Garmin Nuvi 260w

Santa was good to me this year. At the top of my wish list was this model from Garmin’s very popular Nuvi series of GPS devices. The most notable feature on the 260w is its ability to say street names, which allows you to drive without taking your eyes off of the road. The touch screen has very good resolution, is remarkably easy to read (even in daylight), and it can display both 2D and 3D maps. Your position on the map is indicated by a customizable icon, and I like that you can choose from many different vehicles on their site and download them into the internal memory. I went with the “Burb Mobile.”

This unit is excellent is for navigation while you are driving, but I was also interested in getting one that could be used for geocaching as well. I haven’t actually done it yet, but it appears to be capable of this as well, with a few minor tweaks of the user preferences. Some older Garmin units need to have their firmware upgraded to allow entry of raw latitude and longitude values, but this one has that functionality right out of the box.

Lastly, I would recommend the purchase of the optional friction mount that allows the unit to sit on your dashboard, rather that suction-cupped to the windshield. The word on the street is that residue left on your windshield is a telltale sign for thieves looking to relieve you of your GPS gadgetry.

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