 I'm impressed! |
| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Harrison, Clements, CA United States |
The Garmin nuvi 285WT is a winner.
The case for the Garmin 285WT is sleek shiny black plastic. The case seems very sturdy - in fact all the pieces appear to be made of quality plastic. It comes with the power adapter for the car, and a USB cable to hook up to your computer. (Some of the less expensive Garmins do not come with the USB cable, which is a problem because you need a USB cable to register the unit.)
Pros:
The unit was extremely easy to set up. Upon first use, it guides you through set-up, which is simple. The icons on the screen are simple and intuitive. I started using it without even reading the directions.
After the initial settings are entered, it sets about finding the local satellites. I told it to skip that step, since I was just hooking it up to a wall charger (sold separately) to charge the batteries. Not only did it go ahead and find the satellites, it found them while sitting on my kitchen table. I don't know how it did that, but it did. There are green bars in the corner of the display showing you how many satellites have been acquired. There it was, displaying all four green bars after just a few minutes. That was impressive.
In the car, it locks onto the satellites extremely fast. It is much faster to find the signals than my friend's TomTom 910. To be fair, the TomTom is an older unit, but it was a much more expensive unit than the Garmin 285WT to begin with.
I am using the default voice. It is extremely clear and easy to understand. It has only messed up on one street name, as it assumed that N Street was the same as North Street. I am not in an area where there are street names in Spanish or other languages, so I have not had the chance to find out how well it deals with those. The voice is much more understandable than the voice in the TomTom 910 (I hope my friend doesn't read this...). (The TomTom also consistently mangled Spanish street names when we took a road trip to San Jose.)
If one drives past a turn that it has selected, the device instantly says "Recalculating," and immediately updates the directions. I missed a turn at night in a very dark area, (I would have had a hard time finding the alternative route) and it didn't miss a beat.
The display is extremely legible both in bright sunlight and at night. I had to turn the brightness down to the minimum because it was a bit too bright at night for my taste.
The plastic suction cup holds extremely well. Be sure to take the transparent protective film off of it before using. I have it mounted on a Gilsson UBM Portable Car Non-Skid Friction Beanbag Dashboard Mount for Garmin, TomTom, Magellan and more that has worked out quite well.
The 285WT comes with a feature that I really like called "Where Am I?" It's an emergency location feature - you can tap the screen to get your latitude and longitude. So if you get a flat tire out in the middle of the Mohave Desert, the tow truck from Trona will be able to find you. Assuming, of course, that tow trucks from Trona also have GPS devices.
Cons:
It gave me bad directions one time. It was a good thing I knew the area. Since I just got this unit, I don't know how often this sort of thing will happen. I am willing to forgive in this instance, because it seems to perform so well overall. (I don't know how forgiving I'd be if I had driven miles out of my way...)
Neutral:
This model is Bluetooth. I don't have a Bluetooth phone (I know, I know, I am using archaic technology...) so I couldn't test that feature.
The device also comes the MSN Direct (9 months free) which I found to be of very limited usefulness because I live in a rural area. I mean, c'mon, around here the 4H Club pancake breakfast at the volunteer fire department is a Big Deal, and MSN Direct is hardly going to tell me about things like that. I also don't have traffic concerns of the type that one would have in Los Angeles or San Francisco, for example. I also don't know why one needs a Doppler weather display on one's GPS, unless one is driving through Oklahoma in a thunderstorm during tornado season. It might be great for that, who knows?
If you live in an urban area, don't get too excited about MSN Direct, because Microsoft has already announced that they are killing it in 2012. It was originally developed for a device called a Smart Watch, which obviously hit the market with a big belly flop, or we'd all have one. More information can be found on MSN Direct and the planned demise thereof in an October 28, 2009 article at the PC World website.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this device, and recommend it without reservation. In fact, I am buying one for my son for Christmas.
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A Basic Easy-to-Use GPS Which Offers Excellent Value for Money
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lawrence H. Bulk, New Jersey USA |
I recently (November 28, 2009) received this excellent Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic courtesy of Amazon Vine and, after using it as much as possible to familiarize myself with it, I can report that, overall, I am very pleased with this unit.
This is my second Garmin GPS; the first one was the GARMIN 010-00656-00 Nuvi 250W Widescreen Travel Assistant which I have been using since December 2007. Should anyone reading this review be interested, I refer that person to my review of the older unit.
This particular one, recently introduced, is really an incremental update of the 250W in that it too is a "basic" unit, though it does have more features - many of which may be useful to most people but also a few which hold no particular interest, at least to me. Naturally, having additional features makes operation more complex but, fortunately, some of these can be ignored and/or disabled should the owner so desire.
I must mention that I definitely prefer simpler units to more complicated ones, especially when I am driving at 65MPH on a crowded highway! I do not think that GPS units (or ANYTHING meant for use in a moving car) should have all sorts of unneeded "bells and whistles" which can make operation difficult, if not downright dangerous. I think a cell phone should be a cell phone, a camera should be a camera, a radio should be a radio -- and a GPS should be a GPS. Period. Obviously many, many people will disagree with my preferences but, if you are one of the few who do agree with me (and even if you don't), then I hope that this review will be of use to you. At least you know my perspective.
I have noticed that, when adding new features to newer models, Garmin attempts to keep the interface similar to past ones. Unfortunately, though well intentioned, this sometimes makes the interfaces somewhat awkward in use as anyone who uses this new instrument will quickly discover. I mention below the necessity of deleting data in several separate locations (screens); this is one disadvantage of trying to keep the older interfaces.
Now for my review: I shall first discuss some of the new features that the 285WT has that the 250W did not which I do not like and/or do not use.
For example, there is a new feature called ecoRoute. If you activate the "Vehicle Profile" within this feature, the unit will calculate your fuel costs and approximate gas mileage. Frankly, this is of little, if any, use, in my opinion, as the data will only be a general approximation. But when you wish to delete this data for each trip as well as general trip data, you must do so separately within each screen in which the data is stored (as many as three separate screens). To delete such data in the 250W, you need delete the data - maximum speed and mileage data - from the same screen and this is relatively simple. Not so with the 285WT. Of course you need not activate a "Vehicle Profile" and I recommend that, in the interest of simplicity, that you ignore this feature. After all, of what real use is it?
This unit also features Bluetooth. If you are one of the many people who enjoy this feature for use with your cell phone, this will be of value to you. But, as I do not use a Bluetooth cell phone, I have disabled it.
I also have no interest at all in the Microsoft Network; I see no need to have stock market reports on my GPS. Nor do I need their traffic reports, for which you must pay $50.00 per year after the trial period (I cannot accurately determine how long the trial period is: the instruction manual states "3 months" but Amazon, and at least one other review, states "9 months.") But, whatever the trial period is, I have no interest in activating MSN Direct and I'm sure you have read in other reviews that it is to be discontinued in 2012. And it is certainly easy enough to get such information as it offers from a local radio news station.
In order to use the MSN Direct, you must use the power cable which Garmin supplies with the unit. This contains the MSN receiver. If you use an older power cable, such as this one Garmin nüvi Vehicle Power Cable the GPS itself will function normally but there will be no MSN. That's fine with me - I have three of these older cables. I keep one in each of our two cars and one in the house. (I keep the actual GPS units in the house too when they are not in use.) I will not be using the supplied power cable with MSN receiver with my 285WT. (I recommend that everyone buy at least one spare cable, of whatever type, "just in case.")
The case on my older 250W is a flat gray color. The new 285WT has a glossy black finished case. While the glossy black is somewhat more attractive (but really - who cares?), it shows all of your fingerprints. The flat gray case does not do this. Thus I much prefer the older case.
You'll certainly want to have a case for your Garmin; I recommend this one: AmazonBasics Carrying Case for Portable GPS Units (Black). You'll also want a Garmin Portable Friction Mount [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]; this is a FAR better mount than the supplied windshield-mounted suction-cup mount and, in any case, in certain states the suction cup mount is banned by law.
I had hoped that Garmin would have improved the "Detour" function but they have not. When driving and desiring a detour, you must touch the Menu option at the bottom of the screen and then click on the Detour function in the next screen. This is the same as on the 250W. I wish that Garmin would place the Detour function button on the main screen. That's where it belongs, in my opinion.
Okay, those are the "bad" parts. If you're still with me, I shall now discuss the "good" parts, the improvements (and they are many and considerable) over the 250W.
First and foremost - this new unit locks onto the satellites FAR faster than does the older one. This is VERY noticeable and very welcome. Three days ago, we visited some friends who live about 35 miles away; traveling to their house is my Garmin "test-bed" to see how well it functions (the trip is convoluted). Both units take us there flawlessly but, when restarting the 250W when we wish to "Go Home," for some reason the 250W will not pick up the satellites until we have driven almost one mile from their house. This is strange (because it "knew" where we were when I turned it off) and annoying. (Of course we know how to get home; we do not really need the Garmin - but this is a "test.") This happens consistently, each and every time we visit these friends.
Not so with the 285WT - as soon as I turned it on at their house, it instantly locked onto the satellites. We were very pleased with this performance.
I have also noticed that the 285WT consistently locks onto satellites in my house, even with all the blinds drawn. Obviously there is no "line-of-sight" here so this performance improvement is quite amazing and is much improved over the 250W which rarely, if ever, locks onto the satellites in my house (and is much slower in locking to them even outdoors, although this is not a major disadvantage in MOST cases).
So far, no matter where we have gone, or for how long the unit was turned off, or where we were when we turned it back on (we were not always at the same location as we were when we turned it off), it almost instantly locked on to the satellites. Frankly, this is remarkable.
I should also mention that the boot-up time on the 285WT is much quicker than on the 250W.
The next improvement I note is the virtual keyboard. You have your choice of a QWERTY keyboard or the one ABCDE featured on the older Garmins. The QWERTY is a vast improvement. It also features numbers as well as letters thereby making it unnecessary to go to another screen to enter numbers. In addition, to get to the symbols (@#$%^), you need only go to one other screen (as opposed to two on the 250W); this is indicated at the bottom of the Garmin's keyboard screen.
In addition to the backspace control found on the 250W (which deletes each letter/number as you backspace), there are cursor controls as well on the 285WT which allow you to move the cursor to whichever point you desire and then use the backspace control to delete only the one undesired letter and replace it with the correct one - just like on a computer.
All in all, this is a major and welcome improvement and makes typing in addresses, etc., much more convenient.
The screen information has been somewhat improved on the 285T and is slightly easier to read and comprehend quickly. But, while the new unit shows the next turn (and there is a pictogram showing the turn), the green "line" at the top no longer shows the road on which you are traveling as it does on the 250W. It shows the next turn you must make - even when that turn is many miles away. This is a step backwards, in my opinion. You can see the road you're on if you wish - but you must touch the magenta line (which shows the correct route to your destination). I feel that the green line should show the actual road on which you are driving until about four or five miles from your next turn (you would be able to preview the next turn, if you wished, by merely touching the green line which will then show you all the steps subsequent to get to your destination); the pictogram could constantly show the next turn (as it does now).
The 285WT shows the speed limit on the road you are using if such data is available to Garmin. Unfortunately, it is not always accurate - so you better read the road signs and not depend solely on this feature. (There is a local road which, for years, has had a section of about a half-mile in which the limit is 35MPH. When I first got the 285WT and drove on this section, it showed the limit to be 40MPH. When I registered my unit over the internet, I was "forced" to update the firmware and I took advantage of their free one-time map upgrade. After doing so, I noticed that now the speed limit listed on that section was 45MPH, the same as the rest of the road! This is not good! The upgrade made the error worse! I have seen many people pulled over on that section of the road, the number depending, I suppose, upon just how strapped for cash the township is. In any event, I do not think anyone should rely on the speed limit shown on your Garmin even though most of the time it DOES seem to be accurate.)
There is a particularly welcome new feature on the 285WT within the Tools section; you click on the Tools icon at the bottom of the screen (which, for reasons best known to Garmin, is now to the right of the Volume setting instead of to the left of it, as previously). You click on that Tools icon and, directly in the center of the following screen, is a "Where Am I?" icon. Click on that and you will see the actual coordinates of your location (including elevation), the nearest address, and the nearest intersection. In addition, and most important, there are buttons for the nearest Hospitals, Police Stations, and Fuel.
If, while driving, you touch the Vehicle icon on your screen, the same location information is shown. (It's best to have your "co-pilot" do this however as it is with most of the options the Garmin has.)
All in all, this is very easy to use and very welcome even if the nearest address shown is not always "spot-on" accurate (it's close though).
There is also, within the Tools screen, a My Data section which features a particularly easy means of setting or changing your Home location. This is quite useful when traveling, for instance, or, when using the Pedestrian setting, for changing your Home to the location of your car in a crowded shopping center. Do that and you'll never have trouble finding your car again! (You can do that with the 250W as well but it is quicker and easier with the 285WT.)
I have the screen brightness set to 50% (you'll find the settings within the Display option under Color Mode), both for Daytime and for Nighttime. Of course, after the adjustments, I set the Garmin's Color Mode back to Auto; this changes the screen as the sun goes down. My wife and I have found that 50% in both options works for us; your preferences may differ.
I noticed that I had to set the Volume to 90% on my 285WT to achieve a comfortable sound level which is easy for us to hear; the corresponding setting on my 250W is 70%. However I am sure that this is a sample to sample variance and you will have to experiment to find your own desired volume level.
You have read about Text-to-Speech in which the GPS says the street names rather than just "turn right" or "turn left" as on the 250W.
Well, at least on this unit. this feature is a bit of a mixed bag. First, not all of the available "voice" choices feature text-to-speech (TTS). Only some of them do - and the voices which do so may not please you. For example, American English does not feature TTS; American English-Samantha (TTS) does and this is what we're now using. On our 250W, we use British English, which we prefer. British English is also an option on the 285WT but "she" doesn't feature TTS. For that, if you want a female British voice, you must use British English-Serena (TTS) - and "she's" awful, in both my and my wife's opinion. She speaks too fast and none too clearly, in our opinion, especially in her pronunciation of road names, and she sounds more "Irish" than "British" (not that that matters much). But, for us, "she" is unpleasant sounding and, therefore, essentially unusable. The male voices, in our limited - thus far - experiences, are more difficult for us to understand in a moving vehicle so, for the moment, we are staying with our American English-Samantha (TTS) "companion." (We haven't tried any of the other languages offered as we speak only English.)
A slight disadvantage to TTS is that, if the road name is a long one, you could conceivably pass the turn before "she" could get it all out! (I think that this would be a rare occurrence however.) I still rely on reading the street names on the top green line.
Personally, I think it would be better for Garmin to offer various voices and languages and offer the option, for ALL of them, to have TTS on or off, as the user chooses. Perhaps some day they will be able to implement that.
Of course all the features in the world are of absolutely no use if the GPS doesn't take you where you want to go! In this respect, I believe that this Garmin nüvi 285WT is as good as any on the road, regardless of price. Is it perfect? Certainly not! As I stated in my review of the 250W, sometimes you still have to ask! But it is as accurate a unit as you're going to find. Thus far, in our limited usage, we have not noticed any differences in the routes chosen by our 285WT from those chosen by our 250W. But I have a Garmin nüMaps Lifetime North America Map Updates for our 250W and I do keep it updated so it has the same maps as the 285WT. (I recommend this "lifetime" option for most people though, as I have it for my 250W, I shall not be buying it for my 285WT, at least at this time.)
I think I have covered most of the incremental changes that Garmin has made from its 2007 model, the 250W, to its 2009 model, the 285WT. I should think, though I do not know, that the same changes will have been made to other new models within the 200 series. I think that, for the most part, the operational changes are improvements.
I should like to sum up this review by repeating that I am very pleased with the new 285WT and its performance. I have mentioned a number of things I do not like - but do not let that dissuade anyone from buying this GPS. The advantages GREATLY outweigh any disadvantages and the changes from the 250W to the 285WT are, for the most part, significant and good. And after all, NO product is "perfect" - and no product ever will be!
And though it doesn't "run rings" around the 2-year-old 250W (except in its much improved satellite reception), for the most part, it has been greatly improved over its predecessor, especially in its general ease of use (when certain "features" are disabled), and these improvements will be especially noticeable to anyone with Garmin experience. Within its class, this GPS represents excellent value for money. (It's a constant source of amazement to me that Garmin can offer such an excellent product at such a low price. And, by the way, if you are as interested in GPS pricing as I am, you will find that the ABSOLUTE best place to buy one of these things is right here - from Amazon!)
I want to thank everyone who has read my review and I hope that it has been of some help.
I highly recommend this Garmin nüvi 285WT to anyone interested in a "basic" Global Positioning System device. |
Great GPS
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| Review Date: November 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Jones, |
| I saw the low star ratings because of the MSN Direct shutdown in 2012. I don't see down rating several stars on a GPS because of such a accessory service which you can get other ways if you really need it. I see this as a great GPS and that is all it needs to be. |
Garmin 780 vs 285WT
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bob Feeser, Springfield, PA USA |
I have the Garmin nüvi 780 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct Serviceand was glad to acquire the 285WT as well. I could talk about the side by side comparison of features between the two, but the chart on this page identifies them for you already. What I want to share with you is something that I consider to be very important, and I don't notice many covering it, and that is the sound experience. When I am driving down the highway, first and foremost on my wish list is to be enjoying the radio or CD. Having automated directions is just as important, but not at the cost of not being able to listen to music. The 780 which sells currently for around the same amount of money as the 285WT is a full featured premium version including the MP3 playback feature, whereas the 285WT does not. Both units accept the SDHC cards with the latest update, but only the 780 has music playback. The beauty of that is when you are listening to your tunes, and the voice with the directions comes on, it momentarily silences the music, and speaks the directions, and then resumes the music again; that is sweet. What is even better is that it has the audio out jack that connects to the face mount auxiliary input jack on the front of the cars stereo so I can hear the tunes, and the directions right through the cars stereo system. With steering wheel mounted audio controls I have a lot of control with the volume, but miss the ability to skip over songs, or be able to select a playlist the way an iPod does. Nevertheless it is a great way to experience the Garmin. Both units have a built in speaker, and you can play your tunes through that on the 780 the same way, or just listen to directions on the 285WT. The problem with the 285 speaking directions at normal or mildly loud music levels with the radio on is that they are both going on at the same time. It gives you a frustrated feeling that there is too much voice traffic at once, and leaves me a little annoyed. It's like hearing 2 people talking at the same time. You can decipher both communications, but it requires more attention than you would feel comfortable with during a repeated performance. In plain words it wears on you. So the 780 eliminates that, and makes for a more enjoyable experience, since it controls the music and directions from the same source, so it has complete control. My advice is to get an 8, 16, or 32 Gig SDHC card which is the size of a postage stamp, and holds your entire MP3 collection. I also suggest that you get the SDHC that comes with the USB stick so you can easily plug that into any PC. Transcend 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card with USB 2.0 Card Reader TS8GSDHC6-S5W
So what does all of that come down to? Namely this, with the 780 you can go moving on down the highway with your tunes blaring, and never miss a turn. With the 285 you can enjoy your tunes, and do so at moderate listening levels. The 780 is a discontinued model so it is going for a bargain. It actually only sells for a fraction of its original price. I must admit the 285WT is a newer unit, according to Amazon's first sale date. The 285WT does have a clearer picture. Let's elaborate on that. Both screens are bright, and do a great job of being able to see everything, but if I had to get critical, the 285WT has whiter whites. The 780 has a manila tint to the white, and the picture is not quite as sharp. Let me emphasize not quite, because side by side you can see a very small difference
Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator Reviewunrated0
GPSGarmin nüvi 285W/285WT Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator Review
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Product Description |
This sleek widescreen navigator takes you there with preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions that call out streets by name. It delivers real-time local weather, traffic, movie times, stock information, gas prices, news and local events as you navigate. The 285WT provides complete maps for North America and the handy Text-to-Speech feature, so you get turn-by-turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. "turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way", rather than merely "turn left in 50 feet"). Like the rest of the nüvi 205-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use.
Stay Connected
The nüvi 285WT offers MSN Direct Service and is compatible with Garmin's lifetime traffic update receiver. Enjoy 3 months of free MSN Direct Service (included) or purchase the GTM 25 and get real-time traffic updates for the life of your nüvi. Choose what's best for you.  Intuitive touchscreen interface. Click to enlarge. |  With photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect Photos and navigate to them. Click to enlarge. |  Pair with your compatible Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free. Click to enlarge. | MSN Direct
With next-generation dynamic content from MSN Direct, nüvi 285WT is one resourceful personal travel assistant. Using the included receiver and free trial service to MSN Direct, you can check your flight status, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get advanced weather information, enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send locations to nüvi 285WT. - Free 3 month trial subscription to MSN Direct services, activation instructions provided*
- MSN Direct Traffic Receiver (GDB 55) included in the box
- Extended MSN Direct service subscriptions available for purchase: 12 months for $49.95 + tax (visit MSN for further details)
Notice: MSN Direct service will be available only until January 1, 2012.
Integrated Traffic Receiver Capability
Power your nüvi and get lifetime traffic updates all with one cable, the GTM 25 with Lifetime Traffic (purchase required). This optional device provides you with updates from NAVTEQ Traffic, a real-time traffic services provider with no monthly fees or maintenance costs. NAVTEQ Traffic delivers accurate, reliable, lifetime traffic data directly to your compatible navigator. NAVTEQ Traffic provides real-time traffic conditions for more than 90 metropolitan markets in North America, including Toronto, Canada. Find out more on the product detail page.
See More
With nüvi 285WT's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, 4.3-inch display is easy to read--from any direction. Get Turn-by-Turn Directions
nüvi 285WT's intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions: "Where to?" and "View Map." Touch the color screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names to your destination. It comes preloaded with detailed City Navigator NT street maps, over 6 million points of interest (POIs), 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map redraw rates as you navigate. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. In addition, nüvi 285WT 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. With HotFix satellite prediction, nüvi calculates your position faster to get you there quicker. Make Hands-free Calls with Bluetooth
For hands-free calling, nüvi 285WT integrates Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker. Just pair it with your compatible Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free through the 285WT while staying focused on the road. Simply dial numbers with nüvi's touchscreen keypad to make a call. To answer calls, just tap the screen and speak into its built-in microphone. Enjoy convenient one-touch dialing for contacts and points of interest. Take It With You
Like the rest of the nüvi 205-series, nüvi 285WT sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot. With its "Where Am I?" emergency locator, you always know your location. Simply tap the screen to get your exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations. Go Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 285WT includes many travel tools including JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock, automatic time zone transition, currency converter, unit converter, calculator and more. With photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect Photos and navigate to them. The 285WT is compatible with our free Garmin Garage where you can download animated vehicles that show your location on the map. It also comes with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature. Enhance your travel experience with optional plug-in SD cards such as Garmin Travel Guides for detailed data on attractions. What's in the Box
nüvi 285WT, Preloaded City Navigator NT for North America (full coverage), MSN Direct receiver (GDB 55) with integrated vehicle power cable, Vehicle suction cup mount, USB cable, Dashboard disc, Quick start manual Visit Garmin.com to get the latest firmware updates for your nüvi to keep it current and performing at its best.
Which nüvi is Best for You? Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations. | Device | 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 | | nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | | | Photos | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | |
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Product Details |
- 4.3-inch widescreen touch display lets you view map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color
- Preloaded with detailed 2D and 3D City Navigator NT street maps, with over 6 million points of interest
- Voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names and HotFix satellite prediction
- Features Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker for hands-free calling
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 285WT because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 285W as the "T" in 285WT refers to the additional component
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Video Reviews |
 No video reviews found for this product.
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Customer Reviews |
I'm impressed!
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| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Harrison, Clements, CA United States |
The Garmin nuvi 285WT is a winner.
The case for the Garmin 285WT is sleek shiny black plastic. The case seems very sturdy - in fact all the pieces appear to be made of quality plastic. It comes with the power adapter for the car, and a USB cable to hook up to your computer. (Some of the less expensive Garmins do not come with the USB cable, which is a problem because you need a USB cable to register the unit.)
Pros:
The unit was extremely easy to set up. Upon first use, it guides you through set-up, which is simple. The icons on the screen are simple and intuitive. I started using it without even reading the directions.
After the initial settings are entered, it sets about finding the local satellites. I told it to skip that step, since I was just hooking it up to a wall charger (sold separately) to charge the batteries. Not only did it go ahead and find the satellites, it found them while sitting on my kitchen table. I don't know how it did that, but it did. There are green bars in the corner of the display showing you how many satellites have been acquired. There it was, displaying all four green bars after just a few minutes. That was impressive.
In the car, it locks onto the satellites extremely fast. It is much faster to find the signals than my friend's TomTom 910. To be fair, the TomTom is an older unit, but it was a much more expensive unit than the Garmin 285WT to begin with.
I am using the default voice. It is extremely clear and easy to understand. It has only messed up on one street name, as it assumed that N Street was the same as North Street. I am not in an area where there are street names in Spanish or other languages, so I have not had the chance to find out how well it deals with those. The voice is much more understandable than the voice in the TomTom 910 (I hope my friend doesn't read this...). (The TomTom also consistently mangled Spanish street names when we took a road trip to San Jose.)
If one drives past a turn that it has selected, the device instantly says "Recalculating," and immediately updates the directions. I missed a turn at night in a very dark area, (I would have had a hard time finding the alternative route) and it didn't miss a beat.
The display is extremely legible both in bright sunlight and at night. I had to turn the brightness down to the minimum because it was a bit too bright at night for my taste.
The plastic suction cup holds extremely well. Be sure to take the transparent protective film off of it before using. I have it mounted on a Gilsson UBM Portable Car Non-Skid Friction Beanbag Dashboard Mount for Garmin, TomTom, Magellan and more that has worked out quite well.
The 285WT comes with a feature that I really like called "Where Am I?" It's an emergency location feature - you can tap the screen to get your latitude and longitude. So if you get a flat tire out in the middle of the Mohave Desert, the tow truck from Trona will be able to find you. Assuming, of course, that tow trucks from Trona also have GPS devices.
Cons:
It gave me bad directions one time. It was a good thing I knew the area. Since I just got this unit, I don't know how often this sort of thing will happen. I am willing to forgive in this instance, because it seems to perform so well overall. (I don't know how forgiving I'd be if I had driven miles out of my way...)
Neutral:
This model is Bluetooth. I don't have a Bluetooth phone (I know, I know, I am using archaic technology...) so I couldn't test that feature.
The device also comes the MSN Direct (9 months free) which I found to be of very limited usefulness because I live in a rural area. I mean, c'mon, around here the 4H Club pancake breakfast at the volunteer fire department is a Big Deal, and MSN Direct is hardly going to tell me about things like that. I also don't have traffic concerns of the type that one would have in Los Angeles or San Francisco, for example. I also don't know why one needs a Doppler weather display on one's GPS, unless one is driving through Oklahoma in a thunderstorm during tornado season. It might be great for that, who knows?
If you live in an urban area, don't get too excited about MSN Direct, because Microsoft has already announced that they are killing it in 2012. It was originally developed for a device called a Smart Watch, which obviously hit the market with a big belly flop, or we'd all have one. More information can be found on MSN Direct and the planned demise thereof in an October 28, 2009 article at the PC World website.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this device, and recommend it without reservation. In fact, I am buying one for my son for Christmas.
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A Basic Easy-to-Use GPS Which Offers Excellent Value for Money
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lawrence H. Bulk, New Jersey USA |
I recently (November 28, 2009) received this excellent Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic courtesy of Amazon Vine and, after using it as much as possible to familiarize myself with it, I can report that, overall, I am very pleased with this unit.
This is my second Garmin GPS; the first one was the GARMIN 010-00656-00 Nuvi 250W Widescreen Travel Assistant which I have been using since December 2007. Should anyone reading this review be interested, I refer that person to my review of the older unit.
This particular one, recently introduced, is really an incremental update of the 250W in that it too is a "basic" unit, though it does have more features - many of which may be useful to most people but also a few which hold no particular interest, at least to me. Naturally, having additional features makes operation more complex but, fortunately, some of these can be ignored and/or disabled should the owner so desire.
I must mention that I definitely prefer simpler units to more complicated ones, especially when I am driving at 65MPH on a crowded highway! I do not think that GPS units (or ANYTHING meant for use in a moving car) should have all sorts of unneeded "bells and whistles" which can make operation difficult, if not downright dangerous. I think a cell phone should be a cell phone, a camera should be a camera, a radio should be a radio -- and a GPS should be a GPS. Period. Obviously many, many people will disagree with my preferences but, if you are one of the few who do agree with me (and even if you don't), then I hope that this review will be of use to you. At least you know my perspective.
I have noticed that, when adding new features to newer models, Garmin attempts to keep the interface similar to past ones. Unfortunately, though well intentioned, this sometimes makes the interfaces somewhat awkward in use as anyone who uses this new instrument will quickly discover. I mention below the necessity of deleting data in several separate locations (screens); this is one disadvantage of trying to keep the older interfaces.
Now for my review: I shall first discuss some of the new features that the 285WT has that the 250W did not which I do not like and/or do not use.
For example, there is a new feature called ecoRoute. If you activate the "Vehicle Profile" within this feature, the unit will calculate your fuel costs and approximate gas mileage. Frankly, this is of little, if any, use, in my opinion, as the data will only be a general approximation. But when you wish to delete this data for each trip as well as general trip data, you must do so separately within each screen in which the data is stored (as many as three separate screens). To delete such data in the 250W, you need delete the data - maximum speed and mileage data - from the same screen and this is relatively simple. Not so with the 285WT. Of course you need not activate a "Vehicle Profile" and I recommend that, in the interest of simplicity, that you ignore this feature. After all, of what real use is it?
This unit also features Bluetooth. If you are one of the many people who enjoy this feature for use with your cell phone, this will be of value to you. But, as I do not use a Bluetooth cell phone, I have disabled it.
I also have no interest at all in the Microsoft Network; I see no need to have stock market reports on my GPS. Nor do I need their traffic reports, for which you must pay $50.00 per year after the trial period (I cannot accurately determine how long the trial period is: the instruction manual states "3 months" but Amazon, and at least one other review, states "9 months.") But, whatever the trial period is, I have no interest in activating MSN Direct and I'm sure you have read in other reviews that it is to be discontinued in 2012. And it is certainly easy enough to get such information as it offers from a local radio news station.
In order to use the MSN Direct, you must use the power cable which Garmin supplies with the unit. This contains the MSN receiver. If you use an older power cable, such as this one Garmin nüvi Vehicle Power Cable the GPS itself will function normally but there will be no MSN. That's fine with me - I have three of these older cables. I keep one in each of our two cars and one in the house. (I keep the actual GPS units in the house too when they are not in use.) I will not be using the supplied power cable with MSN receiver with my 285WT. (I recommend that everyone buy at least one spare cable, of whatever type, "just in case.")
The case on my older 250W is a flat gray color. The new 285WT has a glossy black finished case. While the glossy black is somewhat more attractive (but really - who cares?), it shows all of your fingerprints. The flat gray case does not do this. Thus I much prefer the older case.
You'll certainly want to have a case for your Garmin; I recommend this one: AmazonBasics Carrying Case for Portable GPS Units (Black). You'll also want a Garmin Portable Friction Mount [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]; this is a FAR better mount than the supplied windshield-mounted suction-cup mount and, in any case, in certain states the suction cup mount is banned by law.
I had hoped that Garmin would have improved the "Detour" function but they have not. When driving and desiring a detour, you must touch the Menu option at the bottom of the screen and then click on the Detour function in the next screen. This is the same as on the 250W. I wish that Garmin would place the Detour function button on the main screen. That's where it belongs, in my opinion.
Okay, those are the "bad" parts. If you're still with me, I shall now discuss the "good" parts, the improvements (and they are many and considerable) over the 250W.
First and foremost - this new unit locks onto the satellites FAR faster than does the older one. This is VERY noticeable and very welcome. Three days ago, we visited some friends who live about 35 miles away; traveling to their house is my Garmin "test-bed" to see how well it functions (the trip is convoluted). Both units take us there flawlessly but, when restarting the 250W when we wish to "Go Home," for some reason the 250W will not pick up the satellites until we have driven almost one mile from their house. This is strange (because it "knew" where we were when I turned it off) and annoying. (Of course we know how to get home; we do not really need the Garmin - but this is a "test.") This happens consistently, each and every time we visit these friends.
Not so with the 285WT - as soon as I turned it on at their house, it instantly locked onto the satellites. We were very pleased with this performance.
I have also noticed that the 285WT consistently locks onto satellites in my house, even with all the blinds drawn. Obviously there is no "line-of-sight" here so this performance improvement is quite amazing and is much improved over the 250W which rarely, if ever, locks onto the satellites in my house (and is much slower in locking to them even outdoors, although this is not a major disadvantage in MOST cases).
So far, no matter where we have gone, or for how long the unit was turned off, or where we were when we turned it back on (we were not always at the same location as we were when we turned it off), it almost instantly locked on to the satellites. Frankly, this is remarkable.
I should also mention that the boot-up time on the 285WT is much quicker than on the 250W.
The next improvement I note is the virtual keyboard. You have your choice of a QWERTY keyboard or the one ABCDE featured on the older Garmins. The QWERTY is a vast improvement. It also features numbers as well as letters thereby making it unnecessary to go to another screen to enter numbers. In addition, to get to the symbols (@#$%^), you need only go to one other screen (as opposed to two on the 250W); this is indicated at the bottom of the Garmin's keyboard screen.
In addition to the backspace control found on the 250W (which deletes each letter/number as you backspace), there are cursor controls as well on the 285WT which allow you to move the cursor to whichever point you desire and then use the backspace control to delete only the one undesired letter and replace it with the correct one - just like on a computer.
All in all, this is a major and welcome improvement and makes typing in addresses, etc., much more convenient.
The screen information has been somewhat improved on the 285T and is slightly easier to read and comprehend quickly. But, while the new unit shows the next turn (and there is a pictogram showing the turn), the green "line" at the top no longer shows the road on which you are traveling as it does on the 250W. It shows the next turn you must make - even when that turn is many miles away. This is a step backwards, in my opinion. You can see the road you're on if you wish - but you must touch the magenta line (which shows the correct route to your destination). I feel that the green line should show the actual road on which you are driving until about four or five miles from your next turn (you would be able to preview the next turn, if you wished, by merely touching the green line which will then show you all the steps subsequent to get to your destination); the pictogram could constantly show the next turn (as it does now).
The 285WT shows the speed limit on the road you are using if such data is available to Garmin. Unfortunately, it is not always accurate - so you better read the road signs and not depend solely on this feature. (There is a local road which, for years, has had a section of about a half-mile in which the limit is 35MPH. When I first got the 285WT and drove on this section, it showed the limit to be 40MPH. When I registered my unit over the internet, I was "forced" to update the firmware and I took advantage of their free one-time map upgrade. After doing so, I noticed that now the speed limit listed on that section was 45MPH, the same as the rest of the road! This is not good! The upgrade made the error worse! I have seen many people pulled over on that section of the road, the number depending, I suppose, upon just how strapped for cash the township is. In any event, I do not think anyone should rely on the speed limit shown on your Garmin even though most of the time it DOES seem to be accurate.)
There is a particularly welcome new feature on the 285WT within the Tools section; you click on the Tools icon at the bottom of the screen (which, for reasons best known to Garmin, is now to the right of the Volume setting instead of to the left of it, as previously). You click on that Tools icon and, directly in the center of the following screen, is a "Where Am I?" icon. Click on that and you will see the actual coordinates of your location (including elevation), the nearest address, and the nearest intersection. In addition, and most important, there are buttons for the nearest Hospitals, Police Stations, and Fuel.
If, while driving, you touch the Vehicle icon on your screen, the same location information is shown. (It's best to have your "co-pilot" do this however as it is with most of the options the Garmin has.)
All in all, this is very easy to use and very welcome even if the nearest address shown is not always "spot-on" accurate (it's close though).
There is also, within the Tools screen, a My Data section which features a particularly easy means of setting or changing your Home location. This is quite useful when traveling, for instance, or, when using the Pedestrian setting, for changing your Home to the location of your car in a crowded shopping center. Do that and you'll never have trouble finding your car again! (You can do that with the 250W as well but it is quicker and easier with the 285WT.)
I have the screen brightness set to 50% (you'll find the settings within the Display option under Color Mode), both for Daytime and for Nighttime. Of course, after the adjustments, I set the Garmin's Color Mode back to Auto; this changes the screen as the sun goes down. My wife and I have found that 50% in both options works for us; your preferences may differ.
I noticed that I had to set the Volume to 90% on my 285WT to achieve a comfortable sound level which is easy for us to hear; the corresponding setting on my 250W is 70%. However I am sure that this is a sample to sample variance and you will have to experiment to find your own desired volume level.
You have read about Text-to-Speech in which the GPS says the street names rather than just "turn right" or "turn left" as on the 250W.
Well, at least on this unit. this feature is a bit of a mixed bag. First, not all of the available "voice" choices feature text-to-speech (TTS). Only some of them do - and the voices which do so may not please you. For example, American English does not feature TTS; American English-Samantha (TTS) does and this is what we're now using. On our 250W, we use British English, which we prefer. British English is also an option on the 285WT but "she" doesn't feature TTS. For that, if you want a female British voice, you must use British English-Serena (TTS) - and "she's" awful, in both my and my wife's opinion. She speaks too fast and none too clearly, in our opinion, especially in her pronunciation of road names, and she sounds more "Irish" than "British" (not that that matters much). But, for us, "she" is unpleasant sounding and, therefore, essentially unusable. The male voices, in our limited - thus far - experiences, are more difficult for us to understand in a moving vehicle so, for the moment, we are staying with our American English-Samantha (TTS) "companion." (We haven't tried any of the other languages offered as we speak only English.)
A slight disadvantage to TTS is that, if the road name is a long one, you could conceivably pass the turn before "she" could get it all out! (I think that this would be a rare occurrence however.) I still rely on reading the street names on the top green line.
Personally, I think it would be better for Garmin to offer various voices and languages and offer the option, for ALL of them, to have TTS on or off, as the user chooses. Perhaps some day they will be able to implement that.
Of course all the features in the world are of absolutely no use if the GPS doesn't take you where you want to go! In this respect, I believe that this Garmin nüvi 285WT is as good as any on the road, regardless of price. Is it perfect? Certainly not! As I stated in my review of the 250W, sometimes you still have to ask! But it is as accurate a unit as you're going to find. Thus far, in our limited usage, we have not noticed any differences in the routes chosen by our 285WT from those chosen by our 250W. But I have a Garmin nüMaps Lifetime North America Map Updates for our 250W and I do keep it updated so it has the same maps as the 285WT. (I recommend this "lifetime" option for most people though, as I have it for my 250W, I shall not be buying it for my 285WT, at least at this time.)
I think I have covered most of the incremental changes that Garmin has made from its 2007 model, the 250W, to its 2009 model, the 285WT. I should think, though I do not know, that the same changes will have been made to other new models within the 200 series. I think that, for the most part, the operational changes are improvements.
I should like to sum up this review by repeating that I am very pleased with the new 285WT and its performance. I have mentioned a number of things I do not like - but do not let that dissuade anyone from buying this GPS. The advantages GREATLY outweigh any disadvantages and the changes from the 250W to the 285WT are, for the most part, significant and good. And after all, NO product is "perfect" - and no product ever will be!
And though it doesn't "run rings" around the 2-year-old 250W (except in its much improved satellite reception), for the most part, it has been greatly improved over its predecessor, especially in its general ease of use (when certain "features" are disabled), and these improvements will be especially noticeable to anyone with Garmin experience. Within its class, this GPS represents excellent value for money. (It's a constant source of amazement to me that Garmin can offer such an excellent product at such a low price. And, by the way, if you are as interested in GPS pricing as I am, you will find that the ABSOLUTE best place to buy one of these things is right here - from Amazon!)
I want to thank everyone who has read my review and I hope that it has been of some help.
I highly recommend this Garmin nüvi 285WT to anyone interested in a "basic" Global Positioning System device. |
Great GPS
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| Review Date: November 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Jones, |
| I saw the low star ratings because of the MSN Direct shutdown in 2012. I don't see down rating several stars on a GPS because of such a accessory service which you can get other ways if you really need it. I see this as a great GPS and that is all it needs to be. |
Garmin 780 vs 285WT
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bob Feeser, Springfield, PA USA |
I have the Garmin nüvi 780 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct Serviceand was glad to acquire the 285WT as well. I could talk about the side by side comparison of features between the two, but the chart on this page identifies them for you already. What I want to share with you is something that I consider to be very important, and I don't notice many covering it, and that is the sound experience. When I am driving down the highway, first and foremost on my wish list is to be enjoying the radio or CD. Having automated directions is just as important, but not at the cost of not being able to listen to music. The 780 which sells currently for around the same amount of money as the 285WT is a full featured premium version including the MP3 playback feature, whereas the 285WT does not. Both units accept the SDHC cards with the latest update, but only the 780 has music playback. The beauty of that is when you are listening to your tunes, and the voice with the directions comes on, it momentarily silences the music, and speaks the directions, and then resumes the music again; that is sweet. What is even better is that it has the audio out jack that connects to the face mount auxiliary input jack on the front of the cars stereo so I can hear the tunes, and the directions right through the cars stereo system. With steering wheel mounted audio controls I have a lot of control with the volume, but miss the ability to skip over songs, or be able to select a playlist the way an iPod does. Nevertheless it is a great way to experience the Garmin. Both units have a built in speaker, and you can play your tunes through that on the 780 the same way, or just listen to directions on the 285WT. The problem with the 285 speaking directions at normal or mildly loud music levels with the radio on is that they are both going on at the same time. It gives you a frustrated feeling that there is too much voice traffic at once, and leaves me a little annoyed. It's like hearing 2 people talking at the same time. You can decipher both communications, but it requires more attention than you would feel comfortable with during a repeated performance. In plain words it wears on you. So the 780 eliminates that, and makes for a more enjoyable experience, since it controls the music and directions from the same source, so it has complete control. My advice is to get an 8, 16, or 32 Gig SDHC card which is the size of a postage stamp, and holds your entire MP3 collection. I also suggest that you get the SDHC that comes with the USB stick so you can easily plug that into any PC. Transcend 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card with USB 2.0 Card Reader TS8GSDHC6-S5W
So what does all of that come down to? Namely this, with the 780 you can go moving on down the highway with your tunes blaring, and never miss a turn. With the 285 you can enjoy your tunes, and do so at moderate listening levels. The 780 is a discontinued model so it is going for a bargain. It actually only sells for a fraction of its original price. I must admit the 285WT is a newer unit, according to Amazon's first sale date. The 285WT does have a clearer picture. Let's elaborate on that. Both screens are bright, and do a great job of being able to see everything, but if I had to get critical, the 285WT has whiter whites. The 780 has a manila tint to the white, and the picture is not quite as sharp. Let me emphasize not quite, because side by side you can see a very small difference…
Friday, November 27th, 2009 at
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Product Description |
| Choose your Bakugan and battle up to three opponents in the Bakugan Bakubowl. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, you can exploit any of the four Bakuramps and catch some air to sneak up on your opponent. Take advantage of the enhanced traction and use side spin for accuracy. And you can also use your Bakuramps to store your Bakugan and Gate Cards before deploying them into battle. And when it's time to travel for battle, slide the Bakubowl and Bakuramps in the included CarryMat and hit the road. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, battle will never be the same again.  | 
This deluxe Bakugan arena will make your Bakugan battles more exciting than ever before. View larger. |
Designed for Attacks and Battles
With any battle, it's critical to outmaneuver your enemy. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, you can fly off the ramps and execute a sneak attack from behind, thanks to the four Bakuramps that line the edge of the Bakubowl. (Be careful -- sneak attacks using the ramps are mastered only by a select few.) Compared to the Bakuboard, the Bakubowl offers greater advantages for battles. The Bakubowl is made of a durable nylon that offers greater durability with less weight, as well as greater traction for you Bakugan. The four ramps quadruple the strategic opportunities in battle. Simply put, the Bakubowl has a unique, dynamic design. Bakuramps Double as Bakugan and Gate Cards Storage
In addition to their strategic importance in battle, the four ramps that line the edge of the Bakubowl are also used to store up to six Bakugan and six Gate Cards, before you deploy them in battle. This keeps the players organized, lets them focus on the battle without having to worry about their cards or Bakugan. Lighter, More Portable Design
Thanks to its durable nylon construction, foldable design, and convenient CarryBag, the Bakubowl can easily be transported from battle site to battle site. Just unsnap the ramps, fold up the Bakubowl, and slip everything into the bag. You're ready to hit the road for the next battle. When it's ready for battle with the bumpers intact, the Bakubowl measures 14 x 12.4 x 2.5 inches, giving you and your opponents plenty of room to do battle. What's in the Box
BakuMat, CarryBag, and four ramps. (Bakugan and Gate Cards sold separately.)
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Product Details |
- An arena designed especially for tournament Bakugan play
- Prepare to engage in battle in the Bakubowl Arena
- Strategically bank your Bakugan off the bumpers for even more action
- Each bumper holds 6 of your favorite Bakugan and 6 cards
- One BakuMat, One CarryBag, 4 Ramps
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Video Reviews |
Bakugan Season 2 New Vestroia: Bakubowl
Bakugan BakuBowl Arena HD Toy Preview
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Customer Reviews |
Son and his friends love it!
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| Review Date: January 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: HHH's Mom, Virginia |
| Perfect for 6 year old Bakugan fans! The plastic sides prevent the bakugans from rolling off of the battle arena. It pops open easily to a huge battle arena and can be folded back up for easy transport to school or friend's house. Our son LOVES his Bakugan arena. I also reocmmend the plastic carrying case. It makes it easy to keep them organized. |
baku fan loved it!
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| Review Date: January 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jan Wegge, Moorhead MN |
| My 8 year old got this for Christmas. I don't think it's cheap at all, in fact I love the idea that we can "twist" it, back to a small shape that will fit, along with the bumpers, in the (included) storage/carry bag. He looks at his Bakugan alot, but with this he is actually wanting to play the game. I don't know how much of that is due to the fact that he is older than when he first started collecting, but this encouraged him to get them back out. For what they cost it's good to see them get used! I really wouldn't suggest paying more than $15 for it, but at that it is a good value for the price. |
I don't get the Bakugans...
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| Review Date: December 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Orlando Alicea, bartonville, IL, US |
| We still don't get the bakugans or how you play this game but my 8 year old son loves them. I was able to get this here when it was marked down to [...] and it was totally worth it. Once we figure it out I am sure my son will enjoy them even more! As far as durability I don't know yet, it seems well made. I was not expecting it to be a cloth type thing you spread out on the floor but I will say it's huge! Much larger than I expected. I would say a great addition to those into the Bakugan toys! |
Bakugan Bakubowl Arena fun and educational
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| Review Date: December 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mix and Match, Milwaukee, WI USA |
| The Arena is a fun space to brawl with the bakugans. The game teaches math skills as the brawlers add the G power of their bakugans as well as additional G power obtained from ability cards and gate cards. |
A Mom's Impressions of the Bakubowl
|
| Review Date: December 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Vietor, Kansas, USA |
| I purchased the Bakubowl for my Bakugan-loving 8-year-old son for Christmas. Thus far, he loves it--it is larger than I imagined, which he still finds "cool." My only criticism is that it arrives nicely folded and placed in the handy carrying case. . .however, for the LIFE of me, I cannot figure out how to fold it again so that it returns to that nice small circle which will easily pop-out again. The solution may be obvious to others, but I would have appreciated directions. |
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| Manufacturer: Spin Master |
| Customer Rating: |
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| List Price: $29.99 |
| Sale Price: $9.99 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
 Free Shipping Available |
|
Bakugan Bakubowl – Season 2 New Vestroiaunrated0
Board GamesBakugan Bakubowl – Season 2 New Vestroia
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User Reviews
Send this to a friend
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| Click Here For More Information |
| |
|
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| |
Product Description |
| Choose your Bakugan and battle up to three opponents in the Bakugan Bakubowl. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, you can exploit any of the four Bakuramps and catch some air to sneak up on your opponent. Take advantage of the enhanced traction and use side spin for accuracy. And you can also use your Bakuramps to store your Bakugan and Gate Cards before deploying them into battle. And when it's time to travel for battle, slide the Bakubowl and Bakuramps in the included CarryMat and hit the road. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, battle will never be the same again. |
This deluxe Bakugan arena will make your Bakugan battles more exciting than ever before. View larger. |
Designed for Attacks and Battles
With any battle, it's critical to outmaneuver your enemy. With the Bakugan Bakubowl, you can fly off the ramps and execute a sneak attack from behind, thanks to the four Bakuramps that line the edge of the Bakubowl. (Be careful -- sneak attacks using the ramps are mastered only by a select few.) Compared to the Bakuboard, the Bakubowl offers greater advantages for battles. The Bakubowl is made of a durable nylon that offers greater durability with less weight, as well as greater traction for you Bakugan. The four ramps quadruple the strategic opportunities in battle. Simply put, the Bakubowl has a unique, dynamic design. Bakuramps Double as Bakugan and Gate Cards Storage
In addition to their strategic importance in battle, the four ramps that line the edge of the Bakubowl are also used to store up to six Bakugan and six Gate Cards, before you deploy them in battle. This keeps the players organized, lets them focus on the battle without having to worry about their cards or Bakugan. Lighter, More Portable Design
Thanks to its durable nylon construction, foldable design, and convenient CarryBag, the Bakubowl can easily be transported from battle site to battle site. Just unsnap the ramps, fold up the Bakubowl, and slip everything into the bag. You're ready to hit the road for the next battle. When it's ready for battle with the bumpers intact, the Bakubowl measures 14 x 12.4 x 2.5 inches, giving you and your opponents plenty of room to do battle. What's in the Box
BakuMat, CarryBag, and four ramps. (Bakugan and Gate Cards sold separately.)
|
|
Product Details |
- An arena designed especially for tournament Bakugan play
- Prepare to engage in battle in the Bakubowl Arena
- Strategically bank your Bakugan off the bumpers for even more action
- Each bumper holds 6 of your favorite Bakugan and 6 cards
- One BakuMat, One CarryBag, 4 Ramps
|
Video Reviews |
Bakugan Season 2 New Vestroia: Bakubowl
Bakugan BakuBowl Arena HD Toy Preview
|
Customer Reviews |
Son and his friends love it!
|
| Review Date: January 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: HHH's Mom, Virginia |
| Perfect for 6 year old Bakugan fans! The plastic sides prevent the bakugans from rolling off of the battle arena. It pops open easily to a huge battle arena and can be folded back up for easy transport to school or friend's house. Our son LOVES his Bakugan arena. I also reocmmend the plastic carrying case. It makes it easy to keep them organized. |
baku fan loved it!
|
| Review Date: January 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Jan Wegge, Moorhead MN |
| My 8 year old got this for Christmas. I don't think it's cheap at all, in fact I love the idea that we can "twist" it, back to a small shape that will fit, along with the bumpers, in the (included) storage/carry bag. He looks at his Bakugan alot, but with this he is actually wanting to play the game. I don't know how much of that is due to the fact that he is older than when he first started collecting, but this encouraged him to get them back out. For what they cost it's good to see them get used! I really wouldn't suggest paying more than $15 for it, but at that it is a good value for the price. |
I don't get the Bakugans...
|
| Review Date: December 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Orlando Alicea, bartonville, IL, US |
| We still don't get the bakugans or how you play this game but my 8 year old son loves them. I was able to get this here when it was marked down to [...] and it was totally worth it. Once we figure it out I am sure my son will enjoy them even more! As far as durability I don't know yet, it seems well made. I was not expecting it to be a cloth type thing you spread out on the floor but I will say it's huge! Much larger than I expected. I would say a great addition to those into the Bakugan toys! |
Bakugan Bakubowl Arena fun and educational
|
| Review Date: December 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mix and Match, Milwaukee, WI USA |
| The Arena is a fun space to brawl with the bakugans. The game teaches math skills as the brawlers add the G power of their bakugans as well as additional G power obtained from ability cards and gate cards. |
A Mom's Impressions of the Bakubowl
|
| Review Date: December 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Vietor, Kansas, USA |
| I purchased the Bakubowl for my Bakugan-loving 8-year-old son for Christmas. Thus far, he loves it--it is larger than I imagined, which he still finds "cool." My only criticism is that it arrives nicely folded and placed in the handy carrying case. . .however, for the LIFE of me, I cannot figure out how to fold it again so that it returns to that nice small circle which will easily pop-out again. The solution may be obvious to others, but I would have appreciated directions. |
|
| Manufacturer: Spin Master |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $29.99 |
| Sale Price: $9.99 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
…
Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at
12:38 pm
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User Reviews
Send this to a friend
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| Click Here For More Information |
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Product Description |
Garmin's nüvi 2x5 models improve upon their 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content capability to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significant improvements with this new series, like a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature.
The nüvi 2x5 models sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
Important Product Information: This device features a "screen lock" feature. This is a standard feature on all nüvi 2x5 and 7x5 Garmin units. If you slide the "Power" key to the right, it will lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15 seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide the "Power" key to the center position. This feature is really targeted for "Pedestrian" mode so that a user can put the device in his or her pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off continuously. For more information, see page 5 of the product manual.
Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators
- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- Add Dynamic MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger (Learn more)
- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
- Automatic Time Zone Transition
- Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)
- Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of the Lower 48 States + Hawaii + Puerto Rico
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)
- Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
- Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
- Where Am I? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
Which nüvi is Best for You?
Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators Learn More
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 
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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. The process does require a small plugin, which you can get at Garmin's website at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3739. You can send business addresses to your Garmin device from these countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. | Search for the location you want.
| Pick "Send to GPS".
| Go!
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MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content
 | With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi.
Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services.
A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription. |
FM Traffic
| With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel 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 nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a "silent" FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.
A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with the receiver. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.
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Where Am I? On any nüvi, just tap "Where Am I?" to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger.
| The nüvi comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps for the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.
In addition, nüvi 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. |
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
Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.
| Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 2x5 models features travel tools including a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via microSD 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 nüvi for your travel needs. For Accessory Map Cards and Travel Guides the Units Feature: a MicroSD Card Slot on the 3.5 inch Units, and an SD Card Slot on the 4.3 inch Units.
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.
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Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.
See more icon option | All Garmin nüvis support 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. |
Notes
- Optional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
- Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
Which nüvi is Best for You? Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations. | Device | 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 | | nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | | | Photos | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
Basic MSN Direct Content Features
| | Traffic Reports
- Find the best route through traffic. Your GPS device uses MSN Direct traffic data to select the best route for you to avoid traffic congestion.
- Check traffic flow. Know at a glance where to expect slowdowns in traffic.
- Get accident warnings. Receive warnings about accidents, road closures, and construction in the area that may affect you.
|  | Gas Prices
- Compare local gas prices. See a list of recent gas prices in your area and an indication of how recently the prices were reported.
- Find your way to the savings. Once you find the best price in your area, use your navigation system to guide you to the gas station.
|  | Weather Reports
- Stay on top of current conditions. View the current weather conditions in your area, including today's high and low temperatures, chances of precipitation, and more.
- View the three-day forecast, Plan ahead by checking the three-day weather forecast for your area.
- Check weather in other cities. See current weather conditions in major cities across the country.
|  | Movie Times
- Search for a movie. Find the theaters in your coverage area that are showing the movie you want to see.
- See which movies are playing. View which movies are playing in your coverage area or at your favorite theater.
- See show times and get directions. Once you find a show you want to see, check the show times and use your GPS device to guide you to the theater.
| Enhanced MSN Direct Content
|  | Web Favorites (Send custom destinations to your GPS with Live Search Maps)
- Powerful trip planning: Use Live Search Maps on your computer to look up an address, search for a business, or plan a trip
- Choose your favorite location, and then MSN Direct delivers the address, phone number, and more straight to your navigation system.
- Visit Live Search Maps at http://maps.live.com.
|  | Local Events
- See what's happening near you. Find nearby events to see what's happening in your area.
- Find the events that interest you. Browse events sorted by category.
- Search for an event. Get details about a particular event.
|  | Stock Quotes
- Watch the stocks that interest you. Select stocks that you want to keep an eye on, and then see regularly updated stock prices and daily changes.
- Get a little more detail. Touch a stock in your list to see daily highs, lows, and trading volume.
|  | News Headlines
- Browse the headlines at a glance. See breaking news and other major news stories of the day.
- Read more details. Select a headline to read all the details about the news story on your navigation system.
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| MSN Direct Coverage Map
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Get detailed info for your Zip Code at the MSN Direct website.
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Product Details |
- 3.5-inch Touch Screen Navigation with Turn by Turn spoken Directions
- Pre-loaded Maps for continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with 6.5 million searchable points of interest
- FM Traffic or MSN Direct Traffic/Content compatible (with optional GDB 55 receiver)
- Easy to Use Interface; slim, pocket-sized form factor; 4-hour rechargeable battery
- 3D terrain views, navigate to photo, and automatic time zone adjustment
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Video Reviews |
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Customer Reviews |
Improvements over Nuvi 200 appreciated
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| Review Date: October 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Morris, Austin, TX United States |
I had to give the Nuvi 205 a 5-star rating because it's better than the Nuvi 200, which has an average of 4.5 stars at Amazon. All in all, I'm glad I got the 205 vs. the 200. Not in any order are the following improvements I appreciated most:
The faster screen refresh is noticeable. There's a YouTube video where the 205 is compared with the 200. You can see a huge difference.
The redesigned display is more intuitive with arrows vs. "left"/"right". Personally, I think the screen design looks better, too.
The ability to import addresses on the computer from Google map is very nice since entering the address via the touchscreen is a bit cumbersome.
BTW, the documentation is very, very light. There was no mention of how to use the map importation feature so I appreciated the Amazon product page including the link to download the plug-in. Also, I didn't know I could download more vehicles till I dug around the Garmin website.
About text-to-speech, which this unit does NOT have, I don't think I'm going to miss it. Usually I have the radio or iPod blaring, and my car is pretty noisy anyway, so it would be hard to hear the street names called out. In fact, I keep the volume down and rely on the very intuitive display. You clearly see the upcoming street name to turn on and even if there are a bunch of streets bunched up together, the main map would show them all and it would be easy to differentiate the one you want. |
Great entry level GPS
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| Review Date: May 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ken, Dallas, TX |
When researching a new GPS, you have to concentrate on what features you want, and then pay attention to how the unit functions as a whole. The maps will occasionally be wrong with any unit, and locals will likely disagree with some of the routing in areas they are highly familiar with. But you aren't buying this to help you navigate your neighborhood. In my research I've found Tomtom, Magellan, and Garmin all share similarly high reviews depending on the product.
That said, the Garmin Nuvi 205 is a fantastic entry level unit. It is incredibly easy to use, very quick to acquire a signal, immediate re-calculation, and accurate placement and position updates. This unit does not speak street names, but I find the verbal updates adequate enough. "In one mile, turn left" etc. gives plenty of notice on what you need to do without continually harassing you. Enterting destinations is easy. It will guess the city / street names after only a few letters, and it has a large preloaded database of locations to search.
In addition to the map, during your drive it will display your current speed, the local speed limit (most of the time), distance to destination, ETA, and your next turn and which direction it will be. If there are no other turns prior to your destination, it will display which side of the road you need to be on and mark the spot with a checked flag. So far it has been 100% accurate on "side of street" placement.
It has multiple settings if you need to adjust any part of the programming or features. You can have it avoid tolls, highways, u-turns, etc. You cannot edit the main interface, or what it shows you where, I would not make any changes even if I could though. This unit is compatible with the optional traffic receivers, however I have not used any of them. I love the small size as well, it fits well on the windshield with the included mount but does not get in the way, and is still very easy to read.
Updating your maps online seems easy enough, I was able to connect to my computer with a standard mini-usb cable (not included) and load the website quickly. I also downloaded voices and icons directly to the device with no trouble.
If you are looking for a low price GPS for casual use, and can live without bluetooth, spoken street names, and multi point routing (you can have 1 destination + 1 extra stop at once) then the nuvi 205 is perfect, and a great price. I am very satisfied with my purchase. |
improvement over Nuvi 200
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: David Goldovt-Ryzhenkov, Boston, MA |
I owned Nuvi 200 in the past. I had to part with it rather unexpectedly, and Nuvi 205 was the replacement I got for it.
It exceeded my expectations.
First on its predecessor Nuvi 200. A very good unit. Found directions well, had 95% accurate map, useful features and good layout to use them.
Nuvi 205 kept most pluses and expanded features.
Graphical interface was refreshed and looks smoother than its predecessor. Nuvi 200 was well laid out, this just puts it in a better wrapper.
It comes with NT2009 maps - newest maps! if you buy nuvi200 now, it may come with 2008, 2007. You'd need to register it and HOPE you get a free map update.
When you zoom out on a map now you will see all your saved locations! this is great, and was not available in nuvi 200.
I particularly like the "where am I", which shows where you are, your grid coordinates, closest address and intersection.
They added a tracker, so you can see what roads you traveled down.
I tried it on foot, and it was ok. Compass was hard to read and I went to reading the sun to figure out which was is North, but using the tracker I was able to approximate how far I went into the woods, where return trail and how far am I away from it.
The only two d
Garmin nüvi 205 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Piano Black)unrated0
GPSGarmin nüvi 205 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Piano Black)
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Product Description |
Garmin's nüvi 2x5 models improve upon their 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content capability to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significant improvements with this new series, like a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature.
The nüvi 2x5 models sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot.All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
Important Product Information: This device features a "screen lock" feature. This is a standard feature on all nüvi 2x5 and 7x5 Garmin units. If you slide the "Power" key to the right, it will lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15 seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide the "Power" key to the center position. This feature is really targeted for "Pedestrian" mode so that a user can put the device in his or her pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off continuously. For more information, see page 5 of the product manual.
Key Features/Benefits for all 2x5 Series Navigators
- HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster (Learn more)
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features (Learn more)
- Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
- Redesigned user interface offers more information (Learn more)
- Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- Add Dynamic MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger (Learn more)
- Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
- Automatic Time Zone Transition
- Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units)
- Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of the Lower 48 States + Hawaii + Puerto Rico
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge)
- Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator (Learn more)
- Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
- Where Am I? -- instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
Which nüvi is Best for You?
Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators Learn More
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
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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. The process does require a small plugin, which you can get at Garmin's website at http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3739. You can send business addresses to your Garmin device from these countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. | Search for the location you want.
| Pick "Send to GPS".
| Go!
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MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content
| With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi.
Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services.
A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription. |
FM Traffic
| With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel 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 nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a "silent" FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.
A 3-month subscription to TMC Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network is included with the receiver. For more information on subscription fees, coverage in individual cities, and traffic data networks in the United Kingdom and Europe, check the Garmin website.
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Where Am I? On any nüvi, just tap "Where Am I?" to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs). View larger.
| The nüvi comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator NT street maps for the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.
In addition, nüvi 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. |
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
Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer.
| Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 2x5 models features travel tools including a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via microSD 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 nüvi for your travel needs. For Accessory Map Cards and Travel Guides the Units Feature: a MicroSD Card Slot on the 3.5 inch Units, and an SD Card Slot on the 4.3 inch Units.
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.
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Custom vehicle icons let you ride in style, at least inside your GPS.
See more icon option | All Garmin nüvis support 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. |
Notes
- Optional software for language translation, detailed travel guides, and savings programs allow you to customize your nüvi to fit your travel needs
- Like most USB Mass Storage Devices, the nüvi is not compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows Me.
Which nüvi is Best for You? Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations. | Device | 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 | | nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | | | Photos | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | | up to 4 |
Basic MSN Direct Content Features
| | Traffic Reports
- Find the best route through traffic. Your GPS device uses MSN Direct traffic data to select the best route for you to avoid traffic congestion.
- Check traffic flow. Know at a glance where to expect slowdowns in traffic.
- Get accident warnings. Receive warnings about accidents, road closures, and construction in the area that may affect you.
| | Gas Prices
- Compare local gas prices. See a list of recent gas prices in your area and an indication of how recently the prices were reported.
- Find your way to the savings. Once you find the best price in your area, use your navigation system to guide you to the gas station.
| | Weather Reports
- Stay on top of current conditions. View the current weather conditions in your area, including today's high and low temperatures, chances of precipitation, and more.
- View the three-day forecast, Plan ahead by checking the three-day weather forecast for your area.
- Check weather in other cities. See current weather conditions in major cities across the country.
| | Movie Times
- Search for a movie. Find the theaters in your coverage area that are showing the movie you want to see.
- See which movies are playing. View which movies are playing in your coverage area or at your favorite theater.
- See show times and get directions. Once you find a show you want to see, check the show times and use your GPS device to guide you to the theater.
| Enhanced MSN Direct Content
| | Web Favorites (Send custom destinations to your GPS with Live Search Maps)
- Powerful trip planning: Use Live Search Maps on your computer to look up an address, search for a business, or plan a trip
- Choose your favorite location, and then MSN Direct delivers the address, phone number, and more straight to your navigation system.
- Visit Live Search Maps at http://maps.live.com.
| | Local Events
- See what's happening near you. Find nearby events to see what's happening in your area.
- Find the events that interest you. Browse events sorted by category.
- Search for an event. Get details about a particular event.
| | Stock Quotes
- Watch the stocks that interest you. Select stocks that you want to keep an eye on, and then see regularly updated stock prices and daily changes.
- Get a little more detail. Touch a stock in your list to see daily highs, lows, and trading volume.
| | News Headlines
- Browse the headlines at a glance. See breaking news and other major news stories of the day.
- Read more details. Select a headline to read all the details about the news story on your navigation system.
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| MSN Direct Coverage Map
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Get detailed info for your Zip Code at the MSN Direct website.
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Product Details |
- 3.5-inch Touch Screen Navigation with Turn by Turn spoken Directions
- Pre-loaded Maps for continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with 6.5 million searchable points of interest
- FM Traffic or MSN Direct Traffic/Content compatible (with optional GDB 55 receiver)
- Easy to Use Interface; slim, pocket-sized form factor; 4-hour rechargeable battery
- 3D terrain views, navigate to photo, and automatic time zone adjustment
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Video Reviews |
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Customer Reviews |
Improvements over Nuvi 200 appreciated
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| Review Date: October 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Morris, Austin, TX United States |
I had to give the Nuvi 205 a 5-star rating because it's better than the Nuvi 200, which has an average of 4.5 stars at Amazon. All in all, I'm glad I got the 205 vs. the 200. Not in any order are the following improvements I appreciated most:
The faster screen refresh is noticeable. There's a YouTube video where the 205 is compared with the 200. You can see a huge difference.
The redesigned display is more intuitive with arrows vs. "left"/"right". Personally, I think the screen design looks better, too.
The ability to import addresses on the computer from Google map is very nice since entering the address via the touchscreen is a bit cumbersome.
BTW, the documentation is very, very light. There was no mention of how to use the map importation feature so I appreciated the Amazon product page including the link to download the plug-in. Also, I didn't know I could download more vehicles till I dug around the Garmin website.
About text-to-speech, which this unit does NOT have, I don't think I'm going to miss it. Usually I have the radio or iPod blaring, and my car is pretty noisy anyway, so it would be hard to hear the street names called out. In fact, I keep the volume down and rely on the very intuitive display. You clearly see the upcoming street name to turn on and even if there are a bunch of streets bunched up together, the main map would show them all and it would be easy to differentiate the one you want. |
Great entry level GPS
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| Review Date: May 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ken, Dallas, TX |
When researching a new GPS, you have to concentrate on what features you want, and then pay attention to how the unit functions as a whole. The maps will occasionally be wrong with any unit, and locals will likely disagree with some of the routing in areas they are highly familiar with. But you aren't buying this to help you navigate your neighborhood. In my research I've found Tomtom, Magellan, and Garmin all share similarly high reviews depending on the product.
That said, the Garmin Nuvi 205 is a fantastic entry level unit. It is incredibly easy to use, very quick to acquire a signal, immediate re-calculation, and accurate placement and position updates. This unit does not speak street names, but I find the verbal updates adequate enough. "In one mile, turn left" etc. gives plenty of notice on what you need to do without continually harassing you. Enterting destinations is easy. It will guess the city / street names after only a few letters, and it has a large preloaded database of locations to search.
In addition to the map, during your drive it will display your current speed, the local speed limit (most of the time), distance to destination, ETA, and your next turn and which direction it will be. If there are no other turns prior to your destination, it will display which side of the road you need to be on and mark the spot with a checked flag. So far it has been 100% accurate on "side of street" placement.
It has multiple settings if you need to adjust any part of the programming or features. You can have it avoid tolls, highways, u-turns, etc. You cannot edit the main interface, or what it shows you where, I would not make any changes even if I could though. This unit is compatible with the optional traffic receivers, however I have not used any of them. I love the small size as well, it fits well on the windshield with the included mount but does not get in the way, and is still very easy to read.
Updating your maps online seems easy enough, I was able to connect to my computer with a standard mini-usb cable (not included) and load the website quickly. I also downloaded voices and icons directly to the device with no trouble.
If you are looking for a low price GPS for casual use, and can live without bluetooth, spoken street names, and multi point routing (you can have 1 destination + 1 extra stop at once) then the nuvi 205 is perfect, and a great price. I am very satisfied with my purchase. |
improvement over Nuvi 200
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: David Goldovt-Ryzhenkov, Boston, MA |
I owned Nuvi 200 in the past. I had to part with it rather unexpectedly, and Nuvi 205 was the replacement I got for it.
It exceeded my expectations.
First on its predecessor Nuvi 200. A very good unit. Found directions well, had 95% accurate map, useful features and good layout to use them.
Nuvi 205 kept most pluses and expanded features.
Graphical interface was refreshed and looks smoother than its predecessor. Nuvi 200 was well laid out, this just puts it in a better wrapper.
It comes with NT2009 maps - newest maps! if you buy nuvi200 now, it may come with 2008, 2007. You'd need to register it and HOPE you get a free map update.
When you zoom out on a map now you will see all your saved locations! this is great, and was not available in nuvi 200.
I particularly like the "where am I", which shows where you are, your grid coordinates, closest address and intersection.
They added a tracker, so you can see what roads you traveled down.
I tried it on foot, and it was ok. Compass was hard to read and I went to reading the sun to figure out which was is North, but using the tracker I was able to approximate how far I went into the woods, where return trail and how far am I away from it.
The only two d…
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at
2:54 pm
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User Reviews
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Product Description |
| Quench your thirst for trivia with Twilight Scene It? Deluxe Edition. Recommended for ages 13 and older, this DVD/trivia game features hundreds of questions about all of your favorite moments from the Twilight movie. More than just a trivia game, Scene It? also challenges you to use observation, memory, wordplay, and problem-solving to decode special DVD puzzles. Designed for two or more players, this trivia game is ideal for both serious and casual fans of Twilight.  | Scene It? Deluxe
Twilight Edition Ages: 13+
Players: 2 or more
Requires: - DVD player
- TV
- Remote control
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The ultimate Twilight trivia experience, this DVD/board game is packed with Twilight-themed trivia, puzzles, and mini-games. View larger. |
A Dazzling Twilight Experience
From the game pieces to the trivia cards, every aspect of Twilight Scene It? has been infused with the spirit of Twilight. The game begins with players choosing one of four collectible tokens to represent their team. Sculpted out of metal, these tokens have been modeled after some of Twilight's most iconic items: Charlie's house, a baseball, Bella's truck, and Edward's piano. Teams advance around the board by answering two types of questions: traditional trivia cards and DVD-based puzzles. The trivia cards, which resemble what you might find in Trivial Pursuit, provide questions in a wide range of difficulty. Some of the tougher questions are challenging enough to stump even the most devoted Twilight fans. Players can also strategically use special "Fate Cards" to throw their opponents off course. The main attraction, however, is the interactive DVD. Hosted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen (played by Peter Facinelli), it is filled with hundreds of video clips, sound bites, and images from the movie. When players draw a DVD challenge card, they must solve a video puzzle. These puzzles range from memory games to message decryptions, and will put your knowledge of Twilight to the test. Fun for Every Level of Twilight Fan
The DVD has been designed with the fans in mind. Everything about it has been adapted from the film, right down to the gothic font used for the menus. You'll see cameos by your favorite characters and relive classic moments from the film. Also included are several mini-games, so you can get a quick Twilight fix even when you're not playing the board game. With hundreds of questions, Twilight Scene It? has something for every type of Twilight fan. The difficulty is varied enough to keep everyone engaged -- from Twilight die-hards to casual fans. Also, some of the video puzzles are completely self-contained, so even non-fans can participate in the game. What's in the Box
DVD, game board, 4 collectible metal tokens, 100 trivia cards, 30 Fate cards, 1 six-sided numbered die, 1 eight-sided category die, 4 category reference cards, and instruction sheet.
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Product Details |
- Features clips from the movie Twilight!
- Unique mini-games test your observation, memory and puzzle-solving skills
- Bonus activities like What Cullen are You? and How to Throw a Scene It? Twilight Party
- Includes four collectible metal tokens, 100 trivia cards and 30 Fate cards
- Race friends and family around the game board - Be the first to make the Twilightning Round!
|
Video Reviews |
TWILIGHT Scene It Game!!!
Twilight : New Moon - Official Trailer [HD]
|
Customer Reviews |
|
|
| Manufacturer: Scene It? |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $29.99 |
| Sale Price: $9.79 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
Scene It? Twilight Deluxe Edition Reviewunrated0
Board GamesScene It? Twilight Deluxe Edition Review
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User Reviews
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Product Description |
| Quench your thirst for trivia with Twilight Scene It? Deluxe Edition. Recommended for ages 13 and older, this DVD/trivia game features hundreds of questions about all of your favorite moments from the Twilight movie. More than just a trivia game, Scene It? also challenges you to use observation, memory, wordplay, and problem-solving to decode special DVD puzzles. Designed for two or more players, this trivia game is ideal for both serious and casual fans of Twilight. | Scene It? Deluxe
Twilight Edition Ages: 13+
Players: 2 or more
Requires: - DVD player
- TV
- Remote control
|
| | | | |
The ultimate Twilight trivia experience, this DVD/board game is packed with Twilight-themed trivia, puzzles, and mini-games. View larger. |
A Dazzling Twilight Experience
From the game pieces to the trivia cards, every aspect of Twilight Scene It? has been infused with the spirit of Twilight. The game begins with players choosing one of four collectible tokens to represent their team. Sculpted out of metal, these tokens have been modeled after some of Twilight's most iconic items: Charlie's house, a baseball, Bella's truck, and Edward's piano. Teams advance around the board by answering two types of questions: traditional trivia cards and DVD-based puzzles. The trivia cards, which resemble what you might find in Trivial Pursuit, provide questions in a wide range of difficulty. Some of the tougher questions are challenging enough to stump even the most devoted Twilight fans. Players can also strategically use special "Fate Cards" to throw their opponents off course. The main attraction, however, is the interactive DVD. Hosted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen (played by Peter Facinelli), it is filled with hundreds of video clips, sound bites, and images from the movie. When players draw a DVD challenge card, they must solve a video puzzle. These puzzles range from memory games to message decryptions, and will put your knowledge of Twilight to the test. Fun for Every Level of Twilight Fan
The DVD has been designed with the fans in mind. Everything about it has been adapted from the film, right down to the gothic font used for the menus. You'll see cameos by your favorite characters and relive classic moments from the film. Also included are several mini-games, so you can get a quick Twilight fix even when you're not playing the board game. With hundreds of questions, Twilight Scene It? has something for every type of Twilight fan. The difficulty is varied enough to keep everyone engaged -- from Twilight die-hards to casual fans. Also, some of the video puzzles are completely self-contained, so even non-fans can participate in the game. What's in the Box
DVD, game board, 4 collectible metal tokens, 100 trivia cards, 30 Fate cards, 1 six-sided numbered die, 1 eight-sided category die, 4 category reference cards, and instruction sheet.
View larger. |
View larger. |
View larger. |
|
|
Product Details |
- Features clips from the movie Twilight!
- Unique mini-games test your observation, memory and puzzle-solving skills
- Bonus activities like What Cullen are You? and How to Throw a Scene It? Twilight Party
- Includes four collectible metal tokens, 100 trivia cards and 30 Fate cards
- Race friends and family around the game board - Be the first to make the Twilightning Round!
|
Video Reviews |
TWILIGHT Scene It Game!!!
Twilight : New Moon - Official Trailer [HD]
|
Customer Reviews |
|
|
| Manufacturer: Scene It? |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $29.99 |
| Sale Price: $9.79 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
…
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at
12:55 pm
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User Reviews
Send this to a friend
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Product Description |
| Introducing a revolutionary body grooming experience, new Braun bodyCruzer. Equipped with a precision power trimmer to effectively to trim body hair and a Gillette Fusion blade for an incredible level of closeness and comfort, the new Braun bodyCruzer helps you get the groomed body look you want. |
|
Product Details |
- with Gillette Fusion Shaving Technology
- World‘s Only body groomer with a powered trimmer and a Gillette Fusion blade, all in one!
- Shave: Gillette Fusion blades for an incredible level of closeness and comfort.
- Trim & Shave: Trims and shaves long hairs in one stroke, for fast results.
- Trim: High Performance cutting system for maximum precision and comfort.
|
Video Reviews |
Braun bodycruZer body groomer TV Commercial Director´s Cut
|
Customer Reviews |
Takes some practice, but an excellent trimmer
|
| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Comdet, |
The Braun BodyCruzer is somewhat unique among trimmers in that it incorporates both a conventional electric trimmer with a razor blade (in this case the Gillette Fusion blade). While it takes some practice to get used to it, the performance is excellent.
The build quality is up to the usual Braun standards. If you're familiar with their high-end razors (such as the Series 5 or 7) you know they put a lot of thought into design. The trimmer is easy to grip (an important criteria if you plan on using it in the shower) and feels solid. Lots of little touches really pay off, such as a non-skid base for the charger and a shower caddy to store the trimmer in the shower. Although this is made in China and not Germany like some of their other products, the build quality is top-notch.
The trimmer has very fine teeth which gives is a very gentle cut. No tugging or pulling on the hair - just a quick, clean, neat cut. The motor is less noisy or "buzzy" than a typical trimmer, but I wouldn't call it quiet. Not bad, but you know when it's on.
The feature of note is that it also includes a conventional razor blade which is attached to a sliding extension with click-stop indents. The first click-stop keeps the razor out of the way, so you can use just the electric trimmer. The second click extends the razor so that you can use both - the trimmer cuts the hair down to a fine stubble, then the razor shaves everything clean. The third click extends the razor even more, so you can use just the razor.
Using just the trimmer or just the razor is very easy. Using them both at the same time takes some practice - you have to hold the BodyCruzer at just the right angle to have it shave properly. Takes some practice to get the hang of it and, until you do, you may want to stay away from the "sensitive" areas (actually, I think you'd want to stay away from those areas with any type of razor blade, but that's just me).
It has plastic guards that snap on so you can cut hair to a specific length. Three sizes (long, medium and short) with the short one offering soft plastic teeth to avoid any nicks in those sensitive areas. The guards snap on easily and hold tight, but removing them is a bit of a chore. The best way is to hold it so the guard front is facing away from you, and then use both thumbs to pop the guard off. This could be better designed - works, but I'm concerned that the guards will break given the amount of force you need to remove them.
All in all, this is a great all-purpose trimmer. It's more costly than others but hopefully, if the build quality is any indication, it will last longer. It certainly offers a very clean and gentle cut using the electric trimmer (more so than any other trimmer I've tried) and has the advantage of offering a conventional blade. Five stars! |
Body Groomer Does Its Job - Whatever You Decide That Job Is
|
| Review Date: July 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Scott Allen, New York |
This Body Groomer efficiently removes body hair in all parts of a man's body. The weird placement of a Gilette Fusion razor on the back side of it seems like a simple effort to get me to use more of those expensive things than I'm already using on my face.
But it got me to thinking: when was it exactly that men were expected to start being "neat down there?" Yes, I'm talking about what you are thinking. I think it is fully expected for men (at least under 50) to be neatly trimmed "down there." This body trimmer is clearly not only for competitive swimmers,cyclists, or Abercrombie models, as I doubt that market is large enough to sustain this product.
I think the trend to men being "neat" started with women being "neat." A decade or two ago a "neat" girl was uncommon to be seen in men's magazines, or in real life for that matter. "Neat" girls were an anomaly - some might even say kinky. Look at any glamour photography from the 70s or adult films: the ladies were a lot more hirsute back then. I think the 90s were the decade in which being "neat" became mainstream for women (at least of a certain age).
For men, this presents a bit of a dilemma. Once I'm "neat" down there, where do I stop? Do I go for the "full monty" like the very smooth, slender, smiling man on the box of the trimmer? Is there a different answer for the heterosexual, metrosexual, or homosexual man? Will this require constant upkeep like shaving my face? Maybe by expanding the geography I'm just creating an entire golf course of grass to mow weekly instead of just a putting green.
Anyway, this little "Body Groomer" does its job, whatever you decide that job is. |
An excellent all-in-one. Really convenient.
|
| Review Date: May 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: I. R. Smart., Seattle, WA |
I'll say this first: I'm the laziest shaver in the world. Yes, the world (I've asked around). In theory I like to be clean shaven; in practice I'm a lazy bum when it comes down to it. I've been using Gillette razors for years. I quite liked the Mach 3 original blades, though they did tend to nick me at times. The Mach 3 Turbo blades were a definite improvement, smoothing out the shave for me, with reduced cuts. Then, some months back, I switched to the Mach 3 Fusion blades (the type included with the razor part of this unit). These have been by far my favorite blades. Much smoother than the Mach 3 blades, and a little easier on my skin than the Mach 3 Turbo.
Anyway, the idea of having an electric buzz trimmer to get my thick facial hair down, and then the Fusion blades razor for the close part - is very appealing, and, I'm glad to say, it worked!
The unit comes with a couple of Fusion blades, a small brush to get out hair, and some plastic attachments for the trimmer for different lengths. I'll be honest, I like a clean shave, so I didn't even bother with the plastic attachments, and found the shave very easy on my skin. No, the buzzer won't give you the closeness of the razor part, but then it's not supposed to. Just make sure you don't shave against the grain with the buzzer, or it will hurt!
The unit is designed for you to buzz AND razor simultaneously, but in practice I find this doesn't work so well. I shave with foam, and it just makes a big mess trying to buzz and razor simultaneously. I just wouldn't bother.
I like that the bodyCruzer comes with a rubbery cover for the whole device, and a travel bag! Very thoughtful.
My only concern with the device is that it's never obvious that it's fully charged. The light on it goes brown when you put it in the inductive charger, but it never changes color, and the unit remains warm in the charger, leading me to pull it out manually after the 10 hours of charging Braun suggests. The battery life so far has been excellent, and Braun says you can get up 50 hours per charge. I'm not entirely sure what "up to 50 hours means," since it's not like there's different electric settings. It's either on or off! Either way, even getting half of that time would be excellent I'd say!
Overall, a great device. Definitely a very convenient bathroom appliance!
5/5 |
Braun BodyCruzer is a hit with my 22 year old
|
| Review Date: June 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: robgman, Anacortes, WA |
I got this product through Amazon Vine. I did not have a use for it personally but my 22 year old son did and here's what he has to say about it:
"The electric buzzer backed by the adjustable razor is really convenient because you can shave a long beard or any long hairs in one fell swoop with no problem, or use either of them separately easily. It is completely safe to use in the shower and get soaking wet with no functional problems. It comes with a convenient travel pouch and tons of add-ons depending on how long or short you want your hair cut. I give it a 5 out of 5" |
Best body shaver on the market
|
| Review Date: September 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JD, Brooklyn, NY |
Excellent product and does a great job of trimming my chest, armpits, stomach, and groin with no problem. I personally prefer to use it dry, as I find when using it in the shower, there is far more friction when your skin is wet. Also, I don't use the fusion razor that came with it and in fact removed it immediately - using the trimmer alone results in a very close and smooth cut. Granted it's not as smooth as the razor would provide, but as other reviewers have pointed out, I think the trim and cut combo would be a bit awkward to use. Not to mention I don't necessarily want a razor anywhere near certain areas of my body (a slipup/mistake could be very painful!).
One slight criticism would be as it relates to the attachments. I don't have a lot of trouble putting them on/off as others have pointed out (in fact, I view this as a MASSIVE improvement over the Norelco Godygroom 2020 I owned previously), but I do think that the "long" trimmer attachment leaves the hair far too long when compared with the "medium" attachment (which cuts the hair quite short). Would be nice to have something in between, but it's something I can live without.
I bought a Norelco bodygroom 2020, and after two uses, I threw it out - it was very poorly constructed, and the foil actually began to tear after just two uses! The bodyCruzer is far and away the superior product. |
|
| Manufacturer: Braun |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $59.99 |
| Sale Price: $47.77 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
Braun bodyCruzer Men’s Body Groomer, Titanium Reviewunrated0
Personal CareBraun bodyCruzer Men’s Body Groomer, Titanium Review
|
User Reviews
Send this to a friend
|
| Click Here For More Information |
| |
|
|
| |
Product Description |
| Introducing a revolutionary body grooming experience, new Braun bodyCruzer. Equipped with a precision power trimmer to effectively to trim body hair and a Gillette Fusion blade for an incredible level of closeness and comfort, the new Braun bodyCruzer helps you get the groomed body look you want. |
|
Product Details |
- with Gillette Fusion Shaving Technology
- World‘s Only body groomer with a powered trimmer and a Gillette Fusion blade, all in one!
- Shave: Gillette Fusion blades for an incredible level of closeness and comfort.
- Trim & Shave: Trims and shaves long hairs in one stroke, for fast results.
- Trim: High Performance cutting system for maximum precision and comfort.
|
Video Reviews |
Braun bodycruZer body groomer TV Commercial Director´s Cut
|
Customer Reviews |
Takes some practice, but an excellent trimmer
|
| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Comdet, |
The Braun BodyCruzer is somewhat unique among trimmers in that it incorporates both a conventional electric trimmer with a razor blade (in this case the Gillette Fusion blade). While it takes some practice to get used to it, the performance is excellent.
The build quality is up to the usual Braun standards. If you're familiar with their high-end razors (such as the Series 5 or 7) you know they put a lot of thought into design. The trimmer is easy to grip (an important criteria if you plan on using it in the shower) and feels solid. Lots of little touches really pay off, such as a non-skid base for the charger and a shower caddy to store the trimmer in the shower. Although this is made in China and not Germany like some of their other products, the build quality is top-notch.
The trimmer has very fine teeth which gives is a very gentle cut. No tugging or pulling on the hair - just a quick, clean, neat cut. The motor is less noisy or "buzzy" than a typical trimmer, but I wouldn't call it quiet. Not bad, but you know when it's on.
The feature of note is that it also includes a conventional razor blade which is attached to a sliding extension with click-stop indents. The first click-stop keeps the razor out of the way, so you can use just the electric trimmer. The second click extends the razor so that you can use both - the trimmer cuts the hair down to a fine stubble, then the razor shaves everything clean. The third click extends the razor even more, so you can use just the razor.
Using just the trimmer or just the razor is very easy. Using them both at the same time takes some practice - you have to hold the BodyCruzer at just the right angle to have it shave properly. Takes some practice to get the hang of it and, until you do, you may want to stay away from the "sensitive" areas (actually, I think you'd want to stay away from those areas with any type of razor blade, but that's just me).
It has plastic guards that snap on so you can cut hair to a specific length. Three sizes (long, medium and short) with the short one offering soft plastic teeth to avoid any nicks in those sensitive areas. The guards snap on easily and hold tight, but removing them is a bit of a chore. The best way is to hold it so the guard front is facing away from you, and then use both thumbs to pop the guard off. This could be better designed - works, but I'm concerned that the guards will break given the amount of force you need to remove them.
All in all, this is a great all-purpose trimmer. It's more costly than others but hopefully, if the build quality is any indication, it will last longer. It certainly offers a very clean and gentle cut using the electric trimmer (more so than any other trimmer I've tried) and has the advantage of offering a conventional blade. Five stars! |
Body Groomer Does Its Job - Whatever You Decide That Job Is
|
| Review Date: July 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Scott Allen, New York |
This Body Groomer efficiently removes body hair in all parts of a man's body. The weird placement of a Gilette Fusion razor on the back side of it seems like a simple effort to get me to use more of those expensive things than I'm already using on my face.
But it got me to thinking: when was it exactly that men were expected to start being "neat down there?" Yes, I'm talking about what you are thinking. I think it is fully expected for men (at least under 50) to be neatly trimmed "down there." This body trimmer is clearly not only for competitive swimmers,cyclists, or Abercrombie models, as I doubt that market is large enough to sustain this product.
I think the trend to men being "neat" started with women being "neat." A decade or two ago a "neat" girl was uncommon to be seen in men's magazines, or in real life for that matter. "Neat" girls were an anomaly - some might even say kinky. Look at any glamour photography from the 70s or adult films: the ladies were a lot more hirsute back then. I think the 90s were the decade in which being "neat" became mainstream for women (at least of a certain age).
For men, this presents a bit of a dilemma. Once I'm "neat" down there, where do I stop? Do I go for the "full monty" like the very smooth, slender, smiling man on the box of the trimmer? Is there a different answer for the heterosexual, metrosexual, or homosexual man? Will this require constant upkeep like shaving my face? Maybe by expanding the geography I'm just creating an entire golf course of grass to mow weekly instead of just a putting green.
Anyway, this little "Body Groomer" does its job, whatever you decide that job is. |
An excellent all-in-one. Really convenient.
|
| Review Date: May 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: I. R. Smart., Seattle, WA |
I'll say this first: I'm the laziest shaver in the world. Yes, the world (I've asked around). In theory I like to be clean shaven; in practice I'm a lazy bum when it comes down to it. I've been using Gillette razors for years. I quite liked the Mach 3 original blades, though they did tend to nick me at times. The Mach 3 Turbo blades were a definite improvement, smoothing out the shave for me, with reduced cuts. Then, some months back, I switched to the Mach 3 Fusion blades (the type included with the razor part of this unit). These have been by far my favorite blades. Much smoother than the Mach 3 blades, and a little easier on my skin than the Mach 3 Turbo.
Anyway, the idea of having an electric buzz trimmer to get my thick facial hair down, and then the Fusion blades razor for the close part - is very appealing, and, I'm glad to say, it worked!
The unit comes with a couple of Fusion blades, a small brush to get out hair, and some plastic attachments for the trimmer for different lengths. I'll be honest, I like a clean shave, so I didn't even bother with the plastic attachments, and found the shave very easy on my skin. No, the buzzer won't give you the closeness of the razor part, but then it's not supposed to. Just make sure you don't shave against the grain with the buzzer, or it will hurt!
The unit is designed for you to buzz AND razor simultaneously, but in practice I find this doesn't work so well. I shave with foam, and it just makes a big mess trying to buzz and razor simultaneously. I just wouldn't bother.
I like that the bodyCruzer comes with a rubbery cover for the whole device, and a travel bag! Very thoughtful.
My only concern with the device is that it's never obvious that it's fully charged. The light on it goes brown when you put it in the inductive charger, but it never changes color, and the unit remains warm in the charger, leading me to pull it out manually after the 10 hours of charging Braun suggests. The battery life so far has been excellent, and Braun says you can get up 50 hours per charge. I'm not entirely sure what "up to 50 hours means," since it's not like there's different electric settings. It's either on or off! Either way, even getting half of that time would be excellent I'd say!
Overall, a great device. Definitely a very convenient bathroom appliance!
5/5 |
Braun BodyCruzer is a hit with my 22 year old
|
| Review Date: June 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: robgman, Anacortes, WA |
I got this product through Amazon Vine. I did not have a use for it personally but my 22 year old son did and here's what he has to say about it:
"The electric buzzer backed by the adjustable razor is really convenient because you can shave a long beard or any long hairs in one fell swoop with no problem, or use either of them separately easily. It is completely safe to use in the shower and get soaking wet with no functional problems. It comes with a convenient travel pouch and tons of add-ons depending on how long or short you want your hair cut. I give it a 5 out of 5" |
Best body shaver on the market
|
| Review Date: September 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JD, Brooklyn, NY |
Excellent product and does a great job of trimming my chest, armpits, stomach, and groin with no problem. I personally prefer to use it dry, as I find when using it in the shower, there is far more friction when your skin is wet. Also, I don't use the fusion razor that came with it and in fact removed it immediately - using the trimmer alone results in a very close and smooth cut. Granted it's not as smooth as the razor would provide, but as other reviewers have pointed out, I think the trim and cut combo would be a bit awkward to use. Not to mention I don't necessarily want a razor anywhere near certain areas of my body (a slipup/mistake could be very painful!).
One slight criticism would be as it relates to the attachments. I don't have a lot of trouble putting them on/off as others have pointed out (in fact, I view this as a MASSIVE improvement over the Norelco Godygroom 2020 I owned previously), but I do think that the "long" trimmer attachment leaves the hair far too long when compared with the "medium" attachment (which cuts the hair quite short). Would be nice to have something in between, but it's something I can live without.
I bought a Norelco bodygroom 2020, and after two uses, I threw it out - it was very poorly constructed, and the foil actually began to tear after just two uses! The bodyCruzer is far and away the superior product. |
|
| Manufacturer: Braun |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $59.99 |
| Sale Price: $47.77 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
…
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at
12:45 pm
Ragdoll Sheriff Woodyunrated0
Toys, Kids, BabyRagdoll Sheriff Woody
…
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at
4:42 pm
|
User Reviews
Send this to a friend
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Product Description |
| Kids can recreate their favorite cooking shows at home with this modern kitchen. The contemporary setup allows kids to serve food (both real and imagined) to friends and family at the table on the other side. The grill features faux flickering fames and realistic sound effects, and a working ice-maker drops plastic ice cubes into cups. Little Tikes. Ages: 3+ |
|
Product Details |
- Grill is designed like a contemporary stainless unit and is mounted on the front of the kitchen for easier access
- Grill has great flickering flames and sound effects
- Working ice maker drops plastic ice cubes into glass
- Storage in fabric lined wicker baskets
- Hanging pot storage like modern kitchens
- It rotates 90 degrees for 2 kitchen layouts - straight or L shaped
|
Video Reviews |
No video reviews found for this product.
|
Customer Reviews |
Very Pleased with this Play Kitchen!
|
| Review Date: June 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. McDonald, San Antonio, TX USA |
We looked at numerous play kitchens for my child. After countless hours looking in retail stores and pouring over the internet, we decided on this one. The price was right and it had everything we were looking for. I couldn't be more pleased with this playset. It only took about 1 hour to fully assemble, and it wasn't that difficult if you can follow directions. My little girl loves it! The sounds and lights on the burners and the grill are really life-like and work very well. This thing is very sturdy too. My daughter likes to open the oven and dishwasher doors and stand on them. It hasn't even come close to tipping. It has enough little pots and pans and accessories to keep your child busy playing. The whole set is hard plastic and is very easily wiped and cleaned off, so no concerns for maintaining this set.
The only problem we have encountered is that the little ice cubes sometimes get stuck in the dispenser.
As usual, the purchase from Amazon was painless, and the delivery was fairly quick considering the size of the box it came in. |
Hours of fun
|
| Review Date: March 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: j, TX |
| My one year old and 3 year old love it. The grill is their favorite. They love to push the start button and hear the noise and see the flames. The microwave door doesn't fit properly, but I left it off for now and think we can make it fit later on. You can't fit much in the fridge. The ice maker takes up some of the room. The ice does not come out to well either. But, that doesn't seem to make any difference to my kids. |
Fantastic Little Kitchen:-)
|
| Review Date: August 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Malone, South Florida |
| I have to start out by saying that our two boys absolutely adore this kitchen! Our one year old loves to open and shut the doors and push the buttons on the grill and stove top; while our 3 year old is using his imagination with the entire kitchen (and extra food we bought). However, the first kitchen we received had quite a few issues...missing 6 pre-screwed holes, the doors for the refrigerator, microwave, oven, cupboard, and dishwasher were tricky to close, and it was a tad lopsided. But when we called Little Tikes they replaced the kitchen with a brand new one that was almost perfect. It took exactly one week to get the new kitchen. Like many other reviews stated, the microwave door is still tricky to close and I think it's because of the mold at the factory that is being used (the door doesn't quite fit). But otherwise, it's great! And both kitchens, even the lopsided one, are very sturdy. Our one year old likes to open the doors for the oven and dishwasher and then stand and 'jump' on the open doors and it has never even come close to tipping over. I would highly recommend this kitchen! |
Excellent Choice
|
| Review Date: August 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. R. Liddick Jr., Mechanicsburg, PA |
| I was leaning more toward a wooden kitchen set for our one year daughter but my wife convinced me to go with the plastic. This was an excellent decision after reading some of the other reviews on this product we were sold. Our one year old has to get on her tippy toes though for some things but she loves the drawers and cupboards and the noises from the stove and grill. She is hard on things but the kitchen set has held up to her roughness. I would definitely recommend this to any parent looking for a kitchen set for their child. |
Little Tykes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen
|
| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: F. Gilbert, |
| We purchased this kitchen for our 3 yr.old granddaughter for Christmas after much review of all the ones out there and we have to say it was just the greatest kitchen for her. Our 4 yr. old grandson loved it too and they played for hours with it. They especially loved the sounds of the stove top and the grill. Our granddaughter told our grandson to "stay back, it is hot - be careful!!" when the grill came on. It is all very authentic looking and everything works perfectly - even the icemaker. And all the doors shut and stay shut with roomy storage space for all the food and dishes. It took about 2 hours to put together. There were some undrilled holes, but it was no big deal to make the holes - my husband just punched a little hole and then used the electric drill to put in the screws. So I would rate this an A for easy to follow directions and assembly and we had no parts that were broken or missing. |
|
| Manufacturer: Little Tikes |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $169.99 |
| Sale Price: $169.99 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 1 to 2 days |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
Little Tikes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen Reviewunrated0
Play SetsLittle Tikes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen Review
|
User Reviews
Send this to a friend
|
| Click Here For More Information |
| |
|
|
| |
Product Description |
| Kids can recreate their favorite cooking shows at home with this modern kitchen. The contemporary setup allows kids to serve food (both real and imagined) to friends and family at the table on the other side. The grill features faux flickering fames and realistic sound effects, and a working ice-maker drops plastic ice cubes into cups. Little Tikes. Ages: 3+ |
|
Product Details |
- Grill is designed like a contemporary stainless unit and is mounted on the front of the kitchen for easier access
- Grill has great flickering flames and sound effects
- Working ice maker drops plastic ice cubes into glass
- Storage in fabric lined wicker baskets
- Hanging pot storage like modern kitchens
- It rotates 90 degrees for 2 kitchen layouts - straight or L shaped
|
Video Reviews |
No video reviews found for this product.
|
Customer Reviews |
Very Pleased with this Play Kitchen!
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| Review Date: June 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. McDonald, San Antonio, TX USA |
We looked at numerous play kitchens for my child. After countless hours looking in retail stores and pouring over the internet, we decided on this one. The price was right and it had everything we were looking for. I couldn't be more pleased with this playset. It only took about 1 hour to fully assemble, and it wasn't that difficult if you can follow directions. My little girl loves it! The sounds and lights on the burners and the grill are really life-like and work very well. This thing is very sturdy too. My daughter likes to open the oven and dishwasher doors and stand on them. It hasn't even come close to tipping. It has enough little pots and pans and accessories to keep your child busy playing. The whole set is hard plastic and is very easily wiped and cleaned off, so no concerns for maintaining this set.
The only problem we have encountered is that the little ice cubes sometimes get stuck in the dispenser.
As usual, the purchase from Amazon was painless, and the delivery was fairly quick considering the size of the box it came in. |
Hours of fun
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| Review Date: March 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: j, TX |
| My one year old and 3 year old love it. The grill is their favorite. They love to push the start button and hear the noise and see the flames. The microwave door doesn't fit properly, but I left it off for now and think we can make it fit later on. You can't fit much in the fridge. The ice maker takes up some of the room. The ice does not come out to well either. But, that doesn't seem to make any difference to my kids. |
Fantastic Little Kitchen:-)
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| Review Date: August 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Malone, South Florida |
| I have to start out by saying that our two boys absolutely adore this kitchen! Our one year old loves to open and shut the doors and push the buttons on the grill and stove top; while our 3 year old is using his imagination with the entire kitchen (and extra food we bought). However, the first kitchen we received had quite a few issues...missing 6 pre-screwed holes, the doors for the refrigerator, microwave, oven, cupboard, and dishwasher were tricky to close, and it was a tad lopsided. But when we called Little Tikes they replaced the kitchen with a brand new one that was almost perfect. It took exactly one week to get the new kitchen. Like many other reviews stated, the microwave door is still tricky to close and I think it's because of the mold at the factory that is being used (the door doesn't quite fit). But otherwise, it's great! And both kitchens, even the lopsided one, are very sturdy. Our one year old likes to open the doors for the oven and dishwasher and then stand and 'jump' on the open doors and it has never even come close to tipping over. I would highly recommend this kitchen! |
Excellent Choice
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| Review Date: August 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. R. Liddick Jr., Mechanicsburg, PA |
| I was leaning more toward a wooden kitchen set for our one year daughter but my wife convinced me to go with the plastic. This was an excellent decision after reading some of the other reviews on this product we were sold. Our one year old has to get on her tippy toes though for some things but she loves the drawers and cupboards and the noises from the stove and grill. She is hard on things but the kitchen set has held up to her roughness. I would definitely recommend this to any parent looking for a kitchen set for their child. |
Little Tykes Sizzle N Serve Kitchen
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| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: F. Gilbert, |
| We purchased this kitchen for our 3 yr.old granddaughter for Christmas after much review of all the ones out there and we have to say it was just the greatest kitchen for her. Our 4 yr. old grandson loved it too and they played for hours with it. They especially loved the sounds of the stove top and the grill. Our granddaughter told our grandson to "stay back, it is hot - be careful!!" when the grill came on. It is all very authentic looking and everything works perfectly - even the icemaker. And all the doors shut and stay shut with roomy storage space for all the food and dishes. It took about 2 hours to put together. There were some undrilled holes, but it was no big deal to make the holes - my husband just punched a little hole and then used the electric drill to put in the screws. So I would rate this an A for easy to follow directions and assembly and we had no parts that were broken or missing. |
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| Manufacturer: Little Tikes |
| Customer Rating: |
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| List Price: $169.99 |
| Sale Price: $169.99 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 1 to 2 days |
| Free Shipping Available |
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Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at
2:41 pm
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User Reviews
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Product Description |
| Experience Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p quality with stunning HD sound that supports enhanced audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio. You can also play and upscale your DVDs to near high definition. Connect to the internet and instantly stream thousands of movies, videos, music and more from Netflix, YouTube, Slacker and other leading content providers with the Sony BDP-N460 Network Blu-ray Disc player. |
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Product Details |
- Plays Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
- Instantly streams online entertainment from leading providers
- Upscales DVDs to near high definition
- BD-Live ready
- Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding
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Video Reviews |
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Customer Reviews |
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| Manufacturer: Sony |
| Customer Rating: |
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| List Price: $249.99 |
| Sale Price: Too low to display |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
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Sony BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)unrated0
Blu RaySony BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)
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User Reviews
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Product Description |
| Experience Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p quality with stunning HD sound that supports enhanced audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio. You can also play and upscale your DVDs to near high definition. Connect to the internet and instantly stream thousands of movies, videos, music and more from Netflix, YouTube, Slacker and other leading content providers with the Sony BDP-N460 Network Blu-ray Disc player. |
|
Product Details |
- Plays Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
- Instantly streams online entertainment from leading providers
- Upscales DVDs to near high definition
- BD-Live ready
- Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding
|
Video Reviews |
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Customer Reviews |
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| Manufacturer: Sony |
| Customer Rating: |
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| List Price: $249.99 |
| Sale Price: Too low to display |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
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Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at
5:34 pm
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User Reviews
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Product Description |
| This classically designed horse is ready to ride! She is beautifully decorated and features a wide, stable base and authentic riding saddle with a real yarn mane and tail. When you ride her, the motion will active electronic sounds! Requires three "AA" batteries, not included. Measures 23.5"L x 32.63"W x 11.63"H. |
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Product Details |
- This classic spring horse neighs, clip-clops, and has a real yarn mane and tail
- Beautifully sculpted with great attention to details make this horse attractive and realistic
- Sturdy steel frame is extra wide, so as to prevent tipping
- Springs are covered with thick, removable fabric wraps to prevent finger pinching, and built in safety spring straps allow for extra security
- This product is made by Radio Flyer, innovating play and creating memories since 1917
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Video Reviews |
Ashlie on Radio Flyer Liberty Horse
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Customer Reviews |
Sheer delight for child, perfect peace for parents
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| Review Date: March 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Judith A. Heard, Vista, CA United States |
| When I bought this horse online for my granddaughter's birthday, I checked over all the horses I could find and hoped that this would be somehting that would be safe and fun. The construction is incredible. The seat is soft smooth leather and padded. My two year little one, easily mounts the horse, and although she is cautious in her undertakings, and some times fearful, she was quickly at ease with this horse. Radio Flyer must have grandchildren as they combed every piece of this product, as did the very protective uncle who put it together, and it is perfect. He could find no unsafe areas, it is made of the sturdest metal and covered wonderfully so no springs can pinch little bodies anywhere. My son said it was a piece of cake putting together. The sounds are so fun, my granddaughter giggles when the horse gallops and the songs are cute. Although it was the most expensive, it is the old saying that you get what you pay for and this was the right purchase. This horse will be passed to generations in sheer delight. Thank you Radio Flyer, as always a company of integrity products. Mimi |
Awesome Toy.
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| Review Date: May 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Patricia A. Carson, San Jose, CA |
It's an awsome toy, my 2-year-old grandaughter loves it, has no trouble getting on and off it. The only suggestion I would have is to strap it to the floor if you don't have carpet - cuz when she gets going she starts moving around the room in little bits. This is a child that loves "bouncing" She's had it for a month and rides it every single day. Sound does turn off, so if you tire of the noise, that is an option.
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Great toy, loads of fun, highly recommend
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| Review Date: October 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mushy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland CA |
*****UPDATED AUGUST 28TH 2008*****
It has been a year since we bought our horse and it is still one of the most played with toys in our house. I don't think it goes a day without being ridden at least once. I haven't had to change the batteries yet, which I must say surprises me since it gets left on constantly. I have to make a correction to my original review, the sound is SUPPOSE to be motion activated, but we have left it on accidentally and 2 am in the morning the thing goes off and wakes the whole household. Not a big deal, you just have to make sure to switch it off, because it will go off even without someone on it. My daughter is 27 months old now and weighs 33 lbs and when she really rides it, it does move a bit but not so much that we've felt a need to secure it down with anything. The movement is minimal, we just make sure to pull it out from the wall. I also think that amazon has changed the picture of what they originally had up when I wrote my first review because the current picture looks more like the model we have, although the saddle still looks different. Our daughter can now reach the stir-ups with no problems, but still uses the back support bar most of the time. We have been nothing but happy with ours and I stand by my original review, it is a wonderful toy that I would recommend to anyone.
*****ORIGINAL REVIEW*****
We bought this for my daughter who is only 16 months old, even though the manufacturer recommended age was 24 months to 6 years. After reading some of the other reviews and looking a bit closer I realized that the horse that we bought, even though it has the same manufacturer and name is not the same one that Amazon is selling. We bought ours at Toy R Us for the same price but there are a few differences. Our saddle and saddle blanket are both plastic not leather and fabric. We do not have the little step and we don't have the bulky looking feet or the "adjustable" stirrups. Other than that I think it is the same though. I wish I would have seen this one before I bought ours as it looks like it's an upgraded version. I am writing this review anyway so that people are aware that there are two different style (maybe more) both made by Radio Flyer and both called Liberty Spring Horse with sound.
Our horse came in a pretty heavy duty box, which was great for us because we had to ship it out of the country and didn't have to worry about it getting damaged in transit. It was pretty easy to assemble, it came with straight forward instructions and the necessary tools needed for assembly, minus a screwdriver I think. My husband had it fully assembled in less than 20 minutes. Our daughter loves it. Even without the little step she is able to climb up on it using the base and the legs that house the springs. We don't have to help her at all. If she were bigger, I'm sure it would be a lot easier but she is determined and has figured out how to make it work. It bounces or rocks back and forth depending on whether she jumps up and down or rocks her body forward and back. She has no problem reaching the handlebars but her legs aren't long enough to comfortably reach the stirrups yet something that might not have been the case had we had the three leveled stirrups. She'll grow into them though and right now she is happy using the back support pegs to rest her feet on. This even allows her to stand up and pretend to be a jockey!!! The springs are covered by a black, pretty thick, padded piece of material which Velcro's on and can be removed if needed. It is very stable, even without the bulky feet, and doesn't slip or slide a bit on our tile floors, although my daughter is only 25 pounds right now, but she can get a bit carried away when she rocks out and it still doesn`t move.
We chose to get the model that has sound and I am glad we did. It takes three AA batteries (not included) and has an on off switch, which is located on the underside of the horses belly. It also has two different sound levels, a low and a high. Our horse has four different sounds, a horse whinnying and snorting. Then it has two gait sounds, a trot (clip clop clip clop) and a canter (clip clip clop clip clip clop). It also plays a musical version of Home on the Range. All the sounds are motion activated so even if you leave it on by accident, it won't play unless it's moved. The frame is made out of steel, the horse body is thick plastic and the mane and tail are weaved rope. It is made, as far as I can tell, very well, it doesn't look or feel cheap and they took a bit of time to do some detail. All in all, we are happy with our version and think that it is a wonderful addition to our toy collection. I would highly recommend it to everyone. I uploaded two pictures of my daughter onto the site so that you can see the differences between our and Amazon's version.
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Instant Favorite
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| Review Date: October 16, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Globetrotting Mom, |
We bought this for our 15-month old daughter, though the product is recommended for slightly older children. If your child is running and climbing pretty well, s/he is probably ready. Our daughter gets on and off the horse by herself and immediately mastered staying on and bouncing. Rocking back and forth took a few days. She loves it so much that I can tell her to "go ride horsie" when she's about to throw a fit, and she does!
It required some serious but not too difficult assembly (horse's head piece weirdly evokes "The Godfather"), and once it's put together it looks like a classic that will be passed down from generation to generation. The one we got had a slight dent in one of the leg pieces, but once assembled you couldn't tell.
The sounds ("Home on the Range," clip clops, and whinnys) are charming, and after a month they haven't started to bug us yet. If they ever do, there's an off switch. The yarn hair on the tail and mane is a nice alternative to the usual plastic. My daughter loves to pet horsie. I found the horse's face and expression cuter than in the pictures. I can't recommend it enough -- looks great, loads of fun, we love it. |
Giddy up!
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| Review Date: May 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Shelly Powell, North Carolina |
| This horse is pretty neat! Assembly instructions were easy to comprehend and the horse assembled without a "hitch" (no pun intended! ha!)! Make sure you have plenty of room as the toy takes up a lot of space. I didn't realize that one of the periodic noises the horse makes is a song (Home on the Range). I would have preferred the Lone Ranger theme or no song at all. My kid is still a bit young to ride the horse unassisted, but I am confident that this will quickly become one of her favorite toys when she gets a little older! |
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| Manufacturer: Radio Flyer |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $199.99 |
| Sale Price: $119.00 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse with Soundunrated0
Toys, Kids, BabyRadio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse with Sound
|
User Reviews
Send this to a friend
|
| Click Here For More Information |
| |
|
|
| |
Product Description |
| This classically designed horse is ready to ride! She is beautifully decorated and features a wide, stable base and authentic riding saddle with a real yarn mane and tail. When you ride her, the motion will active electronic sounds! Requires three "AA" batteries, not included. Measures 23.5"L x 32.63"W x 11.63"H. |
|
Product Details |
- This classic spring horse neighs, clip-clops, and has a real yarn mane and tail
- Beautifully sculpted with great attention to details make this horse attractive and realistic
- Sturdy steel frame is extra wide, so as to prevent tipping
- Springs are covered with thick, removable fabric wraps to prevent finger pinching, and built in safety spring straps allow for extra security
- This product is made by Radio Flyer, innovating play and creating memories since 1917
|
Video Reviews |
Ashlie on Radio Flyer Liberty Horse
|
Customer Reviews |
Sheer delight for child, perfect peace for parents
|
| Review Date: March 8, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Judith A. Heard, Vista, CA United States |
| When I bought this horse online for my granddaughter's birthday, I checked over all the horses I could find and hoped that this would be somehting that would be safe and fun. The construction is incredible. The seat is soft smooth leather and padded. My two year little one, easily mounts the horse, and although she is cautious in her undertakings, and some times fearful, she was quickly at ease with this horse. Radio Flyer must have grandchildren as they combed every piece of this product, as did the very protective uncle who put it together, and it is perfect. He could find no unsafe areas, it is made of the sturdest metal and covered wonderfully so no springs can pinch little bodies anywhere. My son said it was a piece of cake putting together. The sounds are so fun, my granddaughter giggles when the horse gallops and the songs are cute. Although it was the most expensive, it is the old saying that you get what you pay for and this was the right purchase. This horse will be passed to generations in sheer delight. Thank you Radio Flyer, as always a company of integrity products. Mimi |
Awesome Toy.
|
| Review Date: May 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Patricia A. Carson, San Jose, CA |
It's an awsome toy, my 2-year-old grandaughter loves it, has no trouble getting on and off it. The only suggestion I would have is to strap it to the floor if you don't have carpet - cuz when she gets going she starts moving around the room in little bits. This is a child that loves "bouncing" She's had it for a month and rides it every single day. Sound does turn off, so if you tire of the noise, that is an option.
|
Great toy, loads of fun, highly recommend
|
| Review Date: October 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Mushy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland CA |
*****UPDATED AUGUST 28TH 2008*****
It has been a year since we bought our horse and it is still one of the most played with toys in our house. I don't think it goes a day without being ridden at least once. I haven't had to change the batteries yet, which I must say surprises me since it gets left on constantly. I have to make a correction to my original review, the sound is SUPPOSE to be motion activated, but we have left it on accidentally and 2 am in the morning the thing goes off and wakes the whole household. Not a big deal, you just have to make sure to switch it off, because it will go off even without someone on it. My daughter is 27 months old now and weighs 33 lbs and when she really rides it, it does move a bit but not so much that we've felt a need to secure it down with anything. The movement is minimal, we just make sure to pull it out from the wall. I also think that amazon has changed the picture of what they originally had up when I wrote my first review because the current picture looks more like the model we have, although the saddle still looks different. Our daughter can now reach the stir-ups with no problems, but still uses the back support bar most of the time. We have been nothing but happy with ours and I stand by my original review, it is a wonderful toy that I would recommend to anyone.
*****ORIGINAL REVIEW*****
We bought this for my daughter who is only 16 months old, even though the manufacturer recommended age was 24 months to 6 years. After reading some of the other reviews and looking a bit closer I realized that the horse that we bought, even though it has the same manufacturer and name is not the same one that Amazon is selling. We bought ours at Toy R Us for the same price but there are a few differences. Our saddle and saddle blanket are both plastic not leather and fabric. We do not have the little step and we don't have the bulky looking feet or the "adjustable" stirrups. Other than that I think it is the same though. I wish I would have seen this one before I bought ours as it looks like it's an upgraded version. I am writing this review anyway so that people are aware that there are two different style (maybe more) both made by Radio Flyer and both called Liberty Spring Horse with sound.
Our horse came in a pretty heavy duty box, which was great for us because we had to ship it out of the country and didn't have to worry about it getting damaged in transit. It was pretty easy to assemble, it came with straight forward instructions and the necessary tools needed for assembly, minus a screwdriver I think. My husband had it fully assembled in less than 20 minutes. Our daughter loves it. Even without the little step she is able to climb up on it using the base and the legs that house the springs. We don't have to help her at all. If she were bigger, I'm sure it would be a lot easier but she is determined and has figured out how to make it work. It bounces or rocks back and forth depending on whether she jumps up and down or rocks her body forward and back. She has no problem reaching the handlebars but her legs aren't long enough to comfortably reach the stirrups yet something that might not have been the case had we had the three leveled stirrups. She'll grow into them though and right now she is happy using the back support pegs to rest her feet on. This even allows her to stand up and pretend to be a jockey!!! The springs are covered by a black, pretty thick, padded piece of material which Velcro's on and can be removed if needed. It is very stable, even without the bulky feet, and doesn't slip or slide a bit on our tile floors, although my daughter is only 25 pounds right now, but she can get a bit carried away when she rocks out and it still doesn`t move.
We chose to get the model that has sound and I am glad we did. It takes three AA batteries (not included) and has an on off switch, which is located on the underside of the horses belly. It also has two different sound levels, a low and a high. Our horse has four different sounds, a horse whinnying and snorting. Then it has two gait sounds, a trot (clip clop clip clop) and a canter (clip clip clop clip clip clop). It also plays a musical version of Home on the Range. All the sounds are motion activated so even if you leave it on by accident, it won't play unless it's moved. The frame is made out of steel, the horse body is thick plastic and the mane and tail are weaved rope. It is made, as far as I can tell, very well, it doesn't look or feel cheap and they took a bit of time to do some detail. All in all, we are happy with our version and think that it is a wonderful addition to our toy collection. I would highly recommend it to everyone. I uploaded two pictures of my daughter onto the site so that you can see the differences between our and Amazon's version.
|
Instant Favorite
|
| Review Date: October 16, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Globetrotting Mom, |
We bought this for our 15-month old daughter, though the product is recommended for slightly older children. If your child is running and climbing pretty well, s/he is probably ready. Our daughter gets on and off the horse by herself and immediately mastered staying on and bouncing. Rocking back and forth took a few days. She loves it so much that I can tell her to "go ride horsie" when she's about to throw a fit, and she does!
It required some serious but not too difficult assembly (horse's head piece weirdly evokes "The Godfather"), and once it's put together it looks like a classic that will be passed down from generation to generation. The one we got had a slight dent in one of the leg pieces, but once assembled you couldn't tell.
The sounds ("Home on the Range," clip clops, and whinnys) are charming, and after a month they haven't started to bug us yet. If they ever do, there's an off switch. The yarn hair on the tail and mane is a nice alternative to the usual plastic. My daughter loves to pet horsie. I found the horse's face and expression cuter than in the pictures. I can't recommend it enough -- looks great, loads of fun, we love it. |
Giddy up!
|
| Review Date: May 29, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Shelly Powell, North Carolina |
| This horse is pretty neat! Assembly instructions were easy to comprehend and the horse assembled without a "hitch" (no pun intended! ha!)! Make sure you have plenty of room as the toy takes up a lot of space. I didn't realize that one of the periodic noises the horse makes is a song (Home on the Range). I would have preferred the Lone Ranger theme or no song at all. My kid is still a bit young to ride the horse unassisted, but I am confident that this will quickly become one of her favorite toys when she gets a little older! |
|
| Manufacturer: Radio Flyer |
| Customer Rating: |
|
| List Price: $199.99 |
| Sale Price: $119.00 |
| Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Free Shipping Available |
|
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