Garmin nüvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
Our Price: $159.00
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $49.99 (click here)
Category: GPS or Navigation System
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Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: GarminBrand: Garmin
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language)
Model: Nuvi 255
Color: Black
Publisher: Garmin
Studio: Garmin
Music Label: Garmin
Product features:
- 3.5-inch Touch Screen Navigation with Turn by Turn spoken Directions
- Pre-loaded Maps for all North America, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with 6.5 million searchable points of interest
- FM Traffic or MSN Direct Traffic/Content compatible (with optional GDB 55 receiver)
- Easy to Use Interface; slim, pocket-sized form factor; 4-hour rechargeable battery; Vehicle power cable included;
- Automatically Adjusts Your Time Zone While Navigating
- Bracketron PHV-200-BL Grip-iT Mobile Device Holder (Black)
- Bracketron UFM-300-BX Nav-Pack Weighted GPS Dash Mount/Carrying Case
- Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad
- Case Logic GPSS-4 Professional GPS Travel Kit (Dark Blue)
- Case Logic GPSP-4 Professional GPS Case for 3.5- and 4.3-Inch GPS Navigators
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Great entry level GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
My love affair with GPSes.
I owned a nuvi 200 3.5" GPS, which worked perfectly well. My GPS mainly functions as a paper map substitute. I don't use any of the other features, like Points of Interest, traffic reports, photos, currency converter.
A new series!
I considered upgrading when I found out Garmin redesigned some of the screens on the 2x5 units. I was tossed between the nüvi 205 or nüvi 255. The 255 has spoken street names. I didn't want the Wide versions, because I heard those don't show more map area; they're just the same amount of map stretched on a larger screen. The 3.5 screen is plenty big for me, and small enough to be conveniently portable in a bag or a pocket.
Reconditioned snobbery.
I bought a factory reconditioned nuvi 255 for the price of a new 205. If it weren't for the white box (the new units come in a black box), I could not tell the reconditioned unit apart from a new one. It was pristine and worked perfectly, and came with the normal accessories. Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to buy another Garmin reconditioned item.
The new screen interfaces are a nice improvement over the old one. Go to Youtube and check out some side by side comparisons, if you're interested.
Things that seemed to improve from the 2x0 to the 2x5 models:
- 255 fixed on satellites much easier indoors. The 200 used to not find satellites when I turned it on inside the house.
- 255 satellite acquisition time is much faster, within 10 seconds. The 200 used to take upwards of a few minutes.
Features I like:
- I thought I wouldn't need it, but having spoken street names is nice.
- "where am I" feature shows me my long/lat and nearest emergency services.
- Garmin Garage. Free download from Garmin. It's a stupid cutesy thing, but I can modify the little vehicle to one that suits my mood.
Features I don't care for:
- There is no quick mute button. It takes at least three taps to mute sound.
- I can modify a path, by adding a waypoint, but I can't easily force it to take the road I want.
- On the 200 it was "Where To" - "Favorites". On the 255, Favorites got demoted to the next screen, and needs an extra tap. It would be nice if I could change the order of my frequently used functions.
Features I don't use/don't need:
- music
- bluetooth
- traffic reports
- maps outside of North America. I'm not a jetsetter.
- currency calculator
- Ecoroute
Feature I would like, if I won the lottery:
- Lane assist, it's in the spendy nuvi models.
One free map update.
I bought this reconditioned unit in 10/2009. It came with map version North America NT 2010.10. I downloaded their program then loaded the unit with the new map. My update to the latest version NT 2010.20 took about 1.5 hours total, and not several overnight hours I've read about. Maybe mileage varies with internet connection speed.
Neoprene case.
This isn't a review of the unit, but I thought I'd throw this in to help anyone looking for a suitable case. Ever since my first nuvi, I've searched for a proper fitting neoprene case. Garmin's official case is leather, open on one side, and spendy. This camera case fits just right.
Dolica SM-98305BK sold at the big O for $4.99 plus shipping. Internal dimensions are 4.1"x3"x0.8". External dimensions are 4.6" x 3.3" x 1.45". This will fit all of the 3.5" 2xx and 3xx series nuvis.
Mount.
I don't know anyone who owns a Garmin, use the sticky disk supplied in the package. Sticking the disk permanently to my dash is out of the question. I recommend the HandStands Sticky Pad GPS Dash Mount. Sleek, low profile and moveable.
Description of Garmin nüvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
3.5" Active Matrix TFT Color LCDFor peace of mind on the go, nüvi 255 leads the way with voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions that speak street names and optional MSN® Direct to get you there on time and keep you informed. It's packed with millions of destinations and maps for North America or Europe. Like the rest of the compact nüvi 2x5-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.
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Navigate With Ease
nüvi 255 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. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map redraw rates as you navigate. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. In addition, nüvi 255 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. With HotFix® satellite prediction, nüvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker.
Take It With You
Like the rest of the nüvi 2x5-series, nüvi 255 sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot. With its "Where Am I?" emergency locator, you always know your location. Simply tap the screen to get your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations.
Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 255 includes many travel tools, including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. With photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect? Photos and navigate to them. The 255 is compatible with our free Garmin Garage? where you can download animated vehicles that show your location on the map. It also comes with Garmin Lock?, an anti-theft feature. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions.
Compare all Garmin nüvis
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All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.
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