Click to see pictures of the Garmin nuvi 265WT

The Garmin Nuvi 265WT continues Garmin’s tradition of providing highly intuitive Personal Navigation Devices. It is the flagship device of the Garmin Nuvi 2x5 line which offers improvements over the previous 2x0 series but still offers a lot of features at reasonable prices. It’s compact and light yet provides a widescreen 4.3-inch diagonal measure screen with 480 x 272 pixel resolution so images are clear and easy to read. The screen’s brightness can be adjusted and, as with other contemporary PND devices, maps switch automatically from day to night colors making for easy viewing.

Among the Nuvi 265WT’s strongest points is the FM traffic receiver which is housed in the car charger. It comes with lifetime free traffic information utilizing the Navteq Traffic Network. This system provides audible prompts when there’s upcoming traffic or you can tap the traffic icon on the map to display color coded traffic along your route. The only caveat associated with the service is that it is supported by advertising so when stopped it likely that you’ll be presented with an advertiser’s name and icon. To its credit, advertising doesn’t appear while driving.

Garmin’s HotFix feature automatically calculates and stores satellite information for faster acquisition. It also features a “Where Am I” function that that will give you your current location as well as the nearest address and intersection and the closest hospital, police station and gas station to your current location.

Operating the device is simple with the main menu displaying just two options: Where to? and View Map. The touchscreen is responsive and features predictive text so entering destinations is a snap. You can start a trip by entering an address or by selecting a location from your Favorites or Recently Found indices. It has a large data base for Points of Interest (POI) including gas stations, hotels, and restaurants) and you can add custom POIs on the fly. It is also compatible with MSN Direct which will help you obtain location based information like weather and movie times. There is a fee for that service.

The Nuvi 265WT has Bluetooth wireless capability so you can use it for hands free phone calling in conjunction with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. It automatically synchronizes your phone’s contact list and call history for ease of use. The device also has the Garmin Lock antitheft feature, a calculator, clock and currency and measurement converters.

The Nuvi 265WT may well pack the most bang for the buck than any portable GPS device on the market today.