Garmin Nuvi 260

Garmin has announced a new member of the Nuvi 200 family, the Garmin Nuvi 260. Basically what you will get with the 260 when it becomes available later this month is a 250 with the addition of text to speech. So instead of an instruction like “turn left in 250 feet” it will say something like “turn left on Maple Avenue”. It is nice to see text to speech moving further down the product lineup, however I hope nobody pays close to the steep $500 MSRP price attached to the 260.

Like other devices in the series, the 260 will really excel for pedestrian use thanks to the “hold” switch at the top of the device that prevents accidental touch screen input if you put the device in your pocket. The small size and good battery life will also make this device an excellent choice for pedestrians.

In the box you get the Nuvi 260, suction cup mount, and a power cable for your car. Many people might want to pick up the optional AC power adapter for faster charges outside of the car. There is an SD card slot, however the maps and application are stored in an internal memory, so most people will probably never use that card slot. But if you want to add maps of locations not covered, an SD card pre-loaded with those maps is a great way to go.

The Garmin Nuvi 260 is also compatible with optional travel guides and the SaversGuide, and features the Garmin Lock anti-theft protection.