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232 of 239 people found the following review helpful.
A Superb Basic Personal Navigation (GPS) Device
By Lawrence H. Bulk
This Garmin nüvi 250W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator is my primary GPS unit. Having now owned it for various days, and with my wife and me putting it through it is paces, I may unquestionably and candidly say that it is an magnificent unit, one of which Garmin will have to be proud.
It is considered to be a "basic" GPS device.
This unit does the job, does it very well, and does it very simply.
It gets you there and it gets you back! You won't ever be lost when you use this device.
That is the reason for which you buy an item such as this. This queer unit functions much like it is contest except that, from what I have read, it genuinely works much better than most of them. And from my own experience with it I may say that I could not be more satisfied.
The nüvi 250W (as well as the nüvi 250) come pre-loaded with maps of all of North America, including Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The nüvi 200W (and the nüvi 200) have maps only for the "lower 48" states including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. While that may be sufficient for a good deal of (probably most) people, I think the 250W offers much more for a comparatively little divergence in price.
To add Canada and Alaska maps to the 200/200W costs more than the price divergence amid the 250/250W and the 200/200W. The choice of which device to buy, of course, depends on where you plan or may plan to travel. Otherwise, the 250/250W and the 200/200W function identically.
The wide screen of the "W" units is, in my opinion, not a frill but rather an exceedingly utile upgrade in terms of visibility and usefulness. You may see much more of the surrounding area and this may be of outstanding support when you're in an unfamiliar place.
Its wide screen is very bright in daylight, does not wash out, and may be set to mechanically dim at night. This auto-adjust feature works very well without doubt and is actually welcome. Once set, you need not adjust the luminance any further. The sound volume control is to the full or entire extent and without apparent effort adjustable; I personally have found that the best setting for me is 70%. This level may be heard distinctly over my radio/CD that I may have playing without "blasting," so I have left it at that level.
Obviously, in only a few days of ownership, I have not been capable to explore all it is capabilities, but I have found the Garmin web internetlocation to be of outstanding help. (If you don't already know the URL of Garmin's site, just do a search. For numerous reason Amazon does not grant the URL to be posted here.) There is a wealth of data there. I was even capable to update my firmware from version 2.60 (supplied) to the latest version 2.90. This was rather easy to do. (Of course, to do this you need a 6ft USBa/mini B Device USBa To Mini B 2.0 Compatible (#27005) or similar which, fabulously and disappointingly, Garmin does not include in the package. This peculiar cable, at Amazon's very low price, is well-worth buying, even if only as a spare. However, you may have one or more of these cables from other apps lying with regards to your house, as I do.)
Garmin's website supports Apple Macintosh computers as well as Windows computers.
Entering addresses, saving them to if desired, and in truth driving to a chosen emplacement is straightforward. I found the directions chosen to be rather accurate. So far, I have tested the unit only locally and on emplacements known to me. But in each case it took me the same way that I would have gone myself. Distances tested have been up to in regards to 20 miles. This unit likewise features a bicycle mode and a pedestrian mode, but I have tried neither as yet. (I grasp that if you are parked in a crowded parking lot, you may switch to the pedestrian mode, mark the emplacement of your automobile, and, after you are finished buying goods or whatever, the unit will walk you right back to your car!)
I tried the function a couple of times, just for testing, and it worked flawlessly. The function also worked flawlessly.
If you miss an conveyed turn, which I did deliberately, the device recalculates exceedingly rapidly. I am astonished as to how well it works in this regard.
Of course, NO GPS device is a substitute for local knowledge. None of them may know of, for example, closed roads, seasonally affected roads, or roads underneath construction. None may know that a "back road route" to a place which, even even though somewhat longer in mileage, wards off heavy local traffic, for the duration of local rush hour, for example, and so is genuinely much shorter in time.
Sometimes you may still have to ask!
But, in general, these devices, and this one in queer with it is superb detouring ability, function very well indeed. Note that there is no limit on the number of times you may press . If you feel that the unit is taking you a way on which you do not want to travel, plainly press the button again.
The number and extent of the pre-loaded "Points of Interest" is just staggering! There are 6,000,000(!) of them! I just can't imagine anybody not being competent to find just what he is looking for! AND, further and added customized points of interest may be added quickly and effortlessly and for the most part for free (see Garmin's website for information). This is amazing!
If you are moving to a new town, or are visiting an unfamiliar place, this "Points of Interest" function will show you just when it comes to each store, business, or place of amusement you could desire. The unit may even indicate when you are near a "Point of Interest" which is contained within or programmed into it is memory.
This unit also points out "speed zones" - both visually and audibly. The usefulness of this queer feature in unfamiliar locatings goes without saying!
Unfortunately, the low price presently being charged precludes Garmin from providing as ordinary sure items, in addition to the USB cable cited above, which, in my opinion, are necessary. While this may seem as though it's annoying "nickel-and-diming" (and it is!) the further and added necessary items are, fortunately, not very expensive.
These are the assorted optional accessaries that I must commend (I purchased them all): the primary two are the Garmin Portable Friction Mount for Nuvi, StreetPilot I Series & C530, C550 (010-10908-00) (it is much, much better than the included window-mount suction cup - believe me, this "bean-bag" is a superb item - and it is mandatory in sure states), and the Garmin Carrying Case for Nuvi 660 (010-10823-01) (which I genuinely wish were supplied as standard).
[Please note that, rather of Garmin's own carrying case, I now commend the AmazonBasics Carrying Case for Portable GPS Units (Black) which is constructed just as well, perhaps better, than Garmin's own and is less expensive.]
Amazon carries both of these items as well as the unit itself and this season I have found their prices to be better than that of any other retailer. Their shipping service is top-notch as well.
There are two other accessaries I recommend: 1) do NOT buy an AC Adapter for this unit; it is very expensive. Instead, buy an "AC Travel Charger with 12V Accessory Outlet" (formerly available from Amazon but now only available from PartsExpresscom); this alone will be all you need to grant the DC Power Adapter that comes with the unit to be employed from any AC source. Merely navigate to PartsExpress' web website and enter the above description (in quotes) into the search box (without the quotation marks, of course). It is far less pricey (only $6.78) than an AC Adapter, and, of course, may be applied with other DC-powered items as well. And 2) buy a soft side (padded) lunch box or fishing tackle box (I purchased a cheap one at Wal-Mart) of suitable size to store the respective accessories. This may be left in the trunk of your car out of sight when the GPS is not in use.
Obviously, you ought to NEVER - NEVER! -leave the unit itself anyplace in your car, at ANY time when the car is parked and you're not there, even if it's concealed away.
And you must NEVER - NEVER! - leave ANY of the affixations or accessaries visible in your car when it is is parked.
In fact, you must NEVER leave any clue whatsoever that you have one of these devices. Thieves may be very clever! ALWAYS take the unit with you when you leave your car - each time!
It is in all likelihood safe to leave just the accessaries as long as they are all cautiously concealed away in the trunk or other than as supposed or expected camouflaged (and no one has seen you hide them or place the items in your trunk! Be VERY careful!). I have heard that thieves even look for suction-cup marks on the windshield and, if they see one, they break into your car, figuring that you have a GPS device concealed in your glove box! GPS units are today's "hot" item to steal and sell.
You must apply mutual sense when using one of these devices, at least at the present time. You also want to make your car less "inviting" to thieves.
As a further help in making theft more or less less attractive, this Garmin unit has a feature that I genuinely like - a security feature. One sets a 4-digit PIN AND sets this up at any peculiar desired emplacement (generally your home). When you start out up the unit, if you are at your starting point, the unit comes on automatically. If you are at any other location, you ought to enter the PIN. (DON'T let anybody see what you enter.) This security feature, once enabled, cannot be discomfited (though you yourself may disable it). If it were operational and you were to forget (or a thief did not know) your PIN or your starting location, the only way to get the unit to work again requires sending it back to Garmin! (If a thief were absurd sufficient to send the unit back to Garmin and you had registered it with them - HIGHLY commended - Garmin would recognise to whom the unit veritably belonged.) You yourself may change the security emplacement and/or the PIN at any time (for example, if you were away on vacation and staying at a queer hotel, that hotel could be your new starting point. Touch from within the menu, and, from wherever you occur to be, you will be taken right back to your hotel).
This queer Garmin GPS device, positioned as a "basic" or "entry-level" unit, does not feature text-to-speech (though it does speak turning instructions such as "turn right" and/or "turn left" - it repeats these instructions at least twice - and the direction of entrances and exits, so you know the side of the road on which you need to be well in advance, and it does so with magnificent volume and clarity), does not have an FM transmitter, an MP3 player, or Bluetooth capability and does not include a few other features available on much-more-expensive GPS devices, but, in my opinion, those further and added features which are not present on this peculiar model are mere frills. Functions such as those just mentioned, or even speaking the actual name of the street on which you are to turn - this last is very easy to read on this unit and the price differential from those GPS units that do offer that function is significant - are, again in my opinion, unnecessary. They do not one thing to heighten the actual performance of a GPS device in doing the occupation for which it was purchased.
Of course, the Garmin nüvi 250W, in mutual with most current electronic devices, does come with a few utile further and added features which are in addition to it is main function. There is a calculator (quite utile in, for example, a restaurant), a clock (which may be set to mechanically switch among usual and daylight-savings time as well as show respective time zones around the world), a picture viewer (to be employed in conjunction with an SD card), a currency converter (that may be manually updated), and a units converter. (Even a so-called basic GPS such as this one would have been undreamed of just a few years ago!)
This GPS unit is VERY sensitive. I have routinely locked onto the satellites from within my house, even on the firstborn floor. The very initial time I turned it on, it took when it comes to three minutes to find the satellites (this was outdoors) but since then it takes but a few seconds before getting the signal no matter where I am.
I conservatively researched GPS units for some time before settling to buy this one. Frankly, I was particularly fascinated in Magellan's units because of their association with AAA (I have been a fellow member for over 40 years), but, after reading on Amazon's websites and a few others with regards to the very poor telephone support given to owners of Magellan GPS units (from India, no less), and, after researching TomTom units and reading the respective user complaints in regards to them (mostly regarding odd directions and poor map support), I purchased this Garmin nüvi 250W and, so far, I'm glad I did. (I did call Garmin's help center with a couple of minor questions and I found the experience to be totally satisfactory. Their help is excellent.)
I think this Garmin nüvi 250W would be a safe recommendation for anybody wanting a basic Personal Navigation Device which is priced fairly, is well-made, and does it is occupation very well. The wide 4.3-inch screen on this "W" unit, which allows much more info to be seen, is well-worth the little extra cost over the "plain" 3.5-inch Garmin nüvi 250, which, as conveyed previously, is other than as supposed or expected the same.
In short, I think this queer unit is a superb performer and offers magnificent value for money.
And buy it from Amazon. You just won't go wrong with them!
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Update - February 24, 2008:
I like this unit so much that I purchased one as a gift for my son. I also purchased all of my commended accessaries for him as well. I ordered everything on February 18, "President's Day."
Though Amazon had stated that their shipping estimate was not until approximately the middle of March, one item arrived at his house a couple of days ago (February 21) and the remainder all arrived yesterday (February 23). Five days! That's outstanding service!
He telephoned me this morning to thank me for the gift. He was using it as he was speaking to me. He is as pleased with it as I am.
And again I commend that any individual contemplating purchasing this Garmin nüvi 250W STRONGLY consider buying it from Amazon. Not only are their GPS prices better than any I have seen elsewhere, their service is basi class as well.
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Update - March 11, 2008
We have friends who live in regards to 35 miles away. We have always followed direction supplied by both MapQuest and Rand McNally and we employed these (both were just regarding the same) to direct us to our friends' house. The trip has in general taken us from 50 minutes to an hour (depending on traffic).
Yesterday, we went our standard way to their house but we decisive to let the Garmin "take us home." It took us an totally dissimilar way than we had ever gone before - and the trip took less than 40 minutes! (It was late and there was little traffic, but even so - this "new" way is much, much better.)
The most aweinspiring thing was that, when we started, the nüvi 250W showed an "estimated" time of arrival home as 11:00 PM. Guess what time we got home! Exactly 11:00 PM!!
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Update - June 30, 2008
Wow! What a price! $216.58! I haven't checked this item in a heap of time and I am astounded at Amazon's price for this unit. When I purchased mine in December, the price was $264.99. Who would have ever thought that the price would come down so far so fast?
I see a great deal of persons complaining regarding slow satellite connection. I have found that if you're running the unit on it is internal battery, from time to time - only once in a while - it takes a few minutes - on occasion rather a few minutes - to lock onto the satellites, particularly if you have not employed the unit for a while. But, if you use the unit in your car connected to the car's battery (or you have your unit outdoors plugged into an outdoor AC wall socket), the connection time is minimal even if you haven't used the unit in a long time.
For those having this problem, try using the unit as I suggest above and see if this is a good remedy. If, after attempting it as I suggest, you're still having the problem, contact Amazon for an exchange. I believe that, overall, and peculiarly at it is exceedingly low current price, this is still one of the very best buys in a portable GPS unit.
Also - FYI: After reading the reviews on Amazon of the new 2009 modified maps, I am NOT going to buy them. (Newly purchased units may already come pre-loaded with the 2009 maps.) Even CONSUMER REPORTS magazine states that owners need only update their maps each few years and, according to galore reviews, Garmin has not added galore roads and stops even altho they've existed for various years. And, with the prices falling the way they have been, it will probably be for less to just buy a new modified version of this GPS model various years from now. Who knows what they will be supplying at that time and at what price?
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Update - July 29, 2008
Today it is price is $189.99!! How low will it go? At this price, buying this peculiar unit from Amazon is practically a no-brainer!! And surely it is not necessary to buy a $50.00-60.00 map update. If these prices keep coming down the way they have, why you may just buy an wholly new unit three or four years from now and you'll be cash ahead!
Amazon unquestionably has the sheer lowest prices anyplace for GPS units and this peculiar one, the Garmin nüvi 250 is priced lower on Amazon than anyplace else, even lower than lesser units are priced elsewhere. Amazon is genuinely amazing!
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Update - August 13, 2008
Last week we took our basi "long" trip (about 300 miles) to Rome, NY and we used our Garmin nüvi 250W to get us there.
We had printed directions from MapQuest and Rand McNally "just in case" but the Garmin got us to our destination perfectly. It took us by way of an strange route; both MapQuest and Rand McNally wanted us to use the New York Thruway (a toll road). Even though I did NOT have "Avoid Toll Roads" checked, the Garmin took us rather north on Route 12, a two-lane highway. This route was FAR more scenic than the Thruway would have been and, even though a bit convoluted, our actual travel (driving) time was precisely the same as MapQuest and Rand McNally had claimed that their times would be.
Route 12 in New York is an utterly beauteous drive and, I might mention that if you ever drive this way, when you get to the town of Sherburne, make sure that you stop for a meal at the Gilligan's Island Restaurant (it will be on your left as you're heading north). My wife and I had hamburgers and, while you may find hamburgers someplace in the USA that equals the ones found here, you will NEVER find any that surpasses them! And their locally produced and FRESH ice cream is just a thing of joy. If the Garmin hadn't taken us this way, we will have to have never known in regards to this restaurant.
I have to mention that, the more I use the Garmin nüvi 250W, the more I like it.
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Update - October 5, 2008
My wife and I not long ago attended a convention kept in Massillon, Ohio. We relied on the Garmin nüvi to get us there (and back) and it did not let us down!
Massillon is regarding 470 miles from our house and the popular way that online services such as MapQuest and Rand McNally, as well as the Garmin, would take us would be by way of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a road that neither my wife nor I like. We feel that it is a very boring road and the restaurants on it are of mediocre quality and poor value.
We much prefer to take Route 80, a much more interesting road with galore good restaurants close by (and only very more or less longer in distance but actually the same in time as the Pennsylvania Turnpike route) so we "fooled" the Garmin by adding, as a "way point," a restaurant which we knew and liked and which is located just off an exit from Route 80. (We had traveled to Massillon assorted times previously.) Thus the Garmin "had" to take us that way. (We did not wish to merely activate the "Avoid Toll Roads" as we still had to take the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to get to Route 80 and telling the Garmin to stay clear from toll roads might have led to numerous problems.)
But our "fooling" the Garmin worked perfectly and it took us to our destination with accuracy and convenience. As I mentioned, we had been to Massillon before but, again, as in or Rome, NY trip brought up above, the Garmin took us by way of roads on which we had never traveled previously. And, as on our Rome, NY trip, these local roads were very beauteous and interesting.
By following the Garmin's directions, we made our trips in splendid time, approximately nine and one-half hours (including all rest stops) which was actually less time than it had taken us in former years.
This Garmin GPS works! Frankly, it never ceases to amaze us. I may say only that, unless we are journeying locally to known destinations, we shall never go anyplace without taking this little Garmin nüvi 250W along.
It is surely amid the best purchases I have ever made and I again (and still) commend it highly to all who are fascinated in a unit of this type.
You won't regret the purchase!
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Update - August 19, 2009
I did break down and I not long ago purchased the "Lifetime" Map Updates Garmin nüMaps Lifetime North America Map Updates for elaborate maps of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico (Amazon's "sale" price was irresistible) and found it to be utile - not by any means perfect, but utile notwithstanding and, at it is price, well-worth having. Note in at least one of the reviews the person states that he was capable to download the selective information in only twenty minutes and install it in just a few minutes. That was NOT my experience. I was capable to download the info at an intermediate of 350 kB/s and it took closely two HOURS. It likewise took a VERY long time to install the data onto my Garmin (I just walked away, let it do it is thing, and then came back later when the routine was finished). So be prepared for a lengthy update process. This "Lifetime" update (which is only good for one machine for as long as it lasts OR as long as Garmin proceeds to use Navteq as it is map supplier) allows updating as a great deal of as four times a year (or ONLY four times a year!). I do not recognise when or how many times Garmin updates it is maps; I'll have to inquire (and I suggest that you do too).
***[Update 12/18/2009: I called Garmin and they signed me up for their e-mail notifications, so now I'll be informed when updates are release; this may also be done by you yourself at their internetsite altho navigating their web site is somewhat convoluted.]***
Overall, in particular in view of the fact that a one-time only map update buy costs over $50.00, the buy of this "Lifetime" updates service represents good value for cash and will proceed to keep this superb unit as up-to-date as it may be. I commend it.
***[Update 12/18/2009: With the prices of GPS units falling so far and so fast, my original counsel to just replace your unit with a new one becomes even more relevant. A new GPS unit costs scarcely more than a "Lifetime" map update!]***
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Update - December 7, 2009
On November 28, 2009, courtesy of the Amazon Vine Program, I received a Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic which is genuinely a new and bettered version of the now discontinued nüvi 250W.
I recognise that this peculiar nüvi, the 250W, having been discontinued, is now being sold at close-out prices by respective retailers. It represents a good value if offered at a low price yet I feel that the comparatively little divergence in price amid the older 250W and the newer 285WT is worth paying. The new altered version is bettered in most respects yet is still easy to use. Ease of use (especially at 65MPH!) is VERY indispensable to me.
If you feel the same as I do, then I refer you to my review of the new product which compares a lot of of the new features on that unit and also compares the usage of the two units. I hope that it will of a lot of support to you in making a decision as to which GPS device to buy.
I also review two newer cases, the Lowepro 4.3-Inch Navi Shield GPS Carrying Case (Black) and the one which I now strongly recommend, the AmazonBasics Carrying Case for Portable GPS Units (Black) and I refer you to those reviews as well.
In any case, my suggestion above, that the best place to buy a GPS unit is Amazon, remains unchanged. Amazon ships fast, packs exceedingly well, and their prices are unquestionably "right," something that cannot always be said for their competitors.
I hope that my newer reviews will aid you in your decision making. Thank you for reading this.
79 of 80 people found the following review helpful.
I like it
By J. nusser
The original one I received worked out of the box, but stopped sensing the satellites after 2 days. I tried turning it off/on various times, tried assorted very open-to-the sky locations, and in the end tried rebooting by pressing the reset button on the bottom, but not one thing happened.
However, I found it so easy to use and better than former models, specially at an beautiful price ($300), that I returned the introductory one and got a replacement.
As strictly a GPS, the only limitation is that it does not speak the street names. It does speak that a turn is coming, turn here, etc. It also does list the name of the street to turn at in the label at the top of the screen. It's great both in automobile mode and in walking mode. We're spending a month in Boston which has all street names and is in general not laid out on a grid. The 250W is great in getting us around or to out-of-Boston places. Used it to drive to Marblehead yesterday; pressed the screen to show where we parked the car, changed to walking mode and then walked around. When it was time to go we retrieved the spot where we left the car, pressed 'go' and it walked us back to the car. Changed back to 'automobile' and drove home. Note the box includes a car charger but not the optional wall charger. Not a problem unless you suppose to use it extensive w/o a car to recharge it with.
Unlike a former poster, I find the maps, stores, restaurants, etc, rather up to date.
Other than getting a lemon on the initial unit, I commend it.
83 of 87 people found the following review helpful.
Mixed review after attempting out a nuvi 250w and a tomtom one xl
By Chillin' Out
Well, I've had a garmin nuvi 250w and a tomtom one xl for two weeks now and have tested both out in Canada and the US, both on streets I am very intimate with and in areas I've never been before. They both cost precisely the same when I purchased them so that isn't a contemplation in my evaluations. My sensations on both widgets are mixed. A quick rundown of winning points for each is given and then I will go into more detail below. I still haven't decisive which one I'm going to keep (I still have 10 days to return the one I don't want).
Garmin Wins: Battery Life, Mapping System, Screen clarity in sunlight, Windshield Mount
Tomtom Wins:
Features, Voices, Satellite Acquisition
Details on a great deal of of the above:
Itinerary planning - Garmin only lets you program one waypoint, but Tomtom lets you save iteneraries. It's not a unfeigned route planning scheme where you may program assorted stops and it will tell you the best route taking them all into account, nevertheless it will let you program multiple stops so that after you reach one it will direct you to the next. With Garmin the only way to accomplish something similar would be to go to your firstborn destination and then go into favourites and then click the next place you want to go. I like though how if I have numerous regular stops on a regular route, I may save that itenerary with a name and it will be saved until I delete it. Garmin has no option close to it. Even if you use the faves option I listed above, it won't save that route for future use so it would all have to be redone and you'd not only have to try to do not forget each stop, but you'd have to punch each in on an individual basis again, whereas tomtom will have it saved to go back to with a couple clicks. Plus you may add to a tomtom itenerary later so if you find a new fave stop you may add it in or delete elements of an itenerary you don't want in there anymore.
Voices - Garmin gives you a choice of dissimilar languages, but I have yet to find a way to get dissimilar voices on the Nuvi 250W. It gives me an American English voice and that is it. I have looked on their internetsite and even hooked up my nuvi to the WebUpdater tool they have and it has no other voices avail. that I may find. The tomtom one xl has rather a few voices to choose from to get started with, plus you may download for free a bunch of fun voices off the internet. I presently have Yoda and Darth Vader taking turns giving my husband and I directions.
Battery Life - Garmin without apparent effort wins in this regard with approx. 4-5 hr. batt. life, Tomtom only lasts a couple of hours.
Garmin's screen is more comfortable to see in bright sunlight and the windshield mount is more reliable.
Size - both are small, but garmin is slimmer which is good if you want to put it in your pocket. Tomtom has a bit of a bulge in the back (not huge by any means but still not flat like the garmin. The bulge is handy if you want to stand it up in front of you though.
Satellite acquisition - Garmin satellites may locate me inside my house, garmin I have to go outside to get a signal. Kind of a pain when you want to program a route and have to go out in the freezing cold on your porch or to sit in your car to wait for it to acquire a signal. I like the comfortableness with the tt one xl of being capable to sit inside my house and put in a emplacement and see the directions while still warm and snug sitting on my couch. Then I may turn it off and when I go to my car the info is all set to go and I already have perused the directions to get an idea of the steps in my route. Also occasionally even outside the garmin takes a few minutes to acquire a satellite, whereas the tomtom always acquires a satellite within seconds.
Detours - tomtom comes out on top again. Garmin lets you hit a detour button and gives you a new path to follow, but tomtom lets you choose how far you want to keep out of the way of something. So for example, if road "W" is the best one to follow to get to your destination, but there is construction for a couple blocks, you may choose to stay clear from that route for just that amount of time where there is construction, and then get back on it. The garmin gives you a whole new route that may or may not get you back on the primary road.
Other misc. masters and cons - tomtom comes with a usb cable, garmin does not and taking into account how cheap they are and that it is necessary for charging if you want to charge from your computer, I think Garmin genuinely cheaped out on that one -- tomtom lets you use a qwerty keyboard format, garmin does not -- tomtom lets you search by zipcode, the garmin makes you enter street name and number
Navigation - both units get you from point a to point b in my experience therefore far, even though the majority of the time the garmin seems to take the most direct and logical route, whereas tomtom seems to lead you a bit astray to get to your destination. However there have been a couple times when the tt brought me to the doorstep of the place I was going when the garmin was a bit off. Overall altho I do feel safer taking the garmin's directions. Tomtom apparently does have a good deal of kind of map downloading/sharing feature but I haven't checked it out yet. That may be a outstanding feature and support if you may download maps from others who know the backroads better than a computer system ever could.
So right now I am having a tough time settling which one to keep because they both have their pros and cons. Both get you where you need to go for the most part, but I do feel the garmin navigates better, which is why you buy a gps right? However the tomtom picks up satellites more immediate and more reliably thence far and that is necessary too when getting somewhere. The tomtom seems to come out leaps and bounds in front of the garmin in choices and features altho and that is what is hanging me up on the decision. If my garmin had the features my tomtom has or my tomtom had the navigation system my garmin had the decision would be a no-brainer. Luckily I still have 10 days to determine which one to keep, but it's going to be a tough decision. I think either one would be a good choice even though in the end, just dissimilar masters and cons to each.
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