0ur opinion:

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With easy-to-use Touchscreen displays, the nuvi 255 can route to addresses, restaurants, hotels and more with turn-by-turn directions and voice guidance. nuvi 255 will include text-to-speech, which will prompt you to 'Turn right on Main Street.' New appealing features include MSN Direct compatibility, HotFix, Garmin Connect Photos, digital elevation maps, automatic time zone updates and smoother map updates. nuvi 255 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 255 has broader map coverage and comes preloaded with City Navigator NT road maps for North America and 6 million points of interest. The map data is provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Bright 3.5 diagonal color display; 320 x 240 pixels; QVGA 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 3.8 x Height 2.8 x Depth 0.8 Weight - 5.2 ounces

----May 7, 2008:
Garmin's nüvi 255 improves upon its 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content 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 255 adds complete maps for North America and Text-to-Speech, so you get turn by turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. 'turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way', rather than merely 'turn left in 50 feet').


The nüvi 2x5 models all 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 Enhanced 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
• Text-to-Speech gives directions with real street names
  
• 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 North America + Hawaii  + Puerto Rico, including 6.5 million searchable points of interest (Learn more)
  
• 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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Where Am l?

0n any nüvi (including this one), you can 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 all of North America, 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.

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Some more accessories for this product for you:

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Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer's feedback: - * Wow. Stunned at how great a GPS is. My first. ...
Purchased 2 weeks ago, and used to drive from Ohio to Boston. 1600 miles RT. My first GPS. I was totally blown away with these fantastic devices. Great voice quality, easy to read graphics. Shows shortest and best routes. Mapquest can't compare. I exited an interstate that didn't have a return ramp. The GPS saved me. Back on in 5 minutes. Can't believe how instantaneous the transmission is. It made one mistake (twice), the entire trip. Told me to turn right, when it should have been left. Repeated the mistake on the same off ramp turn, on the return trip. It instantly recognized the error and gave accurate directions to get to my hotel. It gave me the exact speed limit of each road I was traveling. Instantly recognized changes in the speed limit. I passed on the factory Nav on my new Honda Ridgeline, after several friends told me the Garmins are better. One uses a portable Garmin, even though his new BMW has factory Nav. Incredibly easy to program. Thought they were an extravagance, when you can get a mapquest printout for free. Boy, was I wrong.

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Buyer's feedback: - Excellent GPS
This is a great GPS unit for the first-time owner. It is very easy to use!

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Buyer's feedback: - * Great GPS that's a tiny bit short of awesome ...
Invariably, the 200-series will be compared to the super-popular 350, and I can't help but do the same. The 350 was a true pioneer, but I always found myself waiting a half-second for it to get back to me, and overall, the experience was sluggish.

The 255 is plenty fast, and brings the GPS interactive experience to a new level. My purchase was based on Consumer Reports' ratings.

The 200-line is certainly confusing in terms of number increments not matching up to features, but I would strongly recommend the TTS feature, which is only available on the 260/260W/255/255W. Despite the numbering scheme, the 255-line is newer/faster than the 260-line, which is why I chose the 255, though others may have chosen it for the FM/MSN traffic/info features.

Pros:

Size/Build:
Very small. Smaller than a hockey puck, and completely pocketable.

GUI:
The interaction with the menu is very fast, and without delay. Searches, map refreshes, etc -- they're all a lot faster and I don't find myself waiting.

Map:
The 3D GUI updates at what appears to be 3-4fps, which may not sound like much, but compared to 1fps for older models, this is a significant improvement, and is the difference between missing an exit or not.

3D Terrain:
This is surprisingly useful when going up/down hills, as it gives you an idea of not just a left/right turn, but also the incline. Sudden, steep climbs/downturns (think Laguna Seca) were reasonably well-indicated, which allowed me to slow down a bit more than had I assumed it was a level turn.

Antenna:
I personally like that the flip-up antenna in the 300-series is gone. It makes it much more usable when holding.

Display:
The display packs a ton of information, including next turns, speed limits, and all things that were typically a few clicks away. Surprisingly, it does not seem cramped at all.

Routing:
Routing is very fast -- maybe 1-3 seconds? It's fast enough that I don't need to count, sweat, and worry that I won't get directions before the next intersection.

Re-Routing:
Most importantly, *re-routing* is fast. If I take an incorrect turn, it will re-route within seconds, and will prompt me with a turn direction half way down the block. In previous models, I would have to slow down or pull over.

Overall:
Size, build, battery life, screen, volume, TTS, etc... all wonderful. As a standalone GPS, this is quite impressive.

Cons: (this is where it gets knocked down to 4 stars)

Dock:
The 350's dock housed the power cable, which made it a one-handed motion to get it back in the dock with power. With the 255, you need to plug in the power, then place it in the dock. Not a dealbreaker, but it's too bad they couldn't engineer it like the 350.

No QWERTY:
It amazes me that even with a touchscreen, Garmin still can't give me a QWERTY keyboard. It's not as if there are physical key limitations... This makes inputting text considerably slower.

Shortage of accessories:
No USB-A to USB-Mini cable, no AC adapter, no case. Not that *I* need any of those things, but someone who's not a computer geek may not have those things handy.

Average Web Tools/Content, Photo Bookmarking:
I can see they're trying to beef this up, but as of this writing, the on-line, web tool and photo-based location bookmarker is average, at best. The downloadable content (new vehicle models, and the one custom voice) offers considerably less than the competition (eg: TomTom).

Other: (Not pros or cons, but FYI)
- no mp3 playback
- microSD slot, not SD
- sorry, no feedback on MSN traffic, as it doesn't fit my usage style

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Buyer's feedback: - Very pleased
I am very challenged when it comes to directions. The product has been very helpful. There were a few newer places that could not be found. No problems finding a satellite and it located most of my places of interests as well as rerouted me when I missed turns (due to my own mistake).

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Buyer's feedback: - * excellent gps ...
I recently had to replace my Streetpilot 2610 and wanted something without some of the new bells and whistles that a lot of the new gps' have. This has all the features I need and not much else.

I especially like being able to download locations from Google Maps and Mapquest.