Genuinely user friendly and real value for money. Would have been 5 stars but for two negative points. First the download to update maps is a real bind. Two and a half hours via a high speed internet connection.
Also the constant beeping of the speed camera alerts, this activates even while you are below the speed limit, can be a little irritating particularly on a long journey.
Did a lot of research and decided on this sat nav. Does exactly what it says it should without any frills - superb, highly recommend it if you want a sat nav without paying a lot of money.
Pros
- Good for basic usage but advance planning of routes is awkward
- Garmin Nuvi 1240
- Didn't disappoint
- Great Value For Money Sat Nav
- Clear and easy to use
- Poor mapping updates. Shame
Cons
- Garmin Nuvi 1240 Sat Nav
- Lastest map guarantee update is a pain
- Garmin - only buy if TomTom unavailable
- i would not advise pedestrians to buy this
Negative Review of Garmin Nuvi 1240 3.5" Sat Nav with UK and Western Europe Maps
Features of Garmin Nuvi 1240 3.5" Sat Nav with UK and Western Europe Maps
- Street-level mapping for UK, Ireland & Western Europe (23 countries) with 60-Day nüMaps™ Guarantee
- Built-in Cyclops™ speed camera database (includes fixed camera locations and mobile hot-spots)
- Speed limit indicator – unit displays speed limits for most major roads
- Text to speech calls out the names of upcoming road names on the route
- 3.5 inch touchscreen display, sleek, ultra-slim design that fits easily in your pocket.
Model:1240 - UK & Western Europe
Box Contains,
nuvi 1240 Preloaded Street Maps Vehicle Suction Cup Mount Vehicle Power Cable Dashboard Disc Quick Start Manual Didn't Disappoint. This is my first sat-nav. I did some research and was looking for a model that told me the name of roads i was to turn on to. I didn't want to spend too much and wanted something that would work well. The ecoroute facility (which tells you the most fuel efficient route from a-b)sold it to me. This model did what i expected and got me sucessfully through a 230 mile journey at the weekend without problem. I am very pleased with the garmin 1240 and would recommend it to friends looking for a sat-nav that does the job you would expect it to. Just to be aware. When you start the sat-nav for the first time after updating all the software it can take a few minutes to locate the satellites, after the second/third time it takes a few seconds. .
Great Value For Money Sat Nav. Fantastic sat nav. Worked straight out of the box and all you need to know is a post code. It identifes whether you are exceeding speed limit, where speed cameras are and tells you the roadname you are turning in to. If you go the wrong way or take a slight detour then it quickly recalculates the route. For the money this is excellent and it makes a big difference if you are driving anywhere unfamiliar. I would highly recommend buying a usb lead as this quickly recharges the battery directly from your pc and means you don't have to keep the lead plugged into the cigarette lighter for all but the longest journeys. .
Clear and Easy to Use. As a no-frills sat nav this performs well. Occasionally it seemed to get stuck in the depths of snowdonia where the satellite coverage was a bit patchy but for normal use it is reliable and quick. The graphics are not fancy but clear. You can search for named stores and attractions as well as by address. The voice is clear and copes with announcing street names even in welsh!.
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 9.3 x 7.5 cm ; 113 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 458 g
- Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required.
- Item model number: 1240 - UK & Western Europe
- ASIN: B0021L9BII
Conclusion of Garmin Nuvi 1240 3
There is minimal documentation and no software cd in the package so expect to find yourself on the garmin web site very soon in order to get the pdf documentation and to download the system upgrading software and maps management software. The garmin maps updater software reported that the navteq maps were already the latest available for this model (cn europe nt 2010. Icon and choose a destination from home, favourites, poi, point on map, recent locations, junction, city or coordinates. Alternatively, press the 'view map' icon and you are in a 3d-style navigation view. From here, a screen press will bring up a bird's-eye map view and you may then select a point on the map and press 'go'.
The map scrolling is done quite nicely with speed sensitivity so that a quick flick of the finger causes the map to scroll further. Select routing for speed, time, less fuel or off-road. For me, the weakness is when you want to plan a route ahead of time. If you are familiar with tomtom then you may find the presetting of a route on the nuvi 1240 very awkward; it is necessary to go into 'gps simulator' mode, which disables satellite reception, and then to set your location by selecting a 'where to?'.This is clunky when compared to the 'advance planning' and routing by map points features on tomtom and can require a lot of scrolling and zooming of the map if you want to enter multiple waypoints in order to force a preferred route.
Futhermore, you cannot save the route that you carefully constructed so you must not start another route. If only there was a way of forcing the route to change by dragging points onto other roads in the way that google maps allows. For the price it is nice to get maps for western europe but, in making a simple-to-use interface, i think there has been too much compromise on what i consider to be basic route-planning features. S be sure to get the software upgrade and map updates asap. We were looking for a replacement for our old but trusty garmin i3 sat nav.
Senior management loves the garmin logic and detests my tom tom 720 as being too temperamental (some software upgrades from tomtom have been 'bug' ridden), complex and bulky. Map seems ok, but can be confused - e. Did not recognise the lane of my brothers farm, which has been in existence for a centuryadvantages:bright, clear screen - easy to readsmall, slim & light - slips into pocketvoice directions are loud and clearfree 30 day subscription of speed cameras. Disadvantage:not sure whether it's possible to tell this garmin not to route along a certain road; i. If the m1 is blocked, is there a facility to pre-plan a reroute?this is a 'basic' sat nav (no bluetooth or fm transmitter or mp3 player or traffic alerts) which has the advantage of a european map and it is recommended for those who like simple things in life.
When you start the sat-nav for the first time after updating all the software it can take a few minutes to locate the satellites, after the second/third time it takes a few seconds. As a no-frills sat nav this performs well. Free mapping software update is offered with purchase when product is registered on line. I have now wasted countless hours trying to download the mapping data which is some 3.
I am unable to update the mapping and the unit has frozen whilst in use on occassions. The garmin nuvi 1240 is a neat little unit, less obstructive than a large screen or widescreen one (that so many people seem to put right in front of their faces - idiots) and can be easily tucked away in a corner of the windscreen. The initial setup and update was easy, took a while to download and install but was painless. For the money, this is a great little satnav (at an amazing price considering it comes with all the main european maps) and one which i would recommend to anyone. This one is good so far, just a word of warning, make sure you do the map update within the time alloted by garmin, this time starts from the first time the satnav aquires the satelites.
Nice piece of kit but was a little disappointed because i had to download quite a few updates for a brand new product. The plus points are it is so easy to use with its touch screen and the battery lasts for a very long time. I have used other sat-nav products but you cannot beat garmin and at a price of just under £90 its well worth it. Did a lot of research and decided on this sat nav. On one website, it suggested that one should press and hold the satellite indicator bars in the top left hand corner of the main screen until a satellite map and signal graph appeared. I brought the garmin nuvi 1240 off the advice of my brother who has an older garmin nuvi 255, who told me it was simple and clear to use.
I brought my sat nav for a holiday to scotland (where i have never been before) and i must admit that i was a bit sceptical beforehand, as i relied on maps and didnt want to make the change, but in lots of ways, i am pleased i did. I vowed i would never need a satnav as i could read maps and speak languages. Use in conjunction with maps, it's going to be brilliant;. Good entry level sat nav lots features but maps a little sketchey errors on way streets map zoom can be annoying whilst on a route. If you are looking for a satnav who can call out street names while driving, go for it. Great product just make sure that you connect it to pc to upgrade software before use otherwise it keeps on restarting whilst on road.
This product and microdisc with north american maps served me well while driving in los angeles and san francisco during july. While registering the product within 60 days for free map update, i received a message stating free download available until 16th september. First time purchasing a sat nav system. As mentioned by others, no usb cable included to update the maps, and the webpage step by step instructions to register the product insists you have one to continue after the first steps, so i couldnt register or update without ordering a cable. I experimented using it over routes where i have good experience of what the best route is and it didn't go the best way.
To one destination, it took me on one route going and a different route on the way back. You get free internet-downloaded map updates after purchase but, having read other reviews, this requires about 4-5 gb download which is more than my monthly allocation and about 4-5 hours to do it. Full european map version actually alot cheaper than most uk only models. It had all the country roads and lanes marked and found them quickly and effectively and even had the location of the farm where the gite was located. It had all the maps, even for those small villages.
Nice Sat-Nav But.. Nice piece of kit but was a little disappointed because i had to download quite a few updates for a brand new product. Garmin should have done that before i received it!!!! the other down side is that it should have come with a charger for the car. The plus points are it is so easy to use with its touch screen and the battery lasts for a very long time. I have used other sat-nav products but you cannot beat garmin and at a price of just under £90 its well worth it!!!!.
Good Basic Satnav. Good basic satnav with the added bonus of 23 european countries as well, clear voice which is plenty loud enough, good display, good instructions with road names spoken before you turn, this has replaced an infuriating tomtom xl which did not make it back from france due to me making it into a 1000 piece sat-nav puzzle kit with a hammer. This one is good so far, just a word of warning, make sure you do the map update within the time alloted by garmin, this time starts from the first time the satnav aquires the satelites. Very good screen mount too, much better than tomtom, as is the power connection. Recomended. .
B0021L9BII#amazon.co.uk
