Editorial Review

Garmin's nuvi 295W offers a new take on an old favorite with Wi-Fi connectivity, a 3 MP camera with auto-focus, dual orientation capability and much more.

Get Connected
Wi-Fi connectivity on the nuvi 295W provides a full desktop experience with an HTML browser so you can surf the web whenever and wherever you choose. Check and send e-mail, including Hotmail, G-mail, AOL mail, POP3 and IMAP, and view email attachments of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and JPG files. You can also search an abundance of customer-rated points of interest (POIs), such as restaurants, hotels and more, using Google Local Search.

Get Going
With a single tap on the dual-oriented screen, you can avoid writing down addresses and go straight to your destination.nuvi 295W offers a 1-touch navigation from your e-mail, address book and local search results.Additionally, the unique 3MP camera geotags pictures so you can create routes to them.You can also send the picture to a friend to route to or upload to the web to auto-locate on a map.

Get Turn-By-Turn Directions
With an intuitive interface that greets you with simple icons and a scrollable menu, nuvi 295W is the perfect travel companion for getting around town.With a quick tap on an icon or flick of the menu, you can easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names to your destination.It comes preloaded with detailed City Navigtor NT street maps for the US and Canada with nearly 6 million points of interest (POIs) such as stores, restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, gas stations, ATMs and more, and speed limits for the most major roads.cityXplorer maps are also available for your nuvi 295W.cityXplorer maps provide the latest detailed roads and points of interest for metroploitan areas.

Go Beyond Navigation
nuvi 295W isn't just for navigation.A quick tap provides access to the lengthy f ... Read more

Reviews

Replaced my 755T, May 20, 2010
Just finished my first few hours with the 295W.

Just received the 295W today to replace the 755T that was unfortunately stolen. I was thinking about waiting for the 3790T or 3760T, but needed something before that becomes available.

** UNIT DIMENSIONS / FEEL / RESPONSE **
First impressions of the 295W are pretty good. Good fit and finish, has the right heft to it to where it does not have a "toy" feel. Fit and finish is nicer than the 755T I had. All functions process more quickly than the 755T did, and the touch screen is much more responsive. On my old unit, either the processor bogged down a bit, or the screen sensitivity was not quite there, but it did not respond like the 295W does. Scrolling with the touch screen is nice both in the menus, and in map view mode.

** ROUTING / DIRECTIONS **
The routing seemed faster than the 755T. I will miss the lane assist when I travel to larger cities like L.A. and Atlanta, but for the vast amount of time, it won't be a big deal. I did purposely take some wrong turns to check the rerouting capabilities, and found that to be very quick.

That said, it did have one hiccup already. ( i.e.- when chose Lowe's from the POI list, it showed it in two different directions, same address, 5 miles apart. There is only one Lowe's in my town, and it is not a divided highway or anything).


** UPLOADS **
I have not yet updated the map. It seems strange to have JUST released the unit, and the website suggests there is an updated map set available? I am going to see if I can figure out the version, and when the last one was released. Since I can upload over 60 days from initial use, I may wait a bit.

That said, I did upload some of the extra voices and vehicles that you can get from the Garmin site. It was quick, and seems to be just fine. ( By the way, I did have the problem upload with my prior 755T that made it a brick, and I had to send back and forth with Garmin.)

** WEB / WIRELESS **
Set up with my wireless network. Security settings were easy. The auto download weather is a neat feature, but I don't see myself carrying this around every day in and out of the house the way I probably would with GarminPhone. The Google Local Search worked well though. The pre-loaded POIs were very good I thought, but there were a couple places I figured it wouldn't know, and it didn't. Connected through the web though, it found them in 5 seconds, and then they were added to the unit saved places.


** OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSION **
After being used to the larger 755T screen, this seems a little bit small. Seems like I can't just glance as quickly at it as the prior unit, but maybe that will change with some time. The spoken directions seem a little bit clearer than the 755 was The response of the unit is very good in my opinion. Not sure how much I will really use the wireless, but I can see it handy traveling when I head to the hotel and might be looking for all the food options locally that the bas POI may not have, etc....


I am headed on a couple hundred mile drive over the next weekend and will see what other opinions arise. I know it's an initial review, but at least I don't have any buyer's remorse at this point. I may still wind up with a 7300 series after those arrive, and put this in the other vehicle, but we'll see.

**As for the packaging issues mentioned by the first poster, (who may just have wanted to be the first poster, since it certainly was not a PRODUCT review), I can say that while everything did arrive in fine shape, the stuff did just kind of seem tossed in the box. I felt it actually cheapened the Garmin brand to send it this way.

Nice small GPS, but READ THIS about cityXplorer and Support, June 22, 2010
Update: September 17, 2010
After a few months of regular use, I still like this unit fine. My biggest problem with it is that the battery drains so fast when it's turned off. Even if I disable wi-fi and gps, it drains a full charge after one or two days of no use. The battery also takes a long time to charge compared to a phone, camera, or mp3 player.

Update: August 4, 2010
Just returned from a 1,400 mile trip thru KY, TN, NC, & SC. This GPS worked pretty good most of the time, but it can loose it's postition on the map as well as graphic details if you use the zoom, rotate, or other features while in the course of navigating. On some occassions, I'd wait for a few minutes and eventually it would correct itself. Other times I waited, but I had to power cycle the unit to get it back on course. Also, at gas stops and rest stops, it recalculated the route correctly most of the time. Sometimes I'd get off for gas and the GPS would recalculate my route in the opposite direction of the interstate that I just left! The GPS signal was always strong and satelites were always found within 30 seconds.
Regarding the Wi-Fi, it was compatible with the free Wi-Fi at the inn's where I stayed, but if it was a place where you have to pay for Wi-Fi service, this device was not compatible. This was also the case in Las Vegas.

Update: July 12, 2010
Just returned from Las Vegas. This GPS could not even pick up a satelite at all while walking the strip. Not even on the raised pedestrian bridges where I had a huge view of the sky. However, it got a great signal at The Grand Canyon (of course).

Update: July 2,2010
I dock it another star for the false advertising and poor support.
I purchased the add-on 10 dollar cityXplorer map of Las Vegas from Garmin's website. After I downloaded it, I couldn't find any evidence that it was installed. I emailed tech support to find out how I could confirm that it was installed and working. After three days of back and forth email help from their support I was convinced that I was gonna have to call. I called support, waited one hour to talk to a guy who walked me through the same process that I'd already done. He said, I'll see bus routes on my GPS when I get to Vegas. That's the upgrade?
They don't have this unit on hand to work with, and they are using support directions for other units which don't have the same menu's as the 295W. A few hours after talking to the tech, I got an email from Garmin saying that the cityXplorer maps enhanced pedestrian mode is not compatible with this model. They issued me a refund for the Las Vegas map upgrade. This is an advertised function of the GPS that does not work.

My original review:
My 3 year old Tom Tom was swiped from the car, so I was forced to shop for a replacement. This unit caught my eye right away due to the Wi Fi. I am a cheapskate prepaid phone guy, so the idea of smart phone features without the monthly charges sounded good. The family gave me this for Fathers Day and I've had two days to play with it. Here's my impression:

This device feels good. Solid and light. Responsive buttons and touchscreen. Good resolution and contrast. Navigation is simple, and within 20 minutes I had learned the layout of apps, menus and interface as well as configured the personal stuff(home address, wi fi connection, 2 email accounts, home page, and a couple of bookmarks). Very simple. No manual needed. I connected it to the computer and registered it at Garmin's website. Serial number is behind the battery pack, so write it down first. I downloaded the device update which took nearly an hour. The one-time map update refused to install. I downloaded it, went to install and the file was corrupt. tried it again. Same result. Oh well, I'll try later. I grabbed a different vehicle icon and some geotags and downloaded the pdf users manual while at the website, and then copied two albums to the device.

Web Browser - sluggish but effective. I would use it for banking, news, stocks, etc, but I wouldn't do my christmas shopping with it! The + and - zoom buttons work as good as pinching the screen (apple). Wi Fi signal is fair, but will not reach my garage 50 ft. from the router.

MP3 Player - This is a basic MP3 player that has features like repeat, shuffle, playlist, album art, etc. The internal speaker is not made for listening to music. The headphone jack is oddly not standard 3.5mm.

Apps - Nice practical assortment. All I need in a handheld really. The tools are well designed for their specific purpose. Biggest let down is that it can't import calender and contacts. That could save a lot of time! Email app is great.

Navigation - Google Local Search is a brilliant addition to this GPS. It helped me find some lesser known establishments, and provided ratings for restaurants. Satellites are found quickly when outside, but I must be near a window to get a signal if indoors. Route calculation is fast. Voice guidance is clear and surprisingly good at pronouncing tricky street names. It recalculates a wrong turn in seconds.

Mount - The windshield mount has a quick release button that detaches the GPS from the cradle, as well as the suction cup lever that makes it easy to attach/remove from the windshield. This is much nicer than the Tom Tom set up.

Overall I am very pleased with this GPS. It will be great for my basic traveling needs. I think it will be especially nice for exploring a new city pedestrian style. I think that this device will allow me to leave my laptop at home on many trips, while avoiding expensive monthly charges of an iPhone or Droid. I give it four stars because I like it a lot, but there is room for improvement (standard headphone jack, synchronized contacts and calendars, an included case or wrist strap, maps that download correctly)

great GPS w/o the phone, May 20, 2010
GPS Experience:
I have been a GPS user for over 10 years. I have owned Garmin's, Tom Toms, Magellan's, Mio, DASH, and others.

Packaging:
You get a brown box with all the Garmin pieces inside and most important it's recyclable.

Physical unit:
The 295t has a power button on the top, it also has a 2.5mm headphone jack/audio line-out on top. It has volume up and down button on the right side and well as a camera button on the right side. The left side has the USB as well as the windshield bracket connection. The nice thing is that you can connect the power directly to the bracket.

First Impression:
I just received my Nuvi 295t and I have to say that I excited about the concept of being able to connect to the Internet to surf or to find POI's. I believe that all future PND units will have some kind of wi-fi connection or a bluetooth connection through your phone. The PND companies are loosing market share to all the NAV phones that are on the market. The 3.5 inch screen is SMALL. If you like having a 4.3" screen or even a 5" inch screen you might not like this small screen. Remember this a similar size to most NAV phones on the market today.

Navigation:
It has spoken street names (e.g. "Turn right on Elm street in 500 ft."). The directions given were similar to other Garmin units. The directions were accurate. The unit displays the posted speed limit, and your current speed on the bottom right. It displays your arrival time on the bottom left. On the top of the screen it displays the next turn arrow with the street name. The "Jill" directional voice is low and tiny...it must be a small speaker.

Screen:
3.5" inches. Dual-orientation automatically switches between portrait and landscape view. The Scrolling menu option was a nice add-on.

Wi-fi(web surfing, weather, e-mail):
Web surfing: Connected to an available hot spot was fast a easy. The web pages display as full web pages. You have the option to enlarge or reduce the web pages with a (+) or (-) that displays on the screen. Loading web pages was average with some taking longer to load.
Weather: while connected via wi-fi you can check your local forecast from the main menu. You would have to use the browser to go to [...] to view radar, and maps.
E-mail: setting an e-mail account was fast and easy. Once you are connected via wi-fi you can check your email from the main menu. The email icon shows how many un-opened emails that you have in your inbox. I was able to setup 2 e-mail accounts. The screen qwerty keyboard is not the greatest but you can still input the URL's and other info.

Wi-fi (Google searches):
Once you are connected via wi-fi and you have the option to use Google Search to find POI's that were not listed in the 6 million POI database. The searches were fast and easy. Once they are found the unit can route you to your destination. You can also use 1-step navigation from contacts, e-mail, and local search results.

Good for automobile navigation and Geocaching..., June 1, 2010

Excellent Little Device!, June 4, 2010

Fun, multifunctional handheld GPS with wi-fi, May 31, 2010

So nice I wonder how I lived without one!, June 5, 2010

No more worrying about getting lost, July 4, 2010

i will stick with the old Nuvi, November 8, 2010
I like Garmin so much that I have one for each of our 3 cars, old Garmin and 2 other nuvi models. Original Garmin is a big clunky thing that cost way too much and has to be loaded with maps that cover only a minimal area. Big old Garmin does not come with lots of memory. So seeing this on Amazon at a good price with lots of add ons, who could resist replacing it. Newest Nuvi was easy to set up and we were off on a maiden voyage 11 miles away. It took forever to locate where we were, even slower than big clunky old Garmin and certainly slower than my other NUVI's. Playing with it, I could also see that unlike my other Nuvi's, I did not seem to be able to easily search for restaurants and gas stations in other distant cities. When traveling long distances. I like to plan our stops along our route.

Furthermore as we approached our destination I was given one warning about .3 miles away but unlike my other NUVI's there was no visual countdown from that point on... .2 miles, .1 miles, 500 ft etc. Since our destination had no signs nor was there an street number, we sailed past it. Suddenly, Nuvi went from 35mph to a walking speed even though the car was still going down the road. My other Garmins would scold me and tell me to turn around. Old Garmin scolded so harshly, I thought it was my mother! Not this one. It assumed I arrived at my destination and then promptly forgot about me.

The WIFI and the searches that use WIFI are pretty useless unless you are in a WIFI hotspot. All in all, it is not a bargain if it doesn't easily route you using a reasonable path. And if I am in a car, I want it to stay in a car mode. Old clunky Garmin is still fine and if I plan a cross country trip then I will simply go to one of my other NUVI's that have less add ons but do exactly what I want it to do. It sounded better on paper, kind of like my ex husband!

Garmin really missed the boat on this one., October 15, 2010
When I first saw the advertisement for the 295W, I thought my prayers had been answered. WOW - WIFI!! With an imminent trip coming up, that meant I could leave my Netbook home, and I would still have access to my e-mail, and the web. In truth, I have little need or use for geocaching, Panaramio, and all the other cute (if not somewhat useless) bells and whistles.

Let me begin by stating that I am a long-time Garmin fan, user, and customer. I own the old B&W e-Map, the eTrex Vista, a Nuvi 660, a Nuvi 1350, and a 265W. I have used Garmin GPS's for business and for vacation, both in the US, and all over the globe. I buy the Maps, I do the planning, and almost always, derive great benefit and guidance from the products.

Yes, I am a techno-nerd, but I am also a graduate engineer, and I know how stuff works. I design stuff for a living. I can virtually guarantee that anybody who is reading this short piece either owns, uses, or has seen, within the past 24 hours, a product that I have designed. I frequently bristle when I see one bad review in a sea of rave reviews about a product which was written by some jerk who says the product stinks because he couldn't figure out how to turn it on, or the screen was too dim to see in sunlight (which it was), or some other criticism borne of user stupidity.

This thing was pocket-sized and had WIFI, GPS and e-mail. What else could I need? The answer is simply, a product that works! As I said, I'm a big Garmin fan, but this was the biggest technological disappointment I have suffered is quite some time. Why? It just doesn't work!! Well, let me qualify that. Certain things do work. It buzzes when you turn it on, the volume does go up and down (although, not nearly loud enough, even at full scale), and it does drain the battery.

Now, what DOESN'T work: The WIFI and the GPS. After I eagerly opened the box, I had all I could do to wait for the device to fully charge before I began playing with it. The first thing I did after reading the manual (not supplied, but downloadable) was to enter 4 or 5 e-mail account addresses that I knew that I wanted access to on my upcoming vacation. Not terribly difficult. I entered the addresses and the passwords. After turning on the WIFI, the device seemed to find my two networks, as well as those of a few of my neighbors. I selected my primary WEP network, entered the WEP key, and like a friggin' miracle, e-mail! My life was now complete, or so I thought. Then, I selected my other WEP network, logged on, and had a signal - for 20 to 30 seconds!! It kept dropping the network. I went to check my mail, and it said "No network available." I backed out of the 4 or 5 menus required to re-enable the WIFI, logged in again, and it quit on me, again. I thought that, maybe, it was smart enough to check all 5 e-mail accounts, and upon finding no new mail, logged off. Too bad that wasn't the case. Every single time, after logging on, it just kept dropping me. Considering that my primary network was only 20' - 30' from where I was sitting, and the alternate router was maybe 50' from where I was sitting, I got up and walked over to within 10' of the second router. Same problem - it kept dropping me. Regardless, since I was still packing for my early morning flight, I couldn't take the time to contact Garmin tech support.

The next morning, the real test. Waiting in the lounge at Logan Airport, I turned on the 295W to check my e-mail before departing. It identified the open network, waited, waited, waited, and then threw up an error indicating a server error, or some such thing. Having the time to kill, I went to another location that had open and free WIFI. Same problem. I went to a third location, and same problem.

Now, I was a bit peeved. In the last 40 minutes I had before being locked in a plane for 7 hours, I actually telephoned Garmin tech support. (The use of that time really pleased my wife). After a 25 minute wait, I spoke to a rep who actually told me he hadn't seen the device and was not familiar with it. He asked that I be patient and wait for him to try to find a manual. A few minutes later, he was back but had NO IDEA how to solve the problem. He said he was going to switch me to the software group. Fortunately, there was a very short wait. After explaining the problem to the newer guy, he asked, "Did it ever work?" I told him that it worked for one day, at my home, with a WEP encoded router. His genius answer: "Well then, it must be working OK." He told me that the unit "...has a problem connecting to public networks." WELL, HELLO!!! When I'm traveling, I'm always connecting to public networks. Restaurants, hotels, airline lounges. I explained that wherever I was traveling, I would be out of range of my own home network. Besides, I already know where the restaurants are within a few miles of my home. I'll spare the rest of the details, but for the next two weeks, three airports, five hotels, this thing was a paperweight - useless.

Now for the part that Garmin SHOULD have had right - the GPS. It really stunk. I realize that satellite capture in metropolitan areas can be "iffy," but this thing spent 5 to 10 minutes in open plazas trying to catch a few satellites. More often than not, I simply turned it off. I got tired of waiting. And yet, another problem - it wouldn't give me a fix over the Atlantic Ocean. When I travel (and when individual airlines permit), I occasionally while away the boredom by checking how far away we are from, and how many hours are left to travel to my destination. I don't know if it was missing a map set, or what the problem was, but with 6 or 7 satellites full scale, it never locked onto an elevation or location. Every other Garmin I own has done this without fault.

And yet another thing that didn't work well - the touch screen. Garmin has been doing this so well, over so many models, for so long, I just don't know what went wrong with this product. It was jerky, it zoomed off-screen, and I had to repeatedly zoom out to re-center the map. It just became an intolerable labor to try to use this for anything but a small, static map of a few selected (I'd love to know how) local restaurants.

I could probably go on for 12 more pages about the problems with this piece of junk, but I have to get to the post office. I couldn't wait to get home to return it, and I want it out of here as soon as possible.

Garmin, sorry, but you REALLY missed the boat on this one!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Everything you need to hit the road is included in the Garmin® nuvi® 225W bundle. The voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions keep you on the right path. A wide, touchscreen display is sun-light readable and easy to use, and the whole unit fits in the included carrying case. ... Read more

Reviews

Exactly what I needed., December 23, 2009
This is a great entry level GPS. I love the wide screen- Don't settle for a smaller one. Text-to-Speech is outstanding. All the accessories work well. Downloading map updates took a bit, but went smooth. You can download different avatars for your maps. Trip features are outstanding including gas cost. Where am I feature is fantastic. The unit finds the sattelite quickly and recalculates in a second! Touch screen is responsive. Very satisfied for a first GPS purchase.

Disappointing, after Street Pilot, April 27, 2010
I bought this after years of owning a Garmin Street Pilot, and I've got to say, while it's acceptable and much cheaper than the Street Pilot, I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately, the Street Pilot isn't made anymore.

PROS:
The Nuvi is small and easy to stuff into a airline carry-on or even a large pocket. It will run off batteries for those short trips when you don't want to plug the thing into the cigarette lighter (aka accessory outlet). The bundle of accessories included with this package is great. It uses the industry-standard Navteq maps.

CONS:
The things has a bunch of usability issues. There is no "Speak" button as on the Street Pilot to get the voice to repeat its last instructions. The keyboard beeps when you touch the keys, but not always. Often I've pressed a key, heard no beep and seen no character, and then pressed the button again, only to get two characters. The screen, because it's so light, sometimes vibrates with the car dash. The battery life, advertised at 4 hours, really seems to run about an hour, and there is no warning when the thing's about to die. Beyond that, the Nuvi seems to take longer than the Street Pilot to notice movements of my car; it doesn't seem to track my position as well. The built-in speaker, combined with the automated voice, is often difficult to understand, particularly on common words like "left" and "right", which is all the more annoying since the instructions can't, as I said before, be repeated.

Finally, I find it hard to believe that this is a function of the Nuvi in particular -- my Street Pilot would probably do the same thing -- but on my last trip with the Nuvi, it repeatedly told me to do impossible things: take a left turn across a median, make a left turn onto a one-way street heading right, etc. Again, this is probably a function of the Navteq maps for that area (in and around Cocoa Beach, FL), but it was really disconcerting.

In short, after my previous experience with the Street Pilot (which I still have, in my wife's car), I'm pretty disappointed. The Nuvi is a lot cheaper, but it's a poor economy. When this thing dies, I won't miss it. I don't like the Magellans I've used, but I will definitely be checking out brands other than Garmin for my next GPS.

Garmin nuvi 255W, December 17, 2009
this GPS is extremely user friendly and a bundle purchase gives a lot of flexibility. Anyway, should have come with an updated maps rather than with a free option to update! This 30 days free update opportunity could be easily overlooked...

simple and easy to use GPS, June 10, 2010
Ordered this GPS for my husband, he LOVES it! It is simple and easy to use for getting from here to there. A few glitches in the directions on occassion but I hear other brands are the same (mapquest on my computer internet can be wrong too). He likes the two mounting feature choices and extra plug, I bought him a case for it too (WalMart)to keep everything together. We compared units and this one was the best for the price.

255w is good for the $$, March 28, 2010
got This little baby a few weeks ago. Took it on a little road trip, and discovered alot of new ways that I never knew you could go.
I would highly recomend the lifetime update. The software that is preloaded is a couple years old. Took it on vac. last week, drove from WI to AZ. It was a real lifesaver.
The only minor issue was if you pulled off the highway for some reason, and didn't add a stop point before you did so, yo would have to listen to the lady's voice recalculating your turns every couple of seconds, telling you to pull a u-turn. The mute button was a nice feature at that point though.
The acc. pack is a great deal. If you bought all this stuff seperatly, you would easily spend another $60

Garmin GPS, May 8, 2010
Love it, love it, love it. We have factory installed GPS in another vehicle but not the one we were planning to take on a long trip. We purchased the Garmin and found it to be easier to use than the one in our other vehicle. Besides getting us from point A to point B (which was the reason we purchased it) we found that we were able to find restaurants, hotels and other points of interest so easily. At one point we missed a turn and normally would have panicked but the GPS recalculated our position and got us on the right road very quickly. We entered our vehicle data and were able to track our gas usage so easily. Love the graphics! Easy to see street names! Glad we chose the larger screen size which was more than adaquate. We purchased it with the adapters and different mounts and the case. It was cheaper than purchasing these items individually. Overall, a great product for the price.

Garmin nuvi 255w, February 9, 2010
This is my third Garmin GPS. They only get better with each new version. I LOVE the 4.3 inch touch screen. The accessory bundle was a big plus. I keep one attachment set in each of my 2 cars. The friction pad works better than I ever imagined.

Happy with Garmin, February 6, 2010
I bought this for my retired parents just before they took a trip to Orlando. Everytime I spoke with them, they went on and on about how well it worked, and how easy it was to use in the heavy Orlando traffic. I guess thats as good a review as you can get. Great poduct!

Excellent GPS, February 9, 2010
Recent convert to finding my way around town with a GPS. The Garmin 255W is a handy, portable GPS that works very well. Voice directions are very clear, and easy to follow. Adjusts well to alternate routes. I appreciated the many accessories that came with the 255W, especially the weighted pad that can sit in the seat next to you. Only thing missing was a owners manual that can be downloaded from the Garmin website. Some of us still prefer a booklet.

poor battery working time per charge, August 2, 2010
This is my first gps. Easy to use. Works fine. The only problem, I consider big, is that the battery does not allow a trip of more than 2 hours, and having to use it connected to the car outlet is not what I was looking for. The gps summary advertise for "Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators" says "Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)"; this not true. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product DescriptionThe TomTom XL 340-S is complete navigation in a widescreen device. Switch on and go right out of the box. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions, including street names, will guide you to any address in the United States, Canada, and Mexico--including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest.

Complete navigation in a widescreen device. Click to enlarge.

The Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car. Click to enlarge.

IQ Routes Technology* gives you the fastest route every time by using actual average speeds of travel on your route to calculate your trip rather than only posted speed limits, so you'll always travel the smartest route. Advanced Lane Guidance* uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.

TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you instantly can modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds, and turn restrictions on your own device. With the "Help Me!" menu, added safety features enable you to easily access local emergency providers.

The Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car.

The XL 340-S is complete, widescreen navigation.

*Features only available in the United States and Canada.

XL 340-S Features

• Maps of United States, Canada, and Mexico with TomTom Map Share
• Spoken Street Names
• 7 million POIs
• IQ Routes Technology
• Advanced Lane Guidance
• Fold & Go EasyPort Mount
• 4.3-inch Touchscreen

All TomToms Feature

Plug & Go--Works right out of the box.

Preloaded Points of Interest--Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more on your route.

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up to date, off the shelf.

TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.

Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.

TomTom HOME--Always up to date.

Traffic Ready--Optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays.

Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

What's in the Box

Why TomTom?

Easy to Use

• Award-winning navigation software
• Plug & go

Best Maps

• 30-Day Latest Map Guarantee
• Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share

Best Routing

• QuickGPSfix
• Traffic ready

Leader in Safety

• Help Me! emergency resources menu
• Safety preferences menu

About TomTom

TomTom is a leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further its commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so that the company can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.

TomTom has its own mapping company!

Did you know that every year, roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.1 ... Read more

Reviews

great unit, but there are things you need to know., September 18, 2009
(please keep in mind the date of this review, it is from Nov. 2009 and some things have changed since then)

I have used many GPS devices such as Garmin, TomTom, Navigon, etc.. And in the end the TomTom products always seem to be superior. Every time I buy a new GPS, I sit in my driveway and do a few simple tests. The first is how fast is it ready to navigate. I don't think anyone will ever be faster than TomTom. Second, how easy is it for me to find a local store I shop at every week... for example the local Kroger's grocery store that's close to my house. Again, TomTom can help me route to this very quickly and with minimal amounts of button pushing. To be fair, other devices may be able to find the same place, but not without having to scroll through 1000 POI's, or without having to push 50 buttons... Third, I need weather and traffic, and as much information as I can get about where I am, where I am going, and what's in between.. the more information the better as far as I am concerned. TomTom again is excellent in this area and now with a built in data connection provided by a cell signal, I can have all the information that I want, anywhere and anytime. I have tried the FM traffic version of this, and the MSN version of this, but MSN is going to stop offering this service next year (2010), so don't waste your time getting a device that you plan to use MSN on, and the FM signal range and quality of data has left me a bit underwhelmed. Once again the TomToms "Live" feature has found a great way to provide real-time information to me regardless of where I am. Yes, this feature is free for the first three months, and then runs about $10 a month. If you buy this GPS, try the Live feature out for a week or so and if you don't see the value, then go back to buying printed maps, because you are not ready for the future of GPS devices. One of the interesting features of the Live service is the ability to use Google search right from the device. At first I was not sure what use this would be, then I found myself in a situation where a location I thought should be a POI was not found on the device, or perhaps I was not looking in the right place, or had the category wrong... who knows.. But I went to the Google search feature, and told it what I was looking for, and Google pulled up some listings just like it does on your computer, and I selected what I wanted, and the device created the route from that. So for some reason if the GPS device can't understand or find what you are looking for, then Google is there to fill in the gap. Another great feature of the Live service is the location of cheap gas! Yes, that's right, the Live service can tell you all about the gas prices around you, and help you get to the cheapest. Who couldn't benefit from that? Additionally, the "TomTom At Home" software that you install on your computer does a great job of updating the device, make changes to it or even plan routes or travel from it. Lots of GPS's lets you update the device from the web, but none allow as much interaction with the device outside of basic map updates then the "At Home" software. If being able to interact with the GPS device using your computer is important to you, then I would suggest getting a TomTom for now. For me, this device has all you can ask for in a car GPS (PND for you tech geeks), and the price is right. The device is advanced, yet easy to interact with, so I feel even for a first time GPS user, or non-tech type of person, you would still be very happy. I have spent a long time on my quest for a great GPS device, and I hope this little bit of information will be helpful to you on yours.

great unit, but there are things you need to know., September 18, 2009
just received my new GPS today, plugged it into my mac, and installed tomtom's mac version of their home software. everything has worked well so far and the free map update installed fine. there are two main things that purchasers need to know:

1) space is very limited on the device. there is only 2 GB of internal flash memory and out of the box there was less than 50 MB free. the very first thing you should do is to delete voices in languages you don't use. this will free up a couple/three hundred MB. they can get backed up to your computer so you could always put them back in the future. once a bit of space is freed up you'll be able to update the device without issue. after removing spanish and french voices, running update which installed a new dave voice, and then installing the free map update i was left with 89 MB free. when i tried to run update before removing the voices, the unit warned me about lack of space and aborted without creating any further problems. maybe the mac version of home is more robust than the windows one in this respect.

2) the device only supports USB 1.1 transfers which max out at a bit over 1 MB/sec and can be slower. so doing a full backup or a map update will take quite a while (1-2 hours) and this is normal.

for me, those limitations are more than offset by the large, bright screen, text2speech capability, crowd-sourced map/route updates, and cheaper southern africa maps (we're moving there soon). especially given the cheap sale price i found. i will provide updates as i put unit through paces on cross-country trip and then intercontinental move.....

Good features for the price: $149, October 12, 2009
I'm pretty tech savvy and have used different GPS devices in the past. I chose Tomtom over Garmin mainly due to tomtom HOME support, better user interface: tomtom has more info on the screen including the street name you're driving on.

Most negative reviews here are from issues updating map which is larger than the old one (about 5 Mb larger) and causes error.
but it's simple to go around it.

1. connect to home computer. turn the unit on. select Yes to connect. Tomtom Home will install on your computer.
2. on Tomtom HOME menu, go to "Manage my ONE XL". On Items on Device, click voices. you can back up then delete all foreign computer voices (recorded voice files are small, so doesn't matter). just keep DAVE, and Susan computer voices( you need at least one computer voice for spoken street names). You should free up about 130 Mb (much more than you need)
3. now you can update new map with no problem. it does take a long time. after you're done, you still have 125 Mb extra to download customized items, map corrections in the future. customized car symbols are really cool, as are start up and shut down images. these customized items and map corrections are so small: tiny to 0.5 Mb that with > 125 Mb free, you can keep updating for years to come.

Pros: 4.3 inch screen, great routing, advanced lane guidance (it does work well), IQ route (faster route based on historical traffic data), very quick GPS fix <30 sec (but you need to connect to computer at least every 7 days so that a GPS file can be updated to help fix signal quickly), a little longer for a cold start or if you forget to sync with your computer more than 7 days, but it's still around 1 minute or less to fix the signal. also very strong signal, almost full bar inside my house. Text to speech (for spoken street names) is computer voice, so it's OK. recorded voices are nicer but unable to do text to speech. the included Easyport mount is great, simple, stable.

Cons: the screen brightness at 100% is still not as bright as I want (I also use Tomtom Navigator 6 on my smartphone with better contrast, brightness) but you still can see fine on a sunny day. The computer voices for text to speech are not as clear when you drive and play music.

In summary, this tomtom has a lot of great features for the price. if you don't need bluetooth (for hands free call with your cell phone, which is not good anyway because your volume always appears tiny to the other end), FM transmitter (which is not practical if you need to play your CD in the car), or live traffic receiver (which is spotty based on the info I've read), This 340S is the one to get. most people own smartphones these days with internet, so they can get live traffic, up to date points of interest from Google map, play mp3 and pictures. So you don't really need those features from a GPS device (which is more expensive)

The search for the best GPS, November 15, 2009
(please keep in mind the date of this review, it is from Nov. 2009 and some things have changed since then)

I have used many GPS devices such as Garmin, TomTom, Navigon, etc.. And in the end the TomTom products always seem to be superior. Every time I buy a new GPS, I sit in my driveway and do a few simple tests. The first is how fast is it ready to navigate. I don't think anyone will ever be faster than TomTom. Second, how easy is it for me to find a local store I shop at every week... for example the local Kroger's grocery store that's close to my house. Again, TomTom can help me route to this very quickly and with minimal amounts of button pushing. To be fair, other devices may be able to find the same place, but not without having to scroll through 1000 POI's, or without having to push 50 buttons... Third, I need weather and traffic, and as much information as I can get about where I am, where I am going, and what's in between.. the more information the better as far as I am concerned. TomTom again is excellent in this area and now with a built in data connection provided by a cell signal, I can have all the information that I want, anywhere and anytime. I have tried the FM traffic version of this, and the MSN version of this, but MSN is going to stop offering this service next year (2010), so don't waste your time getting a device that you plan to use MSN on, and the FM signal range and quality of data has left me a bit underwhelmed. Once again the TomToms "Live" feature has found a great way to provide real-time information to me regardless of where I am. Yes, this feature is free for the first three months, and then runs about $10 a month. If you buy this GPS, try the Live feature out for a week or so and if you don't see the value, then go back to buying printed maps, because you are not ready for the future of GPS devices. One of the interesting features of the Live service is the ability to use Google search right from the device. At first I was not sure what use this would be, then I found myself in a situation where a location I thought should be a POI was not found on the device, or perhaps I was not looking in the right place, or had the category wrong... who knows.. But I went to the Google search feature, and told it what I was looking for, and Google pulled up some listings just like it does on your computer, and I selected what I wanted, and the device created the route from that. So for some reason if the GPS device can't understand or find what you are looking for, then Google is there to fill in the gap. Another great feature of the Live service is the location of cheap gas! Yes, that's right, the Live service can tell you all about the gas prices around you, and help you get to the cheapest. Who couldn't benefit from that? Additionally, the "TomTom At Home" software that you install on your computer does a great job of updating the device, make changes to it or even plan routes or travel from it. Lots of GPS's lets you update the device from the web, but none allow as much interaction with the device outside of basic map updates then the "At Home" software. If being able to interact with the GPS device using your computer is important to you, then I would suggest getting a TomTom for now. For me, this device has all you can ask for in a car GPS (PND for you tech geeks), and the price is right. The device is advanced, yet easy to interact with, so I feel even for a first time GPS user, or non-tech type of person, you would still be very happy. I have spent a long time on my quest for a great GPS device, and I hope this little bit of information will be helpful to you on yours.

Tomtom is selling a product with a known defect, and does not note this on their website., June 11, 2009
If one follows the instructions and updates the software and Map on a new Tomtom unit before backing up the brand new device, one will be left with a non-functioning unit that must be returned to the manufacturer. The Map update that Tomtom suggests customers download as a matter of course, and which one is prompted to update as a new customer WILL NOT FIT on the device, and the updating process may render the unit useless, as it did in my case. No where is this noted in the FAQ or in Support or on the Web Site or in the downloading procedure or instructions. Having owned literally dozens of software driven devices, I have never before encountered a company that so brazen disregards its customers' well being, by suggesting they download and install a software update or driver that will render the device inoperable. A web search has revealed that many others have had this identical problem, and Tomtom Tech Support is fully aware of this issue. Yet they will not post anything cautioning their customers, or revise the suggestion to download and install the latest Map. I found out the hard way, and will not have a GPS for trip I expressly purchased it for. I must pay to ship the unit back to Tomtom. When/if it works, this is probably a great device. But companies must be responsible, and I imagine that Tomtom will receive many more angry reviews along these lines. Beware.

Don't Listen!!, August 30, 2009
I've been in the market for a new gps and I decided on this one. Of course I saw all the reviews talking about the map update problem. I decided to email tom tom to get their take on it. I was told that yes the updated map is alot bigger but if you go into your tom tom home application on your cpu and delete a couple of those silly voices that we never use first. Then the map will fit just fine. Remember, you always have the option to re add those voices later from tom tom home. So does a need a little work from us to be perfect...yes, but it makes it worth it as tom tom is hands down the best Navigation out there!!

Solid no-frills GPS with a few neat and fun features, August 5, 2009

Excellent routing!, April 22, 2009
This unit is worth buying just for the IQ routes! The most important feature of any GPS is its competence in routing. I have owned several brands of GPS, including Garmin and Mio. This one has the best routing yet! It always seems to choose a route that a local driver would choose. Some local drivers could even learn some better routes with this thing.

The text to speech voice works well. Like other TomToms, it is very easy to customize in terms of the information you wish to display on the screen.

The screen could be brighter. The windshield mount does not hold as securely as one would wish. I use an Arkon vent mount.

Nice GPS Unit, BUT BEWARE, June 5, 2009
This is a good GPS unit, but be extremely careful about it's flaw of having no ability to accept a memory card. I would recommend this product, but use it out of the box and do not do/accept any updates, especially map updates; there is a 50/50 chance that you will either accidentally unplug your unit from computer too quickly and render it useless, or one of Tom Tom's updates (especially the map that is too large for the unit) will do the job for you.

Out of the box this unit is great, although it does need the satellite coordinate application from Tom Tom to quickly find satellites, otherwise you will be waiting several minutes each time you carry the unit inside or power it off and on again.

Pros: larger than normal screen, easy to use "tap" keyboard, large, loud speaker, boots fast, has maps that are mostly up to date out of box, map corrections

Cons: a little bulky (for unit that does not accept external memory card), USB input is on bottom and 1/3 inch inside unit, lack of post-purchase support since they created device with literally no room for future expansion and still haven't created map update small enough to fit on unit, brightness sucks in direct sunlight

I would recommend that anyone take a careful look at this unit. It works great out of the box, boots very fast, has a loud speaker and a large screen, but I am a bit leary of the fact that no one at Tom Tom recognized that that the map update they are recommending you use is 1.9GB, while the unit only has about that much storage capability. With the applications such as voices, IQ Routes (which is a very questionable application) and some other minors apps, there is absolutely no room for the updated map. I performed the map update immediately upon receiving the unit and while it took nearly two hours to download and update (and I have a very, very fast internet connection), my unit worked fine until last night; I attempted to check for and upload map corrections, but for some reason I must have unplugged the unit a few seconds too early and rendered it useless or something else happened. Tom Tom support can do very little to help restore this model as I did everything from manually backing up the unit to my computer, too flashing it with their application. I know own a nice looking GPS that does not work, but Tom Tom says they will send me a new device after I send them the receipt. We will see, but I think sending it back from where I purchased it is probably the best option because who knows if they will every make a proper update.

Best I've had..., July 7, 2009
UPDATE 10-29-09
I tried out the Magellan 1470 Roadmate with lane assist to find out how good that lane assist was. Magellan uses small highway signs on their GPS with a tiny arrow on the sign showing the lane to be in. These signs are tiny and hard to read and you need to find the actual corresponding highway sign and then adjust your lane to what is shown on the GPS. This works fairly well EXCEPT at night when the actual highway signs are lit up and sometimes poorly lit up or sometimes not lit up at all. It's very nerve wracking to try to read a tiny sign on the GPS then find the actual sign on the highway, lots can go wrong. The TomTom lane assist shows the highway signs and the total lanes on that highway and puts big green arrows on the lane(s) you need to be in. I used this Magellan 1470 on a 900 mile trip and was always a little uncomfortable with their lane assist. IMHO the TomTom lane assist is far superior to the Magellan even tho the Magellan was a super GPS in every other way, much better in POI locating than the TomTom. Bottom line, if lane assist is your cup of tea (like it is to me) get the TomTom, if looking up POI's are your bag, get the Magellan.

ORIGINAL REVIEW
I've owned a Mio, Garmin, Navigon and now the TomTom XL 340-S and thankfully I never hooked mine up to a computer after reading all the problems incurred by others and mine works just great, finds the satellites within a few seconds. The main reason for so many different units is my hunt for a good lane assist feature, this TomTom has a fantastic lane assist. Here in southern California on these freeways you need to know what lane to be in well ahead of time and boy does this TomTom deliver precise verbal and visual directions. On the freeways you start getting verbal directions two miles away from your next maneuver, lots of time to change lanes, on city streets the distances vary based on your cars speed, very nice feature. The Navigon had very good graphics but TomTom's are much better. I was a Garmin fan but they are way behind TomTom in features for a reasonable price. The only thing I find behind the Garmin and Navigon is the computer pronounced names of some streets, mainly Spanish names, the TomTom mangles them more than the others but with the street name showing at the right top side of the screen its no big deal, most street names are pronounced perfectly and "Dave" seems the best at pronouncing the street names . The TomTom has so many nice features the other brands are left in the dust IMHO.

a huge waste of time!, July 1, 2009
I just spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with tom tom customer support only to find out that by updating the included map on the unit that I had wiped it out. The only remedy is to return it. This should have been posted on their website but it wasn't. Even their tech people took forever to figure out the problem. Now I'll be without the unit for a week or two and I need it. I will NEVER buy a tom tom again. Way too much work for a device that is supposed to help make things easier. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product Description

Here's a solid detector from Whistler, with basic detection minus unneeded bells and whistles. Get total band protection with a simple icon display, city and highway modes, quiet mode, and other features, along with Whistler exclusives like the can’t-miss Twin Alert Periscopes.

Basic detection minus unneeded bells and whistles. Click to enlarge.

Whistler's exclusive Twin Alert Periscope provides an added attention-getting visual alert.

Includes windshield mount.

Total Band Protection
Provides complete band coverage of all Laser, Radar, VG-2, and Safety Radar bands.

Icon Display
The XTR-140 display offers easy-to-read icons to indicate power, city mode, radar band identification, and signal strength.

Twin Alert Periscope
Whistler's exclusive Twin Alert Periscope provides an added attention-getting visual alert, with two extra LEDs flashing on and off when the unit alarms.

Three City Modes and Highway Mode
Highway mode provides full audio and visual warning of laser/radar systems while maintaining full sensitivity. Highway mode is the default setting of all Whistler's laser/radar detectors. City mode helps reduce the annoyance of automatic door openers and burglar alarm alerts by providing an initial alert (same distance as Highway Mode), then remaining quiet unless the signal strength becomes very strong. When the signal increases, the unit will alert briefly to notify you of the change in signal strength.

Quiet/Auto Quiet Modes
Pressing QUIET before a signal is detected engages Auto Quiet Mode, which automatically reduces the audio level after the initial warning to a low audio level setting. Pressing QUIET during a radar/laser encounter silences audio alerts, while allowing visual alerts to keep you informed.

Alert Priority
When two or more signals are received at the same time, the alert priority is: Laser, VG-2, Speed Radar, Safety Radar.

Example: If X band is alerting, then suddenly a VG-2 signal is detected, the VG-2 warning will override the X band alert.

Vehicle Battery Saver Mode
The Vehicle Battery Saver Mode automatically shuts off your detector within three hours if you forget to turn it off. The timer is reset if the detector is turned off or unplugged, or any button is pressed before the six hours have expired. The detector will alert you with an audible and visual warning before it shuts off.

Patented VG-2 Cloaking Technology
The VG-2, also known as a "radar detector detector," is a special receiver used by police to detect signals radiated by a radar detector. The XTR-330 alerts you its presence, and thanks to Whistler's patented VG-2 cloaking technology, it also provides undetectability.

What's in the Box
Whistler XTR-140 laser/radar detector, windshield mount, power cord, and user's manual.

Editorial Review

TomTom XL 340MDevice Windshield MountAdhesive Mounting DiskUSB CableCigarette Lighter AdaptorDocumentation Pack ... Read more

Reviews

great unit, but there are things you need to know., September 18, 2009
just received my new GPS today, plugged it into my mac, and installed tomtom's mac version of their home software. everything has worked well so far and the free map update installed fine. there are two main things that purchasers need to know:

1) space is very limited on the device. there is only 2 GB of internal flash memory and out of the box there was less than 50 MB free. the very first thing you should do is to delete voices in languages you don't use. this will free up a couple/three hundred MB. they can get backed up to your computer so you could always put them back in the future. once a bit of space is freed up you'll be able to update the device without issue. after removing spanish and french voices, running update which installed a new dave voice, and then installing the free map update i was left with 89 MB free. when i tried to run update before removing the voices, the unit warned me about lack of space and aborted without creating any further problems. maybe the mac version of home is more robust than the windows one in this respect.

2) the device only supports USB 1.1 transfers which max out at a bit over 1 MB/sec and can be slower. so doing a full backup or a map update will take quite a while (1-2 hours) and this is normal.

for me, those limitations are more than offset by the large, bright screen, text2speech capability, crowd-sourced map/route updates, and cheaper southern africa maps (we're moving there soon). especially given the cheap sale price i found. i will provide updates as i put unit through paces on cross-country trip and then intercontinental move.....

Good features for the price: $149, October 12, 2009
I'm pretty tech savvy and have used different GPS devices in the past. I chose Tomtom over Garmin mainly due to tomtom HOME support, better user interface: tomtom has more info on the screen including the street name you're driving on.

Most negative reviews here are from issues updating map which is larger than the old one (about 5 Mb larger) and causes error.
but it's simple to go around it.

1. connect to home computer. turn the unit on. select Yes to connect. Tomtom Home will install on your computer.
2. on Tomtom HOME menu, go to "Manage my ONE XL". On Items on Device, click voices. you can back up then delete all foreign computer voices (recorded voice files are small, so doesn't matter). just keep DAVE, and Susan computer voices( you need at least one computer voice for spoken street names). You should free up about 130 Mb (much more than you need)
3. now you can update new map with no problem. it does take a long time. after you're done, you still have 125 Mb extra to download customized items, map corrections in the future. customized car symbols are really cool, as are start up and shut down images. these customized items and map corrections are so small: tiny to 0.5 Mb that with > 125 Mb free, you can keep updating for years to come.

Pros: 4.3 inch screen, great routing, advanced lane guidance (it does work well), IQ route (faster route based on historical traffic data), very quick GPS fix <30 sec (but you need to connect to computer at least every 7 days so that a GPS file can be updated to help fix signal quickly), a little longer for a cold start or if you forget to sync with your computer more than 7 days, but it's still around 1 minute or less to fix the signal. also very strong signal, almost full bar inside my house. Text to speech (for spoken street names) is computer voice, so it's OK. recorded voices are nicer but unable to do text to speech. the included Easyport mount is great, simple, stable.

Cons: the screen brightness at 100% is still not as bright as I want (I also use Tomtom Navigator 6 on my smartphone with better contrast, brightness) but you still can see fine on a sunny day. The computer voices for text to speech are not as clear when you drive and play music.

In summary, this tomtom has a lot of great features for the price. if you don't need bluetooth (for hands free call with your cell phone, which is not good anyway because your volume always appears tiny to the other end), FM transmitter (which is not practical if you need to play your CD in the car), or live traffic receiver (which is spotty based on the info I've read), This 340S is the one to get. most people own smartphones these days with internet, so they can get live traffic, up to date points of interest from Google map, play mp3 and pictures. So you don't really need those features from a GPS device (which is more expensive)

The search for the best GPS, November 15, 2009
(please keep in mind the date of this review, it is from Nov. 2009 and some things have changed since then)

I have used many GPS devices such as Garmin, TomTom, Navigon, etc.. And in the end the TomTom products always seem to be superior. Every time I buy a new GPS, I sit in my driveway and do a few simple tests. The first is how fast is it ready to navigate. I don't think anyone will ever be faster than TomTom. Second, how easy is it for me to find a local store I shop at every week... for example the local Kroger's grocery store that's close to my house. Again, TomTom can help me route to this very quickly and with minimal amounts of button pushing. To be fair, other devices may be able to find the same place, but not without having to scroll through 1000 POI's, or without having to push 50 buttons... Third, I need weather and traffic, and as much information as I can get about where I am, where I am going, and what's in between.. the more information the better as far as I am concerned. TomTom again is excellent in this area and now with a built in data connection provided by a cell signal, I can have all the information that I want, anywhere and anytime. I have tried the FM traffic version of this, and the MSN version of this, but MSN is going to stop offering this service next year (2010), so don't waste your time getting a device that you plan to use MSN on, and the FM signal range and quality of data has left me a bit underwhelmed. Once again the TomToms "Live" feature has found a great way to provide real-time information to me regardless of where I am. Yes, this feature is free for the first three months, and then runs about $10 a month. If you buy this GPS, try the Live feature out for a week or so and if you don't see the value, then go back to buying printed maps, because you are not ready for the future of GPS devices. One of the interesting features of the Live service is the ability to use Google search right from the device. At first I was not sure what use this would be, then I found myself in a situation where a location I thought should be a POI was not found on the device, or perhaps I was not looking in the right place, or had the category wrong... who knows.. But I went to the Google search feature, and told it what I was looking for, and Google pulled up some listings just like it does on your computer, and I selected what I wanted, and the device created the route from that. So for some reason if the GPS device can't understand or find what you are looking for, then Google is there to fill in the gap. Another great feature of the Live service is the location of cheap gas! Yes, that's right, the Live service can tell you all about the gas prices around you, and help you get to the cheapest. Who couldn't benefit from that? Additionally, the "TomTom At Home" software that you install on your computer does a great job of updating the device, make changes to it or even plan routes or travel from it. Lots of GPS's lets you update the device from the web, but none allow as much interaction with the device outside of basic map updates then the "At Home" software. If being able to interact with the GPS device using your computer is important to you, then I would suggest getting a TomTom for now. For me, this device has all you can ask for in a car GPS (PND for you tech geeks), and the price is right. The device is advanced, yet easy to interact with, so I feel even for a first time GPS user, or non-tech type of person, you would still be very happy. I have spent a long time on my quest for a great GPS device, and I hope this little bit of information will be helpful to you on yours.

Tomtom is selling a product with a known defect, and does not note this on their website., June 11, 2009
If one follows the instructions and updates the software and Map on a new Tomtom unit before backing up the brand new device, one will be left with a non-functioning unit that must be returned to the manufacturer. The Map update that Tomtom suggests customers download as a matter of course, and which one is prompted to update as a new customer WILL NOT FIT on the device, and the updating process may render the unit useless, as it did in my case. No where is this noted in the FAQ or in Support or on the Web Site or in the downloading procedure or instructions. Having owned literally dozens of software driven devices, I have never before encountered a company that so brazen disregards its customers' well being, by suggesting they download and install a software update or driver that will render the device inoperable. A web search has revealed that many others have had this identical problem, and Tomtom Tech Support is fully aware of this issue. Yet they will not post anything cautioning their customers, or revise the suggestion to download and install the latest Map. I found out the hard way, and will not have a GPS for trip I expressly purchased it for. I must pay to ship the unit back to Tomtom. When/if it works, this is probably a great device. But companies must be responsible, and I imagine that Tomtom will receive many more angry reviews along these lines. Beware.

Don't Listen!!, August 30, 2009
I've been in the market for a new gps and I decided on this one. Of course I saw all the reviews talking about the map update problem. I decided to email tom tom to get their take on it. I was told that yes the updated map is alot bigger but if you go into your tom tom home application on your cpu and delete a couple of those silly voices that we never use first. Then the map will fit just fine. Remember, you always have the option to re add those voices later from tom tom home. So does a need a little work from us to be perfect...yes, but it makes it worth it as tom tom is hands down the best Navigation out there!!

Solid no-frills GPS with a few neat and fun features, August 5, 2009

Excellent routing!, April 22, 2009
This unit is worth buying just for the IQ routes! The most important feature of any GPS is its competence in routing. I have owned several brands of GPS, including Garmin and Mio. This one has the best routing yet! It always seems to choose a route that a local driver would choose. Some local drivers could even learn some better routes with this thing.

The text to speech voice works well. Like other TomToms, it is very easy to customize in terms of the information you wish to display on the screen.

The screen could be brighter. The windshield mount does not hold as securely as one would wish. I use an Arkon vent mount.

Nice GPS Unit, BUT BEWARE, June 5, 2009
This is a good GPS unit, but be extremely careful about it's flaw of having no ability to accept a memory card. I would recommend this product, but use it out of the box and do not do/accept any updates, especially map updates; there is a 50/50 chance that you will either accidentally unplug your unit from computer too quickly and render it useless, or one of Tom Tom's updates (especially the map that is too large for the unit) will do the job for you.

Out of the box this unit is great, although it does need the satellite coordinate application from Tom Tom to quickly find satellites, otherwise you will be waiting several minutes each time you carry the unit inside or power it off and on again.

Pros: larger than normal screen, easy to use "tap" keyboard, large, loud speaker, boots fast, has maps that are mostly up to date out of box, map corrections

Cons: a little bulky (for unit that does not accept external memory card), USB input is on bottom and 1/3 inch inside unit, lack of post-purchase support since they created device with literally no room for future expansion and still haven't created map update small enough to fit on unit, brightness sucks in direct sunlight

I would recommend that anyone take a careful look at this unit. It works great out of the box, boots very fast, has a loud speaker and a large screen, but I am a bit leary of the fact that no one at Tom Tom recognized that that the map update they are recommending you use is 1.9GB, while the unit only has about that much storage capability. With the applications such as voices, IQ Routes (which is a very questionable application) and some other minors apps, there is absolutely no room for the updated map. I performed the map update immediately upon receiving the unit and while it took nearly two hours to download and update (and I have a very, very fast internet connection), my unit worked fine until last night; I attempted to check for and upload map corrections, but for some reason I must have unplugged the unit a few seconds too early and rendered it useless or something else happened. Tom Tom support can do very little to help restore this model as I did everything from manually backing up the unit to my computer, too flashing it with their application. I know own a nice looking GPS that does not work, but Tom Tom says they will send me a new device after I send them the receipt. We will see, but I think sending it back from where I purchased it is probably the best option because who knows if they will every make a proper update.

Best I've had..., July 7, 2009
UPDATE 10-29-09
I tried out the Magellan 1470 Roadmate with lane assist to find out how good that lane assist was. Magellan uses small highway signs on their GPS with a tiny arrow on the sign showing the lane to be in. These signs are tiny and hard to read and you need to find the actual corresponding highway sign and then adjust your lane to what is shown on the GPS. This works fairly well EXCEPT at night when the actual highway signs are lit up and sometimes poorly lit up or sometimes not lit up at all. It's very nerve wracking to try to read a tiny sign on the GPS then find the actual sign on the highway, lots can go wrong. The TomTom lane assist shows the highway signs and the total lanes on that highway and puts big green arrows on the lane(s) you need to be in. I used this Magellan 1470 on a 900 mile trip and was always a little uncomfortable with their lane assist. IMHO the TomTom lane assist is far superior to the Magellan even tho the Magellan was a super GPS in every other way, much better in POI locating than the TomTom. Bottom line, if lane assist is your cup of tea (like it is to me) get the TomTom, if looking up POI's are your bag, get the Magellan.

ORIGINAL REVIEW
I've owned a Mio, Garmin, Navigon and now the TomTom XL 340-S and thankfully I never hooked mine up to a computer after reading all the problems incurred by others and mine works just great, finds the satellites within a few seconds. The main reason for so many different units is my hunt for a good lane assist feature, this TomTom has a fantastic lane assist. Here in southern California on these freeways you need to know what lane to be in well ahead of time and boy does this TomTom deliver precise verbal and visual directions. On the freeways you start getting verbal directions two miles away from your next maneuver, lots of time to change lanes, on city streets the distances vary based on your cars speed, very nice feature. The Navigon had very good graphics but TomTom's are much better. I was a Garmin fan but they are way behind TomTom in features for a reasonable price. The only thing I find behind the Garmin and Navigon is the computer pronounced names of some streets, mainly Spanish names, the TomTom mangles them more than the others but with the street name showing at the right top side of the screen its no big deal, most street names are pronounced perfectly and "Dave" seems the best at pronouncing the street names . The TomTom has so many nice features the other brands are left in the dust IMHO.

a huge waste of time!, July 1, 2009
I just spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with tom tom customer support only to find out that by updating the included map on the unit that I had wiped it out. The only remedy is to return it. This should have been posted on their website but it wasn't. Even their tech people took forever to figure out the problem. Now I'll be without the unit for a week or two and I need it. I will NEVER buy a tom tom again. Way too much work for a device that is supposed to help make things easier.

great unit, but there are things you need to know., September 18, 2009
just received my new GPS today, plugged it into my mac, and installed tomtom's mac version of their home software. everything has worked well so far and the free map update installed fine. there are two main things that purchasers need to know:

1) space is very limited on the device. there is only 2 GB of internal flash memory and out of the box there was less than 50 MB free. the very first thing you should do is to delete voices in languages you don't use. this will free up a couple/three hundred MB. they can get backed up to your computer so you could always put them back in the future. once a bit of space is freed up you'll be able to update the device without issue. after removing spanish and french voices, running update which installed a new dave voice, and then installing the free map update i was left with 89 MB free. when i tried to run update before removing the voices, the unit warned me about lack of space and aborted without creating any further problems. maybe the mac version of home is more robust than the windows one in this respect.

2) the device only supports USB 1.1 transfers which max out at a bit over 1 MB/sec and can be slower. so doing a full backup or a map update will take quite a while (1-2 hours) and this is normal.

for me, those limitations are more than offset by the large, bright screen, text2speech capability, crowd-sourced map/route updates, and cheaper southern africa maps (we're moving there soon). especially given the cheap sale price i found. i will provide updates as i put unit through paces on cross-country trip and then intercontinental move.....

Good features for the price: $149, October 12, 2009
I'm pretty tech savvy and have used different GPS devices in the past. I chose Tomtom over Garmin mainly due to tomtom HOME support, better user interface: tomtom has more info on the screen including the street name you're driving on.

Most negative reviews here are from issues updating map which is larger than the old one (about 5 Mb larger) and causes error.
but it's simple to go around it.

1. connect to home computer. turn the unit on. select Yes to connect. Tomtom Home will install on your computer.
2. on Tomtom HOME menu, go to "Manage my ONE XL". On Items on Device, click voices. you can back up then delete all foreign computer voices (recorded voice files are small, so doesn't matter). just keep DAVE, and Susan computer voices( you need at least one computer voice for spoken street names). You should free up about 130 Mb (much more than you need)
3. now you can update new map with no problem. it does take a long time. after you're done, you still have 125 Mb extra to download customized items, map corrections in the future. customized car symbols are really cool, as are start up and shut down images. these customized items and map corrections are so small: tiny to 0.5 Mb that with > 125 Mb free, you can keep updating for years to come.

Pros: 4.3 inch screen, great routing, advanced lane guidance (it does work well), IQ route (faster route based on historical traffic data), very quick GPS fix <30 sec (but you need to connect to computer at least every 7 days so that a GPS file can be updated to help fix signal quickly), a little longer for a cold start or if you forget to sync with your computer more than 7 days, but it's still around 1 minute or less to fix the signal. also very strong signal, almost full bar inside my house. Text to speech (for spoken street names) is computer voice, so it's OK. recorded voices are nicer but unable to do text to speech. the included Easyport mount is great, simple, stable.

Cons: the screen brightness at 100% is still not as bright as I want (I also use Tomtom Navigator 6 on my smartphone with better contrast, brightness) but you still can see fine on a sunny day. The computer voices for text to speech are not as clear when you drive and play music.

In summary, this tomtom has a lot of great features for the price. if you don't need bluetooth (for hands free call with your cell phone, which is not good anyway because your volume always appears tiny to the other end), FM transmitter (which is not practical if you need to play your CD in the car), or live traffic receiver (which is spotty based on the info I've read), This 340S is the one to get. most people own smartphones these days with internet, so they can get live traffic, up to date points of interest from Google map, play mp3 and pictures. So you don't really need those features from a GPS device (which is more expensive)

The search for the best GPS, November 15, 2009
(please keep in mind the date of this review, it is from Nov. 2009 and some things have changed since then)

I have used many GPS devices such as Garmin, TomTom, Navigon, etc.. And in the end the TomTom products always seem to be superior. Every time I buy a new GPS, I sit in my driveway and do a few simple tests. The first is how fast is it ready to navigate. I don't think anyone will ever be faster than TomTom. Second, how easy is it for me to find a local store I shop at every week... for example the local Kroger's grocery store that's close to my house. Again, TomTom can help me route to this very quickly and with minimal amounts of button pushing. To be fair, other devices may be able to find the same place, but not without having to scroll through 1000 POI's, or without having to push 50 buttons... Third, I need weather and traffic, and as much information as I can get about where I am, where I am going, and what's in between.. the more information the better as far as I am concerned. TomTom again is excellent in this area and now with a built in data connection provided by a cell signal, I can have all the information that I want, anywhere and anytime. I have tried the FM traffic version of this, and the MSN version of this, but MSN is going to stop offering this service next year (2010), so don't waste your time getting a device that you plan to use MSN on, and the FM signal range and quality of data has left me a bit underwhelmed. Once again the TomToms "Live" feature has found a great way to provide real-time information to me regardless of where I am. Yes, this feature is free for the first three months, and then runs about $10 a month. If you buy this GPS, try the Live feature out for a week or so and if you don't see the value, then go back to buying printed maps, because you are not ready for the future of GPS devices. One of the interesting features of the Live service is the ability to use Google search right from the device. At first I was not sure what use this would be, then I found myself in a situation where a location I thought should be a POI was not found on the device, or perhaps I was not looking in the right place, or had the category wrong... who knows.. But I went to the Google search feature, and told it what I was looking for, and Google pulled up some listings just like it does on your computer, and I selected what I wanted, and the device created the route from that. So for some reason if the GPS device can't understand or find what you are looking for, then Google is there to fill in the gap. Another great feature of the Live service is the location of cheap gas! Yes, that's right, the Live service can tell you all about the gas prices around you, and help you get to the cheapest. Who couldn't benefit from that? Additionally, the "TomTom At Home" software that you install on your computer does a great job of updating the device, make changes to it or even plan routes or travel from it. Lots of GPS's lets you update the device from the web, but none allow as much interaction with the device outside of basic map updates then the "At Home" software. If being able to interact with the GPS device using your computer is important to you, then I would suggest getting a TomTom for now. For me, this device has all you can ask for in a car GPS (PND for you tech geeks), and the price is right. The device is advanced, yet easy to interact with, so I feel even for a first time GPS user, or non-tech type of person, you would still be very happy. I have spent a long time on my quest for a great GPS device, and I hope this little bit of information will be helpful to you on yours.

Tomtom is selling a product with a known defect, and does not note this on their website., June 11, 2009
If one follows the instructions and updates the software and Map on a new Tomtom unit before backing up the brand new device, one will be left with a non-functioning unit that must be returned to the manufacturer. The Map update that Tomtom suggests customers download as a matter of course, and which one is prompted to update as a new customer WILL NOT FIT on the device, and the updating process may render the unit useless, as it did in my case. No where is this noted in the FAQ or in Support or on the Web Site or in the downloading procedure or instructions. Having owned literally dozens of software driven devices, I have never before encountered a company that so brazen disregards its customers' well being, by suggesting they download and install a software update or driver that will render the device inoperable. A web search has revealed that many others have had this identical problem, and Tomtom Tech Support is fully aware of this issue. Yet they will not post anything cautioning their customers, or revise the suggestion to download and install the latest Map. I found out the hard way, and will not have a GPS for trip I expressly purchased it for. I must pay to ship the unit back to Tomtom. When/if it works, this is probably a great device. But companies must be responsible, and I imagine that Tomtom will receive many more angry reviews along these lines. Beware.

Don't Listen!!, August 30, 2009
I've been in the market for a new gps and I decided on this one. Of course I saw all the reviews talking about the map update problem. I decided to email tom tom to get their take on it. I was told that yes the updated map is alot bigger but if you go into your tom tom home application on your cpu and delete a couple of those silly voices that we never use first. Then the map will fit just fine. Remember, you always have the option to re add those voices later from tom tom home. So does a need a little work from us to be perfect...yes, but it makes it worth it as tom tom is hands down the best Navigation out there!!

Solid no-frills GPS with a few neat and fun features, August 5, 2009

Excellent routing!, April 22, 2009
This unit is worth buying just for the IQ routes! The most important feature of any GPS is its competence in routing. I have owned several brands of GPS, including Garmin and Mio. This one has the best routing yet! It always seems to choose a route that a local driver would choose. Some local drivers could even learn some better routes with this thing.

The text to speech voice works well. Like other TomToms, it is very easy to customize in terms of the information you wish to display on the screen.

The screen could be brighter. The windshield mount does not hold as securely as one would wish. I use an Arkon vent mount.

Nice GPS Unit, BUT BEWARE, June 5, 2009
This is a good GPS unit, but be extremely careful about it's flaw of having no ability to accept a memory card. I would recommend this product, but use it out of the box and do not do/accept any updates, especially map updates; there is a 50/50 chance that you will either accidentally unplug your unit from computer too quickly and render it useless, or one of Tom Tom's updates (especially the map that is too large for the unit) will do the job for you.

Out of the box this unit is great, although it does need the satellite coordinate application from Tom Tom to quickly find satellites, otherwise you will be waiting several minutes each time you carry the unit inside or power it off and on again.

Pros: larger than normal screen, easy to use "tap" keyboard, large, loud speaker, boots fast, has maps that are mostly up to date out of box, map corrections

Cons: a little bulky (for unit that does not accept external memory card), USB input is on bottom and 1/3 inch inside unit, lack of post-purchase support since they created device with literally no room for future expansion and still haven't created map update small enough to fit on unit, brightness sucks in direct sunlight

I would recommend that anyone take a careful look at this unit. It works great out of the box, boots very fast, has a loud speaker and a large screen, but I am a bit leary of the fact that no one at Tom Tom recognized that that the map update they are recommending you use is 1.9GB, while the unit only has about that much storage capability. With the applications such as voices, IQ Routes (which is a very questionable application) and some other minors apps, there is absolutely no room for the updated map. I performed the map update immediately upon receiving the unit and while it took nearly two hours to download and update (and I have a very, very fast internet connection), my unit worked fine until last night; I attempted to check for and upload map corrections, but for some reason I must have unplugged the unit a few seconds too early and rendered it useless or something else happened. Tom Tom support can do very little to help restore this model as I did everything from manually backing up the unit to my computer, too flashing it with their application. I know own a nice looking GPS that does not work, but Tom Tom says they will send me a new device after I send them the receipt. We will see, but I think sending it back from where I purchased it is probably the best option because who knows if they will every make a proper update.

Best I've had..., July 7, 2009
UPDATE 10-29-09
I tried out the Magellan 1470 Roadmate with lane assist to find out how good that lane assist was. Magellan uses small highway signs on their GPS with a tiny arrow on the sign showing the lane to be in. These signs are tiny and hard to read and you need to find the actual corresponding highway sign and then adjust your lane to what is shown on the GPS. This works fairly well EXCEPT at night when the actual highway signs are lit up and sometimes poorly lit up or sometimes not lit up at all. It's very nerve wracking to try to read a tiny sign on the GPS then find the actual sign on the highway, lots can go wrong. The TomTom lane assist shows the highway signs and the total lanes on that highway and puts big green arrows on the lane(s) you need to be in. I used this Magellan 1470 on a 900 mile trip and was always a little uncomfortable with their lane assist. IMHO the TomTom lane assist is far superior to the Magellan even tho the Magellan was a super GPS in every other way, much better in POI locating than the TomTom. Bottom line, if lane assist is your cup of tea (like it is to me) get the TomTom, if looking up POI's are your bag, get the Magellan.

ORIGINAL REVIEW
I've owned a Mio, Garmin, Navigon and now the TomTom XL 340-S and thankfully I never hooked mine up to a computer after reading all the problems incurred by others and mine works just great, finds the satellites within a few seconds. The main reason for so many different units is my hunt for a good lane assist feature, this TomTom has a fantastic lane assist. Here in southern California on these freeways you need to know what lane to be in well ahead of time and boy does this TomTom deliver precise verbal and visual directions. On the freeways you start getting verbal directions two miles away from your next maneuver, lots of time to change lanes, on city streets the distances vary based on your cars speed, very nice feature. The Navigon had very good graphics but TomTom's are much better. I was a Garmin fan but they are way behind TomTom in features for a reasonable price. The only thing I find behind the Garmin and Navigon is the computer pronounced names of some streets, mainly Spanish names, the TomTom mangles them more than the others but with the street name showing at the right top side of the screen its no big deal, most street names are pronounced perfectly and "Dave" seems the best at pronouncing the street names . The TomTom has so many nice features the other brands are left in the dust IMHO.

a huge waste of time!, July 1, 2009
I just spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with tom tom customer support only to find out that by updating the included map on the unit that I had wiped it out. The only remedy is to return it. This should have been posted on their website but it wasn't. Even their tech people took forever to figure out the problem. Now I'll be without the unit for a week or two and I need it. I will NEVER buy a tom tom again. Way too much work for a device that is supposed to help make things easier. ... Read more

Editorial Review

XL 550T 5" Widescreen Auto GPS Navigation Unit

Outsmart traffic with the TomTom XXL 550·T. With complete 5-inch widescreen navigation plus Lifetime Traffic Updates* you'll always outsmart traffic and avoid delays with real-time information via your TomTom. TomTom automatically updates you with the latest traffic information, recalculates your trip time, and suggests alternate routes. Since TomTom has the industry's most accurate and dependable maps you'll have access to one million more miles of roads than you would using other GPS brands. Navigate to any location in the US, Canada or Mexico--or directly to one of 7 million preloaded points of interest. Finding your way has never been easier, using TomTom's new EasyMenu and spoken turn-by-turn instructions including street names.

Maps of US, Canada & Mexico
TomTom is known the world over for the accuracy and extensive coverage of its maps. TomTom maps include 1 million more miles of road than other GPS brands and have been rated highest in terms of quality and reliability.

Lifetime Traffic Updates*
Always outsmart traffic and avoid delays. View live, real-time traffic information on your TomTom. You receive non-transferable traffic data until the product's useful life expires or TomTom no longer receives traffic updates from its suppliers, whichever is shorter. Details and terms at www.tomtom.com/legal.

EasyMenu
Easily access all of TomTom's powerful features through its simple and intuitive two-button menu. Just a tap gets you started, and easy-to-follow commands and recognizable icons lead you through a quick start-up process to get you on the road in no time.

7 million Points of Interest
Comes preloaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 categories. Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels and more on your route. Or, seek out a new tourist attraction, nightlife spot or shopping center and navigate directly to it. Cu ... Read more

Editorial Review

CD receiver with built-in MOSFET amplifier (14 watts RMS CEA-2006/50 peak x 4 channels) * plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, including discs loaded with MP3, and WMA files * Advanced Sound Retriever (ASR) for improved sound quality from compressed music files * Easy EQ 3-band equalizer with six preset tone settings * built in iPod control -- no adapter necessary, but adding Pioneer's optional connecting cable lets you leave your iPod cable at home * inputs: front panel auxiliary and USB inputs * ... Read more

Editorial Review

Magellan RoadMate 3030-LM with Lifetime Map Updates ... Read more

Editorial Review

GPS, NUVI 255, CITY NAVIGATOR N. ... Read more

Reviews

Don't pay more, this has everything you need, October 1, 2008
Let me set the scene for you: I arrive in Los Angeles at the airport, turn on my GPS system and instantly am ready to navigate. I then spend two days driving around Los Angeles not knowing where anything is located and haven't gotten lost once...

The nuvi 255, as in my review title, is everything you need. Don't spend more because you think you'll need to talk for navigation or that you want to connect to some navigation service or whatever else they're selling. This is a small, FAST, device that you can easily carry with you when it isn't in your car. And folks, that's part of a portable GPS system: you can take it with you so it doesn't get stolen.

I will give the following heads-up. The first time you calibrate the GPS system, it may take up to 10 MINUTES. Be patient, stand in a large open field, and don't move the device. Just let it sit. After that initial setup, you'll be walking on sunshine. Second, charging the device is easy. All you need is a standard USB cable that is used for most electronics. The downside, it doesn't show a progress bar on the screen as to when a charge is complete. Third, when you turn it on, make sure you have clear views of the sky from all directions. Otherwise, the system may not initialize properly. Plus, if you're in a city with tall buildings, you may be out of luck for getting signal (i.e. NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago). Normally, the difficultly comes from initially turning it on. After that, it's great.

This device is FAST in recalculating routes. Mere seconds and boom, you're back on track. No downtime whatsoever. This is really amazing.

You are given the option of navigation as a pedestrian or in a car. That is really great if you're on foot. You can easily switch between the two.

NOW... my word of advice. SPEND THE MONEY to get the 255 with the "text-to-speech." When you're driving in traffic in an unfamiliar place, you don't want to have to constantly look over to read the street names on the device then find them on the street. It is worth the extra cash.

All-in-all, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. As I said to a friend today, it isn't often that I buy a piece of electronics equipment and have my expectations met and surpassed. As I continue to use it, new things continue to amaze me.

Very nice entry-level GPS., February 18, 2009
After spending a few weeks researching this and that, I decided to go with the Nuvi 255. I would have liked a 255W, but just couldn't justify the cost. Besides, the 255 screen is sufficient. I chose it over the 205 for the extra maps and text-to-speech, which is a really nice function.

PROS:
The size seems small until you actually mount it on your windshield. Then it's just right. And the GUI is very simple and straightforward. There are a lot of "aftermarket" vehicle icons that can be just dropped onto the unit. It charges relatively quickly through a USB cord. I think with a little ingenuity, I'll be able to mount it to my motorcycle bars too. This thing is half organizer/phone book, half Nav system, which since I don't have an I-Phone is really cool. It's great to be able to look up a phone number and call a restaurant without booting up my PC.

CONS:
Even though there's 6 million POI, it's missing some surprising ones (a Walmart and a Lowes plaza, for example) that have been around for a couple of years. So to get there, you have to find something near them and that's a pain. Same with roads I KNOW are there, but not in this 2009 map software. Then there's the town names that seem questionable at times. My only other small gripes are that you can't change the text-to-speech voice...unless you want a lame elf voice or Death or something. And for some reason, mine doesn't want to charge if the unit is in use, which is kind of aggrivating.

VERDICT:
Seems solid, easy to use, and a genuinely decent product. Sometimes I know better than the direction engine (I'm sure you get that with any GPS), but if I didn't, I'd trust it. Seems to lack features of an upmodel unit, but for the money, I feel I've gotten a good value.

Job Well Done, September 15, 2008
I purchased the Nuvi 255 as a replacement for my Nuvi 350. There is nothing wrong with the 350Garmin n�vi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech. The 255Garmin Nuvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator has safety features I want which include "Where Am I" that gives your location by street address, city, state, zip code, nearest intersection and coordinates. This is important in an emergency in a strange and/or unfamiliar location. Another safety feature is the display of the posted speed limit directly above your actual speed. This helps to avoid tickets and reminds one about safe driving.

Other improvements include a brighter clearer display, revised touch screen graphics, an arrow indicating direction of next turn and a TTS voice that sounds like a real person instead of an elocution professor.

The 255 also has a world clock, unit converter, calculator and photo
display.

In closing, I saved the best feature for last--the GPS function is fast, flawless and exact.

Worthy successor to the 260, September 27, 2008
My son, who does not drive, wanted a GPS because most of his friends, who DO drive, don't have one. He thinks of it, along with some gas money, as his contribution to the trip. Since it was dad's money paying for it, I decided to give him my nuvi 260 so that I could get a 255 with its ability to make use of traffic information. (I've just ordered the receiver and will report on that aspect later.)

I'm not quite sure how to review a GPS. The 255 makes the fourth GPS in out family. The others are the Garmin nuvi 200, 260, 260w. Since there are so many makes and models on the market and few people will own multiple GPSs, the most helpful information would be areas in which a particular unit was found to be lacking. I've never found any of these units to be lacking. Other than the well reported difficulties they sometimes have locating satellites (the 255 seems a bit better in this regard), there's nothing about the Garmins that would make me want to try a different brand.

People debate about the 255's voices. Many prefer the 260's voices. My wife is one of them. I find the 255's voices similar to the 260's, except that I miss Emily. She and I have grown close over the months we've been together, but, alas, she was unable to make the jump to the 255. The format of the voice files must have changed. The .vpm files on the 260 are 10+kb, where those on the 255 are about 2kb and Emily was not offered as a download. So, Emily is no more. She was not included on the 255 and I could not get the voice file from the 260 to work on the 255.

I find pluses and minuses to the new interface. I'm not fond of the speed function because it takes up a lot of real estate and isn't reliable. I traveled Route 119 from Route 2 in Acton, MA, to Route 495 in Littleton, a main drag. The speed limit varies from a high of 50 to a low of 25, but the 255 showed a constant 45, so I would not rely on the 255 to warn me of speed traps.

I DO like the new distance and direction of turn indicator. It's convenient seeing the arrow indicating the direction of the turn right next to the distance indicator.

I do NOT like the new way the keypad changes from upper to lower case after the first character of a name is entered.

I WISH there were an option for a QWERTY keyboard layout.

I WISH Garmin would allow zip code entry in addition to City and State.

About 30 seconds after the 260's on/off switch is placed in the lock position, the screen dims and the voice goes silent. This is a very convenient way to silence the unit when traveling a well known road and bringing it back with a minimum of fuss when needed. On the 255, the screen goes dim, but the voice is no longer silent. It's necessary to go through menus to make the unit quiet. This means that there is no longer an easy way to silence the 255 since pressing menus is too dangerous to attempt when the car is moving.

But the quibbles are minor. They're not enough to make me remove a star.

Garmin makes a fine, accurate unit. I've stopped all but the most cursory glances at maps prior to making trips. I'm happy to let the unit send me on its merry way. (There's a movie here where someone figures out how to reprogram GPSs, luring victims into out of the way places. "Dear, are you sure the way to the mall is through the cemetary?") Just last night it showed me a new way to a place I'd been visiting for years and never used the GPS to guide me because I knew the way there. (Ah, so *that's* where that road goes!)

Now, if only I could figure a way to get Emily back...

Added in edit: Another thing I REALLY LIKE about the 255 over the 260...
When you're driving down the road, the title bar of the 260 will often say something like "Continuing on Route nnn". On that same stretch of road, the title bar of the 255 will have the name of the next turn/exit/route. That is, once you're where you're supposed to be, the 255 immediately displays the name of the next road.

Great GPS that's a tiny bit short of awesome, November 3, 2008
Invariably, the 200-series will be compared to the super-popular 350, and I can't help but do the same. The 350 was a true pioneer, but I always found myself waiting a half-second for it to get back to me, and overall, the experience was sluggish.

The 255 is plenty fast, and brings the GPS interactive experience to a new level. My purchase was based on Consumer Reports' ratings.

The 200-line is certainly confusing in terms of number increments not matching up to features, but I would strongly recommend the TTS feature, which is only available on the 260/260W/255/255W. Despite the numbering scheme, the 255-line is newer/faster than the 260-line, which is why I chose the 255, though others may have chosen it for the FM/MSN traffic/info features.

Pros:

Size/Build:
Very small. Smaller than a hockey puck, and completely pocketable.

GUI:
The interaction with the menu is very fast, and without delay. Searches, map refreshes, etc -- they're all a lot faster and I don't find myself waiting.

Map:
The 3D GUI updates at what appears to be 3-4fps, which may not sound like much, but compared to 1fps for older models, this is a significant improvement, and is the difference between missing an exit or not.

3D Terrain:
This is surprisingly useful when going up/down hills, as it gives you an idea of not just a left/right turn, but also the incline. Sudden, steep climbs/downturns (think Laguna Seca) were reasonably well-indicated, which allowed me to slow down a bit more than had I assumed it was a level turn.

Antenna:
I personally like that the flip-up antenna in the 300-series is gone. It makes it much more usable when holding.

Display:
The display packs a ton of information, including next turns, speed limits, and all things that were typically a few clicks away. Surprisingly, it does not seem cramped at all.

Routing:
Routing is very fast -- maybe 1-3 seconds? It's fast enough that I don't need to count, sweat, and worry that I won't get directions before the next intersection.

Re-Routing:
Most importantly, *re-routing* is fast. If I take an incorrect turn, it will re-route within seconds, and will prompt me with a turn direction half way down the block. In previous models, I would have to slow down or pull over.

Overall:
Size, build, battery life, screen, volume, TTS, etc... all wonderful. As a standalone GPS, this is quite impressive.

Cons: (this is where it gets knocked down to 4 stars)

Dock:
The 350's dock housed the power cable, which made it a one-handed motion to get it back in the dock with power. With the 255, you need to plug in the power, then place it in the dock. Not a dealbreaker, but it's too bad they couldn't engineer it like the 350.

No QWERTY:
It amazes me that even with a touchscreen, Garmin still can't give me a QWERTY keyboard. It's not as if there are physical key limitations... This makes inputting text considerably slower.

Shortage of accessories:
No USB-A to USB-Mini cable, no AC adapter, no case. Not that *I* need any of those things, but someone who's not a computer geek may not have those things handy.

Average Web Tools/Content, Photo Bookmarking:
I can see they're trying to beef this up, but as of this writing, the on-line, web tool and photo-based location bookmarker is average, at best. The downloadable content (new vehicle models, and the one custom voice) offers considerably less than the competition (eg: TomTom).

Other: (Not pros or cons, but FYI)
- no mp3 playback
- microSD slot, not SD
- sorry, no feedback on MSN traffic, as it doesn't fit my usage style

Everything you need in a GPS, October 3, 2008
This is the fourth GPS that I have tried. Initially I had the VZ Navigator system from verizon. It's a phone GPS and works very well. However, I had to discard that after I moved from Verizon.

Then I got the top rated Nuvi Garmin 350. Garmin n�vi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text-to-Speech When I started using it, I realized that its navigation features where inferior to VZ navigator. I was surprised that a dedicated GPS had less features than a phone GPS. Few things that annoyed me with nuvi 350.
1) It wouldn't show the distance or direction of next turn. I had to press the turn list, everytime I needed to check the distance to next turn. Also, since the direction of turn is not shown in advance, you could endup on the wrong lane before the turn.
2) The arrival time shown on the display would not take into account the time zone. If you travel a lot between time zones, you are always forced to calculate the actual arrival time using the time shown on the display.
3) It wouldn't remember the last entered city. You have to re-enter the city, everytime you enter an address.

The only thing 350 had better than the phone gps was the bigger display. Anyway, my 350 got stolen recently. I was half happy that I could get a new GPS. I researched a little bit and figured that the Tomtom One 130S TomTom ONE 130S 3.5-Inch Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigator did not have any of the annoyances of nuvi 350. It would always display the direction and distance to the next turn. I liked the compact mounting setup of Tomtom very much. Also, the voice instructions were very clear although many reviewers had complained about voice quality. However, I was forced to return the GPS due to one major flaw. The voice instructions and the directions were not correct!!! When I had to go westbound, the GPS would instruct me to take the ramp to Eastbound direction. This happened on two instances and I decided enough is enough.

Doing some further research, I figured that garmin has introduced a new model that fixes all of the shortcomings of nuvi 350. I have used it for about 2 weeks and I am very happy with the purchase. Although some reviewers have complained about the voice quality, I havn't had any difficulty in understanding the voice instructions. Apart from fixing the annoyances mentioned above, it also has some nice additional features.
1) Faster GPS lock
2) Speed limit display
3) Internal antenna and slimmer profile; so easy to store in pocket.

Overall nuvi 255 is the ideal GPS, atleast for now :-)

Great entry level GPS, November 21, 2009
My love affair with GPSes.
I owned a nuvi 200 3.5" GPS, which worked perfectly well. My GPS mainly functions as a paper map substitute. I don't use any of the other features, like Points of Interest, traffic reports, photos, currency converter.

A new series!
I considered upgrading when I found out Garmin redesigned some of the screens on the 2x5 units. I was tossed between the n�vi 205 or n�vi 255. The 255 has spoken street names. I didn't want the Wide versions, because I heard those don't show more map area; they're just the same amount of map stretched on a larger screen. The 3.5 screen is plenty big for me, and small enough to be conveniently portable in a bag or a pocket.

Reconditioned snobbery.
I bought a factory reconditioned nuvi 255 for the price of a new 205. If it weren't for the white box (the new units come in a black box), I could not tell the reconditioned unit apart from a new one. It was pristine and worked perfectly, and came with the normal accessories. Based on this experience, I would not hesitate to buy another Garmin reconditioned item.

The new screen interfaces are a nice improvement over the old one. Go to Youtube and check out some side by side comparisons, if you're interested.

Things that seemed to improve from the 2x0 to the 2x5 models:
- 255 fixed on satellites much easier indoors. The 200 used to not find satellites when I turned it on inside the house.
- 255 satellite acquisition time is much faster, within 10 seconds. The 200 used to take upwards of a few minutes.

Features I like:
- I thought I wouldn't need it, but having spoken street names is nice.
- "where am I" feature shows me my long/lat and nearest emergency services.
- Garmin Garage. Free download from Garmin. It's a stupid cutesy thing, but I can modify the little vehicle to one that suits my mood.

Features I don't care for:
- There is no quick mute button. It takes at least three taps to mute sound.
- I can modify a path, by adding a waypoint, but I can't easily force it to take the road I want.
- On the 200 it was "Where To" - "Favorites". On the 255, Favorites got demoted to the next screen, and needs an extra tap. It would be nice if I could change the order of my frequently used functions.

Features I don't use/don't need:
- music
- bluetooth
- traffic reports
- maps outside of North America. I'm not a jetsetter.
- currency calculator
- Ecoroute

Feature I would like, if I won the lottery:
- Lane assist, it's in the spendy nuvi models.

One free map update.
I bought this reconditioned unit in 10/2009. It came with map version North America NT 2010.10. I downloaded their program then loaded the unit with the new map. My update to the latest version NT 2010.20 took about 1.5 hours total, and not several overnight hours I've read about. Maybe mileage varies with internet connection speed.

Neoprene case.
This isn't a review of the unit, but I thought I'd throw this in to help anyone looking for a suitable case. Ever since my first nuvi, I've searched for a proper fitting neoprene case. Garmin's official case is leather, open on one side, and spendy. This camera case fits just right.

Dolica SM-98305BK sold at the big O for $4.99 plus shipping. Internal dimensions are 4.1"x3"x0.8". External dimensions are 4.6" x 3.3" x 1.45". This will fit all of the 3.5" 2xx and 3xx series nuvis.

Mount.
I don't know anyone who owns a Garmin, use the sticky disk supplied in the package. Sticking the disk permanently to my dash is out of the question. I recommend the HandStands Sticky Pad GPS Dash Mount. Sleek, low profile and moveable.

Least Expensive Nuvi That Reads Street Names (Text to Speech), September 28, 2008
Garmin makes one of the best, if not the best, GPS devices. Uniqueness of Nuvi 255 is that it is the least expensive Nuvi, as of September 2008, that reads the street names, which in my experience is an important feature.

Like all other Nuvi's it has clear display, is easy to use, and acquires satellites very quickly. The windshield attachment stays in place. This one displays the speed limit too! You just have to be careful with screen of Nuvi series; make sure it is well protected when stored, because it breaks easily.

Although you can display pictures on Nuvi 255, I am not sure how many people do that in car. My previous experience with Nuvi 680 is that Bluetooth in a GPS unit is a useless and unusable feature. Stand-alone Bluetooth speakerphones like BluAnt or Parrot are far superior for making handsfree phone calls. My experience with GM cars is that even speech recognition does not work well inside the car with wind and road noise. All these bells and whistles are not worth the extra cost. As pointed out by another reviewer, this Nuvi has everything that you need in a GPS - except traffic.

You can add traffic service subscription to this one by an additional FM antenna; but if you need traffic, you may want to look into Navigon GPS which provides free lifetime traffic, although Navigon lacks the simplicity and ease of use of Nuvi.

Overall, Nuvi 255 is a great basic GPS unit which reads the names of streets, gives you speed limit, has extensive POI database and Garmin has good customer service. You won't go wrong.

A good one., September 27, 2008
I replace my 350 with this one. Overall this one is better.
But I want to mention 2 things which 255 is not as good as 350.
1. The TTS voice is not as good as 350.
2. There's no the "Ding" sound just before a turn.

Recommended and worth buying, December 6, 2008
After some extensive research and comparison shopping I decided to get the Garmin nuvi 255. My key factors in purchasing was that it was a name brand, it has good reviews, its the latest model with the most recent interface and processor, it has text to speech and it was under $200. I was not interested in blue tooth (I already have a hands free set) or the FM transmitter (I don't think this technology has been perfected yet) or the mp3 player. I actually planned on purchasing the Garmin 350 until I read that the 255 was the new model that replaces the discontinued 350. This is the first GPS I have owned and have had it for about 2 weeks now so I wanted to share some initial impressions.

Its a very nice unit with a bright screen and a nice compact size. I was worried that the 3.5 inch screen would be too small but it does the job. A 4.3 inch screen would definitely have been more attractive but that was a nice to have and not a necessity for me. I have read some complaints about the voice on this unit and that worried me too. However, its perfectly fine for a standard GPS unit. I'm not looking for the perfect sounding voice, just something that can be understandable and clear and this does the job. The pronunciation of some streets is not always accurate but thats not a big deal for me as the name of the streets are displayed on the screen. The volume is excellent. When the volume is at 50% I can still hear it clearly even when I have music playing in the background. However, this is with the windows up and so most of the street/car noise is blocked out. The satellite acquisition is excellent and I don't have to sit in my driveway for 15 minutes waiting for the connection. The longest wait so far has been about 2 minutes. The interface is very intuitive and so you don't really need to read any detailed instruction manuals to use this right away.

In terms of the negatives for this unit, the first is the route it chooses for you. Garmin will pick the most direct path to your destination but that is not always the fastest, given traffice lights, etc. So sometimes I find myself ignoring the Garmin directions and going down a road/street that I know would be quicker. Garmin will then immediately recalcute the directions which is a nice feature. As you can imagine this is not an issue when I'm totally unfamiliar with the streets - in that case I let Garmin show me the way and it has gotten me there at the end of the day. The other negative is the on/off switch. Its very sensitive and just the slightest pressure will turn the unit on or off which is a problem if your storing the unit and accidently turn it on (there goes the battery)...to combat this there is a lock setting.

I'm sure there are a lot more features that I still need to become familiar with but at least in the early stages, I feel this product is definitely worth it given the price and that its the latest model. If your looking for a GPS under $200 then this should be on your short list. I purchased the leather Gilsson 3.5" carrying case which is a perfect fit for this gadget (the original packaging does not come with a case) and I also got the Garmin friction mount which is really excellent. ... Read more

Editorial Review

nüvi 1350LMT features FREE lifetime map and traffic updates. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product DescriptionAmazon.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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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Widescreen -- See More of What's Around

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.

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Garmin Lock

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.

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Trick Your GPS Ride

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)

Traffic

Bluetooth

Media

3D Terrain Maps

Photo Navigation

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 200

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 200w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 250

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 250w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 260

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 260w

3.81 x 2.25

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 270

2.8 x 2.1

Photos

up to 5

nüvi 205

2.8 x 2.1

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)

Photos, MP3s

up to 5

nüvi 850

3.81 x 2.25

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

Photos, MP3s

up to 4

nüvi 880

3.81 x 2.25

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

Photos, MP3s

up to 4

nüvi 5000

4.5 x 2.7

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

external battery only

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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.

1 ...

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product DescriptionOutsmart traffic with the TomTom XL 335T. With complete widescreen navigation plus Lifetime Traffic Updates, you'll always stay informed and minimize delays. Based on up-to-date traffic information, your device will recalculate travel time and suggest alternate routes. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions, including street names, will guide you to any address in the U.S. and Canada--including more than 7 million pre-loaded points of interest.

Get complete widescreen navigation with Lifetime Traffic Updates.

Expand your horizons with a 4.3-inch extra-wide touchscreen.

The award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount folds into the back of the device for maximum portability.

Only TomTom has IQ Routes technology, which shaves time off even the shortest trips by calculating the fastest route based on time of day you are traveling. You'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route and save time, fuel, and money. Advanced Lane Guidance* uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.

TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds, and turn restrictions on your own device. The "Help Me!" menu provides added safety features so you can easily access local emergency providers. The award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take with you from car to car.

*Feature available in the U.S. only

Maps of the U.S. and Canada with TomTom Map Share
Pre-loaded with maps of the U.S. and Canada. TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you can instantly modify street names, street direction, POIs, and more on your own device, and receive daily verified updates from TomTom. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions and 3D graphics will guide you to any address in the U.S. and Canada, worry-free.

Lifetime Traffic Updates
Outsmart traffic and avoid delays for life with real-time information via your TomTom. Every three minutes, your TomTom will automatically update with the latest traffic information, recalculate your trip time, and suggest alternate routes.

7 Million POIs
Pre-loaded with more than 7 million points of interest in over 60 destination categories. Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and more on your route. Or, seek out a new tourist attraction, nightlife spot, or shopping center, and navigate directly to it. Customize by adding your own points of interest.

IQ Routes Technology
TomTom IQ Routes technology puts the driving experience of millions of TomTom users into your maps to shave time off even the shortest trips. Calculates the fastest route possible based on time of day. With TomTom IQ Routes, you'll always drive the smartest, most efficient route. IQ Routes saves you time, fuel, and money.

Traffic isn't the same during Monday morning rush hour as it is on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Heavy traffic, rotaries, traffic lights, and even pedestrians can slow you down. The route you need changes depending on the day and time, so the shortest route isn't necessarily going to be the fastest. With TomTom IQ Routes, you'll always drive the fastest route.

Advanced Lane Guidance*
TomTom Advanced Lane Guidance gives you extra clarity when navigating difficult junctions by showing you which lane to take, so you won't miss your turn or have to make sudden, dangerous lane crossings. Photorealistic images and a pulsing green arrow indicate exactly which lane to use, so you can go confidently.

Spoken Street Names
Announces turn-by-turn directions aloud, including street and place names.

4.3-Inch Touchscreen
Expand your horizons with a 4.3-inch extra-wide touchscreen. An additional 20% in size allows an expanded driving view and easier menu operation.

Fold and Go EasyPort Mount
The award-winning Fold and Go EasyPort mount provides maximum portability. The mount folds neatly onto the back of the device, so both are small enough to fit into your pocket or bag, and it makes your device even more portable so you can take it with you wherever you travel.

All TomToms Feature

Plug and Go--Works right out of the box.

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up-to-date, off the shelf.

TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from other users' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.

Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.

TomTom HOME--Always up-to-date.

Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

What's in the Box

About TomTom

TomTom is the world's leading navigation solutions provider, with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further our commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so we can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.

We have our own mapping company!
Did you know that every year roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.

Why TomTom?
At TomTom, we believe that personal navigation should be as easy and safe as possible. We develop smart technology that gives you straightforward solutions and innovations to make life easy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Pioneer Deh-P4200Ub In-Dash Cd Receiver With Oel Displayand Ipod Direct Control ... Read more

Editorial Review

Features: Charging Port: Connection: USB
Model #: 010-10723-01
Compatible Brands: Garmin
Compatible with: GPS Navigation Systems
Condition: New
... Read more

Reviews

Not Compatible with Garmin GPS Units, January 18, 2010
The cord i bought
has worked out great
it helps me now
to navigate

The service was
grade one and A
to help this old man
find his way

Excellent!!!, July 23, 2009
I do recommend to purchase any accessories through this seller, because they send the products in perfect condition and it arrives really fast. They are very reliable.

nothing special, October 3, 2010
I used the usb cable that charges my ps3 controller and it downloaded info to my gps just fine. You dont need a special usb cable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

With the help of this MP3 Wireless FM Transmitter you can listen to MP3 files in your car via an SD or MMC card slot or USB flash memory! This 3 in 1 in-car cigar style FM transmitter supports 206 FM channels and has an SD/MMC card slot and a USB port so you can listen to your MP3 files on the road! Simply plug into your car's cigarette plug turn on your car stereo and tune to the same frequency! Plug in an SD/MMC card USB flash drive and even an MP3 playerand listen to your favorite music on the go! The LCD displays the volume and name of the song! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product DescriptionPerfect for SUVs, trucks and RVs, the Magellan RoadMate 1700 boasts a generous, ultra-thin 7-inch touch screen ideal for large vehicles and easy viewing on the road. Premium features include: OneTouch favorites menu, AAA TourBook and Member Roadside Assistance, QuickSpell with SmartCity search, highway exit POI, spoken street name guidance, plus so many more!

A powerful navigation experience.

	Exclusive OneTouch Favorites Menu Easily bookmark favorite destinations and searches with personalized bookmarks so you can find them anywhere you travel. Find your favorite cafe or restaurant in any city with a single touch. Simple navigation with "Your favorites at your fingertips."
	Exclusive AAA TourBook Guide No membership required... Invaluable to anyone who travels, the AAA TourBook guide information with all 50 states and Canada is built right into your Magellan product. Get ratings and descriptions on AAA approved places to stay, play, dine, and save.
	7-inch Touch Screen A generous, ultra-slim 7-inch WVGA color touch screen shows your position on the unit including map route, destination, ETA, Points of Interest (POI), OneTouch favorites, street names, and more--all at a glance.
	Highway Lane Assist Realistic highway signs point you in the right direction when approaching interchanges and exits, and ensure that you'll choose the correct lane well before your next turn.
	6 Million Points of Interest (POI) Easily find whatever service you need. Gas stations, restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and hundreds of other businesses are intuitively categorized and searchable from the built-in POI database.
	Highway Exit POI Search Search for gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more near upcoming highway exits.
	QuickSpell with SmartCity Search Enter destinations with only a few touches. QuickSpell with SmartCity search helps you quickly enter addresses and narrow location searches, making destination entry easy.
	Multi-destination Routing Plan a trip with multiple stops in the order you want or have the device optimize it for the most efficient route. Easily reorganize, add, or remove destinations.
	Spoken Street Name Guidance Hear street names and directions for a clear understanding of when to make the next turn while you keep your eyes on the road.

What's in the Box
Magellan RoadMate 1700 GPS receiver, windshield mount, adhesive disc for dash mounting, vehicle power adapter, protective pouch, USB cable, user handbook.

Editorial Review

Pioneer Avh-P4200Dvd In-Dash Double-Din 7-Inch Touchscreen Dvd Multimedia A/V Receiver ... Read more

Reviews

Great unit.....but needs some work., May 3, 2010
OK here is my review of the Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD. I bought it a few weeks ago and had it professionally installed in my 2009 Yukon XL. I wanted to give it some use before I wrote a review so I could give it an honest review. I know many people including myself use these reviews to make the deciding decision if they are undecided between a few different choices. I am not going to go into much detail around the interface options because the internet has plenty of info and videos already on that. I am going to tell more about how each of the modules work. So here we go.

Obviously I got the head unit, but I also got The Bluetooth module (CD-BTB200), the HD Radio Module (GEX-P20HD), The Sirius Satellite Radio module (CD-SB10 & SC-C1), Backup Camera (ND-BC4) and the IPod Touch/IPhone cable (CD-IU200V). Basically I got every possible add-on module, minus the navigation (AVIC-U220) which is not even out yet. I will go into each of the modules and explain.

Bluetooth:
Connecting your phone to the unit is pretty painless. Turn discovery mode on the phone and the unit immediately picks it up. Once the phone has been set up the first time, it is a breeze. The only thing that is needed, is the Bluetooth needs to be turned on, on the phone. The head unit automatically picks it up when it is close. It connects very fast, usually within a second or two. The factory Bluetooth would take around 30 seconds. The module comes with a microphone that I had mounted by my rear view mirror. The sound from the call comes out the cars speakers. Voice quality sounds great on both ends I have been told. Better than the one that came with the vehicle. The Bluetooth interaction between the unit and your phone is nothing special. You can press a button on the unit to register you phone so you can see missed call(s), incoming, outgoing and that's about it. The caveat to that is that the phone has to be paired to the unit when the call actually came, or it shows nothing. So in my mind, it is kind of pointless for almost $200. If you have a stock one with your vehicle (both units still work the stock and the Pioneer one, I can pick which to pair with), keep it, if you don't then buy it because driving while holding a phone sucks. Second part of this module is it does do streaming audio via Bluetooth. I have a Motorola Droid, so when it is paired I switch it to Bluetooth audio, open up my Pandora app and let it rip. Sound is good, but this is fully dependent of your phone signal.

HD Radio:
If you listen to radio this is a must. The sound quality is so crisp and so clear, even the AM stations. I have heard some misconceptions about HD radios not being able to broadcast a station that has not converted to HD. False and untrue. The stations that don't have an HD channel sounds like it does in your vehicle today. You can really hear the difference between the HD and regular. When you select a channel it comes out standard as it does today, then after a second or two, you see on the screen the signal changes to HD and the sound is night and day on the same station.

Sirius Satellite:
I have had a Sirius subscription for 4-5 years now and could not think of life without it. If you don't have satellite radio, I recommend you go the XM route. Yes they are two in the same now that they merged when it comes to what you get in regards to programming but not when it comes to your wallet. If you go the XM route, you only have to buy one module, the GEX-P920XM. If you go the Sirius route you have to buy the Pioneer module (CD-SB10) and the Sirius Connect module (SC-C1). I went the Sirius route because I signed a long contract years ago so I had to stick with them. The unit, when connected to Sirius, shows station, artist & etc. This is the thing on the radio that gets listened to the most. I feel it is a must have if you buy this radio.

Backup Camera:
Well......it's a backup camera. Nothing special here in terms of what it does. The picture is great on the units screen in any light conditions. Pioneer sells another backup camera (ND-BC20PA) that is almost double the price that is supposed to have better resolution, better at night, parking assist and yada, yada, yada . I am backing up out of my driveway or into a spot. I don't need assistance with that and if I did, I should probably not be driving backwards. I can't compare the two because I never used the other one, but I can pick out a leaf on the ground at night behind my vehicle, in great detail, so I can't imagine needing any more detail than that. I am glad I got this with such a big vehicle because it is good to see behind you at a lower level. If I had a car I would not have gotten this because I don't see the point.

IPod Touch/IPhone cable:
I did some homework before I got this one by downloading the head unit's manual off the Pioneer web site. Pioneers web site says the one to buy with this unit is the CD-IU50V but the manual says the CD-IU200V. I went with the CD-IU200V and it works just fine. I did mine a little different. I have an extension on the unit then plugged the cable (CD-IU200V) into that, then wired it to the inside of my center console. The reason I did that is for USB thumb drives. This way I can unplug the CD-IU200V USB part and plug in a thumb drive. I tried with a 16 gig thumb drive with mp3's, pictures and videos on it and they all played as expected. Using this cable with an IPod/IPhone is great. I have an IPod Touch and I plug it in and put it in my center console. Everything is controlled from the head unit. The touch on the unit is very responsive. The only point of this cable is to play videos. If you have zero intentions in playing videos, don't buy this. Just use the one that comes with the unit. That will play all of your music without the need to buy anything else. The video playback is great. It depends on the quality of the video save on your IPod of course. A few goofy things about this cable, or maybe it has to do with the software? Sometimes when I connect my IPod it charges it.....sometimes it doesn't. Occasionally it shows the message saying that this part is not compatible with the unit. Once in a while the menus lag from screen to screen when the IPod is attached and I am trying to go into playlists or search artists, and sometimes it is so quick and snappy.

SD Card:
The manual says it only supports SD cards that are maximum of 2 gb in size. I tried a 16 gb SDHC card at it worked flawlessly. Same with the thumb drive, that was 16 gb also. So this is another option if you don't have an IPod or want to keep DVD's in the car. It's just another way to keep additional media handy.

DVD:
It acts pretty much like todays DVD players at home allowing one to adjust angle, language and subtitles (if available on the DVD). The picture is amazingly clear. Sound coming out the speakers sound great. I put the Nine Inch Nails Beside You In Time DVD in and I felt like I was at the concert again. It is a great part of this unit.

CD:
No idea. The manual says it plays them but I can't remember the last time I actually went out and bought one.


A few things that someone would need to know before buying. If you want to keep your steering wheel controls, you need to buy a module for that. If you have OnStar or want to keep the car chimes (blinker, door open etc.), you need to buy an additional module for that but it is not as cut and dry as that. If you have a Bose system, you need a different type of module. While this unit does provide dual zone functionality (i.e. video screens in the backseat), you will need to buy an add-on module for that too.

The sound is just what you would expect to come from Pioneer.....great. A few things I have run into that cause a little concern. About a week after I had the unit installed, it started rebooting constantly. I mean it rebooted for two days straight. I was unable to listen to the radio, watch a video, play my IPod, or use the Bluetooth for two days. I did a factory reset and that did nothing. It did that for two days then just stopped. I called the place that installed it and told them what was going on. They said to bring it in so they could take a look at it. Took it out, rewired everything, looked at the unit, said it did not seem like anything was loose or broken. The installed does not believe it is the actual head unit that is the problem. He thinks it is because so many modules are in play, that one might be causing the problem or the combination of all of them is the problem. About 3 weeks after it started up again and stopped. I am going to have to chalk this up as this thing needs a software upgrade if/when that becomes available to get out the bugs. No reason this should be happening within the first two weeks of owning it. While his diagnoses was clearly just an assumption after years of installations, I ask if this is the case why make something that needs all these modules if they don't play nice with each other? One other thing I would love to see in a software refresh would be station labeling on your presets. Now it just says Preset 1,2 ,3 etc. It does this for Sirius & the HD radio. When I search my presets, I have no idea when it shows them in a list which is which so I just end up cycling them which defeats the purpose.

Conclusion:
This unit is great for both sound and video. One of the best I have seen and heard. The low price tag of around $500 probably has gotten most people's attention. The great thing about this unit is, if you want to pick and choose this module or that module, you can verses getting everything and not using half of it. The reality is if you want it all, you are going to pay and then some. We have not even talked about the navigation module for this unit because it has not been released yet, but the rumors are it will be around $400-$500 more. If you go with every module, this will cost you around $1300, this is not including steering wheel controls (approx. $85) or other interfaces (OnStar, Bose, dual zone etc. approx. $190) So for around (retail) $1600 without navigation or $2000 with, before instillation. I think it is a great head unit with great sound and a ton of features. I would expect if I spend this kind of money that the unit would not reboot for days at a time and then stop. If this was not happening I would recommend this unit with a disclaimer that it is expensive, but you do get every penny's worth........when it's not rebooting days on end ;-) It truly is an amazing sounding system. I have an amp and sub connected. It sounds like heaven.

AVH-P4200DVD, March 19, 2010
This deck hands down is FANTANSTIC!!! I bought the AVH-P4100DVD last year and loved it! When I saw that this deck was gonna be released, I had to buy it! I just installed it and it's AWESOME! The iPod functions are better than the previous model. I like the finger scrolling as well. Video play back is phenomenal! On the AVH-P4100DVD, the color contrast and quality wasn't all there. It was still a great deck, but on the AVH-P4200DVD, the picture quality, brightness, and contrast is PERFECT! This deck has so many options for you to expand as well. They even have the navigation expansion for it, where as the previous model didn't. Also with the iPod control, you have the option to watch video off of it. The picture quality on that as well has improved and is perfect. If I could rate this deck higher than a 5 star rating, I would. Only problem this has (AVH-P4100DVD had the same problem) is if the name of the file playing is too long, it cuts it off. It doesn't scroll it so you can read the whole thing. Also it doesn't allow you dual zone on just the deck. This means you can't listen to your iPod music while a DVD video is playing on the screen. If you have screens in the back of your car, then it will work. Other than those two minor things, this deck is a must! Pioneers AVH series are incredible. I have no doubt in my mind that they next decks coming out in the AVH line will be more incredible. As for the AVH-P4200DVD, GET IT if you can afford it. You won't be disappointed and you will find driving in your car more enjoyable with all the different functions you have at your fingertips.

Worth way more money, February 25, 2010
I just bought this thing and Im very impressed. It makes my stereo sound so much louder and better than before and I didnt even hook up my subs yet. I touch screen works amazing, interface is perfect unlike my old touchscreen which looked cheap. The quality is amazing. I recommend this stereo to everyone. The only thing wrong is I have to buy a trim kit which is sold on here for $31 to fill in the left over space on my dash.

Buyer beware, October 5, 2010
I recently purchased a new Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD car receiver. It's currently installed in my Chevy Cavalier with 2 4x6 + 2 6x9 alpine S-Type speakers. I just need a place to write my thoughts down.

Pros:
Tilting screen, very durable feeling, not floppy, remembers previous location upon starting, closes back down when car is turned off.
SD and DVD support. SD cards can go up to 16GB (the biggest I had to test it with) even though it says it'll only support 1 GB cards.
Has REAR USB and AUX ports. Having usb slots on the front seems very ugly to me if I'm always going to have a flash drive plugged in.
Has Read Video input. I have my N64 in the glovebox plugged in.
Good video quality for standard definition DVDs.
Remembers previous song location when removing devices, or selecting a different source.
Has a nice FM auto-detect feature that will auto-populate a menu on the right of the screen for easy FM station selection.
3 sets of pre-amp outputs for anyone wanting to run an amplifier.
8 channel EQ allows quite a bit of control over the sound.
A Sansa Fuze v2 in MSC mode WILL work in USB mode.
Works awesome with my 5th gen iPod video. I can play back music and videos, quick response after plugging device in. Shows album art from iPod (see cons).

Cons:
Does NOT work with Motorola Droid in USB mode.
Does NOT work with the Sansa e200 in USB mode.
Does NOT work with external hard drives needing more than 500 mA of startup current (all of them)
Does NOT work well with the CD-BTB200 Bluetooth add-on module. All you can do it Accept and End calls, and stream bluetooth audio. No phonebook lookup, no dialing out from the screen. This is a VERY crippled function.
Does NOT display the correct time elapsed/remaining for ANY VBR files (V0, V2, etc). The manual states it will only display incorrect times after you use the fast forward or rewind buttons, this is NOT the case.
Does NOT play FLAC (but this is expected in today's market I guess).
Does NOT show album art for non-iPod devices (flash drives, sd cards, etc).
Does NOT charge a USB device unless the current source is the USB selection.
Does NOT have a 24-hour clock.
Does NOT sort music or folder ALPHABETICALLY if you are using a regular USB thumb drive, instead it sorts chronologically by the date you add the music. You CAN'T listen to an album in the order intended unless all the timestamps are in order as well. The same goes for the artist folders, scattered randomly about.

Had to use a "video override" (12 volt relay) to trick the stereo into thinking the parking brake is on in order to play videos, pictures, or dvd's.
Does NOT scroll text that goes out of view when you have an artist with a long name or a long title of a song.
Does NOT have a "play through once" option for an album, you either have it set to repeat the entire album, or the song, or everything on the device.
Dimmer setting is hard to get to while driving at night.

The 7-inch touch screen is responsive and seemingly hard to scratch. The outer case is a fingerprint and dust magnet, but fairly easy to clean off.
The sound is absolutely awesome with 2 x [...] speakers. Lots of bass from the 609's and nice highs from the 406's by my feet. I can turn the volume up to beyond my comfort of listening without distortion or lack of clarity. The bass is nice for someone wanting a decent amount of bass without having to purchase subs. My rear-view mirror will shake moderately when cranked up.

Not having a functional bluetooth is a deal breaker for me. I went up a model and bought the 4200DVD instead of the 3200BT because I wanted the USB and AUX ports in the rear of the device, to hide the wires and keep the install looking clean. I figured I could save up and by the bluetooth module at a later time. The CD-BTB200 is absolutely crippled on the 4200DVD, while the 3200BT has the newer built in bluetooth that supports everything you would assume it would (dialpad dialing, phone book downloading, etc, etc). Pioneer absolutely crippled the 4200dvd bluetooth capability. According to the BTB200 manual it supports phonebook downloading and all the fancies, the 4200DVD doesn't though.

I haven't tried running an external hard drive off of the unit's internal USB, but the specifications state it only supplies 500 mA, while is quite a bit short of the burst current draw most 5400 RPM drives require to spin-up. I've read online from various sources that externals do and don't work, so I can't give a definitive answer.

I'm considering upgrading to the 5200BT, but I am not really a fan of the pop-out display, that will most likely only get in the way of my air vents. If it means I'll have actual functioning bluetooth then, I might have to sell this one.

If I had the opportunity to not buy this model (or anything from pioneer because all of their 2 din head units run the same firmware..) and spring for a better brand.

Great in-dash receiver, March 16, 2010
I have wanted an in-dash receiver for the longest but i needed to ensure i got one to meet all of my needs. I had purchased one a few months back from Wal-Mart which was a DUAL. BIG MISTAKE. i didnt have any options for ipod or satellite radio only really feature was the dvd playback. I then bought a dvd player called a SAVANT. another mistake because the ipod controls were horrible and make the overall experience not worth it. This time i made sure i did my research to get the one i wanted. I believe that is the main thing. to shop around, go to different websites even go to best buy or your local car audio store to make sure you get what you want. Whether it's built-in bluetooth or navigation, ipod controls, satellite watever. For me i wanted something that worked well with my ipod and was satellite ready. not only satellite ready but ready for XM because some receivers are ONLY sirius or XM so that's something i had to mindful of. I wasnt really set on navigation or bluetooth but this unit is capable of managing both so if i ever wanted either i could get it. As for this receiver is just a great unit. Ipod controls are simple and very easy to use as if ur controlling it from the ipod itself. (another plus is if you feel more comfortable using your ipod this unit gives you the option of using your ipod or iphone) DVD playback is great. picture quality is nice and you have every option of the dvd as you would with a dvd player at home. i purchased a XM tuner and it integrates satellite radio well. I have a system in my car (2 twelves) and it gives me tons of options for my speakers whether it's the level of my subs, or customzing the equalizer it gives you wide array of options. Its just a awesome unit and would recommend it for anyone. I bought it off of Discount Jungle (via Amazon) for around $380 along with the XM tuner, paid in total $500 (including shipping) I'm very satisfied!! For a detail description of the options for this receiver or any other go to [..] it helps the buying decision way easier. Good Luck

Awesome Unit Great Features - Video Playback Limited, July 5, 2010
Great looking HU, very easy to use, all controls are where you expect them, had it installed in my 2005 Ford Expedition in less than 30 minutes. The ONLY reason I gave it 4 stars was because of the following three reasons:

1) It only plays back DIVX. My only reason for buying this HU was to take all of my Music Video DVDs and throw them on a USB HD. The problem is this HU does not playback MKV, MP4, or even AVI. So basically it does not recognize any of the most popular formats in use today. Instead it will only play DIVX which means I had to get the DivX Plus converter. The end result was really lousy quality music videos which are nowhere near as clear as the original DVDs.

Ironically the much more expensive AVIC model line plays back a much wider variety of formats. The H.264 codec handles compression way better than DivX and I have no idea why they chose such a non mainstream format.

2) While playing back videos there is no way to easily fast forward. It does not have an option to say jump forward 15 or 20 seconds, you can touch the slider and pick a place in the video that way, but when you are in traffic that's a little difficult.

3) The HU will only play up to a certain resolution. I'm not sure yet what it is, but I do know it will not play 720p or 1080p even when using the DivX codec. So even if my source video is HD, it has to be downsampled to play on this HU.

Overall though this is a great unit, it is also very easy to bypass the built in screen lockout so you can watch movies while you are driving, its not quite as easy as simply grounding the ebrake cable but it as simple as using a relay. A quick Google Search will show you how, there's even a YouTube video on it.

Also, if you are planning on using a USB hard drive it has to be formatted as FAT32, or else the HU will not be able to read the hard drive. I used guiformat.exe to format it in Windows 7 since Windows 7 would only format the 1TB drive I bought as exFAT.

Great STEREO receiver unit...., October 17, 2010
Reading some other reviews here I see users who need more and expect more from a dash receiver than I do. While they may be more discriminating and offer good info it doesn't pertain to my needs or particular uses for this head unit. I was mainly concerned with upgrading the SOUND from my pitiful stock Bose unit and gaining some video playback capability along with MP3 files on a flash card or my Samsung P3. In these areas I'm very satisfied with the performance. Stereo quality is very clean with 14 watts rms being more than ample to drive some 6x9 and 6.5 inch Pioneer speakers also from Amazon purchased using a recent 30% off promo code. That made this an even better deal for upgrading the basic factory stereo. Yes, it doesn't scroll file names, skip ahead 30 seconds on video or play common video codecs but pop in a music video DVD like The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Concerts and simply enjoy the excellent sound and screen playback you get with this receiver. Other than maybe adding on XM radio I don't need the numerous add-on modules or the cost and complexity. For my buck this unit is easy to use, sounds great and has all the flexibility I require. It does what I wanted hands down!

A pretty nice head unit, May 16, 2010
I have had this head unit for about a month and here are my reviews.

FM/AM Tuner

It works good, pulls in the stations real good. With the optional HD radio tuner box, u can add HD (Digital Radio) capabilities which sounds incredible, very crisp and no static. Only bad thing is on the presets, when you store a station on a preset, it doesn't display the station frequency or name on it, jus says PRESET 1

Ipod

The ipod feature works incredible with this unit. Very easy to navigate thru your music collection thru it. You do have to purchase the optional Pioneer Ipod cable to watch videos off your iPod. A neat thing if you have an iphone/ipod touch is that you can watch youtube videos on the radio while you are in ipod source mode. I didn't like that the title of the songs or artist can get easily chopped off if its too long. You would think that they would provide a feature to scroll the text if it didn't fit.

SD card

This is a nice feature. I have a 32GB SDHC with thousands of songs in there and it reads it no problem. Very easy to navigate thru the content as well. Movies and music videos can also be watched via the SDHD card.

XM radio

I have the optional XM tuner and it works really good. Very easy to navigate through the XM channels. I didn't like that it chops off the title of the songs or artist when there's a bit of characters on it.

Bluetooth Cellphone

I have the optional CD-BTB200 unit connected to this unit. First off, this module is like 3+ years old so it does not use the same Bluetooth Profiles that most modern phones use. The hands free cellphone use on this radio is very basic and limited, which is not what I would expect for a 2010 model. It only allows you to answer/hang up calls and that's about it. Why didn't they allow to transfer over and your contacts or even have a keypad to dial out on the radio, it just puzzles me. It is kind of ridiculous that the bluetooth module has the capabilities to store phone contacts but this unit does not have this feature.

AVH-P4200 Review, May 10, 2010
After a couple of months of research, I finally decided to get the Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD. I added the bluetooth module CD-BTB200. I've been using for three weeks and I can say that I very satisfied with my decision. The menu navigation is very intuitive. The device boot is fast. The image quality is good for a WQVGA (480 X 240) screen. I use it most of the time the ipod integration and I must say the search features are very efficient. I can find a single song in 4 or 5 click (touch). The bluetooth audio streaming works very well with my iPhone. I can say tha it meets 99% of my expectations.

Cons
The bluetooth phone functionality is limited: There is no phonebook management with AVH-P4200DVD/CD-BTB200 combination. Just answer a call, end a call, store the last three received or outgoing calls. When a call is received the phone number is cropped (only shows five digits). The volume call is the same as the volume music. So, if you pop up the volume during a call, you must be carefull and turn down back the volume in order to prevent a high volume when the music source return.

When I customize the background with my own image (from the SD card) the image appear stretch. I tried with almost every image size and resolution. Pioneer support told me to try with 640x480 images. However the result is the same: a stretch background.

What a head unit!, November 24, 2010
Ordered this a few months back to replace an older JVC head unit that died on me. I was waiting for a good deal on this, and I'm glad I waited.

Pros:
1. Easy install in my Focus SE (I fear that this will be my last car with an easy after market head unit install)
2. The display shows everything you need to know about song title/artist, etc.
3. SOUND! The improvement over my JVC is astounding, even with stock speakers.
4. Ipod support. I know a lot of radios have this, but the size of the display makes navigating the ipod quite easy.
5. True sub line out. (First head unit I've had with this...I do so love it)

Cons:
1. RDS can be tweaky, but this probably is down to how the radio station broadcasts.
2. If it's accessing the ipod, some of the menu selections can be slow...not really a big deal.

One more thing, if you're ordering one of the CD-IU***V cables from here on Amazon, make sure that the seller is actually sending you the real Pioneer product, and not a Chinese knock-off.

Oh, and you don't need the Pioneer mounting kit that Amazon says you need, you need a Metra double din kit. ... Read more

Editorial Review

PASSPORT 9500ix comes complete with comprehensive owner’s manual, quick-release windshield mount, coiled SmartCord, quick reference card, and an ESCORT travel case. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Clarion's CZ300 is a CD receiver that gives you plenty to begin with, and plenty of options for future growth. Enjoy simple connection and integration of your iPod or iPhone, USB and auxiliary connections to access music on portable devices, and superior sound quality with subwoofer volume control and advanced sound technology. Down the road you may choose to add Bluetooth, SAT/HD Radio, or expand your system with four channels of preamp output. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com Product DescriptionThis 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.

The TomTom XL 340-S is complete navigation in a widescreen device. Switch on and go right out of the box. Spoken turn-by-turn instructions, including street names, will guide you to any address in the United States, Canada, and Mexico--including more than 7 million preloaded points of interest.

Complete navigation in a widescreen device. Click to enlarge.

The Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car. Click to enlarge.

IQ Routes Technology* gives you the fastest route every time by using actual average speeds of travel on your route to calculate your trip rather than only posted speed limits, so you'll always travel the smartest route. Advanced Lane Guidance* uses photorealistic images to bring even more clarity to complex multi-lane exits so you can be more confident on the road.

TomTom has the most accurate maps, and with TomTom Map Share technology, you instantly can modify street names, street direction, POIs, road speeds, and turn restrictions on your own device. With the "Help Me!" menu, added safety features enable you to easily access local emergency providers.

The Fold & Go EasyPort mount folds flat against the device, making it easy to take it with you from car to car.

The XL 340-S is complete, widescreen navigation.

*Features only available in the United States and Canada.

XL 340-S Features

• Maps of United States, Canada, and Mexico with TomTom Map Share
• Spoken Street Names
• 7 million POIs
• IQ Routes Technology
• Advanced Lane Guidance
• Fold & Go EasyPort Mount
• 4.3-inch Touchscreen

All TomToms Feature

Plug & Go--Works right out of the box.

Preloaded Points of Interest--Easily find millions of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more on your route.

30-Day Latest Map Guarantee--Up to date, off the shelf.

TomTom Map Share--Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share.

Help Me! Emergency Menu--Easily access local emergency providers, such as police, fire stations, and hospitals.

TomTom HOME--Always up to date.

Traffic Ready--Optional RDS-TMC traffic receiver accessory keeps you up-to-date on traffic events to minimize potential delays.

Fuel Price Service (optional)--Know more, pay less.

Why TomTom?

Easy to Use

• Award-winning navigation software
• Plug & go

Best Maps

• 30-Day Latest Map Guarantee
• Modify your own map and benefit from others' verified changes with TomTom Map Share

Best Routing

• QuickGPSfix
• Traffic ready

Leader in Safety

• Help Me! emergency resources menu
• Safety preferences menu

About TomTom

TomTom is a leading navigation solutions provider with navigation products sold in 30 countries and in over 20 languages. To further its commitment to car navigation, TomTom acquired Tele Atlas maps in 2008 so that the company can continually provide the most up-to-date maps and intelligent routing.

TomTom has its own mapping company!

Did you know that every year, roads change by up to 40% in high-growth areas? Tele Atlas manages this by using the world's most comprehensive systems to identify and incorporate these changes into our maps with unprecedented levels of speed and accuracy. All TomTom devices benefit from the Tele Atlas advantage--more coverage, more points of interest, and more freshness and accuracy.

What's in the Box