UPDATE (12/14/2008):
The first review that I wrote about the Nuvi 200 on 9/18/2008 was just a few days after I bought the Nuvi. No doubt, that review was inadequate. I was excited about its user-friendliness, but feared that preloaded maps may pose a problem. However, I have used the Nuvi 200 for more than 3 months now and I can now say more about how it works and its shortcomings.
In spite of its low price and excellent user interface, the Nuvi 200 is not a navigational system I will recommend, if one is looking for a very reliable, non-confusing direction while driving in unknown areas. It does not tell you names of roads, but simply says turn left or turn right, when there may be multiple rights or lefts you could make at complex intersections. More so, sometimes, when you are supposed to keep straight, it tells you to turn left if there was a right exit. Other times, it tells you turn left or turn right simply because the road bends. These have been quite confusing sometimes, when certain gps systems will tell you to keep straight on the road you are already traveling on. Again, it doesn't specify which road/street it wants you to turn to. It just tells you to turn left or turn right. This has made me take too many wrong turns. Another major problem is that the voice instruction, sometimes, is not at sync with the actual road map or the road network itself. For example, there have been numerous occasions where I was well past a junction I was supposed to turn on, before it told me to make the turn, making it necessary for me to make a U-turn or follow its re-routing prompts, which usually take longer. I have also found that I need to closely follow the on-screen map, and not to rely on the voice instructions, which have come several seconds too late too many times.
The Nuvi 200 does not pick many side roads. So, when you are coming out from a large complex or minor road, it doesn't tell or show you how to get out from the area, unto the major streets it shows on the on-screen map. In fact, it can tell you to turn left or turn right or continue on the major road that you may not know how to get to in the first instance. This same shortcoming has also made the system to tell me several times that I had reached my destination at the middle of some busy highways, while my real destinations were on the minor streets around, sometimes up to one-half of a mile away.
If I had not had the Garmin Nuvi 200 for more than 30 days, I would have returned it and bought a more reliable system, even if it required paying extra. Here's my advice: a cheap gps like the Garmin Nuvi 200 can cause you some serious headaches if you are driving in unknown areas. Remember, you get what you pay for. The Nuvi works well finding straight-forward addresses, but don't expect too much from the Nuvi 200 if you are looking for an address within a hospital complex, a college campus, or in the countryside (Nwankama).
Prior Review (9/18/2008), entitled "Preloaded Maps Create Problem":
The compact design of the Garmin Nuvi 200 makes it very portable and this is really commendable. Even more so, is its user-friendliness. The operation of the device is quite easy even for a "cave man." The Garmin Nuvi 200 offers fairly accurate directions, even more than some built-in high-priced navigation systems in many vehicles. In addition, the Garmin Nuvi 200 offers very travel-friendly features like travel guides and foreign language dictionaries. In essence, the Garmin nüvi 200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator is quite great for its price. However, in areas that have new construction and new traffic patterns (and there are quite a bit of them all accross the US), the Garmin nüvi 200 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator poses a problem as the preloaded map can't easily be upgraded without having to replace the entire system [Nwankama Nwankama]
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This does help with finding new places, although maps/mapquest are still good to have. We found having the address helped, as looking up a restaurant meant sifting through lots of little ones and two defunct ones were at the same location as a new restaurant that didn't come up; the address got us there though. I also wondered at how some of the entries were put in, cryptic entries, initials, etc. that had me wondering if the unit had been returned or reconditioned, but I couldn't erase them so I guess not.
We got ours at Office Depot for a special price of $129 plus tax. We had no trouble getting the 2009 downloads for free online after registration, although we had to have the right cable to connect to the laptop (thanks to Dad, who'd salted away a useful phone cord). Trying to get a free mailed upgrade from a customer service rep might be subject to their individual knowledge.
It does not come with a case but we found the black slipin with pink inside at Walmart, great and I think they have it here for less, or the all-black version. We also bought a dashboard holder for $45 (also cheaper here I think) because we live in CA and they don't let you put it on the windshield. Easily transferable to our other vehicles using the holder.
I like it, but it can lead you astray and also take your attention from the road. It will recalculate if you go off course. We practiced using it some places we go to see what it would do (like taking us on three right turns instead of left to the Posey tube in Alameda) so we pretty much know what to expect. I'd recommend doing that to see how good it is. We were pleasantly surprised to have it navigate a new complicated interchange in Milpitas where mere humans often can't figure out which exit to take / lane to stay in. In the boonies it might be more interesting, but there you should have a map and a clue. And supplies.
We now put it in the mode where we see the next turn on the left side of the screen, but can read the next three on the right side - in big enough print to see & far enough in advance - otherwise we were told to turn left when we were stuck in the straight lane, we must have missed the small memo at the top which is hard to see while looking where you are going.
Overall good, but I like maps for exploring or trip travel, or detours - which it will do, but I'd like to see on a map. This little guy will keep you pointed in the right direction on a trip and come up with food, gas stations, etc. along the way, which is pretty cool. Also very handy when you know where the hotel is, but you're coming from a completely different direction.
Be sure you do not leave it in the car, or leave the holder, cord or suction cup/mark on the window visible; it's a target for thieves.
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