Go wide and get peace of mind with nvi 255W. This affordable, widescreen navigator leads the way with voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions that speak street names and optional MSN Directreg services 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 sleek n#252vi 2x5-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use. See More With nvi 255W'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. Navigate With Ease nvi 255W comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigatorreg 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 updates 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, nvi 255W 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 HotFixtrade satellite prediction, nvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker. Take It With You Like the rest of the nvi 2x5-series, nvi 255W 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
Readmore! Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)
Technical Details
- The Garmin nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation features: a 4.3-Inch touchscreen display, NAVTEQ maps of North America- Text To Speech, built-in traffic receiver with FREE Lifetime Traffic Updates, and MicroSD expansion.
See more: technical details
By K. Henry (Los Angeles, CA USA)
In reading reviews, many folks seem to compare a gps device to having no gps at all. In that respect, practically all devices would deserve 4-5 stars. I received this device as a replace to my old, slow, and very large (but quite good) garmin streetpilot III. So here's my issues:
- It produces a route quickly but the algorithm places a heavy weight on large streets, so much that I sometimes get some awkward, unnecessary turns in my routes that cost me time.
- I find the traffic feature to be practically worthless. (This is not necessarily Garmin's 'fault' but perhaps the traffic reporting technology) Sometimes the device reports traffic delays and there is none. Othertimes, the device reports no traffic and there is a large jam. Regardless, I had to turn this feature off because it gave me routes around imaginary traffic.
- On the main map screen or the turn-by-turn screen, you can not see time to destination (only time to next turn and arrival time). You can get to the time to destination by clicking through a few screen but it's not convenient.
- arrival time is always too optimistic for street routes. the algorithm needs to factor in more time for stoplights.
- Previous text entries are not kept once you've completed a search. This is a big step backwards from my old streetpilot. Often times, I find that I need to return to the map for a minute or I need to update a search or I mistyped a name. Instead of being able to update a few characters, I have to start over - typing from scratch. It's just an unnecessary step backwards.
- Main map does not display adequate details. There are less streetnames and features displayed on the map as you're driving. Just a few streetnames show up, so you can't get a good enough sense as to what's around you.
- I'm not impressed with the 3-d mapping. I know a lot of devices tout this now but it's just not as helpful as 2-D. Yeah, it looks like a cool first-person video game, but you don't get as good a view of what's around you. It is pretty good for freeway off-ramps but that's it.
So, if you just want a gps and are not picky, this one will give you a route (as they ALL do) but it's certainly not a great gps.
By Edward K. Lincoln (Quincy, MA)
This has some great features. The turn by turn direcions and traffic updater features are really cool. The base works better then older models. I have two complaintsl. 1.) It is WAY more delicate then older models. The slim profile and big touch screen look cool but mean the screen is easily broken. If you buy this, buy the service plan, keep the receipt, and buy a case for it. Do not keep it in the car or a briefcase. Mine broke very quickly. 2.) The web updater to update the maps is a memory hog that can only be used if you have a very new, top of the line computer. My old Mac can't handle it, nor can my new laptop.
By R. Leslie
This is a very nice GPS. It works well and is easy to use. I recommend it to anyone who asks me about GPS's.
Things you need to know:
1. This is a "wierd" model from Garmin. You won't find the 255WT on their website. The box is labeled 255WT, but it's marked 255W on the unit itself. It's basically a 255W with the traffic option built in.
It's very similar to the 265WT, but this model does not have Bluetooth.
2. If you buy from an auction site, Garmin will not warranty it. (It can be registered, though.)
3. You need to register it. The problem is, it does not come with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. The cable can be picked up any where like Best Buy, Radio Shack, possibly Wal-Mart, etc.
Once you've got the cable and the unit connected to your computer, go to my.garmin dot com. Once registered, click the My Dashboard tab, this will tell you what's available to update.
You only get one free map update.
To get your free update, you must download the update within 90 days of first use.
4. One of the biggest advantages of this unit vs. the 255W is the free lifetime traffic. A lot of GPS's offer traffic information, but charge quite a bit more for that option. This unit comes with FM Traffic Message Channel (TMC) which it uses to get information broadcast over FM radio frequencies.
Important things to know about the traffic feature on this GPS:
You must have the GPS connected to your car charger for it to receive the traffic information.
The power cord doubles as the traffic receiver. It would be nice to be able to see if there's any traffic on your route before leaving. While a bit annoying, at least it doesn't require an additional antenna. I have a Sony GPS that requires the power cord, plus an additional antenna to get traffic, so there's cords dangling all over the place.
You do not have to activate the traffic.
It's automatic. You'll know you're receiving traffic information if you see a little car icon in the upper left portion of the screen.
At times, my traffic icon is very slow to display...sometimes as much as 10-15 minutes. I live on the outer edge of the coverage for my area, so that may contribute to the slowness. What I've found is if I leave it plugged in to the car charger (and the charger also plugged in and receiving power), the traffic icon is always there.
There is MSN Direct traffic available for this unit as well. It costs extra, but has more features. But, according to their website, MSN Direct will cease operations on Jan 1, 2012.
5. Once registered you can go to Garmins website and download customizations like different vehicle icons, voices, etc. Most custom voices don't speak street names, though. They simply say, turn left in 200 feet.
You can also download a free program from Garmin that allows you to record your own voice.
Or, you can use a program to edit the Text to Speech (TTS) file in the unit. This allows you to keep the factory spoken street names but still change what the unit says. Simply "google" TTS voice editor, and you'll see the link to download the application.
Another cool site provides many custom vehicle icons for use:
vehiclesforgarminnuvi dot com
6. You can create/download your own POI's. This allows you to create a list of custom business, etc, that you want to search on. An example would be BBQ restaurants, WalGreens, etc. There's a very nice site where people build these files and you can download for free:
POI-factory dot com.
You can also create your own POI's if you know the street address:
poigenie.co.uk
This is a very handy feature. The only thing I don't like about it is that the custom POI's are not "imbedded" into the factory POI's, so searching for them requires a few more "clicks", but no big deal.
7. The suction cup mount will not mount to textured dash boards unless you use the supplied mounting disc. But that disc has an adhesive backing and is near impossible to remove once you stick it to the dash. I bought a vent mount off eBay that works great, the GPS is still near eye level and is more out of sight from peering eyes.
By Pug Ster (New York, NY)
I brought this gps because many of my other gps's have outdated maps which can't update or have problems acquiring a satellite signal. This gps is excellent because maps are relatively recent and acquires a signal fairly quickly for a reasonable price. This gps doesn't have the bells and whistles of other gps with its elaborate features, but just enough to get you going.
One thing that I am annoyed about this gps is the confusing documentation. First of all, the gps doesn't say that it is an 255wt, but it is an 255w. The manual have references of an 205w but references many other models. In fact, the only thing that references this gps as an 255wt is the box itself. I am guessing that since Garmin sells so many different models, they have an one-size fits all mentality in their manuals. Another thing is that you have to connect your gps to your computer and register in order to able to get traffic updates.
By Mohamed Asraui (New York, NY, US)
the first time i bout 255w from amazon.com it was good for 3 weeks then it started to say poor satelite reception or no satelite for 3 days then i returned it omeafter that i bought 255wt from best buy the problem it was the keyboard when you tape m n comes on what ever you tape the next one comes on i went to the store for exchange so the second one also the keyboard when you tape something by eror you can't errase it so i went for the 3 one this time it was different wrong reception if u are in second ave it show you lexington the if it recognize the ave it doesn't show the street and all the time ready to navigate when you spell the city always not found and no option as change of state or country so i hate the w series i'm about to purchase nuvi 755t from amazon if anay one has bad experience with this model number please let me know thanksGarmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation (4.3in, Text To Speech, Lifetime Traffic Updates)
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