More GPS units offer free traffic info.(NEWS)(Garmin Nuvi 265WT and Navigon 7200T)(Product/service evaluation)

FREE real-time traffic information is a budding trend among portable GPS navigators. While traffic info usually requires a $60 annual subscription fee for compatible GPS models, new Garmin and Navigon devices provide it free of charge.

Navigon was the first to offer free traffic information, but its previous models were mediocre performers that ranked low in our Ratings. Its new models are considerably improved. Garmin, the largest GPS manufacturer in the U.S., has adopted the free approach with some of its latest models. But it has also added onscreen advertising, an industry first that has the potential to be annoying and distracting.

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We tested a representative model from each company: the Garmin Nuvi 265WT ($350) and the Navigon 7200T ($400). They have similar features, including a 4.4-inch-wide screen. Bluecooch capability for hands-free phone calls, spoken screec names, and a built-in traffic receiver.

Pop-up ads for local businesses

The Nuvi 265WT is basically an upgraded version of the Nuvi 255W, one of our cop-rated units and a CR Besc Buy. In our testing, the 265WT sometimes displayed small, one-line banner ads at the top or bottom of the screen. They often appeared when we powered up the unit; when the car was stopped, such as at a red light; or when we pressed the screen's traffic icon.

Touching the ad opens a list of the advertiser's nearby locations. And if you touch one of those, the unit will calculate a route co the location and give you curn-by-turn directions. While we were testing in the New York ...