Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Spent a weekend reviewing various GPS devices to replace my less than 1 year old Mio C320 (avoid these like the plague) that had its battery die about 4 months after purchase. Went back and forth along the entire line of Garmin devices, and finally settled on this one for the blue tooth and traffic, neither of which I'll probably hardly ever use, but nice to have when I want them.
I was disappointed with the map, the "new" 2009 one, because I have some streets in my neighborhood that have been around for over four years and they're not to be found on this unit. Even the piece of junk cheap Mio had these streets.
But that's about the only downside there is to it, the only reason I haven't given it 5 stars.
Having been used to the MIO, and the horrible refresh rate, it is a pleasant change to see smooth scrolling as my vehicle moves. The ability to change the car icon is nice, especially with the plethora of icons available on the garmin website.
Accuracy is very good as well, and even in turns the unit isn't so laggy that it becomes annoying. And also unlike what I was used to with the MIO, when I come to a stop at the intersection, the map doesn't start rotating randomly on me.
Speaker is about as I expected, won't hear much over a loud stereo but crank it up enough you can at least hear it if you keep the music down a bit.
The option to easily download voices is also appreciated.
It did well with my testing of going point to point, following the instructions, and for the most part you're given the instructions in plenty of time. only once or twice did it not tell me "turn right on such and such" until I was about 20 feet from the street, but that was when I was coming up on stop signs and had slowed down, so it may be compensating for the speed factor.
Recalculation notice is a bit annoying, my MIO would say it once, sometimes this says it three times before it starts to display the alternate route.
Still has about 900MB free on the internal memory for additional voices, icons, maps, and such, and with the SD slot there's plenty of room to grow.
I have a Verizon XV6900 phone with Windows Mobile 6.1, and while the bluetooth paired well and it can see the phone status, battery power, signal, even dialed and missed call lists, it never does get the phonebook. it gets a random entry and that's it - so whenever I turn it on, I have just one user to select from, and it's different each time. Still haven't tracked that one down yet. But every other bluetooth option worked just fine.
I'm not a fan of the very thick double power cable for it though, and it would be doubly annoying (no pun intended) if I were mounting this somewhere higher up on the window to have that double cable dangling down.
I can see how the ads would get annoying sometimes (the free traffic is because it is advertising driven) but you don't get them at all if you turn off the traffic feature, and since most of my driving isn't around times that traffic is a concern, i can just leave it for when I really have a use for it.
Good response to finger input, and while the unit is overall much better quality than the MIO, I really do miss the MIO's ability to have an info pane down the last third of the screen and the map on the first two thirds of it when desired. But there's some of that info available in the data bubbles on the bottom and top so I'll survive.
Overall happy with the unit, it works well and was worth the cost.

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LG LN790 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this GPS from TigerDirect, and was aware that LG would not make or support these units anymore. I downloaded all available maps soon after I bought the device, and was able to put North American map on a 2GB SD card. The map took over 3/4 of the space on my card, so there was not much else room for pictures or music. I still haven't used the bluetooth feature, but am looking for ways I can update its map. The version of map that I have is from 2008 and there are some places, this device gets us lost.

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Garmin nüvi 1390/1390T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic & Lifetime Map Updates Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my second GPS from Garmin. Both have been for automobile use. The first was a Garmin StreetPilot 2610, which I have had for about 8 years. While not completely dead yet, after roasting under 8 summer suns and freezing through 8 cold winters, it has finally started to present intermittent screen display problems. Not wanting to get caught without a working GPS, I purchased this unit. I originally was leaning toward the 1350T, but opted for the 1390T instead because the price included 4 map upgrades per year for the life of the unit, and since I tend to really get my money's worth of use from these things, the price difference for me was a great deal over spending money for each upgrade separately.
I've had the 1390T Nuvi for a little over a month now. In that time, most of my traveling about has been in my local area, with only a couple of trips out of the area. During the time I have had the 1390T, I have identified several positive and negative observations about it. These are presented in no particular order of importance.
Positive Comments:
1. After initial acquisition, satellite reacquisition is very, very fast.
2. The intersection view showing the highway signs and the proper lanes to be in is very useful when traveling on highways you are not familiar with. Just be aware that you won't see this screen unless the highway has multiple lanes that fork in different directions. This view is not displayed for standard cloverleaf exists.
3. Screen resolution on the Nuvi is great. It is bright, clean, crisp, and easily viewed in full daylight. Button functions, for the most part, are obvious and operate smoothly. Audio quality is excellent with good volume control.
4. The map can be displayed as a standard 2-D map or as a 3-D map, and you can switch between them at will. Which you use as your primary map display will depend on your preferences after experimenting with each.
5. I like the fact that the USB connector port is on the back of the unit, rather than on the mount.
While the general functioning of the Nuvi appears to be excellent, I do have a few
Negative Comments:
1. When indoors and plugged into a wall outlet with no satellite reception, the 1390T will not allow me access to its functions EVEN when the correct password is entered.
2. Documentation for my toaster oven is better than that which is available for the Nuvi. To put it plainly, the Nuvi documentation, which has to be downloaded separately from Garmin's web site, is almost worthless. I somehow made a change to the display that wasn't in the owner's manual and could not reverse that accidental change without doing a system restore to factory settings. That really pissed me off.
3. When I touch the top of the screen to display the intersection where I am to turn, the display only remains visible for between 3 and 4 seconds. That is not enough time to really be certain you have seen what you wanted to see. It should be displayed automatically when I approach the intersection and should remain visible until I press a return button of some kind, or until after I have executed the turn or the cloverleaf exit.
4. No map scale is displayed continuously. Some times it is displayed, and sometimes it isn't displayed, and when it is displayed, the font size is too small to be of much use. Since I often refer to the map scale, I would like to see it continuously displayed in a font size to make it easily recognizable.
5. When following a route, the 3-D map has a habit of zooming in on every intersection I travel through, even though no turn is indicated. I find this annoying. If I want to zoom in on those areas, I would prefer to do it manually.
6. When I go off route, this unit will recompute a new route. But - if I have moved to a road that is not on the current map, the unit will simply tell me to return to the marked route. It gives no indication of where that marked route might be or what direction I should drive in to get back to it. That's not so bad in an area I know something about, or if I am not too far off the route, but outside of my area and way off route, it could be a bit problem.
I have not tried to use the geocaching capability of this unit, so I can't comment on the internal compass or on the accuracy of the altimeter. Neither have I tried to use the bluetooth capability. I would also be remiss if I did not point out that the unit I have shut itself off once while it was calculating a new route and would not restart for 30 minutes. It may have been caused my the fact that the software was interrupted by sunrise initiated screen display change just as the computation was being initiated. The only way I could get the unit back up was to hold down the power button for about 15-20 seconds before releasing it, a solution that I could not find in the owner's manual, but it seemed to me that there had to be a reboot capability. The unit also refused on one occassion to display the roads on the map until I did a reboot. That really sucks.
While the 1390T is more attractive than my StreetPilot 2610, I think the 2610 was more stable and had functions that behaved a little bit better than the corresponding functions in this new 1390T. I like the Nuvi 1390T, but for all the reasons stated here, I can only give this unit a 3-star rating.

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The Garmin 1390T bundle includes lifetime map updates and features a widescreen, ultra-slim design (approximately 25% thinner than previous models), enhanced user interface, ecoRoute, public transit mode, and text-to-speech on all models. The nuvi 1300 series are the first nuvi devices to offer pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps, which are available for select tourist destinations in North America and Europe and can easily be downloaded directly to the nuvi. The nuvi's enhanced user interface features improved graphics and a new slide control for menu operation, while ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel. Also, Garmin's new public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems. Pre-loaded with City Navigator North America NT.


Thin New Design The nuvi units are just over a half-inch thick and weigh only 5.7 ounces, which means they'll fit easily into your pocket and can be taken just about anywhere.

Bluetooth Wireless Technology The 1390T enables calling with a compatible phone, giving you a completely hands-free mobile phone experience. Broadcasts navigation and phone calls through your car stereo.

NAVTEQ Traffic Receiver Included The included traffic receiver provides North America traffic information to your 1390T. Using this data, your device alerts you to local traffic tie-ups and displays current traffic levels. The receiver also acts as an in-vehicle power charger. Traffic provided by NAVTEQ Traffic. Watch informational video

Comprehensive, reliable nationwide coverage
Accurate traffic flow speeds
Unplanned incidents such as accidents and stalled vehicles
Planned incidents such as road construction and closures
Information about special and sports events and holidays that may affect traffic


See More With nuvi 1390T's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, 4.3-inch display is easy to read--from any direction.

Easy-to-Use Touchscreen Interface One of Garmin's core beliefs is to continually enhance the simplicity of the user experience. The nuvi on-screen menus are logically arranged, with clearly labeled, colorful icons, making it easy to enter data and get to the information you need quickly.

Navigate with Ease nuvi 1390T comes ready to go right out of the box, with pre-loaded City Navigator North America NT street maps and millions of points of interest (POIs), such as hotels, restaurants, fuel stations, ATMs, and more, with map data provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Enter a destination on the touchscreen, and nuvi takes you there with 2-D or 3-D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Text to speech enhances standard sat-nav voice guidance by speaking the names of places and roads. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. In addition, nuvi 1390T accepts custom points of interest, such as school zones and safety cameras, and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.

Travel North America With nearly 6 million points of interest and detailed road coverage for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, City Navigator North America NT delivers all the data you need to navigate North America.

Displays nearly 6 million points of interest--hotels, restaurants, parking, entertainment, fuel, shopping, and more.
Includes highways, interstates, business, and residential roads in metropolitan and rural areas.
Includes such detailed information as turn restrictions, roundabout guidance, speed categories, and other navigation features.
Gives turn-by-turn directions on your compatible Garmin device.
Includes postal code support for Canada.
Contains traffic data for compatible Garmin devices that use traffic receivers.
Enhances pronunciation data for compatible Garmin devices that speak street names (example: "Turn right on Main Street").

Know the Lane Before It's Too Late No more guessing which lane you need to be in to make an upcoming turn. Lane assist guides you to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit, making unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate. It realistically displays road signs and junctions on your route along with arrows that indicate the proper lane for navigation.

Junction View takes it a step further, giving you a photo-realistic screen that shows you both the road detail as well as the signs as you will see them on the road.

Pedestrian Navigation With the Public Transit feature, you can navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems with optional CityXplorer content. Downloadable CityXplorer data and city guides are available for purchase and download from garmin.com for many cities.

Where Am I? Keep track of yourself and your car with nuvi 1390T. Just tap "Where Am I?" to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address, and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates. The nuvi 1390T even remembers where you parked. It automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with nuvi on foot and find your way back to your vehicle. Perfect for unfamiliar spots and crowded lots, such as amusement parks, stadiums, and malls.

HotFix Satellite Prediction Garmin's HotFix capability automatically calculates and stores satellite locations, greatly reducing satellite acquisition time so that you can turn the unit on and get going. With HotFix, your nuvi remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to three days after the device was last turned off.
MSN Direct Compatible Add the GDB 55 receiver for MSN Direct. With dynamic content from MSN Direct, you can avoid traffic backups when you travel with your compatible Garmin device. MSN Direct broadcasts traffic data to your GPS navigator so you can find the best route through traffic, check traffic flow, and receive accident warnings.


What's in the Box nuvi 1390T preloaded with City Navigator North America NT, lifetime map update card, vehicle suction cup mount, FM traffic receiver/vehicle power cable, dashboard disc, and quick start manual

Which nuvi is Best for You? Note: All nuvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.
Device

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Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Review

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(More customer reviews)The Garmin nuvi 285WT is a winner.
The case for the Garmin 285WT is sleek shiny black plastic. The case seems very sturdy - in fact all the pieces appear to be made of quality plastic. It comes with the power adapter for the car, and a USB cable to hook up to your computer. (Some of the less expensive Garmins do not come with the USB cable, which is a problem because you need a USB cable to register the unit.)
Pros:
The unit was extremely easy to set up. Upon first use, it guides you through set-up, which is simple. The icons on the screen are simple and intuitive. I started using it without even reading the directions.
After the initial settings are entered, it sets about finding the local satellites. I told it to skip that step, since I was just hooking it up to a wall charger (sold separately) to charge the batteries. Not only did it go ahead and find the satellites, it found them while sitting on my kitchen table. I don't know how it did that, but it did. There are green bars in the corner of the display showing you how many satellites have been acquired. There it was, displaying all four green bars after just a few minutes. That was impressive.
In the car, it locks onto the satellites extremely fast. It is much faster to find the signals than my friend's TomTom 910. To be fair, the TomTom is an older unit, but it was a much more expensive unit than the Garmin 285WT to begin with.
I am using the default voice. It is extremely clear and easy to understand. It has only messed up on one street name, as it assumed that N Street was the same as North Street. I am not in an area where there are street names in Spanish or other languages, so I have not had the chance to find out how well it deals with those. The voice is much more understandable than the voice in the TomTom 910 (I hope my friend doesn't read this...). (The TomTom also consistently mangled Spanish street names when we took a road trip to San Jose.)
If one drives past a turn that it has selected, the device instantly says "Recalculating," and immediately updates the directions. I missed a turn at night in a very dark area, (I would have had a hard time finding the alternative route) and it didn't miss a beat.
The display is extremely legible both in bright sunlight and at night. I had to turn the brightness down to the minimum because it was a bit too bright at night for my taste.
The plastic suction cup holds extremely well. Be sure to take the transparent protective film off of it before using. I have it mounted on a Gilsson UBM Portable Car Non-Skid Friction Beanbag Dashboard Mount for Garmin, TomTom, Magellan and more that has worked out quite well.
The 285WT comes with a feature that I really like called "Where Am I?" It's an emergency location feature - you can tap the screen to get your latitude and longitude. So if you get a flat tire out in the middle of the Mohave Desert, the tow truck from Trona will be able to find you. Assuming, of course, that tow trucks from Trona also have GPS devices.Cons:
It gave me bad directions one time. It was a good thing I knew the area. Since I just got this unit, I don't know how often this sort of thing will happen. I am willing to forgive in this instance, because it seems to perform so well overall. (I don't know how forgiving I'd be if I had driven miles out of my way...)
Neutral:
This model is Bluetooth. I don't have a Bluetooth phone (I know, I know, I am using archaic technology...) so I couldn't test that feature.
The device also comes the MSN Direct (9 months free) which I found to be of very limited usefulness because I live in a rural area. I mean, c'mon, around here the 4H Club pancake breakfast at the volunteer fire department is a Big Deal, and MSN Direct is hardly going to tell me about things like that. I also don't have traffic concerns of the type that one would have in Los Angeles or San Francisco, for example. I also don't know why one needs a Doppler weather display on one's GPS, unless one is driving through Oklahoma in a thunderstorm during tornado season. It might be great for that, who knows?
If you live in an urban area, don't get too excited about MSN Direct, because Microsoft has already announced that they are killing it in 2012. It was originally developed for a device called a Smart Watch, which obviously hit the market with a big belly flop, or we'd all have one. More information can be found on MSN Direct and the planned demise thereof in an October 28, 2009 article at the PC World website.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this device, and recommend it without reservation. In fact, I am buying one for my son for Christmas.


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Get MSN® Direct and a big screen for a small price with nuvi 285WT. This widescreen navigator takes you there with preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions that call out streets by name. It delivers real-time local weather, traffic, movie times, stock information, gas prices, news and local events as you navigate. Like the rest of the nuvi 205-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.
nuvi 285WT sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse.

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Garmin nüvi 1350LMT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Map & Traffic Updates Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have this unit for 10 days now and overall I am very happy with it. For its mainstream feature, navigation, it is excellent. I had a Garmin 350 before this which I loved but it was stolen from my car. I had a Magellan after that which was crap. The price on this unit was great ($247 - Amazon).
I chose it over the 1390T because I opted to not get bluetooth. It is the only difference between the units. I felt the bluetooth quality would be poor based on other reviews of bluetooth in general on GPS units. The main reason was in the way most people use bluetooth. In a typical day I am in and out of my car often. I always need my bluetooth immediately in case I get a call. I don't always need my GPS. And since my previous unit was stolen, and theft of these units is a big problem everywhere, I keep the unit hidden or sometimes remove it from the car. So if you are like me but you get this unit for bluetooth, you will need to stop and mount your gps everytime you get in the car whether you need it or not, just to have blue tooth capability. If you forget and the cell phone rings, you have no bluetooth. So I purchased a separate bluetooth speaker phone from Jabra (very good unit# which is always attached to my visor, pretty good quality, and always there when I need it. I saved about $75 by opting for the 1350T over the 1390T.
A few minor disappointments. The Lane Assist feature works great but is not available everywhere. I used it around NYC and it was helpful. I drove through Pennsylvania and upstate NY and it was not available. Marketing material hypes this feature but they neglect to tell you this one point. But when it is available, it is a great feature. That brings me to traffic. Same story here. I was driving through PA and hit a 1 hour traffic jam. No warnings from the traffic feature because it was not available in that area. When I got to the Scranton, PA area the traffic alerts started working. It alerted me of a major traffic jam ahead and it even rerouted my trip automatically. The reroute would have been a significant addition in miles but would be worth it to avoid the traffic, right? I decided to ignore the re-route just to test the unit to see if the alert was accurate and I was willing to endure the traffic. As I drove my original route, no traffic anywhere. So had I listened to the traffic alert, I would have driven 50 miles out of my way for nothing. Bottom line is, don't let the traffic feature be a deal breaker for the unit you choose. But then again, I got the 1350T for about the same price as the 1350 #same unit without traffic). Updating the map was more difficult than it should have been. I consider myself a very technical person with computers and gadgets but the map update did not go smoothly and took me several tries. I could see where many people will have difficulty with this if they attempt to update the map.


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The widescreen nuvi 1350LMT adds free Lifetime Maps and Traffic to the nuvi 1350. In addition, this thin GPS announces streets by name, guides you to the proper lane for navigation, offers pedestrian navigation options and calculates a more fuel-efficient route with ecoRoute.

Affordable, Widescreen GPS Navigator With Lifetime Maps and Traffic
Includes Free Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates With free Lifetime Map and Traffic updates, you always have the most up-to-date maps, points of interest and navigation information available at your fingertips. Traffic information is updated constantly, and map updates are available for download up to 4 times a year. Both features are ready to go, right out of the box, with no subscription or update fees and no expiration dates.

Navigate City Transit With its enhanced pedestrian navigation capabilities, nuvi 1350LMT is the perfect travel companion for getting around town. Download optional cityXplorer content to help you navigate city public transit. Know where to walk, where to catch the bus, subway, tram or other transportation and how long it will take to get there. cityXplorer maps are available for select cities throughout North America and Europe. And with prices as low as $9.99, you'll have money left over to spend in the big city.

Take It With You Twenty-five percent slimmer than other nuvis, you can take the 1350LMT anywhere. It easily fits in your pocket or purse, and its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot.

Know the Lane Before It's Too Late No more guessing which lane you need to be in to make an upcoming turn. Lane assist guides you to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit, making unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate.

See More With nuvi 1350LMT's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, 4.3-inch display is easy to read--from any direction.

Get Turn-by-Turn Directions nuvi 1350LMT's intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions: "Where To?" and "View Map." Touch the color screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names to your destination. It comes preloaded with detailed City Navigator NT street maps, nearly 6 million points of interest (POIs), 2-D or 3-D maps and the speed limit for most major roads in the U.S. and Europe. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. With the 1350LMT's enhanced user interface, you can slide your finger to conveniently scroll between screens. You can also upload custom points of interest (POIs). And with HotFix satellite prediction, nuvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker.

Go Beyond Navigation Navigation is just the beginning. nuvi 1350LMT saves you gas and money with ecoRoute--a green feature that calculates the most fuel-efficient route, tracks fuel usage and more. The 1350LMT 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. 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. The 1350LMT features Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and is compatible with our free Garmin Garage where you can download custom custom voices and vehicles. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards.

What's in the Box
nuvi 1350; Preloaded City Navigator NT North America (U.S and Canada); Lifetime Maps and Traffic; FM Traffic Receiver With Vehicle Power Cable; Vehicle Suction Cup Mount; USB Cable; Dashboard Disc; Quick Start Manual

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