A few days ago I acquired a new GPS unit, the Garmin nüvi 270. Since my StreetPilot c580 is now a discontinued model I figured it was time for an upgrade to one of the newer and (much) thinner nüvi models.

A few notes before continuing:

There are only very slight differences between nüvi models 200, 250, 260 and 270, and they are (for United States releases):

• nüvi 200 – lower 48 US states + Hawaii and Puerto Rico
• nüvi 250 – full North American map data set
• nüvi 260 – identical to 250 + speaks street names
• nüvi 270 – identical to 250 with full transatlantic maps (but doesn’t speak street names)

For any nüvi model with a W on it (like 200W), that simply means it’s a widescreen unit but the functionality is the same as the model without the W.

If you haven’t used GPS before and are wondering which one to pick, 99% of you out there would be perfectly happy with the 200. It’s the cheapest of the lot and does the job just fine. The only time you’d need the full North America data set is if you travel (or live) in Canada or travel overseas routinely in which case you’d need the 270.

For those wondering, I have the 270 because I got in on a special promotional offer. Otherwise I just would have went for a 200.

Map updates, O where are my map updates?

GPS manufacturers usually never offer map data updates for free. But Garmin at least offers the first update for free with the nuMaps guarantee, which is simply this:

If you buy a new (and it must be new) Garmin GPS and the map data is old, you can get a $75 map update free of charge by registering the unit at my.garmin.com and you have 60 days from there to either download the update (it’s a few gigs’ worth) or have a DVD delivered to you where you pay a small shipping charge.

If you opt for the download, this is how it works:

(First I suggest getting the Garmin USB drivers before doing anything, that’s a quick download and you should do that immediately. This is so when you plug in the GPS via USB there aren’t any driver problems.)

1. You register the unit first.
2. The system will alert you if you need a map update and ask you what to do (either download or get the DVD data disc). Download it.
3. An e-mail will be sent to you with your product key. You’ll need this because without it you won’t be able to activate the data.
4. The data file will be a single executable and will be somewhere between 1GB to 2.5GB in size. Yes, it’s a ginormous download. It takes roughly 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to get depending on your connection.
5. Run the file. It will take 1 to 1.5 hours to finish the update. Remember that this is a few gigs of data going over USB.
6. Once done the software will let you know it’s finished. Then just reboot the unit and you’re good to go with newly updated map data.

Important tip: If you have your computer’s power saving options to automatically power off your hard drive, go into hibernation, a saved state or whatever – TURN THAT OFF before doing this update. Having your computer shut off during the update of the GPS is bad news.

Okay now back to the good stuff.

Size

Even though the nüvi has a 3.5-inch screen on it (and yes that is measured diagonally), the thinness of it is enough to fool just about anyone that this must be a toy and nothing more.

Oh, it’s not a toy – that I can guarantee. This is a fully functional and ready-to-go nav unit.

The construction does not feel toy-like at all. The chassis is built with heavy-grade plastic and there are no creaks, squeaks or anything of the like to be found on a nüvi.

Battery life

The reported claim by Garmin is that the battery will last up to 5 hours. But I believe this can only be achieved if you purposely turn the screen brightness down (and states so in the manual to do this to conserve battery life). Otherwise you’ll get 3.5 to 4 hours out of it before it needs to be plugged in.

Power Cord

The power cord is – thank God – a mini-USB connector. My previous “c” series StreetPilots had these nasty huge proprietary cords that just plain sucked. I never had one break on me but if it did I would have to purposely seek out another Garmin-specific power adapter. But now I don’t have to just in case the mini-USB power adapter busts on the nüvi.

Another bonus about the power connector: The mini-USB plug itself is “L” shaped and not straight – and this is good. Keeps the unit thin even when plugged in and saves it from being yanked accidentally.

Weight

5.2 ounces. In other words, really light.

If you’ve ever used first-generation GPS units (as I have) that were heavy and placed on the windshield with a suction mount, you’re very familiar of the situation where the GPS decides to “take a dive” for the floor.

The nüvi is almost guaranteed not to do that. I say “almost” because eventually the suction mount will un-suck itself – but it’ll take a good long time before that happens because the weight being pulled on it is minimal.

If you hate the suction mount (as many do), get a friction mount. Make sure it’s made by Garmin directly. And yes it stays put on the dash – I use one myself.

Screen

This screen is a notable improvement over the Garmin predecessors.

First of all, it’s a backlit QVGA color antiglare TFT. In bright-bright Florida sun this screen can be seen and read easily. And I’m pretty darned sure that even in the snow belt regions of the US with that highly reflective snow you wouldn’t have a problem with the screen there either.

Unfortunately this screen suffers the same crapola that all touchscreen devices have – your fingerprints will smudge it all up quickly. Your fingertips could be perfectly clean and the frickin’ thing will still smudge.

My suggestion is to put a guitar polish cloth in the glovebox and use it to clean the screen when needed. It’s completely non-abrasive and is meant to be used dry. They are always colored yellow and can be picked up at just about any musical instrument retailer (Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc.) You could probably also find them at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.

GPS Signal Acquisition

The StreetPilots never had an antenna that stuck out of it unless you specifically used the auxiliary antenna port (which I never did).

Earlier nüvi models had a flip-out antenna from the back of the unit.

The nüvi 2xx units have no flip-out or aux port for external.

And you won’t need either of them.

My nüvi 270 grabs a signal faster than my c580 did. It connects up to the satellites just fine and can usually acquire a signal in under a minute.

However I will say your signal acquisition time greatly depends on where you are and where you physically place the GPS. Obviously the unit has to have a clear “view” of the sky and not have any major obstruction to block the signal.

Things that will still degrade or “kill” any GPS signal to this day even with SiRF and WAAS (which the nüvi does have enabled):

• Underground tunnels
• Skyscrapers
• Dense foliage

Routing

One of the biggest perks of a Garmin GPS is that it’s really tough to find anything that routes better, and the nüvi is no exception.

The “engine” that Garmin uses in the way it routes is reliable and works well. No, it doesn’t replace the driver (and no GPS ever should), but compared to most other GPS manufacturers, Garmin typically routes the best.

With the nüvi series I have noticed it does route faster than the older StreetPilots. Less waiting = Good (and the StreetPilot was pretty fast to begin with).

Arrival Time still marvels all who see it

Something which is seemingly insignificant but is actually important to a lot of people is the Arrival Time feature. It absolutely blows away people who see it for the first time because the same question is always asked: “How does it know when I’m going to arrive?” It’s all based on math internally by the nüvi and 99.9% of the time it’s spot-on correct.

Performance still typical Garmin high-quality standard

I’ve been using Garmin GPS units since 2005 and this one still lives up to the standard that I come to expect – which is nothing short of excellent.

Even easier to use, absolutely no manual required

All Garmin GPS units come with a printed instructional manual obviously. And I had thought prior that the StreetPilot c580 was the easiest GPS to use, but I was wrong – the nüvi is.

Why?

It actually has a help section built right in. It’s right off the the Tools menu.

I tap “Help” here.

I tap “Map” here.

I tap “Using Trip Information” here.

I read and get my information.

So it’s true, you literally don’t need the manual since it’s already there with just a few taps.

Thinner is better

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t expecting the nüvi to perform that well because of its svelte nature. But I was definitely proven flat wrong after I started using it. It outruns and outguns my previous StreetPilot c580 and the best part is that I can toss it in my pocket.

Few whiz-bang features but does its “core” like it’s supposed to do

The nüvi 2xx series is designed as an entry-level GPS unit and as such isn’t chock full of goodies. There’s no Bluetooth, no FM traffic receiving, no MP3 player… none o’ that. It’s a GPS first and to be blunt honest that’s all I care about.

My previous c580 – which I still have – is full of all those goodies, and I never used them. The MSN Direct stuff was pretty much altogether useless. And the units (even besides Garmin) that have FM traffic receivers always tell you too little too late. Nobody I know uses a GPS for playing MP3s. The only feature I did use was the Bluetooth for my RAZR phone which was nice but not any better than the speakerphone on the RAZR itself.

I’ll take the thin nüvi with less features and better/faster GPS core ability over another unit with a bunch of stuff I don’t use any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Then again if you want those goodies there’s always the better nüvi models. But personally speaking I couldn’t be bothered with those.

Price Point

GPS units as little as 2 years ago with the features of the nüvi cost around $300. This above all else is what kept people from taking the plunge and buying one.

Today you can get a nüvi 200 for just a tick over $100. And by 2009 I’m sure it will go below $99 and stay there.

If you were waiting for the price to drop to a level you felt comfortable with, just over $100 is pretty amazing considering what the nüvi does.

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