Accessories

disappointed with major mapping error and solution
Item contains serious mapping error that Garmin will not stand behind. I have to wait one year and pay for new download if available. Dealer will also do nothing.

Please help.

I have not read the instrutions yet I've travelled 2,000 miles with it!
So I finally got the Nuvi 255w after months of analizing and comparing wit other brands, adding 3 days of looking arownd in Circuit City and Best Buy stores displays.

I have not read the instructions that came with this unit, yet I and my 11 years old son were able to operate the unit like pros out of the box.

I just arrived from a trip that took me from New York to New Jersey, then Bostn, then MAine, then Niagara Falls, then Corning (upstate NY), then to Harrisburg, PA, Hershey Park PA, Washington DC, Philladelphia and back to New Jersey (We live actually in the Dominican Republic, but were on a two week family trip).

Of course,and being our native language, we programmed the GPS in Latin American Spanish, and of course, the pronunciation of some street names was a little akward, but nothing you can't manage. One of the main bugs is that when it mentioned a south route or high way it said, for example, to take I-95 seconds instead of south, since S is the abreviation of seconds in spanish and not south. We overcame that and the rest was easy.

Maps issue: this unit is not up to date on actual maps in the DC and Alexandria VA area. We were trough streets that seem to have been there for a while and it showed that we were travelling trough grass, of course recalculating, but we got used to this fast and as soon as we arrived to the part of the road it had on the map it recalculated again.

Crazy Issue: in NY city or if surrounded by tall buildings, it went a little crazy. I guess it was because during the traffic jams we encountered I guess it loss contact with the satellites due to interferrence by the tall buildings arroung. I recomend that if travelling in a city, try to remenber the first route it displyed and follow it even when it redirects you because after a while it realculates and send you on the right track again.

Overall, I give this unit a 4.75, because of:
1- Ease of use
2- Fast satellite adquisition
3- Fast perfonmance
4- 96% relliability
5- Excellent form factor
6- Good battery life
7- Excellent for pedestrian use (It even guides you through internal walking roads like in the National Mall, Arlington Cementery, Central Park, Niagara Falls Park, Manhattan, etc.
8- It took me and my familly in a two week 2000 mile trip with exellent ease of use and only very minor gltches

Finally, be carefull around Washington DC, because this unit has not updated the actual and latest detours arownd monuments and buildings, therefore taking you to dead ends. Don't trust it to take you to the White House, Capitol, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, because it will guide you to direct streets that are now blocked. Also beware with the sides when you are arriving somewhere.. it sometimes says the finish will be on the opposite side of the street to where it really is.

Best In Its Class - Great For Traveling
If you spend much time driving in unfamiliar territory, especially if you rent cars in big cities, a good portable GPS makes an amazing difference. And the Garmin 255W is the best one I could find in the $250 - $350 range.

First this thing just plain works. I haven't had any issues with mine. It was easy to set up and figure out right out of the box, and it's easy to use. It never has had trouble getting sufficient signal unlike earlier and cheaper models.

I chose the 255W for several reasons: It uses some of the newest and best maps available. It has one of the more usable touch screens for entering destinations. It's fast to acquire satellites. And Garmin almost always comes out on top in reviews--especially in routing.

Ultimately, you buy a car GPS to get you from Point A to Point B as easily and efficiently as possible. And that's what the 255W does best. If you've ever had a "Brand X" GPS take you on some strange route that adds 20 minutes to your trip, has you turn the wrong way down a one way road, tell you to turn AFTER you've passed the street, frequently loses the satellite signal, or has old maps missing streets, you know how important this stuff is.

The 255W has a really clear display that's easy to see in any light. It's small enough to use on foot. The windshield mount works great and it's easy to toss in the glovebox when you park. It even tells you the speed limit on most roads. The "points of interest" feature works very well to find places to eat by type of cuisine, gas stations, etc.

The difference between the 255W and 205W is the 255 speaks street names and includes Alaska and Canada. The 205 and 205W will tell you to "turn right in 500 feet" which isn't as helpful or obvious as "turn right on Ivy Street in 500 feet". The "W" models are widescreen which makes entering destinations easier due to having a bigger "keyboard" and also lets you see more map area while driving.

All in all this isn't the cheapest GPS in its class but it's one of the best. My only gripe is you need an expensive add-on to get live traffic data--something that's included with the Magellan Roadmate 1430 which is close to the same price. But the Garmin 255W is a better GPS in every other way.

POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
I ordered two of them and only received one even though the packing slip said two. I called and at first got resistance but explained that there was no way two would have fit in the box. The product then shipped ground again delaying the delivery for a week.

Great product- very happy
I've never owned a GPS personally, but have had the occasional opportunity to use friends and family's GPS that comes with the cars, most notably the ones in Honda's CRV's... and have wanted one ever since.
After picking up the Nuvi 255w, I gotta say, this comes pretty darn close to the experience with the expensive factory-installed units... only smaller. In short, I can't think of much I don't like about it.
It picks up the satellites quickly (I've never noticed a lag), routes fast, has good animation (maybe 6-8 frames a second?), and is very, very accurate. The preloaded maps don't include some of the roads that have been built in our town in the last year (which is to be expected), but does include our street, which isn't even available on Google Maps yet. (Go figure) It's light, looks good and comes with everything you need EXCEPT the USB cable to hook it to the computer. If you don't have this, the only way to charge it is to use the cigarette lighter adapter that comes in the box. I just used the one that came with my digital camera, and it works fine. The screen is easily readable in the sun, and I love how it automatically dims to 20% at night.
One purpose this can be used for, which I never thought of before, is a portable yellow pages. Not only does it give you the address of the business, it also gives the phone number. Pretty cool. I didn't have the problems with the sounds of the voices like others have. They sound good to me... a little mechanical, but good.
The interface is a seller for me. Keep in mind that I don't really have much experience to compare it to, but it's obvious they've put some thought into it. The icons are a bit garish and cartoony, though... it's no iPhone.
The cons: The documentation sucks. Not that you really need it... the directions didn't tell me anything I didn't already know after fiddling with it for 10 minutes.
It doesn't ALWAYS speak the street names... most of the time, though.
Some of the voices are annoying. The British accent seems to talk in slow motion, but I think it's the easiest to understand.
I think they could work a little harder on the interface from a design standpoint. Nothing major, just a few tweaks here and there could really make it shine.
The Mac support is little lacking.

All in all, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. It truly is a great value, and I have no regrets. My only advice to Garmin is to reduce the number of different models by more than half. It's a nightmare to try and make a confident decision with the sheer amount of choices and features that seem to make little sense as to why some are more expensive than others.