Garmin nüvi 1260/1260T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
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The Nuvi 1200 features an ultra-slim design (approximately 25% thinner than previous models), an enhanced user interface, ecoRoute, public transit mode and text-to-speech. The n vi 1200 also offers pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps. CityXplorer maps are available for select tourist destinations in North America and Europe and can easily be downloaded directly to the n vi. The n vi’s enhanced user interface features improved graphics and a new slide control for menu operation, while ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel. Also, Garmin’s new public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems! Public transit – navigate using buses, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems with optional City Xplorer content. Where Am I? feature – Find the closest hospitals, police stations, gas stations, nearest address, intersection and coordinates Bright 3.5 diagonal color display; 320 x 240 pixels; QVGA TFT display with white backlight Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator MicroSD memory card expansion slot Offers a 3-D mapping perspective, or 2-D overhead view Built-in lithium-ion battery, lasts up to four hours depending on usage Includes sturdy suction cup mount that allows for easy adjustment and quick release POI loader program, set up proximity alerts for school zones, create custom POIs and more
Features
- High-sensitivity GPS receiver for fast satellite lock pre-loaded with City Navigtor NT maps for North America, including more than 6 million points of interest
- Bluetooth wireless technology enables hands-free calling with a compatible phone; included traffic receiver provides North America traffic information
- Pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps; ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel
- Public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 1260T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 1260 as the “T” in 1260T refers to the additional component
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 1 x 3 x 4 inches
- Weight: 0 pounds
A mixed bag
I replaced a TomTom which had died, with this model. It’s not quite as easy/intuitive to use as the TomTom, even after a few months of playing with it. It’s also suggested some routes which were really sub-optimal, enough so that I’m worried I can’t trust it.
PERFECT GPS
BEST GPS for Travelers! I have purchased many GPS products over the years (all more expensive than this)… I love the technology. I have had 4 portable, one on my phone, and one built into my car. This GPS beats them all… and it was so inexpensive!!! I did a lot of research on this as I do a great deal of travel and rely greatly on my GPS. This one has all of the required features, including the Traffic alert… its quick, small, easy to use. You are also not paying for a bunch of features you will never use (thus is inexpensive).
kid ben allnite
got this one have 265 t so needed extra one for second car works fine bluetooth a plus street names are great traffic feature is ok but not really needed most of the time pedest feature ok when walking around town sound is fine about the same as other unit thin and easy two carry around very rarely makes a mistake with directions but corrects itself pronto over all would reccommed this unit
Garmin GPS
My son bought the same GPS for my Christmas—-I love it. He did a lot of research prior to buying it. His personal GPS was stolen and I decided to replace it for his birthday in March. As he really keeps up with “technology” I did not want to make a decision on what type GPS to purchase; he told me he would be delighted with the same one that he had purchased for me. A bonus was that I paid a lot less for the one he purchased for me. I travel a lot by plane and find my GPS easy to carry and use in rental cars—it is easy to use and gets me where I need to go every time.
Freeway Partner
Just accepted a job that requires travel across the freeways of Southern California. Love the feature that redirects your route if a traffic snarl or other obstruction lies in wait on the route you would ordinarily take. This Garmin is my new best friend for navigating the freeways!
garmin needs to improve this one
This is a newer model from Garmin so maybe like most new models its possible Gramin will hear enough complaints and fix the horribly poor quality of the touch screen, especially when trying to use the keypad. It takes me forever to key a name or street address. I dont know if my unit out of the box is defective, but once I contact Garmin I will know if this is a common flaw to my unit. For now I would NOT BUY this model. The reason I decided to buy it was beacause of its very sleek looks compared to my previous 255 model. Other than that, the 255 had a very user friendly and responsive keypad. The speaker could also use some quality control and improvement. We will see…
Great but has a few glitches
Pros: Good product. Works as advertsed. Simple. Functional. Gets you where you need to go. Small size is very convenient for people like me who travel and take our garmin with them. Cons: crashed once. routes aren’t always the most direct especially in urban areas. Sometimes doesn’t give enough warning before turns for being in the correct lane. HATE the hover ads.
GPS takes me everywhere!
The Garmin nuvi 1260T is a marvelous piece of equipment. Very easy to use, very easy to read. It has the perfect size to glance from time to time as you drive and you can even take it with for some city expeditioning, if that is your fancy. A great investment that will not let you down. I definitely recommend it.
small screen caveat
Overall it is very nice device. I like the small size, and traffic status features.
I would like to point out couple of things any buyer should be aware of before purchasing this device:
* Bluetooth handsfree feature is of limited use. It not problem of this particular device, just having such small speaker and microphone so far from your face makes it difficult to use due to car noise.
* On small screen devices they only offer ABCDEF keyboard not QWERTY. If you used to QWERTY it is major pain to type on it.
Besides that it is nice little device, very useful I recommend it as inexpensive GPS solution.
Very bad quality, traffic not working in Washington D.C. area
I bought it for the traffic feature. It is simply not work in Washington D.C. Metro area.
It gives wrong traffic information on the road. When it is showed heavy traffic (in red color) on route 267, I turned on the road and found no traffic at all. It is the opposite direction bumper-to-bumper.
Its detour feature also too bad. It directed me to a single lane, 35mph road as detour to highway, and it is totally jammed. I spent at least half hour more than not taking detour. I guess the small road would not have traffic information and the algorithm always assume no traffic when information not available.
Traffic feature is failed by design.
I would not return it if it still work as a basic GPS without traffic. Right after I bought the GPS, I downloaded the latest map. But it failed in this aspect miserably.
1. Give wrong direction
I went to the post office Herndon, Virgina. It told me to turn right when post office is on the left side. Fortunately, no big building on the right and post office is so obvious on the left, so I didn’t lost. The post office had built at least three years.
2. Shutdown automatically
During my first five trips around Washington D.C. and Virginia, the device shutdown automatically three times in the middle of driving. It shutdown two more time in my following trip. I could not figure out why. And it could not come back at all. I need to wait at least five minutes or more to power it on. How miserable feeling when you need to know where to turn.
I do noticed it always shutdown itself for long street name when I have speak-out street feature on. The words sound blurred and then shutdown. This could be caught by thorough testing. Another time is I know the route and want to test this GPS. When I didn’t follow its direction several times, it shutdown itself. My friend told me GPS had attitude when I didn’t follow its guidance.
This is my first Garmin and I am so surprised by its bad quality.
Decent, but Garmin is getting cheap
I’ve owned a Nuvi 200 and a Nuvi 205. The 205 was working great but I got this one because I needed the bluetooth feature. I can tell you that both units, especially the 200, were built with significantly better materials. Garmin is getting cheap. The 200 had a loud, non-distorted speaker that announced the next turn without crackling or missing words. There were no mistakes that I ever encountered with the 200 in 2 years.
The Nuvi 1260t is made with a much cheaper, tinny speaker. Garmin says they have to make it that way due to how small the 1260 is. Nonsense- the 200 is only slightly bigger and is 3 year old technology. The case on the 1260 is cheap plastic and the screen does not pick up your touch until you touch it a few times. Also, the 1260 freezes occasionally. The bluetooth feature is borderline useless unless maybe you drive in a super quiet S-class. I drive a Toyota and most people can’t hear me, and all I hear is distortion. It works in a pinch, but much better if you pull over. Unfortunately, Garmin is cheaping out and it shows.
The good side: small, lightweight, if you don’t use the traffic receiver you don’t get advertisements on the screen, all new roads are there, and it gets a good signal in any weather.
The solution: consider an older Garmin with bluetooth, and update the maps. Maybe a 765t would be better. I would have paid a little more for a better speaker.
Cool features but locks up often
While the Nuvi 1260T has some cool features, it still has some glitches to work out. The voice command features works well. Most of the time it recognizes my commands and it seems quicker than actually using the touch screen. The speed limit display is neat too, although I have noticed it isn’t always accurate so I wouldn’t recommend relying on it. The lane display is an improvement over previous garmins. I used to own a street pilot and when it was stolen, I upgraded to the 1260T. Unlike my previous garmin, when first starting out, the nuvi 1260T is not quick to recalculate. It has a starting point and if you don’t get to that starting point, it just expects you to go back to where it thinks you should start instead of recalculating which can be frustrating. My other complaint is that it has locked up several times. My husband and I took a road trip last weekend and in one morning it locked up twice, all of the sudden the screen is frozen and it isn’t progressing nor can you return to the main menu. Luckily we were in the middle of nowhere and not in the middle of a big city trying to navigate the freeways, which would be problematic when one is trying to drive and restart the nuvi at the same time. I called support and they just recommended I update the software, which I had already done when I first received the nuvi. I also had trouble updating the maps. It took 2 hours to download and then just froze my computer and would not update the nuvi. When I bought my street pilot, it included all the accessories, microphone, dashboard mount etc. Now you have to buy all accessories separately.
Great Unit, But…
NO PHONE CALLS THROUGH STEREO!
I am happy with the Garmin, but one of the reasons I selected this unit was because in the Amazon product description the unit is described as being able to broadcast traffic alerts AND CELL PHONE CALLS through the car’s FM radio. This was an enormous attraction to me as I drive a convertible, & hand-free speakers just don’t cut it with the top down. Well, the description is wrong (or WAS, if Amazon has corrected it.) The unit will NOT do this. It IS Bluetooth, and functions as a hands-free set, but with all the caveats normally associated with such sets. Bummer.
I decided to keep the unit anyway, however, because otherwise it is excellent. The modern features, such as showing the speed limit of the road you’re on, as well as your current speed, (among other features) make this unit very useful & easy to use. I love it. But… back to the old Bluetooth earbud.
expensive for what it offers
Garmin is known for it’s versatile GPSs. However, their incessant referral to it’s Bluetooth technology needs a little explanation. It is only viable to a limited number of cellphones with Bluetooth. If this option is important, I highly advise that you first check that your phone is compatible with this device.
Thoughts on my Garmin.
I found my Garmin very easy to use. I had an awful time downloading the update until someone from Garmin told me to try using a different downloader (Mozilla Foxfire). With that change it went swiftly but I had tried for days and asked for help a few times before someone suggested making that change. I wish that information had been provided right in the beginning.
Very nice, but overpriced
This is a very nice basic all around PND, however I think the current price is a little too high if you consider you can get a nuvi 205 or 250 for more than half this price. If you compare the 1260T to the 1250 though, it’ the better deal out of the two. For the small price difference (about $40 at time of review) you get a traffic receiver (which costs more than $50) and Bluetooth.
Here are some observations:
Pros:
- Very fast map update speed, as fast as my nuvi 755.
- Bluetooth worked very well paring and copying contacts. The speaker could use some improvement but callers said they could hear me just fine.
- Nice smaller size. The thickness is 0.2 in thinner than normal nuvis and a bit more than my nuvi 350. The bezel also appears to be a bit smaller, adding to the perception of small size. If you’ve owned an older 3.5 in nuvi, you can definitely see and feel a size difference.
- User interface has been updated and sped up. A new, smoother and cleaner font is used throughout and contributes to a more “refined” feel for the interface. Menus are fast and you never feel like the unit is sluggish or lagging (like in my trusty nuvi 350).
- The included traffic receiver worked well and picked up traffic info very fast. I have never found these traffic data services to be very reliable but included here because that’s not Garmin’s fault. Note, the “free” traffic shows pop-up advertisements balloons on your map display during idle times (supposedly).
Cons:
- The mounting cradle is a two-step/two-handed affair, unplug the mini-USB then unmount from the two point cradle. The older, better quality cradle is literally one click grab and go from a nice powered cradle. Don’t know why they removed that (cost savings?).
- A common complaint: less detail shown on maps. The newer nuvi’s show fewer street names at the same zoom level as the older units. The argument being this reduces clutter. I’m not happy with it, but it’s not a deal breaker. Garmin has added alot of other information to the map display and I can understand they don’t want to overwhelm the user with text.
-Some features that are missing from the newer widescreen versions: Lane Assist, Lane Guidance, customizable vertical data fields (all removed due to smaller screen).
- When comparing the map display to a nuvi 755, I noticed the 1260 rendered the streets with less smoothing, showing more “jaggies” on curved roads. This could be how they sped up the map display.
- Mine came with 2010.10 maps, the new 2010.20 maps are out. You only get one free update after purchase, so I think it should come preloaded with 2010.20 maps so you have the opportunity to get the next update free. Newer units in the next few weeks should ship with .20 maps.
- I wish they would bring back the compass N arrow on the map display.
What you expect from Garmin
No surprises with this unit. It is quality-built and includes the latest version of the Garmin software. I previously had a 350, so the software is an evolutionary improvement.
However, I am very surprised by the cheapness displayed by Garmin in that they do not include a carrying case or even an AC wall charger! The only charger included is a car charger. I had to buy my own carrying case and charger, so the real cost of this unit was +$30.
An Upgrade From Nuvi 350
My wife is the world’s biggest Garmin fan. Her Nuvi 350 was stolen recently and we replaced it with the 1260T. This looked like it was the top of the line for the smaller 3.5 inch units, which is the same size as the stolen unit.
As noted by another reviewer, the keyboard is not QWERTY. We purchased an iPod Touch recently and using that keyboard is easy and familiar. The Garmin though, with a straight across A, B, C, D, E, etc. layout takes more time and makes us look like it is our first day of typing class. There must be a reason Garmin did this but we’re not happy about it.
Our Nuvi 350 came with a nice case. The 1260T does not. We are in the market for a case and plan to spend $10 to $20 for one, which then increases the price of this replacement purchase.
Overall the unit is the same as the Nuvi 350 but after three years we expected more of a “WOW” factor from the upgrade.
PUBLIC SERVICE NOTICE: We don’t use the suction cup windshield mount and the old Nuvi 350 was hidden in the glovebox so the thieves got randomly lucky. We’ll be taking it out of the car more often now (the 1260T is a little thinner so this is easier to do). A police friend told us thieves check the windshield for the “suction cup circle” and that’s an indication the car uses a GPS. Just a word to the wise.
Another solid nuvi GPS but in many ways nothing new
I got my 1260T from an authorized dealer on June 19 and used it along side of my 255 with MSN traffic. Because my MSN subscription would have to be renewed and maps upgraded soon, I thought buying a new GPS wouldn’t cost much more and would give me a chance to get the latest bells and whistles. However, there aren’t that many new bells and whistles to be had. I recommend reading the product description carefully. Unless the 1260T has what you consider a “can’t-do-without”
feature not available on the 265T, I’d recommend taking advantage of the low prices for the 265T that can now had with the arrival the 1260T. In fact, that’s what I did. I returned the 1260T and purchased the 265T saving more than 1/3 of the cost of the 1260T.
** On trips of 30 minutes or more, the 1260T initially reported arrival times that were 4 to 5 minutes earlier than the 255 over the same route. The 255’s estimates were more appropriate. Someone on another forum told me that this would change as the 1260T learned my driving habits. It didn’t happen in the 10 days I used the unit continuously.
** The 1260T’s voices sound very thin compared to 2xx units, but it makes them easier to hear over road noise.
** Even though the GPS is now a mature product, the 1260T continues Garmin’s practice of not having a QWERTY keyboard in 3.5″ units.
** Even though the GPS is now a mature product, the 1260T does not allow for zip code entry.
** The speed indicator turns to magenta in the afternoon and red at night when speed exceeds the posted limit. Magenta is a terrible color for text.
** To erase favorites, one now goes to Settings / My Data
** The unit IS thinner than the 2xx series, but not “Oh, wow!” thin.
** The instructions from the 1260T and 255 are nearly identical. The estimates of distances to next turn are the same. The 1260T sometimes gives voice alerts 0.1 mile before the 255, say at 0.3 mile rather than 0.2 mile, but for the most part using both units is like listening in stereo.
** Emily now refers to “slip roads” rather than “ramps”.
I did not experiment with the new pedestrian features. In terms of how it works in auto mode, I find nothing compelling over the 265T.