Garmin nüvi 275/275T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
by Garmin
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Category: GPS or Navigation System
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: GarminBrand: Garmin
Edition: Electronics
Model: 010-00576-00
Publisher: Garmin
Studio: Garmin
Music Label: Garmin
Product features:
- Bright, 3.5-inch diagonal color QVGA TFT touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixels and white backlight
- Sleek, ultra-thin design fits easily in pocket
- Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT and Europe NT
- Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 275T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 275 as the "T" in 275T refers to the additional component
- NAVGEAR Universal Dash Mount
- Garmin 3.5-Inch Carrying Case
- Garmin Vehicle Suction Cup Mount
- Garmin AC Charger and International Adapter Set
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 275/275T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
Customer Review: Still a Great Traveling Companion!
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE: I've owned this little unit for over a year now and let me say that I can't imagine driving without it. While on a recent trip, I designated it as one of the "five things" I wouldn't give up after it saved my bacon yet again. Literally, it has become as steady and reliable a companion as my cell phone. I don't drive anywhere without it -- and turn to it over and over for trip planning. It really has made picking up maps at AAA obsolete.
Today, after a rigorous and unrelenting year-and-a-half of use, I'd give it a solid four-and-a-half stars.
Also, I can now sharpen a few of my initial impressions. I have used it in pedestrian mode, on trains and on busses, at home and in far-flung locations. I to this day still play with it like a Gameboy, exploring favorite cities across the country, armchair traveling, adding recommendations from friends, guide books, Westways Magazine and the New York Times. Then, when I arrive somewhere, I have a lot of new "favorites" pre-programmed to try out! It's simply amazing.
As for any glaring weakness, the first that comes to mind is still this: it can't guide me out of those darned shopping plazas to save its life. If I enter a strip mall, it doesn't re-orientate in a particularly helpful way from that exact spot on the grid, allowing me to exit and resume the correct path. (But the same solution still applies, heading off in any ol' direction and allowing the unit to recalibrate. Within a few seconds, it will adjust and get me headed where I need to go.)
Sometimes it will tell me that my destination is on the "left" when it is actually on the "right." Geographical locations can vary from addresses by a few feet or a couple hundred yards.
But these seem pretty minor to me overall. They've never prevented me from getting where I intended. (I'm reaching to find something to knock it for because the upsides are so plentiful and overwhelming!)
I've had ZERO problems with satellites outside of Boston and multiple-story parking structures. ZERO problems with battery life. ZERO problems with navigational issues while on the road.
Some later models have a feature called "junction view" which I wish mine had. As noted below, there have been a few instances where advanced lane designation could have come in handy. But these would be icing on the cake, much like having a widescreen when a small screen gets the job done just fine. Plus, it makes it a lot more practical to carry around. While traveling, I like to keep it on my pocket or take it into the motel room and scope out the road ahead!
Crucial things like announcing upcoming turns in a timely fashion, fluent street-name recognition, uncanny real-time delay updates -- these have all been stellar. On a drive in downtown Los Angeles just last night, it anticipated pockets of freeway congestion that allowed me to prepare well in advance. It even told me the cause, whether it was an accident or road construction; time and again, conditions actually matched what the unit indicated, though often the scene would be clearing by the time I got there. But in the case of a particularly bad jam, the AVOID button on the special traffic screen can be worth the price of the unit by itself!
I have compared my model head-to-head with others, just because I'm a bit of a map dork. I have found this Garmin to be a wizard at estimating my time of arrival, at choosing the best routes, avoiding toll roads (you can designate route preferences) and in finding ready alternatives. Trust me, while driving to events in LA on some of the most notorious freeways in America, you quickly learn whether this thing knows what it's doing.
The Bluetooth functionality quickly becomes essential -- and a deal breaker compared with lesser units. Being able to call directly through your Garmin's cell link essentially makes it an international 411 directory for just about anything you can imagine. How many times have I looked up a number on the road, found a store, a fast food location, a motel, a gas station and been able to call immediately for hours and availability? I even use it around the house to look up a number when I don't feel like going online, want to create a family "conference call" or get put on hold for an extended period.
Because of this unit, I now consider myself a "Garmin guy," stopping people in warehouse stores and recommending this brand above its many rivals. I've converted my extended family and become the person they call from the road when they can't figure out how to work one of the gizmo's many functions out in the real world.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely! But I would also buy the Garmin lifetime map feature, which allows you free map upgrades for the life of the unit. There are are few times when I've arrived at a "destination" that is no longer there...
For my next update, I'm hoping to give it an extensive test in Europe. Just having that ability is a bit like keeping a passport handy. It makes the dream seem that much closer to reality!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I'm giving this Garmin five stars, not because it's perfect, but because it's perfect in what it does. And also to partially compensate for the ones and twos which tend to throw people off track. While there can be no pleasing everyone in matters of personal taste, this GPS deserves all the accolades I can provide.
I call it a traveling companion and judge it accordingly. In fact, I waited until completing an arduous East coast leg of the recent U2360 tour to base my review on. We bought this bad boy specifically for that occasion. From Cape Cod to Washington DC, I'd be putting over 1500 miles on our rental cars within the span of twelve days over roads I had never driven before. We agreed before hand that we'd either love it or hate it by the time we returned home. And by then we should know it for all its strengths and faults.
What I LOVED about it was the ability to take it with me into our hotel room each night so I could plot and plan the next day's journey.
Portability is a key feature for me, though some people may wonder if the screen size is big enough in this age of bigger is better. Depends what your primary concerns are, I guess. This fella you can carry around with you like a cell phone! In fact, I often ended up taking it with me into concerts, just so I could play with it in the long lines before shows.
I like it that much. In fact, I call it my GameBoy, in part because I'm addicted to maps. And Garmin, for those of you who love maps too, is map-centric, which not all GPS units are. What I mean is that you can zoom in and zoom out like you can with Google from a distance that includes the entire United States down to a street corner. I LOVE creating a route and then focusing in on the destination so I can see what's around it. This can be a handy research tool for writers. I'm amazed at all the uses I keep coming up with.
Which reminds me, the bluetooth feature is NOT some frivolous add-on you might need on occasion. I use it ALL the time. It's one of those whizbang features you'll wonder how you ever got along without. The darn unit becomes a living-breathing phone book with call-through ability. Think about that. You can look up Costco or a pizza place in some faraway land and the number will pop up with it. With your cell phone nearby, you just touch the Garmin and you're connectetd! That's way, way cool. A lifesaver.
I could go on and on. But what you really want to know is, tell me more about the specific features with this unit. How well do they work? What about satellite aquisition? What DIDN'T you like about it on your trip?
Let's see:
Satellite aquisition was marvelous everywhere but Boston. Don't ask me why. It may have been the tall buildings. It may have been because I was curious and turned the unit on when we were still in the plane over Massachusetts. I wanted to see if it could track us in the air... For those scoring at home, it could not. :(
Since our trip started in Boston, I was paranoid the maps would be locked on LAX for the duration. Not cool considering I had preprogrammed all our hotels and concert venues into the unit ahead of time. (This Garmin allows for Google map integration, but I haven't needed to do this so far.) If I had to resort to AAA maps, I would have been one unhappy camper! But when we picked up our rental car in Saugus, the maps popped up and we were saved.
I have two issues with this Garmin that may be addressed with other models:
1) Exiting malls, minimalls and stripmalls, I can never get a bearing on which way to head out. "Please drive to highlighted route" sounds great, until I try and figure out which way is intended. I've learned to strike out in any ol' direction and wait for "Recalcuating" to kick in.
2) Highway Lane Splits. We bought my wife model 765t because everyone in our family now owns a Garmin and I got to try out my aunt's side-by-side with mine. Lane assist appears to be a godsend -- because there were a few hairy moments on our trip when highways would split and I assumed I was okay and then ended up heading for New Jersey. (Always New Jersey). That's because you'll get directions such as, "Take exit, on right, then bear left" which sounds simple but turns out not precisely true. A time or two the arrow pointed one way and the voice told me something different. I'm assuming lane assist would resolve these issues. (I'll write a review for that once I've convinced my wife I won't hijack hers.)
So why five stars? Well, I wasn't expecting perfection in the first place. I'm accustomed to driving in hairy places without any assistance at all. And time after time, Garmin did utterly fantastic. We even had a refrain in our car that went, "Garmin saves the day again."
Oh, and the traffic function for me worked amazingly well. I'd be driving along and up would pop the signal that there was a delay ahead. Even once, after returning home, when we were in line for yet another U2 show in Las Vegas, the line snaking into Sam Boyd went on forever. I dared to hit "detour" to see what would happen. Aside from giving my wife a near heart attack, it sent us down some backroads which cut the time at least in half.
I've had a blast with this thing. I use it all the time now, even around home because a) I love maps no matter where I am 2) I've come to depend on the speed limit indicators that have kept me from getting tickets 3)It's the best bluetooth device I've ever used! My phone calls are crystal clear and the range is terrific. My phone lies sequestered in a case in my pocket, yet the whole phone directory pops up with the simple touch of a button. Brilliant!
Pedestrian mode has worked just fine for me as well. The issue with addresses in malls (see above) can come into play at times, when you want to find a specific storefront. But it works fantastic if you want to locate your car in a parking lot. Just set it to "offroad" mode and hit the icon on your current map and say "save setting". It will then bring you back to the exact location, even someplace like Soldier Field (I love you, Chicago) or Fenway Park (go Sox!).
So while it isn't faultless, it has become irreplaceable, and thus the five stars. As to the European maps, I can only dream for now, virtually paying visits to Paris. When you think about it, that's kinda cool too though. Pull up Berlin or Dublin, drop in on Windmill Lane or Zoo Station!
Lookout, baby -- grab the Garmin. There's another U2 tour a-comin...
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