "Great entry level GPS" | 2009-11-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A38HO9ROOPN32T |
My love affair with GPSes.
I owned a nuvi 200 3.5" GPS, which worked perfectly well. My GPS mainly functions as a paper map substitute. I don't use any of the other features, like Points of Interest, traffic reports, photos, currency converter.
A new series!
I considered upgrading when I found out Garmin redesigned some of the screens on the 2x5 units. I was tossed between the nüvi 205 or nüvi 255. The 255 has spoken street names. I didn't want the Wide versions, because I heard those don't show more map area; they're just the same amount of map stretched on a larger screen. The 3.5 screen is plenty big for me, and small enough to be conveniently portable in a bag or a pocket.
Reconditioned snobbery.
I bought a factory reconditioned nuvi 255 for the price of a new 205. If it weren't for the white box (the new units come in a black box), I could not tell the reconditioned unit apart from a new one. It was pristine and worked perfectly, and came with the normal accessories. Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to buy another Garmin reconditioned item.
The new screen interfaces are a nice improvement over the old one. Go to Youtube and check out some side by side comparisons, if you're interested.
Things that seemed to improve from the 2x0 to the 2x5 models:
- 255 fixed on satellites much easier indoors. The 200 used to not find satellites when I turned it on inside the house.
- 255 satellite acquisition time is much faster, within 10 seconds. The 200 used to take upwards of a few minutes.
Features I like:
- I thought I wouldn't need it, but having spoken street names is nice.
- "where am I" feature shows me my long/lat and nearest emergency services.
- Garmin Garage. Free download from Garmin. It's a stupid cutesy thing, but I can modify the little vehicle to one that suits my mood.
Features I don't care for:
- There is no quick mute button. It takes at least three taps to mute sound.
- I can modify a path, by adding a waypoint, but I can't easily force it to take the road I want.
- On the 200 it was "Where To" - "Favorites". On the 255, Favorites got demoted to the next screen, and needs an extra tap. It would be nice if I could change the order of my frequently used functions.
Features I don't use/don't need:
- music
- bluetooth
- traffic reports
- maps outside of North America. I'm not a jetsetter.
- currency calculator
- Ecoroute
Feature I would like, if I won the lottery:
- Lane assist, it's in the spendy nuvi models.
One free map update.
I bought this reconditioned unit in 10/2009. It came with map version North America NT 2010.10. I downloaded their program then loaded the unit with the new map. My update to the latest version NT 2010.20 took about 1.5 hours total, and not several overnight hours I've read about. Maybe mileage varies with internet connection speed.
Neoprene case.
This isn't a review of the unit, but I thought I'd throw this in to help anyone looking for a suitable case. Ever since my first nuvi, I've searched for a proper fitting neoprene case. Garmin's official case is leather, open on one side, and spendy. This camera case fits just right.
Dolica SM-98305BK sold at the big O for $4.99 plus shipping. Internal dimensions are 4.1"x3"x0.8". External dimensions are 4.6" x 3.3" x 1.45". This will fit all of the 3.5" 2xx and 3xx series nuvis.
Mount.
I don't know anyone who owns a Garmin, use the sticky disk supplied in the package. Sticking the disk permanently to my dash is out of the question. I recommend the HandStands Sticky Pad GPS Dash Mount. Sleek, low profile and moveable. |
| |
| "Great Value - Easy to use - Highly recommend" | 2009-11-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2YECM5YJ0OB12 |
| I purchased this for my 19 year old March 2009 and she loves it. It was very easy to use. She loves that it speaks the streets and directions while driving. She keyed in the hotel location in Chicago and it took her directly there and she was not distracted worrying about when to turn. This makes a great gift for traveling even in your home city. You will not be disappointed with this GPS. Great value. |
| |
| "Great GPS at a good price" | 2009-11-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: AGQG5S6VYLRGI |
I love this GPS. Purchased a couple of months ago, and recently took on a trip to Orlando. Worked flawlessly! Directions were accurate, it got me to my various destinations with no problems, and the text-to-speech feature is fantastic! It's real easy to operate. The only problem I had initially was downloading the updated maps off Garmin's website. That took a couple of tries before I got it done, however, the Nuvi 255 is excellent and has worked flawlessly ever since. I did some research before I bought this and am glad I went with Garmin. Some think the screen size is a bit small ... it's fine. With text-to-speech, who looks at the screen that much anyway ... I'm able to keep my eyes on the road and follow the voice directions ... that's a lot safer after all ... isn't it?
Go get one! |
| |
 "Poor Navigational Features- Constanaly loses Satelite Reception" | 2009-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1WYDIS5YS49DT |
I was very disappointed with this product. I purchased this item to replace my Tom Tom that broke. My biggest complaint is that it does not let you avoid specific parts of your route until you are actually at the part of the route that you want to avoid. Living in a high traffic urban area this is an issue. I also live near many ferry routes and would like to avoid ferry charges if at all possible which this does not let me do. My next complaint is that it loses satellite reception about every ten minutes in areas that my 3 year old tom tom had no problems with. I would not recommend this product.
As far as hardware, it only comes with the GPS and a car charger. No USB cable or wall charger is included, so if you are still going to buy it I recommend buying those separately.
|
| |
| "Using Garmin's in over 20 Emergency Vehicles!" | 2009-11-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1V1U6DVREMH9I |
| We are using Garmin Nuvi's (350's and now a 255) in our ambulances and our command vehicles. They have given great service and Garmin is easy to update. I would only buy a Garmin! |
| |
 "Great product sold with outdated maps" | 2009-10-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2NFUQY13JBPAV |
| I received a nuvi 255 from my family for Christmas last year. We have 4 nuvi's in the family now and 2 are 255's. I really like it but it is sold with maps that are a couple years old and in order to update them you have to pay a pretty steep price. Why isn't it updated for free when you first purchase it so it at least starts out up to date? Where a bridge was built a few years back it shows me going over water and the bridge to one side of me or the other. Lots of roads that have been there for a while don't show up either. |
| |
Expedited Available
