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4 Comments Written by Kate on December 29, 2008 – 10:06 am

If you want a simple, cheap, but high quality Garmin GPS, the Garmin 200W is the one for you. It is so simple to use that you do not even need to read the product’s directions. It has a wide screen monitor making it is easy to view the maps and the touch screen leads you through the process.

Features
Where To?
You can choose if you want to pick a place to go to or if you just want to look at the map so that you can see road signs ahead of time, direction, and the speed you are driving.

POI (Points Of Interest)?
This option gives you the opportunity to choose a preexisting location preinstalled on the GPS. The Nuvi 200W has most places saved in its library but if you are looking for a place that is less than 2 years old,  you may want to upload any updates to your GPS. This is wise anyway, otherwise you can easily get mixed up if a road has changed or if a place has moved recently and your GPS leads you in the wrong direction.

Address?
It is nice to be able to type in an address and be led right where you need to go. This is the top reason why I bought a GPS, and it is very convenient when going to new places. You normally do not need to worry about it being up to date, unless the roads where the address is located are less than 2 years old. If they are, well, then you probably should update your device maps to avoid any confusion.

Recently Found?
I love this feature because if you recently have been to a place, you do not need to retype it in! All you have to do is touch recently found and scroll to the place you need to go. Retrieving recently found places is a lot quicker and easier than typing them in again and is a very convenient feature.

Intersection
I usually use this feature if I know of a restaurant or place I need to go to that is near an intersection, but I can not remember how to get there and it’s not showing up under the POI. All you have to do is type in the city where the intersection is located and the two streets you are looking for, and tada! Press Go and you are there!

Spell Name
Easy as pie! All you have to do is spell the name of where you want to go, and it gives you a list of results. Caution…if you want to go somewhere that is more than an hour away, this option will probably not work until you are closer.

Food
Fast Food, Chinese Food, American Food, Italian Food? Take your pick and this option will give you every option nearby, how far away they are, and in what direction.

Fuel
Need to find the nearest gas station? This option tells you which ones are nearby and what direction you will need to take to find them!

Entertainment
Looking for a movie theater or other form of entertainment nearby after a hot date? Touch Entertainment and all of the nearby options will show up. Who knows, even if you are in your hometown, you may find a new place.

Transit
Need to find Public Transportation? This is the option for you. This lists all of the nearby public transportation venues including airports, train stations, and bus stations.

Lodging
Looking to find a place for some ZZZ’s? This option lists all nearby hotels and how far away they are.

Shopping
Shopping Malls, shopping centers, you can find all of the nearby hot spots with this option and how far away they are.

Bank/ATM, Parking, Schools
These options work the same as the others. You click on the option and the nearest ones and where they are will show up on your GPS at your convenience.

Along with an extensive library of points of interest locations, the Garmin Nuvi200W also has many other special features. It has a world clock, currency converter, JPEG viewer (you need to buy the SD card for this feature), measurement converter, and a calculator. It is also compatible with Garmin Lock, an anti-theft feature that if activated disables the device until a 4 digit PIN is typed in.

Cons of the Nuvi 200W

The Garmin website says it is easy to take the Nuvi200W with you, and I agree if you mean in another person’s car with the charger. If you want to walk around with your Nuvi 200W, I personally can not fit the Nuvi200W in my purse or pocket and the battery lasts sometimes only 2 hours. If you disagree, Comment and let me know, but this is my experience.

Pros of the Nuvi 200W
This is a basic model GPS that leads you on the right route to your destination. It is easy to install and easy to use.

Overall this is a simple convenient GPS that leads you to your destination without a lot of the frills of the more technologically advanced and more expensive options out there. I think this is the perfect starter GPS and it has great options for your computer nerd brother and is super easy to understand for your stubborn and confused by maps mother…

Agree with me? Disagree? Anything else you would like to contribute? Comment, and let me know!

	Nuvi 200w
Physical & Performance
Unit dimensions, WxHxD:	(12.2 x 7.4 x 2.0 cm)
Display size, WxH:	3.81W x 2.25H (9.7 x 5.7 cm)
Display resolution, WxH:	480 x 272 pixels
Weight:	6.1 ounces (172.93 g)
Battery:	Rechargeable Lithium-ion
Battery life:	Up to 5 hours
Waterproof:	No
High-sensitivity receiver:	Yes
RoHS version available:	Yes
Maps & Memory
Basemap:	Yes
Preloaded maps:	Yes (regional)
Ability to add maps:	Yes
Built-in memory:	Internal solid state
Accepts data cards:	SD™ card (not included)
Waypoints/favorites/locations:	500
Features
Voice prompts (e.g.Turn right in 500 ft.):	Yes (internal speaker)
Speaks street names (e.g.Turn right ON ELM STREET in 500 ft.):	No
Lane assist (guides you to the proper lane for navigation):	No
3-D map view:	Yes
Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation):	Yes
Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, off road):	Yes
Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.):	Yes
Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest):	Yes
Picture viewer:	Yes
Garmin Garage™ (select car-shaped icons for map navigation):	Yes
World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator:	Yes
Touchscreen:	Yes
Garmin Lock™ (anti-theft feature):	Yes
Motorcycle-friendly:	No