Comments on: Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

By: Robert J.

Robert J. — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:00:02 +0000

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.

By: Floating Weed

Floating Weed — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:30:19 +0000

From [...]:

Question: I am looking at the 285wt and was wondering if it will act like the 265wt. There are so many 2x5'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.

By: Gregory Topor

Gregory Topor — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:58:48 +0000

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.

By: James A. Smith

James A. Smith — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:15:41 +0000

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.

By: table9

table9 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:33:17 +0000

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.