Garmin Nuvi 250 (silver)
Manufacturer: Garmin Part number: 010-00621-00
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Garmin Nuvi 200 series offers drivers and travelers a more budget-friendly version of the popular portable navigation devices, but we think the price is still slightly high for what you get.
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CNET editors' review
Garmin Nuvi 250 (silver) price range: $221.24 - $223.65
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 05/23/2007
- Released on: 05/16/2007
The good: The Garmin Nuvi 200 boasts a compact design and is easy to use. It offers accurate directions and some nice tools for the traveler.
The bad: Though the Nuvi 200 is more affordable than other models in the series, we wish the price was slightly lower based on the included feature set.
The bottom line: The Garmin Nuvi 200 series offers drivers and travelers a more budget-friendly version of the popular portable navigation devices, but we think the price is still slightly high for what you get.
The Garmin Nuvi series of GPS devices enjoys a fair number of fans. The Nuvi 660 and the Nuvi 350 have earned an average of 7.5 and 8.6 user ratings, respectively. And it's not hard to see why. These ultraportable gadgets not only serve as navigation aids but also offer travel-friendly features, such as travel guides and foreign language dictionaries--all while delivering solid performance and ease of use. However, we've always winced at the jaw-dropping price tags.
Well, it seems Garmin heard our cries, as the company has released a new family of Nuvi devices that are more wallet-friendly. The Garmin Nuvi 200 series includes three models: the Nuvi 200 ($428.56) with preloaded maps of the United States and Puerto Rico; the Nuvi 250 ($482.16), which adds maps of Canada; and the Nuvi 270 ($599.99), which comes preinstalled with maps of the United States, Canada, and more than 30 European countries. For our review, we took a look at the Nuvi 200. This entry-level model boasts an even sleeker design and continues to deliver the same intuitive interface and accurate directions. It strips out some of the more advanced travel and multimedia tools to cut costs, but even so, we wish the price was slightly lower--more in the $300 range. Still, with a little shopping around, you can probably find a deal and for the money, you'll get a solid portable navigation system.
Design
At 3.8 inches wide by 2.8 inches high by 0.8 inch deep and 5.2 ounces, the Garmin Nuvi 200 isn't that much bigger than today's latest smart phones or PDAs; in other words, it's pretty compact. It helps that the GPS antenna is now integrated into the device, unlike older Nuvi models like the Garmin Nuvi 350, which had a flip-up antenna. And while the Nuvi 200 is probably a little too bulky to fit into a pants pocket comfortably, you'll have no problem carrying it in a bag, using it on foot, or transporting it between vehicles.
A 3.5-inch (diagonal) QVGA touch screen dominates the face of the Nuvi 200. The display itself is bright and sharp with a 320x240 pixel resolution and features an antiglare coating. Unlike the Mio C220, we had absolutely no problems viewing the Nuvi's display in various lighting conditions, including bright sunlight.
Aside from a power/lock slider switch on top of the device, there are no other external controls, so all commands are registered via the responsive touch screen. While we like the minimalist design, we think a volume dial on the side would've been nice. There is an SD card expansion slot on the left side, and the speaker and power connector/mini USB port are on the back.
The Garmin Nuvi 200 comes packaged with a car charger, a vehicle mount (dash and windshield), and reference material. The vehicle mount has a no-fuss design and is very easy to install in your car. It securely held the Nuvi in place, and there's a lock mechanism at the base of the apparatus to reinforce the connection between the suction cup and windshield.
Features
As the entry-level model of the Nuvi series, the Garmin Nuvi 200 has a very basic feature set. It does come preloaded with maps of the United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, though it misses detailed maps of Alaska and Canada. You can start planning a trip in a number of ways, including entering a specific address, picking a point of interest (POI), selecting a recently entered location, or choosing a destination from your Favorites list. Of course, if you don't need guidance, you can just have the Nuvi track your movements by tapping View Map. The system can generate directions by fastest time, shortest distance, or off road, and you can instruct it to avoid certain road types, such as toll roads and highways. And don't think you're restricted to only use the system in the car, as there are settings for pedestrian, bicycle, truck, and bus modes.
The Nuvi 200 offers turn-by-turn, text- and voice-guided directions, but it doesn't support text-to-speech functionality. This means the system won't speak actual street names; instead, it will give you more generic directions like, "Turn right in 500 feet." The Nuvi 200 also supports automatic route recalculation and includes a detour function if you want to avoid certain part of the given route. Maps are available in 2D and 3D view with day and night colors, and you can change it so north is always at the top of your screen or the direction in which you are driving. A plus and minus icon on the map screen allows you to zoom in and out, and there's also a trip information page that displays your speed, direction, trip time, and so forth.
The Nuvi 200 has a comprehensive POI database with all the major categories (gas stations, lodging, ATMs, and so forth) and more specific ones; you can even search for restaurants by type of cuisine. On top of the preloaded entries, you can add custom POI, such as safety cameras and school zones.
Of course, part of the allure of the Nuvi series is its travel features. Again, as an entry-level device, the number of travel tools is more limited than other models in the family. You get a world clock, currency and measurement converters, and a calculator. You can purchase additional travel guides preloaded on an SD card through Garmin; prices range from $49.99 to $160.70. Other goodies on the Nuvi 200 include a picture viewer and the Garmin Lock security feature, which prevents the unit from performing any functions until you enter a user-defined four-digit PIN or take it to a predetermined location.
Performance
We tested the Garmin Nuvi 200 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit less than two minutes to get a GPS fix under clear skies, while subsequent starts were almost instantaneous. If the system is having any problems acquiring a fix, a pop-up message will appear onscreen and ask you if it should continue searching for satellites. If you're indoors and tap no, you can still plan trips and get a running demo of your route.
During free drives around the city, the Nuvi 200 accurately tracked our location. We also planned a specific trip from the Marina district of San Francisco to CNET's downtown headquarters, and the system quickly returned with a route. We also missed several turns to test the route recalculation rate, and after a few seconds, the Nuvi gave us new directions, always before our next maneuver.
User reviews
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Does the job, but you get what you pay for
by Dan from Montreal on September 9, 2007
Pros: Compact, well made, well designed - a Garmin
Cons: No SiRF receiver, no WAAS - A lower performance Garmin
Summary: To be honest, the Nuvi 250 works OK.
And if this is your firs Garmin, you will probably be very happy with it.
It is compact; it has all the ...Summary: To be honest, the Nuvi 250 works OK.
And if this is your firs Garmin, you will probably be very happy with it.
It is compact; it has all the good features of a Garmin: clear screen, intuitive operation, good routing engine and it is very well built.
The Nuvi 250 is actually very similar to the Street Pilot C530 that was stolen from my car last August.
And by the way stolen: always remove the GPS from the windshield BFORE you arrive to your designated parking spot.
Mine was hidden in the car, but somebody saw when I removed it and where I put it. So they broke the window and went directly for the GPS.
But let?s go back to the Nuvi.
As I said it works fine. But after owning the C530, you can see a BIG difference.
The 250 has no SiRf chipset for receiver and no WAAS capability (SiRF=the highest receiving sensitivity available on the market; WAAS=a system enhancing the positioning resolution from 10 to 2 meters).
So the 250 is slower to react when you miss your turn, it may ?think? you are on the service road when you really are on the highway and much worst, there are locations where the C530 had no problem to lock on satellites at 3-4 green lines and where the nuvi 250 will NEVER lock whatever you do. And this, in my opinion is BAD.
It means Garmin cut the price but they also cut badly on performance and went back to the pre-SiRf era of low performance GPS receivers (like the Street Pilot C330).
I believe Garmin can do whatever they want, but what I do not like is the fact that they are deceiving us by not stating this reality. On the 250 they state: high sensitivity receiver (?!). It is like saying: This car has a very big engine. Wow, very convincing!
I think we should be the ones deciding how much we want to spend and for what level of performance. They should state that the 250 is an entry level GPS with an acceptable chipset that is less performing than the SiRf, and as such the lower price. This is a simple and fair statement.
Personally, I bought the nuvi 350 for comparison and I found that for 100$ more, it is by far a better GPS, even if I don?t like too much the flip antenna feature; so I am returning the nuvi 250.
I hope this helps.15 out of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Compact, accurate, and easy to use.
by doctorgeek--2008 on July 17, 2007
Pros: Ready to go, out of the box. Loaded with points of interests, very intuitive to use.
Cons: Hard to see in bright sun if you wear polarized sunglasses.
Summary: I live in Canada, and the Nuvi 250 I purchased came loaded with both Canada and U.S. maps.
I had this unit working minutes after I bought it. I ...Summary: I live in Canada, and the Nuvi 250 I purchased came loaded with both Canada and U.S. maps.
I had this unit working minutes after I bought it. I was in the store parking lot and was plotting routes very quickly with its intuitive interface.
The search interface is easy. While I was in the store parking lot I asked it: "Find me Chinese Food restaurants closest to my location." It starts spilling out restaurants closest to farthest, and lets you set any one of those as your destination. Amazing.
The voice is loud and clear (I had it set to 8 out of 10 on the volume scale.). It doesn't read out the actual street names -- you would need to pay more $$$ for that for an upgraded model. But it does tell you of upcoming turns (left or right) and how far ahead that turn is on your current route. The unit will display the upcoming turn-street name at the top of the display though if you really want to know that street name.
I did notice that some local points of interest that are less than approximately 3 years established aren't in the current database. But I assume that there will be upgraded maps available at some point (I haven't figured that part out yet.)
Garmin also has a "POI - Point of Interest" Loader utility that allows custom points to be downloaded to the unit via a PC. I've looked on the web and have seen some user data files available. This includes "Red Light" cameras and "Radar Trap" hot spots. The unit will notify you if you approach one of these points of "interest".
You can set the map to be 3d, or 2d overhead view -- your preference.
The map automatically adjusts the LCD colors and contract (favorably) at night when it's dark, so that the map isn't shining bright in the car cabin. That was a nice touch. (You can also disable this option.)
The touch screen interface is responsive. The unit can disengage from the mount and slips easily into your pocket (comes with a leather case.)
The one con I noticed is that in bright daylight -- if you're wearing polarized sunglasses -- it will be hard to see the display. But if you take the sunglasses off, you can see it OK. I don't think think this is unique to this unit. Those people who regularly wear polarized sunglasses probably notice weird optical effects with any type of LCD display (car display, your digital watch, etc.) My wife doesn't wear polarized shades, and had no problems seeing the unit with her sunglasses. I don't think this is a big deal.
At this point, the unit will do everything I need it to. My wife was surprisingly impressed, as she sees this as a gadget that she can easily use by herself. I have absolutely no regrets, and I'm eager to go on long road trips now that I have this unit.6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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good but not great
by gmnguyen on September 17, 2007
Pros: sensitive receiver, small size, picture viewer
Cons: bad route recalculating in residential area
Summary: I had a chance to test the Nuvi 250 against the C330 and C530 from Garmin. The Nuvi 250 is a good GPS. It does everything right at a slower ...
Summary: I had a chance to test the Nuvi 250 against the C330 and C530 from Garmin. The Nuvi 250 is a good GPS. It does everything right at a slower speed than the C530. The Nuvi 250 satellite reception is better than the C330 and worst than the C530. The nuvi250 main advantage is its slim size. I was about to keep it even its performance was just average because of its small size. I took it and the C530 to the road and they both performed well although the C530 was always faster in route recalculation. One day, I took both nuvi 250 and C530 to a residential area to find my friend's house and I found a big problem with the Nuvi 250. The nuvi 250 did not recalculate route when I made a wrong turn in small streets and it kept thinking I was in the right track. It did not do anything, not even a voice prompt. The C530 actually guided me to a new route in a sec after I made a wrong turn and it guided me to the destination very well. I then took a few more test with the Nuvi 250 in other residential area and the Nuvi 250 was completely lost when I made wrong turns. The Nuvi 250 simply did not know what to do. The C530 always worked in all condition even down the basement. The C530 is superior to nuvi 250 in satellite acquisition. I finally had to return the Nuv250 and keep the C530.
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great buy for $129 canadian funds
by grasstango on September 27, 2009
Pros: quick map upload, easy to hear, easy to see in sunlight, Nice size. can recharge from your pc(you can buy a ubs cord)
Cons: None at all
Summary: we bought this and it works great. hasent got us lost at all. the voice is nice and clear. and some have said you cant see in the day light. ...
Summary: we bought this and it works great. hasent got us lost at all. the voice is nice and clear. and some have said you cant see in the day light. I can see fine. a few said that they are told to get off at the wrong exit? maby they put the wrong map down, all I know is this thing works great. No it dosent have text to speach but I really dont care. it has the street name on the screen and the voice says to left turn right. when I pick a map it take no time at all to search. I would buy another in a heart beat. well worth the buy
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atrocious!!
by kpadre77 on July 9, 2009
Pros: Can find addresses 95% of the time. Small and easy to use when it works.
Cons: It gets lost a lot. Doesn't take fastest routes when on fastest route setting. Has roads that don' exist in database. Slow to capture satellites.
Summary: I see the Garmin's have the highest ratings. If this is the best then none are of much value. It seems to think that one busy city thoroughfare is ...
Summary: I see the Garmin's have the highest ratings. If this is the best then none are of much value. It seems to think that one busy city thoroughfare is faster than another just because of a state Hwy. designation, so ignores other faster streets. It is slow to capture a signal when you turn it on in a new city; sometimes you have to turn it on/off several times to get a signal. Streets that don't exist come up as a route to drive. You would need a bulldozer (not just a 4wd) to take some of the streets/roads that come up on the screen as the route to take. I am a power user. It is also annoying to have to re-enter the city name every time I am looking for a new address in the same city. Good product as a toy; terrible as a work tool.
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'searching for satellite'
by davw123 on May 12, 2009
Pros: portable, has extensive information about restaurants, hotels, etc
Cons: Ohhh, where to begin. When the unit works, it works really well, which makes this such a frustrating product... it spends a TON of time trying to locate a satellite, and loses reception easily. More often than not it jams up....
Summary: One of the most unreliable pieces of electronic equipment I have ever purchased. Got a 'deal', only to find out that the maps included were old... upgrading to the newer ...
Summary: One of the most unreliable pieces of electronic equipment I have ever purchased. Got a 'deal', only to find out that the maps included were old... upgrading to the newer maps required a lot of $ and was a pain to do... had to delete the majority of its memory simply to make room for the new maps. Was told that garmin would cover the cost of the maps, but good luck getting any amount of service from that company. They are more than happy to sell you upgrades, but never do get around to honoring their map upgrades as promised. When it worked, it worked really well; however, this gadget was so tempramental that it was utterly unreliable. I'd be well on my way to a location when out of nowhere i see the dreaded 'acquiring satellite'. This gadget reminded me of trying to keep that college am radio station tuned in while driving under a bridge... just completely unreliable. The final straw for my garmin experience was when I was on vacation, mapless, trying to find my grandpa's house in Florida. Kept 'searching for satellite'... I spotted a Target store, pulled into the lot, ran in, purchased a TomTom, booted up, set it up, and made it to grandpas with no problem. The WHOLE time garmin was still 'searching for satellite." Used tomtom for the rest of the week with no problem. My garmin is now in the trash, searching for satellite.
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Great and valuable instrument for your vehicle.
by seabreeze53 on February 27, 2009
Pros: never get lost or delayedd anymore. Takes me to where I need to go in the shortest and fastest time.
Cons: So far, nothing.
Summary: Small, compact and easy to use. Tells you in clear and precise language where you need to turn and how far you need to go before your next move or ...
Summary: Small, compact and easy to use. Tells you in clear and precise language where you need to turn and how far you need to go before your next move or turn. Large and clear picture, nice clear volume. Recieved this gift from a senator while driving for him on one of his recent charters. Best gift I could have ever recieved. Never knew how useful and valuable they are in helping you get somewhee you never been to before.
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This nice small gps that is easy to carry around
by wdchin on December 1, 2008
Pros: It is small and easy to carry around. I like the simple interface.
Cons: No power cord included. Would be nice if you can enter your destination via when connected to the pc. You'll feel like to ditch this one, once you get a hold of wider screens 4.3
Summary: If you want something basic that just give direction, on a budget, this is the one to go.
Summary: If you want something basic that just give direction, on a budget, this is the one to go.
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Great Little GPS
by bhartman35 on November 29, 2008
Pros: 1) Compact size
2) Not bound to a car
3) Good directions overallCons: 1) Modes could be confusing
2) Only charges via USB outide of car
3) No voice directions past first step
4) No voice commandsSummary: Overall, this is a great GPS. I've used it on several trips, and the directions it gives have always been accurate. It might not always get you to your ...
Summary: Overall, this is a great GPS. I've used it on several trips, and the directions it gives have always been accurate. It might not always get you to your destination in the most efficient way, but it'll always get you there, and the maps are clean and easy to read. It's also stripped of the frills that can make a GPS cost more: Bluetooth and MP3 playback are absent here.
One of teh things that I didn't like was the different modes can be confusing. It's got Vehicle or Pedestrian mode. Unfortunately, nothing on the Map display tells you which mode you're in. (In Pedestrian mode, your location still shows up as a car icon, for example.) This means that you have to be careful when you start a trip that you're in the right mode. Otherwise, the GPS could have you going on inappropriate roads and seriously miscalculate your trip. Thankfully (or maybe not, depending upon how important the trip is), it'll only take you one trip in the wrong mode before you remember to check it every time!
Overall, though, this is a great GPS if you don't need/want frills, and your main concern is getting from Point A to Point B. -
For the money, how can you complain?
by vacektomy on August 27, 2008
Pros: Small, light weight, quick sat acquisition, comprehensive map set, mounting system is solid and steady, great feature set for entry-level device. Map changes automatically when lighting conditions warrant (like, going through a tunnel).
Cons: Has many POI's in the menu that no longer exist.
Summary: This review is for the 205, which is an entry-level device for a bargain price (<175) yet it's easily on par with full-featured devices from just a few ...
Summary: This review is for the 205, which is an entry-level device for a bargain price (<175) yet it's easily on par with full-featured devices from just a few years ago. So we won't complain here. Originally bought the 200, but the map set (2008) really seemed about 3 years out of date. So I returned it and got the 205, which has a much more current map.
Terminally impatient, I slapped this on the windshield while sitting in the store parking lot. Without even a glance at the instructions, I was navigating around town on a trial run. Really, the darn thing is that intuitive and user friendly. And accurate, too. Because it's so much fun to use, it's hard to remember just how functional GPS can be. On our first long trip, we started getting low on gas in a remote area and tapped in "gas" on the POI screen. The nuvi took us straight to a gas station we probably never would've found without it.
Highly recommended for basic, no frills navigation.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Garmin
- Part number: 010-00621-00
- Description: Simple navigation at an affordable price - that's nüvi 250. This entry-level Personal Travel Assistant comes with preloaded maps. Like all nüvi 200-series members, the 250 features an easy-to-use colorful touch screen and ultra-slim design - perfect for everyday navigation.
General
- Width 3.8 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 2.8 in
- Weight 5.2 oz
GPS System
- Recommended Use Automotive
- SBAS WAAS
- Connectivity USB
- Voice Navigation instructions
- Antenna Built-in
- Features Calculator, Custom POIs, Garmin Lock, Preinstalled POIs, JPEG photo playback, 2D / 3D map perspective
- Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card
- Maps Included Hawaii, Puerto Rico, North America
- Software Included MapSource City Navigator North America NT
Navigation
- Waypoints 500
- Trip computer Back-On-Track, Avoid highways, Avoid toll roads, Fast/short route
Built-in Display
- Type TFT
- Resolution 320 x 240
- Diagonal Size 3.5 in
- Display Illumination Yes
- Color Support Color
- Features Anti-glare, Touch screen
Connections
- Connector Type USB
Battery
- Battery Enclosure Type Internal
- Battery technology Lithium ion
- Mfr estimated battery life 5 hour(s)
Miscellaneous
- GPS design features JPEG picture viewer, Clock, Currency converter, Measurement converter, Calculator
- Included GPS accessories Car power adapter, Automotive windshield mount
Manufacturer info
- Garmin
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Garmin products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.garmin.com
- Address:
1200 E. 151st St, Olathe, KS - Phone: 913-397-8200
- Fax: 913-397-8282
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