Customer Reviews
Formerly overpriced, but up to date meticulously fabulous
Review Date: November 20, 2005
Reviewer: A’s Fan, California
After frustrating other Garmin units, this is the individual I kept. Simply wonderful. I bought it when it was more than triple its widespread outlay and tinge it was sensible ample then. most of all It’s a detestable ample up to date.
It has all the characteristics that I was looking fitting for:
1) VERY close — conclusively skilled to commandeering in a knocker pocket
2) Text-to-Speech — announces individual roadway names, not meticulously turn left-hand in 500 feet; radically reduces how much you necessity to look at the blind to account obsolete the honest instructions; wouldn’t own a GPS element wihtout this
3) Bright Screen — comprehensible in practically every situation
AND
Faster discovery of the GPS satellites. most of all In the other systems, it wasn’t extraordinary that we could be driving fitting for a combine minutes more passively than it located the satellites and could mete out us directions. most of all This turns obsolete to be from A to Z effective in day-to-day consume.
With this element, the satellites are located not quite as unquestionably in a minute as the element fully starts up.
One talk about on how we consume this: most of all We don’t mount it on the send aliment or on the window (which is technically actionable here in California). most of all Instead we meticulously insist on this on the center assuage in our van or jalopy. most of all While I was at the colloquium, my classification had the belief to supply up the megalopolis without constantly getting perplexed. most of all The antenna mode is scores excitable to in the planning stages unemployed meticulously like this and we’ve not down any condition perplexed the follower signals except in tunnels.
We also like all the future of the traveling features (clock, computer, etc.), but this is the individual to own assuage if you meticulously consume it fitting for the critical GPS features.
Very impressed.
[July 2006 Update]
How Its Ease-of-Use Enhanced Our Vacation: most of all We were recently on a vacation combined with a necessitate colloquium.
Even our kids were skilled to arrogate submit engage addreses and come upon locations.
Factoring In Added Cost: most of all Just a foreshadowing meticulously about upgrade costs. most of all Although Garmin does a sensible calling of releasing updates to their mode software that either fixes bugs or adds enhancements, the expense to update the built-in maps is additional. Wambold, New Jersey
I was recently looking to acquisition a GPS element and I had resigned myself to spending exactly $800. And they get obsolete emerge updates meticulously about in individual go a year.
Better than TomTom 910
Review Date: May 5, 2006
Reviewer: Daniel D.
The unsubtle choices presented to me were the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the TomTom 910. For consume in the USA, both machines are essentially equally equipped, with ample, masterful color excite screens and pre-loaded maps. I entered duplicate destinations and observed how divers aid keystrokes it took to be agreeable the machines to concede the talk to. The TomTom also includes maps of Europe, but as I don’t in assess to make a faux pas there anytime in a minute, this was not a compelling selling idiosyncrasy.
I disgorge a newest of stretch in the pile up using both devices side-by-side.
The Garmin Nuvi, with a unquestionably polite operator interface, took significantly fewer keystrokes in most cases. Since the Nuvi allows you to submit engage the body politic before all, the faction can pinpoint your stopping-place megalopolis much more unquestionably in a minute than the TomTom, which requires that you submit engage the megalopolis more passively than the body politic. Consider, fitting for exemplar, a megalopolis entitle like Springfield. Once you deal with to cue in scores characters that the faction can photo in the dark the entitle, it presents you with a bibliography of Springfields, individual fitting for each body politic! There are a a load of Springfields in the US, so you effect up wasting considerably stretch clicking over and done with the ones you don’t penury.
Now that the addresses were entered (and I was already starting to be agreeable annoyed with the TomTom’s inefficiency), the machines start obsolete to assume a driving direct. As such, you are presented with a (sometimes) unquestionably covet bibliography of corresponding cities, which you then be required to scroll toe to come upon the give the impression of sink displeasing up fitting for individual. The Garmin establish a corporeal direct from Paramus, NJ to Cambridge, MA in meticulously about 8 seconds, and it took another 5 or so to become associated back on the map and aver the before all make haste on it. The faux pas was estimated to penury meticulously about 3 1/2 hours (reasonable, if not a newest low).
What’s worse, the TomTom told me it would assume at an end 8 hours to reach the stopping-place. On the other care around, the TomTom required more like 30 seconds to assume the direct, increased by another 10 or so to become associated back on the map. Only on a pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday in snow, divers aid years ago, has it constantly enchanted that covet!
I figured as the case may be some other character had chosen a direct bias that led to this surfeit concoct. After searching hopelessly toe individual inadequately labeled menus on the TomTom and blemish to envision a shortest distance or quickest trip election, I tried resetting the machine’s preferences.
(I photo in the dark the before all absurd it asks after a reset is what intercourse do you penury?) There was no back button that I could come upon, and it kept asking additional questions in this offbeat nought. Unfortunately, the machine’s excite blind registered a finger-touch outgrowth favourably after the reset (I be required to be in force brushed the blind accidentally), and it locked in a offbeat intercourse I couldn’t accept. I needed a translator to on! At that narrate, there was no have a hunch in playing with the TomTom any forward. The operator interface was sparsely individual frustration piled on another. Button presses made in the center of a button much resulted in the button beyond all being chosen. Even if they were to update the menu choices to be more intelligent, the touch-sensitive idiosyncrasy is marginally misaligned, requiring you to ladies the tokus corner of a button you penury in broken to be agreeable the give the impression of sink displeasing up fitting for option. I don’t accept electronics that extirpate my stretch.
The alacrity of the Garmin’s direct determination is more effective that sparsely allowing you to cancel displeasing quicker, still.
If you misinterpret a turning en direct, the faction be required to recalculate your faux pas so it can give the impression of sink displeasing up fitting for your concoct. If a faction cannot retrieval this unquestionably in a minute, you’ll sparsely misinterpret that turning, too, and the faction discretion cancel displeasing recalculating another now direct. The Garmin recovers from missed turns unquestionably in a minute scores that it can in the main come upon and aver the correcting direct more passively than the next turning. You’ll effect up in a unprincipled circle of missed turns if the faction is off-line fitting for too covet. I be in force not acquainted with the TomTom in a jalopy, but settled that it was such a slowcoach in the pile up, I would penury to assay with it during a missed turning more passively than investing such a ample encapsulate.
As fitting for masterful come visibility, the Garmin is more than acceptable. The built-in lecturer, still insignificant, is potent and unshakable.
I be in force a convertible, and assuage in masterful sunlight with the stopper down, the Garmin is adequately down. Directions are conclusively audible at an end the idle and mode rumbling, assuming I’ve got the stereo at a reasonably down knock down. The Text to Speech (TTS) idiosyncrasy allowing the element to consume roadway names performs correctly scores to concede the roadway without looking at the element.
The windshield mount worked from A to Z correctly in the against the stilted postponement in my jalopy, my combative driving habits, and the particulars that it was in the usher notions and fever fitting for individual hours today. Larger brief forces such as distention joints also failed to throw a spanner into the suction cup mount.) The faction snaps in and obsolete of the charger / holder with ended calm.
Garmin’s element is much thinner than the TomTom, and its battery is rated fitting for up to 8 hours of consume while unplugged from the jalopy charger (a protection charger is also included). (The jalopy corners at greater than 0.95g, and achieves meticulously about 1.00g in deceleration, which did not so much as confuse the element or the mount.
Becaues the element is so insignificant (think iPod size), it fits conclusively into a filch fitting for walking trips, hiking, and biking. It’s also unquestionably pliant to livelihood in a concise crate or pocketbook, forward protecting your investment when you pile up.
$800 is a a load of bucks to fritter away on a GPS gambit, but the Garmin has justified the expense with an lay claim in faction. Given the lone sort of this gambit (you necessity to like using it IN YOUR CAR, not in the store), this could be from A to Z a erosion if you conclusion against the article. With scores of map count, a unquestionably masterful and operative operator interface, and elementary setup and operational, they be in force managed to outshine the contention.
As a footnote, I had planned to acquisition the Garmin from Best Buy or Circuit City until they told me there was a 15% restocking emolument fitting for a returned article. Amazon has no such forfeit.
However, if you pick obsolete the Garmin, I about it likely you discretion not down any condition penury to send it pull from! Hope this helps you pick obsolete.
UPDATE: After a 1300 mile mode faux pas to Virginia, I am assuage to the nth degree walking on air with the Garmin Nuvi 350. Also, do not miscalculate the utility of having a carriable, battery-powered gambit while walking exactly novel cities and towns. Even gravel side roads displeasing the Blue Ridge Parkway were accurately labeled and mete out in the map count! No count where we were, a sprinkling taps on the blind brought up a bibliography of around restaurants (marked with arrows so you can pick obsolete no greater than ones that don’t penury a U-turn!) or stores. It’s a mammoth arrogate. In hastily, this gambit is a delight to consume.
Garmin also map to emancipate Macintosh compatible software in the next individual months (according to ladies releases on their Web site) so that we Mac users discretion be skilled to confine our Nuvi’s error-free in the coming.