Garmin is a leader in the automotive GPS industry for a reason – it has a diverse portfolio of devices that tackles all price points. The Kansas-based company may not have its own smartphone but it doesn’t really need one. Many of Garmin’s midrange devices can interact with smartphones while focusing heavily on the GPS experience. Garmin is known for putting a lot of great features in their $250 products and the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT represents the latest incarnation of this price point.
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Design
At first glance, the nuvi 2559LMT looks like a basic 5-inch device with the standard 480×272 display resolution. However, the device feels a bit more premium than cheaper Garmin nuvi products, thanks to its glass display. It is meant to be mounted horizontally using the included suction cup mount although there is a portrait view available too.
Features
The glass screen doesn’t just feel nice but it also makes the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT easier to use. It is a lot more responsive to touch because the nuvi 2559LMT uses a capacitive display rather than a resistive one. You can even perform pinch gestures to zoom in or out when using the map view so you get that satisfying smartphone feeling.
If you are looking to make your smartphone a big part of the GPS experience, the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT is a good device to consider. It has Bluetooth onboard, allowing just about any mobile phone to wirelessly pair with the GPS device. Once paired, you can keep the phone in your bag and let the nuvi 2559LMT handle your calls. iOS and Android smartphone users can enjoy deeper integration with Garmin’s Smartphone Link feature. Once you installed the required app on your smartphone, you can send location and address information directly to the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT. Through Garmin Live Services, your smartphone can provide real-time weather updates to the GPS navigator, too.
The new Foursquare integration could be the biggest reason to upgrade any old GPS device to the nuvi 2559LMT. The device retains Garmin’s massive point of interest database with free lifetime map updates for North America and traffic avoidance but searching for a location could bring up some Foursquare-powered results, too. In fact, any Foursquare results will immediately be seen on top so you can’t miss them. Foursquare is known in the mobile world as a fantastic app for discovering great restaurants, hotels and other landmarks. With the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT, you have full access to that up-to-date database and you don’t have to be connected to a smartphone.
When using the nuvi 2559LMT for going from point A to point B, it shows some great signs of intelligence that old devices couldn’t provide before. It begins with the Garmin Real Directions technology, which changes the way the device issues turn-by-turn directions. In some cases, the Garmin nuvi 2559LMT will tell you to make a turn at a specific street like normal but in many other cases, the device will scan the area for nearby landmarks and use that as a reference instead. It also does a better job in spotting POIs within bigger POIs such as airports and malls. If you have trouble figuring out what floor a certain store is on or where that parking space or entrance is, the nuvi 2559LMT has you covered.
The Garmin nuvi 2559LMT doesn’t let go of any old features either, so you still get that same complete Active Lane Guidance experience in highways. Arrow indicators will always be there to guide you to the proper lane to the correct exit. Any junctions or interchanges you encounter will be represented in a split screen view with photorealistic graphics. You may also switch to the Bird’s Eye junction view for a better look at the interchanges and your surroundings.
You can also have the nuvi 2559LMT bring up icons representing important POIs on the map without altering your course. It is powered by the Up Ahead feature, which lets you set exactly what POI categories should appear. Bringing up the Up Ahead sidebar from the right side of your display also shows you how far away you are from the closest POI of any 3 categories you can set. No matter how you set up your device, you will always be notified if you approach a school zone.
The Garmin nuvi 2559LMT can also act as a rear-view monitor whenever you go reverse. You just need to buy the BC wireless backup camera and install it to your car. This camera links to the nuvi 2559LMT wirelessly.
Bottom Line
Foursquare is a fine new addition to the nuvi 2559LMT, making it the best GPS device for discovering new places. You could go for any of the other newly-announced models in the Garmin nuvi 2015 Essential Line but you lose the smartphone linking and advanced lane guidance features.
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