Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Reviews
Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator Reviews
Other products by Garmin Ratting 4.5 Out of 5.0 Special Offer Total New 94 Total Use 7
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For peace of mind on the go, n?vi 255 leads the way with voice-prompted turn-by-turn and optional MSN Direct to get you there on time and keep you informed. It's packed with millions of destinations and maps for North America or Europe. Like the rest of the compact n?vi 2x5-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.n?vi 255 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and n?vi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and and smooth map updates as you navigate. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. In addition, n?vi 255 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. With HotFix satellite prediction, n?vi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker.Like the rest of the n?vi 2x5-series, n?vi 255 sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot. With its "Where Am I? " emergency locator, you always know your location. Simply tap the screen to get your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations.eft feature. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in microSD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions.The 255W features 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
- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
- 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
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 |
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. | ||||
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.
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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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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.
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, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. | ||
Search for the location you want. | Pick "Send to GPS". | Go! |
Traffic-Capable for Either FM Traffic or Enhanced MSN Direct Content
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. In 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. |
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. It 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 |
Where Am I?
On any nüvi (including this one), you can just tap "Where Am I?" to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.First-Rate Map Data
 nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs). 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 POI 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. In addition, nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs |
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 PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location
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 (POI’s) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras. |
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. |
- Optional 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
- Visit Garmin.com to get the latest firmware updates for your nüvi to keep it current and performing at its best
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.| Device | Screen Size inches (W x H) | Included Maps | Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names) | Traffic | Bluetooth | Media | 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 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 |  | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | | Photos | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 9 months free); | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 |
| nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 9 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 |
| nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 9 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 9 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
Technical Details
- 4.3 Inch Auto Navigator with Anti Theft Feature- Voice Prompted Turn by Turn Directions
- With HotFix, It Calculates Your Position Faster to Get You There Quicker
- Compatible with Optional Enhanced MSN Direct Content
- JPEG Picture Viewer, World Travel Clock, Currency Converter, Calculator and More
See more technical details
By Ziv (Arlington, VA)
This Garmin has sent me and my clients on interesting, unintended, illogical and time consuming jaunts, some of them due to newer construction, (especially around the Mixing Bowl in northern Virginia), but some are just odd and I don't catch them in time because I am not paying attention to the route due to my talking with my clients. Don't rely on it to be right more than 98% of the time and when it is wrong it is mystifyingly, capriciously, wrong.
And it doesn't have traffic reports so I have to have my Iphone in one hand to check for backed up traffic and watch the GPS on its mount while trying to keep from tailending the car in front of me. Get a GPS with traffic reports, they are worth it!
By Lisa Wingrove
This is my first gps and everything about this was easy. No problem to figure out. It's just to bad they don't include the cable hook up for the computer because you have to hook it to the computer in order to register and get your free map update. Lucky I had a camera cable that fit and worked.
By Fred N. Ward (Pfafftown, NC USA)
The purchase of the Garmin 255W was something that I wish I had purchased earlier. It is a great asset to driving to a new destination without being distracted from keeping your mind on driving defensively. The features provided by the Garmin 255W are very cost-effective and are all one needs to get to where you are going safely.
By Edgar Allen Poe (Windsor, CO.)
I am very pleased with this item. I bought it for a budget price (refurbished unit) and it has performed perfectly since day one. It is very easy to program and use and it came out of the box ready to go. I didn't need to visit any website and download anything before it would work. Just plugged it in and started using it. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone that just wants a good, reliable basic GPS unit. It gives you everything you need without being overly fancy. It is great and I'm so glad I bought it!
By Walter J. Shultz (Delran, NJ, US)
I used the GPS for the first time 05/16/10 it surpassed my Garmin C-530 street pilot. It was very helpful having the street names vocalised.
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