Garmin nuvi 260W Review

The Garmin nuvi 260W GPS personal travel assistant combines a wide variety of state of the art navigational features and options to choose from all housed within an ultra stylish design along with a reasonable price tag, making this model ideal for any type of traveler.

Garmin nuvi 260W GPS Navigator

Product Overview

Preloaded with City Navigator NT Street Maps for all of North America as well as Puerto Rico and six million points of interest (POI), the nuvi 260W is ready to go right out of the box, helping you get to all of your destinations quickly and easily. Users can also add their own custom points of interest in addition to the millions of hotels, restaurants, banks, hospitals, and local attractions, including places such as school zones, sending out alerts of any upcoming POI on your list.

Most people who own the nuvi 260W tout its intuitive design and easy to use interface saying that it's simple to operate without even reading through the Quick Start manual that's provided, and also appreciate its built-in antennae, as opposed to those with the flip-up design used in some of the other series.

Behind the device's touchscreen, antiglare display is a white backlight, making it readable even in the sunlight, and users have the option of choosing either 2D or 3D map views. Designed similarly to the other nuvis in the 200 series, the 260W model is also sleek and slim, allowing it to fit neatly in a pocket, purse, or briefcase for navigating on foot. The 4.3-inch backlit widescreen touchscreen on the nüvi 260W gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. The included rechargeable lithium ion battery will run the device for up to five hours, depending on the type of usage, without being connected to a power source.

Included with the purchase of the nuvi 260W from Garmin is the Quick Start manual, dashboard disc, vehicle power cable and the vehicle suction cup mount. While the SD card and USB cable are not included, the 260W is compatible with several different types and both can be purchased separately for the purpose of storing or adding additional media and information.

This particular nuvi is not compatible with Windows 95, 98, or Millennium edition operating systems.

Actual user review:
• "I have had this GPS now for 2 weeks and have tried it out on both drives I know well and don't know too well. It has been very accurate. Easy to set up and download all updates from your computer. I recommend it for anyone looking for a GPS. Shop around and you will find that you are getting your money's worth and more! " - K.Williams (WA, USA)

Notable Benefits and Features

Keep your eyes focused on the road ahead with the nuvi 260W as it announces the names of streets and road exits with the text to speech (TTS) feature, and the display also provides turn-by-turn directions and map details. The nuvi 260W also contains a highly sensitive GPS receiver providing the most accurate directions and navigational tools, and it is capable of displaying JPEG pictures, serving as a world travel clock complete with time zones, a currency or measurement converters, or a calculator.

Steer clear of heavy traffic congestion as the nuvi 260W has a built-in FM traffic receiver that provides accurate alerts about road construction and tie-ups along your route. The detour recalculation feature will help you to get back on track in the event you must take an unexpected detour and lose your way.

Other benefits of the nuvi 260W include the auto reroute and fast off-route choices of the route setup feature, as well as giving you the option of either the fastest time or shortest distance, along with route avoidance, allowing you to avoid any highways or toll roads along your trip.

With the free Garmin Garage feature, users can completely customize their travel experiences by choosing from many different car-shaped icons to represent their position on the map display. Also included is the Garmin Lock antitheft feature, which will render the device inoperable unless a four digit PIN (personal identification number) is entered first, or until it is taken to a predetermined and secure location.

Technical Specifications

Antenna: Built-in
Battery: Rechargeable lithium ion, runs for up to five hours without power
Connectivity: USB cable (not included)
Dimensions: 3.8 inches wide, 0.8 inches deep, 2.25 inches high
Display: QVGA color anti-glare with white backlight, 320 x 240 pixels
Expansion Slots: SD card (not included)
Included Software: City Navigator NT Street Maps for North America and Europe
Voice Capabilities: Yes, voice prompts, text to speech street names

Average User Rating :

• "I've owned three Garmins over the years, beginning with a bare-bones "text only" unit back when these things were still for the hobbyist. The Garmin Nuvi 260W, by contrast, is worlds away from those early units. The maps are very complete and accurate. For those who've complained about slow acquisition of the satellites, I've not found this to be the case. When you first buy the unit, it needs to soak up current almanac data. Just plug it in and move your car to your driveway and let it sit there for a while and you'll be ready to go. Otherwise, I've found start-up, even after the unit is powered down, to be very fast. The Garmin does a great job of recalculating your route if you make an unspecified turn." - W.Schmidt (OH, USA)

• "I just purchased a Garmin Nuvi 260w through Amazon. The service was wonderful and exactly as promised. I love the Garmin. It is so easy to use and I especially like the fact that I can wander all I want and it can always take me home. The directions are accurate and I can change my route any time and it recalculates immediatly for me. This is my first GPS and I am very satisfied." - E.Novy (CA, USA)