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GARMIN 010-00621-31 Nuvi 260 Travel Assistant | 
| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $482.13
Buy New: $167.00
You Save: $315.13 (65%)
New (59) Used (5) Refurbished (4) from $134.99
Rating:  355 reviews
Sales Rank: 330
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 3.8 x 2.8 x 0.8
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: Nuvi 260
Model: Nuvi 260
UPC: 753759080310
EAN: 0753759080310
ASIN: B000UU7ZPS
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| | High-Sensitivity GPS Receiver For Improved Performance & Reception | | | 3.5-Inch Color Display, 320 X 240 Pixels | | | Turn-By-Turn Directions With Spoken Street Names | | | Sleek, Ultra-Slim Design | | | Easy Touch-Screen Interface |
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| Accessories:
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| Similar Items:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Bring the ultra-cool Nvi 260 along for the ride, and arrive on time and in style. Similar to Nvi 250, Nvi 260 is attractively priced and simple to use. Plus, this sleek, slim navigator comes with turn-by-turn voice directions that announce the name of streets as you navigate, so you can keep your eyes on the road. With Nvi 260 you're just a few screen taps away from anywhere.
Amazon.com Product Description
Garmin's nuevi 260 combines the thin profile and attractive price point of other nuevi 200-series GPS with directions in real street names. As with all nuevis, you get Garmin reliability, the fast satellite lock of a high-sensitivity integrated receiver, a slim, pocket-sized navigator with a gorgeous display, detailed NAVTEQ maps that lets you search by name for more than 6 million points of interest like stores, restaurants or hospitals, and an easy, intuitive interface.
Which nuevi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators.
The nuevi 260 comes preloaded with maps for U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and features an ultra-slim design. | Text-To-Speech
The text-to-speech feature of the nuevi 260 means that device automatically calls out street names (saying "turn right on Main Street" instead of "turn right in 200 feet."). This feature lets drivers keep their eyes on the road while navigating through busy traffic and tricky roadways. Smart, Powerful Design
The nuevi 260W is built with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver for extreme accuracy, as well as an SD card slot for storing your media and additional navigation tools, and a USB interface for loading data. All this is wrapped up in a package that measures 4.8 x 2.9 x 0.8 inches (W x H x D) and weighs just 6.6 ounces. The nuevi display is touchscreen-enabled, making it a cinch to control the device with your fingertips. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to five hours of battery life depending on use. Garmin Lock
Garmin's patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location Navigate with Ease
The nuevi 260 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nuevi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, the nuevi 260 accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.
Important note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. If you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store. Easy To Use Interface
Garmin's interface is a key to their success and one of the things that 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.
Beyond Navigation
Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer. |  nuevi 260W accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger. | Navigation is just the beginning. nuevi 260 features travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature, and configurable vehicle icons that let you select car-shaped graphics to show your location on the map.
This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via SD card, such as the Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nuevi for your travel needs.
Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI's) from third parties such as school zones and safety cameras.
Trick Your GPS Ride
Like all nuevis, the 260 supports configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle's position on the map. With this GPS system on board you'll be prepared to steer clear of traffic with the integrated FM TMC traffic receiver. The nuevi 260W is designed to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nuevi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
What's in the Box
nuevi 260, preloaded City Navigator NT for the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Canada, vehicle suction cup mount, vehicle power cable, dashboard disk, and set up and go guide.
Note: Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nuevi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me. Which nuevi is Best for You?
Note: All nuevis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.
| Screen
Size
inches
(w x h)
| Included Maps
| Text-to-Speech
(Directions in
Real Street
Names)
| Traffic
| Bluetooth
| Media
| FM Transmitter
(audio through
car stereo
system) | Multi-
Point
Routing
| Battery
life
(hours)
| Cont. U.S.,
Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico
| AK and
Canada
| Europe
| | nuevi 200 | 2.8 x 2.1
|  |
|
|
|
|
| Photos
|
|
| up to 5
| | nuevi 200w | 3.81 x 2.25
| |
|
|
|
|
| Photos
|
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 250 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
|
|
|
| Photos |
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 250w | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
|
|
|
| Photos |
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 260 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
| |
|
| Photos |
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| |
|
| Photos |
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 270 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | | |
|
|
| Photos |
|
| up to 5 | | nuevi 350 | 2.8 x 2.1
| |
|
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s
|
|
| up to 8
| | nuevi 360 | 2.8 x 2.1
| | |
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s |
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| up to 8 | | nuevi 370 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | FM (receiver
included)
| | Photos, MP3s |
|
| up to 8 | | nuevi 650 | 3.81 x 2.25
| |
|
| | FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s |
|
| up to 7
| nuevi 660
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | FM (receiver
included)
| | Photos, MP3s | |
| up to 7 | nuevi 670
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | | | | FM (receiver
included) | | Photos, MP3s | |
| up to 7 | | nuevi 680 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN (receiver
included;
1-year free);
FM (with opt.
receiver)
| | Photos, MP3s | |
| up to 7 | nuevi 750
| 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver)
|
| Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5
| | nuevi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nuevi 770 | 3.81 x 2.25
| | | | | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nuevi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
|
| MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free)
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nuevi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
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| MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | nuevi 880
| 3.81 x 2.25 | | | |
| MSN-enhanced
(receiver inc.;
3 months free);
FM (with opt.
receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | nuevi 5000
| 4.5 x 2.7 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced
(with optional
receiver);
FM (with opt.
receiver) |
|
| | | external
battery
only |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 350 more reviews...
 Great. It's just what you need in a portable GPS unit. No useless features. September 7, 2007
539 out of 541 found this review helpful
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.
 Nice little unit, but ... but ... but. January 9, 2008
272 out of 291 found this review helpful
Note: For people who are looking to buy the Nuevi 260, Garmin is releasing the 260W (wide-screen version) early this quarter (identical except for screen size).
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 Nuevi. 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 Nuevi rattling around inside and not secured. I've heard this same story many times, so it didn't surprise me. Luckily, my Nuevi 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 ... Nuevi? -- 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 Nuevi 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 Nuevi (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 Nuevi 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 Nuevi 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.
This is a light and excellent unit for GPS November 21, 2007
197 out of 197 found this review helpful
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!
Can't Go Wrong WIth This Unit. September 18, 2007
71 out of 73 found this review helpful
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!
Awesome. September 20, 2007
52 out of 52 found this review helpful
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!
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