Searching for North-Up (Updated 12-08)

Updated with a Post-Script, December 2008

Garmin's nüvi 260W
The nüvi 260W is one of Garmin's basic, thin-profile GPS car navigation systems. It is touch screen operated, with nearly all functions accessed through on-screen menus. As one of the 200 line of automotive GPS's, it is a “basic” model, and does not include extended features such as Bluetooth, an MP3 player, traffic alerts, games, etc... However, the 260W is a “wide screen” model, and the 260's are the only (at this time) of the nüvi 200 series receivers with “text-to-speech,” which allows the units to pronounce the names of streets. The nüvi 260W can also accept SD type data cards, and can display “jpeg” images.

In the Box
The Garmin nüvi 260W is packaged in an easily-opened, cardboard box. Included in the box are the GPS receiver, a suction-cup and armature for mounting the device, an adhesive-backed suction-cup mounting disk, a car cigarette-lighter plug type power adapter, and (very) basic instructions in English and French. Neither an AC power adapter, nor a USB cable for computer connection is included.

The Goods
The nüvi 260W is surprisingly compact. Almost the entire front face of the 4.75 inch by 2.92 inch device is covered by a 4.4 inch diagonal display. The unit is just over three-fourths of an inch thick, and may be slipped into a shirt pocket. The only external interfaces are a switch on the top that will manually switch power “on” or “off” or lock-out the touch-screen, a socket for an SD data card, and a USB “Mini-B” type socket on the back face.

Set Up
The nüvi 260W sets up easily. The simple armature snaps together, and can be suctioned to either the windshield or onto a disk that can be permanently affixed to another surface. The GPS receiver then snaps into the armature. (This is the first GPS armature I've seen that doesn't vibrate!) The power cable is plugged into a cigarette-lighter type socket, and then into the back of the GPS receiver. When the cable is powered, the GPS receiver starts up automatically. The first time the device starts, the user is prompted through a simple menu to choose a language and time zone. After that, the nüvi 260W is set to operate automatically whenever power is applied.

Before using the nüvi 260W, I highly recommend checking Garmin's website for updates. On mine, updating the driver and English language files appeared to improve its reliability. Doing so requires first downloading and installing free software onto your computer from Garmin's website. No user registration is required to access Garmin's operating-system software (unlike Magellan). The GPS receiver must then be connected to the computer via a standard USB/Mini-B cable, which is not included with the GPS receiver. (I used the one from my 60CSx.) The software will automatically check the GPS receiver's firmware against Garmin's latest versions, and then download exactly what is needed. That means that there is no more risk of trashing your GPS receiver by accidentally trying to install the wrong driver.

In Use
Start up can be rather slow. It takes awhile for the GPS receiver's software and maps to load, then satellite acquisition can take up to several minutes. Additionally, a screen asking the operator to agree to not attempt operating the unit while driving appears first, and holds up everything else for a few seconds unless the “I agree” button is touched. Re-starts after short durations with the power off seem to take noticeably less time however, which leads me to believe that the unit stores its last known position in order to more quickly re-acquire satellite signals.

The screen is bright enough for daytime viewing, and a night mode will exchange white areas for black, effectively darkening the display for night viewing. The maps are easy enough to read, and can be set for varying levels of detail. It is also possible to alternatively display a list of turns, or a list of turns next to a half-screen map display which takes advantage of the unit's wide profile. As for any other benefit to the wide display, it might be noted that it also adds a few pixels and a fraction of an inch to the vertical dimensions of the display when compared to the standard nüvi 260.

Functions are accessed through a set of on-screen menus. Destinations may be entered as addresses, locations on a 2-D map, from points-of-interest, or by latitude and longitude. A list of favorite destinations can also be stored and used for quick access. “Via” points can also be included in routes.

Routes can be generated automatically according to three criteria: fastest, shortest, or off-road. There are also functions for avoiding highways, toll roads, ferries, carpool lanes, and U-turns. With my nüvi 260W set to “fastest,” it has generated some interesting routes. One included a single-lane, gravel, farm road that short-cut between some Northern California rice fields...bumpy, but effectively taking several miles off a drive.

Voice
I think that “Jill” must be a little fed up with my driving. She is the female, American voice that calls out instructions on the nüvi 260W. Her, “Recalculating,” sounds a bit disgruntled whenever I make an unplanned maneuver. Nevertheless, her voice is reasonably clear and understandable, and I can turn her volume down (or off) should I so desire. “Jack,” the American male voice seems a bit more pleasant, and there is a nondescript female voice that sounds a bit like a telephone operator. There is also a British English voice, and foreign language voices including French, Spanish, and Italian.

As for the pronunciation of street names, they are generally acceptable. I have run into a couple of strange ones that threw me off a bit, mostly before updating the English language files. Some still seem to include a few extra articulations, such as a “Nevada” that sounds a little like stuttering with with a mouth-full of marbles. But considering the more or less arbitrary nature of English spellings, I am actually fairly impressed at the accuracy of speech.

Maps
The nüvi 260W comes loaded with road maps for all of North America, including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and they appear surprisingly up-to-date and detailed. Most local dirt roads in my area are shown, and I was astonished to find even the internal roadways in a shopping mall parking lot. So far, I have found only a few minor errors, such as an instruction to turn against traffic on a short section of one-way street in downtown Carson City, and some very new highway overpasses that are omitted. But these are really nit-picks, and Garmin has clearly put a great deal of energy into their automotive navigation maps.

Maps can be displayed on the nüvi 260W in 2-D with north up, 2-D with direction of travel up, or in a Nintendo-like 3-D. Most people will probably prefer the 3-D mode, but I am an older driver and field-navigator, and accustomed to reading flat maps with north up. So I very much appreciate that this option for navigating with the nüvi 260W remains available. The maps will automatically zoom in and out when following a route according to the distance to a next turn.

Digging for Treasure
Basic operation of the nüvi 260W is so simple that it is unlikely that even a novice will need to read the instructions. However, I am a bit perplexed at the utter lack of a real instruction manual for the GPS receiver. Even an on-line search at Garmin reveals nothing significant, and the unit's internal “Help” function does not reveal much either. Most of what I know about the nüvi 260W's detailed operation has come from simply exploring through the menus.

Fortunately, the nüvi 260W has a decent internal battery, so I have been able to bring it indoors and dig around for awhile. It was about ten-minutes before I came across where to switch the map display to 2-D, north up ( “wrench,” “Settings,” “down arrow,” “Map,” “Map View,” “North Up.”) More exploration revealed a vast wealth of “points-of-interest” and several means for accessing them, other variations for displaying maps and routes, and some different ways to create and modify routes. How many functions remain undiscovered, I have no way of knowing.

A Bug in the Soup?
Rather disturbingly, the nüvi 260W froze-up on me...just once. To be fair, it has not happened again since updating the firmware. Still, restarting required disconnecting and reconnecting the power, going through the entire startup and locating process, re-entering the destination, and re-calculating a route. Had this occurred in heavy traffic, say in downtown San Francisco, it would have been more than a minor nuisance.

In another review, I absolutely ripped a Magellan GPS receiver for freeze-ups, though they were admittedly a constant problem with no apparent fix at the time. GPS is a mature technology, and a GPS navigation receiver is a device that should never just stop working. Garmin has also shown itself capable of producing highly reliable receivers (the 60CSx hand held for example). So putting a questionably-operating product into the market indicates either careless design, or more likely a rush to market with incomplete software development.

This reliability issue comes close to extinguishing stars in my review. However, the single occurrence combined with the availability of an easily installed driver update that seems to have solved the problem leaves me giving Garmin the benefit of the doubt...for now. But should the problem recur, I will be re-visiting this review to remove stars.

Conclusion
The Garmin nüvi 260W is an excellent choice for a basic automotive GPS receiver. If you are not interested in extended features, such as traffic reports, Bluetooth connectivity, or playing MP3's, then the nüvi 260W will probably do everything that you need while keeping some gasoline money in your pocket. Additionally, the nüvi 260W (and standard 260) are the only 200 series GPS receivers to include text-to-speech, which allows them to pronounce street names (ie.: “Turn left on Mayfield Road.”). The “W” model's larger screen also slightly improves visibility, and the unit is easy to operate.

My only criticisms of the Garmin nüvi 260W are the lack of in-depth instructions, and the non-included USB/Mini-B cable. Be prepared to spend a little time experimenting with one if you want to discover its many hidden secrets. Also, be sure to update the nüvi 260W's driver firmware through Garmin's web site to improve its dependability, a relatively simple task that will require use of the aforementioned USB cable. Neither of these issues are “deal-breakers” however, and assuming that my nüvi 260W continues to operate reliably, I recommend it highly.



The Post-Script...One Dead Garmin...Resurrected!
After nearly seven months since first writing this review, the little Garmin nüvi 260W suddenly became deceased! Up to this point, it had not given me any trouble, working fine in two different vehicles. But after spending two weeks sitting on my desk, it was flat out dead, and I had no idea why. At first, I thought that perhaps the internal battery had discharged, but hooking it up to power, either from a car, or from my computer did not help. Even leaving it hooked up overnight did not help. For whatever reason, the device had simply decided to no longer function...at all. I was, to say the least, disappointed. I had just started to really like little thing, and actually had it in my office to add some topographic data on an SD card for an upcoming trip.

Finally, after giving up on returning the GPSr unit to Garmin under warranty (I could not find the receipt), I decided to go ahead and call Garmin's 24/7 help line. It was a long, long wait before my call was answered. But immediately after explaining the situation, I was directed to try pushing the “reset” button. Yes...there is a reset button (and who knows what else) hidden under a label affixed to the lower back side of the unit. The label need not be lifted. Just pressing the tip of a ball-point pen into the circle on the label above the tiny word “reset” will do the trick. To my utter astonishment, the little Garmin nüvi 260W was spontaneously resurrected! Sixty seconds later, my call ended without even an admonishment for not having noticed that the reset button is mentioned on the very first page of the nüvi's brief instruction booklet. Maybe it should be re-labeled something more exciting, like “Resurrection.”