Garmin 2555LMT Portable Navigator Lifetime
What prompted my purchase of the Garmin Nuvi 2555LMT specifically was one, my familiarity with Garmin, and two, the lifetime map and traffic updates. I have two older Garmin units on which I have not updated the maps for a number of years due to the cost of $80/ year.
This unit has easy to navigate screens and provides information which is easy to absorb with a quick glance. The "Lane Navigator" is one of my favorite features. It lets me know if the exit is a right or left exit and how many lanes are used for the exit. The photo realistic view actually looks very similar to the exit lanes themselves!
The traffic feature is also a great feature, but has a minor bug or two. I found myself approaching a very recent accident and an alert appeared on the GPS, which I thought was rather impressive. In other cases, the traffic alert has indicated slow traffic ahead, which has typically been the case, but other times has already cleared up. Yesterday, the traffic alert called out a traffic jam with a one minute delay: the jam may well have been longer than that by the time I got to it. There was enough warning that I was able to re-route without any issues. I recently found myself in a very long line of traffic jam. I chose not to re-route, but it was nice to know about how many miles the jam was.
I just bought this and I love it. I like the voice activated command. A fun part is that you can customize the vehicle that shows on your screen. Garmingarage has tons to choose from. They also have custom voices as well. Just plain fun. The real reason I bought it was for the new junction views. They are so much better than the old ones especially if you are in a congested area where the roads get confusing. This is a big step forward for GPS. With the bluetooth too and lifetime maps and traffic, this is a great price for a great unit.
ReplyDeleteWhy I bought a Garmin Nuvi 2595LMT.
ReplyDeleteI have owned many voice command systems in my car from both Magellan and Garmin. I use my gps in my car and in my truck when pulling my 5th wheel. I had a Magellan Maestro 4050 with voice command since 2008 and decided to look around for a new one with a few more bells and whistles. I spent a week solid reading reviews and was ready to buy a Nuvi 3490LMT but kept on reading about software issues and after trying on at BestBuy didn't see it worth $400 for a few additional features.
With that in mind I looked back to Magellan Roadmaster 1700 and a 4700 and even the 5175 Traveller and just couldn't find one that had the features I wanted.
So back to Garmin I looked and found out that The Nuvi 2595LMT had everything I like and needed and was $150 less than the NUVI 3490LMT.
What I liked in the Nuvi 2595LMT
5" screen
Voice Commands
Speaks street names, turn by turn
One button to save and name a location.
Free map and traffic for life
Highway Lane selection
Highway Exit enhancement
Highway speed for that highway
Speed limit exceeded notice
Pedestrian mode
Can change icons and voices
Has maps for most of Mexico
Select multiple routes and not just one
You can add coordinates in for a route which I use a lot.
And the great price from Amazon which I have bought many items from and has a great return policy.
I will turn off Bluetooth because I already have it in my car and truck stereo systems and to save battery when in pedestrian mode on battery.
What I don't like
Nothing yet about the unit.
I hate users who write rviews before they read the manual and learn how to use their unit.
Then complain how the unit doesn't do this or that and the unit does> All they have to do is take the time a read and learn.
I'm sure I will get a lot of negitive remarks to my statement but it really bothers me when the problem is the human factor.
With that said I almust add that yes firmware updates are always needed as minor bugs are found and what I see is Garmin in on top of this or they wouldn't be in business long.
First, I want to say this unit is not perfect. Second, I only used the unit for a total of 10 weeks. It does a very good job of getting me to where I got to go 99% of the time and the last 1% is in the vicinity of the addresses where a little common sense picks up the slack to the destinations. My occupation involves delivering home and residential fuel products. I average 10 to 15 stops a day and 75% of them being out in the boonies. I picked this one because I had the need to enter addresses into a GPS unit efficiently. I tried a Garmin model a couple of years ago where you also talked to it and it was worthless. This one gets them entered right 90% of the time on the first try, and another 5% on the second try. The location of where you fasten the unit makes a difference of how well it responds to your commands. Some trucks I can mount it on a secured flat plastic disc near the front of the dashboard. Sometimes, I had to put it on the windshield up high and sometimes down near the dashboard. I enter information verbally while the truck engine is running. Yes, to give it the best shot of getting it right, I turn the radio off and I will reduce the noise in the cab by turning the heater down to the low setting. If if doesn't pick it up on the first try, I will sometimes cup my hand partially around the backside of the unit to help it along if mounted on the dashboard. Yes there are times when I have to just type the number and name of the street and let it do its thing. Compared to the TOM TOM 540 I bought a few months earlier which did not receive voice commands, this is a blessing. Unless I was doing something wrong with the TOM TOM, it would not let me enter the number and street before the city which made it totally worthless for my application because I need to locate addresses in little towns which were sometimes not listed properly on the paperwork.
ReplyDeleteThe issue I read about in the reviews concerning the low volume when using the Bluetooth connection for phone conversation is definitely true. I do hope they can fix this with an update to the unit due to the fact that truck drivers can no longer use a cell phone while driving.
As with any electronic device there are some duds made and usually on a percentage basis, only the people with the complaints take the time to comment compared to the satisfied consumers in relationship to the amount of sales of the item.
I feel the unit is very fast in general compared to the TOM TOM and the other 5 units I tried before.
So in retrospect I am one of the satisfied customers even at the price I paid to own it. In my view, the small negative elements that do exist with this unit are far outweighed by the good concerning my usage of this device.
I purchased a Nuvi 2595LMT mainly to replace my old Garmin Street Pilot which was one of the best GPS portables out there for many years. My reasons for purchasing the Nuvi 2595LMT were for the free map updates and voice recognition. This is a totally hands free unit but also has a easy to use touch screen. The voice recognition works far better than I expected having use VR on many other products. No learning process for the unit and being an ole southern boy, it recognizes my commands, verging on a 100% accuracy. That's better than my wife, lol.
ReplyDeleteThe 5" dia. screen read out and format are easy to read. This unit's functionality is very intuitive. It has an onboard user's manual which I really have not needed. With the 8 gig internal memory and Mini-SD slot it has more than enough space available for future use. With Bluetooth, VR and its many other features it is one complete unit. I do wish the battery life (2.5 hrs.) was a little longer, but considering that this is a little 5" monitor/mini computer, you shouldn't expect but so much. I highly recommend this unit for all types of users.
Being non-technically minded I had feared getting a GPS. A few friends were happy with theirs. I thought if only there was a good voice command unit , and it had a large, clear screen. Of course it had to be easy enough for me to use. I decided to contact Garmin directly. Garmin offered great buyer assistance. The nuvi2595LMT appeared to be the suitable GPS for a senior citizen who feared sophisticated technology. The operational booklet seemed a bit daunting at first. After trying the 2595LMT out just a few times a few easily answered questions came to mind. The booklet became easy to comprehend. The 2595LMT became easy to use after three short uses. I wouldn't go anywhere without it. I and my co-driver love it.
ReplyDeleteMost of the reviews here are for the 2595, not the 2555 that I purchased. I didn't need voice activation or bluetooth so the 2555 is just fine for me.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the reviewer that says it is slow to find where you are. I am a long-time Garmin user and I think it is light years faster than my old Nuvi model. Although some of the new features are a little difficult to get used to I still think this unit deserves the highest marks. The larger screen alone makes it worth an upgrade from an older unit.
It's also great to have lifetime maps and traffic upgrades. Again, that gives this model high marks. My favorite feature on the 2555 is the categorization of places you would like to go. For example, on my old unit I used to have search for and then type in "REST A" to find the next rest area on my route. With the 2555 "Rest Area" is a category and therefore only a couple of button presses away.
In summary, I am a happy consumer who is enjoying the new features that Garmin has added to it's new 2012 line of GPSs. Well worth the upgrade!
ReplyDelete