nuvi 255 from Garmin: Customer Reviews
" Don't pay more, this has everything you need"
"Let me set the scene for you: I arrive in Los Angeles at the airport, turn on my GPS system and instantly am ready to navigate.
I then spend two days driving around Los Angeles not knowing where anything is located and haven't gotten lost once...
The nuvi 255, as in my review title, is everything you need.
Don't spend more because you think you'll need to talk for navigation or that you want to connect to some navigation service or whatever else they're selling.
This is a small, FAST, device that you can easily carry with you when it isn't in your car. And folks, that's part of a portable GPS system: you can take it with you so it doesn't get stolen.
I will give the following heads-up.
The first time you calibrate the GPS system, it may take up to 10 MINUTES.
Be patient, stand in a large open field, and don't move the device. Just let it sit. After that initial setup, you'll be walking on sunshine.
Second, charging the device is easy. All you need is a standard USB cable that is used for most electronics. The downside, it doesn't show a progress bar on the screen as to when a charge is complete. Third, when you turn it on, make sure you have clear views of the sky from all directions.
Otherwise, the system may not initialize properly. Plus, if you're in a city with tall buildings, you may be out of luck for getting signal (i.e. NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago). Normally, the difficultly comes from initially turning it on. After that, it's great.
This device is FAST in recalculating routes. Mere seconds and boom, you're back on track. No downtime whatsoever. This is really amazing.
You are given the option of navigation as a pedestrian or in a car. That is really great if you're on foot. You can easily switch between the two.
NOW... my word of advice. SPEND THE MONEY to get the nuvi 255 with the "text-to-speech." When you're driving in traffic in an unfamiliar place, you don't want to have to constantly look over to read the street names on the device then find them on the street. It is worth the extra cash.
All-in-all, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
As I said to a friend today, it isn't often that I buy a piece of electronics equipment and have my expectations met and surpassed. As I continue to use it, new things continue to amaze me."
G.R. Los Angeles CA. (Review of Garmin nuvi 255)
More Reviews for Garmin nuvi 255 Portable GPS Navigator
"Garmin Nuvi 255 - intuitive out of the box ease!"
"I literally hooked this product up in my car right as I got in for a 6 day trip visiting new and old accounts in Salt Lake City/Ogden/Provo/Logan (I live in the Denver area).
I had NEVER used a GPS before.
Once I got used to how I needed to input adresses (took about 2 minutes with the funky grid system SLC uses inputting E/W/N/S for streets)I was guided to all the new accoutns by voice/map without a problem.....I will never travel to new places without one of these again.
This was way easy to use, just glanced at the quick start and was on my way."
M.G. (Review of Garmin nuvi 255)
"Very Happy!"
"This is our first GPS and we are very happy with it.
As I have heard with other GPS systems, you have to remember that they are not perfect and will not always tell you the way you would have gone, but they will get you there.
It is very user friendly and has some nice features that are easy to use.
We have used it one two trips so far and have been very happy with it.
I was concerned with getting the 3.5 screen as opposed to the 4.3, but the 3.5 has worked out great for us."
G.G. - Bristol, CT (Review of Garmin nuvi 255)
"Best Value - Very Reliable"
"After much research I decided on the Nuvi 255 due mostly to the fact that it is the least expensive model with TTS (Text to speech) in other words it speaks street names so that you can keep your eyes on the raod ahead.
This unit also has the ability to get traffic updates via a separate cable (GTM-10 or GTM-12 Traffic Receiver) that can be purchased through Amazon.com.
I have not purchased this extra item, so I cannot comment on how this works.
I can tell you that you need to check the various traffic providers ie. MSN, Clear Channel, etc. to make sure that they have adequate coverage in your area.
There is also a monthly fee for traffic updates. The GTM-10 comes with a 15 month subscription to Clear Channel.
I have had the unit now for about 1 month and it has not led me astray.
I would recommend this unit to anyone who wants an affordable but reliable GPS unit."
K.S. Overland Park - KS. (Review of Garmin nuvi 255)