Customer Reviews:
 Nice, but fails way too often. September 27, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Yesterday I used my Nuvi for the first time to location 4 different places. It failed at various levels on 3 of those locations, and succeeded on the forth.
PROBLEM 1: I tried to enter a street address "Saint Johns Bluff Rd S" but as soon as I typed the "Rd" the Nuvi "helpfully" popped up the selections it thought I meant. The selection list had one item: the north version of the road. If you try to go back from the helpful selection list to continue entering what YOU want to enter you'll find that the field has been emptied. I was not able to enter my location and had to call for directions. BTW: This location has been in existance for years.
PROBLEM 2: I tried to find "Dave & Buster's", a popular attraction in this city but it was not in the database! I manually entered the address, and it accepted the address, but it took me to the wrong place. It dumped me off about a half mile away. Again, I had to call for directions.
PROBLEM 3: I tried to find a location on the street "A1A S" but as soon as I entered the "S" the Nuvi suggested that I meant "A1A Scenic and Historic". It would not let me enter what I meant, only what it thought I meant! Forced to accept Nuvi's suggestion, I compared the place it wanted to take me to a map someone else printed from MapQuest. They differed, and MapQuest was right. MapQuest actually accepted what the user entered. Imagine that!
It also gave me problems today.
- It lost satellite reception and didn't get it back until I rebooted.
- I followed someone to their house and the roads in this section of the town just didn't exist on Nuvi's map. I rebooted and viola! The roads appeared.
- I've found the database of known lodging and food places to be extremely limited; it often has minor things in a region but not major things.
- It has entries in its database containing characters that you cannot enter. For example, I played around searching for "Dave & Buster's" in other cities. In another city it find the location if I enter "Dave", but not "Dave and" because "and" is technically not in the name "Dave & Buster's". The Nuvi does not provide a way to enter the "&" character so it's impossible to enter the name! The Nuvi ought to be smart enough to match "&" with "And".
- A friend told me to head towards a specific intersection. I entered the information into the intersection search feature (Spelling the names of the roads properly) and it could not find them.
Another problem I noticed on day one is that the new offramp on the interstate that I often use to go home is not in the database. It's a year old! Why isn't it in there?
And I tried to use Garmin's website for help. First, I tried to update the software using the webbased tool but it failed without any feedback. I used an app-based tool and that worked. I played around with the same input as in those problems mentioned above and even with all the updates the same (or similar) errors occurred. I tried to post a complaint to their customer service department and the website failed to accept it! It told me to fill in the required fields marked with an asterisk. EVERY FIELD WAS SET!
I've had it. This tool is going back tomorrow, but sadly this is the state of computer technology today. No one even cares to make electronic devices that work anymore. So long as it technically works well enough to satisfy the legal requirements imposed by marketing's promises then that's all the better electronics are made.
 GPS Navigator September 24, 2008
This little unit is great. Take it with you every where you go. Easily fits in your pocket. Love all of the POI included in the database. You will never get lost with this jewel.
Everything you need, and nothing you don't need.... September 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I ordered the Garmin nuvi 260 before taking a trip to Minnesota, where I knew I'd be traveling by car from point to point, often with little notice of my next destination, so it seemed time to rely on something besides map sites on the web. The 260 gives very good audible directions, has a clear map display, and a real bonus, helped me find a restaurant to host a family dinner on short notice in a location central to everyone. It also helped me find the gas station closest to the airport to refuel the rental car before turning it in. I probably saved $40 in gas over three days thanks to the nuvi. This model includes Canada, which will come in handy as I live in the Northeast. Also, an important note: After much hemming and hawing over how to mount the nuvi, I decided to purchase it with only the standard mount. It received the satellite signal very well while simply perched in my cupholder! You absolutely do not need to have constant access to the screen. In this way, no mounting is necessary AT ALL. This resolves the break-in risk, the beanbag vs.windshield mount question, and allow me to drive undistracted by the screen. A friendly voice simply told me when to turn (with way more warning than my husband ever gives). At stoplights I could check the map very easily. I strongly recommend this lower distraction method! Then just stow the nuvi and cord in the glove box every time you get out of the car. No suction cup, no beanbag, no adhesive. The larger screen size seems silly given that the device rides in my cupholder, and I'm relieved I didn't get it.
Getting around September 21, 2008
I now don't worry about going to new places. My Nuvi get me there. There are times you might have to go a round about way if the shorter way is not on the map yet. For someone who always turns the wrong way to the exit from a hotel room - Nuvi is the answer.
Garmin Got Us There! September 19, 2008
Inexpensive GPS - a lot for the money. We borrowed our son's for a trip to Brooklyn, NY. Not being from Brooklyn or the surrounding area, we would have never found our destination without this great little device. We liked it so much, we had to purchase our own. Very easy to use
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