What is the Garmin nuvi 2699LMT-D?

The GARMIN NUVI is the middle member in Garmin’s new Advanced Sat-Nav Series – but even though it’s not the flagship model, it’s still packing a huge 6-inch screen.

The range starts with the 5-inch 2599LMT-D, and is topped by the whopping 7-inch 2799LMT-D, making you wonder how much of your windscreen will be left to see if this escalation of sat-nav sizes continues.

Garmin nuvi 2699LMT-D – Features and Design


The 2699LMT-D is packed with features. Aside from the 6-inch screen, it comes with maps of 45 European countries, most of them in full detail, for which there are lifetime updates. Garmin’s Digital Traffic is built in, again with a subscription-free service for the lifetime of the device. There’s Bluetooth, so the sat-nav can be used for hands-free calling, but it can also link to your smartphone for other purposes. There’s voice control, too.


The main two new features are Direct Access and Foursquare Points of Interest (POIs). The former attempts to combat the frequent problems that can be encountered when you drive towards a large destination such as a music venue or shopping centre, where a sat-nav just leads you to the nearest point, when in fact the shop you want is closer to a car park on the other side.


For example, when searching for the Brent Cross shopping centre, we were given choices of navigating to the Fenwicks and John Lewis sides, which are on opposite ends of the building and have car parks nearby, as well as Marks & Spencer, which is in the middle. This isn’t a huge new feature, but could be useful if you need to pick someone up after a shopping trip.

As already mentioned, there’s support for Garmin’s Smartphone Link for Android and iOS. This works in tandem with the built-in Foursquare POIs. The latter add user-generated suggestions for restaurants, shops, and so on, but with an active Smartphone Link the POIs are augmented by more detailed information, including user ratings, prices and hours of service. You can also check in via your Foursquare account, should you enjoy annoying your friends in this way.


The Smartphone Link can also be used to send destination information to the sat-nav from your phone’s contact list. Reporting safety-camera locations can be performed using the phone, and there’s a weather service built in, too. Of course, none of this should be accessed when you’re actually driving.


The 2699LMT-D comes with the usual suction windscreen mount. However, the power cable attaches separately via mini USB on the rear. So hooking up and disconnecting the device is a two-part manoeuvre, rather than the single-click operation of higher-end devices. Still, that’s the only way this sat-nav doesn’t live up to premium expectations, with a solid build and attractive, no-nonsense design.

The 5 Best Automatic Gate & Fence Openers

You hate it. It's the dead of winter and you've got to step out of the cozy interior of your vehicle to wrestle some freezing fence gate open. Drive through. Lumber back out. Close the gate. And get back in your car. What a hassle.

In a world of drone delivery services and virtual reality headsets you'd think there'd be an easier way to open these gates. Well, there is.

We're going to take a look at some of the best-selling automatic gate openers below and see how they compare. In our research, we found that the MIGHTY MULE 560 was the best option.  

It's designed to be installed on gates up to 20 feet in length, as well as ornamental iron gates that are up to 12 feet in length and chain link fences that are up to 14 feet in length.

These gate openers do take a little bit of elbow grease and ingenuity to install sometimes, but the Sentry is a US-made product with a 10 year warranty and quality support- all reasons we think it's best-in-class.

Let's take a look at how the automatic gate openers compare- be sure to check out the video reviews below the comparison table. 

Tired of schlepping out of your vehicle to open the gate and getting back into it again to drive through? Obviously a do-it-all automatic gate could be a great help.  

The Mighty Mule Solar Kit may be a smart choice for you if you are looking for a sturdy fence opener designed to lift gates weighing up to 550lbs. The automatic opener can fit in any type of gate such as vinyl, wood, panel, tube, chain link or ornamental varieties.

Powered by 12 volts automotive or marine battery, the gate opener comes with 2 remotes and a solar panel of 15-watt capacity. Check out the video tutorial below for more in-depth installation instructions. 

Pros

• Easy to install with the included written and video instructions
• Solar power ensures energy efficiency
• 30 percent property tax credit available on accessories, installation and operator system
• Affordable pricing

Cons

• Some users say that the mounting brackets do not work well with wooden gates
• The gate closing and opening is not smooth for every installation
• Some users claim that the design needs improvement

Short Essay: How to Start a Small Business

Becoming an entrepreneur is a worthwhile endeavor. The desire to start your own small business is both admirable and terrifying simultaneously. If you don’t know what you are getting yourself into, you could be looking at a lot of disappointment in the future. However, if you are willing to take the risks and steps necessary to learn how to start a small business, there is the potential for great personal satisfaction.



Before you choose to go on this journey you should ensure that your business idea is solid. You cannot start a small business based on what you see everyone else doing. When the market is flooded with people selling baseball caps, opening up another hat shop is not a good idea. Planning a small business takes both knowledge and common sense. You will need to research how viable your idea will be in the marketplace.

Adam Khafif offers some phenomenal advice. He says, “Whatever you choose to pursue, make sure your customers and supporters feel valued at the end of the exchange.” Your business has to add value to the community if you want it to be successful. And, if you are truly serious about this endeavor, you will need to follow these 20 steps to starting a successful small business.

Ignoring Graphic Design Could be Detrimental to Your Business

Unless you’re a professional graphic designer in addition to having your own business, you are strongly advised to find and hire a graphic designer for your business’ web page. The millennial generation reached preadolescence at a time when the Internet was beginning to be used for college classes, games, and businesses. This was the beginning of Internet literacy as a necessity for those living in developed societies. Today, having a web page is commonplace. But having a page alone is not what will help your business grow to any extent. You must find a way to make your page stand out, and stick in consumers’ minds.

Why Ignoring Website Graphic Design Is Bad for Business

Your website is one giant advertisement for your business. Poor site design does not represent your brand well. This leads to lower customer traffic; and, in turn, less business. A mediocre site design will likely require regular revamping every few years. The time and cost of regular redesigning is not worth having a great design in the first place. Plus, it gives the public the impression that your business cannot afford a professional designer. An unfortunate image such as this is difficult to remove. Paying for quality design proves its usefulness many times over. One dynamite professional design will last far longer, and keeping it the same builds familiarity with your brand for your customers.

Graphic design includes your brand logo. The logo is the first connection with your brand that potential customers will see. Use it in advertising, and it may become an immediate sure-fire representation of your services. Use it on uniforms, stationary, in-company publications, and the symbolism helps bond every piece of your company together.

How to Hire a Quality Graphic Designer

There are many advantages to finding and employing a professional graphic designer. Doing so ensures you get someone with developed talent, professional skills, who spent the time at university and took the classes to get a degree in graphic design. If you hire a local graphic designer, there is the added benefit of supporting small businesses in your community. For example, if you live in Surrey, you could look at the local graphic design company Pelling Design who could take care of all aspects of your business design.

3 Must Have Items to Get Funding for a Small Business

Funding a small business is usually the one area most new business owners struggle with. It can be difficult to find investors or secure loans when a business has not even opened its doors. It’s the classic catch-22, though, most lenders or investors want to see the business is successful before giving money but you need the money in order to start your business. Fortunately, you can prove your business is a worthy investment just by having these three things in order.

Business Plan

To begin with, before you ever try to seek funding, you need to have a solid business plan. Your business plan is basically an outline of every detail about your business. It should explain what your business is and what it does. It should outline the financial plan for the first few years of the business. In addition, it should give details about the people running the business, the structure of the business, and its location. The plan should have explanations of the different business aspects, including marketing and human resources.

Anyone reading your plan should have a complete picture of what your business is. The plan should address any possible questions that could come up. They should be left with no questions about anything. You don’t need an MVU Online degree to figure out how to write a plan, but you might benefit from a course in business.