Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Reviews

• Amazingly Accurate

  
  By AV24I1S34DYEN on 2008-02-25
  I bought the GARMIN nüvi 260W to help with work and family travels. After extensive research with Magellan, Mio and Tom-Tom, I bought the Garmin for three reasons. 1) Ease of use. 2) Screen clarity. 3) Amazing accuracy. And no, despite where I live, I have no affiliation with Garmin. I don't even know anyone that works for them. I am in the architectural business.
  
  I have tried several GPSs while traveling with business associates, friends or in rental cars. As such, I have seen them in real world action. All of the devices saved me time and most found the place I needed to be. I could used any of them and been somewhat satisfied.The problem: I am a perfectionist. As such, I want the unit to be the best. So, after using a text-to-speech Garmin GPS unit earlier this year, I knew that was one feature I could not live without when I pulled the trigger on a purchase. Text-to-speech is a must have on GPS. A MUST. If you have never used a GPS, trust me, you have to have text-to-speech. It eliminates the frustration of urban driving and having the non text-to-speech units tell you to turn right in 200 feet, only to find two roads that are 200 feet away and have to pick one and hope it is right.
  
  I decided to wait until a wide screen GPS came out that didn't have so many bells and whistles and was priced fairly. The GARMIN nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch fit the bill. Pulled the trigger still knowing that GPS units drop in price every month it seems and I would knowingly be mad in 90 days when the unit was 20% cheaper (oh well).
  
  Back to the GARMIN nüvi 260W...I am amazed how it can find the driveway of my house at the end of a cul-de-sac directly adjacent to a road that is named the same. It is so accurate that it lets me know if I pulled into the wrong driveway 15 feet away from mine (I know, I tried it). It is so easy to use; I didn't even use the manual - once. It is that user friendly. I even downloaded new voices via the Garmin site without a manual. I like the fact the screen is very clear and refreshes quickly. I can even use my polarized sunglasses with the Garmin 260W screen and it does not distort the screen colors or have numerous horizontal lines (if you use polarized glasses, make sure to try out any GPS screen before you buy. Many look blank when using polarized glasses).
  
  The POI seem to be pretty good, but I really haven't used it long enough to evaluate POI depth. I do know that the maps seem to be fairly accurate in terms of new roads since I have yet to find a road that does not exist on the map.
  
  Not everything is perfect with the Garmin 260W. The downside is the time to acquire a satellite. The 260W takes longer than I like...sometimes up to one minute. However, once it gets a hold of the satellites, it never looses them. Plus it gets such a strong signal (with no external antenna); I can use the device on my lap in the passenger seat (when I am not driving and after it finds a satellite). Another couple of downers are it has very few voices that work with the text-to-speech feature. I hope Garmin increases the choices via a web download in the future (I want celebrity voices...please). Plus, I would have liked a case, any case to be included for the price I paid.
  
  Overall, the unit is amazing and the larger screen size of 4.3 inches really helps those with fat fingers and those that don't want to squint to read a map. I am just sorry I had to wait this long to own one. It is a must have for those that travel to unfamiliar areas.
  
  
  

• Some Design Flaw

  
  By A1ZRX0YS82NWWW on 2008-04-20
  So many 5-star reviews give potential buyers a false sense of confidence. As a matter of fact, after you read those 5-star reviews, you realize those users also complained about the same flaws. I always think 5-star should reserve to a product near perfect or meet all of its stated specifications. NUVI 260W is very useful but with some flaws:
  1. The sensitivity & time to acquire satellite signals are not good enough. While I was in San Jose airport, with same location in the waiting area, nuvi 260W never acquires the signal successfully. However, mio c310 easily got it. Also the time to sync the satellite signal is not preditable. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes or forever. Sometimes it takes only 10 seconds after turned off for a short period of time & turned on again. This inconsistency is really annoyed if you are in a hurry.
  2. Every time the unit is turned on, it goes through the same time-consuming power up sequence. It should be designed to retain the condition just before the previous power-down. After the first time use, the unit power-up time should not be more than 5 seconds.
  3. The Text-to-Speech feature is great except the voice is not very clear. The person sounds as if she got cold or there is a hole between her teeth. A good product should not be released with beta test. The voice should be human-like, not computer-like.
  4. In pedestrian mode, you walk & navigate with 260W, it doesn't do anything except the map shows where you are & very jerky, not stable at all. There is no Text-to-Speech, not even say anything at all. This must be a design flaw & must not pass beta test, let alone product release.
  5. Battery usage is about 2 hours after fully charged, not 5 hours as claimed.
  6. I found that SD card, mpeg or jpeg features of most GPS are not very useful. Either they are too primitive or not user-friendly. I bet most people don't care about them at all.
  
  I used nuvi 260W only for three weeks & found it useful enough except the above areas mentioned can be & should be improved.
  
  
  

• Very happy but some Nuvi glitches

  
  By A1HHEMY96W1M1V on 2008-05-05
  I've used this product for several trips and I've never used another GPS. I love the text-to-speech feature, which is very natural; the instructions are usually very clear, but it is worth glancing at the green bar at the top of the screen to see the full instruction. The map with the graphics can often clear up confusion. The other great thing about the map is it labels upcoming streets so you are not peering at street signs.
  
  I purchased the friction mount, which is great because I can take it off my dash and put it under the seat very easily. Around here, there have been a lot of break ins of cars with suction marks on the windshield.
  
  A couple of glitches so far:
  
  1. The Nuvi did not know the street that I was headed to in West Virginia.
  
  2. Once in West Virginia in the mountains, the Nuvi could not pick up a satellite signal.
  
  3. Out on a road trip, I stopped at a restaurant. I restarted my car and turned the Nuvi on again; I have the security feature on, so it asked for my pin. I misentered the pin -- AND IT LOCKED ME OUT UNTIL I RETURNED TO MY HOUSE. That's it -- one shot -- get it wrong, and no navigator for you. Even my ATM machine lets me try more than once. I'll check to see if you can set the number of tries, but I don't think you can.
  
  4. Occasionally it gives instructions that can't be followed -- like when it wanted me to get over four busy lanes in 0.2 miles.
  
  5. Note that when it says "Keep Left" it does not mean, get in the left lane. It means don't take the swerve to the right option by mistake. I got over to the left and was then told to exit right.
  
  6. If the next turn is coming up very quickly, the Nuvi will give you the next instruction immediately. But I turned onto a highway where I had to go 40 miles; and the Nuvi did not give me the next instruction until we were almost on top of the exit and it was too late to get into the lane to make the turn.
  
  
  I'm still really happy with my purchase and it will be endlessly useful navigating in more urban environments. It recalculates routes quickly. It also tells you on what side a turn or ramp is, which is wonderful.
  
  LATER: Maybe I missed this in the instruction manual, but there are some other neat features that I discovered by playing around. 1) If you touch the car symbol, you get the option of saving your current location as a favorite destination; 2) If you touch the green bar at the top that contains a direction, you can see and scroll through all of the directions so you can see which way you'll be going; 3) I stumbled into a way to set a way point (although I don't remember how). There's no particular reason to have a waypoint -- that is, you can route to your first destination and then route to your second, so no difference; except perhaps if you are trying to generate an alternate route to your destination by perhaps avoiding a closed road.
  
  Would love to have, but don't think it does, a feature that lets you select a particular turn or direction in the list to route around.
  
  This is the only GPS I've ever owned, so my next comment is probably applicable to GPS systems everywhere, but I've found that the Nuvi is quietly changing my life by making me bolder about going to new places, particularly if it involves night driving. Trying to drive to a new place by yourself juggling your complicated handwritten instructions or your printout from Mapquest was always a challenge; doing it at night was downright stressful. You still need your directions just in case, but with the Nuvi I haven't had to look at them yet. I didn't realize how narrowed my world had become because I hesitated to drive to some place I had never been.
  
  LATER: See user comment below that claims that if locked out you can simply power Garmin off and on and try again. I haven't tried this, as I have disabled the security function.
  
  Also, I was in an insanely complicated intersecting freeway knot and I took a wrong turn. Garmin's recalculation was sufficiently slow that I had real problems getting back on the right track, as I had to keep making decisions to turn long before it finished its recalculations. I had to choose some random direction and go in it long enough to allow Garmin to recalculate the route. So it's not perfect.
  
  

• Problems with Satellite Acquisition and other Issues

  
  By AGQIQ1TEW7H5R on 2008-06-07
  I received the Garmin Nuvi 260W as a gift. I have subsequently read comments about many different GPS units and have concluded that:
  
  -a hand held GPS is a complement to, not a substitute for a good road map and some common sense. All GPS units have positives and negatives; none are absolutely perfect. These are not toys, but they are not self sufficient navigational tools either. Given enough time, every owner of every unit will have a story about how he couldn't find a particular point of interest, or was directed down a dead end street or across a 4-lane divided highway!
  
  -considering screen sharpness, ease of use and other features, the Garmin 260W is one of the best in its price class.
  
  -Garmin also has the best customer service of any of the companies.
  
  The purpose of this review is NOT to repeat what others have written but to discuss workarounds for the various limitations of this unit.
  
  COMPUTER ACCESS: To download firmware, software upgrades and maps, access to garmin.com is a virtual necessity. Since a computer cable is unfortunately not included with the unit, the user will need to buy a USB 2.0 A / mini B cable. It can be found on Amazon.
  
  At garmin.com, download the web updater and whatever updates it prompts and also, remember to download the updated TTS (Text to Speech) voices. We find that "British" English is sometimes easier to understand than the American counterpart and suggest that it be downloaded as well.
  
  The USB cable will also charge the Garmin's battery but the unit does not operate when plugged into the computer. The optional AC converter is only required if the user wants to operate the unit on 110 volts.
  
  SATELLITE ACQUISITION: Failure to reliably acquire satellite is the biggest single weakness of the Garmin 260W and the reason for the 3* rating. The user never knows in advance whether, after the 30 second boot up, it will take 15 seconds or 15 minutes to find a satellite.
  
  Customer service suggests that the preferable satellite acquisition position is the top edge (NOT the face or back) pointed straight up to the open sky with the unit held still (which means you should not be driving).
  
  When the unit is powered up out of the box and acquires a satellite for the first time, leave the power ON for an hour to download almanac data.
  
  If the unit is moved to a new location with the power off, powering up the unit is similar to an initial power-on, and it can easily take 15 minutes to locate new satellites.
  
  If all else fails, do a hard reset (see the instructions for "clearing user data"). Note that all user data (favorites) is in the gpx file in the gpx folder so save it to your computer and restore it after the reset. Again, leave the unit on for an hour after satellites are acquired.
  
  POINTS OF INTEREST: Some of the data is not current. If a particular restaurant, etc., cannot be found, enter it by its street address and then change the name.
  
  MODIFYING A ROUTE: This unit is less flexible than some. If a favorite place is selected and the GPS simulator mode activated, the proposed route will be highlighted. "Sliding" the screen with an appropriate magnification will allow the route to be compared with a computer or road map alternative. To force Garmin to select a particular road or direction, add a VIA point (gas station, motel, whatever). Because Garmin only allows one via point per route, several such points may be needed and the driver may have to skip stop between them.
  
  ADD: June 26th. The Garmin 260W will NOT display routes downloaded from Mapquest. That feature is reserved for more expensive units.
  
  ADD: June 26th. Failure to arrive at a specific house number may relate to mistakes on the part of developers, subdivision planners or mappers rather than the GPS. If necessary, give an address TWO favorite places - one labeled (per gps)that has the desired address; and one labeled (actual) determined by touching the car icon when standing in the driveway.
  
  ADD: Aug. 4. Polarized sunglass lens fix: If you have the brightness set low (to conserve the battery when walking or biking, for example), polarized sun glasses may make it difficult to read the display which is also polarized. But, if you turn the display VERTICAL, the polarized settings will align and the display will immediately brighten up.
  
  BATTERY LIFE: We've run two hours on battery without losing a green bar. Battery life can be extended by reducing the brightness level to the lowest acceptable.
  
  In summary, the Garmin Nuvi 260W will do pretty much everything it is supposed to do EXCEPT acquire satellites quickly every time. If the company fixes this problem with a new firmware upgrade, the 260W deserves 4 stars. If the unit were also to allow multiple via points and route selections, then it would, in our opinion, earn 5 stars.
  
  
  

• Garmin nuvi 260W Review

  
  By AOZ3QDCKQ7JER on 2008-02-18
  Beacause I do so much traveling this GPS offered ezactly what I was looking for. Portable GPS with voice directions and an easy to read screen. These feature work very well and it is very customizable.
  
  PROS
  Small device with Wide easy to see display
  Voice directions are clear
  Device automatically readjust directions if wrong turn is taken
  Easy to use device no instructions needed
  
  CONS
  No travel case included
  Extra parts will need to be purchased if you want system professionaly installed
  Not much documentation
  Device always poers on when car starts, this should be my decision but i can turn it off.
  Maintains travel averages (speed with min. max.)
  
  All in all I am very satisfied with my purchase. I would advise to shop for the best price before ourchasing.
  
  
• Love the Screen Size
  By A1NB4AFV3LOQYP on 2008-03-29
  Over the years, I have gone through all the major providers of GPS-enabled mapping software. Eventually settled on Garmin maps as the most up-to-date, most frequently updated. Hating to carry lots of gadgets, though, I have for several years been using Garmin maps on my PDA (Treo 700w).
  
  Worked OK, getting GPS coordinates from a Garmin 10 via blue tooth. But, often required resting reading glasses on the end of my nose so I could make sense of the information and imagines on the small screen. Not particularly safe way to drive, of course.
  
  No need for glasses with the large display on the 260W. I am very glad I went with the wider screen. It's not so much that there is more to see on the map as it is the case that the device takes full advantage of the wider screen's capabilities for messages on what's coming up, icons and boxes that may need to be touched to move among screens, make adjustments. Easier to operate while driving (which, of course, none of us do).
  
  I am also glad that I went for the model that includes vocalizing street names. Does really improve confidence in following the Garmin's guidance when in unfamiliar areas and makes for safer driving.
  
  As with all such products, local knowledge will sometimes beat the route-finding software. But, it gets you there.
  
  Mine came loaded with City Navigator 2008. As I write this, it's late March 2008, and the Garmin web site projects that City Navigator 2009 will be out in April. Should determine what your unit comes with and, if it's 2008, will you get a free upgrade to 2009. Updates are essential in my opinion and a significant annual cost of owning such devices.
  
  I also bought the weighted dashboard mount. It sits unopened as the window mount that comes with the unit works great on my car and the numerous rentals I end up in.
  
  SD card reader slot is interesting. Works fine but what's it's purpose? I did put hundreds of photos on it and the Garmin will display them. Picture software is very basic though (e.g., even though related photos are organized by folder on the SD card, slide show program throws everything it can find into one hodgepodge show). Plugged into an USB port (cable not included but you may well have the required one that came with some other device - I did), the Garmin becomes an SD card reader. Maybe that has some value to someone. And, maybe there is just something I am missing here.
  
  Other products provide endless possibilities for customizing screens. This device does not and that took some getting used to. Makes it much simpler to operate though and, after some adjustment, I am generally comfortable with the choices that Garmin decided to make for me.
  
  But 5 stars because just cannot beat the big, wide, bright screen.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Good value - lacks support info, features
  By A1XU8D60MO4KIE on 2008-05-14
  This is my first standalone GPS receiver (I have previously used a computer-based GPS - too bulky for everyday use). Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase. FWIW, my "disclaimer" is that I was a satellite technician on the Block II GPS (NavStar) satellites. So, I actually worked on the satellites themselves (vehicles 13-24) for almost 5 years, but I'm just now getting a unit for our cars. Go figure! ;-)
  
  On to my review...
  
  The Good
  * The screen is wide and clear. About the only time I had trouble seeing it (glancing, really) was driving towards the sunset with my sunglasses on. You really can't expect it to overcome that level of contrast, so I don't fault the display for this.
  * Reasonably fast calculation. The computer-based GPS I am replacing with this unit often took several minutes to calculate a multi-state trip. This unit typically completes route calculation within 20 seconds or less.
  * It does a recalculate pretty quickly as well (typically just a few seconds). So, if you decide to take a slightly (or even radically) different route, it "goes with the flow" and will still get you there.
  * I was concerned about this unit not having a way to output the audio to either an external speaker or to the car FM radio (these features are available in more expensive Nuvi models). I was pleasantly surprised at how clear the TTS voice is, albeit a bit distorted from time-to-time. On occasion, I had to turn down the radio or pause my iPod to hear what it was saying, but for the most part it is very clear and understandable.
  * I've not tried to stress the battery life to the max, but I've been pleasantly surprised so far at how long I can use it without being plugged in. It's not a unit designed for extensive hiking/backpacking, but for short hikes it seems like it will at least keep you oriented in regard to roads, etc. I've not explored (pardon the pun) whether or not one can load topographical maps for off-road use.
  * Size and portability. This is a nice, slim unit. I can put it in my shirt pocket and carry it with me. Even with the suction-cup mount and power supply, it's fairly easy to move from vehicle to vehicle.
  * Satellite acquisition is good. Unlike another reviewer, so far I'm pleased with the speed of acquisition. My laptop GPS unit almost always takes 1-2 minutes to be good to go. The Nuvi typically takes only 15-20 seconds to acquire if I'm out in the open (i.e., not between tall buildings, indoors, under a bridge, etc.). I've ready what other reviewers have said, but I've not experienced it so far (I probably just jinxed it, however!).
  
  The Bad
  * The documentation is bare-bones. Even when visiting the Garmin website, I found no additional information on how to use the device to get additional features to work. Sure, you can upload pictures for viewing (woo hoo!) and upload "cool" (read: "Dorky") vehicle 3-D icons, but other than that - the "Quick Start Manual" seems to be all there is.
  * About 20% of the time, there seems to be a slight hesitation in the voice - almost like it is loading something from the flash memory. It ends up sounding something like "Turn r...ight on M...ain Street". Still understandable, but a bit disconcerting.
  * There is a way to search for intersections as a destination point. All fine and dandy, but you still have to know the exact names that the Garmin unit will identify these intersections with. If you are trying to get to a major highway intersection, you would do best to zoom in on it and "click" (with your finger) the roads involved to see what they're named. Either memorize them or write them down, because once you go back to finding that intersection, you'll need to refer to that exact name (e.g., if it says "Bell Blvd." even though you know it's also "Highway 183" - use "Bell Blvd."). Even having a computer open running Google Maps doesn't always help you as Garmin's map supplier may not agree.
  * As related to the above point, unlike online resources like Google Maps, Mapquest, etc. - you can't just have it direct you to a town or city. You *have* to know the actual address or intersection or it will refuse to try to route you. It would be _nice_ (HINT, HINT - Garmin!) if it would just say "well, here's an arbitrary address in the city you've requested" and let you deal with the consequences.
  
  The Ugly
  * As I'm sure many purchasers will do, I tried it out around my home location (trips to the grocery store, work, etc.) just to see how it would perform. I often found that it chose routes that I knew were not optimal. When I would deviate from its suggestions, it (thankfully) doesn't fuss and say "Off route" as I've heard other units do. It simply recalculates and things straighten out. However, I would like a better way to "encourage" it to take a particular route other than creating a via point (and you *only* get one per trip!).
  * Trying to plan a trip via this unit is frustrating. It is really designed for point A to B driving. Granted, I knew that when I bought it. However, it seems that the interface could have been improved a bit in trying to set up a multi-stage trip. The only way around this that I've found is to: (a) Search for a location, (b) go to Recently Found Locations (or whatever it's called), (c) Save the location. Once you've done that, you can reference this point in your favorites and use it as an anchor for your trip.
  * The voice prompts can be a bit overdone. "In .2 miles, turn left at Main Street" - immediately followed by "Turn left at Main Street". I realize this is the correct default behavior, but it seems that there should be a way to adjust the threshold of the "nanny" approach. It's not a huge deal - it just gets irritating when you have a lot of turns.
  
  Summary
  Besides the peccadilloes I've mentioned above, I still really like the unit. My advice is to do advanced planning (using a computer) to get a feel for the layout if you're going on a long trip. Create via points where they make sense (and save them to your Favorites). Be willing to break up longer trips into smaller ones just so you can get better/more customized routing from the unit.
  
  + Great screen visibility, TTS clear and correct pronunciation, works pretty well for what it was designed to do.
  - Interface limitations/poor choices, refuses to help "guess" destination points, relies far more on built-in help than even what Garmin's website has for documentation.
  
  
• Right on!
  By A15VVDB1XC6S0E on 2008-04-05
  I have only had my Garmin for several weeks but so far I like everything about it. I held out for the text to speech and am glad I did. Although the speaker is a bit tinny, one reviewer suggested setting it at 60% and that is perfect. Keeps the satellite although it does take about a minute to find it initially. I am happy I paid the extra bucks for the bigger screen!
  
  Customer service was awesome. Called on two different occasions to ask a couple of questions and they answered the phone promptly, could answer my questions immediately. They patiently walked me through downloading a different voice. Was pleasantly surprised! They didn't even ask about serial numbers, purchase date.
  
  After having one of the original GPS' with an antenna, what a wonderful experience to have this tiny clear GPS that fits into a small purse.
  
  Thank you Garmin. All of my research has indeed paid off!
  
  
• Technology is hitting the sweet spot.
  By A19OQI910M5VTJ on 2008-04-11
  Garmin is really getting it right. I first used good GPS in a Hertz rental car. I was so impressed, I tried to buy one. It was a very complex machine, cost well over $1,500. The Garmin Nuvi 260W is even better. It always pays to wait. I don't think they can get it much better than this. Really happy with this device. It is so accurate, it can tell if I pull into my neighbors driveway instead of my own.
  
  
• Very good GPS
  By AYMD77ITD15PT on 2008-05-22
  Picked up a Nuvi 260w and so far I'm very pleased with the unit. The unit is very easy to use compared to others I've looked at. The user interface is clean and easy to to learn. That fact in itself make this a very good consumer GPS for all user types. Below are the pros and cons.
  
  Pro
  
  1.) Screen size- larger screen size makes for easy viewing.
  
  2.) Ease of use- very easy user interface.
  
  3.) SD card slot to easily add additional maps.
  
  Cons
  
  1.) Sometimes the unit doesn't pick up a signal when powered up.
  
  2.) Additional maps are expensive. Can easily run just under a hundred to update the US map and to add a
  Europe map it can run about hundred fifty.
  
  Over all very please with the unit and would recommend.
  
  
• Decent but a little disappointing...
  By AR256PJSGOA5L on 2008-05-27
  I purchased the 260W after reading all of the reviews on Amazon.com and a couple other websites, but I have to say that I am a bit disappointed at the system's performance. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent device that provides good directions; however, coming from someone who owns a cheaper TomTom ONE that performs better, I have to say that I am a little disappointed. Why?
  
  ACQUIRING SATELLITE - ok, I read a few complaints about this before, but I didn't know it was this bad. Compared to the TomTom ONE, the Garmin takes almost 5x longer and sometimes fails to connect (then asks the user if he/she wants to keep trying).
  
  TEXT-TO-SPEECH(TTS) VOICE QUALITY - Compared to the other non-TTS voice options, the TTS voice sounds horrible. If you have the volume set up high (80-90%), the sound gets pretty distorted. If you have it set lower, you can't hear it when you're driving on the fwy (of course, this depends on what car you drive). So now, I have my voice option set to a non-TTS voice because it is more clear, but that basically defeats the whole purpose of buying this model. (BTW - I'm returning the device.)
  
  Those two are my biggest complaints. I love the widescreen and the mounting attachment. BUT, I am still going to exchange it for another TomTom. TomTom provides 2-step directions -- I prefer this over Garmin's 1-step. (BTW, I'm NOT affiliated with TomTom. LOL) Although I am returning this unit, I couldn't give it less than 3 stars; it does what it claims... just not as good as I'd expected it to.
  
  
  
• nice unit
  By ADLUKMRHK6U6J on 2008-04-15
  I purchased the Garmin 260W and like the units features. Had an absolutely horrible time trying to pick up a satelite connection. Clear sky, wide open spaces and couldn't get a signal. I wanted to play with the unit to get use to it, turned on the unit about 5 miles from my house left it on the entire 15-20 minutes and it kept telling me it couldn't get the satelite signal. Additionally, no USB cable is provided and therefore, no means of updating maps. Old maps were provided with the unit. I had to return the unit, but I'm thinking the one I received was a lemon, so I'll probably try another one.
  
  
• Works Like a Charm
  By AG479CEMR4WZ4 on 2008-04-28
  I pretty much agree with the other reviewers both regarding the advantages and shortcomings of this unit. It does seem to take awhile to acquire the satellites, and unlike the experiences of most other reviewers, mine does lose them occasionally, but seldom for more than a few seconds, never for more than a minute, and resumes its instructions with no problems. I set it in the ash tray in the console and plug it into the lighter socket, so it's deep in the car surrounded with metal. On a recent trip to southern California and Las Vegas, it never lost the satellites in downtown LA, but frequently lost them for a few seconds in the wide open spaces of the Mojave Desert. There are a lot of high voltage power lines out there and also much air force activity, but I don't know how that might affect reception.
  One thing I noticed not commented on by other reviewers is a peculiarity of the search function. It seems that putting in fewer words sometimes gives better results. For example when I put in LA Brea Tar Pits or Page Museum, or when I looked for museums or historical features near LA, it couldn't find it. But when I put in just La Brea, it immediately found a number of entries containing that phrase including La Brea Tar Pits at the Page Museum.
  This is my first GPS travel assistant and so far I am completely happy with it. Thanks to all the other reviewers who made my purchase satisfying. I recommend purchasing the hard shell case and the AC charger, then even with a low battery you can still plan your trip in your living room.
  
  
• Great GPS after trying many others
  By A3NQMUY09BNH2Q on 2008-09-20
  The Garmin Nuvi 260W is a great little GPS:
  The text to speech is clear, the screen is more than bright enough, the maps are large on the 4.3 inch screen. Route calculation is fast.
  I regularly use it on battery power which is long, 4 or 5 hours, even more if you turn down the screen brightness.
  However, it seemed at first that satellite acquisition was very slow, sometimes as long as 12 minutes.
  I think I found a way around that.
  If I turned the GPS off at home, it located satellites within 30 seconds of being turned on again at the same location; if turned off before arriving home, which I was in the habit of doing, it took about 12 minutes to acquire the present location.
  It seems it did not know where to look for the satellites, and took a lot of time finding them. A software fault probably, but workable.
  After I discovered this, I left the unit on up to my destination and the problem was solved.
  
  Something nobody seems to have mentioned; when a store or restaurant is located by this unit, it gives the address AND the phone number of the intended location, and I can call ahead and make sure they are open and have what I want. This has saved so much time.
  Also, touching the car icon on the map gives you a workable "Where am I?" which can be saved to favorites.
  
  The 260W does not have all the features of a higher end Garmin GPS, like routing, blue tooth, traffic, etc, but Garmin has deliberately omitted these from the (slightly) lower end products.
  The documentation is very limited, but reading a downloaded pdf for the Garmin 350 helps with the 260W.
  Garmin seems to believe that no one wants to read a manual.
  
  All in all, a very good GPS, very easy to use. Garmin may have proved that no manual is needed.
  
  
  
  
  
• Beware
  By A8UAAHTX2S04J on 2008-07-07
  Beware of the wrong item being shipped. I ordered the Garmin 260W and both time the box said 260W but the product inside is actually the 200W. It will not say the steet names which is the whole reason I upgraded to the 260 from the 200. If you decide to buy make sure they ship the right item. This will be my second return, hopefully they will ship the right thing next time.
  
  
• awesome GPS!!
  By AXFBU8EHG2LB8 on 2008-04-05
  This is a great GPS unit. Just what I needed it to do without duplication of the MP3 and bluetooth that I have already. I downloaded a couple sports cars for fun... and I am on my way. Very easy to use and very easy to see. I purchased the friction mount as recommended by other reviewers - and most happy that I did. I have a large vehicle and was worried that the windshield mount would be too far away for convenience. It's nice to have the GPS so close - and it never slips. Plus, I have 4 cars and the dashboard mount makes it easy to switch vehicles. I am very happy I purchased this GPS and would recommend it to anyone!
  
  
• Useful Road Trip Tool
  By A2LP9S0SMIH7M3 on 2008-05-03
  I bought the nuvi 260W for my wife recently and decided to try it out during a roadtrip from Alabama to Kansas. I found nuvi to be simple and easy to use. My greatest complaint would have to be with the route selection. When you select an address, city, or point of interest to navigate to, the nuvi calculates a route and gives you directions. For example, I was leaving Alabama on my way to Kansas and the route it wanted me to take was via a smaller highway which I knew contained multiple red lights and train tracks. I wanted to take the interstate; I knew it was faster with less traffice. However, after a short distance, the nuvi did recalculate and go along with the route I already had in mind. Also when I came to a split in the interstate, it gave a direction to stay left or stay right, which would have been nice if I didn't know where I was going. The point of interest search was useful as well; one time I had to get off on an exit and I couldn't see a gas station, I searched for the closest one and it led me straight to it. You can also plug it in to you computer and get new vehicle icons, and system updates. I haven't tried it yet, but you can create your own points of interest and proximity alerts.
  
  Overall, I pleased with my purchase, it is a useful tool with some nice features that can make a road trip a little less nerve-racking, however I would NOT rely on this device to plan my trip's route. If you are lost, it will get you to where you need to go, but with the quickest/short route? Maybe not.
  
  
• Pleased Customer
  By AYCEYITKBWKDC on 2008-06-06
  I did my homework before buying my first GPS unit. I did not want nor need the top of line units with all the bells and whistles. I had rented a couple of cars with GPS units and found out what I liked and what I didn't like. First off, do not but any unit without the text to speech feature. Without this feature the unit will tell you that your turn is approaching but not the name of the street. The text to speech feature will speak the name of the street that you need to turn on. This feature is a must have. Without it you will staring at the screen waiting for the update to see if you are nearing your turn. With this feature you can listen without the need to be looking at the screen. The wide face is very easy to see. I knew that it did not come with a carrying case but since it never leaves my car that was no big deal. I also bought the bean bag holder and I have not even used the suction cup. I was warned that thieves may target cars with a suction cup ring on the windshield as they assume that the unit is in the car. I stow the unit in my center console when not in use and put the bean bag under the seat. This unit starts up in about 30 seconds and I have not opened the user manual once. It is so easy to use right out of the box. If you are looking for an easy, accurate GPS this is a very good pick.
  
  
• Beware
  By A2L9NRV6AQYTEW on 2008-08-05
  Everything positive said about this unit I agree with except that it finds satellites quickly. I have waited over 15 minutes for this unit to find a satellite and if you're in a hurry that's a problem.
  
  I can't recommend this unit for that important reason. If you follow the troubleshooting advice on the unit, it tells you to stand still outside away from trees & buildings. Well this happens to be true, because I have had to pull over on the side of the road hold the unit out of the window and wait for a signal, which is FRUSTRATING LIKE CRAZY!
  
  I'm looking for another unit, maybe a MIO...
  
  
• Core function is very good, but some tweaks would be nice
  By AVBLGXSWRN666 on 2008-09-08
  After researching the myriad choices of portable GPS units, I chose the Garmin nuvi 260W. From everything I read, Garmins were the best regarded, so that narrowed down the choice to a single manufacturer. There are over a dozen Garmin's to choose from, so that was only the first step in the process!
  
  A friend of mine had used a narrow-screen model that did not announce street names, and he was of the opinion that speaking the street names was of utmost importance and the widescreen display would probably be useful in seeing more of the map at once. He ended up purchasing the nuvi 650 for a great price, and he's very happy with it.
  
  After seeing his 650 in action, I agreed about the Text to Speech (TTS) function. Having the unit tell you to "turn left on Maple Street in 1 mile" instead of just "turn left in 1 mile" is very helpful when you're driving. You don't have to look at the display to know what the street is, and that can be very helpful.
  
  The widescreen display is less must-have than TTS, but I would still recommend getting it over the narrow screen. If you have points of interest loaded, being able to see a little more of the area in front of you could be especially helpful, and I like to see where the GPS is going to be taking me to get a better idea of how things will be happening as I progress down the road.
  
  More than once, I've been able to take the right turn because even though the spoken instruction was unclear (this is a problem when there are multiple lanes on a freeway, with exits on both sides, and the GPS tells you to keep left, but it doesn't mean to take the left-hand exit, just to keep left of the right hand exit ramp), I was able to see where I should be going to take the proper route.
  
  The 650 has a flip-up antenna, which I didn't want to have, because I intended to use it in pedestrian mode, and I didn't want to look any more geeky than I already would. Plus, I didn't want to have a flip-up appendage that could get caught on something, etc. The 650 has a longer battery life than the 260W, which may have something to do with that external antenna, I don't know. I have found that my friend's 650 is just a hair slower at recalculating than the 260W, but the difference isn't significant.
  
  The Send to GPS feature of the software plug-in that you install on your PC is a very handy feature, indeed! It allows you to go to Google Maps and find a location, and then choose "Send to" and select your Garmin as the destination. I did this before our trip to Minneapolis, and it was very handy to have our hotel, my brother-in-law's house, the zoos, and a park that we wanted to visit in our favorites for easy selection in one place. Since the favorites list is sorted by distance from your current location, all the Minneapolis sites in our favorites were listed first when we got into the area. Very cool feature!
  
  Overall, the 260W performs better than I expected it to. I've never had a GPS before, so I don't have any comparisons to other manufacturers and I primarily wanted it to help me get around unfamiliar cities on some summer trips. It never got us lost in Boston, Cape Cod, or Minneapolis/St. Paul, and it actually helped us on several occasions find gas stations and restaurants where we would never have found them as easily on our own. It handles roundabouts, freeways, and city streets with ease and I find it to be a valuable asset that I'm now recommending to others when before I was somewhat ambivalent about their usefulness.
  
  So on to what could be better:
  
  The speed at which the GPS acquires satellite lock when first turned on is slower than I would like. It sounds as though they have improved this on the next generation (255W) series. The wait seems very long when using it in pedestrian mode, and you're looking at it, waiting for a signal lock. However, if I turn it on, mount it on the friction mount in the car, and then get buckled in and the car turned on, it's waiting and ready by the time I'd be ready to choose a destination.
  
  Pedestrian mode is frustrating at best. I tried to use it walking around Boston and in Minneapolis and it was very disorienting as the display kept panning left and right as it was trying to get a lock on the direction I was walking. Perhaps with time, I'll get more used to using it in pedestrian mode, and I do want to try switching it into 2D mode to see if that would be better.
  
  Battery life is very short. The specs say to expect up to five hours, but I would say that 2.5 hours is more accurate in regular use. I fully charge the battery and let it get as low as possible before I recharge it, so as to maximize battery life, and I would say that 3 hours is the most that you should expect from it.
  
  Having the included car charger is a necessity on a long trip. Even though it interfaces with a PC and gets recharged with a USB mini connection, you will need to use the Garmin-branded charger if you want to use the GPS at the same time it is charging. Otherwise, it goes into "PC sync" mode and the display is unusable. The charger cable has a right angle connector on the GPS side, so that makes it easy to have the cable connected while it's sitting in the friction mount.
  
  The information that the GPS displays while in guided driving mode is useful, but considering that we have lots of screen real estate with the widescreen model, not much information is available without having to go into other screens.
  
  It displays the time of arrival and the distance to next turn, which are helpful stats, but I found myself wishing that I could see my current direction, speed, trip mileage, or miles left on my trip as well. The center "menu" button is quite large, so there's definitely room for a little display that could be pressed to switch between those other data points.
  
  The 3D display mode is the best for city driving and when you're having to make turns, etc., but it's pretty much useless when you're on the freeway and your next turn is dozens or hundreds of miles away. In those cases, I think the overhead 2D view would be more useful, as it would be able to show you your relative position to nearby towns on the map. Switching from 3D to 2D modes is not easy, as it takes several button presses to get there. I would like to see this be possible with a single button press.
  
  I would also like a simpler way of seeing the stats of where I am at any given time. You can press the arrival time display to see your current direction, speed, and other data, but you can't see your current GPS coordinates or altitude unless you press the car icon and it shows your coordinates and asks you if you want to save it as a favorite.
  
  The "where am I" feature in the 255W appears to address this need as well as making it easy to know your approximate address (in front of 307 Maple Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), which would be very helpful when calling 911, and find urgent points of interest, such as gas stations and hospitals. This is a feature that Garmin should bring to all possible existing models, due to its usefulness and safety benefits.
  
  Based on the fact that the 255W appears to address many of the shortcomings of the 260W, I recommend purchasing the 255W instead. If really long battery life is your concern, check out the 650.
  
  If you are interested in playing music from a single unit, check out the models that have that feature. My friend's 650 handles music really well, pausing the music to give instructions and then automatically resuming playback, with good volume balance between them. While the music player isn't on par with an iPod, it's certainly useable and it saves on the number of devices you're carrying around and having to plug into an accessory outlet, etc. I was more impressed with the music features of the 650 than I expected to be.
  
  The core functions of the 260W are spot-on, and from my understanding, all the nuvi GPS units use the same mapping information. It then comes down to which features you are interested in. I really like the 260W, and now I wouldn't want to travel without it!
  
  
• Great Navigation Aid......
  By A1CQW7NU4WM9EU on 2008-04-05
  The voice prompts are great, instructions are given well in advance of turns, easy to operate. A great help in strange territory. Also, it will not yell at you if you make a wrong turn. The wide screen is nice. I also purchased the weighted dash mount, makes it easy to move to another vehicle.
  
  
• Convenient and very useful
  By A35ZPCQKNUDAND on 2008-04-28
  Pro - Relatively easy to use. Has a good list of points of interest. Reacts quickly to a change in directions. Enjoy the 3D and 2D views. Having the GPS say the next turn is a useful reminder. Kids love to see "where" we are going.
  
  Con - Sometimes takes a while to get a satellite link (in Smithtown, NY). I don't consider Smithtown to be a remote nor rural area, so surprised at times it takes up to a minute to get a satellite link. The point of interests are great, but not up to date. Some stores are not listed and/or some stores no longer exist (for more than a year).
  
  
• This unit is stupid-easy! (i.e. it's great!)
  By A3C157FRIQHLV9 on 2008-06-04
  I've used Garmin GPS products for the past 10 years on my boat. I finally gave in to obtaining one for my car. I can't believe how easy it is to use and to set up. I simply plugged it in, followed the few prompts (country, time zone) and voila. It worked. I have not experienced any delays in acquiring satellites or understanding the audio as did others in the reviews mentioned here. My 85 year old uncle has one and also uses it with ease. This is a must-have product and while I'm sure other Garmin models are good, I can say that this one is fantastic.
  
  
• Impressive unit for GPS, but....
  By A9YM2WXWL7D15 on 2008-06-05
  I picked up a Garmin 260W on sale at Future Shop a couple of weeks ago. It was my first "automotive" GPS, although I've owned a Legend for many years and am familar with how GPS works and it's limitations (I'm a land surveyor).
  
  I was very impressed with the units ease of use, really a "no brainer". It takes a minute or two to locate satellites when it's been "out of touch" for a while but that's the nature of the technology. Some competeing units may appear to pick up satellites faster, but they just use software trickery that is fallible, so don't be expecting too much in that regards.
  
  A common complaint for the 260W is the poor voice quality. Well, it isn't Bose, but I found it performed just fine for me, and I'm half deaf in my right ear. Bottom line; no complaints.
  
  The reason I returned it to the store has nothing to do with the unit itself as it does with the poor quality of the source data all automative GPS units rely on. Although the 260W would certainly get me to my destination, during the short while I used it it rarely picked the "smartest" route to my destination, and in fact was pretty dumb much of the time. Give me 2 minutes on google maps and a road atlas and I'm willing to bet I could get to the destination faster than following GPS directions most of the time. The road datasets just don't have the details needed to know things like number of stop lights, time of day, paved roads, construction etc.
  
  This is no fault of Garmin, of course, but my experience underscored the fact that automotive GPS is of limited use to me until NavTech and co. builds more intelligent databases. This will happen in time, but until then I'll use my brain, google maps, and keep my handy road atlas close -- and I'll get there sooner than relying on GPS, guaranteed.
  
  
  
• Some short comings of Nuvi GPS system...
  By A2N7MP3Q7KXFVY on 2008-06-25
  There are so many 5 star ratings and articles on nuvi that I decided just to focus on a few things that I found were annoying to me...
  
  Item 3 also has shaken my confidence in its ability to avoid unpaved roads...
  
  1) Nuvi always shows the the time when you would reach the destination. If you are crossing the time zone, this could be annoying. Better would be if it only shows the "Miles to reach the destination" or "Time to reach the destination". There is no way you can get nuvi to show that. This feature is in Magellan, and very convenient and time zone proof.
  
  2) The navigation method has choice of shortest time or shortest distance... Both of which are unpredictable if you are on the best route. Example, while driving from Mountain View, CA to Reno NV, while on I-680 it tried to take me to I-5/I-80 Via Stockton, rather than straight thru I-680/I-80,and saving around 30 miles. I had "shortest time" set.
  
  3) Near Elko, NV, I took a diversion to Lamoille and mountains near by. I had set to avoid any unpaved road. while going up all went well, nice road to the top of the mountain. But while returning it took me thru a distance of about 40 miles on unpaved road to get me back on I-80, rather than quickly trying to retrace the paved road (NV-227, that it originally took to go in) back to I-80,about 15 miles.
  
  Now sure I could have turned around and gone back to right road like I did in (2) above, but I was always thinking that soon it will connect to paved road, which only happened, after about 40 miles.
  
  
  
• GARMIN NUVI 260W Wide Screen YES!
  By A2N7145DM8OV5B on 2008-04-26
  If you're in the market for a compact and portable "street talking" GPS for use in vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian mode, the GARMIN NUVI 260W Wide Screen would be an excellent choice. This model pronounces Hawaiian Street names well, announces Interstate Highway ramp numbers & names well, and basically provides navigation in full-color 2-D or 3-D views.
  
  You can select between "Fastest Routes or Shortest Routes", and "avoidances" such as (if you want to) avoid unpaved roads, tolls, freeways, U-turns etc. Find restaurants, schools, shopping centers, gas stations, ATM', recreation, community centers, etc. etc. near, at or around your destination or your position. In otherwords, unreal stuff.
  
  Touch-screen features are easily accessible and intuitive (meaning easy to use! This isn't a high-learning curve device so it's fun to use).
  
  Screen brightness, and voice sound levels are all crisp, clear, and adjustable! You can use the GPS right out of the box with the included DC adapter (for in the vehicle use or for recharging your 260W). With this in mind, I would highly recommend that you purchase the GARMIN AC-charger for a perfect fit so you can charge it in your home instead of your vehicle.
  
  A carrying case really helps protect your GPS, and a removable protective plastic sheet designed for the 260W screen would complete the system. These accessories don't cost that much more and over the long run, it'll just keep your GPS runnng and protected. Eventually, the GARMIN UPS cable to download GARMIN operating system updates would probably be compelling to get but with a brand new unit, that can be much later.
  
  Just realize that ALL GPS units may have minor inaccurate databases so when driving with GPS, always drive with the best of your human abilities and don't be lulled into thinking just because it tells you to turn right on Piikoi Street (when it's a one-way street heading Mauka)you follow a mistake calculation. The beauty of it is if you decide to take a different route, the GARMIN GPS will constantly "Recalculate" your route so that you'll reach your destination.
  
  You can also use it as a tool for teaching a student driver to navigate and learn street names and locations at the same time! The GARMIN NUVI 260W is well-worth it.
  
  
• effective not great
  By A2N1083GUSY4GK on 2008-06-04
  This was my first time buying a GPS, as I waited for need and price to be in sync. The unit is sleek, and functional and once you get a satellite signal, the tracking and directions in city and country roads works fine. The real problem is the time to pickup a signal in a new location. While travelling to LA from Atlanta home base and then back again in the home location, it took seemingly forever, ( 10-15 min ) to pick up a signal. The unit seems to be confused when it searches for destination and location but once it finally gets a location it works very well. The voices are mechanical but functional and the british accent is well hardly British, but less boring then some others. The audio will alert you when to turn, but will not announce the street name you are turning on to, so you have to read the road name on the screen. Something you can get use to, but it would be helpful to have this in the audio. If you are looking for a reasonably priced unit and functionality, this could be it, but consider the limitations, you will also to buy separate the AC charger, ( car charger included) but if you have a blackberry charger, this works too. And it does not come with a case, you will need to buy this separate for another $15 or so.
  
  
• Good unit & worth buying the extra accessories
  By AWXGEVQZ5D22H on 2008-06-07
  This is my first GPS and I am happy with it. I purchased it on Amazon in mid May and it came preloaded with the latest maps. That was a relief for me after all the mixed info I was reading about getting the latest updates. I have nothing to compare it to but the sound quality seems fine. I have noticed that sometimes it does have a little trouble finding the satellites. No big deal for me as it doesn't happen that often. I have also noticed that it has made some mistakes. I never intended to solely rely on the GPS, so that is not an issue either. Nothing is perfect. I like the extra room the wide screen offers, It was definitly worth the additional cost. I also purchased the garmin portable friction mount and the garmin leather case. Well worth the extra money. The case is advertised for the Nuvi 660 but it fits the Nuvi 260W perfectly. I know the garmin mount is more expensive, but it is much nicer than the other ones out there. It is also nice to be able to put everything out of sight in a matter of seconds and not have to worry about theft. Also makes it easy for multi vehicle use. This is a great, easy to use GPS. I am very happy with the unit.
  
  
• Garmin Nuvi 260W is a great "basic feature" unit
  By A1UA2XCGIMZ431 on 2008-06-14
  Received my Garmin Nuvi 260W just days before a trip. Setup and use is very intutive....even the wife had no problems using it (she hates electronics)...I really like the "text to speech" feature, that is why I chose the 260W. Having the unit speak the name of the road you are turning on to is very handy in urban areas. Another feature I like is what I call "auto up-scale" - even if you have set the map scale fairly small to see a large portion of the route, as you approach a turn the unit automatically scales the map larger to give you more detail of the turn...really nice on interstate ramps and intersections. Unit came preloaded with NT 2009 maps (really the current 2008 version, but its the name they use). I did hook the unit to my computer and using Garmins update software, it flashed the firmware up to the most current - all pretty painless.
  
  I did not want all the bells and whistles of more advanced (read: more expensive) units. The 260W does basic navigation very well at a very reasonable cost...I like it and highly recommend it to others !
  
  
• Lots to like about it!
  By A2L5I2MB73UJ3L on 2008-08-04
  Four stars, only because I bought one, didn't have occasion to use it a lot (other than looking up physical addresses for places I knew, just to see how it works) so not much use, and after about 3 weeks it stopped giving text-to-voice directions, meaning saying the street names. It started acting like one that didn't have text/voice. "In .2 miles, turn left." (No street name.)
  
  I contacted Amazon via return screens, got the return paperwork and labels, sent it back for a product exchange, and Amazon had my new one on the way before I even hit the UPS place. Great service from them.
  
  So I now have the replacement, and so far, so good. I'm a little hinky that it, too, will un-learn its text/voice capability, but only time will tell.
  
  ROUTES: It's missed a couple of better routes, but then equally, it's found me some better ones than what I've been using. Secondly, if you purposely override its chosen route by making what it considers a wrong turn, it recalculates VERY quickly. It found a great shortcut I'd have missed also.
  
  SCREEN CLARITY: This is my first, but I've seen my future son-in-law's older model. The wide screen is definitely a good thing. You can see more of what's around you. Yesterday I came to a "Y" where it was a toss-up which was the "continue on" road, and a quick glance at the screen was all it took (just a second of eyes off the road) to see the highlighted route.
  
  BATTERY LIFE: I got very little from just the spotty car charging periods (no long trip to give it a good charge). However, I also ordered the DC charger, and while I haven't tested out a full charge's worth of time length, I have a feeling it'll be a lot better.
  
  WINDOW MOUNT: Excellent design. I read that the black rubber suction cup (which really holds well, by the way) leaves a telltale black mark, so I tried it with its protective plastic still on it. It worked, so as long as that stays on it, I'll keep it there.
  
  DOCUMENTATION: As far as I'm concerned, it sucks. It does explain some stuff, no question. However, it doesn't tell you the following, for instance:
  
  a. "Screen Lock": From the way it's explained (like one sentence), you get the impression that this simply stops the screen from responding if you touch it by mistake... in other words, that if you put it on "screen lock," it would keep giving you directions. Not so! "Screen Lock" also means the voice directions stop, and after about 30 seconds, the screen goes dark. You can touch it again, and it'll refresh, but everything seems to sleep with it on "Screen Lock." So I don't know WHAT the purpose of it is. The manual doesn't explain what it does beyond "stops it from responding to unintended touches." (???)
  
  b. Battery charge time: No documentation with the DC charger, and the manual doesn't tell you beans. I can't find anything on the Garmin that tells me when it's charged either. I have no clue how long one should leave this thing plugged in for a full charge. And I no longer believe "don't worry, it doesn't have memory." They ALL have memory.
  
  c. Documentation also doesn't tell you whether it's charging while you have it plugged into the car charger AND simultaneously working, or whether it's charging if you have it plugged in, but turned off. Nothing in there about its rules for battery charging.
  
  Those are important things to know. Zip documentation on them. There are other areas where the documentation isn't great, but those are a couple of biggies.
  
  FINDING SATELITE: This is likely to vary depending on where you are, but I leave my car parked under trees, and fire up the Garmin when I get into the car to give it time to find satellite. It finds signal very nicely, even under trees. Once it finds signal, the only time I've had it lose signal is in the house.
  
  All other functions that I've tried have been outstanding. Again, documentation could be better on finding "Points of Interest" somewhere other than where you are, but it's intuitive enough that with the little info they do give you, you can figure it out, even if not a technocrat.
  
  If I don't have a repeat of the glitch the first one developed, then I can absolutely rave about the usefulness of this unit. It's programmed not only to give you plenty of warning for an upcoming turn, but its timing of telling you right then and there AT the turn is perfect and consistent.
  
  Documentation is the main reason for the 4 stars. Getting a faulty unit (my first one) can happen with any equipment. If that same thing happens again, then my rating would go to 1 star, because that's unacceptable. But if not, then 4 stars... for sure!
  
  

• Magellan 64MB Secure Digital Memory Card
• SanDisk SDSDB-128-A10 Secure Digital 128MB (Retail Package)
• SanDisk SDSDB-64-A10 Secure Digital 64 MB
• Lexar Media 128 MB Secure Digital Card
• Kingston 128 MB Secure Digital Memory Card (SD/128) (Retail Package)

• Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount for nüvi Series and StreetPilot C5XX Series GPS Navigators (C530, C550, and C580)
• GARMIN 010-10823-01 Leather Carrying Case For Nuvi Travel Assistant
• Garmin Vehicle Power Cable for nüvi Portable GPS Navigators (010-10723-06)
• Garmin A/C Power Cable for nüvi Portable GPS Navigators (010-10723-00)
• GARMIN 010-10723-02 Carrying Case For Nuvi Series Travel Assistant