Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Integrated Traffic Receiver (Factory Refurbished) SAVE 46% just $119.54-Free Shipping!

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SAVE 46% on Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Integrated Traffic Receiver (Factory Refurbished) just $119.54 - Free Shipping!

Garmin nüvi 265W/265WT 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Integrated Traffic Receiver (Factory Refurbished) by Garmin

- 1141 reviews
$119.54 - 45% off - (list price: $219.99)
Eligible for Free Shipping for orders over $25

Features

Sleek, ultra-thin design fits easily in pocket

Factory refurbished

Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT

Supports Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling when paired with Bluetooth-enabled cell phones

NOTE: Model number is 265WT; however, the model number on the product itself is 265W

Height: 2.9 in - Width: 0.8 in - Lenth: 4.8 in - Weight: 0.38 lbs

Description

Amazon.com Product Description This is a refurbished GPS. Refurbished generally means that the unit has been returned to the manufacturer, who brings the navigator back to like new conditions. Some GPS may contain cosmetic blemishes.

Garmin's nüvi 265WT improves upon its 200-series predecessors by adding free real-time traffic updates from Navteq (for the life of the device) as well as Bluetooth connectivity to your cell phone. Other significant improvements in the 2x5 series include a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 265WT provides complete maps for North America and the handy Text-to-Speech feature, 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 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. The 265WT also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.

Integrated Traffic Receiver

Steer clear of traffic with an integrated GTM 20 FM traffic receiver designed to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. No subscriptions or additional hardware needed. Just open the box, turn it on, and get instant access to traffic information--the traffic updates are free for the life of the device.

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, the 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.

Hands-Free Calling

In more and more places, it is becoming illegal to use cell phones while driving without a hands-free kit. WIth Bluetooth capability, microphone and speaker, you can match your nüvi to any Bluetooth-capable phone to make hands-free mobile phone calls. Simply dial the phone number with the nüvi's touch screen keypad to make a call on a compatible phone. To answer an incoming call, just tap the screen and speak into the built-in microphone. Making and taking calls on the road has never been easier, or safer. In addition, Garmin makes it a breeze to look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or even tap into your cell phone's call history log.

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)

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.

New -- 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.

Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world.
Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps.
Search for photos by location name or map area boundary.
Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator.
View photos in Google Earth.
Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.

New -- 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.

New -- 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.

Hook up your Garmin to the computer via it's USB port
Search for the location you want
Click the Send link in the info window for the address. That will bring up a popup "Send to" form.
Pick GPS, then pick Garmin and hit the "Send" button.

The address will instantly transfer to your Garmin device, The point will be saved as one of your favorites, and you can navigate to it or view it on a map just like with any other favorite.

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

MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content

With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi.

Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services.

A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription.

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.

A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with the receiver. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.

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 Important note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. If you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store.

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.

What's in the Box?

nüvi 265WT, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America (full coverage), Lifetime traffic, FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable, Vehicle suction cup mount, USB cable, Dashboard disc, Quick start manual

Notes

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.

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.

Screen
Size
inches
(w x h)

Included Maps

Text-to-Speech
(Directions in
Real Street
Names)

Media

FM Transmitter
(audio through
car stereo
system)

Multi-
Point
Routing

Battery
life
(hours)

Cont. U.S.,
Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico

nüvi 200

nüvi 200w

nüvi 250

nüvi 250w

nüvi 260

nüvi 260w

nüvi 270

nüvi 205

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 205W

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 255

2.8 x 2.1

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 255W

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 265T

2.8 x 2.1

Integrated FM
receiver with
lifetime traffic;
MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 265WT

3.81 x 2.25

Integrated FM
receiver with
lifetime traffic;
MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 275T

2.8 x 2.1

Integrated FM
receiver with
lifetime traffic;
MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver)

Photos

up to 4

nüvi 350

2.8 x 2.1

FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 360

2.8 x 2.1

FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 370

2.8 x 2.1

FM (receiver
included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 8

nüvi 650

3.81 x 2.25

FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 660

3.81 x 2.25

FM (receiver
included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 670

3.81 x 2.25

FM (receiver
included)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 680

3.81 x 2.25

MSN (receiver
included;
1-year free);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 7

nüvi 750

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 760

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 770

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 780

3.81 x 2.25

MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free)
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)

external
battery
only

Basic MSN Direct Content Features
	Traffic Reports Find the best route through traffic. Your GPS device uses MSN Direct traffic data to select the best route for you to avoid traffic congestion. Check traffic flow. Know at a glance where to expect slowdowns in traffic. Get accident warnings. Receive warnings about accidents, road closures, and construction in the area that may affect you.
	Gas Prices Compare local gas prices. See a list of recent gas prices in your area and an indication of how recently the prices were reported. Find your way to the savings. Once you find the best price in your area, use your navigation system to guide you to the gas station.
	Weather Reports Stay on top of current conditions. View the current weather conditions in your area, including today's high and low temperatures, chances of precipitation, and more. View the three-day forecast, Plan ahead by checking the three-day weather forecast for your area. Check weather in other cities. See current weather conditions in major cities across the country.
	Movie Times Search for a movie. Find the theaters in your coverage area that are showing the movie you want to see. See which movies are playing. View which movies are playing in your coverage area or at your favorite theater. See show times and get directions. Once you find a show you want to see, check the show times and use your GPS device to guide you to the theater.
Enhanced MSN Direct Content
	Web Favorites (Send custom destinations to your GPS with Live Search Maps) Powerful trip planning: Use Live Search Maps on your computer to look up an address, search for a business, or plan a trip Choose your favorite location, and then MSN Direct delivers the address, phone number, and more straight to your navigation system. Visit Live Search Maps at http://maps.live.com.
	Local Events See what's happening near you. Find nearby events to see what's happening in your area. Find the events that interest you. Browse events sorted by category. Search for an event. Get details about a particular event.
	Stock Quotes Watch the stocks that interest you. Select stocks that you want to keep an eye on, and then see regularly updated stock prices and daily changes. Get a little more detail. Touch a stock in your list to see daily highs, lows, and trading volume.
	News Headlines Browse the headlines at a glance. See breaking news and other major news stories of the day. Read more details. Select a headline to read all the details about the news story on your navigation system.

MSN Direct Coverage Map
Get detailed info for your Zip Code at the MSN Direct website.

Customer Reviews

Good value for the Money - Sep 02, 2010

Got the 265WT two weeks ago. It worked well on my road trip to Maine. Picked up satellites quickly. Routing was fairly quick and traffic information was helpful. One issue involves updating the information on the points of interest function. We found a few of the points of interest were either closed or no longer exist. After my purchase I did see that Garmin started providing the traffic function on one of the lower models (255, I believe) and would have considered that model if I had seen it at that time which is 20 - 30 dollars cheaper.

Nuvi is great - Sep 01, 2010

For general use, Nuvi is great. The traffic is not super accurate, but you can't expect it to know about a crash within 5 minutes of it occuring. But the yellow, orange, and red color coding is a bit inconsistant in the metro Atlanta area.
The screen can be hard to see in harsh sunlight and also with polorized sunglasses.

love it - Sep 01, 2010

I live in the DFW metroplex, and this thing will route me around traffic. This has saved me HOURS by routing me around wrecks. I love this thing.

Simply the best GPS that I have - Aug 31, 2010

We have two 265t and like them over my other GPSs by different brands. Now, I got the 265wt with a larger 4.3 lcd for my wife. She really likes and enjoys using it. These Garmin 265's are simply the best GPS at this price.

Great GPS throw away your maps! - Aug 31, 2010

Very easy to use, I should have bought one years ago. I have not used all the features so far but I will soon. I have always used maps, but the area I cover now is almost the entire state so the Garmin is as important as my tools. I could have used this device traveling with my teams over the years finding fields also.

Good GPS, still not sure about the Traffic feature - Aug 28, 2010

no problems with the navigation - I'm still a little unsure abou the traffic feeds. Don't seem to be really accurate but I've only tried it a couple times since I've had it so might be too soon to tell...

Great Garmin - Aug 28, 2010

Great gadget, more features than I can use! Does the job, a couple of glitches where it picked unusable streets, other than that it is awesome.

product recall - Aug 27, 2010

The Device is excellent and easy to use.However, when it comes to crowded roads the arrow on the screen can not be understandable. Meaning that GARMIN should find another way of showing the routs instead of the white arrow wich is sometimes not claer at all.

Other models has the LANE ASSISTANS which is great feature ( i think )eventhought i did not use it.

I just bought this product and i got a recall message from GARMIN regarding the batteries overheating .

Good but Nuvi 360 was better - Aug 26, 2010

I had a Nuvi 360 that was stolen so I bought this 265WT. I decided for it because it has the best ratio of positive reviews. It is good, works well.
The better point for it when compared with the 360 is that it indicates the next turns on the left corner of the screen but the 360 had a better touch screen that you really needed to soft touch it. The 265 I had to press the finger firmly to activate the options or select the letters and numbers. Also the 360 came with the wall charger and the protective case which the 265 you have to buy apart.
I haven't used it in the same streets and locations I had previously used my 360 so I can't comprare its precision but in some cities where I used it it directed me to some streets and avenues I felt it would not be the best option but since I didn't know the place I had to trust on it. At the end I really reached my destination. I noticed that when I am driving really slow it took more time to recognize my turns. Also there was a situation I was following its instructions in a highway access and it went to a recalculating condition and warned it was impossible to give me a direction!!! I never heard about that before.

Great GPS - Aug 25, 2010

This GPS has all the features I was looking for. I wanted upgraded maps, traffic, and Bluetooth. I am happy with the whole package. If there was anythiong that could be improved it would be the Bluetooth. Every time I get back in the vehicle I have to reconnect my phone to the GPS. It does not find it automatically when I turn it on even if I have bluetooth on my phone turned on. A very minor inconvenience compared to having the ability to talk through your GPS without having to pick up your phone. Volume is good and clarity is good.

garmin nuvi 265WT - Aug 24, 2010

The Garmin Nuvi 265 is a great improvement over previous GPS. It is easy to use and calculates routes instantaneously. No directions are needed because it is so easy. (which is good because it didn't come with any directions). The voice announcement of street names is very helpful. The phone bluetooth feature is great since cell phone use is being banned in many places. The points of interest is easy to use and very handy.

Two problems. At least in the Baltimore area the traffic feature is worthless. All the main roads are red all the time during rush hour and often at other times even if traffic is flowing perfectly smoothly. I drove from Baltimore to York PA up Rte 83 and the GPS kept telling me to detour 83 even though we drove over the speed limit the whole way without slowing at all for traffic.

Typing in street names and numbers is difficult because the specificity of the numbers/letters is not good. If not hit exactly right the wrong number/letter will come up.

Review of Garmin 265WT - Aug 24, 2010

The 265WT was supposed to give me traffic alerts. On 3 separate occasions I have needed to be given a traffic alert and have not. I tried to send an e-mail to Garmin about the problem and have not received a response. MAYBE it is something that I have done wrong or have not done. In any case the product is NOT doing what it is supposed to do and I hope that Garmin responds to my concern.

fix the POLARIZATION!!! - Aug 24, 2010

without rehashing from the 1000+ reviews, here are my points. i also judge it based on the 110$ pricepoint for a refurb unit:

+very fast satellite hookup
+auto on/off [TRES COOL]
+bluetooth... and quite good clarity of mic
+modern and clean 3d displays [compared to tomtom]
+positive haptic/vibration touchpad makes it easy to type [compared to tomtom]
+extremely easy to use [both good and bad thing]

-extremely easy to use [few functionalities]
-bluetooth does not produce ringtone or any audible alert of incoming call
-bluetooth does not support phonebook for palm pre (have to use phone to dial)
-speaker is only decent...crackles at 90% vol and up
-traffic is almost USELESS. for example doesnt have traffic for Westheimer Blvd in Houston... one of the largest, widest, most prominent arterial thoroughway in the city
-ad support... wasnt very prominent anywhere that we would have to see ads for lifetime traffic. although they are not too intrusive
-traffic is inaccurate. there are many different traffic broadcasters and the free one (vs paid one) on this garmin unit is less accurate.

my biggest pet pieve however is the POLARIZATION. the lcd screen has polarization orientation or phase such that when viewed with either of my 2 maui jims they appear darker. note it is not completely dark or unreadable, just dimmer. the other displays in the car appear bright and dim only when i turn my head/sunglasses 90*... the opposite of the garmin... which leads me to conclude that it is the garmin that is set "incorrectly", not the sunglasses

vs tomtom: i keep it brief but they operate completely different philosophy. garmin is (1) turn on car (2) punch in address (3) and go. fast, easy, to the point. but thats all you get. tomtom i (1) turn on manually (2) punch in address or intersection or touch-location-on-map (4) get asked whether i want to avoid toll road or not (5) preview the route (6) see distance remaining, vehicle speed, time remaining, etc... tons more feature, everything highly customizable, can downloads tons of graphics and voices FREE from user-submitted database, get USER-map-corrections.... but conversely it can be more "cumbersome" to use while garmin is "TOUCH AND GO"

3.5* for this garmin product, but 2.5* due to POLARIZATION

Great if you have a current phone book with you - Aug 24, 2010

I went to many a store that was no more. There was a building, but the name had changed or the company had gone out of business. Also, I was a block away from a store and it told me that the nearest one was 3 miles away.
Otherwise, it gets me there with no problems.

Great GPS Device! - Aug 22, 2010

Overall, I really like this product, and it was a great price. The traffic indicator is sketchy, and the speaker for bluetooth is poor, but I really had no intention of using it often.

Great product for the price!

Garmin nuvi - Aug 21, 2010

LOVE this. I am not directionally challenged, but my mom is; we bought this for when we travel together. So far, I have used it 4 times on trips (where I had no idea where I was going) and it was terrific. It is a shame that my vehicle's navigation system is trumped by this but consider me happy to have bought the Garmin!

good w/ minor flaws - Aug 21, 2010

For the most part, we liked this product. It got us turned around and could not get our destination only a couple of times on a 4600 mile trip. Some of the routes were different than what I had mapped out on AAA Triptiks, so we had to decide which to use at some points. I wish we could have put in the road we preferred to travel and gotten those directions. Sometimes, we just wanted the interstate route, but were given a lot of side roads. Overall, this product performed very well, the flaws we came across may be more in design of the programming.

ok device - Aug 20, 2010

it does not have options to calculate route (i.e. most highway, fastest time, shortest distance...) some of the route are very peculiar, for example it does not allow me to travel on the next block eventhough that block is two way traffic for at least five years. otherwise it is a good device.

never get lost - Aug 20, 2010

Tjhis is my third gps and by far out performs the other units I"ve had before.. The other units were not garmin.

A great GPS system - Aug 18, 2010

Easy to use, will get you where you want to go and the blue tooth feature very convenient in Oregon where by law you can't hold a cell phone and drive. A great price for an all around useful product.

Very disappointing - Aug 18, 2010

I purchased this GPS to replace my old, bulky StreetPilot C340, but I believe my old one was better in many respects. The new one tends to give me inconvenient directions for getting places, which take me off course and take longer, no matter how I have the unit set (shortest time or shortest distance). And the bluetooth feature was one of the reasons I chose this particular GPS, but everyone I've spoken to from it says they can't hear me even though it's about 18 inches from my face. I've even tried turning off my air conditioner when I use it, but people still have trouble hearing me.

Garmin - Aug 18, 2010

Got the Garmin as a gift and the person who received the Garmin loves it.

The instructions leave something to be desired. There is not a clear instruction on all the features. The viewing area is just right size to not distract you from the road but gives you a good view of the map.
You better get the charger that plugs into your home outlet. If you do not drive far enough to charge the battery you will need the charger.

Very good value... if only for the "Bluetooth Function" for my Blackberry! - Aug 18, 2010

I started using GPS systems nearly ten years ago. I bought the Sony Etak GPS software and receiver for my laptop. Just imagine a 15" screen GPS and lotsa' capability. That setup, but with a DeLorme software and receiver package, is still in my company vehicle today. But for the new-generation, portable GPS units, I scanned the market and selected Garmin, and the 265WT, for its optimal mating of capability and very resonable cost. And this is the second Garmin 265WT I've purchased in the last few months. The first one was for my brother. And at that time, I never thought about the bluetooth capability, and how it could solve another problem. I've been complaining about the small, hard to see number and letter keyboard on my Blackberry Tour. I even called Verizon to find out if there was a "keyboard accessory" that I could plug into the Blackberry; something to make the dialing and features menu legible without having to put on my reading glasses while driving. The Garmin 265WT does just that, and wirelessly! Now, I can access nearly all the features of my tiny-keyboard Blackberry, via my Garmin 265WT. And I can do it using the "large character touch screen" on the Garmin! Having a hands-free, full featured bluetooth accessory for my Blackberry was a huge plus! That alone made me ecstatic about this second Garmin! And on top of all that, this particular model has a very efficient GPS function, "with traffic warnings." So for me, I've got everything I wanted and more. Great value!

Garmin Review - Aug 17, 2010

Excellant product. Very easy to install. Function use better than the built in I had on a Lexus. Amazon services were easy, order process excellant, it arrived within 3 days. Price was 1/3 of what I would have paid elsewhere.

Garmin 265 Vs 255 - Hands Down 265 ~ Heres Why.... - Aug 17, 2010

Ok, I'm just like you... I want to know the good the bad and the ugly before I spend my hard earned (yet limited) cash on anything I buy online. Like me, you do the homework and read all the reviews and wish some people would be more specific. I'm going to do that for you. I've had the Garmin Nuvi 265WT since Mid-July 2010 (Several months now) and I used it to travel over 3000 miles from the Pacific Northwest to the Mid-west and back.

How's it work? It works great! This is my first GPS and I can't believe how I've managed to live without one. I'll get into the specifics in a few moments but first, I got this because my girlfriend is "Directionally Challenged" and since she can't drive, she's the one I depend on to tell me where to turn, etc. before I got my GPS. Needless to say, we fought like cats & dogs because we would miss a turn or get lost and end up being late for an appointment, even when we left early enough for it. (It happens).

So we decided to get a GPS... but which one? There's a whole bunch of them out there! Well, I've learned through my research that Garmin is the leader in quality and reliability so that helped me narrow down the search as far as which brand. Now, which one is for me? Well, based on price, age of technology, etc.

I was able to narrow it down further between the Garmin Nuvi 255W and the 265WT. (Don't let the "T" throw you. It stands for Traffic. If you see the letter T behind any of the brands, it means it comes with a traffic antenna that's built into the cord.) I'm happy to find out that you get FREE lifetime traffic reports and you don't have to sign up for anything fancy. If you have the traffic antenna built into the cord, you have this feature! I'll talk more on the traffic later.

Okay, Garmin 255 vs 265 ~ What's the difference? I was able to compare mine to the 255 and there's a big difference in the quality of the sound. The Garmin Nuvi 255W sounds like someone's hand is over their mouth (Muffled) and only one voice on the many voices you get to choose from is actually clear enough to understand.

If you didn't know, your Garmin has male & female voices, I counted 66 different ones on mine. So if your native language is not English, they have every other language - you name it, it's in here! Pick that language and the GPS will talk in that language with very nice accuracy!

The Garmin nuvi 265W has better clarity than the 255. It doesn't sound muffled and is pretty clear. (It can always be better as some people would argue with this point)... but comparing the two GPS, 265W sounds better! Other than the sound, the 255 & the 265 are nearly identical, except the 265 has bluetooth built in for those who want to be hands free on the road. I didn't use this feature so I can't comment on it. I don't remember if the 255 has the Traffic antenna built into the power cord but remember, if it says WT, it has it.

(Please Note: Amazon is selling the 265W and is leaving off the "T" but they are including it when you buy it. I know it's confusing but in the fine print, it does say this comes with the traffic cord.) Since I'm back to the traffic feature, might as well get it out of the way...

The traffic feature picks up the local (city) traffic-monitoring signal of what ever city your in (If that city is broadcasting it). It will be on the left side of the screen and have two little cars in a circle. If you click that it will give you several options. You can check to see if you have traffic on route to where your going (which I found was a nice feature) and if you're not going anywhere but just have it on, it's nice to see the birds eye view of the main highways and where there's red, there's congestion. Please keep in mind, people blame the GPS for being wrong if there's no traffic where they said there should be and vice versa. It's not the GPS fault... it's the traffic monitoring system which maybe slow to update.

If there is traffic along the route your taking, it will give you a button to "divert" around the traffic which is nice. I didn't try it but it's nice to have if I'm running late.

The ADVERTISEMENTS (*Cue Dramatic Music*)- I've read so many reviews of people whining and complaining about the advertisements. WHAT ADVERTISEMENTS? You mean the little tiny one that pops up when ever I'm stopped at a red light that says "Crabfest at Red Lobster". So what? It's half an inch top to bottom and maybe two inches side to side that disappears once I start moving. Give me a Break! I barely notice them and 98% of the time forget they even exist. Don't let this bother you... they don't get in the way.

So driving from Portland, Oregon to Grand Junction, Colorado was a breeze with my Garmin 265W(T) - Before I left, I typed in the address and hit save and it saved it so when I was ready to leave, it told me where to go, step by step. I love that I don't have to look at it when I'm driving because it will give me a heads up that I'll be turning left or right up ahead and it will even say the name of the street.

The first heads up will say "In one mile, turn right on baker street" Then when I get close by, "Turn right" literally before I have to turn for a flawless turn... no sudden last minute lane changes. If I look at the GPS, it will show the arrow of where I am now and where I will be turning and will put the little icon right on top of the street/location you're at, so you can't go wrong. Same thing if you're taking an On Ramp to a highway you've never been on, it will stretch out the pointy line so you will stay right on track.

Another neat feature I like is the speed limit indicator. When you're in route somewhere, it will show the speed limit of the road your on (95% of the time). I saw the speed limit sign up ahead change and I watched my GPS which said 55mph change to 65mph within a foot of the speed limit sign! (Very Impressive Garmin!). Naturally, driving several thousand miles, I was able to stay in the speed limit and passed through several speed traps with no problems because while I couldn't see the speed sign (say it's night time), I just looked at my GPS and it said the speed limit AND the speed I'm going! Using the satellites, it was accurately clocking my speed! I thought that was sooo cool. :-)

It's got a ECO-Button that uses the above technology to help you better learn how to save gas by measuring your acceleration, deceleration and speed consistency to give you a score of up to 100. (100 is perfect). It averages everything and let's you know what kind of eco-friendly driver you are. That works sometimes, but I couldn't be eco-friendly when I was in stop and go/rush hour traffic where we're speeding up and slowing down but when I was out and about, I got the general idea and it helped me save on gas. (Another nice feature).

If you don't go the route you want (Say you turn off the road to stretch or take pictures, etc.) It will automatically recalculate your position and tell you where you need to go to get back on track! (VERY NICE!)

If you've got FAMILY or a significant other who has to go to the bathroom, one of the nice things you can do is click on "Points of Interest" and click on "Fuel" to find the nearest gas station so they can go relieve themselves and you can get some coffee to stay awake... All this while in the middle of driving from point A to point B. I found myself having to divert course in a city I've never been in and the GPS took me there like I lived there all my life... it was nice.

The Points of Interest (POI) - It's got a whole bunch of POI's pre-programmed in, to look for restaurants, fuel, shopping, repair, you name it! Even in a different city, it can tell you where's the nearest .... based on where you are at the time. If there's a certain POI that you don't see or want to find, you can type it in. I found myself typing "Walmart" and it showed me where all the walmarts were and what ever one I wanted, I just clicked on and hit "GO" and it took me there! (Replace Walmart with the name of your favorite store, etc.)

Along the way, if there wasn't a POI, I made one. Example... As I was driving and found a rest stop, once I drove in, I clicked on my car icon on my GPS and it will show my current location, the nearest address, nearest intersection and there's a great big button that says "SAVE LOCATION" - I used that a lot, especially for the rest stops. So once I clicked it, a keyboard came up and I typed in what I wanted to call the spot I'm at, and it saved it under my favorites folder!

So on the way back, I could see far down the road the rest stops I stopped at before so I can decide if I wanted to pull over or not. I also made my POI for places that have free wi-fi so once I needed to go to a wi-fi hotspot, I went under my favorites folder, clicked on the name "Free Internet Wifi" (I made that up) and from where I was, the GPS took me right back to that spot.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you click on your car/icon, it will also have 3 major buttons next to the Save Location. These are nice to have... they are Hospital, Police Station and Fuel. So knock on wood, you're driving down the road and someone gets sick, you click on the hospital button on your GPS and it will show you ALL the hospitals near you, tell you how many miles away, point you in what direction and even give you the address & phone number in case you need to call ahead!

The Garmin Nuvi 265WT is loaded with a lot of very nice and useful features. It's got a big screen, great battery life, and will take you where you need to go. When we were in Grand Junction, we made the place we were staying our POI (Point of Interest) so when ever we drove away from the house and explored the city, at anytime, we just clicked on the POI that we made and it took us right back to where we were staying! We didn't have to worry about getting lost.

Any Errors? In all fairness, yes, it had 1 minor error - it took us to a store that no longer was there. Was that the fault of the GPS? No. The software does have to be upgraded and you're given ONE free update within the 60 days you have it. If you don't upgrade it, you will have the option of paying for any future updates. You can pay $100 something and get free updates for life (which I don't agree with but that's business for you) but if you use it constantly, it maybe the right choice for you.

Is it perfect? No. There's lots of things that can be improved but people... come on... it wasn't that long ago we had this technology! We've come a long way and all of this is constantly being improved on. The one "Flaw" if you can call it that is lack of instructions. You just have to play with it and figure it out. That's the only thing they dropped the ball on. Everything else is wonderful!

I LOVE my new Garmin Nuvi 265WT. Are there better ones? For the great price I paid, IMO... No, this is the sweet spot on getting quality, size and reliability for this GPS. Yes, there are fancier screens, yes you can get fancier graphics. From doing all my homework, research and reading TONS of reviews of MANY GPS's... The Garmin 265WT is a no brainer. Stop Reading and Just Buy the damn thing already. IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY!

Oh- One last thing... If you go to Navtones dot com you can download the voice of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider and have it be the voice of your GPS! When you download it, it will ask you for your name, so now when I'm using my GPS, it address me "Steven, I'm Knight Industries Two Thousand. Where would you like to go?" And if I'm not going the way KITT/GPS routed for me, KITT would mouth off saying "Steven if you don't want to listen to me, I'm going to turn myself off. I'm recalculating..."

There's other celebrity voices and things to customize your Garmin 265WT... Just do a google search and look for them. They made my trip a very enjoyable one. :-)

Hope this review helped. Sorry it was long winded but I give credit where it's due!
Trust your gut and hopefully trust this review.

I'm very happy with my GPS and it's very reliable. I recommend it and LOVE IT.

You can't go wrong with the Garmin Nuvi 265W(T).

Stop Reading and Buy it! (Thank me later)

:-)