Customer Reviews

Garmin nüvi 260 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(361)
4 star:		(170)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

The Nuvi 260 is a Nuvi 250 with the addition of text-to-speech (speaks actual names). Other than the text-to-speech (TTS) feature, the units are identical in appearance and operation.

Why did I buy this?
1)Many GPS models have features not needed for navigating (such as an MP3 player or Bluetooth). The 260 only has what I really think is necessary in a portable GPS. It's sleek (fits comfortably in your pocket), easily transportable, has preloaded maps with a tremendous database, and a fast processor which calculates and recalculates routes in seconds. Eliminating unnecessary features reduces the cost, plus makes it easier to use.

2)The touchscreen interface in the Nuvi 260 is so intuitive, many people can skip the short instruction book altogether. Ten minutes of just "playing around with the unit" after taking it out of the box is all you will need to be navigating. That's the mark of a great design.

3)Unlike the flip-up antenna found in Garmin's 300 series, the 200 series has an internal antenna...a big plus. (One less thing to break.) In addition, the screen in the 200 series units is significantly brighter and sharper than Garmin's older 300 series.

4)Speaking street names is a tremendous asset. Units that don't have TTS only say "In 500 feet exit right". That forces you to glance at the screen to see what street/exit/etc you need to navigate to. A unit with TTS says " In 500 feet take exit 52, on right, to Route 80 West". You keep your eyes on the road with this feature. So besides the convenience, TTS is a safety feature that is worth the extra dollars.

What do I dislike about the Nuvi 260?
1)I am not a fan of the windshield suction mount. In many reviews people have said that the mount is not reliable in the long term. It randomly falls off (this happened to me a few times). On a hot day the suction cup can soften and is reluctant to come off at all, or it leaves a telltale ring on the windshield. That's not good. (As an aside, there has been a significant increase in the thefts of portable GPS devices from cars...even when the devices were not in plain view. Police have stated that thieves assumed there was a GPS unit hidden in the car if a residual ring from the suction cup was seen on the windshield.) Save yourself from the inevitable and buy the beanbag dash mount.
2) The information in the database and maps can be a few years old. This problem is seen in ALL brands of GPS units, not just Garmin. There are millions of points of interest and roads to keep track of. It changes by the day. By the time the final product makes it to market, some of it is already outdated. But, for over 99% of the time, it is correct and it finds what I looking for. Until the manufacturers figure out a way to update their databases and maps in real time, this is what we have.

Once you think about what the really important features are in a portable GPS unit, you will realize that the Garmin Nuvi 260 is a wise choice.

I would say there is no perfect GPS unit in the market, but this definitely is one of the best.

If you were a nuvi owner like me, a previous owner of a nuvi 350 GPS, you will know that nuvi is very easy to operate. You do not need any thick manual to study how to use the unit, just get it out the box, turn it on, and play it around, then you are ready to go. This is a nuvi, so, yes, it is easy to use. As a trade off, some advanced routing functions are not included in this unit, for example, you can not add many via points to one route.

Basically, Nuvi 260 is a Nuvi 250 with Text to Speech, so even you can not find many reviews for Nuvi 260, actually you can just search those for Nuvi 200 or 250. Nuvi 260 is also a nuvi 350 after some weight loss which means some functions such as MP3 player will miss in this unit. The box comes with the unit contains less accessories than the one for 350 too. You will not have USB cable,leather case, and AC charger. However, in other hand, the 260 has more improvement. What I like most is the screen brightness which is really fantastic compared to the nuvi350. It is highly readable even directly under the sun light. The view angle of this screen is also much wider than that of the 350. Both the driver and the front seat passenger can read the screen easily if you place the unit in the middle. While my experience with 350 is that you need adjust the unit to a right angle so that the reflection from the screen will not bother the driver from reading the screen. Another sweet part is the internal antenna which makes the unit more sleek than the 350.

The mount is still easy to assemble, easy to adjust, compact. Unfortunately Garmin changed the mount slightly from the design of 350.For the nuvi 350 the power cord connects to the mount and then the mount feeds power to the Nuvi, but in the 260, the power cord connects directly to the device. So in order to disassemble your 260, you need disconnect both the power cable and the mount which is not as convenient as the case for 350.

My unit has a Bravo sensor instead of the SIRF III sensor in 350. Both are boasted as the high sensitivity sensor. After testing it for several trips and in my home. I found that the Bravo has better signal receipt ability than the SIRF III. I can easily get full bars signal before my computer desk with Bravo, but with 350, I can only receive signal near to the window. Somehow I feel that the SIRF III has better accuracy although the difference is subtle. Like I said, no GPS is perfect, so neither does the sensor.

Overall, I like the 260 very much. Garmin has the best navigation engine and algorithm in the industry, so you do not need doubt its navigation performance at all. Furthermore, this is the cheapest Garmin nuvi with text to speech. If you like Text to speech and do not need other fancy functions like bluetooth, mp3 etc, this one is definitely the best choice for you. Otherwise, if you do not care the text to speech function, you may consider nuvi 250 or nuvi 200(no Canada map) which are cheaper.

Updated(Dec. 8,2007)
For those who do not like the window mount, I strongly suggest you check out this friction mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Portable-Friction-StreetPilot-010-10908-00/dp/B000LRMS66
I purchased it with my nuvi 260 and it works great!

Never thought I'd buy I GPS unit but what the heck, the prices are dropping and I'm a gadget geek.

So I get this unit, hook it up, and all is good!

The voice is a bit robotic but that's what I expected and I suspect other GPS units are the same. Certain words/letters (street names) are not clearly annunciated given the limit of the robot voice but it's good enough. If a certain street name is not spoken clearly and you're not sure what it just spoke all you need to do is take a quick glance at the green bar at the top of the screen and it's all spelled out for you...not a problem at all.

I love this thing!

It's tiny, works great and is a decent price compared to the rest of the GPS units out there. It's my first GPS and I'm using it with a Mac - very impressed! And, Garmin finally has a web updater that works on Mac OS X - now I just need to get some extras for it! My only complaint with Garmin is their website, it seems quite confusing and not user-friendly. Not to mention they have about 40 models of GPS that are difficult to distinguish. Rant aside, this unit is wonderful and has a great new design without any flip up antenna. Recommended!

UPDATE: This review is now over one-year old, so a couple of my main gripes (map update policy) have been fixed. Plus, when one considers the price of the unit today (01/25/09), I consider it one of the better bangs-for-the-buck units around. If I were rating it today, it would get a marginal 4 stars (instead of the marginal 3 stars).

Things that were fixed:
1. Garmin now has a 60-day map policy instead of a 0-day map policy,
2. Garmin has now implemented quarterly updates for as long as you own your unit for a one-time charge,
3. It seems Garmin is giving the 2x0 series a face-lift by incorporating various features from their new 2x5 series,
4. I've now replaced this unit for a 765t, but can honestly say that my new unit doesn't route any better than my 260.

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Like many, I've done a bit of research, only to find I'm just as confused as ever, so I decided to go basic. This is my third GPS (two I bought as gifts, and finally, and just recently, one for myself), and all were Garmin units. Why? Ignorance and word-of-mouth, but Garmin units do have an easy interface, and the company has pretty good customer support and a solid reputation. So I must be a happy camper, right? Not really. I ended up liking the features on the Magellan units quite a bit better (here is a partial list):

1. QuickSpell (darkens/disables unneeded keys as you type -- a real time saver).
2. Automatic maneuver list (pops on screen when satellite signal is lost).
3. AAA guide book (roadside assistance for AAA members) -- a great feature exclusive to Magellan.
4. Road exclusion/avoidance (so basic, I'm surprised Garmin refuses to adopt it (or put it back in). They had this in some older models, no?
5. Exit POI (very handy, it can show services for each upcoming highway exit).
6. Multiple-routing capability (self-explanatory).
7. A detour function whose mileage is user-specified to limit the length of detour.

Unfortunately, Magellan's customer support is (and I quote from GPS magazine): "Horrible, atrocious customer support." Atrocious? Wow. But atrocious support or not, the 260 does not have those features. And there are a few other items I question:

1. No physical volume control like on the c300 series (yes, most are going the software route, that doesn't make it better), and it has a "tinny" sounding speaker, but certainly loud enough -- cost cutting (you'll quickly see a pattern here).
2. ABC keyboard (tedious, but perhaps qwerty wouldn't fit well on this screen -- too bad Garmin can't come up with a "QuickSpell" equivalent.
3. No AC power adapter -- cost cutting.
4. No USB cable -- cost cutting.
5. No carrying case ... talk about cheap -- cost cutting.
6. This is a manual? Go to gpsmagazine.com if you really want to see how this thing works -- read their comprehensive, but too pro-Garmin reviews.
7. Removed the ability to plug power into the mount (a big Garmin plus suddenly gone!) -- cost cutting (I'm pretty angry about this one -- see #8).
8. Power plugs into the back on the left (driver's side) of the Nüvi. Awkward (unless you live in England) and makes it more difficult to hide or route the cable.
9. Removed the ability to add an external antenna -- not good! -- cost cutting.
10. Draconian update policies (and updates may be of marginal value) -- price gouging at its finest. If you buy a Garmin today and they release an update tomorrow, you pay full price. More than one Garmin unit? You pay full price for each one you own -- no discount -- and thank you for shopping Garmin...
11. No multiple-routing capability and only one "via" point -- very limiting.
12. Weak detour function - can't input miles around detour -- limiting.
13. No road exclusion -- very basic and critical feature ridiculously MIA. Not even Garmin's top unit gives you this, while everyone else does. Hard to believe.
14. Scrolling through the POI can get tedious (listed nearest POI first, which makes sense, but I also wish you could search alphabetically with a keystroke).
15. Box came shipped with the Nüvi rattling around inside and not secured. I've heard this same story many times, so it didn't surprise me. Luckily, my Nüvi was undamaged, but it's an example of more ridiculous cost-cutting by Garmin. They can't even spend the money necessary to package their products properly.
16. It's difficult to make a proper decision when you don't know what receiving technology the 200 series is using. Is it SiRF Star III, Bravo or MediaTek (MTK)? All Garmin says is "high-sensitivity receiver". Why the mystery? After much digging, I found that my unit came with MTK (what's in your wallet ... er ... Nüvi? -- it could be any one of the three).
17. A minor nit is that this unit doesn't allow you to get any satellite information detail (other than signal strength). Garmin took that ability away on the 260.

With all that said, I "am" reviewing a Garmin unit. That means I bought the Nüvi 260 over the others, even when I knew many (but not all) of the negatives going in. And there are things I actually do like about my Nüvi (in case you were wondering):

1. Supports Macs (barely -- must have OS 10.4 or higher).
2. Has a nice, rich display, good map layout, fairly bright (although it washes out quickly when tipping it up or down, but good viewing side to side), and a very nice, well-implemented night (dimming) feature on ALL menus (most manufacturers dim their units only at the map level). But it's time-implemented and not light-sensitive.
3. Ease of use -- a Garmin trademark. Logical, simple, easy to setup and execute (but really not all that much better than Magellan -- they are very similar in this aspect). If you want a lot of customization, you need a more expensive unit, or go to TomTom (amazing amount of customization, but obviously adds complexity). Because the 260 doesn't really give you a lot of adjustment choices, one can go through all the options and know everything about this unit in record time.
4. Generally good routing, but not the best according to GPS magazine -- the LG790 from ... who else? ... LG, is said to be superior to all they have tested.
5. Better customer support than the top two competitors (that may not be saying much -- Magellan's support is "atrocious" and TomTom's is very suspect). Still, Garmin is highly rated by many.
6. Want to stop a route? The stop function appears on the main map while driving to your destination (along with a detour function). Doesn't sound like much, and it isn't, but hey, it's right at your finger tips (you have to dig a bit on other units).
7. While Garmin changed chips from the highly regarded SiRF mid-stream to Bravo and MTK, this is not necessarily a bad thing. My unit picks up the satellite signals quickly and stays locked quite well. If you hear opposing statements, that could mean the chip they have is different from mine.
8. The TTS function, while it does butcher some names, is considered one of the better TTS programs in the industry (less mechanical sounding and more natural). This is one of the big reasons I opted for the 260 and I think "Jill" sounds fine (but I may think differently over time).
9. Tapping the car icon gives you your current location (which can be saved in your favorites folder). Not as complete as the 700 series, "Where am I? / Where did I park?" function, but it's still a nice feature to have.

There are a couple of features I wish the 260 had (not including those I already mentioned):

1. TomTom's Mapshare or something similar. It allows users to correct data on maps and POIs that others can download, and is a step in the right direction (but has a ways to go).
2. The ability to edit points of interest -- does anyone do this successfully (and easily), or is this just a pipe dream? Thank goodness we can save to favorites.

Simply put, there is no such animal as a "best" GPS receiver. They all are full of compromises, especially within Garmin's own ever-growing family. Even with all my moaning and groaning, I actually consider the Nüvi 260 to be a nice little unit (the sum being greater than its parts), and it's particularly nice for the first-time buyer. If it wasn't, I probably would have closed my eyes, said a prayer, and bought the Magellan. While it doesn't have the bells and whistles, the 260 does what it is suppose to do and does it very well. No muss. No fuss. At least most of the time.

So how do I rate it? Between 1 and 10, I give the Nüvi 260 a very marginal 6 (or barely a 3-star rating ... meaning just above average). Had Garmin not cheapened their mount on this series (nice mount, just not a powered one), not gone on a greedy cost-cutting frenzy (no external antenna capability leaves the consumer vulnerable), and if they had added just a couple of important (and basic) features and left out the "fluff", I would have gladly given the 260 a solid 8 (or a 4-star rating). But until Garmin changes their terrible update policies, I don't think I could ever give any Garmin product a 5-star rating. Greed doesn't deserve a star added to it, no matter how good their customer support (or their products) may be.

Sorry for the length, but if you're still here, I've got something to say about mounting hardware that may interest you. Everyone knows that windshield mounts are illegal in California and Minnesota, and most use a dash mount (usually a bean-bag type -- Semsons has a nice one) or a mount from ProClip (custom to each car and each GPS -- it's nice, but can cost over $60). Well, I found another (thanks to someone at GPS Passion). Handstands makes a small, flat jelly pad that actually works well (I was highly skeptical). It wasn't created (or promoted) as a mounting surface for a GPS. It was created to keep items on your dash without them being flung about (glasses, ipods, cell phones, etc.). Just clean your dash, place the pad where you want it (it grips your dash and won't slide), dampen the suction cup, push the mount onto the pad, flip the lever, and you're set to go. A totally unobtrusive and very inexpensive ($4-$7) alternative, and easy to remove (leaves no residue). For those interested, I bought mine here on Amazon.

Important note: I just found out that Handsprings has changed their design on the sticky jelly pad. It no longer can hold any GPS unit. Matter-of-fact, it's not nearly as sticky as the original and they changed the top surface design to a swirl pattern (use to have very tiny suction cups, which was critical for holding the Nuvi). This is really a shame because it was a very handy mounting surface. I use to have to peel it off my dash, now it just slides off (perhaps I can find an older "original" at a car wash...)

Nothing bad to say about this baby. Gets you from Point A to Point B with TTS (Text To Speech - Talks Street Names) Great signal range, with fast recalculating when you make a wrong turn. Slim profile. Great battery life (5 hours plus) Only minor complaint is that Garmin doesn't include an AC adapter or USB cable for PC connectivity. Even though the unit can be purchsed for under $300 these acceserries will set uou back another $40.

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!

Great product! Almost like having an angel on your shoulder when you're driving in unfamiliar territory! Not only gets you where you're going, but can help find anything you might need. Needed a drugstore when traveling out of town recently, plugged in "CVS" - and it directed us to a store just a mile from our hotel. Even my husband -- who isn't a gadget fan -- is impressed! One piece of advice ... the British voice doesn't announce street names -- just says "Turn left, right, etc." ... so for that feature, use the American voice. That's not clear in the "minimalist" literature!

Two years ago, I had to purchase a GPS because of some extensive traveling I'd be doing in the Los Angeles region. Since I don't know the area and am basically directionally challenged (I get lost), a GPS was the way to go. I initially picked up a Magellan unit because all my friends had one and I have regretted this move ever since. The Magellan was hard to use, maps were inaccurate, and it was often incorrect in giving instructions.

Enter the Nuvi 260. It's amazing what you get in this GPS. What would have cost easily $800 and up only a couple of years ago is now available at under $300. The Nuvi is a breeze to use and the text-to-voice feature is really cool. Instead of the "right turn in 2.1 miles" sort of thing, it actually speaks the upcoming freeway exits/streets out loud. It also has a truck load of points of interest in the little box and you can pre-plan your trip by selecting which places you want to go before hand and enter them as your favorites.

Its got a nice lock out feature that you can use by entering a four number code. The device automatically unlocks if you set an "unlock" location. Go to this point, and it unlocks for you in case you forget your code. This is also a nice feature to protect your data and your home location if the unit ever gets lost or stolen.

The GPS is pretty bright in the daytime but washes out, just like other GPS units, in direct sunlight. It's got an automatic night time feature in which the LCD display switches over to a different color scheme and brightness level to accommodate for night driving. Added to this, you can load photos as start up screens and swap out the little car icon on your map for other downloadable ones. I picked the moose for mine.

The LCD map screen can be seen in 3D or 2D mode and is easy to navigate around. The display gives you various info such as time traveled, average speed, time to arrival and a host of other features at just the touch of the screen.

The unit is portable, which means you can disconnect it from the car AC adapter and carry it around with you for walking around town. I was going to buy the AC wall adapter to charge the unit up when it wasn't in the car, but what they don't tell you is that you can just charge up the Nuvi via a USB cable. Just plug it into your computer while you're working, and your Nuvi will be fully charged in a few hours. You'll save yourself the $20 or so in buying that AC wall charger.

The big negative of this unit, which doesn't even have anything really to do with the GPS device, is the horrible manual and Garmin website. If you're not computer savvy or don't understand electronic device very well, you'll miss out on a lot of what this GPS can do for you. If it weren't for the laughably poor Garmin website and the very sparse manual, the Nuvi 260 would have gotten a five star rating.

But seeing that not everyone is computer knowledgeable, Garmin has done a great disservice to its customers by not providing adequate instructions on their units and a website that barely passes in being helpful.

I got this unit just a few days ago. I like it, but I must admit I was expecting more. My biggest disapointment is about the startup and fix time and then how unbelievably slow the POI database search can sometimes be plus 3-4 out of 10 places are not found. Example: in Houston, there are a few Fry's but after a few mins it found some 300 miles away from me but none close to where I was when there is one just about 5 miles away. Great ! Well, I can live with it if I know the address but...
I also don't like the fact I have to always enter the city name etc., would be much better if the values were retained or if it worked the same way like for the state screen where there is a button with the state you selected last time. As for navigation it seems to give good routing results, when turns are missed it recalcs quickly and so far after a few days of tests I have always arrived where I wanted.
Overall a nice unit but needs improvements.

Pros:
- very sleek and pocketable
- text to speech (pronounces street names)
- good routing results
- quick recalculations
- nice graphics
- good reception even indoor

Small cons:
- when resuming driving after a stop the unit is confused for a while where you are actually headed
- some streets are missing
- POI database is incomplete
- must enter city every time when searching for an address, should be pre-selected (or should remember all previous values)
- speaker seems weak and distorted

Big cons:
- Start up time is 20+ secs to get to the "I agree" screen + some additional time to actually be ready to drive
- Satelite fix can sometimes be slow - 30 secs, even minutes
- Searching for POIs is painfully slow (minutes)