Garmin nüvi 265/265T 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
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GARMIN NUVI 265T 3.5 in Auto Navigator With Maps of US Canada and Puerto Rico Bluetooth wireless technology enabling hands free connectivity to mobile phones Receive alerts about traffic delays and road construction that lie ahead on your route with the included FM traffic receiver HotFix / nuvi will decrease satellite acquisition times by recording ephemeris data, then predicting satellite location for the areas and times recorded for up to three days Garmin Connect Photos / associate your favorite images with saved locations and visit Garmin connect at http://connect.garmin.com to download new images with included coordinates DEM maps show you shaded terrain contours at zoom levels of five miles and above Where Am I feature / find the closest hospitals police stations gas stations nearest address and intersection Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates Auto time zone nuvi will automatically adjust your time zone while navigating Sleek, ultra slim design fits easily in pocket Easy to use touchscreen interface Turn by turn directions with voice guidance / Turn right on Main Street Bright 3.5 in diagonal color display 320 x 240 pixels QVGA TFT display with white backlight Preloaded street maps / nuvi 265 includes detailed maps for North America1 nuvi 275 includes detailed maps for both North America1 and Europe High sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception Trip computer records mileage max speed total time and more Built in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer world clock currency and measurement converters and calculator microSD memory card expansion slot Includes Garmin Lock anti theft feature Configurable vehicle icons / allows users to select a fun customized car shaped icon users can download additional choices from www.garmingarage.com Offers a three dimensional mapping perspective or 2D overhead view Unit dimensions 3.8 in W x 2.8 in H x 0.8 in D Weight: 5.2 ounces Built in lithium
Features
- Bright, 3.5-inch diagonal color QVGA TFT touchscreen with 320 x 240 pixels and white backlight
- Preloaded with City Navigator North America NT
- Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling
- High-sensitivity GPS receiver for improved performance and reception
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 265T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 265 as the “T” in 265T refers to the additional component
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 1 x 3 x 4 inches
- Weight: 1 pounds
Perfect. Does its job.
This GPS is perfect. No complaints at all. I bought this GPS for my daughter for her college graduation last year, and now, more than a year later, she still uses and uses and uses and loves and loves and loves it. This GPS has really helped her find her way, directions, it has really helped her a lot. She travels fairly a lot, and I don’t think she could do without it!
I would highly recommend this GPS to anyone who needs one or who travels a lot (or anyone who travels a little).
Great product
Great product, easy to use. Took seconds to set it up. When signal is lost (which doesn’t happen very frequently), system is restored with 10 seconds. Very happy with purchase.
GROOVY GARMIN
Purchased not one, but two of the Garmin nuvi 265/265T GPS units. The first was bought in January for my daughters birthday, and she was absolutely thrilled with it. This model was relatively inexpensive, simple to operate and understand, and had good extra features as hands-free-calling and traffic alert. She loves the different voices and vehicle images you can select. It’s small enough to take with on a walk or a bike ride. She was so happy with this nuvi, that I went ahead and bought another one for my boyfriend’s birthday in May. He also liked this Garmin nuvi, especially for the Blue-tooth feature that allows phone calls from his cell for hands free calling.
I purchased both through Amazon after reading other reviews for this model. I am very happy with the fast and great delivery from Amazon, and would recommend this Garmin nuvi 265T for anyone wanting a GPS.
multiple owner
Very good GPS. Have purchased the same item several times due to a crime wave in my area. Occasionally, the diretions miss their mark. I also wish garmin would update their systems more frequently. One system purchased six months ago had the same data as my recent purchase, even though several roads were changed 5 months prior to my newest purchased. Getting a little lax garmin.
Great entry-level GPS
This is my first GPS unit and it is great. Very intuitive and simple to use. Doesn’t have all the fancy bells and whistles but gets the job done for the price. Not too big and bulky also, very portable. Would definitely recommend this unit to anyone who wants a basic GPS device.
Regret the purchase
I bought it as an upgrade to Garmin c330. I am so not impressed with features, quality of the screen and sound. The routes it pick are terrible, with many unnecessary turns. The older model c330 was way better. Even my cell phone Droid provides with more navigation features and picks better route.
And the main reason I hate it. It broke during the trip within the second week of usage. If I didn’t have my Droid with me, I would be lost in the middle of nowhere after midnight.
Very disappointing product.
It’s okay, but…
To be honest, I really haven’t had a chance to put this Garmin 265 through the paces I think it needs to really prove itself.
So far, it’s been rather frustrating that it calculates a route and if one doesn’t follow it exactly (like, say, deciding to take another freeway from the one the Garmin thinks you should), that when it recalculates, the unit tries to get you back onto ITS originally calculated route.
Well, that shouldn’t happen. It should recalculate based on the freeway you’re on (in my opinion). If there is a way to tell it to do this, or NOT stick with its original route, I haven’t found it. Anybody know?
The above examples are, of course, testing the GPS while going to places I’ve already been. I would imagine that I will think it will work splendidly if it’s telling me to find a place that is new to me, because I won’t know any different route.
I’m planning to take it to Philadelphia and Washington DC and work in its pedestrian mode. Might try to update this review after those trips.
I know it’s not much help to anyone, but I’m finding my purchase to be just okay at the moment.
Garmin 265T
I choose this garmin based on consumer magazines recommendations and it was well worth it. The blue tooth feature is the best.
Good value. Works well.
I reviewed GPS units a lot before buying this. It isn’t perfect but it is a whole lot better than no GPS. I would buy it again. My first user experience before was via borrowed older Garmin 350. The borrowed unit performed very well on a long solo drive, so I was comfortable with this manufacturer and its interface. I selected the 265T with smaller screen size (same size as the borrowed unit), because I seldom read map details when driving, and other displays are readable enough for occasional glances. The smaller size is easy to carry/handle. Maybe the larger screen (265WT) affords better size keyboard, map, and text but this one works well enough for my needs. Generally the 265t felt similar to the 350.
Initial setup and ongoing use interfaces are good. As with any such device it takes a bit of time to become fluent.
Spoken directions work well, with a ‘computerized’ female voice and usually understandable speech. Speech has adequate volume under all but the most severe conditions. One minor thing I miss on this model is the ability/setting to enable prefacing upcoming spoken instructions with a warning sound (sort of a ‘ding’…). This can be done on the other Garmin I used. It seems like a simple cheap feature to continue and maybe I haven’t found the 265’s setting yet(?).
Screen lighting and legibility are excellent. Brightness adjustment is easy, as is speaker volume. Automated dimming etc. works fine. The mounting suction cup and holder worked well so far in three different vehicles. The road speed vs speed limit display is handy, works well, and is probably as accurate as can be expected given changing and temporary conditions. List of nearby gas stations etc. nicely done. (It is handy to have distance from road when cruising unfamiliar interstates looking for easy off-one services).
A couple times the provided directions took me over an unexpected route, but so far without problems. This experience does leave me wary of depending on it 100% (maybe only 98%). It still makes sense to have an idea of where you are headed and maybe even (shudder…) look at a map occasionally, especially if in doubt, but since the 265 is usually quick to detect and redirect for missed turns I think it would recover well. It doesn’t hurt to reset and check destination and or power off/on when unsure. I have not used it enough to know how frequent/severe these issues may be.
BT cell phone pairing and use are good not great. Sometimes the cell speech is a bit murky and/or low level. I haven’t determined why yet. It is probably a combination of things. It did successfully retrieve recent calls and phone directory from an older cell phone (Sony-Ericsson). The directory is sorted differently than on the phone, so all my ‘first’ entries are last and vice versa…), but there is a name search function that works OK. I haven’t tried the voice recognition name lookup yet and may not bother. All in all it is better than handheld only or an earpiece. I like this (cell-BT) feature.
The traffic problem redirection/mapping function is still of unknown value for me. The requirement to use the bulky cord is annoying. I would not buy it just for traffic, but it may be I haven’t figured it out yet or been in a situation that it helped. Since it is essentially a no cost item, I am OK with it. The normal (non-traffic) function of estimating arrival can also be very accurate or very inaccurate, especially depending on traffic and lights. It seems to assume near zero impact from these. The GPS should be a bit smarter I think since it probably selects a ’shorter’ route based on these calculations, when another would be much quicker if lights/(normal)traffic were considered. Someday maybe these will all be more sophisticated and use real time feedback…but for now, be aware of the way it works and adjust/plan accordingly.
The speed limit displayed along with your actual speed is also surprisingly handy at times BUT it is of course subject to current info which requires an updated map (download from Garmin at a fee). So this feature (as the directions) is a driving aid that requires the user to verify as well.
All in all, I am pleased with this unit. It provides a lot of function at a reasonable price. I am now generally comfortable using a GPS to aid my driving. I must state that for me this is only occasional not daily use. It has taken me through cities/areas that I would not want to traverse in the dark and/or in heavy traffic. It is a lot easier than trying to read a map and follow signs under duress.
Excellent product at a low cost
I broke my garmin 350 and researched all over the internet for another one within my budget of $120-$150 and found the 265t to be the best one in this price range. I bought it mainly due to its lifetime traffic feature. The other features I like are bluetooth, faster map loading time, and how much fuel it would cost to travel from a to b.
I live in Los angeles and constantly stuck in traffic at least 2 hours daily. I find the traffic alert very useful & accurate. If there is heavy traffic on the hwy, the gps will automatically choose the best route to avoid it.
The bad: doesn’t come with a $5 case as did my 350 and has to be charged in order to use the traffic feature which I think may deplete the battery.
Overall, I rate this product a 9/10.
Garmin 265T
The Garmin Nuvi 265T does work okay. I’m just not a techie person. And I also hate driving. So, kind of a double strike against it before I got it. I tried it out for accuracy and it routed me in the wrong direction for a hardware store 5/10’s of a mile away. BUT, doing a search on IT for the address it did come out correct. So, I’d suggest trying it both ways to see if they match. Otherwise I’d say I do like it even without having used it much yet. Will I trust it 100% on directions? No, but you can’t trust people on directions at times either lol
It fits the bill
Recently purchased the nuvi and it works great. Second Garmin product. Garmin is the best.
Had it for 1 week and returned it
I rec’d the Garmin 265T on 4/27. I purchased it because the price was good and the traffic update function did not require a subscription. The advertisements people were complaining about…they are very small and not at all annoying. What is very annoying though is the fact that the main reason I went with Garmin was the traffic report function, and that did not work at all. I live in the NY/NJ Metro area and my husband, 2yr old twins, 5yr old son, and me took a trip into NYC for Mother’s Day on 5/9 and were stuck in traffic for 3 HOURS!!! And NOT ONCE did the traffic icon turn red, and NOT ONCE did Garmin try to re-route us. I am very disappointed in this product and am returning it. Thankfully, my TomTomONE started working again (just needed to completely charge it–duh on me), and w/ a quick hook up online I was able to update the maps and also upload some new functions there — works like brand new!
Don’t buy into the free traffic reporter feature on this Garmin product… it doesn’t work!! Also, didn’t really like the way Garmin navigated through the set- up features. Wasn’t very smooth. TomTomONE wins in that department as well.
I will stick w/ TomTom.
Great GPS
I’ve had my Garmin for 3 months. It is my 1st GPS but did a lot of research before I bought it. I love it.
It is very easy to use. The 3 stars for Ease of installation is because it took loading the info from maps onto the GPs unit overnight and there was not much instruction from the box/manual. The website however has a tons of info and is very easy to use. Also I did everything myself and I am not the most technical person. So that tells you how easy it is. I like that the screen is small and it’s easy to stick in my purse . If you have very poor vision you might want the bigger screen. The screen is bright and the voice is very clear. I love it.
It tells me about traffic!
I had trouble finding the street by street turns as a list. Otherwise it’s great! I love being able to see the speed limit!
Such a good GPS I ordered it twice
I ordered the Garmin 265T almost 2 years ago for my husband’s Christmas gift and it has been wonderful. The arrival time is very accurate and the Bluetooth capability is great.
My only complaint is that the traffic isn’t reliable at ALL. It says there’s traffic when there’s non and when there is traffic it never pops up with a warning.
After almost 2 years it has died on us. It started with the GPS not finding a signal then 2 days later it didn’t even turn on. We really liked how this GPS worked that we ordered it again. We’re definitely getting the 3 year warranty since the system didn’t even last 2 years.
Good
Good in general.
Sometimes it chooses a route leads to more toll charges. It lacks a feature to limit the number of toll gates, though it can only simply avoid any toll gates.
Excellent GPS!!!
This is an excellent unit. I had a little trouble installing the programs on my computer. The first instillation link was faulty, but once I found the right one, everything worked smoothly!!! Wouldn’t trade this GPS now that I have one.
Garmin nuvi 265/265T Review.
After receiving my GPS unit, I previewed the instruction manual for 15 or 20 minutes, updated it online and proceeded to use it for getting around the Sun City area. This unit gets you where you want to go and I have not had any problem since I received it.
I recomend this unit for any one who wants directions getting where you want to go.
From Dale in Arizona.
Bad product
This doesn’t work as expected. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to acquire satellite signals.
I would have reached to destination by that time it acquires signal.