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| GARMIN 010-00656-00 Nuvi 250W Widescreen Travel Assistant | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $589.27
Buy New: $189.00
You Save: $400.27 (68%)
New (32) Used (1) Refurbished (6)
Avg. Customer Rating:  142 reviews
Sales Rank: 559
Format: Cd
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 4.8 x 0.8 x 2.9
Legal Disclaimer: Sale Ends: 05-11-2008. You may return or exchange merchandise purchased from Macy's @ Amazon by mail only. Certain items are covered by warranty as indicated. To obtain a copy of the warranty prior to purchase, please write to: macys.com Customer Service Dept.; P.O. Box 8215; Mason, OH 45040; Small Ticket Department-Warranty;
MPN: Nuvi 250W
Model: Nuvi 250W
UPC: 753759072162
EAN: 0753759072162
ASIN: B000REECKS
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Mixed review after trying out a nuvi 250w and a tomtom one xl January 2, 2008
38 out of 38 found this review helpful
Well, I've had a garmin nuvi 250w and a tomtom one xl for two weeks now and have tested both out in Canada and the US, both on streets I am very familiar with and in areas I've never been before. They both cost exactly the same when I bought them so that isn't a consideration in my evaluations. My feelings on both devices are mixed. A quick rundown of winning points for each is given and then I will go into more detail below. I still haven't decided which one I'm going to keep (I still have 10 days to return the one I don't want).
Garmin Wins: Battery Life, Mapping System, Screen clarity in sunlight, Windshield Mount
Tomtom Wins:
Features, Voices, Satellite Acquisition
Details on some of the above:
Itinerary planning - Garmin only lets you program one waypoint, but Tomtom lets you save iteneraries. It's not a true route planning system where you can program several stops and it will tell you the best route taking them all into account, however it will let you program multiple stops so that after you reach one it will direct you to the next. With Garmin the only way to accomplish something similar would be to go to your first destination and then go into favourites and then click the next place you want to go. I like though how if I have some regular stops on a regular route, I can save that itenerary with a name and it will be saved until I delete it. Garmin has no option close to it. Even if you use the faves option I listed above, it won't save that route for future use so it would all have to be redone and you'd not only have to try to remember every stop, but you'd have to punch each in individually again, whereas tomtom will have it saved to go back to with a couple clicks. Plus you can add to a tomtom itenerary later so if you find a new fave stop you can add it in or delete parts of an itenerary you don't want in there anymore.
Voices - Garmin gives you a choice of different languages, but I have yet to find a way to get different voices on the Nuvi 250W. It gives me an American English voice and that is it. I have looked on their website and even hooked up my nuvi to the WebUpdater tool they have and it has no other voices avail. that I can find. The tomtom one xl has quite a few voices to choose from to begin with, plus you can download for free a bunch of fun voices off the internet. I currently have Yoda and Darth Vader taking turns giving my husband and I directions.
Battery Life - Garmin easily wins in this regard with approx. 4-5 hr. batt. life, Tomtom only lasts a couple of hours.
Garmin's screen is easier to see in bright sunlight and the windshield mount is more reliable.
Size - both are small, but garmin is slimmer which is good if you want to put it in your pocket. Tomtom has a bit of a bulge in the back (not huge by any means but still not flat like the garmin. The bulge is handy if you want to stand it up in front of you though.
Satellite acquisition - Garmin satellites can locate me inside my house, garmin I have to go outside to get a signal. Kind of a pain when you want to program a route and have to go out in the freezing cold on your porch or to sit in your car to wait for it to acquire a signal. I like the convenience with the tt one xl of being able to sit inside my house and put in a location and see the directions while still warm and cozy sitting on my couch. Then I can turn it off and when I go to my car the info is all set to go and I already have perused the directions to get an idea of the steps in my route. Also sometimes even outside the garmin takes a few minutes to acquire a satellite, whereas the tomtom always acquires a satellite within seconds.
Detours - tomtom comes out on top again. Garmin lets you hit a detour button and gives you a new path to follow, but tomtom lets you choose how far you want to avoid something. So for example, if road "W" is the best one to follow to get to your destination, but there is construction for a couple blocks, you can choose to avoid that route for just that period where there is construction, and then get back on it. The garmin gives you a whole new route that may or may not get you back on the original road.
Other misc. pros and cons - tomtom comes with a usb cable, garmin does not and considering how cheap they are and that it is necessary for charging if you want to charge from your computer, I think Garmin really cheaped out on that one -- tomtom lets you use a qwerty keyboard format, garmin does not -- tomtom lets you search by zipcode, the garmin makes you enter street name and number
Navigation - both units get you from point a to point b in my experience thus far, though the majority of the time the garmin seems to take the most direct and logical route, whereas tomtom seems to lead you a bit astray to get to your destination. However there have been a couple times when the tt brought me to the doorstep of the place I was going when the garmin was a bit off. Overall though I do feel safer taking the garmin's directions. Tomtom apparently does have some kind of map downloading/sharing feature but I haven't checked it out yet. That may be a great feature and help if you can download maps from others who know the backroads better than a computer system ever could.
So right now I am having a tough time deciding which one to keep because they both have their pros and cons. Both get you where you need to go for the most part, but I do feel the garmin navigates better, which is why you buy a gps right? However the tomtom picks up satellites quicker and more reliably thus far and that is important too when getting somewhere. The tomtom seems to come out leaps and bounds ahead of the garmin in options and features though and that is what is hanging me up on the decision. If my garmin had the features my tomtom has or my tomtom had the navigation system my garmin had the decision would be a no-brainer. Luckily I still have 10 days to decide which one to keep, but it's going to be a tough decision. I think either one would be a good choice though in the end, just different pros and cons to each.
 Garmin Nuvi 250W January 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This GPS is very easy to use and save information. Have used it several times and it has always been correct. The larger screen makes to easier to see from the dash. The voice directions are very clear and loud (you can change the volume level to make it louder or quieter). I recommend this product.
Does what you want it to do... January 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have used the unit for several weeks. It does what you expect from a GPS. I have not had it direct me off on a 'why did it direct me here?" route.
Possibly a little slow to lock onto the satellites unless it is positioned correctly, but once it has a clear signal it works and does so very well.
The menus are easy and only take a few minutes to learn all of the options.
great value December 31, 2007
this is my first gps. so far it has been pretty good. its very easy to setup and use, its fairly accurate, the speaker has good range of volume and can get very loud if you need it, and battery life is good. the windshield mount is great! its very stable and doesnt vibrate even when my mirrors shake. the screen is awesome. i havent had any issues with brightness and the touch screen works really well. it feels like its pressure sensitive, though i dont think it is. you can run your finger over the screen w/o accidentally pressing "buttons." it takes a slight pressure to actually make a selection.
it does have its faults however. occasionally the directions are a little off and the preprogrammed addresses are usually close but not always 100% spot on. most of the time it will get you within a few hundred yards. the listings seem a bit outdated (listing locations that have been closed or moved for some time). very rarely, though, they are not even close. just recently it took me to a nonexistent restaurant right in the middle of a neighborhood. also, the unit doesnt deal with detours well (particularly long freeway detours). when on a long detour the announcements get a little annoying and distracting. though you dont really need one, it doesnt come with a user manual. im sure you can download one if you need it (i havent) but should would have been included. also, its a bit cumbersome to have plugged in. i try to keep the 250w charged so this isnt an issue. additionally, i have other usb style car chargers that dont work with the unit. this is a little bit of a disappointment, since it looks like i will have to buy a new charger from garmin if something ever happens to the original.
all things considered, this is a great value. if you dont need an mp3 player (i have a zen), bluetooth (i prefer mine white), an fm transmitter (the speaker is just fine), and some of the other accessories that the more expensive models have, this is the model for you! since i occasionally visit canada, i chose this model rather than the nuvi 200w. if you dont need canada maps then by all means choose the 200w and save some money. my dad liked the gps so much he bought one for himself.
Simple with frills and affordable December 30, 2007
I received this as a gift. So far, it works great, it is simple and to the point. I do not know why anyone would want more complicated software in it.
It also has a voice, so if yours does not SPEAK, it could be faulty or defective merchandise. The only minus is that you need the additional gimmick of buying a sturdy support base, which is easy to put on the dashboard but bulky. However, for this price Gamin should at least throw the protective case for the screen. This has to be bought separate unless you spend big bucks on an advanced model.
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