Introduction
The Garmin Nuvi 270 is the firms answer to an affordable transatlantic version of the widely known Nuvi models. This particular model is preloaded with North American and European maps, thus all your travel destinations are packed into this small yet powerful handheld navigator. It’s not surprising why the Nuvi’s are so popular among new and veteran GPS consumers, this piece of technology will not only get you to your desired location without getting sidetracked or lost, but it will get you there fast and effectively thanks to GPS technology.
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| Figure 1: Garmin’s Nuvi 270 is the answer to an affordable transatlantic GPS travel assistant. |
Design
Garmin kept in mind that all their handheld Nuvi’s were built to be taken along with the user. They ensured the 270 Nuvi to be compact, sleek, light, yet stylish enough to be easy on the eyes. With a dimension of 3.8″W x 2.8″H x .8″D, the unit remains to be extremely portable. The screen resolution itself is quite acceptable at 320 x 240 pixels, yet with all this it only weighs a feather weight of 5.2 ounces. With a battery life of up to 5 hours, this little pocket assistant will get you through any length of trip.
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| Figure 2: Simple, clean, and streamlined design keeps the Nuvi 270 looking good while staying portable. |
Interface
With such a nice stylish build, it’s not only pretty, but it is also functional. The screen itself is a touch screen just like all the other Nuvi’s. The user selection and inputs are a painless task thanks to the well designed and responsive touch screen. With such technology, going through menus and selections are extremely easy, only requiring minimal pressure on the screen to make that choice; this ultimately makes typing on the screen much faster than if you were to type on buttons themselves. Just like the exterior, the interface is just as you would expect from Garmin. All menus and maps are clean, easy to read, and colorful. Thanks to such a clean menu and map style, the Nuvi itself is incredibly user friendly, making this a perfect model for new users who want to get into using GPS for travel or daily commutes.
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| Figure 3: The simple and highly effective typing interface can be used to input your desinations and other information with ease. |
Navigation
The navigation is a beautiful thing once things are started up. There is only one thing the user has to do to get things moving – that is to define the destination. Once that is inputted, the Nuvi takes charge and plots a best route for you to take, based on your current position. Once the route is ready, all that’s left to do is follow the directions, whether you use the map or listen to the speech that is produced by the Nuvi, you won’t miss those turns or get lost. Each step of the way the Nuvi will guide you along the best projected route. Should you happen to make that unexpected turn during your trip or even a neccessary detour, the Nuvi will ensure that you get back on track right away and plot a new route to your destination based on your new location.
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| Figure 4: Colorful maps clearly represent all street addresses and locations. | Figure 5: Overhead view on the maps help the user better understand their current location. | Figure 6: Lists of turns are available to allow the user to prepare before embarking on their calculated route. |
Other Features
A valuable feature that any traveler will come to cherish is the incredible database of points of interests. These points include hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and more. With this list at your disposal, your travels anywhere become so much more convenient. Simply select a particular service you require and you will be presented with many choices for you to choose from. Pick out what you want and from there the navigations system will route you directly to that place. This is probably the one feature that makes the transatlantic aspect of this model all come together, as it truly is a traveler’s ultimate travel assistant. Of course there are jpeg viewing capabilities and travel tools including: world clock, various converters, calculators, and a bunch more tools that could prove to be quite handy.
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| Figure 7: Colorful maps clearly represent all street addresses and locations. | Figure 8: A hefty database of points of interests helps the user locate specific location based on catagories to better their travel experience. |
Conclusion
The Nuvi 270 is a great example from Garmin of what a GPS travel tool should be like. With a user friendly interface, getting the most out of your Nuvi is only a touch away. The maps are detailed, colorful, and vivid. The speech itself works out to be quite useful in many situations, especially keeping your eyes on the road while still maintaining a steady flow of direction information to you. The Nuvi 270 is the most affordable transatlantic GPS model that Garmin has to offer. While it may be one of the most affordable models it doesn’t make it any less in it’s navigational performance. If that’s all the user needs, then this is the perfect model to get them around North America or Europe without a problem at all. Needless to say, this a great model that has great value. Even if you don’t plan to go transatlantic now, it has the capability to so. Thus if you ever decide to do so in the future, the option is there for you. Affordable, yet navigation performs just like the high end units. Excellent value.
