Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Provides Simple Navigation at Affordable Price
205W GPS
Garmin 205W GPS – Portable, Affordable and
Wide
The Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS navigator is portable, affordable and wide. This GPS navigation system will be your personal travel assistant for life on the go. This unit will show you the way by giving you turn-by-turn directions. Also, it has an optional MSN® Direct services which will get you there on time and keep you informed. The Nuvi 205W comes with millions of destinations and maps for the contiguous U.S., Canada or regional sections of Europe. As you will discover, the Garmin 205W is priced just right and is quite easy to use just like the other Nuvi 2×5 series units.
See More With The Nuvi 205w GPS
With the Garmin Nuvi 205w GPS widescreen display, you will never have a problem seeing the big picture. This unit will provide you with view map details, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. As you will see, the sunlight-readable, 4.3″ (10.92 cm) display will be simple to read, from any direction.
Garmin Nuvi 205W Helps You Navigate With Ease
With the Garmin Nuvi 205W, you just simply have to touch the color screen to enter a destination. Then the Nuvi GPS will take you to your destination with turn-by-turn voice directions. It also features a 2-D or 3-D map and smooth map redraw rates as you navigate to your destination. With the digital elevation maps feature, it will show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels. This will basically provide you with a big picture of the surrounding terrain. Furthermore, the nüvi 205W will also accept custom points of interest (POIs) as well. You can enter things like school zones and safety cameras and it will let you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming points of interest. Another great feature that this unit has is the HotFix® satellite prediction. This feature will calculate your position faster to get you to your destination quicker.
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Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Navigator Product Description
Garmin’s nüvi 2×5 models improve upon their 200-series predecessors by 
adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content capability to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significant improvements with this new series, like a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.
The nüvi 2×5 models sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot. All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
Important Product Information: The Garmin 205w features a “screen lock” feature. This is a standard feature on all nüvi 2×5 and 7×5 Garmin units. If you slide the “Power” key to the right, it will lock the screen and prevent any accidental touches. Once the screen lock feature is engaged, the screen will go black/gray after about 15 seconds to save power on the device. To unlock the screen, just slide the “Power” key to the center position. This feature is really targeted for “Pedestrian” mode so that a user can put the device in his or her pocket/purse and quickly unlock the screen instead of powering on/off continuously.
Garmin Nuvi 205W Key Features and Benefits;
* HotFix (Long Term Ephemeris Prediction) finds satellites faster.
* Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Basemap shows 3D shaded terrain features.
* Faster 333 Mhz processor offers faster, smoother map drawing and vehicle icon motion through turns
* Redesigned user interface offers more information
* Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them.
* Add Dynamic MSN Traffic and Content with the optional GDB 55 antenna and charger.
* Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest.
* Automatic Time Zone Transition.
* 4.3-inch Widescreen shows you more of what’s around you as you drive.
* Memory Card Slots so you can add maps and travel guides, or store photos (MicroSD card slot on 3.5-inch units; SD card slot on 4.3-inch units).
* Preloaded Maps with Navteq data of the Lower 48 States + Hawaii + Puerto Rico.
* Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for easy portability (up to 4 hours per charge).
* Custom Vehicle Icons let you personalize your navigator.
* Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor.
* Where Am I? — instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby.
Improved Interface on The Garmin 205W
Old Interface
New Interface
One of Garmin’s key product philosophies is to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box, and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin’s portable navigation devices.
Garmin’s interface is a key to their success part of what makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and the nüvi 205w takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate.
This year, Garmin has redesigned its interface to include much more useful information.
Your GPS device locks onto transmissions from a dedicated network of Satellites in order to determine its position. Until the device gets a “lock” on three satellites, it can’t effectively navigate, so decreasing the time it takes for your device to get “satellite lock” is always a goal of GPS manufacturers. With Garmin’s new HotFix technology, your Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. This gives the device an idea of where it should look for satellites, and dramatically decreases the time it takes for your Garmin to get its position and start navigating. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to 3 days after the device was last turned off.
Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.
Navigate by Photo With The Nuvi 205W GPS
Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can 
choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.
* Choose from Panoramio’s collection of photos from around the world.
* Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps.
* Search for photos by location name or map area boundary.
* Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator.
* View photos in Google Earth.
* Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.
Garmin Lock
Garmin’s patent pending theft prevention system that disables the unit from performing any functions until the user types in a specific 4-digit PIN or takes the unit to a predetermined secure location.
Beyond Navigation
Navigation is just the beginning. The nüvi 2×5 models features travel tools
including a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more.
This device is compatible with optional content plug-ins available via microSD card, such as the Garmin Travel Guides and Garmin SaversGuide provide detailed data for attractions and information on nearby merchants offering discounts, so you can customize nüvi for your travel needs. For Accessory Map Cards and Travel Guides the Units Feature: a MicroSD Card Slot on the 3.5 inch Units, and an SD Card Slot on the 4.3 inch Units.
Garmin has also added the ability for customers to add custom points of interest (POI’s) from third p
arties such as school zones and safety cameras.
Trick Your GPS Ride
All Garmin nüvis support configurable vehicle icons. These fun, customized car-shaped icons come in a variety of colors to add a personal touch to your vehicle’s position on the map.
3D Terrain Maps
Shaded relief terrain 
maps show you when to expect hills, mountains, forests and other natural features. Topographic terrain maps are viewable when using the 2D “birds-eye” view.
Traffic-Capable FM Traffic
With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you’ll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you’re forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi’s sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous — there’s no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a “silent” FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.
Widescreen — See More of What’s Around
4.3 Inch Wide Screen
The super-bright, 4.3-inch (diagonal) touchscreen display on the Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS navigator gives it anti-glare for ease of viewing during the day and automatically changes its color profile for easy viewing at night or in dim light. It offers 2d or 3D perspective views.
3-Inch Screen
The widescreen format gives you 70% more actual screen area than a 3.5-inch screen. Primarily this translates into a better view of the area through which you are driving. This is especially useful in showing you what parks, restaurants, ATM, gas stations, etc. are nearby, or in letting you know whether a detour is a good idea. Also, the device itself is larger, meaning controls on the screen are more widely spaced and somewhat easier to push.
Where Am I?
On any nüvi, just tap “Where Am I?” to find the closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations, nearest address and intersection. Also see your exact latitude and longitude coordinates.
First-Rate Map Data
The nüvi 205W GPS comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded
City Navigator NT street maps for the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, including a hefty POI database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Garmin gets its map data from NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping.
Important note about map updates: Due to our high volume of sales, almost every Garmin portable GPS navigator sold by Amazon.com will come with the most recent map version. If you ever do need a map update, you can purchase one from Amazon.com at our Garmin Store.
Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Navigator Technical Details;
* 4.3 in Touch Screen Navigator with 2D/3D Maps
* Turn by Turn Voice Directions and Optional MSN Direct Services
* Where Am I Emergency Locator / You Always Know Your Location
* With HotFix, It Calculates Your Position Faster to Get You There Quicker
* JPEG Picture Viewer, World Travel Clock, Currency Converter, Calculator and More
Here’s What You Get in The Box With The Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Navigator;
* Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Naviagtor
* Preloaded City Navigator® NT data for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico (no Alaska or Canada detail) or one European region or country
* Vehicle suction cup mount*
* Vehicle power cable
* Dashboard disc
* Quick start manual
By R. Toro “The Bull” (Tampa, FL United States)
This review is from: Garmin nüvi 205W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
I have had this unit for about 8 months. It has given me no problems what so ever. The bad thing about it for me is how basic it is. If you want bluetooth compatibility, traffic updates, movie times, etc on your GPS, then this is not the device for you. But if all you want is to get around and find places, then this unit will work well.
The price seems a little high right now for what it does ($180). For that price I would expect bluetooth compatibility. This unit does not say the road names, it just says turn left or turn right in 200 feet(not a big deal). When you look places up, it has their phone number and address (usually) which is nice because if its late at night, you can call first to see if they are still open.
This GPS has an SD card reader on the side, which can be used to view pictures in slideshow mode when you don’t need the unit for navigation.
The screen is very bright during the day, so you can easily see the screen. And a nice feature is that when it gets dark, the screen automatically changes colors to ‘night’ mode, which helps when driving at night (the screen dims and the bright white background colors change to dark blues and blacks).
The trip features are nice. It keeps track of your average speed, how long you spent moving, how long you spent stopped, total travel time, how many miles you’ve gone, etc.
It takes about a minute to a minute and a half to find your location from a cold start, but if you leave it powered all the time (with a car in which the cig lighter stays on when you turn the car off) it never loses the location (not sure if that is bad for it).
The battery life is very good (about 4-5 hours).
There are many add-ons that a technologically advanced person can add to it. Such as custom points of interest (you can download them or even make your own, and you can set alerts so that it warns you when you are close to a certain place or when you are speeding in a school zone). You can add different vehicle icons to use as the car on the screen.
Overall, it is a decent, but very basic navigation device. Not many bells or whistles, but it gets you from point A to point B well.
