Archive for August, 2009

Garmin nüvi 265WT GPS Navigator

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Garmin nüvi 265WT
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Manufacturer: Garmin
List Price: $349.99
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Product Description

Updating the popular 200 series, Garmin now offers a nüvi 265WT. Like it's predecessors, the 265WT is slim and light, making it portable from car to on foot. The 4.3 inch widescreen displays more of the road around you.


Garmin's nüvi 265WT comes with some exciting new features like Navteq traffic updates and Bluetooth cellphone connectivity. The traffic updates work right "out of the box" and are free for the life of the device. This feature alone is a huge cost savings over time. In addition to saving money, the 265WT will save you time. Detour around problem spots and avoid getting stuck in traffic tieups for smoother hassle free trips around town or away.


The new features aren't all. This device also incorporates enhancements made to the satellite technology giving users of the Garmin's nüvi 265WT a faster satellite lock than in earlier models.


Included with this device are complete maps for North America and a text to speech feature. This feature gives you turn by turn spoken directions with street names to make navigation easy. There are a number of other usefull tools on the 265WT like the JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.

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Garmin nüvi 265WT Details
  • Bright 4.3-inch diagonal color touchscreen; 480 x 272 pixels, WQVGA TFT display with white backlight
  • Sleek, ultra-thin design fits easily in pocket
  • Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT
  • Supports Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling when paired with Bluetooth-enabled cell phones
  • NOTE: Model number on the box is 265WT because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 265W as the "T" in 265WT refers to the additional component

Garmin nüvi 265WT Video Reviews
Garmin Nuvi 265WT GPS

Garmin nüvi 265WT Customer Reviews
Best GPS I have ever Owned
 
I have owned quite a few GPS units all including Phone, Laptop and Dedicated. Flat out before I even get started the Garmin Nuvi 265WT is the best I have ever owned. Let me just make a couple of comments on the most important features.

Touch Screen Interface
Very intuitive and easy to use. Touch screen is responsive but not instantaneous. What I particularly like is the ability to switch to a top down view by touching the screen. Once done you can use your finger to drag the map around at any zoom point. Once done you can hit the back button and resume your 3D view.

Turn by Turn
You have two options here. You can use one of the Text to Speech voices or one of natural voices. The text to speech voices will give you more information such as street names. This is what I use and even though you can tell it's a computer generated voice its quality is superb. The 265WT does a good job at keeping you updated. Also at any time you can hit the turn Icon and it will speak the distance to the next turn, giving you street name as well as direction. The audio is quite loud and in my noisy little Scion I have no problem hearing the messages.

Maps
I have found the map accuracy quite good. I live in Northern virginal and it seems to be very well updated as many of the very new streets included.

Automatic Routing
Very effective. You can choose between the quickest or the shortest with options to avoid U-Turns, Highways, Toll Roads, Traffic, Ferries. The automatic rerouting is faster than my TeleNav phone and my Laptop computers.

Points of Interest
On my TeleNav phone GPS system I can enter any business in the national database and I can get directions, address and phone number. This is where the 265WT falls short. The TeleNav system has the advantage of searching online. Since the 265WT is limited to onboard memory there is a limit to the number of points of interest. A good example is I was looking for "Off Broadway Shoes" and the unit could not find them. However a search for "Payless Shoes" worked very well.

Traffic Alerts
The lifetime free traffic comes at a price. You will get popup adds. These are very small popups that supposedly only come when you are in the menu. This is not true. I have gotten them while in the navigation screen. For now they it seems to be once per trip but there is nothing to say they wont start getting more frequent. The other thing I don't like about the messages is that you have to hit them to continue and doing so takes you out of the nav screen to a kind of favorites screen. You have to hit the back button to get back to your navigations screen.
How well does the traffic system work. I live in Northern VA and have coverage throughout my area. The included radio fails to pick up a single signal without using an external antenna. Sadly you can just go down and purchase an FM antenna.. The Power cable has a 3/32" jack. What I did was to pick up a 3/32" plug from Radio Shack and soldered a 4' wire to the tip pin on the connector. Once draped out one of the windows I get very frequent traffic updates.
Once you start getting traffic reports I found them to be accurate and they do help. You can automatically avoid high traffic arias or do it manually as they accrue.
I am still debating if the popup adds are worth the effort.

Bluetooth Integration
This is my favorite feature. I can keep my keyboard locked Motorola Q in my pants pocket and use my 265WT to make and receive all my calls at a touch of a button. All my phone features are available on the 265WT. Phonebook, Call history, Voice Recognition. The voice quality is quite acceptable on both ends. As a matter of fact the echo I get on my Motorola is not there when using the 265WT as a hands free set.

Picture Viewer
I found this to be a very useless feature. If the photos are very big it takes forever for the 265WT to load them. This may be due to the slow access to the SD card slot.

There are other features like the ability to connect the 265WT to your PC and automatically add favorite locations using GoogleMaps. All in all I am very happy with my purchase and would purchase it again.

FYI the Nuvi 265WT is the same unit as the Nuvi 255W without the Bluetooth ability and the FM reliever cable (GTM 25). You can even purchase the GTM 25 from Garmin. If you don't want the Bluetooth feature and don't currently need the traffic feature you can pick up the Nuvi 255W cheaper.
Impressed!
 
After doing extensive research I decided on this unit. Mainly because the 265wt is one of their newer NUVI products and it had the features I was looking for. If you look at the sites that have reviews on the 265wt, most are from nov/2008. I think this unit was released about 6 months ago. Anyway, here's my opinion on some of the key features of the 255WT.

1. Windsheild mount - works great. The suction cup is very high quality and I have no concerns that it will accidentally detach from the windsheild. I love the swivel capabilites and it allows you a perfect view no matter where you put it.

2. Satellite aquisition time - incredible! once you perform the initial aquistion, you are set. Now when I turn the on it's ready to go in usually under 3 seconds. Awesome!

3. Map directions and screen - wonderful. The GPS unit so far has given me perfect directions and the re-route capability works flawlessly. The screen is clear, bright and easy to navigate.

4. Free traffic alerts - works as described. I love this feature and I hardly saw any ads.

5. Bluetooth - giddy up! I had my Motorola KZR1 synched up in about 15 seconds. Easy to use and sure makes talking on the phone alot more enjoyable when driving. I've had conversations with multiple people and they could hear me fine. One cool thing is if your phone has voice dialing; because it allows you do it through the GPS unit. Also, all my contacts show up (even with multiple phone #'s).

6. And finally...the internal speaker. If you researched the 265WT like I've done you'll see ALOT of people complaining that the speaker is too quiet to hear anything. That was a big concern of mine but I felt I would give the unit a try and if it was that bad then I would return it. My thoughts on the speaker are this. The speaker size/quality could and probably should be improved. It's a cheapy speaker...BUT...I CAN hear the directions perfectly fine and can here the other person talking to me when using the bluetooth phone capability. Side notes: You HAVE to turn down your radio if you want to be able to hear it. Also, I was driving with the windows closed (it's friggin winter), so I cannot say how well you'd be able to hear the directions/phone with your windows rolled all the way down.

Bottom line - it has met or exceeded all of my expectations! I bought it on the day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday) and I got an incredible deal! $199.99 with free shipping, no tax, and got %50 off a $25 case logic travel case. I would have spent an extra $150 if I would have bought the same unit from a local retailer.

Finally if your in the market to buy any GPS my suggestion is wait until it gets closer to X-mas and see if the price drops. I'm guessing they'll do it again. I was fortunate to get it when I did and hence saved a nice chunk of change.

Hope this helped!
Better than a Nuvi 760
 
Before I decided to buy this Nuvi 265wt model, I had bought the Nuvi 760 model on Black Friday. The 760 model was okay at best. I had it for about three weeks until I realized that the upper right hand corner would not respond until after pressing that corner at least five times. So I decided to return the Garmin and I was thinking about getting a tomtom or magellan. But then I saw the 265wt on sale for $200 and I decided, since I bought the 760 for $250, maybe I could save money and just give Garmin one last try...As soon as I opened the 265wt, I fell in love with it!

The 265wt FAR OUTWEIGHS the Nuvi 760 by a mile! The screen refresh rate on the 265wt is much better, the satellite locks on faster, the colors are brighter in my opinion (and yes, they were at the same brightness level!), and the free traffic is so much better on the 265wt. With the 760, I had free MSN Traffic for three months and comparing that with the 265wt traffic, they are exactly the same. Except with the 760, you have to pay a yearly subscription. Furthermore, with the 265wt, you can custom load POI's (Points of Interest) and so I have loaded mine with all the locations of In-N-Out Burger and Rudy's BBQ in America, which is awesome. They also have Custom POI's which show you where speed camera's and red light camera's are, if that's your kind of thing. But I'm a law abiding Texan, so I never mess with Texas and that kind of illegal stuff...

The only thing that the 760 had that the 265wt doesn't have is mp3/audiobook and the FM Transmitter with audio jack.
About the FM Transmitter - it was a cool feature but it wasn't practical because in Dallas, where I live, there are thousands of radio stations. There are hardly any open radio stations. You think there's an open one, but then all of a sudden, you hear the voice of a person speaking a different language (must have been Chinese Talk Radio) or you hear a Mariachi Band playing. Then you go one decimal point higher, and there's the Hip-Hop Station. With so much static in Dallas, the MP3/Audiobook Player really becomes useless...

The only time I was able to use the transmitter without static was when I took a trip up to Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, there isn't much radio stations as there are only cows and fields in Oklahoma. I finally was able to put the 760 to the true test of using the MP3 player. However, what I found really dissappointing was that as I was listening to Richard P. Feynman's Audiobook, "The Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics: The 1986 Dirac Memorial Lectures", I fell asleep on I35 and almost got into a car crash near Oklahoma City. It was then I realized that the Nuvi 760's MP3/Audiobook player was more of a driving hazzard than a helpful tool to get me safely to Norman, OK where I needed to go.

Therefore, HANDS DOWN the 265wt is not only a better GPS than the Nuvi 760, but it's also a FAR SAFER GPS!!! If you want MP3's or Music without static, get an Ipod and connect it to your car. It's far better...
Well worth the price of admission
 
I have had the 265wt for a couple of weeks now. I try not to buy gadgets or toys unless I can get a lot of use out of them, this one I use every day. I don't have much experience with other GPS's other than a friend's TomTom but I can offer some insight from just a regular guy.

The TomTom was fun but when I did my research there were a few features that seemed better on this Garmin, most notably "free traffic" which I will discus in a minute.

Navigation
On the first day I took it out we went to my niece's house. I had been there before but was not entirely familiar with the area. On the way there it took me exactly as I had gone before when I used MapQuest. On the way home it told me to drive northeast about 1.1 miles to catch a different highway when I was actually trying to go southeast. Needless to say I ignored the advice. After about five minutes it was clear that I should have listened and my wife and son made some unwarranted comments about how I always think I know better. Forty-five minutes later, rather than twenty-five, we pulled into the driveway and the abuse came to an end. If you get a GPS, keep an open mind about where it tells you to go.

It seems like the Tom-Tom was a little more intuitive about addresses when I was keying them in but the Garmin was easy enough. It helps to know the city you are going to.

The screen on the map has tons of information including speed limit signs and I love the speed limit signs.

Free Traffic
I had to go to my uncle's funeral in some podunk Missouri town. The navigation on the way there was perfect and it took me right to the Funeral Home. On the way home there was one of those rainstorms where you know you should pull off but visibility was so low the next guy would probably just run into the back of you. So it is white knuckle time and about 20 minutes into it the traffic icon changes and shows a one minute delay. About a minute later a little blip shows up on the road ahead of me. As I got closer to the symbol the road went down to one lane and as I cleared the crest of the hill there was a Police car on the shoulder and a car that had slid off the road. It was nice to get the heads up given the road conditions and surprising because I was almost an hour and a half away from St. Louis.

In daily conditions I can't say there is anything too surprising. So far it is just heavy traffic in all the usual places and the unit always shows a delay of some type when I go back and forth to work. I will say it is nice to get an ETA based on the traffic delays.

TTS/Sound
Text-to-Speech is good; the words can be a little strange when you use some of the different dialects. Sound for directions is plenty good. I only have it at sixty percent because after that it interferes with my music. If you need to hear the directions you are going to have to turn the music down a little anyway.

Bluetooth
I didn't really have high expectations for Bluetooth. I already own a Jabra that sits on my visor. The Bluetooth on the Garmin is actually better than the Jabra but sound is still a little too weak for a phone. This feature was about a good as I would have expected.

Overall this was well worth the $250 I paid for it. The traffic was the dealmaker for me and the ads are not an issue at all. They only take up a incredibly small portion of the screen and just go away on their own.
Great GPS with advanced functionality
 
The 265WT is (literally) THE way to go! It's an easy-to-use GPS. It has voice turn-by-turn instructions (including street names), free FM traffic for life!, and hands-free Bluetooth capability. The graphics are great too. The antenna is built in and very sensitive.

The FM traffic is a great feature, and unlike other models, it's free for life with the 265WT. While commuting, I can easily see where traffic is congested or stopped, and my Nuvi 265WT routes me around it. Isn't technology great!

For the price (purchased on Amazon <$300), the 265WT is a great value considering the advanced functionality. I can't think of a better GPS with all of the features I need and will frequrently use. The hands-free Bluetooth speaker quality is okay, but not great.

Note: Like all Nuvi's, the 265WT is fairly intuitive to use, so you won't need a printed manual. You can download a PDF manual from the Garmin website. Garmin saves lots of paper annually by not including a printed manual with the unit. Way to go Garmin!
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Garmin nüvi 780 GPS Navigator

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Garmin nüvi 780
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Manufacturer: Garmin
List Price: $699.99
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Product Description

The Garmin nüvi 780 GPS is an excellent value in GPS navigators. This device makes a perfect navigator for casual drivers, yet is is feature rich and reliable enough for business users as well. Like all 700 series Garmin nüvi's, nüvi 780 comes with Garmin's own fast satellite locking technology and is backed by the excellent reputation of the Garmin brand.


The Garmin nüvi 780 is slim in design with a well crafted display and easy to use interface. The 4.3 inch wide touchscreen is anti-glare and even automatically changes it's color profile depending on the lighting. You have the option of 2D and 3D perspectives.


There are over 6 million points of interest already programmed in to the detailed NAVTEQ maps for the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Easily find parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. and more nearby. Spoken directions with real street names make the nuvi 720 the perfect co-pilot.


How about Hands Free calling? The Garmin nüvi 780's got that too! With the included Bluetooth capability, your car's speaker system and the 780's built in microphone transform this GPS in to a fully functional hands free kit. Never have to take your hands away from the wheel with this convent safety feature.


All in all, the Garmin nüvi 780 is a device that is packed with features and extra's. Especially with the current sale price (Click Here), this GPS navigator is a very smart buy and an excellent choice in GPS.

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Garmin nüvi 780 Details
  • GPS navigator preloaded with City Navigator North America NT
  • 4.3-inch diagonal touchscreen display with 2D/3D mapping perspective
  • Turn-by-turn directions with Voice Guidance/Text-to-Speech feature
  • Includes MSN Direct receiver with Version 2
  • Weighs just 1.8 pounds and measure 0.8 x 4.8 x 2.8 inches (W x L x H)

Garmin nüvi 780 Video Reviews
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TomTom GO 720 Portable GPS Navigator

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TomTom GO 720 Portable GPS
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Manufacturer: TomTom
List Price: $449.95
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Product Description

The TomTom GO 720 GPS is a new advancement in GPS navigation, brought to you by one of the most trusted names in GPS devices. This 4.3 inch widescreen color GPS is small and slim in design. It is easily portable from the car to in your pocket or purse for on the go. Basic navigation features and a bunch of great extra's make the TomTom GO 720 an excellent value for the money.


For those who enjoy simplicity, you will be pleased to know that the TomTom GO 720 GPS works right out of the box with no complicated setup or configuration necessary. It ships with pre-installed maps for North America (USA & Canada). There is also the ability to access live traffic information as well as a host of personalization options available. Never worry again about having out of date maps - the TomTom GO 720 gives you access to TomTom's home service where you can connect the unit to your computer and download free software upgrades and new maps over the internet.


The display on the TomTom GO 720 is a wide 4.3 inch touchscreen with anti-glare technology for easy viewing, even in sunlight. High quality 3D graphics and clear data display make the device easy to use. The TomTom GO 720 also features spoken driving instructions in multiple languages. Route calculation and recalculation is very fast, making it easy to get where you are going without fail.


The GO 720 ships Bluetooth ready and doubles as a hands-free kit. There is dual microphone support and a built in speaker to take and make calls on the go. With extra safety features such as automatic call pickup, you can concentrate on driving and get safely where you are going. There is even an optional speeding alert feature to help you avoid costly tickets.


Other features of the TomTom GO 720 include an MP3 player, FM Transmitter, millions of POI's (points of interest), document viewer, photo viewer & more! For even more options, consider adding the TomTom Plus Services which will give you access to current weather and road conditions as well as enhanced traffic data and MapShare Technology.

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TomTom GO 720 Portable GPS Details
  • Stylish and lightweight pocket-sized design; preloaded with complete US and Canada maps and millions of POIs
  • Spoken directions with real street names; 4.3-inch touchscreen with TomTom's award-winning navigation
  • Bluetooth for hands-free calling via your cell phone; real-time traffic and weather via TMC or TomTom Plus
  • MapShare technology--make your own map changes and download verified updates from the entire TomTom user community
  • MP3 player and photo viewer; integrated FM transmitter gives directions and plays music through your car stereo system

TomTom GO 720 Portable GPS Video Reviews
TomTom GO 720

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Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS & Heart Rate Monitor

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Garmin Forerunner 305
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Manufacturer: Garmin
List Price: $299.99
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Product Description

Outdoor athletes and runners will love the features and benefits of the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS unit. With instant access to real time information on speed, distance, heart rate and more it is a wearable information hub that will help you train smarter and more effectively.


The Forerunner 305 is easy to use and features a large, clear and easily read display. Slightly bigger than a sports watch, this device is more of a training tool than a time piece or even a GPS unit (although you get those benefits too). With a high-sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver, the Forerunner 305 can track your location and help with mapping and routing. A simple map shows your location and any places ("waypoints") you have told it to find. When running in unfamiliar places, this feature can help you easily determine your location and get where you are going.


Of course, the Garmin Forerunner 305 was designed with training in mind. There are a number of useful data types that you can get information from in real time and the simplicity of the unit makes it a natural part of your exercise routine. You can learn all about your calories burned, distance, elevation, grade, and heading, heart rate and more. All of this information can also be tracked by the device for later download to a computer log.


Aside from simple tracking, the Forerunner 305 also has workouts available to help you train. You can select from Quick Workouts, Interval, and Advanced Workouts. If you are the competitive type, take advantage of the "virtual partner" function to compete with digital running or biking companions.


With the sheer amount of data available, you will be happy to know that the Garmin Foreunner 305 is very customizable. You can determine which information to show so that what is important to you is just a glance away. Using the unit is intuitive and the simple button interface makes it easy to access all of the features.


This unit comes with a docking cradle and mini usb port for connection to your computer. Once on the computer, you can save your logs and use the included Training Center software to chart your progress and fitness goals.

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Garmin Forerunner 305 Details
  • High-Sensitivity, Watch-Like GPS Receiver That Provides Exceptional Signal Reception
  • 1 Piece Training Assistant That Provides Athletes With Precise Speed, Distance & Pace Data
  • Includes Training Center Software, Which Allows Users To Download Workout Data For A Detailed Analysis
  • Used For Multiple Sports Such As Cycling, Cross- Country Skiing & Windsurfing
  • Data Acquired May Also Be Analyzed With Motionbased, Which Provides Online Mapping & Route Sharing

Garmin Forerunner 305 Video Reviews
Garmin Forerunner 305

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