Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description----June 3, 2008


Garmin's nüvi 255W improvesupon 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 255W 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 255W also offers a wide
4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around
you.

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.

Important Product Information: This device features
a "screen lock" feature. This is a standard feature on all nüvi 2x5 and
7x5 Garmin units. If you slide the "Power" key to the right, it will
lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen
lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15
seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide
the "Power" key to the center position. This feature is really targeted
for "Pedestrian" mode so that a user can put the device in his or her
pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off
continuously. For more information, see page 5 of the product manual.

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
• 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 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 Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
• Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
• Where Am I? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)

What's in the Box

nüvi 255W, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America or Europe
(full coverage), Vehicle suction cup mount, Vehicle power cable,
Dashboard disc, Quick start manual

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

Learn More

New -- Improved Interface

One 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.

Old Interface

New Interface

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.