Garmin Nuvi 255W

Trial Run: nüvi 255W

DESIGN
At 141.6 g and measuring 98 mm x 74.4 mm x 19.5 mm, the nüvi 255W is light and fits into your pocket. With its rechargeable lithium-ion battery you get up to four hours of battery life. You can use it anywhere you can get a satellite signal. It’s sleek, clean design does away with distracting buttons, allowing you to focus on the 4.3 in. widescreen, which is big enough to see clearly while driving.

INTERFACE
The touchscreen is responsive. Tapping out addresses on the QWERTY touchpad a little slow-going at first but you get the hang of it after a few tries. The device can be stubborn when you search for an address, so try a few different formats. Unlike other touchscreen devices, the keys are large enough to avoid making mistakes when spelling-out destinations.

USER-FRIENDLINESS
For people with no experience with touchscreen technology, the nüvi is easy to figure out. We didn’t even have to crack out the user manual to figure it out. A nifty feature of the nüvi 255W is the list of points of interest such as food, fuel, lodging, bank/ATM, parking and attractions. The Photo Navigation feature that allows you to upload photos (geotags) to the nüvi to help you navigate, but this feature doesn’t seem particularly useful. However, we do like that the nuvi can be switched on and off easily with a quick flick of the slider switch.

CONNECTIVITY
It’s freaking fast! Once you’re outdoors the nüvi 255W locks on to a satellite almost immediately.

MAPS
The turn-by-turn voice instructions were loud enough and the routes were clear. The best feature was the 3D rendered junction view that makes unfamiliar intersections and exits a snap to navigate. However, the map isn’t always up-to-date and you’ll still have to make your own decisions. But if you’ve made a mistake, the nüvi will recalculate the route within few seconds.

If you’re unfamiliar with KL roads, the nüvi 255W is a great time-saver. To find out more, log on to www.malaysiagarmingps.com.my