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Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

Go wide and get peace of mind with nüvi 255W. This affordable, widescreen navigator leads the way with voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions that speak street names and optional MSN Direct® services to get you there on time and keep you informed. It's packed with millions of destinations and maps for North America or Europe. Like the rest of the sleek nüvi 2x5-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.

GARMIN Nuvi 255W 4.3 Inch Auto Navigator. With its easy to use touchscreen, voice guidance that speaks street names, preloaded maps of North America and its widescreen display, the affordable nuvi 255W delivers directions on the go wherever life takes you. For an additional cost savings, check out nuvi 205W which offers less map coverage at a lower price.

Technical

* 4.3 Inch Auto Navigator with Anti Theft Feature
* Voice Prompted Turn by Turn Directions
* With HotFix, It Calculates Your Position Faster to Get You There Quicker
* Compatible with Optional Enhanced MSN Direct Content
* JPEG Picture Viewer, World Travel Clock, Currency Converter, Calculator and More

Physical

Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 4.8"W x 2.9"H x .8"D (12.2 x 7.4 x 2.0 cm)
Display size, WxH: 3.81"W x 2.25"H (9.7 x 5.7 cm); 4.3" diag (10.9 cm)
Display resolution, WxH: 480 x 272 pixels
Display type: WQVGA color TFT with white backlight
Weight: 6.1 ounces (172.93 g)
Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: up to 4 hours
Waterproof: no
High-sensitivity receiver: yes
RoHS version available: yes

Navigation features

Voice prompts (e.g. "Turn right in 500 ft."): yes (internal speaker)
Speaks street names (e.g. "Turn right ON ELM STREET in 500 ft."): yes
Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation): yes
Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road): yes
Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.): yes
MSN® Direct compatible: yes
FM traffic compatible: yes
Speed limit indicator (displays speed limit for most major roads): yes
Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police & gas stations, nearest address & intersection): yes
ecoRoute™ (calculates a more fuel-efficient route) : yes
Qwerty or ABC keyboard (choose keyboard layout): yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): yes
Garmin Garage™ vehicles compatible (download car-shaped icons to your device): yes
Garmin Garage™ voices compatible (download custom voices to your device): yes
Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos): yes
World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator: yes
Picture viewer: yes
Garmin Lock™ (anti-theft feature): yes
Touchscreen: yes
Additional: This USB mass storage device is compatible with Windows® 2000 or later and Mac® OS X 10.4 or later.

New -- Improved Interface

One of Garmin's key product philosophies is to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box, and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin's portable navigation devices. Garmin's interface is a key to their success part of what makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate. This year, Garmin has redesigned its interface to include much more useful information.

Old Interface

New Interface

New -- HotFix™ – aka: Satellite Ephemeris Data Prediction

Your GPS device locks onto transmissions from a dedicated network of Satellites in order to determine its position. Until the device gets a "lock" on three satellites, it can't effectively navigate, so decreasing the time it takes for your device to get "satellite lock" is always a goal of GPS manufacturers. With Garmin's new HotFix technology, your Garmin GPS remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. This gives the device an idea of where it should look for satellites, and dramatically decreases the time it takes for your Garmin to get its position and start navigating. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to 3 days after the device was last turned off. Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.

New -- Navigate by Photo

Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide. Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world. Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps. Search for photos by location name or map area boundary. Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator. View photos in Google Earth. Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.

New -- 3D Terrain Maps

Shaded relief terrain maps show you when to expect hills, mountains, forests and other natural features. Topographic terrain maps are viewable when using the 2D "birds-eye" view.

New -- Send Addresses Directly from Google Maps or Mapquest

tching to try out a new restaurant, or setting off on a road trip to locate the best toffee apples on the east coast? Now, it's easy to search for locations on Google Maps or Mapquest, then transfer the addresses directly to your Garmin GPS navigator. Hook up your Garmin to the computer via it's USB port Search for the location you want Click the Send link in the info window for the address. That will bring up a popup "Send to" form. Pick GPS, then pick Garmin and hit the "Send" button. The address will instantly transfer to your Garmin device, The point will be saved as one of your favorites, and you can navigate to it or view it on a map just like with any other favorite.

Search for the location you want.



Pick "Send to GPS".



Go!

Traffic-Capable for Either FM Traffic or Enhanced MSN Direct Content

MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content

FM Traffic


Wider screen lets you see more of what's around. Compare these actual size views of a 3-inch (diagonal) screen



and a 4.3-inch diagonal widescreen

First-Rate Map Data

Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.



Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.




Purchasing Advice
What's in the Box
nüvi 255W, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America or Europe (full coverage), Vehicle suction cup mount, Vehicle power cable, Dashboard disc, Quick start manual

Buy Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch lower-priced