Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
by Garmin
|
List Price: Our Price: $75.00 You Save: $424.99 (85%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
Customer Review: Worth every cent!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is over a month since I purchased this item. Prior to buying the Nuvi 360, I used MS Streets and Trips on a laptop. I researched for 6 months prior to buying it and my choice came down to the US designed Nuvi 350, 360 or a European Tom Tom. The latter was a very close favorite, but I dropped it because of reviews of poor customer service. I then had to decide whether it was worth paying $90 extra for a Nuvi 360 over 350 which had a Blue Tooth. Looking back, 360 was really worth it. I would definitely buy the 360 over 350. The blue tooth is just wonderful. Not only can you pull your phone book up on the Nuvi but you can call any business in the huge data base of Nuvi - restaurants, car rental, recreation etc etc.
The pros of Nuvi 360 are - very fast satellite tracking, recalculates route rapidly (say you see an accident ahead - just exit the road, and Nuvi will do an alternate route). Routing is really good, the volume of the instructions is very good even on a 70 mph road with the AC and fans on. The touch screen is excellent and unlike the equivalent Tom-Tom, switches very easily from day time viewing to night time. The antiglare screen is excellent and one never has problems viewing the maps during the day time. Prior to buying it, I was a bit concerned about the small size of the screen, but that has never been a problem, in fact the size of the Nuvi is great to put in my pocket. It is very easy to take off the Nuvi from the mount.
Cons: CA and MN don't allow mounting the GPS device on the windshield. I mounted the Nuvi on the dash board and it would fall off. I called Garmin, got connected after about 50 minutes. They were very friendly and sent by 2 day delivery a new mount and my problem got solved. Later I read some where dipping the base in water makes a great suction, I did it and am now using the old mounting system without any problems. The Nuvi can run 4 hours without a power source and I have taken it on walks and used in rental cars without the cord, without any problems. The Nuvi has in-built male and female voices and even different accents, like Canadian, Australia, Brit etc and it is cool to keep changing it. Garmin has a great web update system and one can connnect and get firmware updates for free. One can even download different car symbols etc from there. The Nuvi connects to the laptop effortlessly for both charging and downloading MP3, just like it were a jump drive. Garmin provides power connecter, USB connector and Car charger connector - 3 ways to charge your Nuvi! I downloaded the manual from Garmin site and read it even before my Nuvi arrived, but the learning curve is almost nill and one can start using the Nuvi very quickly. There are many user sites for downloading ready made NUVI POI (e.g., all starbucks in the US or Canada etc) on sites such as GPS Passion etc.
The blue tooth is great, but the sound quality at the other end of the line is a bit distant. I got over the problem by buying a Nuvi Microphone, which plugs in to the Nuvi mounting bracket and the sound quality is great. The MP3 is average, but I never use my Nuvi for MP3 anyway.
All in all, this is great product and my wife is now starting to like it, I will definitely buy a 360 and not a 660 because the 360 size is cool to carry it - I would never leave my Nuvi in the car! BTW, the Nuvi has a great lock. One can set a password, if you forget you can take it to a secret location and unlock automatically when the GPS position matches lock place. The only other way for the thief to unlock is to send it to Garmin, who will report to police if the device is reported stolen!
Customer Review: Rotten manual!! It causes problems
Summary: 1 Stars
This is an edited comment. I would now give this product 3 stars, but only 3 because it is not easy to use. It all centers on gross deficiencies in the manual and online "how to" information although there may also be performance issues over the long haul.
1. The manual is worst I've seen from an English-speaking company, it is unbelieveable how little useful information it communicates. Garmin routinely uses initials as if everyone knows that they mean. It uses an accronym (initials) on a screen with no definition anywhere on the device. When you go to the manual the initials are in the index but the pages referenced don't even use the initials, or define them or give a clear indication to a non-techie or newbie of what they're talking about. You have to search online to find out what the initials stand for.
Another example is setting the Garmin 360 to announce street names. Yes, the Garmin 360 can announce street names but good luck figuring out how to do it because their manual and online support sucks. How to set the Garmin 360 to announce street names (posted so you don't have to wait 17 minutes to get through to customer support): You control this through the LANGUAGE setting. You usually don't see the correct option when you do set up because what comes up first is American English -- so you choose it and don't scroll down or press options again so you don't discover there are additional American English options, two of which will give you spoken street names. To fix this after setup and have spoken street names you need to touch the little wrench on the right side of the main page, then on the next screen go to system (looks like gears). On the next screen, the second line has a picture of lips and a line showing the language. Touch the line across from the lips. Your language options will include American English and among the sub-options will be "American English Jack (TTS)" and "American English Jill (TTS)". If you choose the first option a male voice will tell you street names when you need to turn. If you choose "American English Jill (TTS)" a female voice will tell you street names.
TTS means "Text To Speech". Remember what I said about the manual and using initials as if everyone knows what they mean? This is another example of that problem. Three tech-saavy people tried to figure this out before we called Garmin and sat on hold for 17 minutes. It was a quick fix from a nice tech guy once we got thru but this is a simple question that should have been answered by their manual. It wasn't. Manuals are written for people who don't know the product, not to inspire/market those who are into the product or field.
2. Concern: it thinks I'm on the city streets below interstate flyovers as I go over and tries to re-route me; this could be a serious performance issue but I need more time with the unit to know.
3. Concern: as some others have noted it flipped to an old destination while I was driving and began rerouting me there in an unfamiliar city; I suspect a touchpad issue but this is something to watch.
4. the technology is old: the antenna is old tech, it flips up.
5. Plus: the windshild and dash attachments are good and beat the competition.
Once the learning curve is tolerated and the unit is figured out, it seems to do the job. I think it will be fine but they don't do themselves a favor by educating their customer on how to use the product. Most negative reviews are from people who have encountered problems I've also encountered and who would be happier with a decent manual.
Customer Review: Garmin is the best for GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
I spent a lot of time trying out GPS units, and have compared Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and several factory GPS units. All of these GPS units tell you how to get somewhere and will re-route if you make a wrong turn. However, Garmin is my absolute favorite, and here's why:
1. The most important thing about Garmin units is the user interface. It is simple to understand and easy to use.
2. The Garmin unit uses a built in database of sunrise and sunset times (based upon your location) to automatically change from daylight mode to night-time mode. This is important because the daylight screen is much too bright for use at night. With the Tom Tom, you must make this change manually.
3. If you have the Garmin unit plugged into your car power, when you turn off the car (and the cigarette lighter power goes off), the Garmin unit will detect that and automatically turn itself off (it gives you 30 seconds to override and keep the unit on).
4. When you start your car again, the Garmin unit will detect that too and automatically power up. If you were in the middle of a trip, the Garmin unit will pick up where you left off, and you won't have to tell it where you were going again.
5. Unlike most factory GPS units, Garmin will allow you to select your route and make changes while you are moving.
6. The Garmin units have an extensive database of locations and the excellent interface makes it easy to search the database to find what you want. Do you want food or gas? Just click three buttons and a list of locations (sorted by distance) will appear. If you know the name of the place you want, you can type it in on the on-screen keypad and Garmin will find it for you. You can even add your own locations using the favorites feature. I first started using this when I was out of town, but its amazing what you'll find near you when you look.
7. While you are driving, the Garmin unit will both prompt you to turn and give you a written explanation of the turn (including the street or highway name and direction) at the top of the screen. The Garmin unit also shows an estimated arrival time (usually a few minutes earlier than you'll actually arrive) and the distance to your next turn. A separate screen gives you detailed trip information, including how far and how long you've been driving and your maximum speed. I used mine on an airplane once (yes, it is allowed - read the back of the airplane magazine), and it now says that by maximum speed was 590 miles per hour.
8. I often use the Garmin even when driving locally, becase it often finds better, faster ways to get there then the way that I usually use.
9. Garmin offers a variety of installation options and accessories. My favorite is the friction based dashboard mount (three weights connected to a center stand) which is much more convenient than the supplied mounting system.
10. If you turn off the GPS receiver (see settings) and then look up another location, you will get the option to set this new location as your present location. This will allow you to use search Garmin's points of interest for the new location. This is a great feature when planning trips, because Garmin's points of interest database is quite extensive and includes all of the typical tourist attractions, plus food, shopping, gas, banking, etc.
11. Be sure to check for the latest map and firmware updates at Garmin's web-site.
Customer Review: Where am I? Where am I going?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most fun you can add to your car trips. This talking GPS device synchs with my bluetooth phone and acts as a speakerphone. The USB computer cable connection seemlessly attached to my WindowsXP computer and I was able to transfer MP3's, pictures, and easily download firmware/software updates directly from Garmin's website right to the device.
The funniest thing I can say about this device is how annoyed the computer voice sounds when you vary from a prescribed route. "She" says 'recalculating', but it's the way she says it, like you upset her precious directions.
Anway, if you buy this or any GPS don't forget to get tech savvy and download the latest maps when they become available using your USB cable. A new route was just cut near my house and it hasn't been included in the map yet, so I heard alot of 'recalculating' while I was testing the device out. But it was interesting to see that it knew that I was driving over water and grass even though the new road was not shown where grass and water has been recently covered over.
Trying around town was also fun, the map is almost exact to your position, it knows within about 10-100 feet when the bridge ramp you are on becomes water and then becomes dry land again. And you can watch the digital display show you the street names you are passing or coming up to (in most cases) within seconds as your car passes them.
Another neat feature for me was how I was able to use my finger on the map to move the map (similar to how you move the map with your mouse on Google Maps). This allows me to see outside an area if there is not enough local detail. It kinda lets me canvass an area from my start or end point if I need to be familiar with the other streets not included in my route.
If you are traveling anywhere outside of the US, you will need to purchase pre-loaded SD memory cards with whichever country you are traveling to. They are sold by Garmin online and by other retailers (Somewhere in the less than $70 range per country - your price may vary). Mexico and Canada are extra, North America is included.
The device is really small. So you can walk around any major metropolitan area (like New York City or Los Angeles) and it will still tell you when to turn to get to your destination. Just remember, it won't know you are on foot and might ask you to walk where the sidewalk doesn't go. Just take the diversion to get back on your path and hear her nag you 'recalculating'.
PS: Only says recalculating when you veer off prescribed route.
PPS: Gets a little lost in shopping centers. This is because shopping centers are large tracts of land and are not mapped by road mapping companies, so the GPS sees them as just a destination, not a driveway and parking stalls.
PPPS: Prior to my buying this, my parents bought a MUCH more expensive model and drove from NY to FL. They put restaurant locations, sightseeing attractions and other locations in. Upon arriving to FL, they said that the device worked great, took them places they would have never found on themselves, gave them great diversions where it knew there was traffic (extra feature). In my opinion though, the larger screen and higher price were not worth it. You really can't watch a GPS and drive, just let it talk, get a normal screen size like the 360 and it will serve you just the same for half the price.
N-Joy!
Customer Review: Best All in One Solution Out There!
Summary: 5 Stars
This may be one of the slickest little gadgets I've ever owned. It is not without some relatively minor deficiencies which pale in comparison to this products overall design and function.
First the good news. This is the smallest, most elegant and compact AIO (all in one) GPS navigation solution I've come across. The mapping details are excellent. The Nuvi 360 has map v8 updated from the v7 in the Nuvi 350. The voice prompts are loud, clear and timely. The ease of use is just fantastic and the visibility and quality of the display are very good. The 360 uses the low reflection screen and brighter display which were only found on the very latest 350s. POI access is excellent and can be navigated to much more simply than the TomTom unit which requires additional cumbersome steps. The attachment system for the Nuvi is superb and very secure. With the Nuvi 360 you can access your POIs directly by name rather than having to go through a cumbersome category menu and then only getting the POIs by proximity as is the case with the TomTom 910.
The new screen display in the 360 is nearly as good or equal to the TomTom 910. The automatic panning is not quite as good as the TomTom. And bright light visibility is nearly as good as the TomTom 910. Despite these minor comparative deficiencies, all the other advantages of the Nuvi much more than outweigh the disadvantages of the TomTom 910 (their top of the line). As with all GPS units, you want to place the Nuvi so as to reduce the sun's glare.
This device is intended as an extremely simple point to point navigating AIO GPS navigation solution and is not intended to enable the use of way points or easily changing the course selected by the unit. You have essentially two options: the shortest route and the fastest route. Fortunately, the mapping program selects routs that are very acceptable. Personally, I like to look at the overall route and fiddle with it. This unit is not designed for such use. Microsoft Streets and Trips is ideal for this kind of tinkering, but terrible for point to point navigation while on the go at which the Nuvi has no peer.
Make sure and get the most recent firmware updates on the Garmin website which will fix the known bugs and further improve the functionality. This unit is so easy to use that my 85 year old father purchased one for himself and he loves it to. He is, to put it kindly, technologically challenged but this unit is so intuitive and easy to use that he's had no problems whatsoever. He doesn't like to be distracted while driving so he plans his trip before leaving and simply listens to the voice prompts.
The new bluetooth feature makes using hands free use of your bluetooth enabled phone a pleasure. If you don't need or want the Bluetooth feature save yourself a couple of hundred bucks and get the most recent Nuvi 350 but make sure it's got the low reflective screen, the bright display and map v8. Remember, only the most recent Nuvi 350s have the bright low reflective screen. I believe if you get a 350 with map v8 it will automatically have the brighter display with the low reflection screen. I give this unit a 5 star on form and a 5 star on the functionality for which it was designed. You will not be disappointed.