Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Category: GPS or Navigation System
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: GarminBrand: Garmin
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language)
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Model: Nuvi 270
Publisher: Garmin
Studio: Garmin
Music Label: Garmin
Product features:
- 3.5-Inch Qvga Display
- Sleek, Pocketable Form Factor
- No Flip-Up Antenna
- Full Coverage Of Us & Europe
- Map Data Of Internal Flash Memory
- Bracketron UFM-300-BX Nav-Pack Weighted GPS Dash Mount/Carrying Case
- NAVGEAR Universal Dash Mount
- InstallerNet Navigation System eInstallCard (Delivered via Email)
- AmazonBasics Faux Leather Carrying Case for 5-Inch GPS
- AmazonBasics Universal Travel Accessory Bundle for 4.3-Inch GPS (Mini USB Port)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Useful and cheap with European and US maps
Summary: 4 Stars
The Garmin Nuvi 270 is useful, cheap, compact, and has a
simple interface. But, some simple additions to the firmware
would make it more useful to the majority of its users. I
have not compared it to similar units or other consumer
electronics with similar displays and batteries etc., but it
is a great improvement in these respects on some devices I
know from three to seven years ago.
It seems like this is the best or only choice for a cheap,
small, useful, unit with north American and European maps,
provided the unit can lock satellites where you are (so far
it works great for me, but others have problems)
The unit I write about here has Software Version 4.20, Audio
Version 2.20, and GPS SW Version 2.60m. It came with 2008
Europe maps and 2009 N.A. maps. I have heard that Garmin
has put different GPS hardware chips in the Nuvi 270 and this
may affect the reception, but I don't know if this is true.
1) It is small; easy to carry or put in a pocket. But the
screen is easy to read given the size. However, trying with
my big fingers to get the pointer over a POI so that its
label is displayed takes patience. Having the touchscreen
instead of physical buttons keeps the unit small. However,
it would be nice to be able to choose which buttons and
information are displayed so that more display could be
dedicated to the map.
2) Reception is fine in Tucson, but I am only comparing to a
Magellan Meridian. The 270 takes about 40 s to boot. It can
lock satellites immediately or take a minute. (These devices
typically remember where they last saw the satellites on
shutdown)
3) The basic navigation and display are fine. I have not
compared too much with the Meridian (with
DirectRoute). After a little research, I could not find
another unit with street maps of both Europe and the US that
I was willing to pay for. The maps are much more detailed and
complete than the maps for the Meridian of a few years ago.
4) It is very easy to get the unit in and out of the small
windshield mounting bracket and very easy to get the single, very
firm, suction cup on and off the windshield. (there is a
lever to apply and release suction.) The bracket hold the
unit firmly and it is easy to orient. Much better than my old
Magellan.
5) The screen is very bright, with brightness easily
adjustable. The battery lasts a long time, especially given
the brightness of the screen. The spoken turn directions are
very loud on the highest speaker setting.
6) The unit is charged by the cigarette-lighter adaptor that
is supplied. It can also be charged via a usb port on a
computer. Garmin's AC adaptor is good but is sold
separately, which is good because it reduces the cost. It
has only one port for both data and power-- a standard
mini-usb port. There is no cable supplied, which again is
good because it makes the unit cheaper. The required cable
is the same that comes with most digital cameras, usb card
readers etc. Most potential buyers probably already have
the cable. I have read that the battery is not
'user-serviceable', but that actually you can replace it
with work. Garmin will replace it for far more than what you
payed for the unit. Unfortunately, the industry sees these
kinds of products as disposable.
7) Contrary to what many people write, the manual does
exist. There is a single manual for the entire 200
series. The pdf can be found via google or at Garmin's
website.
8) Just to answer some of the other reviews: It does not
know which way you are facing or where you are going even if
you take a step forward: This is inherent to the GPS
system. GPS technology only tells you where you are, not
your speed or the orientation of the device. The devices use
a clock and memory to know where you have been at different
times, and use this to *compute* speed and direction-- not
possible if you are standing still. GPS is not accurate
enough to tell that you have taken a step. It is possible to
add an electronic compass or other instruments to these
devices, but that adds a expense, bulk, etc.
9) POIs. You can't choose which are displayed (eg only
display gas stations). You can't choose when they are
displayed-- The POIs appear at zoom level of 300 feet or
closer. You can upload your own POIs which is really nice.
I loaded the POIs for channel markers in a bay, but you have
to zoom in till the screen is pure blue (300 foot zoom) to
see them. You can add POIs to your favorites list and then
they appear and are labeled at *all* zoom levels. But this
is an awkward and inflexible solution. Contemporary
consumer electronics like this unit are powerful computers
with fast processors and a bunch of memory, and are
programmable with high-level tools. This (and other similar
problems) could be fixed easily and cheaply by their
software engineers.
10) Browsing and locating features on the map is cumbersome
or difficult (again this is an easy programming task) One
example is, as several people noted, that only a limited
selection of items closest to your location are displayed on
a list. You can only search more or less easily for things
close to where the unit is. I guess that being able to browse
the map easily and mark items,
etc., is the software feature that most users would miss.
[Edited on 12/09/08] I missed a feature in the original review.
If you put the unit in "gps simulation mode", then the unit
no longer tracks where you are, but a button appears on some
screens allowing you to 'set loc.' Then routes and POI searches
etc. are done as if you were at the location you set, which can
be anywhere.
11) It does not have a tracking function or other navigation
functions (bearing vs. heading) that would make the unit
much more useful. Apparently firmware version 3.40 had a
hidden menu that could save a track, but this was removed in
later firmware. Why? I don't know. It could be part of a
misguided marketing strategy. Maybe they imagine that, by
omitting the tracking function, we are more likely to buy
the Oregon model plus European maps for $500+.
12) The menu navigation and display are cumbersome and
inflexible in many ways as noted in other reviews. The menu
system is cumbersome, requires lots of clicks ( but it is
also pretty easy.) To change the screen brightness from the
main navigation screen requires six clicks (plus the clicks
to adjust the brightness) and five to get back to the map.
The Magellan Meridian had eight different information
screens with highly configurable information. It is good to
have less important information invisible by default for the
majority of users who want to spend as little time as
possible with the GPS. But, an 'advanced' mode to turn
these on on the 270 would be a good addition.
Description of Garmin nüvi 270 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
The nüvi 270 is built with a high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 3.8 x 2.8 x .8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 5.2 ounces. The nüvi 270's 3.5-inch (diagonal) display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips.Amazon.com Product Description Navigate both North America and Europe without loading more maps with the affordable nüvi 270. This entry-level Personal Travel Assistant makes traveling so simple. For even more mapping options, nüvi 250 and nüvi 200 offer less map coverage at a lower price. Like all nüvi 200-series members, the 270 features an easy-to-use colorful touchscreen and ultra-slim design--perfect for everyday navigation.
 The nüvi 270 comes preloaded with maps for North America and Europe, and features an easy-to-use touchscreen and ultra-slim design. | |||||||||||
 Configurable vehicle icons let you select car-shaped graphics. |
 nüvi 270 accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger. |
The nüvi 270 is built with a high-sensitivity WAAS-enabled GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 3.8 x 2.8 x .8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 5.2 ounces. The nüvi 270's 3.5-inch (diagonal) display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use.
Navigate with Ease
nüvi 270 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, nüvi 270 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 270 features many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the map. Optional plug-in SD cards for our line of Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs.
Note: Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
What's in the Box
nüvi 270, preloaded City Navigator NT for North America and Europe (full coverage), vehicle suction cup mount, vehicle power cable, dashboard disk, and set up and go guide.
Device | Screen Size inches (W x H) | Included Maps | Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names) | Traffic | Bluetooth | Media | FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system) | Multi-Point Routing | Battery life (hours) | ||
Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico | AK and Canada | Europe | |||||||||
| nüvi 270 | 2.8 x 2.1 |  | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 5 | ||||
| nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | Photos | up to 5 | |||||
| nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
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