Garmin nüvi 1250T 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

Review Garmin nüvi 1250T 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

I don’t own the Garmin nuvi 1250T, but I have played around with the demo version at Best Buy. It’s very awesome. I like how compact, convenient, and thin it is.

Features:

I like the new menu interface, especially where I use the finger to swipe up/down the screen instead of touching the arrows at the bottom of the screen, so it’s much less tedious to scroll. Also, what’s new is that on the map screen, I can even switch between the arrival time, current time, distance to destination, elevation, and the approximate time to destination by touching the lower-left corner of the screen. I even like how it displays the speed limit in the lower-right corner, so I don’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket and ask pedestrians “what’s the speed limit?”

Besides the menu interface and the map screen, it speaks the street names louder than the older models, so it’ll say something like “in 0.2 mile, turn right on SE Anderson Rd” louder. I like how it speaks the street names so I don’t have to take my eyes off the road, and it’s even great for cities where the roads are very close to each other. Therefore, whenever I buy a GPS device, I’ll definitely buy one that speaks the street names out loud. You should definitely get one that speaks the street names if you travel a lot.

I also heard that this device comes w/ a traffic receiver and the free lifetime traffic too, so I don’t have to order another separate traffic receiver from garmin.com and keep paying /yr to renew my traffic subscription. Plus, I heard from somebody that you don’t need to use a computer to install traffic status on this device, so you just simply connect the traffic receiver to the device to get the free traffic status. The voices that speak the street names can also announce the traffic alerts out loud, but the basic voice prompts that don’t speak the street names don’t announce that.

This device also has the ecoRoute, which helps me save gas and money!!! How I make it work is that I just program the current gas price and the city/highway gas mileages of my car into the device, and it’ll automatically calculate the fuel cost to get to a destination. I can also go to the setting menu and then select “less fuel” under Route Preference if I want the most fuel-efficient route.

Not only those features, this thing even has millions of points of interests like restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters, theme parks, museums, airports, gas stations, and schools!!!!!!!! However, you wanna be aware that some points of interests may be outdated. Update your GPS maps once a year if you want the most up-to-date points of interests, and every time you update your maps costs about , so that’ll cost you only about .50/mo to update your maps. You can buy map updates (either in the micro SD card format or DVD format) at Best Buy or download through garmin.com.

But here are some minor issues:

-No QWERTY keyboard, but it takes me a while to get used to the ABC format, although I can type very fast with the QWERTY keyboard on my laptop. If I want one w/ the QWERTY keyboard, I’ll have to buy the one w/ the 4.3″ screen (the nuvi 1350T), which costs 0 more than this one.
-No lane assist (must buy the nuvi 1350T).
-No bluetooth (I don’t need that unless I have to deal w/ people at my job and family situations).

Overall, this is a great device that can help you go to places w/o asking people for directions. It really saves you time, money, gas, paper, life, and it even relieves a lot of your stress!!! I’ll give it an overall grade of A- since it has some minor issues I mentioned above.

If you’re gonna buy a good, helpful GPS without spending too much money, this is the kind you should buy. They sell it at Best Buy for 0.

Hope this review’s helpful.

Garmin nüvi 1250T 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Details

  • With its enhanced pedestrian navigation capabilities, nüvi 1250T is the perfect travel companion for getting around town.
  • Twenty-five percent slimmer than other nüvis, you can take the ultra-thin 1250T anywhere. It easily fits in your pocket or purse, and its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot.
  • Steer clear of traffic with nüvi 1250T’s integrated FM traffic receiver and free lifetime traffic updates. Receive alerts about traffic delays and road construction that lie ahead on your route.

Garmin nüvi 1250T 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic Specifications
The nüvi 1250T GPS navigator features an ultra-slim design that fits easily in your pocket (approximately 25% thinner than previous models), enhanced user interface, ecoRoute, public transit mode, and text-to-speech. The nüvi 1200 series also are the first nüvi devices to offer pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps, which are available for select tourist destinations in North America and Europe and can easily be downloaded directly to the nüvi. The nüvi’s enhanced user interface features improved graphics and a new slide control for menu operation, while ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel. Also, Garmin’s new public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems. Pre-loaded with City Navigator North America NT.

An ultra-thin GPS navigator with great Garmin features like CityXplorer and ecoRoute. Click to enlarge.

Just over a half-inch thick. Click to enlarge.

Easy-to-use touchscreen interface. Click to enlarge.

Garmin greets you with two simple questions: “Where to?” and “View Map.” This screen is central to every navigation function and route-planning tool. Simply plug and play. Click to enlarge.

The device announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Click to enlarge.

Thin New Design
The nüvi units are just over a half-inch thick and weigh only 4 ounces, which means they’ll fit easily into your pocket and can be taken just about anywhere.

See More
With nüvi 1250T’s display, you’ll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, bright 3.5-inch diagonal color display with white backlight is easy to read–from any direction.

Easy-to-Use Touchscreen Interface
One of Garmin’s core beliefs is to continually enhance the simplicity of the user experience. The nüvi on-screen menus are logically arranged, with clearly labeled, colorful icons, making it easy to enter data and get to the information you need quickly.

Navigate with Ease
The nüvi 1250T comes ready to go right out of the box, with pre-loaded City Navigator North America NT street maps and millions of points of interest (POIs), such as hotels, restaurants, fuel stations, ATMs, and more, with map data provided by NAVTEQ, a world leader in premium-quality mapping. Enter a destination on the touchscreen, and nüvi takes you there with 2-D or 3-D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. Text to speech enhances standard sat-nav voice guidance by speaking the names of places and roads. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. In addition, nüvi 1250T accepts custom points of interest, such as school zones and safety cameras, and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs.

Travel North America
With nearly 6 million points of interest and detailed road coverage for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, City Navigator North America NT delivers all the data you need to navigate North America.

  • Displays nearly 6 million points of interest–hotels, restaurants, parking, entertainment, fuel, shopping, and more.
  • Includes highways, interstates, business, and residential roads in metropolitan and rural areas.
  • Includes such detailed information as turn restrictions, roundabout guidance, speed categories, and other navigation features.
  • Gives turn-by-turn directions on your compatible Garmin device.
  • Includes postal code support for Canada.
  • Contains traffic data for compatible Garmin devices that use traffic receivers.
  • Enhances pronunciation data for compatible Garmin devices that speak street names (example: “Turn right on Main Street”).

Pedestrian Navigation
With the Public Transit feature, you can navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems with optional CityXplorer content. Downloadable CityXplorer data and city guides are available for purchase and download from garmin.com for many cities.

Where Am I?
Keep track of yourself and your car with nüvi 1250T. 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. The nüvi 1250T even remembers where you parked. It automatically marks your position when you remove it from the windshield mount, so you can navigate with nüvi on foot and find your way back to your vehicle. Perfect for unfamiliar spots and crowded lots, such as amusement parks, stadiums, and malls.

HotFix Satellite Prediction
Garmin’s HotFix capability automatically calculates and stores satellite locations, greatly reducing satellite acquisition time so that you can turn the unit on and get going. With HotFix, your nüvi 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. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to three days after the device was last turned off.

ecoRoute
With this feature, drivers can view suggestions for fuel-efficient navigation, conserving both money and fuel:

  • Save Gas and Money–Now more than ever, we’re all looking for ways to conserve both money and fuel. Whether we’re taking fewer trips or carpooling with family and friends, saving resources is a top priority. It was that thinking that led to the creation of ecoRoute–Garmin’s free software update for compatible nüvi products that allows you to find more fuel-efficient routes when navigating and even track their fuel usage. With ecoRoute, you may be able to save gas and money by adopting smarter driving habits.
  • Select Fuel-efficient Routes–With ecoRoute, you have a “less fuel” option as a routing preference. When selected, nüvi will determine if more fuel-efficient routes exist based upon road speed data and vehicle acceleration data for a given route.
  • Get Fuel and Mileage Reports–Through ecoRoute’s Fuel Report and Mileage Report, you can focus on your habits even when you’re not behind the wheel. Fuel Report tracks fuel usage over time, and Mileage Report monitors mileage and fuel usage on a per-trip basis. In addition, Mileage Report makes it easy for business travelers to keep track of distance traveled for company reimbursements. You’ll have a detailed report for each trip and the miles driven. You also can customize your nüvi by entering your car’s fuel economy and the current price of gas.

Avoid Traffic Tie-ups with the GTM 25
The GTM 25 provides North America traffic information to compatible Garmin GPS navigators. Using this data, your device alerts you to local traffic tie-ups and displays current traffic levels. The receiver also acts as an in-vehicle power charger. Traffic provided by NAVTEQ Traffic.

Navigate by Photo with Garmin Connect Photos.

Search for locations on Google Maps or Mapquest, then transfer the addresses directly to your Garmin GPS navigator.

Navigate by Photo with Garmin Connect Photos
Using Garmin’s Connect Photos Web site, you 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+, and Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.

Take It with You
The nüvi 1250T sports a sleek, slim design and fits comfortably in your pocket or purse. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery makes it convenient for navigation by car or foot.

Additional Features

  • Speed limit indicator–unit displays speed limits for most major roads
  • DEM maps show you shaded terrain contours at zoom levels of five miles and above.
  • Auto time zone automatically adjusts your time zone while navigating.
  • Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time, and more.
  • Built-in travel kit includes such features as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, and calculator.
  • microSD memory card expansion slot allows for optional mapping and data storage.
  • Includes Garmin Lock anti-theft feature.
  • Configurable vehicle icons allows users to select fun, customized car-shaped icons; download additional choices from www.garmingarage.com.
  • Offers a 3-D mapping perspective or 2-D overhead view.
  • Unit dimensions: 3.7 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches (W x H x D); Weight: 4 ounces
  • Built-in lithium-ion battery lasts up to four hours, depending on usage.
  • Includes sturdy suction cup mount that allows for easy adjustment and quick release.
  • Simplified PC connectivity, using USB mass storage, access either the microSD card slot or the unit’s internal memory directly from your PC desktop.
  • POI loader program lets you set up proximity alerts for school zones, create custom POIs, and more.

What’s in the Box
nüvi 1250T preloaded with City Navigator North America NT, Vehicle suction cup mount, Traffic receiver (GTM 25) with lifetime traffic,Vehicle power cable, Dashboard disc and Quick start manual

Which nüvi is Best for You?

Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations.

Device
Screen Size inches (W x H)
Included Maps
Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names)
Traffic
Bluetooth
Media
FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system)
Multi-Point Routing
Battery life (hours)
Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
AK and Canada
Europe
nüvi 205 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 205w 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 255 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 255w 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 260w 3.81 x 2.25
 
Photos
up to 5
nüvi 265T 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 265WT 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 275T 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 285WT 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free);
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 465T 3.81 x 2.25
FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 755T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 760 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 5
nüvi 765T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 775T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 780 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 5
nüvi 785T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 850 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 855 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 885T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos, MP3s
up to 4
nüvi 1200 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1250 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1260T 2.8 x 2.1
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1300 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1350 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1350T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1370T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1390T 3.81 x 2.25
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1490T 4.4 x 2.5
MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic)
Photos
up to 4
nüvi 1690 3.81 x 2.25
NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service)
Photos
up to 4

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