Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: good but a few annoying problems
Summary: 3 Stars
I got this unit just a few days ago. I like it, but I must admit I was expecting more. My biggest disapointment is about the startup and fix time and then how unbelievably slow the POI database search can sometimes be plus 3-4 out of 10 places are not found. Example: in Houston, there are a few Fry's but after a few mins it found some 300 miles away from me but none close to where I was when there is one just about 5 miles away. Great ! Well, I can live with it if I know the address but...
I also don't like the fact I have to always enter the city name etc., would be much better if the values were retained or if it worked the same way like for the state screen where there is a button with the state you selected last time. As for navigation it seems to give good routing results, when turns are missed it recalcs quickly and so far after a few days of tests I have always arrived where I wanted.
Overall a nice unit but needs improvements.
Pros:
- very sleek and pocketable
- text to speech (pronounces street names)
- good routing results
- quick recalculations
- nice graphics
- good reception even indoor
Small cons:
- when resuming driving after a stop the unit is confused for a while where you are actually headed
- some streets are missing
- POI database is incomplete
- must enter city every time when searching for an address, should be pre-selected (or should remember all previous values)
- speaker seems weak and distorted
Big cons:
- Start up time is 20+ secs to get to the "I agree" screen + some additional time to actually be ready to drive
- Satelite fix can sometimes be slow - 30 secs, even minutes
- Searching for POIs is painfully slow (minutes)
Customer Review: Very good performance, excellent value
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this to replace a 3 year old Garmin i3 which bit the dust. Both of us have BT headsets we like so that wasn't needed on the GPS unit and real time traffic is truly not needed in the Baltimore/DC area by us either. Both of us have XM which supplies the same traffic info (usually worthless IMHO) and the traffic, especially in DC, pretty much sucks 24/7. So, we went with Garmin again and only wanted text-to-speech. Reception has been excellent so far - it locks on quickly and we haven't lost a signal with in car use yet. Database is pretty good (although I'll probably upgrade to the new 2009 Navigator info when available). Routing is fast and vastly superior to the older i3. The windshield mount is much improved and the unit hasn't fallen off yet. Friction mount is great. I don't like the fact that you have to plug the car power adapter into the back of the unit rather than the cradle but that's a minor gripe. Battery life on the unit has been great so far - on many trips, I don't even bother plugging it in. They did cheap out by not including a USB cable for syncing, registration, etc. I have several so it wasn't an issue but Garmin truly should have thrown one in (they're what? $0.50 per unit OEM?). Touch screen completely intuitive and practically idiot proof. POI database is good but needs updating (then again, that's par for the course as NavTech only pumps out updates every so often). Garmin has stuck with autoscreen brightness and night mode via time rather than a light sensor. Sometimes, the screen washes out in sunlight or is too bright in low contrast situations. Would like a hard control for volume and AAA discount locations in the POI database but that's it for complaints. It works very well and, for the money, is an EXCELLENT purchase.Customer Review: Exactly what you need in a GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
I just received the Garmin 260 for my birthday. I researched all the brands to death (especially Tom Tom and Garmin) before coming to my decision on what I wanted.
Here are my reasons for choosing Garmin over TomTom.
1. From everything I have researched, Garmins U.S. maps are much better than TomTom's. Since I don't travel in Europe, Garmin seemed to suit me better.
2. The Garmin, in my opinion, is much more "user friendly" out of the box.
3. In using the Garmin, the satellite aquisition is very good.
4. There are not a lot of extra fancy items to have to filter through.
Just get me to where I need to go the best possible way. Garmin does that.
Also, for anyone who is trying to decide between saving a few bucks and just having the voice say "turn right in 400 feet" or paying a little more and having the text-to-speech say "turn right in 400 feet on oak street. PAY THE EXTRA COUPLE OF
If you are driving in a city where the streets are right on top of one another, turning right in 400 feet (or even when right when the voice tells you to turn) may only narrow it down to 2 or 3 streets.
You really should have the street names given to you (text-to speech). It helps!!
Another thing. I have read reviews from people saying that they knew how to get to a certain place and the GPS didn't take them on the most direct or quickest route. A gps is NOT supposed to be used to get you to where you already know. Of course you will know little side roads that might be shortcuts. A gps is to be used to get you to where you DON'T know any route to where you are heading. It works well when you use it the right way and will definitely get you to where you need to be.
Customer Review: Great basic GPS with text-to-speech
Summary: 4 Stars
This GPS might not have all those fancy features like mp3 and traffic update of the high end models, but it does very well the basic functions of a GPS, with what I consider as the essential Text-To-Speech function.
I've had this unit for about a month and a half now, and here are some pros and cons I've discovered:
Pros:
Excellent route mapping. Nearly always plots the route I'd plot myself.
Clear warnings well ahead of time (I think it adjusts when it gives the warning depending on your speed).
Also tells me to which side the next next turn will be on right before I make my next (upcoming) turn, so I know which side of the road to keep onto (good for traffic heavy roads).
Recalculations are fast: Driving downtown with those really short distances between intersections, this GPS manages to recalculate a new route if I missed a turn.
Bright screen, good, large graphics, nice day-time contrast, auto color switch for night time driving, intuitive interface for setting ur destinations
Cons:
Slow boot up, satellite acquisition can take a while in places with lots of tall buildings (up to 5-8min!) when boot up for first time (fast acquisition after that)
Alphabetically listed keyboard, no way to switch!!(bad for geeks like me)
POI search a bit slow if u're searching by spelling (search by pre-defined categories are fairly fast)
If you've set in a security code, u have to reboot the GPS if u misentered it (or go to your preset security location)
Overall, this GPS is great, performs all the functions of a GPS to near-perfection. So if you're just looking for a hassle free GPS that you can rely on to guide you everywhere you go, this is the unit for you.
Customer Review: Pragmatic Choice
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading the reviews of Garmins costing over twice as much as the Nuvi 260 and seeing that many people still weren't completely happy with their choice, I came to the conclusion that the technology had not completely arrived yet, so I would buy a GPS with the minimum bells and whistles and wait for the technology to really catch up to the expectations most people had before sinking a ton of money into another GPS a few years from now. The Nuvi 260 met the minimum requirements and is an interim solution. As such it works just fine, and I think the limitations of the software would be the same with just about any GPS, no matter the cost.
Say for instance you want to find a TJ Maxx store nearby. The 260 will find it for you, but it may or may not be on the way to where you're going otherwise. (I could drive another ten miles and be happy with the next store nearer my route, if you get my meaning.) I doubt any GPS could do that, though, so it's nice just to have one that tries as hard as it can.
Bottom line, you still have to prepare for your trip, have a general idea where you're going, find addresses to plug into the unit, and be ready to make some decisions if you don't like where the unit is directing you. GPS's can only do so much at this moment in time. It's already helped me find a Subway that was tucked into a strip mall well off the freeway in Maryland, and done other miraculous things. But it didn't tell me about the street closure in Manhattan, and it didn't match the recommended way to get to the Toledo Museum of Art from I-75.
In other words, they're not perfect. Yet.
So just buy a mid-range unit that has the minimum features you feel you need and live with it for the next few years.