Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
- 4.3-inch widescreen touch display lets you view map detail, driving directions, photos, and more in bright, brilliant color
- Preloaded with detailed 2D and 3D City Navigator NT street maps, with over 6 million points of interest
- Voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions with spoken street names and HotFix satellite prediction
- Features Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker for hands-free calling
- NOTE: Model number on the box is 285WT because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 285W as the “T” in 285WT refers to the additional component
Amazon.com Product Description
Get MSN Direct and a big screen for a small price with nüvi 285WT. This widescreen navigator takes you there with preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions that call out streets by name. It delivers real-time local weather, traffic, movie times, stock information, gas prices, news and local events as you navigate. Like the rest of the nüvi 205-series, this portable navigator is priced right and ultra-easy to use. Intuitive touchscreen interface. Click to enlarge. With photo navigation, you can download pictures from Garmin Connect Photos and navigate to them. Click to enlarge. Pair with your compatible Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free. Click to enlarge. Stay Connected
With next-generation dynamic content from MSN Direct, nüvi 285WT is one resourceful personal travel assistant. Using the included receiver and free trial service to MSN Direct, you can … More >>
Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic
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5 comments
table9 on November 29, 2009 at 12:33 pm
just an fyi msn is discontinuing their direct service at the end of 2011 start of 2012. Here is more in depth – The gps functions fine just like any other Garmin released recently. The traffic where I am out is more of a novelty. I do not think it has ever helped me avoid a traffic issue. Usually it is better to ignore the alternate routes. Every time I estimate how long the delay was vs. the alternate route with no traffic it always was better to ignore the alternate. As for the MSN service it is a very cool feature that is going away as noted earlier. So in short buy this if you want basic gps functionality, but be wary of traffic and be aware of the MSN services demise.
James A. Smith on November 29, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Just a fair warning: The MSN Direct website states that they will shut the entire service down in 2012. So if you buy this with a view to having access to weather, traffic, movies, plane status, etc., then this will only work for two years, after that, it will turn back into a very handy and useful GPS pumpkin, the glass slippers and the pretty dress will be gone.
Gregory Topor on November 29, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I’ve Garmin C330, nuvi360, Sony unit and this one. I hate sony, and for me Garmin units are the only ones worthy of consideration. I have tested my new nuvi 285W extensively and just all the previous models works great, picks up satelite signals very quickly after being turned on and keep them solid. I know already i can depend on it just like on all of my garmin.
Floating Weed on November 29, 2009 at 5:30 pm
From [...]:
Question: I am looking at the 285wt and was wondering if it will act like the 265wt. There are so many 2×5’s it’s hard to keep it all straight. Garmins website doesn’t offer any information regarding the 285wt since it appears to be a BestBuy only unit. Anyone own one, how does it compare?
Answer: Normally a model with an 8 in the number would indicate that it comes with an MSN Direct adapter cable and support MSN Direct traffic. This would be the only difference between it and a model with a 6 number. So normally a 285 would be a 265 with MSN Direct in place of the normal TMC or Navteq traffic.
In this case it looks like it is actually a device that was specifically made for Best Buy. I found this user review on their website which appears to explain the difference between the 2 models:
“This is a great product that was expressly made for Best Buy. It has several features over and above the 265WT, however a big word of caution. While all the other Garmin 2xxWT units come with free lifetime traffic, this unit requires a subscription (annual or lifetime) to MSN Direct. The added cost far outstrips the cost of the 265WT. Get the 265WT – it’s worth it.”
So it does appear that the Garmin “naming convention” holds here as well. The 285 is a 265 with MSN Direct.
Robert J. on November 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm
The unit is great but seeing as it uses the MSN Direct service there might be a problem since I read where Microsoft is discontinuing the service in 2012.