Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Ok for general direction, but missed the point continuously!
Summary: 2 Stars
Nuvi got us to San Antonio ok.
**But, then the Nuvi took us in circles on the 410 looking for the hotel. We had to call the hotel to get directions.
**Took us on goose chase off the I-10. First the Nuvi said "take the I-10 West, which was wrong as we were suppose to take the 285 N towards Carlsbad Caverns. Then after realizing we were headed the wrong way we exited the I-10. Then the Nuvi told us to take a righ onto the I-10 West. Well I-10 West was to our left, but it also highlighted the I-10 to the West. Of course we new we were suppose to head East to return to the 285 N.
**Nuvi would not show the mountain road going to Carlsbad Caverns. It just showed the direction with an arrow and the distance (which was correct). When leaving Carlsbad Caverns, the Nuvi picked up the mountain road down. (Don't know why it couldn't show road on way up)
**After leaving the Caverns, we were headed to Roswell NM. The Nuvi highlighted the entire hwy 180 when we came to a T in the road at the bottom of the mountain road leaving the Caverns. But, the voice directions told us to take a right. (Of course Roswell was the other direction). After about 2 miles, the Nuvi told us to take a right onto a road that went about 3 miles then hit a dead end.(We did not take this route, but could see it on the screen...so we continued a few more miles before deciding to turn around.)The Nuvi did not tell us we were going the wrong way, and did not tell us to make a U-turn. We now know that it was trying to turn us around, but it did not specify this.
We had a Magellan (not functioning any longer) that we bought about 10 years ago for $900.00. Even though it was much older and would seem not have the advanced technology that a newer unit would have. It did a much better job at showing roads, giving directions, and had more amenites than the Nuvi. Garmin could take a few lessons from Magellan. My unit only cost about $90 and I have had it too long to return. But, if I had to do it again I would buy a Magellan or try a Tom Tom.
Customer Review: Better than my old 360
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a replacement for a three-year-old Nuvi 360. The old one was fine, but did not speak street names and I could not resist the price of the 260w. It lacks a couple of features of the old 360, but I never used them. While the spoken street names were worth the cost of the new unit, there were a couple of pleasant surprises: The receiver is more sensitive than the old one and quickly picks up the satellites from inside my house where the old one did not work. The screen is not only wider, but brighter and easier to see in bright sunlight. They have also simplified the interface so that it is even easier to use.
On the down side, they do not include some of the accesories that came with the 360. No USB cable to hook up to your computer and you'll need one for the free firmware and map updates. Mine did not ship with the latest software. This cable has a standard USB connector on one end and a standard Mini-USB connector on the other, so that you may already have one. Also no AC adapter so that if you wish to charge it without having it in your car or hooking it up to your computer, you'll need to buy one.
Overall it's a great unit that is very easy to use and has all the features than most people need.
UPDATE: BIG MISTAKE: After one month of using this Nuvi, I have concluded that it is much less accurate than my old Nuvi 360. As a result, I have made at least a dozen early turns and received incorrect locations and directions on several occasions. This never happened with my old Nuvi 360. As a result, the new Nuvi is now stored in a drawer and I'm using my old Nuvi 360 again. The 360 is WAAS enabled, while the new 260 is not, and I assume that this is the problem. I've asked Garmin for a list of new Nuvis with WAAS, but have not yet recieved an answer. They no longer publish this information in their specifications. While the 260W is usually accurate enough for situations where road signs are clearly visible, it is not the one I would want to depend on in snow, fog, or darkness.
Customer Review: Provides incorrect info on estimated distance between starting loc and destination
Summary: 2 Stars
While I was influenced by the reviews here, my final motivation to buy this Garmin model 260W was when it was offered at $149. I was initially happy with it but eventually discovered that it was giving false readings on the estimated distance between my starting point and destination. I tested other units and models and seemed like all Garmin exhibited same fault. Must be the software.
If you have a Garmin, any, you can easily determine if your unit is doing same thing. Try this:
1) press "where to?"
2) go to the "most recent addresses" or enter a new address if you don't have any data in the "most recent..."
3) in the "most recent addresses", it should show the estimated distances for various destinations you may have in it. Note down the distance of just one, and then choose that as your destination.
4) After choosing your destination your unit should go into route/guide mode, which should then display the speed info.
5) press the Speed info to display the other metrics, the top number or somewhere above the speed (sorry I returned mine already so I'm just recalling from memory) there's the distance info. Compare that distance from the one you noted down from the one displayed on the "most recent address" page. Mine were different, if yours displayed the same info on both then you're one lucky one. However, I would guess that they're not.The one displayed with the speed is the correct one.
A simpler way to determine the false info is by just comparing the distance displayed on the "most recent addresses" page with one provided by Google Maps.
Other than the incorrect distance info I thought the way it chose the routes for you left a lot to be desired. Not all the time but sometimes it gave ridiculously long or stupid routes to get to my destinations.
I had returned it and bought a Tom Tom XL340s for 40$ more. I'll use it for a while then provide my review. Hopefully this one is a keeper.
Customer Review: Not so good value
Summary: 1 Stars
We certainly like our Garmin and I think its a good value for the money and easy to use etc. The only problem that we had with it doesn't have much to do with its functionality or its price. What we were frustrated about and why we rated it with 3 stars overall, is the fact that in order to register it, you have to have some sort of USB cable which doesn't come with it. Garmin's excuse for that is that "most people have that cable from a camera" or something. Well, we didn't. And we had to spend a long time on hold and were given the run around for quite a while when we requested that we were sent that cable in order to register it. Garmin actually wanted us to buy it which we of course refused! Long story short, the cable finally arrived after a few weeks but only after we had made a second call to them because the machine had stopped working (reason why we rated it with 3 stars on reliability) for no apparent reason. Turns out that nothing was wrong with it (ran out of battery of something which I didn't quite understand why/how) and it is working fine now again. But due to the long "on-hold" times with their customer service, the cable situation, and the sudden (yet temporary) loss of power we're rating it with 3 stars...
June 2010 update: I have downgraded this device to a 1-star since my last review as we're getting more and more frustrated with it. In short, we're having issues with its battery life. We have to take it out and charge it pretty much every few days for several hours/overnight or else it stops working. I really don't understand why this has to happen as its plugged in when in use in the car and then its turned off when not in use in the car. So it really shouldn't be using much battery at all! We've been on the phone with the customer service (which includes long waits on-hold...) so much about this device, its really not worth the time, money, and effort. Better to print out directions from mapquest and go!
Customer Review: 260W made a believer out of me
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always prided myself on getting around without any help other than maps and (since the intro of the internet) online directions. I've travelled all around the U.S. as well as Europe and Brasil with those tools. Needless to say I was reluctant to purchase a GPS device because I saw little to no value for someone like me. I did some research and looked for a unit with a widescreen display, TTS functionality, and a good reputation. I didn't need any bells and whistles other than that. So off we went for a long weekend to Montreal. I must say that I brought along my maps and printed directions b/c I didn't trust the device at the onset of our trip. It did take me a while to warm up to the fact that I was relying on an electonic device, not my own brain, to get me to where I needed to go quickly and not lead me on a wild goose chase. I was impressed by the nuvi 260W. The voice was clear, offered ample warning for turns, etc, and was definitely accurate. The display was easy to read and the windshield suction device proved stable for the entire trip. Best of all I didn't need to be in a constant state of "heightened signage alert" and could actually enjoy the scenery and chatting with my family. The nuviW took us to a lot of popular attractions without any issues. We didn't experience any long delays with acquiring satellites either, other than the initial setup. I downloaded the latest map software when I received the device and was able to install rather easily. I would definitely recommend the nuvi 260W for a beginner to the world of GPS who is looking for a bargain device which is accurate and user friendly. I enjoy being able to rely on my brain to navigate me and my family around, but not as much as I enjoy not worrying about missing an exit or getting lost in a rough neighborhood wondering why I just spent the last 1/2 hour and tank of gas driving around when I could have been enjoying it with my family at our intended destination.