Find the perfect gift for everyoneGarmin Nuvi 260
Manufacturer: Garmin Part number: 010-00621-31
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Garmin Nuvi 260 offers drivers and travelers a more budget-friendly version of the popular portable navigation devices and includes text-to-speech, but we think the price is still slightly high for what you get.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | See Site | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/23/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Garmin Nuvi 260 price range: $341.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Edited by: Antuan Goodwin
- Reviewed on: 07/29/2009
- Released on: 05/16/2007
The good: The Garmin Nuvi 260 boasts a compact design and is easy to use. It offers accurate directions and some nice tools for the traveler. The Nuvi 260's text-to-speech reads street and POI names aloud.
The bad: Though the Nuvi 260 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 260 offers drivers and travelers a more budget-friendly version of the popular portable navigation devices and includes text-to-speech, but we think the price is still slightly high for what you get.
Editors' note: The following review is of the Garmin Nuvi 200 series. As part of the 200 series, the 260 has the same design, functions, and features as the unit reviewed below, but adds a text-to-speech function that reads street and POI names aloud. As a result, the Nuvi 260 gets an extra point in the features rating category.
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 smartphones 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 is bright and sharp, with a 320x240 pixel resolution and 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 using the system only 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 views 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. Plus and minus icons on the map screen allow 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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Best dedicated GPS I ever used !!
by frankwr on October 12, 2007
Pros: Light, portable, long battery life, bright screen, really fits in your pocket.
Cons: None that amount to much ... USB cable should be included for free.
Summary: Works great, super fast re-routing and long battery life. This is one of the easiest to use GPS units around. No flip up antenna, super bright screen, great voice choices (...
Summary: Works great, super fast re-routing and long battery life. This is one of the easiest to use GPS units around. No flip up antenna, super bright screen, great voice choices (British Daniel is my favorite...very smooth),goes anywhere and really fits in your pocket. It does what a GPS is supposed to do...not play music or answer your phone. It's ready in a flash to get you where you need to go and does it very well thank you !!
I'VE USED THE NUVI260 FOR ALMOST 2 YRS NOW & STILL FIND IT TO BE THE BEST, BRIGHTEST AND MOST COMPACT GPS. I HAVE A WIDE VERSION AND STILL FIND THE SMALLER 260 UNIT EASIER TO GRAB AND CARRY IN MY POCKET WHEREVER I NEED TO GO--ESPECIALLY ON TRIPS. MY BROTHER HAS A NAVIGON AND MY GARMIN OUTSHINES IT EVERY TIME IN EASE OF USE!!
Updated on Jun 5, 200918 out of 19 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best GPS for the price!
by benchmarker on November 23, 2007
Pros: Slim, Great Windsheild Mount, Bright Screen, Text-To-Speech, Easy to use
Cons: Slow to boot but fast to get signal, no volume dial on side (touch buttons on screen instead)
Summary: I'll keep this short and sweet. Since I've had it, It's led me perfectly wherever I planned out, fit easily in my pocket (smallest car GPS?), and ...
Summary: I'll keep this short and sweet. Since I've had it, It's led me perfectly wherever I planned out, fit easily in my pocket (smallest car GPS?), and looks great, aesthetically. It has a charcoal body, not silver, and the screen is among the brightest out there (unlike the Nuvi 350). There isn't an mp3 player (who cares?) but you can still use an SD card for the jpg viewer. Grab the update online which increases the draw speed on the maps. What adds to the fun of this unit is that you can also download custom vehicle icons from garmin.com AND download various other voices for the Text-To-Speech. It comes with American English "Jill" but you can download both male and female voices for American, British, and Australian English. I have a Santa Sleigh with (a slightly robotic) Lara Croft telling me where to go. I love this GPS!
17 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I did my research
by johnf8--2008 on December 28, 2007
Pros: Compact and text to speech (TTS)
Cons: No USB cable, case for unti or wall plug
Summary: I really like this unit. I would recommend buying this if you are not looking to spend too much money and you want a GPS sytem to do exactly what ...
Summary: I really like this unit. I would recommend buying this if you are not looking to spend too much money and you want a GPS sytem to do exactly what it is made to do, get you from here to there. I am not interested in other bells and whistles that more expensive units have such as using it as an MP3 player etc. My other reason for posting here is for answers. I read a review on here from a person that says you can download various voices for the text to speech? If you review the second second review on here you can read what i am talking about and asking. They state that they downloaded Lara Croft's voice? For the life of me I can not seem to find any where on the internet (even the Garmin website) where you can download other voices. I would really appreciate it if anyone reading my review can email me with this information. My email address is fenway_08@yahoo.com Thank you all.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Worth the price
by x42384 on November 19, 2007
Pros: Compact, light, accurate,
Cons: Security feature is worthless.
Summary: Likes:
* Slim casing, rounded corners.
* Bright display
* Text to speech is a big plus. (i.e. speak street names) - 250 and 270 do not have this.
* Accurate directions.
* Easy ...Summary: Likes:
* Slim casing, rounded corners.
* Bright display
* Text to speech is a big plus. (i.e. speak street names) - 250 and 270 do not have this.
* Accurate directions.
* Easy to use Web Updater program to obtain software updates.
* Decent price - but price is falling.
Dont' Like
* Many accesories left out to keep price low (i.e. Leather case, USB cable, home charger)
* Satellite display no longer there. (350 and 370 have this)
* Security feature is worthless. It is a four digit password that can easily be broken. Think about it 0000-9999. Won't take long to break this. Please, everyone send a complaint to Garmin to allow alphanumeric passcode.
Overall, this unit is a winner with me. It's slick casing makes it easy to carry around. Very easy to use.!!5 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Text To Speech GPS
by mjv1973 on November 3, 2007
Pros: Text to Speech is clear and accurate
Cons: Wish it came in a wide screen
Summary: I have owned the Nuvi 200 and really like the 260 with the Text To Speech. I also owned a Tom Tom One which I returned and bought a Tom ...
Summary: I have owned the Nuvi 200 and really like the 260 with the Text To Speech. I also owned a Tom Tom One which I returned and bought a Tom Tom Go 720 for my wife. I like the Tom Tom but the time for the routes is not nearly as accurate as the Nuvi is. Also I love how the Nuvi has the trip option, the 720 does not have anything like that.
5 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Does exactly what I want it to
by OMyMyOHellYes on December 3, 2007
Pros: Touch screen interface is wonderfully easy to use; bright, clear screen; easy, intuitive Garmin menus; text to speech (TTS) is amazing (sometimes you get weird phonetics but still amazing technology!)
Cons: I really don't have anything bad to say.
Summary: This unit was an upgrade purchase - replaced a Garmin Quest.
My thoughts on selecting this unit:
* I want a GPS to get me where I'm wanting to go ...Summary: This unit was an upgrade purchase - replaced a Garmin Quest.
My thoughts on selecting this unit:
* I want a GPS to get me where I'm wanting to go - not play music, answer my phone, give me traffic/weather updates, or take my laundry to the cleaners. This unit does everything a GPS should without a lot of silly bells and whistles.
* I want complete North American database in the unit (with Quest, I was always off-loading/up-loading area maps for every trip).
* I love the touch-screen interface - far, far easier to use than the old button and pad search-for-a-letter-and-put-the-cursor-on-it-and-hit-enter method of entry.
* Small footprint - I don't need/want a big GPS unit. The new 200 and 700 series units are sleek and sexy. This was one of the reasons I didn't consider other major brands - comparable units were bigger or thicker or bulkier.
* Internal antenna - nothing to stick out - increases mounting flexibility.
I narrowed down my choices to the Nuvi 250W or the 260. At pretty equal price points, the trade off was the TTS ability of the 260 to tell me street/highway names along route and the wide-screen of the 250W. In the end I chose the TTS ability of the 260: the side-screen looks nice and fits well with the eye's appreciation of a wide view, but I decided this was really a useless feature - when using electronic navigation, I'm concerned with what's in front of me and not what's out to my sides - with the wide screen, you get more of the useless out-to-my-sides picture - not more trip detail or useful map detail or more data fields. And one thing that TTS does is eliminate much ambiguity when a unit would say "turn right" when there were three places to turn right in the space of a couple hundred feet.
It doesn't have a few features that my Quest did: true, it doesn't show the satellites and their relative position but that data didn't really do me any good anyway - I can't see them - I'm good so long as the unit can find the birds; I miss the ability to see my altitude in the map view as well as my distance from destination - small concession - I can still find them.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The navigator I have used so far.
by mygarbage on April 10, 2008
Pros: Size, Street name declaration, Battery life, Menu and settings,
Cons: The voice prompt seems to be a little faded than the Garmin 250
Summary: This is a wonderful product no doubt.
I preferred this over Garmin 250 for the Text to Speech feature. When you need to look at the screen to know the ...Summary: This is a wonderful product no doubt.
I preferred this over Garmin 250 for the Text to Speech feature. When you need to look at the screen to know the name of the street to double check it's often not so safe.
Honestly with this one you can reach your destination even without looking at it, that makes it unique.
I drove around DownTown Toronto to completely unknown places in the rush hour and it took me to every address without any hassle.
However the speech seems to be a little fading away, since the voice of Garmin nuvi 250 was clearer, I exchanged it but the fading seems to be there too. I guess this is because of the Text to Speeck feature, but it's not difficult at all to recognise street names or instructions.
Yes it doesn't have BlueTooth, MP3 and other fancy features, I guess we decided to buy a GPS, not a multimeadia system!!!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Solid gps with text to speech can be found for 199.00
by bob1xxxx on August 19, 2008
Pros: does what it should gets from point a to point b quicky text to speech in my book is more important than larger screen and traffic updates from msn.
Cons: other mini usb charges will charge the unit , but only garmins will allow you to charge the unit and use it while driving. Three times over the last month its "gotten lost" but pulling over and letting system rediscover the end point gets back going
Summary: Ok this a great gps unit with all garmins great full feature easy to use feature set. Speech to text is very important safe feature especially when night driving so ...
Summary: Ok this a great gps unit with all garmins great full feature easy to use feature set. Speech to text is very important safe feature especially when night driving so you keep your eyes on the road looking for the street, I my mind its more important than a larger screen I got mine on sale at Frys for 199.00. It a great deal plug it in to my pc reigester it and got the 2009 map update for free. You really can't go wrong with this unit for my purposes it a great solid gps unit at a great price.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Does exactly what you want, perfect so far!
by WoodrowCall on July 29, 2008
Pros: Small, text to speech, easy-to-read screen, good mapping
Cons: None so far
Summary: It's small, the windshield suction cup works perfectly, the text-to-speech works great, the screen is easy to read, the audio is easy to hear, the expected time of arrival ...
Summary: It's small, the windshield suction cup works perfectly, the text-to-speech works great, the screen is easy to read, the audio is easy to hear, the expected time of arrival works fine. A great unit!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good dedicated GPS
by Dark Wanderer on July 22, 2008
Pros: Slim, price, TTS
Cons: No external volume control, comes with only car charger
Summary: When I first thought about getting a GPS I knew that I was going to get a Garmin, it was only a matter of which model. At first I thought ...
Summary: When I first thought about getting a GPS I knew that I was going to get a Garmin, it was only a matter of which model. At first I thought I would go with the StreetPilot c550 but realized there were a number of functions that I would not use. So, I started to look into the lower end Nuvi series.
I have finally come to terms that even though I like tech. I still have a hard time justifying paying a lot for it. But with the Nuvi 260 I found it about $100 cheaper then the c550 so that helped a great deal with my decision.
Pros of the Nuvi 260
-It is a no frills GPS it does what it is supposed to do. Tells you where you are and how to get to where you want to go. No MP3 player, no weather, no traffic. Does have a picture viewer if you wanted one to view pictures from an SD card on a larger screen then a camera.
-A bit long to boot up, but fast to acquire a satellite signal.
-The Nuvi is small and thin. It fits in my front breast pocket just fine, which is something that I would not have been able to do with the StreetPilot. So I can take it with me instead of hiding it in the car.
-Comes with extras like built in world clock, currency converter, and a calculator. Granted for most these thing are more of a bonus then a utility. But I like the fact that they are there if I need them.
-TTS (test to speech) It?s not perfect but then again its like that no matter which GPS you get. For me some streets it will say the rout number rather then the street name, but it is something I can live with. I would much rather hear turn right on Jay St. then turn right in X amount of feet. The speech was actually better with default ?Jill? then what I had heard on my father?s c550. He uses *Australian female.* If you were thinking of going for the Nuvi 200 I would say that you should put down a little extra money and get the 260. It is pretty much the 200 with TTS.
Cons
-The lack of external volume control is a little bit annoying. It?s not so much that it is hard to get to and change but, I would rather be able to keep the map on screen and lower/raise the volume rather then click off it through two other screens to change it.
-Points of interest seem to be limited to about 10 +/- mile from your current location. This kind of bummed me out because I know there is a great Japans restaurant about 12 miles from my house but I never remember which road I have to take to get there. Yes I can look up the address or program it in the GPS next time I am there but, with the c550 having an interest spread out to about 25 miles I could see it from my house with that GPS.
-Lack of in box extras. You get the window mount, clip for the back of the GPS for the ball and socket window mount, and a car charger. I am not saying that I was expecting all the accessories know to man but at least a case, or a home/USB charger would have been a nice extra. I know with the lower end models you normally don?t get these extras and I can live with that, but I think at the very least a USB 2.0 cable should have been included for those who may not have them around there home or office.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Garmin
- Part number: 010-00621-31
- Description: Bring the ultra-cool Nüvi 260 along for the ride, and arrive on time and in style. Similar to Nüvi 250, Nüvi 260 is attractively priced and simple to use. Plus, this sleek, slim navigator comes with turn-by-turn voice directions that announce the name of streets as you navigate, so you can keep your eyes on the road. With Nüvi 260 you're just a few screen taps away from anywhere.
General
- Width 3.8 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 2.8 in
- Weight 5.2 oz
GPS System
- Recommended Use Automotive
- Connectivity USB
- Voice Navigation instructions, Street name announcement
- Antenna Built-in
- Features Custom POIs, Garmin Lock, Built-in speaker, Preinstalled POIs, JPEG photo playback, 2D / 3D map perspective
- Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card
- 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
- Included GPS accessories Vehicle mount, Car power adapter
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
