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Comment on UK Low Price Garmin Nuvi 255W Satellite Navigation with Full EU Mapping (Newly Overhauled) for Sale by Adam Greatrix

Adam Greatrix — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:46:28 +0000

1,153 of 1,160 people found the following review helpful:

Clear bight screen, very easy to use, very reliable Sat Nav., 25 Oct 2008

This review is from: Garmin Nuvi 255W Traffic Widescreen Satellite Navigation System with Full EU Mapping (Electronics)

SatNavs have come on in leaps and bounds in the past few years. The 255WT is no exception.

I have experience with a wide range of makes and models of SatNavs, and units from Garmin always come out top when compared to similar priced products from other manufacturers. They're solid, reliable, and easy to use.

After purchasing this unit, I immediately discovered I was eligible for the 2009 map updates which I downloaded from Garmin's website and installed easily. This took a long time as it was nearly 3GB in size, but was worth it.

I have also installed three firmware updates with absolutely no problems. Other people have had problems (usually due to not following the instructions), but installing a new firmware on any electronic device is always risky, and usually optional. Just take your time, follow the instructions, and most importantly give it time to finish rebooting afterwards, and all will be well. If you do break it, then give Garmin a call on their free number and they'll email you a program to fix it.

Instead of the Speed Camera data from Garmin, I chose to continue using the PocketGPSWorld speedcamera database as it seems to be considered to be the best and most up to date. For all I know Garmin may very well source there data from the same place - I never tried it. The speed camera locations, along with a nice selection of other custom data sets I use, are very easy to load into the unit using the standard Point of Interest (POI) Loader from Garmin's website.

The unit is very fast compared to other GPS units. If it has been used for a reasonable amount of time within the last few days then it can get a satellite fix in literally a couple of seconds using AGPS/Hotfix technology. The sensitivity of the unit is excellent, and even works indoors and in multi-story car parks. It works fine through the special coated glass you get on some cars (such as Peugeots) too - other units can have a problem with this. It calculates routes quicker than any other unit I've used.

The FM Traffic receiver is a really cool new feature. You can see the location of all the traffic congestion on major A roads and motorways, and the unit will automatically route around any congestion or traffic jams if a faster route is available. The downside of this system is coverage. North of Newcastle, as best as I can tell, there are only two transmitters - one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh. As the signal is transmitted on local FM radio stations the range is the same. In other words, currently, north of Newcastle, coverage is very limited, but I'd imagine it will increase as time goes on. Of course, coverage is not related to the unit itself, so I won't mark the review down for this. The FM Traffic receiver is built into the power cable, and comes with a short wire that plugs into it, and two suckers. This is its antenna. The receiver seems to work fine without it though so I'd consider it optional.

The other new feature for me is the Photo Navigation. Some newer digital cameras record the location where the image was taken. Also there are various websites (e.g. Panoramio) that store the location of images. You can download up to 50 per day of these pictures from Garmin's website, for locations anywhere in the world, then view them on the unit and navigate to them just like any other address.

I do have two gripes. Directly comparing it to my older Garmin C320 which is now three years old, the sound is nowhere near as good. It seems tinnier, but it's still clear. My second grips is the window suction mount. With my older unit, all I had to do was push the unit back into the mount and it would clip into place and be connected to the power lead. One the new unit, you have to manually plug the tiny USB lead (this is actually the power and FM Traffic receiver) into the back of the unit before clipping the unit onto the mount. This means it takes a fiddly 15 seconds at best, and a frustratingly long time if it's dark. With my old unit it took a second, if that, as the mount had the connector built in.

If you just want a SatNav with UK maps (i.e. not all of Europe too) then consider the 205WT as it's exactly the same unit other than the maps, and slightly cheaper.

Overall, this SatNav is very good, fast, reliable, well built, bright clear screen, ok sound, and is aware of real-time traffic congestion on major roads - so long as you can pick up the FM traffic signal (south of Newcastle has good coverage). I'd have given it 5 stars had the suction mount had a built-in power/FM traffic connector.

Some other things it does:
* Automatically activates night-time viewing mode when the sun sets.
* Boots up in around 10 seconds.
* Can use SD cards for additional storage (photos, that's about it).
* Depending on last use, has a satellite lock in 2 seconds.
* Car, Bicycle, and Pedestrian modes.
*... Read more

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Comment on UK Low Price Garmin Nuvi 255W Satellite Navigation with Full EU Mapping (Newly Overhauled) for Sale by dovefancier

dovefancier — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:51:39 +0000

124 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

Also get a USB (mini) cable! It's a 'must'., 14 Dec 2008

dovefancier (London, England, UK) -

This review is from: Garmin Nuvi 255W Traffic Widescreen Satellite Navigation System with Full EU Mapping (Electronics)

I won't be long - enough reviews are available here, so let me just add a couple of things. Remember, you'll definitely need a USB (mini) cable with your Garmin Sat Nav, because

1) with a USB (mini) cable, you CAN recharge your Garmin Sat Nav by connecting to your PC/Mac, which is not clearly mentioned in the user's guide. Remember, your Sat Nav doesn't come with this cable or an AC adapter (you need to buy them separately!), so you can't recharge the battery until you connect it with the vehicle power cable (12V), which is not very useful as you'll want to configure it before you start using it;

2) with this USB cable, you can also download the latest map, update the software, and configure the Sat Nav via Garmin's website. You'll need to do all this (and it's simple) if you want draw out the maximum performance from your Sat Nav!

3) If possible, get a good cable, such as this one AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (1.8 Metres) rather than a cheap one.

*You might already have this cable at home, because the same cable is used for many electric devices, such as mobile phones (such as Motorola), digital cameras and external HDDs.

Hope this helps!

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Comment on UK Low Price Garmin Nuvi 255W Satellite Navigation with Full EU Mapping (Newly Overhauled) for Sale by Mr. John E. Bourgaize "Johnny B"

Mr. John E. Bourgaize "Johnny B" — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:14:40 +0000

457 of 457 people found the following review helpful:

Car navigation, 26 Sep 2008

Mr. John E. Bourgaize "Johnny B" (Austria) -

This review is from: Garmin Nuvi 255W Traffic Widescreen Satellite Navigation System with Full EU Mapping (Electronics)

In my eighties now, I have difficulty reading small print on a map. I live in Central Europe and still drive extensively, with my wife.
I bought the Garmin Nuvi 255WT after looking at everything on the market. The Garmin had the brightest, clearest screen. The maps are easy to read and the voiced instructions clear and precise. A wide choice of languages. Programming a destination is child's play, and can be done before leaving the house.
I do not read the maps while driving. I listen to the voice and my wife monitors the LCD display. On a recent trip into a big city I was apprehensive about finding our hotel among the many one-way streets. The Garmin delivered us to the main entrance of the hotel with no problem. As with many modern inventions, I wonder how I ever managed without a machine like the Garmin during my 65 year motoring history.
No bag is supplied, but I bought a close fitting one from HAMA.
We felt the windscreen glass was too far away, and so I mounted the supplied hard plastc disc on to a flat part of the dashboard. The suction foot of the cradle is mounted on that disc. The cradle can be dismounted in one move, for storage elsewhere. When parking I unclip the Garmin from its cradle and carry it in the top pocket of my jacket.
I also leave the glove box open to show that the Garmin is not stored in there. The box contains nothing but paper items and a small tin of boiled sweets !
The machine and its cradle are manufactured to a high standard. Using a USB2 cable plugged into a PC or laptop one can access Garmin's website
for information and help.
Thoroughly recommended as a good buy.

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Comments (3)

Comment on UK Low Price Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax Lowest Price by Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:05:10 +0000

Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax, 25 Dec 2011

Sunnyengland -

This review is from: Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax (Automotive)

Excellent and best ever car wax specially bond to car paint surface and shine last forever, water repellent, my new BMW alpine white looks better then showroom condition even after two months

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Comment on UK Discount Bahco S106 S106 Socket Set 106-Piece 1/4 & 1/2-Inch Drive for Sale by Francis

Francis — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:28:03 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

good quality, 4 Jan 2011

Francis -

This review is from: Bahco S106 S106 Socket Set 106-Piece 1/4 & 1/2-Inch Drive (Automotive)

I purchased this item because my brother in law is a mechanic in the US and only uses Snap-on tools. Bahco is a european manufacturer with a long tradition of quality and now is also the european brand of Snap-on (SNAEurope). It is definitly worth the money ! Great quality. Just be careful with the tiny L-Keys on the right side of the box ; they could fall out without you noticing if you don't secure them in place. But overall, it a good design and I'll probably still be using those tools in 20 years.

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Comment on UK Bargain Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset In Stock by K. Thomson "Kenny"

K. Thomson "Kenny" — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:45:09 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Bluetooth earpiece, 27 Nov 2011

K. Thomson "Kenny" (Cumnock, Ayrshire, Scotland) -

This review is from: Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset (Electronics)

This product works well, reception is clear, etc.. If I go out of range of the phone, it re-connects as soon as I'm in range again. One minor thing is that the volume control has pre-set stages from min. - max. and back to min. rather than be infinitely variable up or down.

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Comment on UK Bargain Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset In Stock by Stephen

Stephen — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:11:04 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset, 6 Dec 2011

Stephen -

This review is from: Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset (Electronics)

Excellent product with great battery life and warnings when battery life is low and has an in car charger adapter. Sound quality is good.

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Comment on UK Bargain Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset In Stock by Mr. B. S. Nandra "X Flare"

Mr. B. S. Nandra "X Flare" — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:21:33 +0000

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

A decent headset, 2 Jan 2012

Mr. B. S. Nandra "X Flare" (UK) -

This review is from: Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset (Electronics)

This headset is very decent in my opinion. It has a very good price for the amount of features that you can have, and the battery claims to last a very long time (11 hours but in reality around 10 hours). In the box you get the headset, USB mains charger (with Europe (2-pin) and UK (3-pin) plugs), USB cable (the same connector pins found on blackberry and HTC chargers), USB car charger and instructions. Now onto the headset itself, it allows you to connect two phones, power on/off slider, reads out the headsets power status when turned on, reads out power when connected to an iphone, uses bluetooth 3.0 but works with bluetooth 2.0, can play music and podcasts, has noise cancellation, volume rockers and a call accept, call reject, bluetooth reconnect, call redial, voice search and phone pairing button located at the end of the headset ( at the small print that reads out Plantronics). I find that the headset is comfortable to wear (a little tricky to get the hoop over you ear though) and will stay in your ear. It was smaller than expected but is very portable, the only niggle being that the plastic hoop sticks out slightly. The build quality feels good, and the headset looks secure, the plastic hoop does not feel flimsy and dosnt bend with some light pressure.

Pros:
Good Price
Lots of features
Easy to use
Good call quality, voice and hearing.
Compatible with two phones that has bluetooth and headset capabilities
Good build quality and 'retro' design aesthetics
Long battery life
Charging accessories included

Cons:
The earpiece does not sound amazing (but not amazingly bad) whilst playing music, so if your an audiophile this headset is not for you, but for someone who wouldn't take much notice or thought to sound quality (my Dad), they would appreciate that this headset can do this.
Designed more for a smartphone with battery readouts and better volume controls (older phones are not as sophisticated to know that the headset can control the volume, therefore the old phone will change its volume back automatically whereas a smartphone wont)

Overall, i would say this a very decent headset for its price and you get alot for your buck! It makes a great gift too, despite its few niggles, the major being the music playback sound quality, so this gift wouldn't be the ideal headset for someone who has a strong need for clear deep music.. If you do not want the facility of music playback, Platronics offer a very similar headset called the M20.

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Comment on UK Low Price Wd40 Wd40 5 Litre Can Plus Spray In Stock by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:50:03 +0000

Not happy, 2 Oct 2010

Philip -

This review is from: Wd40 Wd40 5 Litre Can Plus Spray (DIY & Tools)

The product was never delivered. After three weeks they eventually offered and paid a full refund. I went elsewhere and purchased the same product for the same price.

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Comment on UK Low Price Wd40 Wd40 5 Litre Can Plus Spray In Stock by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:05:16 +0000

AMAZON WAKE-UP!, 21 Oct 2010

NO -

This review is from: Wd40 Wd40 5 Litre Can Plus Spray (DIY & Tools)

DEAR AMAZON, I DID NOT RECEIVE THIS ITEM AND WAS SENT A REFUND. REGARDS DAVID.

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