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: Great Gadget - Too Few User Options
Summary: 3 Stars
5 Stars for the gps device itself. It's a great little gadget.
3 Stars overall due to downsizing by Garmin of the user interface.
Pros:
Has SIRF III (1st generation?) so GPS reception is fairly solid even
when under moderate tree cover. Actually I've maintained GPS
functionality even when the signal bars were down into the red.
Seems really accurate as far as GPS location, etc... And I'm not
using the WAAS feature.
Very compact and very portable (wallet size).
You can see your saved favorites (usually just the icons) on the map at
all times regardless of zoom level (at least when free roaming). I am referring
to saved favorites, not custom POI's.
Cons:
Have noticed that the Nuvi 360 has problems aquiring the satellites when
the car is already moving (but only occasionally).
Routing, quite honestly, is awful. My pet monkey (if I had one)
could pick a better route than this device. I just moved to
Los Angeles, and I have a better idea (in most cases) about how
to get to where I'm going than the GPS does - once the Nuvi shows
me where my destination is at.
No user options to set route preference between Freeway, major
road, and minor road. Just shortest route or fastest route, avoid
toll roads, unpaved, etc...
Beware the built in location database. When I first arrived in LA,
the Nuvi helped me look up and go to a few places when I needed
to... then it routed me to a Best Buy that doesn't exist (It turns out
the real Best Buy's aren't even in the Nuvi's database. I did not
know this at the time.).
Major Con (almost a deal breaker):
I personally hate the automatic zoom feature.
When allowing the Garmin to route you to a destination, it
zooms in to a certain preset map resolution when driving,
regardless of where you personally set the map resolution
just a minute before. The Garmin basically won't let you
set your own zoom level. It will just keep overriding it and resetting
the zoom level to it's own built in preference for speed and road type.
Note: This only occurs when routing to a destination. The autozoom
function is disabled if using the GPS as a free roaming device - as I now do.
*And Garmin has eliminated the menu function that allowed you to
turn the autozoom feature off entirely.*
But despite the three stars, I still kept it and am using it.
At least it works and the map is accurate. It really helped out when
we had the fire in Griffith Park and Los Feliz Blvd was shut down. I
would have gotten lost without this little gadget telling me exactly
where I was on the map.
And besides, this series of GPS's are the only ones you can slip
into your pocket and take with you like a wallet.
3 Stars because I can't/won't use it for routing to my destination and
there are no user options to significantly improve the routing capability
so that I can/will use it.
Customer Review: Pretty nice unit at a decent price point
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this gps recently, I've had a few weeks to play with it and overall I find it a pretty good device with a decent price point.
Mine came from amazon with the 2008 maps, after registering/updating the firmware (firmware is separately/freely updatable via the garmin webupdater) I was able to download and install the 2009 map set (about 2 gig download). It installed with no issues, tho it did take some time. I recommend doing it over night. You have a limited time to finish the download, and of course future/other map sets cost additional money.
The built in maps and POI's seem to be fairly accurate, as does the navigation routes. I settled on the 'emergency' vehicle which seems to give the best balance of speed vs shortest distance.
Lack of being able to add more than 1 additional waypoint is a disappointment, albeit I knew this before buying.
The mp3 player is very simplistic and has an apparently un-documented limit of ~1000 tracks. It also can be finicky about large embedded album art or malformed/corrupted tags causing the device to simply shut off.
The bluetooth connected to my older motorola phone (v551) with no problems, but I am disappointed that the gps does not have the profiles for using bluetooth headsets directly with gps (ie for mp3 playback etc). The range seems quite good, as I've left the unit on in my drive way and had my cell ring in the house while it was still connected via bluetooth so I had to manually disco to make/receive calls while not in the car.
There is a headphone out plug, so you can use any normal wired headphones and the sound quality seems fairly decent. No external volume control can make it annoying if mp3 volume or external noise varies alot.
I bought a 8 gig memory card and it works fine (aside from problematic mp3's as noted above).
Battery life seems to be around 6ish hours with backlight on, but you can configure it to turn it off after some time.
It is small enough to fit in your front/back pockets, although I would be very cautious about sitting on it as it seems somewhat fragile.
I really wish that it had a lanyard loop so that I could attach a carry strap to it like most phones/mp3 players. The case itself, being smooth plastic, may lend itself to being easily dropped.
The included accessories were a small wall brick charger, a usb connector/charger, a car charger cord, a vaccuum suction mount and a dash mount sticky pad (although I wouldn't really recommend using the sticky pad).
This is my first gps, so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I find it relatively easy to use, although I wish it had a qwerty option and the antenna did not shut off the gps function when closed (it goes into simulator mode).
I use the garmin lock, which either requires entering a 4 digit pin or being at your 'home' location (you have to be able to get the sats locked on tho).
There is an annoying press "OK" to continue warning/disclaimer, but I am going assume that most/all units have that 'safety feature' nowadays.
Overall, so far, a good device and I would recommend it to most people.
Customer Review: Garmin nuvi 360
Summary: 4 Stars
Following recommendations that stated the nüvi 350 was the best for the price, I visited Best Buy with a gift card from my kids for Christmas. Best Buy was not willing to match prices with anything on line and could not come within $50 of the online price for the 350. So, surfing the web, I came across the nüvi 360 on sale at Amazon. The price for the 360 was still less than what I could get for the 350 at Best Buy! The upgrade included Bluetooth for hands free calling. But, I read that it did not work with somebody's Blackberry (that's what I have). Figuring that I would probably have the nüvi longer than the Blackberry, I went ahead with the purchase. Glad I did. My version of the Blackberry seamlessly connected to the unit, uploading the phone list, and allowing the hands free operation. You can scroll the list, tap a number, and you're connected. I had read that the speaker was weak and the user had to grab their phones to hear the caller. Perhaps they were in a noisy SUV. In my Outback, which has a noisy environment, I found the speaker adequate. I also read that the units sometimes tell you of an upcoming turn too late. Not so with this nüvi. It seems to take into account speed and warns me in plenty of time to prepare for the turn.
The first time I used it, I did so on a familiar trip out of town. Coming out of a store enroute, I found I had a near flat tire (slow leak) and needed assistance. Had I called AAA I would have waited hours and lost much time. I tapped the nüvi's button for Service Stations and found that I had passed the nearest one 4 miles back. Tapping once again, it lead me right to the station's front door! I lost about a half hour in travel time overall. In time and cost, I feel it nearly paid for itself the first time out! Just an aside, using the unit, I discovered that my car's speedometer reads about 4 mph over my actual speed! A number of nice features.
The unit is almost self explanatory. Pretty intuitive. It does, however, have some features that require a little knowledge--such as tapping certain parts of the screen produce certain information.
The reason for the 4 stars versus 5 stars is not any fault of this specific product. GPS units, in general, need to clarify the input of their directions. For one, after laughing at a relative who headed in the wrong direction for nearly an hour before realizing that she must have punched in something incorrectly, I caught myself in a similar situation the first time I actually relied on the unit without previous knowledge of the area. It is very easy to redirect your intentions while touching or moving the unit and inadvertently touching the screen. Secondly, I find that many of the fine details, like when you are maneuvering near your destination, are incorrect. It is amazing that all of these streets are cataloged in the maps. But, many smaller streets, ramps, etc. have been added or changed (in the last 5 years) and the unit's maps have not kept up. It would be nice if user's had a way to help update the map info with a third party verification system.
Overall, having fun with my nüvi.
Customer Review: Value +
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Garmin 360 after my first GPS a ViaMichelin 930 locked up on me. I had bought my Dad a Garmin C340 last year, because he is 90 and the Garmins have GO HOME button that would lead him home from anywhere with the one touch.
I wasn't really planning on buying a new GPS. I carry 2 cell phones. One for work and my personal one. My friends and family call me on my Palm 680. I carry my work phone on my belt and the Palm in my pocket. It is a problem to be driving and have to dig in my pocket with seat beat on and catch a call without being a threat to other drivers.
When I saw the Garmin 360 at the price offered I jumped at it. Getting my Palm phone working with the 360 was easier than connecting my bluetooth ear piece. The clarity is great. I now carry it and use it as a speaker phone now at places I wouldn't be able to hear the speakerphone of my Palm.
Amazon, Ebay, and Tiger Direct are my vendors of choice, because I've never had a bad experience and I expect alot. I bought this through Amazon's featured vendor that day - Electronica Direct. If you search Amazon for this unit you will find a variety of prices. It is hard to believe I got all this unit has to offer for the price.
The Garmin 360 is the best value out there if you want bluetooth. The Garmin interface is so easy to learn. The Nuvi series is small and the mount is much nicer than the C series. It is not just a GPS but a travel assistant.
The base nuvi 360 has text for speech, MP3 player, Audible Book Player, Picture Viewer, World Clock, Currency Converter, Measurement Converter and Calculator. There are lots of options you can add later.
The base 360 comes with all the cables you need. It has both the DC and AC charger cables and the USB cable.
The only time I used my old GPS was when I was going somewhere I didn't already know the closest intersection. I use this everytime I get in the car because of the bluetooth. I don't get that many calls on my cellphone but it is dangerous to have to go digging for my phone when I'm driving.
It is also nice to be able to call someone by dialing the number from the GPS touchscreen and talk handsfree. I have trouble hearing a cell phone when I hold it close to my ear. I can easily hear calls and the quality of the call is better than my Palm phone, people tell me I come in clear.
I use the standard windshield mount and I first mounted it in the center of the windshield, but had to reach to pick up calls or use the touchscreen for anything. It works great just left of the steering wheel.
The 360 is a 3.5 inch screen. It is smaller than my first GPS, but it is adequate and doesn't obstruct the view much. It is hard to find anything about the 360 to list as a con. It has so much more than the other GPS units in it's class. I've had it long enough to know I would not be happy with anything I've seen at almost double the cost.
Look at the Garmin 360 before you buy any GPS.
Customer Review: Not as Good as the StreetPilot
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start off by saying I bought this after a Bad experience with the TomTom 720 (That review floats around here elsewhere) I own a Street Pilot C330 Garmin which has been Great and in fact I just recently upgraded the maps for it.
I bought this to upgrade from the C330 for work. My job requires travelling throughout the State, So a GPS is almost a necessity or at least it beats reading maps.
I wanted this mainly for the Bluetooth phone connection. Personally I'm the type that doesn't need all the bells & whistles they attach to these things these days. I don't need or want an MP3 player, A Currency convertor or a Dictionary etc..Just a GPS that gets me where I'm going, But I have to say the Bluetooth appealed to me.
So after my Bad experience with the TomTom, I went back to Garmin.
What I like:
It's Small and Garmin has stayed with the same type mounting bracket as the street pilot series, The power is feed to the bracket and then into the GPS - This allows your bracket to always stay mounted as you dismount the GPS to take inside the house or hide in the car to prevent theft.
The Garmin GPS's in general are very easy to use and get around in the various menus, In the Fact I think compared to the TomTom, Garmin has them beat when it couples to navigating around in your navigation device. In Short, They are very easy to get up and running right out of the box.
What I don't like:
The Speaker is mounted in the back of the unit, So it basically talks to your windshield, On the C330 Street pilot, it has 2 speakers mounted on the side of the unit and is much louder. I'm the type that likes to listen to the radio when I drive and I'm here to tell you, With this unit, it's one or the other. The C330 allows both. So in other words what I'm saying is, You better enjoy just You and the Nuvi GPS as you drive cause you won't be able to hear the directions with any other distractions present. And that's with the volume at max.
The Volume control is menu driven whereas on the C330 it is a knob mounted on the side to give instant access. Trust me this comes in handy when someone calls on the cell phone. It's not hard to access the volume control on the Nuvi, just not as convenient as the C330. Garmin StreetPilot c330 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory-Refurbished)
Too many other apps included. It's not that big of a deal, It just aggravates me. Like a Cell Phone, I just want a Phone that I can store Numbers and Make Calls. I don't need Cameras, Text Msg etc..Guess at 44 I'm Old School.
As a Side Note, I've never bothered to use the Bluetooth, a Friend has a C550 Garmin that has Bluetooth and it doesn't sound good, Plus some other posts here say the same. So my original intent was null and void. Some day I'll try it and see how well it works, If it's worthwhile I'll update the post.