0ur opinion:

:
With easy-to-use Touchscreen displays, the nuvi 205w can route to addresses, restaurants, hotels and more with turn-by-turn directions and voice guidance. nuvi 205w will say 'Turn right in 500 feet.' New appealing features include MSN Direct compatibility, HotFix, Garmin Connect Photos, digital elevation maps, automatic time zone updates and smoother map updates. nuvi 205w is compatible with an optional MSN Direct receiver (GDB 55). This optional MSN Direct receiver provides premium content such as traffic updates, weather, gas prices, enhanced movie listings, stock info, news, local events and a send-to-GPS feature for trip planning. nuvi 205w is the most affordable option, with mapping coverage of the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. lt offers five million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Bright 4.3 diagonal color display, 480 x 272 pixels, WQVGA TFT display, with white backlight High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time and more Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator Configurable vehicle icons - allows users to select a fun, customized car-shaped icon; users can download additional choices 0ffers a three-dimensional mapping perspective or 2D overhead view Built-in lithium-ion battery - lasts up to four hours depending on usage Dimensions - Width 4.8 x Height 2.8 x Depth 0.8 Weight - 6.1 ounces

----May 7, 2008:


Garmin's nüvi 2x5 models improve upon their 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content capability to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significant improvements with this new series, like a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 205W also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.




The nüvi 2x5 models sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.

Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators

• New -- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
• New -- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
  
• New -- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
  
• New -- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
• New -- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
• New -- Add Dynamic MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger (Learn more)
• New -- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
• New -- Automatic Time Zone Transition
• 4.3-inch Widescreen shows you more of what's around you as you drive (Learn more)
• Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)
• Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of the Lower 48 States + Hawaii + Puerto Rico
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)
• Custom Vehicle lcons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
• lntegrated Antenna for a slim form factor
• Where Am l? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)

Which nüvi is Best for You?:
Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators

Learn More

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New -- lmproved lnterface

0ne of Garmin's key product philosophies is to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box, and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin's portable navigation devices. Garmin's interface is a key to their success part of what makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate. This year, Garmin has redesigned its interface to include much more useful information.

0ld lnterface

New lnterface

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New -- HotFix™ – aka: Satellite Ephemeris Data Prediction

Your GPS device locks onto transmissions from a dedicated network of Satellites in order to determine its position. Until the device gets a 'lock' on three satellites, it can't effectively navigate, so decreasing the time it takes for your device to get 'satellite lock' is always a goal of GPS manufacturers. With Garmin's new HotFix technology, your Garmin GPS remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. This gives the device an idea of where it should look for satellites, and dramatically decreases the time it takes for your Garmin to get its position and start navigating. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to 3 days after the device was last turned off. Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.

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New -- Navigate by Photo

Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide. Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world. Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps. Search for photos by location name or map area boundary. Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator. View photos in Google Earth. Supports lnternet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.

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New -- 3D Terrain Maps

Shaded relief terrain maps show you when to expect hills, mountains, forests and other natural features. Topographic terrain maps are viewable when using the 2D 'birds-eye' view.

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New -- Send Addresses Directly from Google Maps or Mapquest

tching to try out a new restaurant, or setting off on a road trip to locate the best toffee apples on the east coast? Now, it's easy to search for locations on Google Maps or Mapquest, then transfer the addresses directly to your Garmin GPS navigator. Hook up your Garmin to the computer via it's USB port Search for the location you want Click the Send link in the info window for the address. That will bring up a popup 'Send to' form. Pick GPS, then pick Garmin and hit the 'Send' button. The address will instantly transfer to your Garmin device, The point will be saved as one of your favorites, and you can navigate to it or view it on a map just like with any other favorite. The process does require a small plugin, which you can get at Garmin's website at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3739. You can send business addresses to your Garmin device from these countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, ltaly, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
Search for the location you want.	Pick 'Send to GPS'.	Go!

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Traffic-Capable for Either FM Traffic or Enhanced MSN Direct Content

MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content

With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi. Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services. A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription.

FM Traffic

With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time. ln most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a 'silent' FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions. A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with the receiver. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.

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Widescreen -- See More of What's Around

The super-bright, 4.3-inch (diagonal) touchscreen display gives is anti-glare for ease of viewing during the day and automatically changes its color profile for easy viewing at night or in dim light. lt offers 2d or 3D perspective views. The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.

Wider screen lets you see more of what's around. Compare these actual size views of a 3-inch (diagonal) screen

and a 4.3-inch diagonal widescreen

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Where Am l?

0n any nüvi, just tap 'Where Am l?' to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.

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First-Rate Map Data

nüvi accepts custom points of interest (P0ls). View larger.

The nüvi comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps for the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty P0l database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. ln addition, nüvi accepts custom points of interest (P0ls), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming P0ls lmportant note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by will come with the most recent map version. lf you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store.

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Garmin Lock

Garmin's patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PlN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location

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Beyond Navigation

Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.

Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 2x5 models features travel tools including a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via microSD card, such as the Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs. For Accessory Map Cards and Travel Guides the Units Feature: a MicroSD Card Slot on the 3.5 inch Units, and an SD Card Slot on the 4.3 inch Units. Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (P0l’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.

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Trick Your GPS Ride

Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS. See more icon option

All Garmin nüvis support configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle's position on the map.

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Notes

• 0ptional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
• Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.

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Which nüvi is Best for You?

Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.

Screen Size inches (w x h)

lncluded Maps

Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names)

Traffic

Bluetooth

Media

3D Terrain Maps

Photo Navigation

FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system)

Multi- Point Routing

Battery life (hours)

Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico

AK and Canada

Europe

nüvi 200

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 200w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 250

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 250w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 260

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 260w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 270

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 205

2.8 x 2.1

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 205W

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 255

2.8 x 2.1

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 255W

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 350

2.8 x 2.1

FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 360

2.8 x 2.1

FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 370

2.8 x 2.1

FM (receiver included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 650

3.81 x 2.25

FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 660

3.81 x 2.25

FM (receiver included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 670

3.81 x 2.25

FM (receiver included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 680

3.81 x 2.25

MSN (receiver included; 1-year free); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 750

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 760

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 770

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 780

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (receiver inc.; 3 months free) receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 850

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 4

nüvi 880

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced (receiver inc.; 3 months free); FM (with opt. receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 4

nüvi 5000

4.5 x 2.7

MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with opt. receiver)

external battery only

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Basic MSN Direct Content Features
	Traffic Reports Find the best route through traffic. Your GPS device uses MSN Direct traffic data to select the best route for you to avoid traffic congestion. Check traffic flow. Know at a glance where to expect slowdowns in traffic. Get accident warnings. Receive warnings about accidents, road closures, and construction in the area that may affect you.
	Gas Prices Compare local gas prices. See a list of recent gas prices in your area and an indication of how recently the prices were reported. Find your way to the savings. 0nce you find the best price in your area, use your navigation system to guide you to the gas station.
	Weather Reports Stay on top of current conditions. View the current weather conditions in your area, including today's high and low temperatures, chances of precipitation, and more. View the three-day forecast, Plan ahead by checking the three-day weather forecast for your area. Check weather in other cities. See current weather conditions in major cities across the country.
	Movie Times Search for a movie. Find the theaters in your coverage area that are showing the movie you want to see. See which movies are playing. View which movies are playing in your coverage area or at your favorite theater. See show times and get directions. 0nce you find a show you want to see, check the show times and use your GPS device to guide you to the theater.
Enhanced MSN Direct Content
	Web Favorites (Send custom destinations to your GPS with Live Search Maps) Powerful trip planning: Use Live Search Maps on your computer to look up an address, search for a business, or plan a trip Choose your favorite location, and then MSN Direct delivers the address, phone number, and more straight to your navigation system. Visit Live Search Maps at http://maps.live.com.
	Local Events See what's happening near you. Find nearby events to see what's happening in your area. Find the events that interest you. Browse events sorted by category. Search for an event. Get details about a particular event.
	Stock Quotes Watch the stocks that interest you. Select stocks that you want to keep an eye on, and then see regularly updated stock prices and daily changes. Get a little more detail. Touch a stock in your list to see daily highs, lows, and trading volume.
	News Headlines Browse the headlines at a glance. See breaking news and other major news stories of the day. Read more details. Select a headline to read all the details about the news story on your navigation system.
MSN Direct Coverage Map
Get detailed info for your Zip Code at the MSN Direct website.

Some more accessories for this product for you:
     click 4 more

Some more accessories for this product for you:

• Scosche IU2PS Dual 12v Power Socket
• Garmin AC to DC Power Adapter Charge your portable navigator at home
• NAVGEAR ME201133 Universal Dash Mount
• Bracketron UFM-300-BX Nav-Pack Weighted GPS Dash Mount/Carrying Case
• Joby GP1-M1EN Gorillapod GoGo Flexible Tripod with Suction Cup & 2 Adhesive Clips (Grey)

Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer's feedback: - * Perfect GPS for the Price ...
This GPS works great. Tons of features for the price. Yes voice announcing of the road would be nice but it's also rather annoying. The GPS graphically displays each street as well as the next street that you turn on. So for me this GPS was fantastic. Love the feature of finding stores, gas stations, ... Only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that they did not include Canada and Alaska for the road database. I had to purchase that database separately and I felt that if they had North America roads then they should have had all of North America.

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Buyer's feedback: - Garmin nuvi 205W
For the money, this is the best GPS navigatoron the market. It is absolutly easy to program and operate. Directions are clear and undestandable. Places of special interest are loeaded nad ready to go. It even gets you around out here in Montana on very lonely roads and remote locations.

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Buyer's feedback: - * It's an OK unit. ...
It's supposed to be faster than the previous line of products (thanks to a faster processor) but it doesn't feel that way. I had a Nüvi 350 (hated the flip up antenna though it seems it really helped with the reception) and a TomTom One (2d generation) and I don't remember them being much slower than the Nüvi 205W.

My other grip with it is that it will act-up when I am stopped (at a Stop sign or red light for instance). The screen shows the car making incoherent movements and this forces a route re-calculation. Everything goes back to normal when I resume the driving.

Further, it takes a pretty long time to acquire a lock on satellites signal It really pisses me off. My only device slower than this is my Nokia E71 cellphone (sucks at GPS).

Last, I would recommend the widescreen over the regular screen size to the ones who are hesitating/ wondering whether it's worth the extra money.

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Buyer's feedback: - GPS for Dummys
While planning an extensive trip Up-East through NH. VT and ME I decided that I needed some serious navigation help. I read everything imaginable about every imaginable GPS. Confusing? Yup. I finally was faced with a deadline and threw a mental dart. Garmin 255. Found the 205 instead for $50.00 less. The only difference being that the 255 tells you what street/road you will turn on. 205 simply gives you a written ID at the top. For $50.00 I learned to read. We flew to Manchester NH and took off on our voyage. The GPS was given a nickname of LuLu (american english) and Phoebe (british english). She performed perfectly except for 3 occasions.

1. She kept insisting that we turn left onto a one way street.
2. She led us down a road that dead ended into a golf course. It turns out that the road did in fact continue on the the other side of the golf course.
3. This is the best one. She insisted that we were to drive across a pedestrian bridge in Brattleboro Vermont.

I found that LuLu was extremely simple to operate and that comes from someone who is technologically challenged (read techo-dunce).

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Buyer's feedback: - * No complaints so far... ...
I am very satisfied with the Garmin 205W. It's very easy to use as Garmin makes one of the best user interfaces on the market. The screen is good sized and bright. I have never had to wait more than 10-15 seconds for it to acquire satellites. It redraws (refreshes) often and quickly. I also LOVE that the speed limit is displayed for most streets and highways, especially when in unfamiliar territory.

Even with the new changes/upgrades, I don't know if it's worth the cost to upgrade from a 200, but if you're considering getting a cheap 200 now that it's the old model, I would pay the extra for the 205.

I was also strongly considering the 255W, but decided that having maps of Canada/Alaska and spoken street names weren't that important to me. The instructions are clear enough, and if I really need to know the street name I can easily glance down and check.

Any negatives? It would be nice if it came with a wall AC adapter (along with the car one) and an appropriate USB cable, though that's cheap and easy to find. The screen was poorly calibrated out of the box and it was a hassle to figure out how to recalibrate it (turn it off, slide and hold the on/off switch to the left for 30 seconds, follow the on-screen prompts). The problem is that most of the instructions are actually contained on the NUVI itself rather than a manual. This is great most of the time, but when the problem is that the unit thinks you're touching the screen in a place different from where you actually are, it creates problems trying to find the info.

Overall I am very pleased with this purchase. I also highly recommend the corresponding Garmin friction mount.

Note: I see a lot of people complaining about it not being any faster at acquiring satellites than the 200. The way that Garmin tried to fix the problem with the 200 taking several minutes to acquire was to have the 205 "track" the satellites even while off. When you shut down the 205, it knows its location and that of the satellites. When you turn it back on, it "knows" where to look for the satellites by calculating where they were, where they were going, and how much time has passed. If you only turn your GPS on once a week or turn it off and then turn it on again in a new location, it's going to have to search from scratch, which takes longer (though it has never taken more than a few minutes for me... maybe 3 at the very most).