Garmin nüvi 295W Wi-Fi Portable GPS Navigator

Reviews

1. So nice I wonder how I lived without one!

   by Kristine Hale

   WARNING! I am not technologically advanced and I am not normally a GPS user. There are already some fantastic reviews from people that know what they are talking about on this product, so if you are an advanced user, check those out first.

   I have never used GPS – I live in a city that is built on a grid system and I have lived here for 30 years, so I have never really had a need. When I travel I use the Google Maps on my Blackberry Pearl and now my iPhone. GPS has long seemed like one of those lazy gadgets that are nice to have but totally not essential.

   Boy was I wrong.

   I took my new Garmin 295W out for a spin the day I got it and I was instantly hooked. The touch screen is crisp and super responsive. The directions have been accurate every single time. The Garmin fit nicely in its holder and was easy to use while driving with both touch and voice. The screen was a little dim but as long as the sun wasn’t shining into my car, it was fine. I found the voice a little hard to hear until I plugged the unit into my car stereo system and the screen was a little small to see well while driving, which leads me to feel that this unit would be better used as a hand held, so I tried that out.

   Walking around my town I found the camera to be a great addition and finding restaurants and things to do a breeze! It is a feature I would have never thought to use but I found it absolutely indispensable. I would probably never use any of the other features unless I forgot my phone at home(like email or the web browser), but the 295W is well worth the price just for the GPS and the Points of Interest. I did find the Points of Interest to be a little out of date, though. When I was done, I used the Garmin Locate to get me back to my car and I loved it! No more wandering around looking for my car when I forget where I parked.

   Where this unit really came in handy was when riding my motorcycle. I put in my destination, looped the earpiece into my helmet and I was off. Using the spoken directions I easily and quickly found my way. The unit is so small and portable that I really can’t ever imagine being without it, but it will certainly be essential on motorcycle trips – no more stopping the bike, taking off my gloves, opening my pack, taking out a map or my phone and then doing it all in reverse to get going again.

   I didn’t mind the packaging on this product – I like that there was so little to throw away and the unit felt very secure and safe. I don’t need a package to make me feel like I got my money’s worth out of a product, so I would personally prefer more of this type of packaging.

   All told, I love my Garmin 295W. I don’t know how I ever lived without it.

2. Excellent Little Device!

   by Harkius

   Overview:
   
   The GPS is really good. It connects fast, redirects nimbly, and is Garmin, so it is reliable. The battery life seems really good, and the other apps are also very nice to have. It plays music, checks your email, and has a calendar. Basically, it is akin to a smart phone without the phone aspect (and without data charges!). If this sounds like something that you might be intrigued by, I suggest you check one of these out. I very much enjoy mine.

   Detailed Review:
   
   I have really enjoyed having this little guy around. My previous experience with GPS was a laptop purchased from Dell with a GPS card and CoPilot 11 software. As such, my expectations were pretty low. That system takes five minutes outside of any enclosure to find a signal, and loses it if you sit in your car (it’s perfect if you want to carry around your laptop on foot, open, and get directions to a coffeeshop that you could REMEMBER the way to).

   As a comparison, this Garmin Nuvi is awesomely excellent. This thing usually finds satellites in less than a minute, it has good playback quality for sounds (I can hear it over my car radio), the screen is big enough to be functional, but no so large that it is distracting, and it redirects in less than a minute as well. The GPS system is fantastic.

   I have had some difficulties in getting it to check my email using the WiFi capabilities, but I think that is user error, so don’t be too worried. The receiver for WiFi seems a bit less powerful than what is in my non-GPS laptop, but that reciever is pretty good, so I expect that this will work well in any urban areas. You should be able to (if you set it up right), get your email at the Starbucks while waiting for your Latte Mocha Frappacino Blast (or whatever).

   The fact that it can display Microsoft documents and PDFs natively is particularly nice, along with the calendar functions, as well. I think that if you want to avoid the data charges of a smart phone, this is probably the best thing that you could buy for yourself.

   The battery life is pretty good. I ran mine for at least eight hours without a recharge, which is nice if you have a long drive ahead of you. The dash mounter and the car adapter are nice touches for those extended trips, although an included AC adapter would have been a useful as well. In the box, you can charge via vehicle or PC.

   I am not sure if the transmissions are encrypted from this device’s web browser or not, so I would have a little precaution about what passwords you enter into it. Nevertheless, it is darned useful.

   Conclusions:
   
   If you are an early adopter, or a tech junkie, this may be the upgrade or update you are looking for. If you are a technopeasant, like me, this is a nice, intuitive device that can get you where you are going with a minimum of trouble, and a good battery life. Someone who understands technology can set up the Internet and email for you on here and then you can just have fun.

   Harkius

3. pretty good

   by H. Bowman

   Well I just got my 295w…Took about a day to really get into it…Good GPS and I downloaded new map for free….Got some new software as well….Also bought 2gb micro SD card…….You can use car Aux with 2.5-3.5 adapter…Make sure you put volume on high…You will need Aux cable…….Not a bad setup…….If you are listening to music and using GPS the music should pause while you use GPS….I hope! That is how my 760 worked….But that was Aux out….I shall see…..Able to use my garmin Beanbag.WiFi not tested yet….. Update…Yes the unit will work with Aux…The volume on unit is pretty low and tinny..You can load music on your SD card and play while you use GPS…I used the audio boost feature with media player…..Be aware of volume with headphones!!!!!I use my tomtom most of the time…..Traffic….Redlight camera features….But will use this as a back-up in auto….

4. Good for automobile navigation and Geocaching…

   by T. Bux

   The Garmin Nuvi 295W is a mid-range navigator with built-in wireless. It features the well-known and reliable Garmin navigation with the added benefit of a slightly updated UI. The icons for navigation within the UI are easier to see and access and are accessed through a touch screen scroll screen on the main screen.

   Fit/finish
   
   The unit feels very sturdy in the hand. It’s solid feel makes it feel like a useful instrument instead of a toy that many other units feel like. The touch screen has a slightly matted appearance that resists smudges and scratches and glare. When in the cradle there is a on/off/sleep button on the side and the volume buttons are on the top.

   Navigation
   
   Navigation is typical of Garmin GPS units. The default setting is driving mode, in which you can choose different route settings such as faster, more direct, avoiding tools, etc. If you know where you are going it may send you a way that you question, but it will defiantly get you there. If you are going someplace you’ve never been, you can be rest assured that it will get you there. If you need to deviate from the route it suggests the units improved OS offers lightening fast recalculations. Often times the recalculation will take under 5 seconds.
   
   You can enter waypoints or places to go either from the built-in Google search (for places of interest), restaurants, gas stations, police, hospitals, and other places along your route. You can also enter an address and save that as a favorite and give it a name of your choosing.
   
   You can also choose a pedestrian mode. You go to pedestrian mode when you remove the unit from the cradle.

   This is useful for geocaching. It also works well with the myGarmin portion of their website where you can download additions, including up to five geocaches in your area at a time.
   
   In either mode you can also enter GPS coordinates. If in pedestrian mode it will show you how to walk to that coordinate. If it is farther away it will switch to driving mode, drive you to a point near the GPS coordinates and then allow you to walk.

   Wifi
   
   The unit has built in WiFi. Setup is quick and easy, though the range is somewhat less than that of say what a laptop computer would be able to pick up, but the signal is strong and reliable. The browser is typical of small units like this and can be improved upon. The e-mail application is great and adding a gmail account is quick and painless because the unit already knows the server settings. Just enter your address and password and you are checking your e-mail.
   
   The built-in Google Search also looks for places of interest near you or your route and you can add that to your favorites or waypoints and be off.

   Extras
   
   With all Garmins you can go to myGarmin from their website. You can download customizable maps, geocaches, voices, and new vehicles. Connecting is a snap (hint, choose USB Drive Mode) via the included USB cable which also acts as a charger. You can download map updates, software updates, and lots of fun tools.

   Final Verdit
   
   As someone who has only used an older GPS unit, I was impressed the this units functionality, build quality, and interface. As with any GPS there are some limitations. These are overshadowed, however, by the extras on this unit and its lightning fast response, interface, and navigation.

   A fun tool for any driver, or any geocacher.
   

5. Fun, multifunctional handheld GPS with wi-fi

   by Miss Margaret Picky

   The Garmin nuvi 295W is a nuvifone but without the phone so the same accessories work with it. It has GPS, maps and navigation, lots of information about urban points of interest from ATMs to parking garages, plus wi-fi for web-browsing and email as well as music and widgets. I use it primarily while walking around in Manhattan and it certainly seems to be intended to be used as a handheld device rather than for driving.

   This gadget is fun to handle and explore, with a nice physical form, a responsive touch screen, and useful software but it does have problems with the small, dim display, weak speaker, the 2.5mm jack, short battery life, intermittent satellite communication, and customer support with long hold times and no familiarity with the device.

   It is still very likable and useful.
   
   **** = I like it
   
   __________________________________________________________________

   WARNING! Excessive detail below.

   First the good:

   It has an attractive design with a nice rubbery easy-grip case. It is very solid and feels right in the hands. The matte touch screen and related software is very responsive to scrolling and tapping, very crisp. It works with fingers, a stylus, or even the cap of a pen.

   There is no need to read the instructions as the interface and program software are so intuitive. A hard-copy quick start manual is provided but the full manual is available on the Garmin website to download. There is also help available on the device itself. The most difficult task is setting up email. Calibrating the compass is actually fun.

   The maps are accurate and the library of various services and landmarks seems comprehensive although not completely up-to-date: it lists a hospital and a couple of restaurants that have closed recently. It also goes strictly by distance when suggesting nearby points of interest and does not take into account that they may be across a river with a very long travel distance involving bridges or tunnels. Granted, other mapping services also use the “as the crow flies” method but it is still frustrating for someone not familiar with an area. The GPS certainly is accurate in pinpointing current location and even recognizes some walking paths in parks. Route suggestions are useful.

   The 3 megapixel camera works well enough, just point, press the button, let it focus, snap the picture. There is no flash but it can geotag. Photos can be emailed or dragged to a computer when the device is attached by USB.

   It is very easy to load music (or audiobooks) onto the hard drive and then listen. I created a folder on my computer and filled it with mp3s and then simply dragged it over.

   The hard drive shows up as 3.19 GB with 1.66 GB free so there is plenty of room for photos and music and additional map information. It will also accept a MicroSD card for additional storage.

   The calendar, clock and alarm functions, weather, calculator, currency convertor, and notepad, all are handy little widgets.

   Now for the not-so-good:

   It takes about a minute to boot up but there is a progress bar.

   The display is not bright enough even at 100% to read it easily outdoors even when the sky is completely overcast. It also smears easily. The display is too small to see comfortably if it is mounted on a dashboard and web browsing is sometimes tedious despite the easy-to-use magnification and re-centering functions.

   The internal speaker is not loud enough to listen to music holding the nuvi away from the ear, indoors, at full volume. I cannot understand travel directions when walking around town unless the speaker is against my ear, due to normal ambient noise. So headphones are necessary, but the jack is 2.5 mm (cellphone standard) instead of 3.5 mm (as on iPods). I just can’t imagine what Garmin was thinking when they decided to carry over that 2.5 mm jack from the nuvifone–perhaps VOIP calls?

   So definitely, between the small display and the need for headphones, this is best as a handheld device.

   The display sometimes refuses to reorient horizontally to vertically or vice versa.

   The wi-fi control is buried down in the menus but I discovered that it is possible to go straight back out to the top menu by holding down the back button icon. However, there should be a primary icon for wi-fi just as there is for the browser.

   It would be nice if it could import a contact list and bookmarks. Who has time to enter all of their contacts on a mini keyboard?

   The nuvi was unable to establish a primary satellite connection until it was in a completely open space well away from any buildings or trees. After the primary satellite connection is made, subsequent connections are much easier but the device often warns that the link is weak and then completely loses the connection. (The 295W still thinks it is on the corner two blocks away from my apartment! ) The satellite connection was also unavailable in a cab so it will need an external antenna in at least some vehicles.

   Battery life is four hours in theory but less than two hours for me while in active use, even after calibrating the battery by fully discharging and recharging it and keeping the display at 75% brightness. The customer service rep said keeping wi-fi off would lengthen the usable time. The nuvi 295W comes with a vehicle charger and a USB charger but no wall charger.

   Customer support:

   Customer support is a big problem. As of May 2010, there is no written customer support information specific to this device on the Garmin website other than manuals. So I called late on a Thursday afternoon and was 25 minutes on hold before a rep picked up and, when I asked, was told that the wait was a little shorter than usual.

   After explaining the problem, I was put back on hold for just a few minutes, then the rep tried to help with updating the software but after installing and using the updater, it turned out that there were none available. Then it was back on hold for a few minutes waiting for a specialist. It was suggested that I try resetting the device to the factory defaults (erasing all my data) or that perhaps I just got a dud with malfunctioning hardware and should return it.

   Incredibly, neither of the reps I spoke with had been trained to support this device nor had they even actually seen one. I am surprised that a company would release a product without training the customer support people for it or at least letting them handle one. (The nuvifone support is handled by a different division.)

   Total time on the phone: 77 minutes.

   To be clear, both reps were very friendly and polite and made every effort to be helpful and were generally knowledgeable about their products, just not about this particular device.

   Eventually, I was able to figure out the issue and of course it was my own error and not a problem with the nuvi 295W.

6. Great GPS Navigator, For the Most Part

   by Jeff Kraus

   I’ve had some time to play with this navigator now, and overall I’m impressed with its capabilities. I’ve been a huge fan of the technology (and Garmin) for some time now, starting with the Garmin GPS II (link goes to the II+, but that’s the closest I could find ) that I bought in 1998, then on to the Garmin GPS III Plus, the Garmin Etrex Legend, the Garmin GPSMAP 60CS, and the Garmin Colorado 400T. We also have a TomTom One XL for one car, and now this Garmin nuvi 295W for the other, as well as a Garmin zumo 660 installed on the motorcycle.

   Obviously, a lot has happened to advance the technology since I got my first receiver, and the nuvi definitely shows up as the next-level receiver compared to the others I’ve used. It finds routes quickly and re-routes quickly when necessary, and of course being a Garmin the maps are top notch. Satellite acquisition is quick too. Faster than any other unit I’ve used.

   Build quality is solid, and the screen has a very subtle texture to it that feels better than a glossy screen. It’s also better at glare reduction. Brightness is excellent — way better than the TomTom. And the map drawing speed is a significant improvement over any of my other units. Its refresh speed is excellent. The 295W makes use of “swipe” finger motions on the screen, making scrolling through items significantly faster than with the zumo 660 (which needs a user interface that remains functional when you’re wearing gloves). The suction cup mount is outstanding as well. Bonus points for being able to plug the power adapter into the mount rather than the unit itself, making removal easier.

   If you’re driving with the unit mounted and then remove the unit from the mount when you get out of the car, it automatically enters Pedestrian mode and leaves a little car icon on the map at the location of your vehicle (ie, the coordinates where the unit was removed from the mount). You can then walk around without worrying about remembering where you parked. That’s a pretty cool feature.

   On the other hand, the TomTom wins in two important areas — screen size and volume. The nuvi can get somewhat loud, but it’s a tinny and metallic kind of loud, and it’s annoying. The screen size, at 3.5″, is the size of an iPhone. The extra 0.8″ offered by the TomTom makes a pretty big difference. Not just in how easy it is to see, but it’s just that more stuff can be seen. At a glance, the TomTom will show speed, time, ETA, TTD, DTD, and distance to the next waypoint (maybe one or two others I can’t think of) all on the map screen under the map. The nuvi shows far less than this. Of course, the data is still available, but you have to leave the map page to see it.

   I was also a little disappointed in the headphone jack, because it’s a small 2.5mm port that will not fit a standard 3.5mm headphone plug. So in order to use it with headphones (or more likely, to plug it into your car stereo for music and navigation), you’ll have to get an adapter. If you use it as an mp3 player, it’s probably worth it to be able to have both your music and the navigation voice playing through the car speakers, but I see no reason why they couldn’t have made it a standard 3.5mm jack.

   There is some (mostly useless) downloadable content on the Garmin site, including new vehicle icons that represent you on the screen, and downloadable voices. Most of those downloadable voices were fun for about 0.3 seconds before they got annoying.

   There are a number of “applications” on the device, such as a notepad, web browser, contact list, music player, etc. To me, they are merely minor annoyances because that’s not what a GPS receiver is for. And I include the camera in that list too. I can understand the cool factor of geotagging photos, believe me. But I use my Colorado to save my GPS tracks when I’m out with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Then I use a program that reads that track data and syncs it to my camera’s internal clock, updating all of my photos with the coordinates in the EXIF data based on the time the photo was taken compared to the time data in my GPS track. It sounds complicated, but while the built-in camera might be easier in that sense, as a photographer I need my real camera with me anyway. I’m certainly not going to use both. And by the way, this sort of automated geotagging of “real” camera photos is not possible with the nuvi, because it doesn’t allow you to save your tracks like the full-time handhelds do (like the Colorado, Oregon, 60-series, etc.)

   The WiFi was easy to set up and seems to work fine. There’s a Weather application that updates automatically whenever you connect, and it’s pretty nice. I don’t know how useful it is otherwise though, since I won’t be using it to surf the web or check my email.

   When it comes down to it, the nuvi 295W is a great little navigator. And my rating reflects that — build quality, accuracy, route finding, speed, etc. But I guess I’m sort of wondering who it’s for. It’s not really for hikers, geocachers, or boaters/kayakers, because it’s not ruggedized or waterproof like the Garmin Oregon series. It’s not ideal for motorcyclists like the insaaaaaanely overpriced Garmin zumo series because its buttons are too small to be pressed with gloves on and again, it’s not waterproof. If you’re a normal driver/commuter, there are other units out there with bigger screens that are easier to see and manipulate on the go. I guess it could be perfect for pedestrians, and there are downloadable pedestrian maps in certain areas, although that costs extra.

   And I’m not trying to say that its useless in the car… it’s just hard to adjust to a smaller screen when you’re already accustomed to a larger one. It could also be a good unit for a bicycle if you’re tooling around town and not looking for something that will save your track (and if you know it won’t be raining!) But as of the writing of this review, Garmin does not offer a handlebar mount for the 295W. And there are third-party handlebar mounts that generically specify “nuvi 200-series”, but if you take a look at the 295W versus the other 200-series machines, it’s definitely a different form factor and I wouldn’t trust a generic 200-series mount unless I could use it first.

   If you’re like me and see no need for things like a built-in mp3 player, but you want a bigger screen, you might want to check out the Garmin nuvi 3750, which has better features as it relates to actual navigation and costs just a little more.

   I’ve included a few screenshots from the device. If you want to see a specific one, leave a comment and I’ll upload it for you.

7. Great little GPS

   by Douglas Aoyama

   I already have a GPS built into my car, but was thinking of getting one to have for when I travel and have rental cars. I ordered one of the other Garmins but sent it back when I saw this one. Though a bit more expensive I thought the GPS/Camera, and wifi capability would be fun. The camera is 3MP but quality is pretty good. Also, for you Mac people out there, the GPS tagging on the pictures plugs right into Iphoto and the “places” feature which is pretty cool for geo-tagging your pictures!

8. Replaced my 755T

   by Northern Traveler

   Just finished my first few hours with the 295W.

   Just received the 295W today to replace the 755T that was unfortunately stolen. I was thinking about waiting for the 3790T or 3760T, but needed something before that becomes available.

   ** UNIT DIMENSIONS / FEEL / RESPONSE **
   
   First impressions of the 295W are pretty good. Good fit and finish, has the right heft to it to where it does not have a “toy” feel. Fit and finish is nicer than the 755T I had. All functions process more quickly than the 755T did, and the touch screen is much more responsive. On my old unit, either the processor bogged down a bit, or the screen sensitivity was not quite there, but it did not respond like the 295W does. Scrolling with the touch screen is nice both in the menus, and in map view mode.

   ** ROUTING / DIRECTIONS **
   
   The routing seemed faster than the 755T. I will miss the lane assist when I travel to larger cities like L.A. and Atlanta, but for the vast amount of time, it won’t be a big deal. I did purposely take some wrong turns to check the rerouting capabilities, and found that to be very quick.

   That said, it did have one hiccup already. ( i.e.- when chose Lowe’s from the POI list, it showed it in two different directions, same address, 5 miles apart. There is only one Lowe’s in my town, and it is not a divided highway or anything).

   ** UPLOADS **
   
   I have not yet updated the map. It seems strange to have JUST released the unit, and the website suggests there is an updated map set available? I am going to see if I can figure out the version, and when the last one was released. Since I can upload over 60 days from initial use, I may wait a bit.

   That said, I did upload some of the extra voices and vehicles that you can get from the Garmin site. It was quick, and seems to be just fine. ( By the way, I did have the problem upload with my prior 755T that made it a brick, and I had to send back and forth with Garmin.)

   ** WEB / WIRELESS **
   
   Set up with my wireless network. Security settings were easy. The auto download weather is a neat feature, but I don’t see myself carrying this around every day in and out of the house the way I probably would with GarminPhone. The Google Local Search worked well though. The pre-loaded POIs were very good I thought, but there were a couple places I figured it wouldn’t know, and it didn’t. Connected through the web though, it found them in 5 seconds, and then they were added to the unit saved places.

   ** OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSION **
   
   After being used to the larger 755T screen, this seems a little bit small. Seems like I can’t just glance as quickly at it as the prior unit, but maybe that will change with some time. The spoken directions seem a little bit clearer than the 755 was The response of the unit is very good in my opinion. Not sure how much I will really use the wireless, but I can see it handy traveling when I head to the hotel and might be looking for all the food options locally that the bas POI may not have, etc….

   I am headed on a couple hundred mile drive over the next weekend and will see what other opinions arise. I know it’s an initial review, but at least I don’t have any buyer’s remorse at this point. I may still wind up with a 7300 series after those arrive, and put this in the other vehicle, but we’ll see.

   **As for the packaging issues mentioned by the first poster, (who may just have wanted to be the first poster, since it certainly was not a PRODUCT review), I can say that while everything did arrive in fine shape, the stuff did just kind of seem tossed in the box. I felt it actually cheapened the Garmin brand to send it this way.
   

9. great GPS w/o the phone

   by J. Mursuli

   GPS Experience:
   
   I have been a GPS user for over 10 years. I have owned Garmin’s, Tom Toms, Magellan’s, Mio, DASH, and others.

   Packaging:
   
   You get a brown box with all the Garmin pieces inside and most important it’s recyclable.

   Physical unit:
   
   The 295t has a power button on the top, it also has a 2.5mm headphone jack/audio line-out on top. It has volume up and down button on the right side and well as a camera button on the right side. The left side has the USB as well as the windshield bracket connection. The nice thing is that you can connect the power directly to the bracket.

   First Impression:
   
   I just received my Nuvi 295t and I have to say that I excited about the concept of being able to connect to the Internet to surf or to find POI’s. I believe that all future PND units will have some kind of wi-fi connection or a bluetooth connection through your phone. The PND companies are loosing market share to all the NAV phones that are on the market. The 3.5 inch screen is SMALL. If you like having a 4.3″ screen or even a 5″ inch screen you might not like this small screen. Remember this a similar size to most NAV phones on the market today.

   Navigation:
   
   It has spoken street names (e.g. “Turn right on Elm street in 500 ft.”). The directions given were similar to other Garmin units. The directions were accurate. The unit displays the posted speed limit, and your current speed on the bottom right. It displays your arrival time on the bottom left. On the top of the screen it displays the next turn arrow with the street name. The “Jill” directional voice is low and tiny…it must be a small speaker.

   Screen:
   
   3.5″ inches. Dual-orientation automatically switches between portrait and landscape view. The Scrolling menu option was a nice add-on.

   Wi-fi(web surfing, weather, e-mail):
   
   Web surfing: Connected to an available hot spot was fast a easy. The web pages display as full web pages. You have the option to enlarge or reduce the web pages with a (+) or (-) that displays on the screen. Loading web pages was average with some taking longer to load.
   
   Weather: while connected via wi-fi you can check your local forecast from the main menu. You would have to use the browser to go to [...] to view radar, and maps.
   
   E-mail: setting an e-mail account was fast and easy. Once you are connected via wi-fi you can check your email from the main menu. The email icon shows how many un-opened emails that you have in your inbox. I was able to setup 2 e-mail accounts. The screen qwerty keyboard is not the greatest but you can still input the URL’s and other info.

   Wi-fi (Google searches):
   
   Once you are connected via wi-fi and you have the option to use Google Search to find POI’s that were not listed in the 6 million POI database. The searches were fast and easy. Once they are found the unit can route you to your destination. You can also use 1-step navigation from contacts, e-mail, and local search results.

10. No problems with Amazon shipping!

    by George W. Ireland

    Recently ordered and recvd a Garmin GPS from Amazon. The shipping was fast and the product was in great shape when it arrived. Packaging was in perfect condition.