Buying electronic gizmos for Christmas presents

I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk about the two electronic items we received last year for Christmas.  Maybe a testimonial or a personal story will help you make your decisions about these two items for this year's Christmas list.

The first item was a Garmin Nuvi 265W/WT GPS that I purchased for my sister.  She had recently moved here and was having trouble getting around in such a big city.  She got so frightened, that she simply quit going anywhere because she was afraid she would get lost.  So, unless I was her chauffeur, she stayed home.

At Christmas 2010, I finally bought her the Garmin Nuvi.  I did quite a bit of research online and determined that this model and product was the best fit for my sister who is over 60.  It is mobile in that she can attach it to her windshield while driving and then remove it when she is home.  She is very cautious about safety and she worried that someone would break into her vehicle to steal the device if she couldn't remove it.

When she got the Garmin Nuvi, she was really happy.  The only problem was that it did not come with much of an instruction booklet and she was not comfortable using it.  I went online and downloaded the booklet for her, but she was still cautious.  Finally, I set the device up and showed her how to use it.  We even named the device, Miss Ellie!  I got her a zipper bag to put it in when she was not using it and she was set.

I'd love to say that was it.  I'd love to say that she is now mobile and fearless, but that is not so.  She is more mobile and will go places on her own now, but we have to drive to here destination first and make sure to add it to her Favorites so she can see how to get back home.  So far, this seems to soothe her fears and is working.  She has quite a few places in her favorites and she will go solo to those locations using the Garmin.

The only other problem we have is that Miss Ellie was always trying to get her to get onto the highways (which she absolutely will not do).  I had to do a bit of tweaking to make Miss Ellie stop that and now peace reigns.

We laugh alot because of this device.  Miss Ellie can be heard frequently saying, "Recalculating..." because my sister did not follow her directions.  It's really nice to see my sister mobile again.  I wholeheartedly recommend this device to anyone on your list that is getting older and can't remember things right anymore.  With this device in hand, anyone can get anywhere!

For more information about this product, you can visit my site:  Garmin Nuvi 265W/WT GPS

Tomorrow I'll post about the second gizmo we got last Christmas and tell you what we think about it, too.

Related articles

• Garmin GPS Repair Tips & Tricks (brighthub.com)
• Garmin Nuvi 3760T Hands On (slashgear.com)
• Top 6 Garmin nüvi GPS Systems (brighthub.com)
• 10 Christmas Gift Ideas For Sisters (mademan.com)
• Which Electronic Devices Would Make Good Christmas Presents (theseoscout.com)

Shopping for someone who can get lost at home?

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My sister is getting older.  She has always been very independent and capable, after all she reared 4 children pretty much on her own.  Now that she is in her sixties, she seems to have slowed down and her mental acuity seems to have dulled a bit.  She still is very independent and likes to go to her numerous activities around town.

She is actively involved in church and Bible study, she is trying really hard to learn to play bridge, she knits and crochets and goes to her knitting groups and attends knitting crawls, and she goes to book clubs.  Over all she is pretty much of a gad-about.

Until she moved.  Now she resides in a new urban landscape and I have come to see that she is directionally and map challenged.  In six months, she has finally figured out how to get back home from the store; she now knows which way is north and which is south!

Everything else, however, is up for grabs.  So this year for Christmas, I intend to help her out and buy her a Garmin GPS system for the car.  I have my eye on  the Garmin nuvi 265W/WT.  Click on the link to visit a site that tells you all about that model.

If you too are shopping for someone who loves to be independent but can become lost or disoriented when driving to strange or unfamiliar places, I recommend this model.  I have read many of the reviews and feel this is the "best bang for the buck".  After all, independence doesn't come cheap, does it?