I won't be long - enough reviews are available here, so let me just add a couple of things: you'll definitely need a usb (mini) cable with your garmin sat nav, because1) with a usb (mini) cable, you can recharge your garmin sat nav with your pc/mac, which is not clearly mentioned in the user's manual. Remember, your sat nav doesn't come with this cable or an ac adapter (you need to buy them separately), so you can't recharge the battery until you connect it with the vehicle power cable. 2) with this cable, you can also download the latest map, update the software, and configure the sat nav via garmin's website.
You'll need to do all this (and it's simple) if you want draw out the maximum performance from your sat nav3) if possible, get a good cable, such as this one amazonbasics usb 2. 0 a-male to mini-b cable (1. 8 metres) rather than a cheap one. *you might already have this cable at home, because the same cable is used for many electric devices, such as mobile phones (such as motorola), digital cameras and external hdds.
Bought this about 6 months ago and have so far used it all over the uk, in norway, france, spain and majorca. It's very easy to use and has some handy features. The one which allows you to view the map, zoom in, put the arrow on exactly where you want to go and simply press the 'go' button, is excellent; it makes touring abroad a doddle. The maps seem to be pretty much up to date, and go right down to residential street level in all the countries i've visited so far.
Other than the very rare detour down a narrow country road when staying on the main road might have been better, it's always got me where i needed to be and told me exactly when i'm going to get there. The unit fits nicely in a pocket and a recharge lasts long enough to allow you to make several short trips without having to worry about plugging it into the lighter socket. All the maps and pois are pre-loaded, including safety cameras abroad. Given the above features, the mapping included, the quality and the price, i'd definitely recommend this unit to anyone.
Pros
- Portable and easy to use
- Garmin Nuvi 250 Satellite Navigation System
- Garmin Nuvi 250,
- Don't buy an extra suction mount
- A quick comparison with TomTom
- Sat Navigation Made Easy
Cons
- A useful back-up but it can't be relied upon!
Negative Review of Garmin Nuvi 250 Satellite Navigation System with Full EU Mapping
Features of Garmin Nuvi 250 Satellite Navigation System with Full EU Mapping
- High-sensitive GPS receiver
- 3.5 inch widescreen display
- Pre-loaded with Western & Eastern European mapping
- Pre-loaded saftey cameras
Go Beyond Navigation Navigation is just the beginning. The Garmin nüvi 250 includes many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock™, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the map. Optional plug-in SD cards for travel guides provide detailed data for attractions, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs. Garmin nüvi 250: Don't just get there. Arrive ™
Box ContainsGarmin nüvi 250 Preloaded City Navigator NT for Europe (full coverage) Vehicle suction cup mount Vehicle power cable Dashboard disk Set up and go guide
Garmin Nuvi 250,. I owned a garmin i3 for 2 years which i was extremely pleased with, never got me lost. However though i needed to update. The natural choice was another garmin. After spending days reading reviews, i decided on the garmin nuvi 250. I have been using my nuvi constantly now for 2 weeks and i absolutely love it. I have tried many times to confuse my garmin, but faithfully it would get me back on my correct route. I can only speak for myself. My garmin recalculates within 10 seconds. Takes me exactly to the location i have entered. Map is large and clear. Speed camera locations to remind me to keep within the law. I give my garmin top marks. I input my destination, and off i go knowing my beloved garmin would take me where i want to go. .
Don't Buy An Extra Suction Mount. Mine arrived yesterday. Great little gizmo, solidly made, seems to work fine - takes a couple of minutes to lock on to a satellite, but after that very responsive. Voice instructions well timed and clear, if you deliberately go the wrong way it recalculates after about 30 seconds. Excellent value for the european maps (main reason i chose this one). Don't bother buying a suction cup mount as amazon suggests, there's one included in the box. There isn't a mains charger, only an in-car charger, but a normal mini usb lead does the job from your computer. The mains chargers for my mp3 player and phone also work fine. .
Garmin Nuvi 250. Like a lot of the other reviews i was looking for something which was cost effective, cheap if thats the way you want to read it but the nuvi 250 does not have that cheap feel about it, it looks and feels solid. I tried it initially around milton keyenes which is a good test for anything and it coped very well, it locks onto the satelite well and re routes itself very quickly. It has plenty of built in functions such as favourite address, recently visited, shopping, petrol stations, travel etc etc as well as the vehicle mode - automobile, bicycle, pedestrian. There are certain niggles which other reviews have highlighted such as no mains charger ( a car charger is included ) lack of search detail for some addresses, lack of usb leads and so on but for me these are just niggles and no more and should not deter you from buying it. If you like your phone to be your phone, your camera to be your camera and your gps to be your gps then this is perfect - it also means your in your forties !. .
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 2 x 9.7 cm ; 150 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 640 g
- Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required.
- Item model number: 010-00621-02
- ASIN: B000OV16MQ
Conclusion of Garmin Nuvi 250 Satellite Navigation System
As the nuvi 250 not a top-of-the-range unit, there are some shortcomings - and overall i would prefer the tom tom interface. The biggest weaknesses are the voice (very robotic, and can't say 'right' correctly which is irritating)(later edit: this has now been fixed by a download from the garmin web site) and the 3d map display (no indication of movement, and confusing where there are many streets tight up against each other). Also, the location of junctions takes some getting used to: if you wait until 'zero feet' before turning off the motorway you'll have missed the junction by a long way. Moving at 30 mph, a left turn will be indicated ahead but the actual turn takes place whilst the unit is still indicating 50 feet to go. But that's a weakness of the mapping, and despite having better coverage, the navteq maps seem slightly inferior to the teleatlas product (as used by tom tom).
Also, if you've changed settings to request the shortest route to a destination - don't forget to change back before your next journey (it isn't obvious that this is set) or else you'll be touring tiny back streets unexpectedlythere are lots of pre-loaded poi's: sometimes it's a little awkward to see these on the map. The feature 'go to coordinates' (where you enter the lat and long) is a great boon: i use it in conjuction with memory map on a pda, and i can then be directed to the exact point on a detailed map. Very pleased indeedmy first sat nav and after reading reviews took the plunge with this nuvivery impressed. After spending days reading reviews, i decided on the garmin nuvi 250. I have tried many times to confuse my garmin, but faithfully it would get me back on my correct route.
I input my destination, and off i go knowing my beloved garmin would take me where i want to go. This is my first sat nav and i have to say, it's been top draw. Both sat navs can do it, but the tomtom is easier. On a 50 mile trip through the countryside that i have done many times over the years and have formed my own favourite route, the tomtom initially wants to use a difficult route, whereas the garmin unbelievably used my exact favourite route. If you have never owned a sat nav before you will find either product totally awesome.
Both the garmin and the tomtom will get you to your destination within just a few feet and are a joy to use. Unfortunately the mapping world moves slowly, so even 2009 maps will not feature all new roads on new estates - i have tested this with a specific road. That comment applies to all sat navs. In summary i would give both garmin and tomtom 5 stars because the products are so much fun to use. From what i gathered from the sales person in a halfords store was that the garmin units are far superior to the likes of tom tom or navman on their build quality, usability and the shear amount of faulty units they have returned from garmin's rival brands.
The sales person explained the benefits of each individual unit from which i gathered some could almost drive the car for me. As i didn't require my mobile phone to be linked to the sat nav purely on the basis i struggle to send a text message as best, this unit suited me down to the ground. I am very pleased with my purchase and have recently bought the same unit for both my wife and son for christmas. Most in-car sat nav experts agree that these days it is largely a two-horse race between garmin and tom tom. Just like the decades old feud between mac and pc users, some swear by tom tom, some by garmin.
I don't feel any special emotion towards garmin, but i think this unit carries on their tradition of no-nonsense good value units that get the job done. The nuvi 250 comes with maps of the uk and most of europe built in. Annual upgrades to the maps are available once a year at a cost, from garmin. Many feel that the maps garmin uses are better than tom tom, but i haven't owned a tom tom so can't comment on that. The 250 is a `basic' unit in the sense that it has few extras.
But ask yourself this: do you really need an mp3 player built into your sat nav, or a wireless bluetooth connection to your phone?. Ok, so the 250 does not have tts (text-to-speech) for street names - so you will hear it say 'turn left' and not 'turn left on chapel street' - but the street name is displayed in a large font at the top of the display, so i really don't find this an issue. What this unit does, it does well. Like all sat navs, including tom toms, sometimes the route planning and mapping suggest routes that are sub-optimal. Every in-car sat nav will occasionally send you down a dirt track or on a route that you, with your local knowledge, know is not the best, quickest or optimal one.
But this unit doesn't do this any more than units from other manufacturers in my experience. It has an excellent, bright screen, with a very clear display, and mapping is shown clearly with good quality anti-aliased fonts. I have found satellite lock to be quick and that the unit holds lock pretty well - better than my old garmin i3 did. The in-built speaker produces a pretty clear sound, and my experience is that although a small, thin unit, the spoken directions are audible and loud enough even when motorway driving. The unit has an in-built rechargeable battery that charges up either via the supplied in-car cigarette lighter charger, or else when plugged into your usb port on your pc.
The supplied windshield mount is quite good - it seems to stay on pretty well and articulates nicely so that you can angle the unit as you wish to maximise visibility of the screen. The unit has all the features, in my view, that you need in a basic in-car sat nav, and they all work pretty well. Driving around surrey and the south east i have not had any real issues with this unit apart from one time when the display started to lag behind my actual position. Contacting garmin led me to know that sometimes the unit's downloaded satellite information can become corrupt and cause this kind of lag, and this can be rectified by a hard reset - hold down the bottom right of the screen and while doing this, turn the unit on. Unit firmware can be upgraded via the garmin web site and you can backup the entire contents of the unit onto your pc as it loads as a drive in windows when connected via usb (garmin sadly, skimped and did not include a usb cable in the box though).
Some renaults) have athermic windscreens which may cause weak satellite reception with any in-car sat nav. If you have such a car, you may find problems with this unit and any other in-car sat nav. Your choice is either to change car (), give up the idea of in-car sat nav, or install an external antenna (but i'm not sure you can use the latter with this particular unit). The maps seem to be pretty much up to date, and go right down to residential street level in all the countries i've visited so far. Given the above features, the mapping included, the quality and the price, i'd definitely recommend this unit to anyone.
Sat Navigation Made Easy. I looked at various different brands, specs and models when choosing a satellite navigation aid. From what i gathered from the sales person in a halfords store was that the garmin units are far superior to the likes of tom tom or navman on their build quality, usability and the shear amount of faulty units they have returned from garmin's rival brands. So once deciding what brand to opt for i found myself in the mine field of which product. The sales person explained the benefits of each individual unit from which i gathered some could almost drive the car for me! as i didn't require my mobile phone to be linked to the sat nav purely on the basis i struggle to send a text message as best, this unit suited me down to the ground. Even for someone as un-technically minded as me i found the nuvi 250 extremely straight forward to use. I have been on various long road trips and excursions and have noticed that it is very accurate and reliable when finding a location. I am very pleased with my purchase and have recently bought the same unit for both my wife and son for christmas. .
A Quick Comparison with Tomtom. Firstly let me say that at the price amazon are charging it's hard to fault the product. If you need europe mapping i would buy now before the product is discontinued, which is imminent. Now a quick comparison with a tomtom one, also owned by me. It's basically swings and roundabouts. The ideal product would be a combination of the two. Pros for the tomtom one:a) graphics with a wow factor. The tomtom looks terrific with 'floaty' 3d graphics and totally wowed me when i first saw it. The garmin 250 looks fine, but to be fair isn't as good. B) the tomtom is more flexible and has more menus. Try calculating a route when you have no satellite signal because you are at home. I'm in sheffield but let's assume i'm in liverpool and want to go to derby. Both sat navs can do it, but the tomtom is easier. C) tomtom appears to update slightly faster when going round a roundabout, but this is a bit subjective. Both products could do a bit better!pros for the garmin 250:a) it's more solid and the windscreen mount is a lot more solid. Beautifully made. B) route generation seems to be better. On a 50 mile trip through the countryside that i have done many times over the years and have formed my own favourite route, the tomtom initially wants to use a difficult route, whereas the garmin unbelievably used my exact favourite route. Lots of points for that. C) the garmin hasn't needed a reset yet. Another big issue with tomtoms. So which is best? i don't know. I wish i could combine the good features of both products. If you have never owned a sat nav before you will find either product totally awesome. Paper maps are useless by comparison. Both the garmin and the tomtom will get you to your destination within just a few feet and are a joy to use. This particular garmin is about to go obsolete so is cheap and is therefore a terrific buy. You should be offered 2009 maps when you register it, but be warned you are looking at a 2. 5gb download. The whole installation process will take an evening, but is well thought out and reliable. Unfortunately the mapping world moves slowly, so even 2009 maps will not feature all new roads on new estates - i have tested this with a specific road. That comment applies to all sat navs. In summary i would give both garmin and tomtom 5 stars because the products are so much fun to use. I just wish they would each sort out their own shortcomings. .
