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Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Model number: NUVI205WHIT | SKU: 8795422

Use this small portable GPS navigator and personal travel assistant to find your way wherever the road takes you. The turn-by-turn voice directions help you to find your desired location easily.

Average Customer Rating:

4.7 out of 5 (11 Reviews)

11 of 11 (100%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Review 1 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Amazing GPS for the Price! 10/31/2009
By Etymomel from California

What's great about it: The price and almost everything else!
What's not so great: Need better way to notify user what mode (car/pedestrian/bike) unit is in

"I needed a new GPS unit as my Dell Axim GPS was getting flaky. I read some reviews, determined what features we wanted, and went for the Garmin Nuvi 205, for which we paid $125. That's one of the lowest prices we found for any GPS unit. So we figured this one was going to be extremely basic. We read, of course, about its features, but it's not easy to assess an item simply by reading about its features. So we did not have terribly high expectations.

On receiving the unit, we were impressed with its compact size but large, easily-readable touch screen. We were a bit disappointed that it did not come with a USB cable to connect it to a PC (it did come with a car charging cable, however). So we immediately ordered the USB cable and a "house" charger. We highly recommend that you do so. They came together as a package, available from the Garmin web site store.

Luckily, the unit fit into the CaseLogic case we'd been using with the Dell Axim. We played around with the Nuvi, and we were quite happy with the ease of use, the unit's speaker volume, and the car mounting hardware, which is incredibly easy to use. The display is bright and clear, and while this unit does not speak the names of streets, it gives you the name of the next street in the display, along with the direction in which you're to turn on that street.

This unit has three modes: car, pedestrian, and bicycle. My only complaint about this is that it is difficult to tell what mode you're in as the only on-board symbol the unit has is a car. We'd had the unit in pedestrian mode, but then forgot, so when we were using it to drive somewhere, it was giving us odd routes and drive times. We finally realized the problem and switched modes, but providing a bicycle symbol and a pedestrian symbol, in addition to the car symbol (which is always present unless you download different symbols) would be nice. However, speaking of downloading, there are special map systems available for download from the Garmin web site (or you can order them on DVD). They seem a bit pricey (around $99), but if you want maps of hiking trails in the Western U.S., for example, they are available!

The big bonus that we discovered with this unit is that it has a search feature that allows you to search for points of interest, intersections, cities, and coordinates. Under the "points of interest" menu, your options are to spell the name of the place you want to find, or you can choose from categories such as "food," "fuel," "transit," "lodging," "shopping," "bank/atm," "parking," "entertainment," "recreation," "attractions," "hospitals," "community," and "auto services." When we first explored this feature, we were on our way to a friend's house about 50 miles away, but about half way there we realized we needed to stop at a specific chain store to purchase something. We spelled the name of the chain, and the Nuvi gave us three or four options in the area where we were located at that moment! The Dell Axim GPS didn't have that feature! This was as good as the Hertz "Neverlost" systems we'd used in rental cars. We were directed to the nearest store, where we were able to get what we needed and continue on our way.

Overall this is an excellent unit, especially for the price. Do check the features list and make sure it has the features and capabilities you want. We are extremely happy with it!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 2 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Really great GPS 07/15/2009
By Annabells from Owatonna, MN

Value for Price

4.0 5

Durability

3.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Easy to use, works great
What's not so great: If you dont have the exact address it only gives you a close by spot

"I really enjoy this product. It easy to use and it helps me find places without having to stop and ask for directions, or use a map. If I am in heavy traffic I can still know where I am going with using a distracting map.

If you are on streets that are new, it wont direct you around them, cause it doesnt know them. Or if you are going to a place and you dont have the exact address it cant direct you right to it.
But over all it is a great GPS and I really use it alot."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 3 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Best $99 Purchase I Ever Made 07/10/2009
By WallyWorld from Ohio

Value for Price

5.0 5

Durability

5.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

3.0 5

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What's great about it: Best GPS User Interface, Ease of Use, Downloadable Extras, Stylish Colors
What's not so great: No Text-To-Speech, Lacking High-End Features, No USB Cable or Home Charger

"I recently purchased the Nuvi 205 in Pearl White after debating whether or not to wait for the new Nuvi 1200 to fall in price. The Nuvi 205 was available for $99 while the Nuvi 1200 just came onto the market for $199.99. I decided not to fork over another $100 and bought the 205, which has been on the market for a little less than a year.

Great decision! The 205 is a significant upgrade over the 200 and has a faster processor plus a cleaner interface. The upcoming turn arrow is money, plus it now has a Speed Limit feature. Also Garmin uses Navteq Maps which is superior to the TeleAtlas Maps that TomTom uses. I also like Garmin better than Magellan because the entry-level Nuvi's look more stylish than comparable RoadMates. The 205 is small and can fit in a shirt or pant pocket on the go. The internal antenna was good, and reception was rarely a problem. Also, I always got where I needed to go, so the NUVI has been 100% accurate so far.

Some shortfalls of the 205 include a limited feature set. No MP3 player, Bluetooth capability or traffic alerts. But that's OK, I didn't need those features. Text-To-Speech would have been nice, but I didn't want to pay $150 for the 255. I realized that even though TTS is useful, it's definitely NOT essential since the 205 alerts you when to turn, and you can easily look at the street name on the screen.

My only real problem is that sometimes when you want to take the freeway, if you are far away from it the Nuvi will not direct you towards a freeway entrance. Both the Fastest time or Shortest Distance may exclude using the Freeway route. The only way to get past this is to drive until you get closer to the Freeway, at which point the GPS will re-calculate and use the Freeway as a suggested route. The problem is, if I knew which direction the freeway was I wouldn't need GPS help to get there, LOL. Bottom line, it's useful to keep a Road Atlas in the car, just in case you need to a reference to find major interstates/highways.

Overall I highly recommend the Nuvi 205. I personally like the White color, and for $99 it was a steal. I will probably buy the Nuvi 1200 in a few months when the price goes down, because it has an improved Pedestrian Mode which really comes in handy, but for now this will get me where I need to go. Cannot imagine how I drove for so long without a Nuvi!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 4 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

You get what you pay for. 01/04/2009
By SilentRich from Fort Myers, FL

Value for Price

3.0 5

Durability

5.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

3.0 5

What's great about it: It's accurate, garmin has a large online community, comes loaded with 2009 maps, tools to add POI's
What's not so great: No TTS, it's a garmin so it's more expensive,map updates need to be upped to a year after purchase not 60 days

"First off I paid $169.99 for this unit which is a little expensive compared to others such as Navigon and MIO which offers many more features for the price. With that said what you get with Garmin is a regularly updated website, fun downloads like voices and vehicles for free, you can send POI's from google maps to the Nuvi, software to add your own points of interest files from other websites which makes a GPS much more valuable, a large community of Garmin users which makes it hacker friendly. Was it worth the extra money to buy a Garmin? I would have to say yes. The only problem with garmin is that you have to pay for new map updates after 60 days from the day you turn on your GPS. But with a little internet searching there's a community that will help you around this. Overall very satisfied and glad I bought a garmin."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 5 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Can't Complain 11/12/2008
By Mike483 from Jersey

Value for Price

5.0 5

Durability

4.0 5

Ease of Use

4.0 5

Features

2.0 5

What's great about it: It does the job for a great price. Great battery life too
What's not so great: It doesn't have a lot of the features some of the more expensive ones have that are nice.

"For the money this is a great buy. If you're on a budget this is the GPS for you. The only flaw is that it doesn't have as many features as some of the more expensive ones but if you want to get around then this works great."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 6 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

gREAT 10/24/2008
By LTMAV21

Value for Price

4.0 5

Durability

4.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

"Works great. will not get lost with it. Price is right for the money and the small size is a nice touch."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 7 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Product 10/21/2008
By cam10 from Memphis, TN

Value for Price

5.0 5

Durability

5.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Size and clarity of the voice commands
What's not so great: Wish it spoke street name to turn on

"I have zero sense of direction. I am always lost. I bought this to use around the city and this has been my best purchase ever. It gives clear, concise directions. The screen is easy to read. I have found no difficulty finding the signal. It shows all the streets in the city. The only thing that could have made this more perfect would have been if it spoke the name of the street to turn on. It shows it on the screen and tells me when to turn so it does it's job. For less than 200.00 this GPS is great. I don't think I would ever need one that does more than what this one does. I recommend this to everyone."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 8 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Best for your money 10/14/2008
By buddhabelly from Charlotte, NC

Value for Price

5.0 5

Durability

5.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Very easy to use

"This GPS is very easy to use and is durable. Compared to the other GPS systems, the garmin is ready for anyone to pick up and follow directions. The icons on the front page allow you to navigate the system with no problems at all."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 9 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Love it! 10/03/2008
By bar50 from Northern VA

Value for Price

5.0 5

Durability

5.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: easy to use
What's not so great: doesn't announce street names

"I put off buying a GPS because I just didn't know which one to buy that was under $200. I chose this one. I'm very happy with my purchase. I love it for going to yard sales and vacations."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 10 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

I love this gps! 09/15/2008
By whitnic

Value for Price

4.0 5

Durability

4.0 5

Ease of Use

5.0 5

Features

4.0 5

What's great about it: Great buy! Must have!

"This was a great buy! It is so easy to use. I love all the features, 3d mapping & the pearl white. Battery life is great too!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 11 for Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS - Pearl White

Customer Rating

5.0 5

CUTE EASY AND QUICK 07/25/2008
By Anonymous from Fullerton, CA

What's great about it: EASY TO USE
What's not so great: N/A

"The garmin is so easy to use and affordable. The real time traffic is awesome. I love white and I was given the white one as a gift. Super easy one time set up. Awesome how the "where am i" feature is almost accurate. The touch buttons have enough space between them so you dont have to worry about touching other buttons. Location security is really nice."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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