Hello and welcome,
This blog as the title suggests is about the Garmin Sat Nav range of GPS units the Nuvi.
Within the Nuvi range of units are several model numbers each with slightly different modules and functionality. I will review each of these units in a greater detail one by one in seperate posts, even covering some of the accessories that can be purchased for each unit.
The GPS system is fantastic and as a professional driver I can atest that my sat nav unit has probably saved my days worth of hours when making deliveries to customers. The need for the old paper maps and hundreds of street planners is something of the past (thankfully).
Being able to switch on the gps unit and although you have to wait for it to pick up a satelite signal it is well worth the wait. With maps being updated and whole countries if not continents worth of road maps available at the touch of the screen, it is much easier to operate than dozens of maps that maybe out of date.
We all know the usefulness of a sat nav unit espcially if your going to a new location or if your 'lost' in a town or area that you don't know to well just plug it in, switch it on, and tell it to take you home, in seconds you have a fully mapped out route with details and travelling time to get you there. It will even show you a few short cuts you never knew existed depending on the planning settings you make in the devices menu.
With the voices most of which can be annoying but thankfully changeable via downloads, it is like you have company guiding you to your planned destination. I normally disable the voice personally as the default ones annoy me and the downloadable ones lose appeal very quickly.
With most Garmin sat nav units it is also possible to program the unit for the vehicle your in i.e a car or even an articulated lorry, this functionality is important to prevent a lorry going places it shouldn't be on the grounds it's to high or to heavy for the roads.
When a route is planned and set into the gps unit it is also possible to get the estimated travelling time, so you can work out when to leave to get somewhere at a specifc time, or even call ahead and tell the person your visiting 'I will be there at ..... ' knowing you won't get lost and the timing is accurate. The travelling is is worked out by knowing the speed limits of the roads onroute and multiplying by how far you must travel on the road, this is correct if you stick to the speed limit, if however you don't adhere to the speed limit the timing will adjust automatically.
I will add posts on each of the Garmin GPS units in the Nuvi range below for you to read and make your own mind up on which unit is best suited for your needs.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Friday, September 11, 2009
Garmin Nuvi Sat Nav 750
The Garmin Nuvi 750 sat nav device is a great looking device with a helpful user interface as we have come to expect from Garmin with their GPS devices.
One of the main problems with this unit and I knwo it is bad to start on a sour note but at least then the review can only get better is the fact that the Nuvi 750 has teh age old problem os slow satalite lock in.
Ok that said no onto the stuff thats great with this device.
The text to speech feature allowing the selected voice on the device to read out the street names and POI identifiers as required.
The widescreen display showing more information with a clearer picture for all to see.
The silver coloured, rectangular device is slim and lightweight at 4.8 inches wide by 3 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and 6.2 ounces. Making it slightly bigger than a deck of cards, so it's easy to travel with and transport between vehicles as the user requires.
Like the newer models, the Nuvi 750 features a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) touch screen with a 480x272 pixel resolution and white backlight. The on-screen keyboard is selectable between ABC and QWERTY format depending on your preferences.
On the units left handside you'll find a headphone jack (3.5mm) and the SD Card slot for the expansion of memory or loading media files.
On the units top you'll find the standard slide power/screen lock button depending on which direction you slide it in.
The USB port can be found at the base of the unit for data connection and charging purposes.
The back of the unit houses the speaker and external antenna if required.
With the abilty to program multi location routes allowing you set a waypoint of visit a friend on the way without then having to recalculate the last leg of the journey it can be done all at once. The route planning screen allows you to choose from several menu's of places to visit and with over 6 million POI's preloaded as standard.
As will some of the modern Garmin GPS units this has a picture viewer, MP3 player, calculator functionality and world clock functions and more.
All in all a great unit though only the initial satalite lock in time can be a bit longer than expected.
One of the main problems with this unit and I knwo it is bad to start on a sour note but at least then the review can only get better is the fact that the Nuvi 750 has teh age old problem os slow satalite lock in.
Ok that said no onto the stuff thats great with this device.
The text to speech feature allowing the selected voice on the device to read out the street names and POI identifiers as required.
The widescreen display showing more information with a clearer picture for all to see.
The silver coloured, rectangular device is slim and lightweight at 4.8 inches wide by 3 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and 6.2 ounces. Making it slightly bigger than a deck of cards, so it's easy to travel with and transport between vehicles as the user requires.
Like the newer models, the Nuvi 750 features a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) touch screen with a 480x272 pixel resolution and white backlight. The on-screen keyboard is selectable between ABC and QWERTY format depending on your preferences.
On the units left handside you'll find a headphone jack (3.5mm) and the SD Card slot for the expansion of memory or loading media files.
On the units top you'll find the standard slide power/screen lock button depending on which direction you slide it in.
The USB port can be found at the base of the unit for data connection and charging purposes.
The back of the unit houses the speaker and external antenna if required.
With the abilty to program multi location routes allowing you set a waypoint of visit a friend on the way without then having to recalculate the last leg of the journey it can be done all at once. The route planning screen allows you to choose from several menu's of places to visit and with over 6 million POI's preloaded as standard.
As will some of the modern Garmin GPS units this has a picture viewer, MP3 player, calculator functionality and world clock functions and more.
All in all a great unit though only the initial satalite lock in time can be a bit longer than expected.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Garmin Sat Nav Nuvi 255W
In the post I will be writing a review of the Garmin Nuvi 255W Sat Nav device, currently one of the most popular units (purchased on Amazon.com).
As the base model in the Nuvi range it doesn't have the full functionality of the higher spec models, having said that it is not to detract from the usefulness of the unit for getting you from A2B.
As a GPS unit it is an upgraded version of the Nuvi 205 model with the additional features of full mapping details and text to speech allowing street names and POI names to be read by the preloaded voices.
Not quite as sleek and asthetically pleasing as some devices you find on the market it does the core job of route planning for you without any problems. Many have reviewed this model saying it is both fit for purpose and GPS navigation on a budget both these comments should be read as compliments to the unit.
The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches tall by 0.8 inch deep and features a color touch screen that takes up almost the entirety of the front panel. With a screen that measure in at 4.3 inches diagonally and displays full-color imagery at a WQVGA resolution of 480x272 pixels.
Power is switched on/off via a slider which is located at the top of the unit and doubles up as a screen lock depending on the icon you slide it towards.
On the rear of the unit you will find the speaker and mini usb port which is used for charging/data transfer.
On the side of the unit is the SD card slot used for the map storage or changing the map disk. Changing the map disk allows for when on holiday you can just swap disks without having to back up the currents maps and your unit will navigate around your holiday destination just the same as home use.
The preloaded maps come in various packages depending on where the unit is bought the lower 48 states of the US or Canada or one european country. The mapping for these countries also include speed limit warnings for the driver to ensure that no laws are broken.
The start up time one of the biggest bug bares of any Garmin sat nav user in the past has been improved allowing for a faster satalite lock and route planning.
The base comparison for the Garmin 255W Nuvi unit is the Tom Tom XL 340. The main difference between the units is the Tom Tom has the ability to route share and learn a quicker route 'on the fly'. The plus side for the Garmin however is the user interface and speed of the device.
As the base model in the Nuvi range it doesn't have the full functionality of the higher spec models, having said that it is not to detract from the usefulness of the unit for getting you from A2B.
As a GPS unit it is an upgraded version of the Nuvi 205 model with the additional features of full mapping details and text to speech allowing street names and POI names to be read by the preloaded voices.
Not quite as sleek and asthetically pleasing as some devices you find on the market it does the core job of route planning for you without any problems. Many have reviewed this model saying it is both fit for purpose and GPS navigation on a budget both these comments should be read as compliments to the unit.
The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches tall by 0.8 inch deep and features a color touch screen that takes up almost the entirety of the front panel. With a screen that measure in at 4.3 inches diagonally and displays full-color imagery at a WQVGA resolution of 480x272 pixels.
Power is switched on/off via a slider which is located at the top of the unit and doubles up as a screen lock depending on the icon you slide it towards.
On the rear of the unit you will find the speaker and mini usb port which is used for charging/data transfer.
On the side of the unit is the SD card slot used for the map storage or changing the map disk. Changing the map disk allows for when on holiday you can just swap disks without having to back up the currents maps and your unit will navigate around your holiday destination just the same as home use.
The preloaded maps come in various packages depending on where the unit is bought the lower 48 states of the US or Canada or one european country. The mapping for these countries also include speed limit warnings for the driver to ensure that no laws are broken.
The start up time one of the biggest bug bares of any Garmin sat nav user in the past has been improved allowing for a faster satalite lock and route planning.
The base comparison for the Garmin 255W Nuvi unit is the Tom Tom XL 340. The main difference between the units is the Tom Tom has the ability to route share and learn a quicker route 'on the fly'. The plus side for the Garmin however is the user interface and speed of the device.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Garmin Nuvi 265WT Sat Nav
In the post I will be writing a review of the Garmin Nuvi 265W Sat Nav device, currently one of the most popular units (purchased on Amazon.com).
At the lower end of the midrange models in the Nuvi series it doesn't have the full functionality of the higher spec models, having said that it is not to detract from the usefulness of the unit for getting you from A2B.
As a GPS unit it is an upgraded version of the Nuvi 255 model with the additional features of integrated bluetooth phone connectivity and lifetime free traffic alerts.
A more asthetically pleasing design than the Garmin Nuvi 255W it does make for a more eye catching device which is easily fitted to any vehicle. Many have reviewed this model saying it is a great GPS device with some upmarket features at an affordable price.
The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and weighs 6.1 ounces. In addition to a compact size, the PND has a nice solid construction that makes it a nice travel companion and easy for multivehicle use.
Power is switched on/off via a slider which is located at the top of the unit and doubles up as a screen lock depending on the icon you slide it towards.
On the rear of the unit you will find the speaker and mini usb port which is used for charging/data transfer.
On the side of the unit is the SD card slot used for the map storage or changing the map disk. Changing the map disk allows for when on holiday you can just swap disks without having to back up the currents maps and your unit will navigate around your holiday destination just the same as home use.
The preloaded maps come in various packages depending on where the unit is bought the lower 48 states of the US or Canada or one european country. The mapping for these countries also include speed limit warnings for the driver to ensure that no laws are broken.
The start up time one of the biggest bug bares of any Garmin sat nav user in the past has been improved allowing for a faster satalite lock and route planning.
At the lower end of the midrange models in the Nuvi series it doesn't have the full functionality of the higher spec models, having said that it is not to detract from the usefulness of the unit for getting you from A2B.
As a GPS unit it is an upgraded version of the Nuvi 255 model with the additional features of integrated bluetooth phone connectivity and lifetime free traffic alerts.
A more asthetically pleasing design than the Garmin Nuvi 255W it does make for a more eye catching device which is easily fitted to any vehicle. Many have reviewed this model saying it is a great GPS device with some upmarket features at an affordable price.
The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and weighs 6.1 ounces. In addition to a compact size, the PND has a nice solid construction that makes it a nice travel companion and easy for multivehicle use.
Power is switched on/off via a slider which is located at the top of the unit and doubles up as a screen lock depending on the icon you slide it towards.
On the rear of the unit you will find the speaker and mini usb port which is used for charging/data transfer.
On the side of the unit is the SD card slot used for the map storage or changing the map disk. Changing the map disk allows for when on holiday you can just swap disks without having to back up the currents maps and your unit will navigate around your holiday destination just the same as home use.
The preloaded maps come in various packages depending on where the unit is bought the lower 48 states of the US or Canada or one european country. The mapping for these countries also include speed limit warnings for the driver to ensure that no laws are broken.
The start up time one of the biggest bug bares of any Garmin sat nav user in the past has been improved allowing for a faster satalite lock and route planning.
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