Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
by Garmin
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Category: GPS or Navigation System
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: GarminBrand: Garmin
Edition: Electronics
Release Date: 2008-10-04
Model: 010-00538-00
Color: Li-Io
Publisher: Garmin
Studio: Garmin
Music Label: Garmin
Product features:
- Bluetooth wireless technology, built-in microphone, and speaker for hands-free calls with compatible phones
- MP3 player with pre-loaded sample songs and audio books, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm, and currency converters
- 2D or 3D views; pre-loaded with most recent Navteq-driven maps for United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Canada
- Turn-by-turn directions with actual street names; real-time traffic and weather info
- Super-bright 2.8 x 2.1-inch sunlight-readable color screen
- Bracketron UFM-300-BX Nav-Pack Weighted GPS Dash Mount/Carrying Case
- NAVGEAR Universal Dash Mount
- Garmin nüMaps Lifetime North America Map Updates
- Garmin GDB 50 MSN Direct Receiver
- Case Logic GPSS-4 Professional GPS Travel Kit (Dark Blue)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
Customer Review: The Nuvi 370 is a Better Deal -- and Tips on Using
Summary: 4 Stars
Received this for Christmas -- I was thinking of trying to return it and upgrade to a Nuvi 370 instead, but decided now that I have it in hand, it's not worth the hassle. But for new purchasers, a price difference of about $75-110 on Amazon (varies daily with the unit prices) buys the 370 that includes European maps that cost $209 on Amazon, plus one of the FM traffic receivers (built into the cigarette-lighter power cord) that costs at least $120 on Amazon. So that's almost $330 worth of upgrades for $75-110. If you think you might *ever* use the European maps or the traffic service, I'd suggest buying the 370 to begin with. The upgrades cost so much individually that it is likely to discourage you from buying them later.
Speaking of prices, the "list" prices shown on Amazon are greatly exaggerated. For instance, the MSRP for the Nuvi 360 shown on the Garmin website is $589.27, not the $964.99 that Amazon claims. I noticed similar exaggeration of other Garmin list prices on the Amazon site.
As for the unit's performance -- Like most people, if I know the area well, the suggested routes often seem less than optimal, but if you don't know the area, it will eventually get you to where you are going. It proved easier to to set target addresses than I expected (this is my first GPS), and there are ways to simply point to a location to set the destination (or a "via" point along your desired route) if the exact address is unknown by you or the mapping software. (This would have helped some other reviewers.) The estimated arrival times are pretty accurate, though of course they change if you hit slow traffic or other delays. It's fun to use, and will certainly be helpful in getting to new places.
A shortcoming of the "points of interest" (POI) feature: it only lists the 50 closest items in any category, and sometimes they're fairly trivial, so there can be times when important places are left out. For instance, when listing museums and cultural sites in Philadelphia, the list did not include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the city's two really major museums, because it was a few tenths of a mile further from the nominal "center" of the city than the first 50 items listed -- most of which were second- or third-rate touristy exhibits. It came right up, however, when I *searched* POIs for the word "art" (as opposed to just asking for a list).
The whole POI field is just developing, however -- in a few years much more sophisticated lists will probably be available.
One feature that I thought would be useful for GPS units after having one in a rental car is the ability to review the unit's whole planned route at the outset, to see if you agree with its basic approach. Turns out you can do that easily with the Nuvi 360 and 370: when the first (or next) part of the route is displayed, tap the green header bar at the top of the screen, which normally shows what the current instruction is. That brings up a turn-by-turn list of all the steps that you can scroll through to see how the Nuvi will be routing you. While that list is displayed, if you then tap the "map" button at the bottom of the screen, a zoomed-out view of the whole route will be displayed. If you do this part-way through your drive, the instructions and map will just be from your current location forward.
When using in hand-held mode, the battery life was not impressive (a few hours), but I noticed later that Bluetooth was enabled, and I believe that uses a fair amount of power because it's always searching for other devices, so I'll have to test the battery life again at some point. But clearly these units will not work for serious campers or all-day hikers without some way of recharging them.
Update 1/7/08
The product page now sports a nice comparison chart that it didn't have when I wrote my first review (above) -- I spotted one error: Multi-point routing. The table indicates that only 600-series and 700-series Nuvis can do this: they may make it easier, but the 360 and 370 can do it too. After you've entered your ultimate destination, if you press the "Menu" button at the bottom of the map view, and then select "Where to go" again, you can enter a destination along the way (even out of the way), and the Nuvi will then ask if you want to add that location as a "way point" along your route. If you say "yes" it will recalculate a revised route tat goes first to the intermediate location. I don't know if there is a limit to how many way-points you can add.
Note that the 360 DOES include Canada in its maps: one geography-challenged reviewer commented that it "includes North America but Canada and Mexico are extra". (Poor Canada -- the Rodney Dangerfield of the Americas! Whether Mexico should be counted as North America or Central America seems to be an an area of ambiguity among geographers and marketers.)
HARDWARE NOTES
As other reviewers have commented, the screen is very readable.
Sound is acceptable for for the Nuvi's synthetic voices but I can't imagine trying to listen to music through the internal speaker. With a headset or plugging it into the car stereo it might be OK. The same, I think, for audio books -- not sure I could take several hours of continuous narration through the internal speaker.
Memory & Media Functions -- There is 1GB internal, half of which is used by the US & Canada maps, leaving only 0.5 GB for storing various media -- picutres, MP3s, audio book, etc. (Before adding an SD card.) So while the media-player functionality is nice, it's really no competition for a true media player. Downloading MP3 files via the USB cable struck me as very slow, but since I don't have an iPod or anything I don't really have a comparison. One CD (already stored as MP3 files on my hard drive) took about 8-10 minutes to download.
Bluetooth -- I can't see any reason to want this. Evidently some people like it for dialing by using the 360's touch screen rather than their phone (???), but the sound quality of using the Nuvi as a speakerphone is going to be lousy -- both the speaker and the microphone, which will be very far away from your mouth (thus picking up lots of car noise) if it's on the dashboard or windshield. So if you don't need maps of Canada, the 350 avoids this unnecessary Bluetooth expense.
Mounts (speaking of dash/windshield) -- my girlfriend went ahead and bought me the beanbag dash mount with the 360, based on people's complaints here about the suction cups. It works very well. However, I think a lot of people may have had problems getting it to stick to the dash because they weren't using the little mounting disc that comes in the box. That's got a self-adhesive ring on the back to stick to the dash, and then the top provides a glassy-smooth surface for the suction cup to grab. I wasn't able to pull them apart without risking breakage, so that method of using the suction cup seems very strong to me. Another reviewer provided the solution for the windshield -- wipe the suction cup with alcohol. But I'm sticking with the beanbag because it makes it easy to transfer the GPS between vehicles.
SOFTWARE, INTERFACE, AND ACCURACY
Issues Attributable to the Navteq Geographic Databse:
Many of the problems I (and other reviewers) have noticed are deficiencies in the Navteq geo-database, and as such aren't really within Garmin's control. For instance, I gave it the street address listed on the website of a Circuit City store in a suburb of Washington DC that I'd never been to before. (It was one of only two stores in the whole area that still had in stock a digital picture frame I wanted.) Turns out the address is within a relatively new complex of access-roads and parking areas connected with a new Metro station, and *no* mapping application I've found gives the correct location. The Nuvi had me driving around in circles in a residential development (actually just 1/2 or 1/4 mile from the store, but on the other side of a big tract of undeveloped land), and the Mapquest map on the store's own web page was also completely wrong.
It knows the location of my house in DC within a few feet, but it was off by almost a block (about 10-12 houses) in knowing where my dad's house was in Durham, NC. It was about the same amount off for a barbecue restaurant I stopped at on my drive home from NC last night -- which was a problem since it took me up the wrong side of a block that the restaurant was sort of in the middle of. I just followed my gut and drove across the unpaved parking area that made up most of the block, behind another restaurant, and then found the one I was looking for.
Based on my problems with routing to the Circuit City and the restaurant, my conclusion is that "tricky" places for PEOPLE will also be tricky for any GPS to find.
Issues Attributable to Garmin's Routing Algorithms:
Garmin's algorithms also need refining, however. For instance, as I was driving down to NC I took the HOV (carpool/express) lanes on I-395 and I-95 southbound out of Washington. For nearly 30 miles (until I passed the last exit before the HOV lanes ended), the Nuvi kept telling me to get off at each exit and switch over to the regular lanes. Interestingly, it DID know that I was on the express/HOV lanes because it knew exactly where each of the exits was -- it just DID NOT want me to use those lanes! After I passed the last exit from the HOV lanes before they merged with the rest of I-95, the Nuvi finally said, "Stay on the I-95 HOV lane"!
On the return trip northward the Nuvi behaved similarly except that once I was inside the Washington "Beltway" it immediately recognized that I was in the HOV/carpool lanes and told me to carry on.
The device sometimes says "turn" when it means "go straight" -- particularly if the road's name changes at an intersection, but that's not too confusing once you get used to it.
I also noticed what a few other reviewers have commented on -- the device sometimes says "LEFT" when it means "RIGHT". That can be less than helpful if someone is really depending on the unit to guide them. When I got off I-85 in Durham the Nuvi told me to turn left, even though I knew I needed to turn right. I turned right anyway, expecting the Nuvi to say, "Recalculating" -- but it didn't! The map in fact showed that I did what it wanted -- it just plain mis-spoke. I think that may have also been part of the problem in finding the barbeque restaurant -- doing what it initially said as I got off the highway sent the Nuvi ito a fit of recalculating.
It also occasionally makes very strange route choices. For instance, instead of taking the exit from I-85 directly onto the road I wanted, the Nuvi initially told me to take the PREVIOUS exit, then drive along a street parallel to the Interstate, and ThEN turn onto the street I wanted. Huh?
(But that might be related to the LEFT/RIGHT dyslexia: if the Nuvi had in mind the intersection where it ORIGINALLY wanted me to turn onto my road, that would in fact have been to the left of where I actually got off the interstate.)
The map-data problems above will probably remain for another couple of years until the market and the mapping products mature some more -- and perhaps the mapping companies figure out a way for users to report errors. (They can have millions of free road-scouts if they want.) The algorithm problems will also remain a while, until Garmin does a thorough re-vamp of their algorithms to make them interpret maps more like a PERSON would.
COOL TOOLS
The Nuvi 360 offers some features that make it a lot of fun to use while driving even if you don't need directions. My favorite is the information screen that appears if you touch the lower-left of the screen while the driving map is being displayed. (If a route has been programmed, the lower left normally displays an estimated time of arrival (ETA). If no route is programmed, it shows your average speed over the past 30 seconds or minute.)
That screen shows the total distance travelled, time travelling vs. time stopped, average speed while driving and total average speed including stops. After every slowdown in traffic I amused myself by trying to get the average travelling speed back above 70 mph. <g>
Bonus: Speedometer calibration. I was able to confirm my suspicion that my Honda Accord's speedometer reads high. I'd noticed that whenever I drove the Accord the trafic seemed to be moving faster than when I drove other cars, and wondered if it was speedometer error. By using the information screen while driving at different highway speeds I could confirm that the speedometer was consistently reading about 4 mph high at 70 mph.
Another moderately useful feature is the real-time POI lists mentioned above -- it's worth noting that they can become way-points in your route just by selecting them and pressing "Go" while your main route is already programmed and running.
More Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech reviews:
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Description of Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
The Garmin nüvi 360 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant isa GPS navigator, personal translator, multi-media entertainer and tour guide all wrapped into one. In addition to all the advanced features of the Garmin nüvi 350 including automatic routing, turn by turn voice directions, an MP3 player and audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, and much more this pocket-sized personal travel assistant comes with hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology, making it the hands down go anywhere travel companion.The Garmin nüvi 360 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant isa GPS navigator, personal translator, multi-media entertainer and tour guide all wrapped into one. In addition to all the advanced features of the Garmin nüvi 350 -- including automatic routing, turn-by-turn voice directions, an MP3 player and audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, and much more -- this pocket-sized personal travel assistant comes with hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology, making it the hands-down go-anywhere travel companion.
Which nüvi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators
 The nüvi 360 comes with hands-free bluetooth wireles technology. See side view. |
 Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer. |
 The device sports a handy MP3 player, letting you play songs stored on SD memory cards. |
The nüvi 360 integrates wireless technology with a microphone and speaker that lets you make hands-free mobile phone calls using your compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone. Simply dial numbers with the nüvi's touch screen keypad to place a call, and to answer calls, just tap the screen and speak directly into its built-in microphone.
In addition, you can easily look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or from your phone's call history log. Don't know the phone number for your destination? Simply find and dial it from nüvi's database of more than six million points of interest -- including hotels, restaurants, stores, and attractions.
Navigation and Entertainment with Ease
For starters, the nüvi 360 includes a high-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver that offers exceptional performance and reception. The unit's flip-up antenna includes an MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection. Preloaded software features maps of Europe or North America, and it includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names, and a fingertip touch screen interface -- making navigation as easy as it gets.
But navigation is just the beginning. Like the nüvi 350, the nüvi 360 also includes many entertainment and travel tools including an MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm, and currency converters.
The nüvi 360 features a bright, 2.8 x 2.1-inch TFT display with white backlight for easy readability. At 3.87 x 2.91 x 0.87-inches (WxHxD) and just 5.1 ounces, the unit is small enough to be placed on the dashboard with the included suction mount, or into your pocket for easy transportability. The unit also features Garmin Lock -- an advanced anti-theft feature that disables the unit from performing any functions until you type in a specific four-digit PIN or take the unit to a predetermined location. A built-in lithium ion battery will give you up to eight hours of power, and an included 12/24 volt adapter cable will let you run the navigator off your vehicle's power. An AC battery charger is also included.
A built-in Travel Kit that includes sample MP3s and audio books will get you started with entertainment, and with the unit's SD memory card expansion slot you can add optional software, such as language and travel guides. A USB port is also included for loading and updating data.
What's in the Box
Gamin nüvi 360, Preloaded City Navigator NT North America or Europe (full coverage), vehicle suction cup mount, AC charger, 12/24 volt adapter cable, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, carrying case, owner's manual, and quick reference guide.
Device | Screen Size inches (W x H) | Included Maps | Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names) | Traffic | Bluetooth | Media | FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system) | Multi-Point Routing | Battery life (hours) | ||
Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico | AK and Canada | Europe | |||||||||
| nüvi 360 | 2.8 x 2.1 |  | | | FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | up to 8 | |||
| nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | Photos | up to 5 | |||||
| nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
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