I was really satisfied with Amazon.com service. First of all, I bought the portable GPS on sale, and this was a really good price compared to its price in other stores. Besides, the product arrived only a couple of days after my request. It took me only 5 minutes to buy it. It saved my time and as they say, time is money!

I've had okay results with this model, with a few caveats (which are probasbly not specific to this device):

No case is included with the device.

Some locations, such as restaurants which have been there for years, are not in the map database (even after the multiple-gigabyte download to upgrade the database).

Occasionally, it gives the wrong side of the road for a destination.

Losing satellite lock while driving, and never getting it back, can be a real irritation.

I'd trade the Canada map (I don't plan to drive there) for a bit more details in the US. For example, a "Park" can be just about any size (including a swing set at the public library), with no way to tell from the GPS itself. A little bit of detail regarding amenities, etc. would be nice. (Perhaps a future model will support Wi-Fi to bring in location details when requested?)

All in all, way cooler than a plain map, but the technology as a whole is not yet perfected...

I purchased this unit for international travel, along with the extra map cards. The GPS has so far worked flawlessly, even picking up a signal inside my house. I immediately muted the annoying voice feature, as a quick glance will tell me when there's an upcoming turn. Being familiar with the iPhone map feature, I have to say the interface on the Garmin is rather clunky - this is my first GPS unit and I'm surprised the interfaces have not been refined by now. For one thing, the keyboard does not have the usual QWERTY layout but instead is laid out in aphabetical order. Entering street names is a chore, especially coupled with the fact that you always have to start by spelling the name of the city, every single time - a simple option to select either the previously searched city or better yet the city you are currently located in seems like a no-brainer.

Also the menu navigation can get pretty involved, for instance you might be trying to lookup a destination but before finishing you need to quickly refer back to the map, you have to press 'Back' about 5 times - a 'Home' button would be nice.

The points of interest database is a mixed bag, I've found restaurants in there that have been out of business for 7 years. I consider the POI database an added feature and not really central to navigation, especially having an iPhone which is superior in that respect. Also trying to search the database sometimes results in an hourglass for quite a while, to the point we have given up waiting. Perhaps the database could be indexed better.

Also the printed guide that comes with the unit covers the bare minimum, the Amazon product page was actually more useful.

But overall for the price this has been a fantastic investment, making travel in unfamiliar cities efficient and pleasurable.

Word to the wise, there is a reason for the warning displayed on boot up, it is VERY easy to get caught up in what's going on with the GPS and rear-end someone. Train your passenger/navigator to use it, or if driving alone, get everything setup before getting on the road.

You really have to split hairs to make distinctions between most Magellan products and their comparable Garmin products. The user interface of the Magellans is "slightly" more intuitive, Garmins speak the turning direction (vs. the Magellan "ding-ding" tones), and they both use the same map source: NAVTEQ. There's plenty more to compare on, but the thing that mattered most to me was the performance of the routing engine. The Magellan units are very much on par with Garmin, but Garmin but often finds a shorter route with fewer turns, yet always seems to put you on the same side of the street as your destination (unlike Magellan).

Aside from text-to-speech on the higher range models (which isn't 100% accurate), voice-activated units (very pricey), and MSN traffic (very limited markets), all of the other features that come on more expensive units have little or nothing to do with navigation. The nuvi 250W is really the unit to get if you don't need all the bells and whistles.

Be sure to register your new Nuvi with Garmin and check for updates. My unit from Amazon was a few firmware updates behind. Since I purchased the nuvi just after the latest map update (North America NT 2009), I also qualified for that for free (normally about $90). The unit came with version 2008.

If you don't have a computer or need to charge away from the car and a computer, the optional AC adapter is required. If you have a computer with USB available, just pick up a cheap mini USB cable (any brand) for charging and updating.

The nuvi 660 case fits quite well and does a good job of protecting the unit. Don't see a need for a hardside case.

ProClip USA sells custom mounts for those that don't want to use the suction cup, beanbag, or sticky pads. Quite nice, vehicle-specific, but pricey.

Purchased the Nuvi 250W to take on vacation with us...Talk about a great portable GPS unit that is so easy to use my 10 year old is programming it! Very simple design, sleek and mounts nicely with the portable suction device provided...Street maps are nothing fancy but this unit is powerful enough to get you back on track if you make a wrong turn! Always re-calculates your destination if for some reason you are not paying attention! Entry level unit that does not speak the actual street name but does provide the next direction needed at the top of the screen...Bottom line, you don't need to spend a fortune on a fancy GPS unit that talks to you on every move you make...Before you know it, you'll be "muting" the ladies voice because you'll be tired of listening to her talk! Keep it simple by purchasing this great device...Nice wide screen adds an easy to read display while mounted to the dash...Holds a pretty good charge (4-5hrs.) and sometimes takes a minute or two to capture the intial signals on start-up...Keep it simple, and go with the Nuvi 250W...You won't be disappointed!

After MUCH lamenting over which model to get (I wanted a NUVI after playing with other brands), I settled on the 250W. It had the maps I wanted, wide screen and the price was falling steadily. I must say that I am super-satisfied with the unit. The graphics and operation surpassed what I expected by quite a lot. The 250W seems light years ahead of the last rental car unit I used just one year ago (I think it was a Magellen but to be fair, not sure).

With the 250W, there was no funky action of the vehicle icon. It stayed oriented properly and "on the road" unlike some others which appear to have your vehicle flying off in the woods somewhere while driving in winding mountain areas. Accuracy is excellent. All the talk of no external volume, etc, etc. is of no issue with my unit. It is easy to hear even in a Jeep at only 50% volume...and my hearing is not that good. Also, the NUVI's screen is for me, perfect as far as visibility and the amount of pressure/touch it takes to navigate the menus. You don't have to mash the display to navigate, unlike others I tried on the in store displays. I cannot think of any improvement needed to the display properties itself...fantastic. I'm very particular about electronics/controls, etc. This unit really impresses.

NUVI 250W and Amazons usual great service/good price is a winner. Surely the higher end NUVI's are good with the extra features but really not needed. 250W is a great unit, especially if you are just getting into the GPS scene. Something tricker will be out soon enough and a person can figure out what features they need later IMO, anyway.

I've owned other Garmin products and a number of different OEM nav systems in cars, so I'm quite familiar with all they can offer. While the 250W isn't the most sophisticated or feature-rich nav out there, it is surprisingly capable and useful.

First, it has one of the brightest screens I've seen on recent Garmin units - it's not washed out by sunlight and it's sharp and easy to read. Secondly, the speaker is far better than some earlier models, so you can hear the "nav lady" perfectly at highway speeds. Routing is almost immediate after you enter a destination, and the directions are clear and concise. The maps are about the most up-to-date you can get these days, and Navteq is among the best in that category. The unit doesn't have to be placed up high on the window or dash - it gets the sat signals well even if it's mounted down on the dash out of the sun.

Only downside is that signal acquisition first thing in the morning when the unit is cold is kind of slow, but after it warms up, it is ready to navigate as soon as it gets power. And it doesn't announce turns by street name - big deal. Otherwise all is good - lots of POI's, great maps, good directions. This is an excellent traveling companion, especially for those who don't need all the bells and whistles like MP3 players and NavTraffic. Highly recommended.

I own the 250W and the Garmin Nuvi 250. The screen on the 250 has better contrast. It's almost like watching a Samsung or Sony Bravia LCD television from the driver's seat. But, the 250W has the better view and is easier to read. The 250W and 250 perform equally on the road. My ears hear a less tinnier sound from the 250W.

From an experience with the 250, the sliding power/screen lock switch on the top of the unit is weak. When exposed to shock, the switch did fail on the 250. That's probably why the Nuvi 660 and newer models have a different power button.

It would be nice if the user can change the Li-ion battery in the 200 series units. Opening the case is certainly not recommended for the inexperienced. Blindly forcing the case open can rip the cheap wiring harnesses connecting the LCD to the motherboard permanently damaging the unit.

The mounting arm is impressively strong and stable. Entering my home address on both units resulted in an on-screen checkered flag inaccurately positioned roughly 20 metres east of my actual driveway. To correct this inaccuracy, I parked my car on the driveway, touched the stationary vehicle icon and stored the new location as my HOME in the Favorites folder.

The quick-start guide doesn't explain a whole lot. So, searching for the 250W on YouTube is an excellent alternative for more information.

All-in-all, two handsome and slim units providing a good degree of peace of mind. Oh, and yes, I do have maps in the car just in case...

UPDATE April 6, 2008: The 250W got me from the Toronto area to Montreal to Quebec City to Montreal to the Toronto area with one problem. The only problem was it was difficult to determine which "turn right" exit ramp to take where there were two right turn exit ramps spaced metres apart and approaching fast. Of course, I took the wrong exit but the 250W was quick to correct and guide me on track. This is where a "text-to-voice" unit is preferable. It was scary driving at night in unfamiliar territory especially with the highway signs in French.

The 250W surprisingly locked onto the satellite signal while inside one of Montreal's long highway tunnels.

The store where the 250W was purchased offered 30 days of price protection. The unit dropped another $22.60 and the store refunded me the difference.

Bang for the buck = 9 stars. The included features for the low price tag are a great buy. Bought this item to replace my c330. I'm glad I did, but...

Maps and trip routing = 5 stars. The mapping software suffers from the following flaws: a) There are many addresses in the database which actually don't exist; b) There are addresses which are at the wrong place on the map; c) The route planner will sometimes give screwy, out-of-the-way directions (no, I don't have Avoidances set to stay off of certain roads). a & b above will work to mis-plot addresses on the map. This is the case with my apartment (1/2 mile), my mother's house (4 houses), my brother's house(5 houses), and my brother's work (1/4 mile), just to name a few. Now, of course, I already know where all of these locations are, so it's not a really big deal, but if you are in an unfamiliar area and you are trying to find an address because the voice on the GPS says, "Arriving at destination on right", when you are actually 1/2 mile away, well, that can be annoying. I would say that probably 1/4 of the time the map is wrong. It will get you to the right street, but the exact address may not be quite right. Suggestion/workaround: If you are going to a totally unfamiliar area (as I often do for work), double check on Yahoo AND Google maps.

c above will work to have you travel extra distance un-necessarily. Example: While driving up from San Antonio to Amarillo, as I approached I-20 from the south, the nuvi250 wanted me to turn right onto I-20 eastbound for approx. four miles, then exit the expressway and go back onto I-20 West bound for approx nine miles. Do you see the problem there? Why didn't it just have me turn left onto I-20 westbound right from the beginning? (yes, I did that anyway, and after it re-calculated, my ETA was immediately 10 minutes sooner).

Anyway, to summarize, I would recommend this product, but with a caveat... use with caution, and double check your route if at all possible.

Go for it! I just love this product and I am 73. Am having a ball with it. It is easy and accurate. However, I would practice going to known routes so as to get use to voice indication to take certain exits e.g. take the next roundabout and then the 3rd exit, you have to count all possible exits so as not to miss. But if you do miss, your friendly voice will recalculate etc. I am very grateful to Lawrence H. Bulk who gave a superb review, do read his review if you are contemplating a purchase.