Garmin nuvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nuvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Nuvi 350 - FIVE STARS
Summary: 5 Stars
After a lot of research, I recently received (and tested) my Garmin nüvi 350.
In general terms, this is an EXCELLENT GPS and I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
Here's the detailed rundown for potential buyers:
((MONEY))
If you're thinking of saving money by getting the c330, c340, or c530 then consider 2 things:
- 1. The nüvi 350 fits easily into your shirt pocket while the c330 and c340 are built like miniature (but bulky) computer monitors. You WILL want to carry your GPS unit with you at times and you'll be glad that you got the slim nüvi 350 instead.
- 2. The nüvi 350 uses the new SiRF satellite receiver and almost instantly acquires a satellite signal. Many c330 and c340 owners complain about how long these older units take to get a signal (plus frequent dropped signals). Also, neither the c330 nor the c530 provide Text-to-Speech.
At the time my purchase, Amazon's price is: 368.50 (no tax and free shipping)
Compare to Current Retail prices:
Best Buy - 499.99 plus tax
Radio Shack - 499.99 plus tax
Circuit City - 449.99 plus tax
Wal-Mart - 448.95 plus tax
Target - 429.99 plus tax (internet only - not on the shelves)
((FEATURES))
- SiRF provides excellent and fast, satellite signal acquisition (unlike older units).
- Text-to-Speech (calling out the streets By Name) is FAR more helpful that I originally thought it would be. I was tempted to get a unit without this option, to save money, but am now SO VERY glad that I went ahead and got the nüvi 350 instead (this feature is a BIG deal when driving through a cluster of streets in heavy traffic).
- MP3 Player ~ again, this is a feature that I didn't originally rate as a high-priority when purchasing a GPS unit. However, after loading many of my favorite MP3's onto the unit (and being able to easily play them through my car speakers), I now realize that this was an excellent add-on. ((* HINT: I bought a $9 adaptor at Wal-Mart that connects the headphone jack of the nüvi 350 directly to my car stereo - This is a MUST as the nüvi 350 speakers are good for navigation, but not so great for listening to music))
- Flip-up Antenna is a great feature. When the antenna is flipped down, the GPS system is turned "off" and saves on battery-life if you're just listening to MP3's or if you're just exploring POI's or programming your favorite locations, etc. ((* HINT: When you first receive your nüvi 350, flipping up the antenna is 1ST thing you should do after power-up so that the unit will find your current location)). The very first satellite acquisition takes about 25-30 seconds, but they become much faster thereafter.
((IN THE BOX))
- I was pleasantly surprised that the nüvi 350 box includes THREE (3) types of power adaptors (a car adaptor - a wall adaptor and the USB cable, which also charges the unit from your computer).
- Owner's Manual is included on the unit itself. Just hook-up your USB cable and the 2.8Meg pdf-file owner's manual is pre-loaded and easy to cut and paste right onto your PC for quick viewing and/or printing.
- The SD memory card slot is nice, but I haven't needed it yet. The total size of the nüvi 350's internal memory is almost 1.4 Gig (needed for all the big maps, voices, etc.), but it still has over 500Meg of free space for adding mp3's. I may get a card down the road, if I want to add more stuff, but I was quite happy that Garmin provided over 1/2 a gig of memory right out of the box!
- I expected a cheap and thin carrying case. No so! The carrying case is thick, very soft interior, and of generally high quality.
((NAVIGATION))
What can I say? The nüvi 350 does an excellent job and it's VERY reliable. New users should pay particular attention to their settings. The "Shortest Distance" setting may take you down a road with MANY stoplights because that route is indeed the shortest distance. "Shortest Time" is probably the setting that most people would want to use as it will forego the shorter distance, if there is an interstate, Hwy, or thoroughfare that will get you to your location faster.
Bottom line: GREAT Navigation - just pay attention to your settings.
((SUMMARY))
The nüvi 350 is by-far the best GPS for the money (especially Amazon's price). I didn't really need, or want to pay for, the more expensive bluetooth units so I feel that the nüvi 350 was the perfect choice in every way for me. For business trips, vacations, or just running errands in unknown areas, owning a solid GPS navigator is simply indispensable. The nüvi 350 was the perfect choice for me.
Hope this review was helpful. :-)
Customer Review: Best Unbiased Vavorable review
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros
* Easy to use
* Bargain pricing
* Garmin is a mature company and everything here just works the way it's supposed to. No unpleasant surprises, or buggy code. Software feels well tested and thoughtfully implemented
* Slim, elegant, portable design. About the size of a deck of cards.
* 2007 Maps
* Large POI database (6+ million)
* Good text-to-speech (voice announces actual street names instead of generic maneuvers) - voice sounds natural and is easy to understand
* High performance GPS receiver
* Nice, Bright screen that's readable even in bright sunlight
* Mapping data is stored in memory rather than a hard disk, making the unit very lightweight and less susceptible to hard disk failure or damage from dropping
* SiRF's Star III GPS chipset yields phenomenal performance. I even got 4 out of 5 signal strength bars indoors! The SiRF enabled nuvi performed well in Manhattan's GPS challenging urban environment, tracking even behind tall buildings and short tunnels
* Excellent routing engine
* Solid windshield mount keeps the unit secure and in place. The nuvi is easy to angle on the mount, and it doesn't vibrate or shift while driving
* Can be upgraded to receive real-time traffic (requires purchase of optional TMC traffic receiver and a valid Garmin traffic subscription)
* Fast CPU performance: the nuvi is zippy and responsive. Navigating menus is quick, and route / re-route calculation is fast
* Long battery life (Garmin claims a battery life of 4-8 hours, and in my testing I was able to average around 7 hours per charge)
* Ability to route to lat/long coordinates
* Ability to see a list of all maneuvers (Turn List) before you start driving
* Top-notch Garmin customer support
Cons
* Address Book always ordered by closeness to your current position -- no way to sort alphabetically
* Takes 23 seconds to power on
* No route exclusion feature (ability to exclude certain roadways when choosing a route)
* No multi-destination address optimizing (you can have multiple stops on a route, but the nuvi cannot tell you the most efficient order for the stops)
* Sometimes the nuvi waits too long to reroute -- If you miss a turn, I found the nuvi waiting a nail-biting amount of time before finally accepting the fact that I had missed the turn and it needed to re-calculate
* Text-entry not as refined as TomTom or Magellan (Garmin doesn't prevent you from spelling out invalid city names)
* Route simulation mode only operates at 1x speed; no way to accelerate the simulator
Conclusion
When Garmin's nuvi 350 first hit store shelves, it sold for $1,000. At today's current street pricing of around $365, Garmin's nuvi 350 might just be the best deal in town. Garmin's first-rate routing engine consistently chose the best routes in head-to-head tests against Magellan and TomTom. The nuvi 350's text-to-speech is very good, announcing actual street names in a natural, clear voice. New NAVTEQ 2007 maps (City Navigator NT 2008), a high performance GPS receiver, bright daylight readable screen, and excellent windshield mount make the nuvi 350 a tough GPS to beat. The unit feels zippy and responds quickly to every command. Garmin's tech support is excellent.
Garmin's user interface is a joy to use -- this is a GPS you could loan a friend/parent and they could use it without reading the instructions. Overall there's very little to complain about on the nuvi 350. Although, I do wish Garmin would implement a more sophisticated text-entry system that prevents accidental key presses and misspellings, and I'd like to see the addition of multi-stop routing. I also found Garmin's public transportation POIs lacking compared to Magellan's.
The nuvi 350 is the the best GPS you can buy for under $400. Period. Is the nuvi 350 better than the TomTom ONE XL? Definitely. Is the 350 better than the Magellan Maestro 3140? Yes. The nuvi 350 has all the same core navigation features as Garmin's much more expensive 600-series GPS units, and produced identical routes as the 660/680. The 350 also includes a host of handy travel features, including a well designed MP3 player and photo viewer.
If you're looking for a solid, reasonably priced, GPS for every day use and don't need a wide screen display, the nuvi 350 is the best deal in town.
Customer Review: Garmin Nuvi 350. -Bill Dubovsky, S.I. Business Trends, "Bits & Bytes," July, 2006
Summary: 4 Stars
Lost When It Comes to Buying a GPS? -Bill Dubovsky, S.I. Business Trends, "Bits & Bytes," July, 2006.
Did You Know? GPS (Global Positioning System) devices that help you find out where you are on the earth can be a help or a curse. In this article, I review the Garmin Nuvi 350 portable navigation system, (about $800 in 2006, about $200 in 2008!) at most electronics stores.
What is it? GPS devices are basically small satellite receivers with computers that pick up satellite signals and calculate and plot your position on the earth to within a few meters. They show your position on a small map in a device about the size of a wallet or small mobile phone.
How it works: The map is software that comes loaded on your GPS device, and in most cases can be upgraded, at extra charge, via a computer. There are basically two major types of automobile GPS: built in to your vehicle or portable. There are also GPS receivers for hikers, boaters and aviators. I picked a portable model so we could move it from car to car or carry it with us as we walked. My Nuvi has maps for the US and some parts of Canada, and you can purchase and download maps (software) for other countries at extra charge.
What you need: First, you need to decide what you want to use a GPS for, and how you will be using it (in your vehicle only, all family cars, boat, walking, hiking, in this country only or in other countries?) Next is pricing - prices vary from about $350 to over $1,200.
How to get it: Any electronic store can be useful if they have knowledgeable sales and technical people. I was pleased with a helpful sales person at Best Buy. There is also a useful article in the August, 2006 issue of Consumer Reports.
How hard is it to use? Pretty simple. You can figure out how to use it just by playing with it, though the device came with an easy to use instruction sheet. The Nuvi, is small, has its own built in battery (or you can plug it into your cigarette lighter), fits nicely on your windshield, and speaks the directions to you, "turn right on to Hylan Blvd in three tenths of a mile..." The Nuvi's map also includes restaurants, gas stations, lodging, and you can save your own favorite places. No matter where you travel, you can just press "Go Home" and it will calculate your route home. (I just wished it would have listed parking garages for NYC!) You can also "zoom in" or "zoom out" depending on how close to your destination you are in order to get a higher level of detail. It also calculates your approximate arrival times and has a host of other cool factors, like choice of language, male/female voice, American or British English (circle vs. round about) and can even store and play mp3 files and audible books. It also has a travel kit which contains other fun items like a currency converter, world clock, measurement converter and language guide. You can purchase full versions of some of these features for extra cost.
Findings: We found our Garmin Nuvi a little frustrating on Staten Island, since we know all the shortcuts and have other local knowledge. When you didn't turn where the Nuvi told you to turn, it gave you a "recalculating" message with a swarmy attitude as to say, "You're not listening to me!"
We had some problems in New York City as it was harder for it to find the satellites due to the tall buildings. When I asked it to find a certain restaurant in the South Street Seaport, it wanted to take me out to Long Island. Again, it is not a substitute for local knowledge.
However, it worked very well on a trip to upstate New York. It was far more accurate than roadside signage and more reliable than verbal directions. When we went past a Native American reservation that we wanted to visit (Turning Stone Resort), while it had no information in its map on the inside of the reservation, it was able to get close enough to find the entrance.
It did work surprisingly well on Staten Island when I used it while walking. It pointed out parkland and even some private streets.
In all, I feel it is a good tool to have when traveling and will be more attractive, if not a necessity, over time as pricing decreases. It is a good investment for people who travel frequently and for business people making sales calls.
For more information: Click on www.google.com for some good sites and to get a quick education. You can contact Bill Dubovsky at billdubovsky@gmail.com with your feedback, experiences and questions.
Customer Review: Surprises from the Nuvi 350
Summary: 3 Stars
Bought the Garmin Nuvi 350 last month after reading the reviews on lots of different GPS systems. The thing I learned while trying out the Nuvi on a trip was that the reviews were not helpful. I would have been less disappointed if I had not read the reviews. Indeed, most of the reviews sound like they were written by the manufacturer, although I am sure they were not.
It is possible that my surprises and disappointments would have been the same with any GPS system.
My first surprise was when I took it out of the box and plugged it in to charge it up. I plugged it in, but couldn't tell if it was charging. I tried pressing the ON button, but nothing happened. So I called the help line. The nice man said that I had to hold the button down for a number of seconds. I recommended that they put that in the manual.
Second surprise: the manual was only a few pages long, and horribly written. I found that I could go on the GARMIN website and download a long, more complete manual, so I did.
3) Got into the car for a long trip and put the Nuvi on the windshield. It was supposed to be "sunlight readable". It is not. In strong sunlight, the driver can barely make anything out on the screen, but then again, the driver should be looking at the road. My passenger couldn't read the Nuvi from the other front seat. I called the company. They said that that is the way things are on all GPS systems. That is as good as can be done now. OK. Then don't advertise them as sunlight readable. The Garmin representative told me that I could buy a hood to put over it to make it a little better in sunlight, but not much. I wish that had been in the reviews and in the literature.
4) It told me to go a direction that I knew, from years of experince, was not optimal, so I went my own way, and it said "Recalculating". I thought that it was recalculating a new route to take me to my destination. It was not. It was calculating a new route to take me back to the route it had calculated the previous time. Sometimes it does that. Sometimes it calculates a completely new route. Unfortunately I can't tell which one it did. I wish that it would say when it is giving you a completely new route, and when it is trying to get you back to a route that you didn't want to go.
5) It allows you to enter one "way point", but that is all. There are times when I would like to put in a number of them. Other Garmin systems such as the 2720 let you do that on a computer ahead of time.
6) we got on route I-84. When the Garmin said "I84", I couldn't understand it. I have been working with computer speech for over 20 years, and this is not one of the best. This one could be greatly improved with a few small changes. For example, putting a slight pause between the "I" and the "84" would make it much more understandable.
I could go on, but you get the idea. I was quite disappointed.
On the positive side. It does get you to where you want to go. You don't have to look at it, and you should not, if you are driving. When the sun goes down, the display is beautiful. I used it on a trip in Los Angeles, and I trust it to get me to my destination. HOWEVER, it did tell me to get off at the ramp for ">>>>>>>" but the ramp was labelled something else. I guess the map is out of date on that. The ramp did get us to where we wanted to go.
There are some nice features that could be added simply. For example, it tells you how fast you are going, and it tells you the fastest you went during your trip. I recommend that it have a feature that you can turn on or off. When the feature is on, it asks "Do you really want to be going 87 miles per hour?"
Another simple feature: it should tell you when it is recalculating to get you back to its previously recommended route, and when it is calculating a different route. Indeed, it should have a feature that allows you to press a button to ask for a completely new route.
I have decided to keep it. Now I know what its faults are. It is difficult for me to know why these didn't show up in a lot of reviews. The next generation of these things will be much better. But for now, there are times when I need directions and I don't know a good way to go. This thing does that well.
I hope that this review does not deter you from buying one. Rather, I hope that it helps you modify your expectations to be more in line with what you will get.
Customer Review: Not quite ready for prime time.
Summary: 3 Stars
Purchased in Dec. This is what I have found.
1. No manual with unit. You must print from website.
2. Download of software fixes is not well documented. Does not function on my computer(win xp)using USB connection. I must download to a 32 meg SD chip and insert into Nuvi for update.
3. Often(almost always) when powering up, I will see message that it is searching for satellites. I can wait several minutes and still be searching. I then power down and power up again and often will then find satellites ok. Sometimes must go thru powerup/powerdown sequence several times before success. As a motorcycle rider, this is a pain as you can not really do this while riding as you can if you must, when driving an auto or walking.
4. Status of battery charge condition is poor(in spite of following their instructions to totally allow battery to go dead and recharging). Now after 1 month I have discovered that if you plug into power to charge, the unit powers itself on from an off condition. If you then power off while still plugged into electrical outlet, then you will get a message on screen if battery is charging or if it is fully charged. This is not documented.
5. No longitude or latitude location given by unit. UH??????
6. Have had 5 software updates in one month. From release 2.2 to 2.7 in incremental releases.
7. Not waterproof, or even water resistant. This is very bad for a hiker or motorcycle rider.
8. No lanyard or any other method to affix a cord to carry around your neck. Small leather case does not have a belt attachement. Hint! Not a belt clip, but an actual attachment that requires the removal of your belt to carry it. Belt clips lead to losses. Look at the Canon SD 550 camera case for the proper design.
9. Search arguments for spelling out locations that you seek is poor. Example would be to search for "Harley Davidson" to find a local dealer. In Silicon Valley, the closest find is some 300 miles away. There are actually 5 or more HD stores within 25 miles from my home. This occurs on many searches, fuel stations, fast food places, etc. Very disconcerting if you are looking for Wendys or McDonalds or Chevron or Shell and are told by Nuvi the nearest is 30 miles away, as you are riding down the freeway and see one at the next exit.
10. MPH indicator when driving is not accurate. I have 2 newer autos that will indicate 70 mph and the Nuvi will say 66 to 67. I have checked speedometers in both by driving down the freeway at 60 and timing with a stopwatch at mile posts. The autos are correct.
11. What happens when built in battery gives up the ghost, no indication in documentation from Garmin. Must you pitch the unit(ala Ipod--however now for 75 dollars or so, Apple will install a new one)or does Garmin have plans to replace a failed battery. Somewhat hard to justify throwing a 900 dollar unit away because the battery has failed. Of course would probably function ok as long as your vehicle has a cigar lighter. No so with most motorcycles.
Other smaller lesser complaints. I often wonder if engineers that design these products ever actually come out of their cubby holes and test their designs in the real world. In other words "do they come out to see what us chickens are eating out here"? Some of these issues, I uncovered within 1 day of owning the unit. You see this in virtually every product that you acquire and it is really annoying that the designers failed to consider these before foisting the product on the buyer. No wonder so many returns and they of course wonder why and attribute returns to flaky buyers. For 900 dollars, you have an expectation of near perfection and if not satisfied then you should return.
I will not cover the numerous good and excellent attributes of the Nuvi in my review. These have been well covered by other reviewers. And mind you, there are many good points. I will wait for version/release 2 as most likely will be returning this unit.
Additional problem on Nuvi that I did not note earlier. If you have created a list of "Favorite Places", it will become quite large over a period of time. You may wish to weed out some of the entries that are no longer of interest. You are not permitted to delete individual entries. You must remove the list in its entirety. This then means that you must recreate your "Favorites" from scratch. This is a serious usability defect.