Magellan GPS Shop | Garmin nuvi GPS | Portable GPS Navigator | GPS Navigator |

The last GPS I got I couldn't even figure out how to turn on...they have really come a long way as far as ease-of-use. This one...opened the box, easily assembled it onto the base with no directions, plugged it in, turned it on (okay, I had to go to directions for that, but they are very clear), followed all the steps (very intuitive - it walks you through it) and there I was - it had me pinpointed to my exact position in the parking lot - wow. So I plugged in an address, and yes, I'm old-school - I was shocked with this relatively inexpensive machine started TAlKING to me, nice voice too - very clear directions, tells you exactly how far to go before turning. This is the new model, which is why I got it, but it seems to have all the best features discussed in reviews of older models (I read a lot of reviews). Again, I'm not proficient in technology (my 11 year old niece has to help me with my phone and forget an I-Pod) but from my point of view this has all that a typical driver would need - I even think my even less-technically proficient parents would like it and I plan to try it out on them.

Update after a week: The screen shows several things I hadn't noticed, like your speed, the speed limit for the road you are on (some roads, not all roads), the expected time that you will get to the destination, the direction (North, South, East, West) and how far it is in miles. It's not distracting, as these notations are on the perimeter. The voice directions are very good, a warning prior to coming to a turn and then a 'turn left on ____ St.' when you get there and how far it is, as in 'turn left in point-three miles'. And it tells you which side of the street (left or right) your final destination is on, which is very helpful on a busy street.

Also nice is the 'Map' feature: It's simply a map of where you are, showing an automobile icon that moves as you go along...it shows landmarks, street names along with the speed limit and your speed so you don't have to look down at the speedometer and guess if you're going the speed limit and what it is. This can be used even when you don't have a destination plugged in. Plus, the machine saves addresses so you just have to tap on an address from a list of places you've been, instead of retyping it. It also saves the cities, so you can pull it down from a menu instead of typing it in...so I would consider it generally 'user-friendly'.

I got the portable Garmin Friction Mount to hold it in place (it's a beanbag type thing) which is really great, as you can easily stow it on the floor so no one decides to 'borrow it' if they see it on the dashboard. Overall, couldn't be more pleased...this one doesn't have 'traffic alerts', so if you want 'traffic' there is another Garmin model that would be more suitable.

Men are infamous for NOT asking directions. This device makes it possible to uphold that reputation and STILL get there. I'm computer literate, but circa 1990. I wouldn't know a blue tooth if it bit me so I probably will never use this GPS to it's maximum. But I do know that I could just turn it on and in my first outing off the beaten path it directed me to a dirt road I never would have found on my own using detailed local maps.

I bought this for my wife but she is out of luck; besides, she doesn't mind asking directions.

Of course it was delivered on time, in perfect condition by Amazon

I was amazed at how intuitive and easy it is to use. While traveling to a city in another state I was confronted with a train stopped and blocking the crossing in front of me, blocking my planned route. With confidence in the Garmin I turned around and took another route. It guided me street-by-street and turn-by-turn. I got to my appointment on time. The display is clear, even in bright sunlight. The voice is pleasant, and clearly loud enough to be easily heard.

The only problem I had was in assembling the mount. It requires a really hard push to install the ball socket of the mount into the base. Don't be afraid to break it, as I was at first try. It's designed to close tolerances, to maintain the friction necessary, to hold the Garmin display firmly in position.

Pushing a wide, and easy to access button at the base of the suction cup mount allows you to remove the display and power cord for storage elsewhere when not in use. This is a great security and convenience feature. It has a remote mountable push button remote control that activates and deactivates the voice control feature.

This was the first unit I have ever purchased, I used all the feed back here to decide what unit I needed. I could not be more pleased with its ease of operation and all of its capabilites. Have tested it several times and had no issues at all I would recomend this to anyone who has had no experience with one,its a winner. I am sure there are many more units that are good and cost much more, but for this price I can't see how you could top this one. Really satisfied with my choice, thanks also to all of you who have given great feed back for us to look over, it really helped when making a first time purchase. As always great Amazon service as well.

Bought this item initially for my wife when she has to make trips to Houston. After reading the reviews and deciding our particular needs I chose the nuvi 265 wt . I owned an older Garmin (deluxe IV ) and to be honest I was somewhat disappointed with it and my wife couldn't stand it . It was the sheer number of positive reviews that made me choose a Garmin again. WOW !! this thing is awesome . Took it on a trip to San Antonio and was amazed by it . VERY simple to setup , VERY easy to use . The hardest part was trusting it to direct me accurately due to the experiences with the prior Garmin navigator. It never missed a turn . And with the "points of interest" feature , changing our agenda or adding a stop was a breeze. Also the WT features a traffic information update that informs you with live traffic information ( time delay ) if there is a report along the route your on . Press two buttons and the nuvi will give you a detour option . Miss a turn due to traffic or other mishap and it will automatically recalculate your route from where you are going to get you back on track . The best part is my wife really likes it and even gave it a nickname . Definitely would buy again .

My first Garmin was the smaller version of this unit, the newer one with the large screen made using it simple. I've had very good use from the first unit, having upgraded the map twice since I purchased it. The first one I gave to my son, still working after about 5 years of constant use.

The setup on these units is very easy, and I like the fact that you can program several routes (to go to) before hand and then just select where you want to go.

Before I got the second one I made a decision to go with a different brand, I still have that one, but I am not satisfied with the operation. It will show the map display while driving but then it will default to a demo mode, and stay in demo mode until you select the map display again. This turned out to be such a hassle that I went ahead and purchased another Garmin.

The demo mode, I eventually got tired of it by having to call the factory so that they could give me the "secret" recipe on how to get rid of it. Avoid the headaches and go with Garmin........you can't go wrong.

I was especially pleased getting the Garmin two days after ordering it from Amazon - Super Service!!!!

We recently got this GPS because a sudden and difficult trip demanded we have one, and we could not find the power cord for our current one, a Nokia. It was easy to say we'd eventually find that power cord, but wouldn't it be nice to have one GPS for each car?

So having had the dinky Nokia, I have some basis for comparison. The Garmin is far superior in two ways- it is fast to find the satellite signal, and the maps it came with were good and current. It is a little more helpful too - it tells you which side of the road your destination is on so if you're in an unfamiliar area you know where to look. Less important, but additionally, the voices are much better than our old Nokia, less robotic, and less likely to muddle up a complex street name. The Garmin was also easy to use right out of the box. It gives you sufficient heads-up time on turns and exits and advises you on where they will be, left or right. But...

There are a few things about this unit that I find highly annoying. On start up, the screen displays an irritating legal disclaimer saying you shouldn't diddle with it while driving as it is unsafe, and you take responsibility for anything that might happen when you use it. I'd be ok with this if it happened the first time I used it, but it happens every time you turn it on.

Another issue is that it just plumb drops the signal. Yes, it is fast to find it when you're starting out on a trip, but it doesn't seem to hold that signal. I was on a test run in a suburban area where there was presumably little interference when it made this noise I'd not yet heard, but knew meant bad things, and looked down to see it admitting it had lost the signal. The Nokia had never done this. The Garmin was purchased to help get me to a remote location in the middle of nowhere, and this incident was not confidence building. It did, in fact, lose signal several times during my mountainous trip to God's country. Worse yet is that when it loses the signal, you have to hit "OK" on the screen to unlock the warning for it to proceed again. You're moving, so you just want it to get on with re-finding the signal, it shouldn't have to ask permission! What was that about not diddling with it while driving?

I've also found that it picks some bizarre routes. Using it around town to get used to it, I found it was choosing streets that would indeed work, but there were other streets more major that it might have better selected.

One of its worst "habits" is its inability to differentiate direction when you are moving in a small area, like if you have to do a turn-around, or are in a gas station on a corner, re-entering traffic and it "thinks" you're on the road perpendicular to the one you are on. It doesn't know where you are til you're moving some distance, and sometimes that distance is more than you'd like. I have exited just such a corner gas station and been urging it "Come on, come on, you can do it" while the screen view is spinning around cluelessly and it's showing an inaccurate picture while giving directions that don't suit where you are. I understand that satellites are far away and to expect pinpoint accuracy is unrealistic, but if the device doesn't "know", it shouldn't "act" like it does, spouting off directions that do not apply to your location. (Equally goofily, the Nokia's default position when it didn't know what was up was to randomly tell you to "Make a U turn" - it was senseless but consistent so you knew it was just buying time til it figured things out.)

I'm detailing these complaints because only you know what matters to you. Every GPS has its quirks that can get on your nerves. Overall, this one's easy to learn and gets you where you're going with some burps on the way. The lingering negative? The Nokia was about half the price and despite my hopes, the Garmin is not twice as good.

I bought this GPS before our Boston vacation and I am very pleased with it. The graphics are easy to read. The display is very user friendly and simple. Set up was also easy. It made driving around Boston much manageable. I was impressed that it did not lose satellite communication when driving thru Boston tunnels. We only had one small glitch in locating our hotel. I am not sure why it did not map it correctly, but it was about a block off. Normally, not a big deal unless you have never been there before and in heavy traffic. Overall, it is a very quality product and a good value.

easy to use and set up. purchased the 265w over the 255w because of the bluetooth feature, a real pleasure. have recommended this gps to friends.

It is a good GPS for navigating; but the bluetooth voice is not strong/clear enough through the conversation when being on the phone talk.