Garmin Nuvi 260W
Jan
1
2008
Placeholder only for the Garmin Nuvi 260w, similar to the 260 but with a widescreen.
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
© 2005 - 2010 All Rights Reserved. privacy policy We make no guarantees regarding advice or accuracy of product specifications. All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
i have downloaded some P.O.I(point of interest) stuff for my nuvi 260w but i am failing to load into my device (even though i have download the POI loader already.the new P.O.Ii have are red light cameras and police traps…can anyone help me please.its saying that i need the gpx files but yet i only have the gpi files
You might want to seek help in our Garmin Nuvi Forums.
What is the bluetooth feature on the 265WT and how does it work?
Bluetooth allows you to use the GPS as you would a Bluetooth headset. You can place and receive calls from the GPS when it is paired with a compatible phone.
Tim,
I’m debating between the Garmin 260 and the 265wt. There’s a $100 difference in price. I’m not sure I’ll use the bluetooth since I have a Palm Pilot, and I don’t think it’s compatible. I’ve compared them on the site, and it looks like the only difference is the bluetooth, case, and lifetime traffic reports. Do you have a recommendation? I am a first time GPS user. Thanks. -Robin
I’d go for the 265WT due to the widescreen. It makes text entry much easier.
Hello,
I won my choice of the Garmin Nuvi 260W or $175. With $ being an issue, I am really torn. That said, I doubt I would have the money to buy a GPS with the text to speech thing (street names instead of turn in 200 feet like my hubby’s Mio). Any thoughts on which is the better choice ($ or GPS).
Thanks!
Shell
Get the 265t if you live in a metro area.
The free traffic for life is a deal!
I have the Garmin nuvi 260w. However, during one of my trips I somehow lost my SD card. I then purchased the Garmin Map Update 2009 from a local store. Where do I go from here? What type of SD card is compatible with my garmin as I will have to repurchase one so that I may download the 2009 Map updates. Also once I download the 2009 updates will this include all maps that were on the prior SD card?
The 260w comes with an SD card slot, but it doesn’t come with any card– the slot is empty and the maps are stored in the internal memory.
Just purchased a 260W. It has a fault when announcing names. For “Street” it says “Saint” and for “Drive” it announces “Doctor”. I’ve contacted Garmin about it, they don’t seem to have a fix. Anybody else having this kind of fault. I even tried an exchange uint; same problem. Do all of the 260W’s have this? Wondering what to do.
All Nuvi devices will do that. If you want to force a change, see this thread in our forums:
Customize your own TTS Voice – No more ‘recalculating’
I just got a 260W and the pronunciation is sometimes off.
e.g. No 5 Road (number five road) is said “no five road”!!
The screen does display the correct name though.
There are other examples.
Would someone please tell me the difference between the Nuvi 255W and 260W? Thanks.
Frank, I’ve answered this several times in comments #41, 107, 141, 203, 246, and 376.
Tim – I’m new to this forum.
I’m anxious to read the above comments #41,107 etc
but do not know how to find them. This thread only seems to go up to #32. Thanks.
Not knowing much about electronics, is it possible to overcharge my Nuvi 260W? Thanks.
This may be a dumb question but I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere – is the difference between the Garmin Nuvi 260 and 260w strictly the screen? The 260w has a widescreen and the 260 doesn’t – is that the only difference? Thanks:)
Yes. The only difference is the widescreen.
I am having a problem with getting my 260W to find county roads. No matter how I type them in. Once I get on that county road it will show that I am on the correct road, but does not show house numbers. My friend has an older garmin and has no problems with hers. Any advice? Thanks.
I will be a first-time GPS buyer. I’m trying to decide between the 260W (which I hear has been discontinued) and the 255W. Any advice as to which is the best one to get? I don’t need any exaggerated features…
Do I need a special USB cable for my Garmin 260W or will a standard A-B cable work?
Does the battery charge through the USB cable or only during use in the car (I don’t have an AC charger)?
It is a USB to mini-USB cable. Most should work, although I have heard of cases (and experienced it myself) where a non-Garmin cable didn’t work on a particular computer, but the Garmin cable did. The battery will charge, but at twice as slow of a rate as through the car charger.
does the nuvi 260w indicate elevation or altitude?
Yes (but not well documented by Garmin). On the 260W go to the opening “where to?” screen. By holding your finger on the ‘antenna bars’ icon in the upper left for abt 5 secs, the satellite connection status screen will appear. This not only displays the current satellite lock-in status, but also the present altitude, your location coordinates and speed. Bill H
thanks fo much for your time
Has anyone used the Garmin Nuvi 260W on a bike (bicycle)? Any feedback on how it performs for this?
Also, is there any way to extend the battery life? I was looking for a way to get 9-18 hours on a charge due to an upcoming bike trip.
Scott, the Nuvi devices are not really designed to be used outside. A few specks of dirt inside the device or a short drop could ruin the device. Moisture can be an issue too, and the battery life you mentioned. Given the need to get a case to protect it, then some sort of mount– you might as well consider one of the GPS devices that are specifically designed for bicycles like the Garmin Edge series.
I am using my Garmin 260W in the car and on land hunting geocaches. Can I download the caches all at once (which I do )BUT, I would like the coordinates to show also. AND have the names show instead of manually putting them all in.
I’m about to purchase a Garmin 260W & this is my first GPS. Is the screen readable in bright sunlight? Will I be able to get to locations if I only input intersections? Will I have a choice of Route Set-Ups like fastest time or shortest distance?
Harry – Yes to all three of those questions.
A friend told me about an extra that can be downloaded onto a gps called ecoRoute. I have the Garmin 260w and was wondering if my gps is compatible with ecoRoute?
Jordan, no, the ecoRoute function is not compatible with your GPS.
Oh well. Thanks for the response, Tim.
Has the Garmin 260w been discontinued? From what I’ve read in this site, it seems to be quite the choice. I am about to buy my first and want to make a good, BASIC choice. Thanks so much!
Technically, the 260w has been discontinued, but that doesn’t really mean too much. See our discontinued status page for more info.
Does Garmin make a model that allows the entry of Lon/Lat instead of an address? Thanks!
I think every garmin model can do that.
I’ve found the Garmin nuvi 260W and the Garmin nuvi 265WT. These both appear to be discontinued (per this site) – that suprises me with a large warehouse retailer selling so many. Which one is a better deal?
Will, I’d go with the 265WT.
I have a 260W, I purchased in late Dec./08, the 3rd Garmin I have owned. Before purchasing, I was assured this unit came with the latest 2009 maps. I live in Canada, and just traveled from Alberta to Nova Scotia and back. The maps are worse than useless. Main highways do not exist on the maps, which are misleading and inaccurate, at best. According to the unit, I needed to travel east from Kenora, Ont. to reach Winnipeg, Man. Check your map, guys! Upon contacting Garmin, their solution was to spend $100.00 + for upgrading maps. When we began our trip, this unit was only 4 months old! I don’t feel I should have to pay to “upgrade” maps on a unit I have just purchased! The graphics are poor, maps are useless in many areas, and customer service sucks! Shame on you Garmin, I used to recommend you to anyone who would listen!
Sharon:
Too bad about your experience. I just received a 200W as a gift. Yesterday I registered the unit at Garmin’s website and was led through the process to update the maps. This took over an hour with an cable/internet connection, but my unit now has the latest maps. Admittedly I haven’t been able to test it other than just in our city, but so far I am pleased (the VOICE became an irritation to my wife…). Perhaps did you fail to update the maps after registration? Just a thought.
Don
At the time of purchase, Dec, the maps were the newest (2009 version). Garmin offers updates in April. The 2009 maps seem ok in the west, but the farther east of Winnipeg you go, the worse they are. For the benifit of your wife, you should be able to go in and change the voice, my unit offers several different options.
so correct me if i’m wrong, but what i’m getting is since my nuvi260 is disc (or just about to be), then even buying a new 2009 map update, i am NOT able to upgrade because i won’t have the latest “firmware”?– (what ever that is) i’m not as computer literate as i’d like to be but i’m getting this message: “THIS GARMIN IS NOT ELLIGIBLE FOR THIS UPDATE BECAUSE A PREVIOUS MAP VERSION IS NOT INSTALLED” what previous map version is it talking about?!!! i bought this nuvi a yr ago and it came with 2008 maps. now what? i live in yuma and go to phoenix and some places are not on my gps! it’s so FRUSTRATING! do it just need to shell out for a NEW gps? HEEEEEEEELP!!!!!
Suzanne, You can use the Garmin WebUpdater application to make sure you have the latest firmware… basically the latest version of the software your GPS uses to run. Then you can install the new map update if you have purchased it. Note that the newest map update is called “2010″.
i seem to have the latest version of firmware. i bought my gps a little over a yr ago. a wal-mart co-worker in the electronics dept told me if my gps said 2008, a 2009 map update would be more current. is this NOT right? i thought it was a good deal @ only $30. did i just buy a duplicate map?! i can’t afford or need a 2010 just yet. . .i was just looking for something more current than what i had. i’m still getting the same “THIS GARMIN IS NOT ELLIGIBLE FOR THIS UPDATE BECAUSE A PREVIOUS MAP VERSION IS NOT INSTALLED” message. did i just blow $30?!
I recently purchased a Garmin 760 and am having difficulties with the unit. The unit has made several errors regarding directions, example: while in Sacramento after leaving I-5 heading east for Hwy99 it said to turn right onto I-5, but the road was Hwy99. It has also told me to go 24 miles on a street when after a couple miles I turned onto I-5. The unit seems to get confused and doesn’t know where it is. I recently updated the maps in hope that it would help but it has not. Is this operator error, or does it appear that I have a defective unit. I have not used the thing but a few times, however I do not trust the directions it provides. Thanks for any assistance.
Ray
I am looking into buying my first GPS unit. I will be using it only in the car and I am looking at the Garmin 260W. But is there anything out now that betters it? I can get a regular (non-widescreen 260) [deleted] so ideally, I would like to spend no more than $200 for anything like the 260W. Garmin is the preferred brand. I am worried as I read this forum as it’s a hit-and-miss with this model. THX.
I have a Garmin 265T GPS and I’m trying to find out what the difference is between the Simulator being on or off. The only think I can find is that when the simulator is on it extends the battery usage.
The “simulator” is very poorly named. When the simulator is turned ON, GPS reception is turned OFF. This allows you to “simulate” a drive and view the car icon driving down the road, previewing what the GPS would show if you are actually driving. If you want to use the GPS for its designed purpose– to give you live directions based on your position, then you need to keep the simulator turned OFF which keeps GPS reception turned ON.
Hi:
I bought the Garmin 260 a few months ago and got the issue of spoken the street names. For some reason, if the street name is 200 something, then it spoken 100 something instead while the map is still shown the correct street name. For example: turn right on 215 street as shown correct on the map, then it spoken “turn right on 115 street” instead – basically, it is spoken wrong but it asks us to turn correctly when it is close to the street 215.
Does it anyone have the same issue as mine? How do you fix this problem? advice please.
Oh, I use this gps to drive around the cities in WA state and figure out this issue.
Thank you very much.
I haven’t heard of that problem before.
I want a GPS unit to display what the speed limit is. No one else seems to care about this feature. It is very difficult to find out which units have it. Does the Garmin Nuvi 260W tell you what the speed limit is?
I already have the Garmin Nuvi 260W and just purchased the 255WT. I downloaded the free update for the 255WT, question is would I be able to install this same map update on my 260W as well?
No, each map is locked to the device it was issued/licensed for.
Where is Canada on this 260w?
I just updated the map in the device last night. It took almost 2hours. But I still do not see Canada option. I live in NJ, the only option I see was NJ and other states. Say I’d like to drive from NJ to somewhere in Toronto? How do I set that up?? Help, I AM leaving for Canada on Monday. Thought by updating the map I’ll be fine. Great, support does not work on weekends! Thank you very much!
Kathryn
Not to worry, Kathryn. Those Canadian maps are already part of your unit’s existing ‘North American’ maps. Just punch in your Canadian destination/address and it’ll automatically route you there just fine (even from NJ!). Bill H
Hey guys, A couple of quick questions about the 255w. Does it have the feature that detects traffic cameras? Also just to make sure, the 255w has the feature to read traffic but only if it has a special reciever for it right? FM traffic only works in certain states that has that function in there fm stations right?
Thanks,
What is the diffrence between Nuvi 260W and 265W
i have garmin 260w l Lock my gps but i forgot the password any help thanks.
I’ve had my Garmin Nuvi 260w for over 18 months and it worked fine. Suddenly. a couple months ago it stopped announcing street names and now ONLY ANNOUNCES LEFT or RIGHT instructions. I downloaded ‘update software’ from an online source and the Nuvi accepted it as successful. but it has not restored the announcement of street-names feature which I prefer. Any suggestions?
Richard, see the tips on our Enable Text-to-Speech page.
Is there a way to update the preloaded POI data or does the POI data get updated with a map upgrade for my 260W?
POI data gets updated with the map updates.
I love Garmin products, but their support is just unacceptable!
I wrote them and got the same response over and over again.
I kept telling them I’m trying to connect my Nuvi to the computer and its not recognized:
tried different cables, including original cable, connected directly to the USB port, tried different ports, hell – I even tried different computers.
After writing them all that they just kept telling me to try with different cables or with different computers. for that kind of support – no need for representatives – you can do that on the FAQ section!
with all due respect to their products – I learned my lesson – I will not buy Garmin anymore…
I agree that the Garmin email support has been useless. However, the phone support has always been excellent. I’ve had Garmin products for abt 4 yrs and have never had a bad session with phone tech support. They’re worth the wait…period
1888 442 7646, 9am -5pm CST
Note to all. Garmin has issued a recall on some Nuvis. From Garmin:
AFFECTED PRODUCTS
The recalled devices include a small subset of the following nüvi model numbers:
• nüvi 200W, 250W, and 260W
• nüvi 7xx and 7xxT (where xx is a two-digit number)
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
Determine your nüvi model and serial number by looking at the label on the back or bottom of your nüvi. You must provide this and other information to determine whether your nüvi is affected by this recall.
To easily and quickly determine whether your nüvi is affected, go to http://www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall
Bill H