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The pocket-sized Garmin nüvi 255 gives you turn-by-turn voice directions with spoken street names and a large full-color touch-screen, so it’s easy to stay on course! The nüvi mounts quickly with the included suction cup mount and adhesive dash disk, and pops off with a gentle tug, so you can take it with you. The Li-ion battery lets you use nüvi to navigate on foot for up to 4 hours between charges, so you can let it lead the charge when you’re making sales calls, or out for a day of shopping conquest.
The unit ships with preloaded regional maps, and includes a huge database of Points of Interest (POI), like gas stations, restaurants, attractions and parks, and shopping. You can also use the Garmin’s Poi Loader software (free download) to install custom POI like traffic camera locations and school zones, and then set proximity alerts to warn you when you’re approaching one.
This Garmin also supports an FM traffic receiver (receiver and subscription sold separately) to help you avoid sitting in traffic jams. The Garmin nüvi 255 is a slick entry into the auto GPS market, at a great price!
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- 5
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- 72%
- 4
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- 28%
- 3
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- 0%
- 2
-
- 0%
- 1
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- 0%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
18 |
Exellent GPS .
- Pros: Terrific GPS.. exellent value for the price. I have owned other GPS's and by far this one aquires the signals the fastest, almost instantaniously. I have not lost the signal yet while driving thru New Jersey. I love the posted road speed limit, very accurate. You cannot go wrong with this unit.
- Cons: It would be nice to have an alarm when going over the speed limit. Not too crazy over the graphics display but otherwiser flawless.
Small, fairly precise & concise
- Pros: - Text-to-Speech (TTS)
- Adjustable, bright LCD
- Nice Avoidance options
- Clear, Loud voices
- Price
- Cons: - Not widescreen
- No bluetooth
- Picture support via microSD is lacking
- Other Thoughts: Upgrade from a Nuvi 205 to this model for the TTS feature. Loved the size and easy of use of the 205, and this is no different. No Bluetooth, but I knew that going in, so not a real downer
| Model | 010-00717-20 |
| Type | Portable Navigation Device |
| 3D View | Yes |
| Traffic Alert | Optional |
| Pre-loaded Map | Yes |
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- 5
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- 72%
- 4
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- 28%
- 3
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- 0%
- 2
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- 0%
- 1
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- 0%
| Product Rating: |
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| Total Reviews: |
18 |
Very, very convenient
- Pros: Fast at locking on satellites
Can send destinations to unit from google maps or mapquest with a plugin
Can add multiple via points en route to a final destination.
Good user support in forums.
Memory is expandible via 2Gig miniSD card
Had the latest 2010 maps.
Speed limits are visible at all times.
Points of Interest (POI) databases exist for free for red light cameras, speed traps, free internet hotspots, etc
- Cons: Routing is not as precise as I would have desired.
Routing is particularly weak coming into or out of parking lots.
New roads or road changes can throw it for a loop.
My battery life is not quite 4 hours
No usb to mini usb cable is included
Only car charger is included, but my Motorola AC cell phone charger with mini usb connection works for it perfectly.
Entering locations via the touchpad is time consuming
A computer really helps getting the most out of the unit.
- Other Thoughts: M 1st GPS. Being able to send destinations to it from google maps or mapquest is great. I downloaded a lot of free POI, especially the traffic ones. If this helps with one ticket, its gravy. Non advertised feature -- You can add multiple via points, i.e. locations you want to go to along the way.
The usb to mini usb cable is not included and should be, IMHO. My motorola cell phone charger works for charging it!
The routing seems to prefer keeping you on major roads. Routing to stores is imprecise, and has some difficulty in parking lots. It once told me a destination was on the wrong side of the road. Construction and road changes throw it for a loop even though some of the changes are a couple years old. Overall, I still really like it because it has helped me to get around some very confusing roads on Northern VA. Since using this, even if I or IT mess up a turn, it recovers quickly and helps get me there. Without a computer, I give it a 3 since the touchpad is so-
Great GPS
- Pros: Excellent Reception. Great Accuracy and fast. I had the nuvi 200 previously and recently switched to this. You can tell that this is significantly faster in calculations/recalculations. The TTS is really nice and convenient and lets you keep your eyes on the road. Although I'm not too fond of the American English voices that are included. The guy sounds like the old Mac voice and the woman just sounds angry. The speed limits displayed on the map is almost dead on accurate even on roads that changes the speed limit every few miles...which I found to be the most impressive thing on this nuvi.
- Cons: none
- Other Thoughts: You can't go wrong with Garmin both in quality and reliability.
Paid for itself on the first trip
- Pros: Quickly acquires satellites
Quickly recalculates if you miss a turn
Like the speedometer feature
Good value
Voice feature clear and understandable
- Cons: None yet
- Other Thoughts: This is my first GPS unit. We don't travel a lot so never really had a need. We just took a trip to Virginia from our home in Upstate NY and the wife thought we needed one. I compared a bunch of these units on the net and decided to go with the Nuvi 255 based on the positive reviews I had read. This unit was very helpful and I couldn't be more pleased with the way it worked.
| General |
| Brand |
GARMIN |
| Model |
nüvi 255 |
| Part# |
010-00717-20 |
| Type |
Portable Navigation Device |
| Dimensions |
| Height |
2.9" |
| Width |
3.9" |
| Depth |
0.8" |
| Weight |
5.2 oz. |
| GPS System |
| Receiver |
High-sensitivity receiver |
| Warm Acquisition Times |
1 sec |
| Cold Acquisition Times |
38 sec |
| 3D View |
Yes |
| Voice Guidance |
Yes |
| Audio Features |
Speaks street names |
| Text-To-Speech |
Yes |
| Built-in Speaker |
Yes |
| Traffic Alert |
FM traffic compatible
MSN Direct for U.S. compatible |
| Map |
| Basemap |
Yes |
| Pre-loaded Map |
Yes |
| Maps Included |
North America |
| Navigation |
| Waypoints |
1,000 |
| POI |
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest) |
| Routes |
Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation)
Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road)
Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.) |
| Memory |
| Support Memory Cards |
microSD |
| Display |
| Screen Size |
3.5" |
| Screen Format |
TFT |
| Touchscreen |
Yes |
| Display Resolution |
320 x 240 |
| Display Features |
QVGA color antiglare TFT with white backlight |
| Connections |
| PC InterFace Supported |
USB |
| DigitalPlayer |
| Digital Player |
Picture viewer |
| Supported Formats |
JPEG |
| Battery |
| Battery Type |
Lithium-Ion Rechargeable battery |
| Battery Life |
Up to 4 hours |
| Feature |
| GPS System Features |
MSN Direct for U.S. compatible
Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection)
Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos)
Garmin Garage (select car-shaped icons for map navigation)
World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator
Garmin Lock (anti-theft feature) |
| Manufacturer Warranty |
| Parts |
1 year limited |
| Labor |
90 days limited |
Introduction
The pocket-sized Garmin nüvi 255 gives you turn-by-turn voice directions with spoken street names and a large full-color touch-screen, so it’s easy to stay on course! The nüvi mounts quickly with the included suction cup mount and adhesive dash disk, and pops off with a gentle tug, so you can take it with you. The Li-ion battery lets you use nüvi to navigate on foot for up to 4 hours between charges, so you can let it lead the charge when you’re making sales calls, or out for a day of shopping conquest.
The unit ships with preloaded regional maps, and includes a huge database of Points of Interest (POI), like gas stations, restaurants, attractions and parks, and shopping. You can also use the Garmin’s Poi Loader software (free download) to install custom POI like traffic camera locations and school zones, and then set proximity alerts to warn you when you’re approaching one.
This Garmin also supports an FM traffic receiver (receiver and subscription sold separately) to help you avoid sitting in traffic jams. The Garmin nüvi 255 is a slick entry into the auto GPS market, at a great price!
Highlights
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3.5” Touch-screen Display
Simply touch and go - the brilliant 3.5-inch TFT color, touch-screen display puts navigation at your fingertips and with an impressive resolution of 320x240, the super-bright, white backlit screen provides incredible contrast and detailing even in direct sunlight.
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Get MSN Direct
The Garmin nüvi 255 provides access to enhanced dynamic content from MSN Direct including traffic conditions, fuel prices, weather reports, enhanced movie listings and local events (subscription and receiver required).
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Preloaded North America Maps
The Garmin nüvi 255 is preloaded with detailed City Navigator NT street maps for North America and contains a hefty points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, marinas, attractions and more, making it the ideal travel companion wherever you go.
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3D Map View
The Garmin nüvi 255 features a 3D map view mode that displays an uncluttered view of the road ahead, making your travel easier even in unfamiliar areas.
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Voice Guidance
The Garmin nüvi 255 delivers real-time voice navigation instructions, so you can focus on driving without the need to check the GPS’ screen for enhanced driving safety on the go.
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USB Port and microSD Card Expandability
Add more maps, street routing and POIs onto your microSD card! With the USB port, downloading data from your PC is a snap.
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Quick Specs
| Brand | GARMIN |
| Type | Portable Navigation Device |
| Screen Size | 3.5" |
| Receiver | High-sensitivity receiver |
| 3D View | Yes |
| Battery Life | 4 - 8 hours |
| Battery Type | Lithium-Ion Rechargeable battery |
| Built-in Speaker | Yes |
| Digital Player | Yes |
| Display Resolution | 320 x 240 |
| Support Memory Cards | microSD |
| Waypoints | 1,000 |
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Reviewed By: H20 on 11/18/2008
Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week
