Garmin nüvi 265/265T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 265/265T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
Customer Review: Minumalist view of data and directions are not the best
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in San Jose CA and drive in the bay area of San Francisco.
I have had the unit about 2 weeks now.
Any gps unit that you buy today should lock on in seconds, give accurate directions, have a display that is not confusing and have a simple menu navigation system. It does all of these things well except give accurate directions.
My other gps the Tom Tom 130 does everything mentioned above well, but lacks the traffic feature so I will return it. But it always gives very good directions 100% of the time. I just wish it had the traffic capability and I would keep it.
The directions that the Nuvi 265 gives are accurate most of the time, but occasionally gives strange non optimized directions. I don't know if it is because of the traffic component or not. The directions that are not the best only lose about 5-10 minutes at the most.
The unit's philosophy is to have a minimalist view of everything. It only displays what you need to know based on the route you are taking.
My other complaint is that it takes about 5-10 minutes to access the traffic information. There is also no direct way to look at the traffic map. For example if your destination does not involve using the traffic feature, it won't display the traffic map. I wish I could just go to the traffic map directly.
What I like about the traffic is that it does route around problems and it gives warnings about slowdowns ahead, which is nice. So the traffic feature is nice to have and I wouldn't want a unit without it.
So my dilemma is that can I live with less than accurate directions some of the time in exchange for the free traffic that does work well when I am going through an area with traffic jams.
I am also considering the Dash Express and the Navigon 2200T which I may try out.
UPDATE Nov 21 2008
I am upgrading my rating to 4.9 stars
For in depth review see this site.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2008/11/garmin_nuvi_265wt_review.php
The reason is that while it gives inaccurate directions some of the time, it is only because I know a more direct route or I know that even though it gives a more direct route, those streets are slower, than a slightly longer way that I know through experience. So you buy a gps for when you DON'T KNOW where your going, not where you do know where your going.
The traffic functionality does pop up right away during rush hour, (within a few minutes). If shows you problems and how far they are away. You can see a traffic map by going through a few screens and unzooming. It also shows a yellow or red colored line next to the road if you are in a traffic jam and when it will end. So overall it works really well. I also read that Navteq traffic (the free FM) works better than MSN paid service according to this site.
http://www.gpsreview.net/traffic/
I read here that Dash is no longer selling new units, although on their site it shows that they do, they cut 50% of their staff and want to focus on selling their traffic software to other companies. See this page and scroll down.
http://www.gpsmagazine.com/
I am getting the Navigon 2200T to try out but consumer reports rates it very low, compared to the 265WT. In fact the only other serious competitor to the 265, on consumer reports, for the price is the Garmin Nuvi 760, its an older model, which costs about the same as the 265, but you have to pay for traffic at $10 a month and it has some other extra features, none of which I would use.
My only real complaint is the non qwerty keyboard, which bugs me. The only reason that they don't have it is to get you to buy the 265WT which does have it. So the trade of might be to get the 265WT just for qwerty keyboard. I also like the fact that you can transfer addresses directly from Mapquest or Google maps through the computer cable, which is nice.
Sure if it was perfect it could have reality view lane selector, 3-D maps, voice recognition, historical traffic info, directions to which side of the street, instant Dash Express like traffic interface, ipod connection, fm to car radio input, better cell phone integration(I don't use this), XM satellite reception and everything else you can think of.
But for now it does have very good traffic options, good directions, very fast response time, nice responsive touch screen, and a very affordable price which is now $40 less than I paid only 2 weeks ago $239.
So someone show me how you can get something better for the price or close to it.
Customer Review: A good, basic GPS -- but with many glaring bugs and issues
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this GPS in April of 2010 to get ready for the hands-free calling bill that was about to pass in my state. This replaced my previous Mio GPS. In the many months since I've owned this GPS I've been pushed to the point of frustration over it on a daily basis over a wide variety of issues and bugs that it exhibits.
The Good:
1) Traffic monitoring is an excellent feature. It has saved my hide a few times when I was expecting it. On a late night leaving work I tend to run across no traffic at all. Until one evening when I heard the GPS say "Traffic ahead". A glace showed a 35 minute delay. I pulled off, checked my phone, and saw that there was a closure on the Interstate. I was at the exact right spot to jump off and take a detour. Even when I'm not paying attention, the urgent "Take Exit Now" alert brings my attention to an accident 10 miles farther up the road that I would be stuck in for hours.
2) Business searching is typically quick and accurate. Tapping your car to find the closest gas stations gives very accurate results when your fuel light comes in.
3) Directions are pretty fast to route and display. I typically drive 60+ mile trips and can get a good bearing within a minute.
The Bad:
1) Navigation Errors
This is the keystone to any GPS: Find the best route to my destination. On the whole, the Nuvi does that. However, I have learned to only trust it to get me to the general location. It does a good job at finding businesses along a street, but can sometimes have issues with registering intersections and one-way streets. For example, there is a very prominent intersection across from my work place that the GPS does not register. So, every time I input directions to work, it will lead me on 5-block detour to double back on the street, when instead I could just turn left at the light to enter my parking garage.
In downtown cities it often has issues dealing with the exact street that you're on. At times, it will say that I'm on a parallel road than the one I'm actually on. In some cases, it will show me being on a street two-over from my current street.
On road trips it has made a few critical errors that I've never understood. In driving from Baltimore to Northeast Virginia, it kept attempting to take me the WRONG way on the DC beltway. There was even a large accident on that wrong way, with the GPS traffic showing a 50 minute delay. I drove the way I knew was correct and for four miles the GPS told me to U-turn, as the traffic delay grew to an hour. Finally, it relented and remapped from the way I was going. The 60-minute delay went away, and it cut another 30 minutes off my itinerary.
2) Bluetooth
Bluetooth was the primary reason I picked this GPS, and it is atrociously bad. When it works, it is decent. There is a bit of echoing, but not annoyingly so (though I've heard others had it bad). However, after about six months it would no longer store my iPhone bluetooth pairing. I would have to re-add my phone each time I started my car up. I tried it on another iPhone - same problem. I tried it on my BlackBerry Storm - same problem. I contacted Garmin about the issue. After two weeks of troubleshooting they exchanged the unit with a brand new one. It worked great --- for a week. At that time, the same issue came back. As it is now, every morning I have to repair my phone as I'm waiting for my car to warm up, which is extremely frustrating.
When the GPS does work, the results are erratic. Sometimes it shows the caller ID on the unit, sometimes just the number. If it's just the number, I'd have to dig my phone out of my pocket to see who is calling. When a call comes in there is an "Ignore" and "Answer" button on the display. On cold mornings, pressing "Answer" shows a 10 second delay before it actually does answer the phone - meaning that most calls go unanswered and to voice mail. FRUSTRATING!
3) Voice playback errors
At random times, in both Garmin GPSs I've had, the voice playback would get "corrupted". It would play back at a super fast speed as a high-pitched, unintelligible output. I've tried changing voices, but they will all do it. The only fix is to pull the power cable and reboot the unit, and hope it doesn't come back. However, there have been a few stressful downtown-DC situations where having the voice get corrupted caused me a great deal of stress in getting out.
In summary, as the device sits it does its job decently. It's much cheaper now than when I bought it, and would operate as a basic GPS. But, if you're a road warrior and want to avoid hands-free tickets, AVOID THIS GPS.
Customer Review: Good value. Works well.
Summary: 4 Stars
I reviewed GPS units a lot before buying this. It isn't perfect but it is a whole lot better than no GPS. I would buy it again. My first user experience before was via borrowed older Garmin 350. The borrowed unit performed very well on a long solo drive, so I was comfortable with this manufacturer and its interface. I selected the 265T with smaller screen size (same size as the borrowed unit), because I seldom read map details when driving, and other displays are readable enough for occasional glances. The smaller size is easy to carry/handle. Maybe the larger screen (265WT) affords better size keyboard, map, and text but this one works well enough for my needs. Generally the 265t felt similar to the 350.
Initial setup and ongoing use interfaces are good. As with any such device it takes a bit of time to become fluent.
Spoken directions work well, with a 'computerized' female voice and usually understandable speech. Speech has adequate volume under all but the most severe conditions. One minor thing I miss on this model is the ability/setting to enable prefacing upcoming spoken instructions with a warning sound (sort of a 'ding'...). This can be done on the other Garmin I used. It seems like a simple cheap feature to continue and maybe I haven't found the 265's setting yet(?).
Screen lighting and legibility are excellent. Brightness adjustment is easy, as is speaker volume. Automated dimming etc. works fine. The mounting suction cup and holder worked well so far in three different vehicles. The road speed vs speed limit display is handy, works well, and is probably as accurate as can be expected given changing and temporary conditions. List of nearby gas stations etc. nicely done. (It is handy to have distance from road when cruising unfamiliar interstates looking for easy off-one services).
A couple times the provided directions took me over an unexpected route, but so far without problems. This experience does leave me wary of depending on it 100% (maybe only 98%). It still makes sense to have an idea of where you are headed and maybe even (shudder...) look at a map occasionally, especially if in doubt, but since the 265 is usually quick to detect and redirect for missed turns I think it would recover well. It doesn't hurt to reset and check destination and or power off/on when unsure. I have not used it enough to know how frequent/severe these issues may be.
BT cell phone pairing and use are good not great. Sometimes the cell speech is a bit murky and/or low level. I haven't determined why yet. It is probably a combination of things. It did successfully retrieve recent calls and phone directory from an older cell phone (Sony-Ericsson). The directory is sorted differently than on the phone, so all my 'first' entries are last and vice versa...), but there is a name search function that works OK. I haven't tried the voice recognition name lookup yet and may not bother. All in all it is better than handheld only or an earpiece. I like this (cell-BT) feature.
The traffic problem redirection/mapping function is still of unknown value for me. The requirement to use the bulky cord is annoying. I would not buy it just for traffic, but it may be I haven't figured it out yet or been in a situation that it helped. Since it is essentially a no cost item, I am OK with it. The normal (non-traffic) function of estimating arrival can also be very accurate or very inaccurate, especially depending on traffic and lights. It seems to assume near zero impact from these. The GPS should be a bit smarter I think since it probably selects a 'shorter' route based on these calculations, when another would be much quicker if lights/(normal)traffic were considered. Someday maybe these will all be more sophisticated and use real time feedback...but for now, be aware of the way it works and adjust/plan accordingly.
The speed limit displayed along with your actual speed is also surprisingly handy at times BUT it is of course subject to current info which requires an updated map (download from Garmin at a fee). So this feature (as the directions) is a driving aid that requires the user to verify as well.
All in all, I am pleased with this unit. It provides a lot of function at a reasonable price. I am now generally comfortable using a GPS to aid my driving. I must state that for me this is only occasional not daily use. It has taken me through cities/areas that I would not want to traverse in the dark and/or in heavy traffic. It is a lot easier than trying to read a map and follow signs under duress.
Customer Review: Been decent, but not reliable
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Garmin 265t as a replacement for my TomTom One, which was stolen. The Tomtom was pretty basic, but very reliable. I've found, in general, that while the Garmin has more advanced features, it does not perform as well the Tomtom on some basic things.
Pros:
1. The Speed Limit indicator is great and very accurate (It got it wrong once, but I was in a construction zone)
2. Estimated time of arrival: I've found to be fairly accurate, especially because it considers traffic delays. I've called people once I was on the road to tell them what Garmin said my ETA would be, and it was dead-on every time.
3. Some neat information for car trips, like how much money you've spent on gas and your peak speed. (Although this tempts you to speed in order to break your record.)
4. Pressing on your car icon gives you emergency information-- like nearest gas station. I've used this a couple times when I've let the tank get a little too low.
5. It automatically turns on when you start the car and offers to power down in 30 seconds when you turn off the car. (For Tomtom, you had to manually turn it on and off.)
Cons:
1. It's not very loud, and at its loudest setting, the quality is poor. Sometimes it's hard to hear on the highway. (Tomtom would increase the volume proportionally to your speed-- good for compensating for highway noise.)
2. Sometimes it notifies you of a turn a little too late. I've had to slam on the brakes to make a turn in time.
3. I've had it fail to find a satellite for the entire duration of a 10 mile trip. Not fun.
4. Also, sometimes it isn't very accurate about my location. It frequently thinks I'm driving on a service road when I'm already on the highway.
5. Although it has more POIs than Tomtom, some are outdated, leading you on wild goose chases. It sent me to 2 non-existent Subway sandwich stores, and I ended up finding one that it didn't know about.
6. Text to speech is a bit robotic and strangely slurs some words.(I miss the ole prerecorded Irish voice on Tomtom.)
7. Sometimes Garmin knows a street by its "secret" name and not the name on the exit sign, so you have to look on the screen anyway to verify that it's the correct exit.
8. Doesn't have a fun name like Tomtom. (Sometimes, we called the old one Tommy, and the kids pretended he was one of the family. Gargar doesn't have the same ring to it.)
Is it worth it? Traffic update, for me, has been helpful. But text to speech isn't really necessary and doesn't help out that much more. I hope whatever satellite issues it's had will be resolved by upgrading the firmware. If so, I'd say its a wash between the cheap Tomtom and this more expensive Garmin. Otherwise, you might be better off going with something cheaper but more dependable.
EDIT:
I upgraded the firmware, and, at first, it seemed to fix the problem, but it turned out to be only temporary. We just finished a long trip, and many times the Garmin would lose the satellite signal, sometimes for 10 minutes at a time. There weren't any storms or cloudy skies either. Then it started to do some really weird stuff-- not only did it have no clue where we were, but the voice went beserk on us. It sounded like a dalek. (So now we've nicknamed it "Dally") Tomtom never did this-- once it locked onto to a satellite, it never lost it.
Also as other users have pointed out, its ETA doesn't take into account traffic lights. Plenty of times it will suggest that you take a route down streets with many traffic lights instead of the highway.
Customer Review: Great features for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have only used my first GPS for 3 days, but I already enjoy the great features
(1) Free traffic - It works surprisingly well for me in east SF bay area, it accurately and promptly reports conditions of 680 and 880. Even though I use 680 and 880 every day for commuting, I am often hit by traffics on 680 and 880, but today, 265T guided me correctly. This saves me time and money - I think those global warming guys should provide rebate for FM equipped GPS!
(2) Bluetooth - Works well with my Samsung Beat. It supports address book as well. The only problem is that the Beat always ask for accepting GPS or not even though security is off. I am still trying to find a way so that Beat accepts GPS without asking for confirmation(It always works if the phone tries to connect GPS, no question asked)
(3) GPS - Response time is very good. Speaker is loud enough for me.
The only problem I had with this unit is that there is a pixel always stays as dark blue at lower left corner. But Amazon staffs have been really helpful on resolving this issue. All in all, I am very happy with this unit and Amazon service.
Update: Overall still very good GPS. But now I have two minor issues:
(1)Like other reviewers mentioned, local travel time is off because it does not take traffic light delays into account. In the case of slight traffic on highway, it often results in wrong judgment(insisting to use local roads)
(2) GPS lock time had been very good, but somehow it became slower and slower. I had to perform firmware reinstall and it locks very quick again(within 10 seconds)
Update 2:
I did not see other reviewer mentioned often, but this device supports custom POI - The most useful one for me is Red light and Speed camera - It gives a warning when your car approaches these cameras!(You can select how far to alert) I found Trapster POI file very accurate and it is free! The CSV files can be easily modified. I would purchase GPS sooner if I knew today's GPS can support so many fancy features - Some are money saving features(It is particular useful for east bay area traveler, lots of cameras!)
Update 3: 12/10/2009
Up to 2 block inaccuracy around San Francisco Moscone center. I went to this area serveral times for meetings, this GPS never lost signals in this tough area, but it may show me on neighbour street. I suspect other GPS will have same problem because this is signal quality issue due to surrounded by tall buildings. I simply follow two rules in this situation:
A. Follow voice prompt for next turn - when it says keep left/right after turn, do keep left/right after the turn
B. The default 3D normal view shows about 3 blocks, if 2nd turn is 2 block within next turn, it will show up in the map. So after next turn, if GPS put you on wrong street or does not update map, do not panic, drive calmly, the GPS will catch up within 2 blocks. So you either know where is 2nd turn or GPS will tell you in time.
Following these two simple rules, I have not missed any turn yet.
Another suggestion is to use simple prompt for warnings. I used "Attention, Red light camera ahead" before, my colleague said it was cool the first time, but it soon became very annoying around Moscone center because there are so many camera.