Review on Garmin nüvi 205 Portable GPS Navigator - Compact 3.5-Inch Device by Harwinder Duong

I've had the Nuvi 205 for about six weeks and use it several times a week. I also have a Nuvi 200 that I have owned for a little over a year. I decided to buy a new 205 instead of a 200 card upgrade because the 205 was only $118. Since I have both devices, this will be something of a comparison test. For the most part I like Garmin's user interface and they've made some improvements to the 205. The speed limit information is very handy, and it's nice that the zoom in/out "buttons" are now next to each other. I like to constantly display the road I'm on. It also finds satellites faster than the Nuvi 200. The suction cup mount has been greatly improved and the rubber cap itself is softer and stickier. The mount for my 200 often lost suction and fell off the windshield. The Garmin literature touts the new faster 205 processor, which can render the map more fluidly. That seems true, but it's also like technology for technology's sake, and it actually made the device more difficult to use. This is especially true in situations where a destination has been entered. Each time the vehicle approaches a turn along the calculated route, the display begins to zoom, presumably to show more detail. Unfortunately, the scaling is done in such a way that the upcoming turn stays a fixed distance ahead of the current (on-screen) position. The vehicle appears to have stopped, especially when there is little detail on the map that gives a visual signal that the display is zooming in. Once the zoom stops, the map pans quickly. When I first used the 205 I missed a few corners because I didn't think I was very close to an intersection and then suddenly the intersection was behind me. Even now that I'm used to it, I double-check the map with the distance to the turnoff. I've never had to do that with the Nuvi 200. Other nitpicks ================* The Nuvi 205 gets lost more often when I'm downtown. Buildings seem to confuse him while 200 has no problem. * The detour is sometimes confusing after missing a turn. Once he sent me two miles down a couple of streets to turn around at a dead end and then repeat my route. I don't know if that's the case with the 200 because I didn't miss any corners with it. * The LCD is not as good as the Nuvi 200 with lower contrast and viewing angles. no worse than the Nuvi 200, probably because it now has a faster processor.* It doesn't show the compass heading when following a calculated route. Instead, the current speed is displayed. Every car has a speedometer, but not many have a compass. I don't actually need confirmation of my speed, but I would like to know my current course.* Searching the POI database is often so slow that it cannot be used. This is not new for the 205. For example, yesterday I had extra time after an errand and wanted to find a Toyota dealership to look at a new car. There are a few Toyota dealers in KC, but I didn't know which dealers were nearby, so I just typed "Toyota". Five minutes later he had no results. If you know the exact name (e.g. Superior Toyota) the search speed is reasonable, but this limits its usefulness. My Garmin Feedback:=====================* When showing turns on calculated routes, simply zoom in once or twice when approaching a turn, instead of enlarging Continuous continuous zoom that sometimes gives the impression that the car is not approaching the upcoming curve.* Use the best LCD screen. * Improve your POI search or create more categories. * When displaying the calculated route, make the bottom left button/display user configurable. It currently shows speed, and touching that area of the screen will bring up all sorts of navigation information (including compass heading). The user should be able to touch any item on this screen and this will be the new value displayed in the lower left corner of the main screen.* Draw the main roads with thinner lines. Sometimes roads are drawn with lines so thick that important details are hidden.