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| GARMIN 010-00621-31 Nuvi 260 Travel Assistant | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $482.13
Buy New: $174.90
You Save: $307.23 (64%)
New (69) Used (5) Refurbished (3)
Avg. Customer Rating:  352 reviews
Sales Rank: 205
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 3.8 x 2.8 x 0.8
nv:Type: Receiver
Waypoints: 500
Display: Color
Display: TFT
Touch Screen: Yes
Voice: Yes
Expansion Slots: SD Card
Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
Battery Life: 5 hours
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: Nuvi 260
Model: Nuvi 260
UPC: 753759083359
EAN: 0753759074937
ASIN: B000UU7ZPS
Promotion: Get free shipping on this item when you spend $1.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by Royal Networks. Enter code AGQA2OSN at checkout. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Garmin rocks March 24, 2008
Before buying the Garmin 260 I reviewed the specs on all the other leading brands and read as many customer reviews as I could find. Based on my findings I bought the Garmin. This is my first GPS, so I'm a novice, but I haven't been disappointed. I've had it a month and have taken it on several workout trips to get a feel for how it works. To be honest, I'm amazed at how well it performs. It is fun and easy to use and the Text to Speech feature (speaking the street names, freeway exits, destination names, etc.) is a life saver in heavy traffic where you can't afford to take your eyes off the road. The placement of the on-screen data is very well thought out - the best of any GPS I reviewed. I especially like the coordinates feature - being able to save where you are and have it then appear on the map. Also, being able to type in coordinates instead of addresses. I found this of great value when I recently attended a home show. They gave GPS coordinates for the homes, as well as addresses. The coordinates worked well because many of the homes were in new areas that weren't yet mapped. I have no complaints. I gave it only 4 stars, not because I don't like it, but because, in my opinion, 5 stars ought to be reserved for perfection. I won't say the Garmin 260 is perfect -- but it's close.
 Garmin 260 March 23, 2008
I am absolutely delighted with my 260, except for one small concern. The car power cord is so stiff, especially when it is left in a vehicle and the temperature goes below 50 degrees. Then it becomes a wrestling match with an unweilding cord. If they would only manufacture it with a more pliable material.
Excellent buy!!! March 21, 2008
I am extremely happy with my Garmin 260. It worked right out of the box, exactly as it was supposed to. Out of 100 or more addresses I have used it for so far, some very rural, there were exactly 3 it had trouble with. One, I'm not sure why as it is an established road, one it found the road but not the house as it was a very new house. The last one is a huge retirement center that is too new I guess. Anyway, I have absolutely no complaints and would recommend this to anyone. It does accept an SD card and show pictures but I haven't used that feature yet.
very good gps March 20, 2008
I have been using it for a month and it has been very helpful. I am very happy with it. only problem is that the points of interest are not up to date' some places no longer exist but they still appear on the gps.
Easy to use. Accurate, but not perfect. March 19, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I can't make any comparisons, since this is my first GPS. I purchased it from Amazon, which was a good experience. I ordered it on Sat and received it yesterday (Tues) I've probably read about 1,000 GPS reviews in the past 6 months, and I picked this model because of its price and TTS feature. I almost purchased the C550, because some comments said the Streetpilot is sturdier, but the Nuvi 260 isn't flimsy at all, and I don't need the Bluetooth or MP3 features. Actually, many of the reviews frightened me, but this is so easy to use, I can't imagine being able to operate a vehicle legally and needing instructions. Seriously, I am mechanically and technically challenged, but this is a touch & go product. For example, one review mentioned the lack of an external volume control and another said the voice was too soft or too loud. Changing the volume takes 2 seconds by tapping on the speaker icon. Another said there were no custom POIs and the first day I entered my home address, the supermarket, my bank, and more. One person wrote that it doesn't announce street names, but you just need to select a language/voice that indicates TTS next to it for that feature. None of this requires a manual, just common sense and a little patience. I'm sure there are many features I haven't yet discovered but will in time.
The signal - as soon as I plugged in the power it received a signal within a few seconds, not minutes. The TTS voice (English Jill) pronounces the street names clearly. Keep in mind this is not a human, so every pronunciation isn't perfect and neither are the directions, but they're close enough. For example, I asked how to get to Publix from my house. Although the directions were correct, I would have driven a little out of my way in the wrong direction and made a U-turn had I not known where to turn. So it apparently doesn't recognize traffic light turns into a mall or shopping center, maybe because there's no street name. (just guessing) Still, it's much better than using a paper map if you are in an unfamiliar area, and it will automatically recalculate the directions if you make a wrong turn. Sometimes that feature takes a few seconds. I tried to fool it by taking a back road, but it quickly found my location and recalculated the route. She even sounded annoyed at me!
This is my one BIG complaint. Maybe it's my ignorance, but the power cord is in such an awkward place that it's nearly impossible to place the unit in a good position without using a mount. Otherwise it would be very simple to put it in my cupholder or even sit it in the little change tray. For some reason, I thought a GPS needed to be facing the sky, but I can get a good signal when it's on the passenger seat or sitting in my center console. Last night I even had a signal inside my concrete block house! If the power cord was a little higher, it wouldn't bend so much and I'd be able to use it without a mount. Even with the included cradle & mount, it still bends and is always in the way!
Another minor complaint is that, although it seems inexpensive at $242 plus shipping, it doesn't even come with a cheap case - nothing! It also doesn't include an A/C cord or a decent instruction manual. I knew all of this before I bought it, but accessories add up quickly. So before you run out and spend more money, look around your house. I found at least 2 zippered cases in which the 260 fits comfortably. One held my mini binoculars which I haven't used in years and another is a small, zippered cosmetic case. Just make sure there are no rough edges that might scratch the touch screen. I lined the case with a microfiber cloth and it's perfect to stick in my pocketbook when I leave the car. I was going to spend another $30 on a bean bag mount, but last night I stuck the dashboard adhesive disk to the plastic cover that flips over the cup holder in my Camry. It's very secure and the suction cup sticks to it so tightly I have to pry it off. Since it's plastic, I "assume" any residue will come off with goo-gone.
I know this is already a long review, but I hope it will help by adding that I went a little crazy trying to get the plastic ball into the cradle. Just press firmly and don't worry about breaking it. I'm not strong and I was ready to give up. Now I can attach and remove it easily. I think it was just my fear of breaking it at first. Also, it's a lot easier to simply remove the cradle from the GPS when you take it with you than to take the mount apart.
The reason I was able to finally decide on spending the extra money for the 260 over the 200 or 250 model was by listening to a couple of demos on YouTube. People actually were nutty enough to drive around filming their GPS experiences, and I'm grateful to them! You can hear how much easier it is to follow instructions when street names are announced. Still, if you are on a tight budget, the GPS always shows the street name in large print at the top of the map, so it's easy to glance at it quickly. I feel the TTS is not only convenient, but adds a safety feature, since you're less likely to take your eyes off the road. Even if it's mounted in front of you on the dash or windshield, you still aren't concentrating on the road if you're reading a map.
In short, this seems to be a great little unit that's user friendly. So far it hasn't disappointed me, although it's only my 2nd day. I posted quickly so newbies like me would know that you don't have to be an expert or a gadget geek to use a GPS.
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