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Garmin Nuvi 250 Widescreen Satellite Navigation System with European Mapping | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
Buy New: £131.10
New (14) from £131.10
Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 269
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 6.4 x 3.4
MPN: 010-00656-02
Model: 010-00656-02
UPC: 753759072186
EAN: 0753759072186
ASIN: B000SDWGF6
Release Date: July 17, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Product Description
The Nüvi 250W GPS from Garmin is a widescreen version of the Nuvi 250 GPS! This navigator has a stunning 4.3" touch screen for clear instructions and increased user comfort. All you have to do is enter the postcode and the name of the town you're heading to for it to display your itinerary. Garmin has also kitted the Nüvi 250W GPS out with Navteq maps of 33 European countries and preloaded speed camera alerts. What's more, this GPS lists over 1 million points of interest, including restaurants, petrol stations, bars and tourist sites, and will help you to organise your next family excursion. In addition to this, you can customise your GPS by saving your own points of interest and up to 500 of your favourite destinations and addresses. Furthermore, the Nüvi 250W also features a JPEG image viewer, a currency converter and a PIN code protection system.The Nüvi 250W is the ideal on-board computer! Maps included: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Monaco, Germany, Greece, Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Andorra, Sweden, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Well designed and practical system July 16, 2008
Dr. J. H. Beattie (Scotland, UK)
This is the first navigation system that I have bought and, like other reviewers, I spent some time making my choice on the basis of Amazon and other reviews. I have used the system in Aberdeen, London and northern Italy and it has worked very well in all locations.
I have had no problems with satellite reception except when the unit was not powered from the lighter socket of a car with its engine running. I can't say for certain whether lack of signal is directly related to power supply, but it may be a factor. However, I have never had a signal problem with the engine running and the signal was detected within seconds in every new location.
The maps that came with the unit are mostly accurate and I was impressed with the way the system guided me through some small country roads in Tuscany and even smaller one-way "streets" in Florence. Obviously the maps become rather dated rather quickly and there were a few tricky moments with frenzied Italian drivers bearing down on us from all directions while the navigator calmly told us to turn right into a blocked off exit. However, ignoring the navigator usually yielded another solution, which followed a pause and the euphemistic "recalculating" (which is said in that "I told you to turn right you idiot" kind of way).
As mentioned in other reviews, it is better to keep an eye on the road plan rather than rely too much on the vocal instructions, which can occasionally be misleading. The display is very clear and the background reverts from light to dark or dark to light automatically depending on the external lighting conditions. This means that the unit does not dazzle at night but is also very clear in daylight.
One problem we came across was the need to enter a particular road for a destination and it would not recognise a simple instruction, such as "Airport". This may not be a general problem but it was a problem for our specific destination airport. I have had no problem with the cradle which sticks firmly to the windscreen.
In conclusion, this is an excellent navigation system with a great display and it saved us unimaginable grief on the roads of Italy. If you are going driving in Europe and want a mostly trouble-free navigation experience, this system will do the job at a reasonable price.
 some good points, but quite a few problems June 29, 2008
Dr. Simon J. Gerhand
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have owned one of these for a year now. I chose this because a friend had a Tom Tom, which was extremely unreliable in certain parts of the country. This unit has come down in price quite a bit, and now represents considerably better value than when I purchased it a year ago.
First the good points. I find it great in big cities, especially London. When navigating myself, I always attempted the simplest routes. The Garmin picks routes which are quicker, but usually more complex, so that I would not have attempted them otherwise. It has saved me a considerable amount of time on these journeys.
It has also negotiated some really good routes, cross country, which have saved me both time and distance, where I would previously have stuck to motorways where possible. It has generally also negotiated me around Birmingham, where my friend's Tom Tom comes unstuck at times.
The battery life is quite good, so you can take it with you, even if the vehicle you are driving does not have a lighter socket (which happened to me with a work-owned mini-bus).
However, there are a number of problems, some mentionned in other reviews on this page. Sometimes, the unit can take a very long time to find satellites, e.g. 20 minutes or longer. On the most extreme occasion, it failed to find the satellites at all during the course of an evening, and was therefore completely useless. Garmins are notoriously prone to this, more so than other sat navs.
The speed camera detection is just a nuisance. I had a Road Angel, which I stopped using because it annoyed me with it's constant bleeping. But at least the Road Angel was accurate. The Garmin is hopelessly inaccurate with speed camera locations, even if you keep it up dated. I have not worked out how to turn this function off, so I recommend buying one without it.
On the topic of inaccuracy, some of the maps are wrong. Again, updating it did not solve the problem. To be fair, I have not caught it out too often, but I notice it because it is particularly bad in the centre of the city in which I currently reside.
The estimated time of arrival is usually somewhat optimistic, not taking account of factors such as traffic, However, it is very fond of taking you off the main roads, and along single track lanes. The problem with this is that you then have to drop your speed right down, and it takes you twice as long as it would have done otherwise.
You cannot rely on the voice commands. Sometimes it will tell you to turn left/right at a junction, when it really means go straight accross, so you do need to keep an eye on the screen. This only caused problems the first time I used it, as I did initially attempt to navigate by just following the verbal instructions.
Updating is a problem. Apart from the fact that the up-to-date maps still seem to contain errors, and are not that up-to-date in areas that have been recently developed, the unit does not come with any kind of USB cable. I can update it by using the one that comes with my digital camera, but it's a bit cheeky not to supply one.
I have not owned any other sat nav for comparison, but I would be cautious about recommending this one because of the problems listed above/
Absolutely brilliant! June 22, 2008
Ricky Goodchild (Hove,UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is such a sweet buy I really can't compliment it enough.It comes straight from the box ready to go.It does have a holder which you can mount on either the windscreen or (with the use of a thin 'platform' that is included) on the dashboard or other surface.I didn't see this listed (although it may have been) so I felt it important to note that it does come with one.
Programming it is too easy for words and you can choose the type of voice and even what your vehicle looks like on the screen too.
If for no other reason than the speed camera alerts,it's worth every penny.
Reliable June 19, 2008
Mr. S. S. Grewal (UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Good:
Easy menu system
Nice sreen
Clear mapping
Sensible routing
Good online support
Bad:
Sometimes takes long time to acquire satellites - however, don't let this put you off - it does get there
Top tip - before you buy a USB cable (not included) check to see if your phone/digital camera usb cable works!
Garmin 250W June 2, 2008
Hop Along (Middlesbrough UK)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Bought a Garmin Nuvi 250W before our trip abroad in the summer. Found it very easy to use and I was pleased with the speed of satellite acquisition and route calculation. The unit also recalculates routes quickly.
Found the map coordinates function very useful and will probably use that with an OS map for hiking trips rather than by a separate GPS unit.
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