Pros: Small size, good text-to-speech, SD mapcard, ease-of-use, bright display, great suction cup mount, great satellite performance, decent maps (so far), clear and loud speaker
Cons: No prepare route, limited alternative route options, no USB-to-miniUSB cable for computer hookup
I bought this GPS for a planned trip to France, the smaller size (fits better in my pocket) and text-to-speech feature, along with SD mapcard capability were my reasons. I have had the Nuvi 1200 for 3 days and the adjustment from Tomtom think to Nuvi think has been relatively painless.
The suction cup mount (with its lever application) is a definite upgrade from the Tomtom. Also the auto detection for day/night mode is nice. Satellite performance seems even better than the Tomtom, and Tomtom has great reception. The map screen is bright and uncluttered, my wife says it is noticeably sharper. So far the maps seem to be comprehensive, won't really know until I use the Nuvi more.
The only things I miss (and/or could not find) was the ability to plan a trip when you were not at that location (Tomtom has a "Prepare Route" option that allows you to specify the departure point)and the ability to easily avoid a road when you start out (Tomtom has a "Find Alternative" option which allow 6 options such as "Avoid Roadblock", "Travel Via", "Calculate Alternative", etc.). Nuvi does have a "Detour" option that shows its alternatives to a selected route but they can only be selected, not tweeked by the user.
While it is not a big deal is seems like for the current price ($200) that the Nuvi could include a USB-to-miniUSB cable. After all this is not a $69 no-name GPS. And it is clear that Garmin/Nuvi expects you to hook up to a computer, there is software on the Nuvi so you can register your Nuvi at their website, also this is how you get your one free map update.
My wife and I were also both puzzled by one small Nuvi human factor mistake. We were trying to enter a numerical address (i.e 20th St) and after entering "20th" the Nuvi presented a two item list:
20th (Ave NE, Ave NW, Ave SE, Ave SW
20th Ave Ln NW
We were stumped for a while, where is 20th Street!! It turns out that you need to select "20th (Ave NE, Ave NW, Ave SE, Ave SW". After you do, you will be presented with all the "20th" options, including 20th Street.
Note that specifying "20th St" resulted on a "No matches found": error message! Garmin nüvi 1250 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
I got my 1260T from an authorized dealer on June 19 and used it along side of my 255 with MSN traffic. Because my MSN subscription would have to be renewed and maps upgraded soon, I thought buying a new GPS wouldn't cost much more and would give me a chance to get the latest bells and whistles. However, there aren't that many new bells and whistles to be had. I recommend reading the product description carefully. Unless the 1260T has what you consider a "can't-do-without"
feature not available on the 265T, I'd recommend taking advantage of the low prices for the 265T that can now had with the arrival the 1260T. In fact, that's what I did. I returned the 1260T and purchased the 265T saving more than 1/3 of the cost of the 1260T.
** On trips of 30 minutes or more, the 1260T initially reported arrival times that were 4 to 5 minutes earlier than the 255 over the same route. The 255's estimates were more appropriate. Someone on another forum told me that this would change as the 1260T learned my driving habits. It didn't happen in the 10 days I used the unit continuously.
** The 1260T's voices sound very thin compared to 2xx units, but it makes them easier to hear over road noise.
** Even though the GPS is now a mature product, the 1260T continues Garmin's practice of not having a QWERTY keyboard in 3.5" units.
** Even though the GPS is now a mature product, the 1260T does not allow for zip code entry.
** The speed indicator turns to magenta in the afternoon and red at night when speed exceeds the posted limit. Magenta is a terrible color for text.
** To erase favorites, one now goes to Settings / My Data
** The unit IS thinner than the 2xx series, but not "Oh, wow!" thin.
** The instructions from the 1260T and 255 are nearly identical. The estimates of distances to next turn are the same. The 1260T sometimes gives voice alerts 0.1 mile before the 255, say at 0.3 mile rather than 0.2 mile, but for the most part using both units is like listening in stereo.
** Emily now refers to "slip roads" rather than "ramps".
I did not experiment with the new pedestrian features. In terms of how it works in auto mode, I find nothing compelling over the 265T.
My wife is the world's biggest Garmin fan. Her Nuvi 350 was stolen recently and we replaced it with the 1260T. This looked like it was the top of the line for the smaller 3.5 inch units, which is the same size as the stolen unit.
As noted by another reviewer, the keyboard is not QWERTY. We purchased an iPod Touch recently and using that keyboard is easy and familiar. The Garmin though, with a straight across A, B, C, D, E, etc. layout takes more time and makes us look like it is our first day of typing class. There must be a reason Garmin did this but we're not happy about it.
Our Nuvi 350 came with a nice case. The 1260T does not. We are in the market for a case and plan to spend $10 to $20 for one, which then increases the price of this replacement purchase.
Overall the unit is the same as the Nuvi 350 but after three years we expected more of a "WOW" factor from the upgrade.
PUBLIC SERVICE NOTICE: We don't use the suction cup windshield mount and the old Nuvi 350 was hidden in the glovebox so the thieves got randomly lucky. We'll be taking it out of the car more often now (the 1260T is a little thinner so this is easier to do). A police friend told us thieves check the windshield for the "suction cup circle" and that's an indication the car uses a GPS. Just a word to the wise. - Garmin Gps - Directions - Garmin Nuvi - Garmin Nuvi 1350'
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