New 295w owners

I noticed something different when navigating, using the car mount. In the lower left, above the back key, there is a pointer that shows north and a scale of miles. I have the navigation set for "track up". Can't find any other info on it being displayed.

Thanks. It's good to know.

Unfortunately, those tidbits of info don't appear in 3D mode. It would be nice if they did!

I agree. Thanks, jonzim, for the tip. I'm going to try using my 295w in 2D track up mode for a while (to be able to have the zoom level and compass heading on the map) and see if it's enough of a feature to switch me from my normal automobile mode preference, which is 3D mode.

Typical of other nuvis, the map scale only shows in 2D modes (track up and north up).

The scale is not shown in "3D" mode because it is a actually a perspective view shown on a 2D media and thus the scale varies continuously from the top of the map to the bottom. The only way a single scale would be applicable to a 3D view of a map would be as seen on a globe.

The north direction also varies at different points of a Garmin "3D" map, so a single north direction could not be indicated for the entire view.

Great information, Evert! Thanks. That is good to know!

Went to bed last night with 3 bars of power. Turned off GPS and Wifi. Woke up to 2 bars of power. No big deal. Checked 295w at about 1:30pm and no response at all. Removed battery, reinserted; got the Garmin logo and then screen faded to white out. Plugged it in and saw power meter severely in the red. Somehow, the battery drained all the way and very quickly. Not sure what happened. Neither GPS or Wifi had to work hard for a signal. Mysterious.

How are those Ebay batteries working out? I think I will buy a couple to use on our boat ride down in the Keys next month.

Has anyone figured out a way to transfer either contacts or calendar info (in bulk, not just one) to/from the PC easily?

I'm wondering if anyone running Linux OS or as a VM on their PC maybe has mounted the 295W differently and might be able to see/transfer a file or something that way.

Jim,
I have been able to make the earphone squawk in test mode. What's in your G60 test mode?
I'd bet there's a mic in there, too. I'd like to be able to disassemble it without any damage to see how it all looks, in any case.
I think Bluetooth is still there among other things, too.
In the back-up files the 295W makes is a Montana.config file. Montana is the Linux OS. It looks like it's the same as a G60 should be.
Here's what's there:
[General]
MissedCalls=0

[AUDIO_BOOST_MODE]
audioBoostEnabled=true
audioBoostIsVisible=true

[Phone]
MaxNumberOfContacts=5000

[avoidances]
autoroutingon=true
avoidcarpoollanes=true
avoidferries=false
avoidhighways=false
avoidtollroads=false
avoidtraffic=true
avoidunpavedroads=true
avoiduturns=true
minimizetime=true

[bluetoothsettings]
a2dpservice=1
bluetooth=disabled
bluetoothairplane=disabled
discoverable=Off
friendlyname=nuvifone
last_connected_device=NONE
profilepreference=0

[browsersettings]
acceptcookies=Yes
cachesize=4MB
homepage=www.google.com
javascript=On

[calendar_reminder_time]
last_time=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%x)\0\xe0\x4)\xff)

[callsettings]
networkselectionhidden=true

[camerasettings]
geocode=1

[devicesettings]
devicetype=ATT

[displaysettings]
backlighttimeout=5Min
brightness_day=70
brightness_night=70
colormode=Auto
mount_brightness_day=100
mount_brightness_night=70
screenshot=Disabled

[first_time_setup_settings]
eula_accepted=true
setup_done=1
show_back_button_hint=false
show_screenshot_hint=false
show_scroll_map_hint=false
show_where_am_i_from_tools_hint=false
show_where_am_i_hint=false

[ftmsettings]
override_camera=false

[languagesettings]
keyboardlanguage=EnglishQwerty

[locale_settings]
current_language=@Variant(\0\0\0\x12\0\0\0\n\0\x65\0n\0_\0U\0S)

[mailsettings]
mailboxsize=62914560

[mapsettings]
mapdetailautomotive=Normal
mapdetailpedestrian=More
mapviewautomotive=3D
mapviewpedestrian=3D
pedestrian_triplog=Hide
pedestrian_vehicle=0:/Garmin/Vehicle/boots.srf
triplog=Show
vehicle=0:/Garmin/Vehicle/Nuvi_Icon_WRX_wagon.srf

[montanasettings]
cellbroadcast=Index

[monty]
initialUnlock=false
panelIcons=Stop, Detour, Settings, Tools, Web, Media Player, Mail, Camera, Contacts, Weather, Calendar

[navigationsettings]
autoroutingon=true
minimizetime=false
routepreferenceautomotive=ShorterDistance
routepreferencepedestrian=ShorterDistance

[networksettings]
data3Genabled=1
networkname1=
networkpassword1=
securitytype1=Off
tty=false
wifienabled=Enabled
wifienabledairplane=Disabled
wifiroamingtimeout=300

[pageconverter]
lefttab\Area=cm\xb2
lefttab\Currency=USD
lefttab\Distance=mm
lefttab\Speed=meters/s
lefttab\Temperature=K
lefttab\Volume=cc
lefttab\Weight=gram
righttab\Area=m\xb2
righttab\Currency=USD
righttab\Distance=cm
righttab\Speed=kilometers/h
righttab\Temperature=\xb0\x43
righttab\Volume=ml
righttab\Weight=kg
units=Currency

[proximityalerts]
custompois=true
safetycameras=true
tourguide=0

[ringtonesettings]
calendar=/usr/share/ringtones/alarm72.mp3
clock=/usr/share/ringtones/alerttone18.mp3
email=/usr/share/ringtones/alarm21.mp3
instantmessenger=/usr/share/ringtones/alerttone50.mp3
phone=/usr/share/ringtones/alerttone50.mp3
sms=/usr/share/ringtones/alerttone50.mp3

[systemsettings]
DataConnectionActive=0
DataConnectionAutomatic=false
airplanemodeenabled=true
connsvcfeedbckenabled=Off
distanceunits=Miles
gpssimulator=Off
gpssimulatorairplane=On
lockingstatus=Off
rflevelsetting=0
safemode=Off
temperatureunits=Fahrenheit
usagemode=Pedestrian

[timesettings]
dateformat=M/D/YYYY
timeformat=12 Hour Format
timemode=Auto
tz\city=Tokyo
tz\country=Japan
tz\lat=425623552
tz\long=1667497984
tz\offset=-18000
tzone\city=Tokyo
tzone\country=Japan
tzone\lat=425623552
tzone\lon=1667497984
tzthree\city=New York
tzthree\country=United States
tzthree\lat=485743104
tzthree\lon=-882939392
tztwo\city=London
tztwo\country=United Kingdom
tztwo\lat=614563840
tztwo\lon=-786432

[volumesettings]
a2dpmountmute=false
a2dpmountvol=50
a2dpmute=false
a2dpvol=50
bluetoothmountvol=100
bluetoothmountvolmute=false
bluetoothvol=100
bluetoothvolmute=false
headsetmountmute=false
headsetmountvolume=100
headsetmute=false
headsetvolume=93
mediavolume=70
navigationmute=false
navigationvolume=100
phonevolume=76
speakermountmute=false
speakermountvolume=100
speakermute=false
speakervolume=100
touchtones=Off
vibrate=1

They're great. I just returned from a week in Florida and used the 295w a lot for email, etc. The new battery (I just used one of the two I bought) works fine and is long lasting. There doesn't appear to be a way to see the manufacture date, but both eBay's appear to be fresh and new.

PS--One eBay seller offers 1 or 2 batteries with free S&H and has a Buy It Now and Make an Offer. I "offered" $20 for the two with a BIN of over $25 and it was accepted. So mine were exactly $10 each shipped.

I made a $22 offer Wednesday morning for a pair. The package arrived today. The batteries look identical to the OE. Thanks for the tip & the feedback.

I was able to import Contacts by using the Vcard file format. This captured the contact's address, phone numbers, email addresses and notes.

This method should work for any email client that can export contacts in Vcard format (including Gmail and Microsoft Outlook).

Thanks. That's good to know even though it doesn't help me.

And welcome to The Factory!