[Review] Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS

[wprigjoigj3i40jhgi0435ejh Veteran]

For a couple years now, I have been using my PDA with navigation software such as TomTom or iGuidance and an external GPS receiver. It's a great solution, but I wanted something BETTER and I finally found it. The Garmin Nuvi 350 is an absolutely wonderful device, here's why!

(Manufacturer Photo)

Cost:

$900 USD

Description:

Garmin nuvi 350 Personal Travel Assistant - This portable GPS navigator is a great companion and guide for traveling to new places, as well as making it easier to get to places you normally travel to. The preloaded City Navigator NT v.7 maps contain detailed road maps throughout the entire United States, Canada, & Puerto Rico. Which allows the nuvi 350 to plot your course, call out turns by street name, and avoid traffic jams - all with a stunning Color touch screen! But when you're on the road, the nuvi 350 can also offer you more than just directions. It has an MP3 player, Audio book player (for Audible.com media), JPEG picture view, and more!

Specifications:

? Maps: USA, Canada and Puerto Rico

? High-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver by SiRF (SiRFStar III)

? WAAS enabled; flip-up antenna?includes MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna

? Travel Kit includes Language Guide, MP3 player, audible book player, picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, and calculator

? SD memory card expansion slot

? Powerful built-in speaker

? Traffic alerts with optional GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver*

? Text-to-Speech ? unit prompts you to ?Turn right on Main St? instead of ?Turn right in 500 feet?

? Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings

? Offers a three dimensional mapping perspective, or 2-D overhead view

? Display: 2.8? W x 2.1? H (3.5? diag.), 320 x 240 pixels; bright, TFT display, 64K colors, with white backlight and touch screen

? Unit dimensions: 3.87" W x 2.91" H x 0.87" D (98.3 mm x 73.9 mm x 22.1 mm)?fits easily in a pocket or purse

? Weight: 5.1 ounces (144.6 grams)

? Built-in lithium ion battery

? Between 4-8 hours of battery life, depending on use

? Includes 12-volt power adapter cable for external power while in your vehicle

? Includes suction cup mount that allows for easy adjustment and quick release

? Simplified PC connectivity, similar to a digital camera, using USB Mass Storage with access to either the SD card slot or to the unit?s internal memory directly from your PC desktop.

? With the POI loader program (available for free from www.garmin.com), users can set up proxiIncluded in Package:s, safety cameras, and more.

Included in Package:

? Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Device

? Vehicle suction cup mount

? AC charger

? Carrying case

? 12-24 voInitial Thoughts:hboard disk

? USB cable

? Quick Start Guide

Initial Thoughts:

When I first opened the box, my first thought was "Wow, this thing is small." I actually thought it was too small to read the display. After powering it up, I realized that I was wrong. It's actually quite easy to see and read. Garmin has done a wonderful job of making sure the text was big enough to read and the display is plenty bright. As you can see in the first pictures below, the screen is only slightly smaller than my Axim X50v and actually much brighter. Upon first power up, it asks you for your Time Zone and language preferences. Other than that, there is ZERO configuration to be done. This thing really works RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.

More Thoughts:

I can't believe that Garmin didn't include a user manual in the package. After paying $900 for a GPS unit, why skimp on a $0.50 booklet? Not that it's hard to use, but it would have been nice to have regardless. Only after plugging it into your computer via the supplied USB cable do you see that they have loaded the User Manual on to the device as a PDF file. Wrong move in my opinion. I bet 50% of thUsing the Nuvi 350:on't ever plug it into their computer.

Using the Nuvi 350:

The Nuvi is so easy to use, it even got a very high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). I handed it to my wife and told her to find the nearest McDonald's. She actually did it with no help! No, my wife is NOT a techy. I have tro:ple getting her to use the Media Center, and I consider that to be easy. :p Right when you power it on, after accepting the "We are not responsible if you crash and die while using this" Disclaimer, you are presented with 3 options.

Pretty self explanitory don't you think? Where to presents you with a choice of 18 options. I found them to be sorted by relevancy. You can move up and down the list by touching the up and down arrows on the bottom right of the screen. The spell by name feature is really something that TomTom and iGuidance lack and I found it rather nice.

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If you touch the settings icon on the far right side, you can tweak and change the Nuvi's feel and appearance.

Tapping the Adjust icon brings lets us adjust the screen brightness, volume, mute/unmute and lock the device. I feel the Lock button would be better suited on the main menu just u:)er the Settings and Adjust icons. Maybe even give it it's own Icon. :)

If we select the "Travel Kit" option, we can then use the Language Guide, Travel Guide, MP3 Player, Audio Book Player, Picture Viewer, World Clock, Currency Converter, Measurement Converter and Calculator. This thing really is feature packed!

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========================Navigating with the Nuvi 350:sons.com/images/nuvi/16.jpg[/img]

Navigating with the Nuvi 350:

For this example I used the search by name (Spell Name) feature Garmin offers. All you have to do is type in the name of the place you are looking for (or part of the name) and click done.

Then select where you want to go from the list you are given. It sorts them by distance to your current location by default, but you can change this if you like (WHY??).

You can also touch "Where to?" on the main screen followed by "Fuel" and it will find the nearest gas stations. Very, ve:rofl:dy if you are low on fuel or the wife has to use the bathroom! :rofl:

Once you have selected your destination, you are given a choice to navigate there now, save the location to your favorites or show it on the map. Clicking the big giant GO button, takes you there now (did I really need to tell you that?).

The Nuvi then calculates where you need to go to get there, and tells you how to get there. I really like the text-to-speech feature of the Nuvi. It was one of my deciding factors. By using the text-to-speech voices the Nuvi will tell you the name (pronounce it) of the street where you need to turn. All other GPS navigation products just tell you when to turn. This gives you true voice navigation. You don't need to look over at the screen to get the street name. It's also MUCH SAFER, since you are not looking that the screen every time it tells you to turn. Plus and Minus icons give you the ability to zoom in or out on the map.

Tapping on the "Turn In" area of the screen (lower right) gives you the information on your next turn and audibly announces the street in case you missed it before (or forgot).

Tapping "Arrival" (lower left) brings up a nice trip computer. I have not seen any other GPS device or software (besides Garmin) that offers this. Very handy.

Click Here to see (image limit bites)

If you touch the top of the screen where it gives you the next street to turn on, you will get a list of directions for your entire trip.

Click Here to see (image limit bites)

Finally, on the main menu if you hit the signal bars (top left) you will get a GPS status menu. This is nice for telling you the accuracy and checking how many satellites you are tracking.

Pros:[/b]s/nuvi/25.jpg"]Click Here to see (image limit bites)

Pros:

Great design and small form factor

Text-To-Speech (Speaks street names)

Bright screen

Easy to use

Real-Time traffic capable (with external antenna and subscription, availability varies)

Very accurate maps (Uses Navteq maps,Cons:as)

SD Expansion Slot for added storage

Long battery life

Cons:

Hefty price ($900)

Maybe a little too small for some

Internall battery is NOT changeable

GPS car mount is short and stubby (I had trouble mounting it in the right spot)

Seems to lag a bit behind in 3D mode

The "Lock" feature couldConclusion:Lacks bluetooth support (like some other GPS units)

Conclusion:

I still have not found the "perfect" GPS solution. The Garmin Nuvi 350 is getting closer to my ideal GPS device. If you can afford it, this is the best GPS unit I have found and suites most of my needs. True, there is room for improvement. However, I am not sorry I decided to buy the Garmin Nuvi 350. I'll be All pictures taken by me (unless noted)ia PM anyone might have.

All pictures taken by me (unless noted)

Edited December 20, 2005 by voidunknown

[Detroit]

Well great that you like it :) I must admit, I have the Magellan Roadmate 700 and I love that thing to death do us part!

It has saved me so many times when travelling abroad

The only thing that I can see that the Garmin has better then mine is the traffic updater as long with all the "extra bells and whistles" and it's tiny footprint :) However, this comes at a cost right... I mean it doesn't have the internal HD but relies on sd cards? The instructions to turn by the actual street name instead of the usual x metres/feets is in the new model 760 I believe...

Glad you enjoy it though

[Forevame7189]

One of the best reviews I've read in the review section. Its clear and concise.

While I do not have a car, I can see it very useful for those who travel around a lot, so this would be a worthy investment :D.

[Detroit]

Oh ya, how old are the maps on the machine?

[wprigjoigj3i40jhgi0435ejh Veteran]

Well great that you like it :) I must admit, I have the Magellan Roadmate 700 and I love that thing to death do us part!

It has saved me so many times when travelling abroad

The only thing that I can see that the Garmin has better then mine is the traffic updater as long with all the "extra bells and whistles" and it's tiny footprint :) However, this comes at a cost right... I mean it doesn't have the internal HD but relies on sd cards? The instructions to turn by the actual street name instead of the usual x metres/feets is in the new model 760 I believe...

Glad you enjoy it though

Yes, those things do come at a price. The Nuvi has an internal 2GB flash card with an SD card slot to add more space if needed. So, you have 2 storage methods for a total of 6GB (I believe) max storage. The benefit of this is that the device can be made smaller and there are no moving parts, thus less to break and the device is more reliable. Hard drives can be damaged from a jolt or vibrations, NAND flash cannot. ;)

One of the best reviews I've read in the review section. Its clear and concise.

While I do not have a car, I can see it very useful for those who travel around a lot, so this would be a worthy investment :D.

Thanks!

Oh ya, how old are the maps on the machine?

The maps are v7 (Garmin goes by version numbers). v7 is the newest available right now. It does not have an actual date. However a friend of mine had a house built about 3 months ago on a brand new street and his house is on the map. So they are pretty new maps. There is also a new restaurant down the street (4 months old) that is on the map and POI list.

[Detroit]

Very cool, Magellan still needs to learn how to have frequent map updates :p I went to boston using a 3 yr old map and WOW

I was scared :p

True that HD have moving parts and that but I have had my unit for almost 2yrs and it is still running excellent :)