Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Excellent Product - A great value
Summary: 4 Stars
I was looking at the 300 series and 600 series Nuvi units for some time. I did a LOT of research before finally making my decision to go with the Nuvi 370. I didn't realize just how hard it would be to find some really good comparisons on these products -- at least the type of comparisons I was looking for.
The unit has worked extremely well for me. There are some things you need to get used to, such as not turning the GPS part of the unit on until you're outside (otherwise it can take some time to re-aquire the satellites) but things like this happen with any unit you purchase -- it's just something you learn about and it's never a problem once you do.
The 370 has taken me to over a hundred locations successfully without a problem. There were a few cases where the unit got me close, but not to the exact location. I don't see this as the fault of the unit, rather it's just the way our address system works in the states. That's why Google maps, Yahoo maps, and MapQuest will often times only get you 'close' to a location. They can only take you to a location according to how it has been inputed by someone else (such as the government, or whomever is inputting the data). But, often times 'close enough' is exactly that -- when it gets me to a location I simply look around with my own eyes and can usually spot the exact address I need, or the sign of the company I was looking for, etc.
The one area where the unit gave me the most problems was in the downtown Dallas, Texas area. Near W Hotel (which is not listed in the Nuvi) and the American Airlines Center (where the Mavericks play). The Nuvi didn't list the W Hotel, but that's probably because the W is brand new and map updates haven't been uploaded. Shoot -- W doesn't even appear on Google Maps, so I can't blame the Nuvi all that much. Also, the Nuvi kept referring to streets incorrectly. I found out later that the wonderful Dallas city engineers decided to change the names of all the roads in that area because of all the new construction (and because of marketing dollars by big corporations to get them to rename everything). I learned very quickly to TRUST the directions the Nuvi was giving me, but to be aware that the street names in that area were all screwed up. Once I learned what the problem was everything went smooth. I've only experienced that issue in Dallas, though.
So... why didn't I get the Nuvi 350? or a bigger 600 series? Multiple reasons. The 370 comes preloaded with all the European Maps, and since I travel to the UK often it was a good thing for me. Purchasing the European Maps after the fact would have cost me $180.00 extra -- so you can see where the 370 is already coming close to the price of the 350. Not only that, but the 370 included a lot of extras -- such as the FM traffic antenna. If you use this service this will represent a great deal, as this antenna would have cost me another $130.00, or more, to purchase separately.
The unit has a lot of built-in storage (for MP3s, photos, additional maps, etc.) but the best thing is the SD card reader. I purchased a 2GB SD card from Best Buy for about $20.00 and filled it with enough music to last for a complete road trip across the United States. I put the SD card from my digital camera into the Nuvi and it recognized all my photos automatically and was willing to play them all one at a time, in thumbnail view, or as a slide show. I had about a thousand photos, so I found the unit a bit on the slow side (my camera is faster) so I'll probably only load my favorite photos to the Nuvi to show off to friends. The Nuvi also recognized all the MP3s that I placed on the SD card automatically, so that was a great plug-and-play experience.
The speakers on the Nuvis aren't as good as on the 300 and 500 StreetPilot series, but then again the StreetPilot series are very big units -- so it's a tradeoff. I'd rather have a Nuvi that I can slip in my pocket than a StreetPilot that I have to carry around in a bag... even if the speakers on the StreetPilot are superior.
The screen is big, bright, responsive... the tools are easy to find, and the extras are really useable (at least for me). I synced my BlackBerry up to the Nuvi using Bluetooth and it synced up (paired up) without a hitch. Now, when I get a call my Nuvi notifies me, pauses my music automatically, and allows me to press one giant on-screen button to talk with someone. If someone else calls while I'm on the phone it also allows me to place the first caller on hold, or just ignore the second caller. Truth be told, people could actually hear me better on the Nuvi than they could on my BlackBerry. Odd. But that's cool with me. I could also hear them better through the Nuvi than I could at times on my BlackBerry... so that's a huge plus for me.
Oh... one other thing. My BlackBerry is not listed as a phone that works with the Nuvi... but it did. I guess they just haven't tested my phone out, since it's older, so they didn't list it as a working model.
The Nuvi 600 series are great units... and they have larger (wider) screens. I almost got one of them, but I figured the 370's screen was plenty big... and if I had purchased a 670, for example, it might have been too large to fit in a pocket (you even have to have big pockets if you want to 'pocket' the 370). So, the extra expense for the 600 model just for a wider screen didn't appeal to me. The MSN features of the 680 model seemed cool, but I've heard that they're not always up-to-the-hour accurate (such as gas station prices, or weather conditions) and you have to pay an extra fee to use that feature, so I thought I'd pass on that.
I couldn't be happier with my 370. And for all the extras that came with it (such as European Maps and the traffic antenna) it was cheaper than the 350 (assuming I'd eventually buy those items after the fact).
Great unit.
Customer Review: Great GPS - Helpful in an Unfamiliar Area
Summary: 5 Stars
Garmin NUVI 370 Review
I have owned my Garmin NUVI 370 since mid-January, 2008 and so far have been quite satisfied with it, and would recommend purchase. However, don't throw away your paper maps quite yet! As with anything, you will need to use some common sense and discretion in how you use the tool. Here are some pros and cons for the unit:
PROS
1. The display is clear, and shows up well even in bright sunlight.
2. The volume is good, and the speech is easy to understand.
3. Once you learn your way around, the menus are easy to use. Definitely worth spending an evening playing with the NUVI, and going through the provided instruction manual (on a CD).
4. If you do get off track, the "recalculating" feature is very nice, and will get back in the direction of your destination. Traffic and other conditions may not make it safe to make the turn suggested, so this is a very nice feature.
5. You can program in an address prior to leaving, so when you arrive at your new departure point (say a rental car pickup) you can quickly set up your NUVI and get on the road.
CONS
1. The 370 does not have route planning capability. This means that you can't sit at home and plan a route from one point to another in advance. This would be a really nice feature, so you could familiarize yourself with your route in advance. This feature is available in the Nuvi 770, which at time of publishing this review is running about $650 - $700 on various websites. By comparison I paid $397 for my 370.
2. In more rural/remote areas I've had problems with poor directions. In one case the unit had me turn left, when the actual address was to the right. No a huge deal, except that it was a five mile detour. This can be especially confusing when jurisdictions change, and the house numbering changes depending on whether you are in city or county boundaries. Verifying the directions, by looking at a map or talking to someone at your destination is always a good idea!
3. As other reviewers have noted, there are times when the instructions to make a turn may be made just as you are approaching the turn, so slowing down definitely is a good idea. A hint..... glance at the bottom right hand side of the screen after you have made a turn. It will tell you how far you have to go to the next turn, so you know if you can sit back and relax for a bit, or need to be expecting another turn in just a short while.
4. At some Y-intersections the device is not really clear about which fork in the road to take. It may say something like "Take De La Cruz Blvd," but the road signs may not be clear which fork this refers to. It would be better if it said something like "Take the left fork to De La Cruz Blvd."
Other Hints:
1. If you change the "voice" on the NUVI (there are a number of different accents you can chose), then check that the volume is satisfactory. I tried the English (as opposed to American) woman's voice, but found the volume to be very low.
2. Pronunciation can be a bit awkward at times, especially if you chose an accent from outside of your contry. For instance, "Expressway" is shortened to "EXPWY" on the display, and the Garmin verbally says "EXPEEWAY. Not a huge deal, and you can always glance at the top of the display to see what the street name is.
3. If you don't want some of the additional features (such as the Bluetooth connectivity, the MP3 player and the picture viewer), then consider the less expensive NUVI 270. However, with a number of states, including California, passing laws that require the use of hands-free devices for cellular telephones you might find the Bluetooth capabilities helpful.
Overall, I would say this device is worth the money, especially to help navigate in areas you are unfamiliar with. Play with it before you leave home, so you're not learning the functionality while also driving in a new area, and possibly a different car!
Customer Review: Used it in Europe, worked great! (UPDATE 2nd Trip to Europe)
Summary: 5 Stars
SEE UPDATE BELOW ORIGINAL REVIEW
I have just returned from a trip to Europe (London, Paris, Rome, and Florence) where I used the Nuvi 370 extensively and it worked great. First of all, I put a lot of the places I would be going to in the "Favorites" list before I left. The great thing about Nuvi is that it sorts this list based on distance from wherever you happen to be. So I didn't have to scroll through points for Paris or Rome when I was in England and vice versa. Very useful. I also found that the points of interest had all the sightseeing landmarks that I was going to visit and nearly every restaurant that I had earmarked for meals. I also got the translation guide which came in very useful (especially to explain "tap water" at European restaurants, they really want to sell you bottled water and pretend to not understand what tap water means, but showing them in their own language on Nuvi always got the point across). Now here is a report of actual real world use as a pedestrian in Europe.
Pros - It had every street that I walked on without exception. It knew that I could walk the wrong way on one-way streets as a pedestrian (in pedestrian mode). Usually very fast lock on of satellites. Currency converter very useful. Language guide easy to use and very helpful with menus. Learned a few phrases by imitating the voice on the language guide which led to a lot of goodwill in France and Italy. Used it to show addresses to cab drivers which was always helpful. Tracked the taxi rides and could tell when cabbies were way off route and a little protesting got them back on track. Used it to make easy decisions between walking, metro, or cab by routing a destination and seeing how far the walk would be. Nuvi lets you scroll through the route and is pretty accurate as to how long it will take to walk.
Cons - 1. In pedestrian mode, I almost always started walking the wrong way because Nuvi isn't sure which way it is pointed when you are standing still. This is fixed by walking a few feet until you see if you are going the right way, rarely more than 10 feet. 2. It doesn't automatically reroute in pedestrian mode if you get off the selected route, you need to hit "detour" which sometimes leads to a much longer path. 3. Sometimes satellite signal would get lost in the narrow older streets, especially in Italy. Sometimes the display would suddenly indicate that I was walking the exact opposite way that I had been going due to lost or confused signal. But these are all nits and were easily handled.
Overall - The Nuvi 370 worked exactly the way I was hoping it would. If you live in America and plan travel in Europe, I highly recommend the Nuvi 370 and Language Guide.
UPDATE 2ND TRIP TO EUROPE
I recently spent two weeks in Spain where I used the Nuvi in pedestrian mode and drove throughout Southern and Western Spain. The Nuvi worked perfectly except where maps were somewhat out of date. The scariest words in my life now are "Enter roundabout and take second exit to roundabout". At one point we did three consecutive roundabouts! If you are not used to driving in a foreign country, I highly recommend Nuvi 370. The POI's pointed out gas and food when we needed it, and in both pedestrian and driving mode, it got us through many medieval streets with no problems. I again used the language guide(very useful) and was able to figure out what was what on local menus. I find the estimated arrival times in both pedestrian mode and driving mode to be pretty accurate and helpful in decision making. I even used it on the AVE high speed train between Madrid and Cordoba to see how fast we were going (180+ mph). I have now had this for a couple of years and can't live without it.
One of most useful features is the ability to find metro stations nearby when you are in pedestrian mode. Very helpful in Madrid and Barcelona.
Customer Review: A Trip Report
Summary: 4 Stars
Since this is my first GPS, I really have no way to compare whether this GPS is "better" than others. I can only describe my experiences with it.
I first used the GPS locally (southeastern PA) to test it out since I had an upcoming trip to VT where I planned to really use it. I wanted to make sure I'd know how to use the controls. I used the GPS while taking public transit to see what it would say the best route was. I also used it while walking near my home and Philly to see if it knew small local streets. The GPS performed well (detouring whenever I went in unexpected directions) during these tests. There are settings to change your mode of transport to bike, bus, car/truck, foot, etc. and I used many of these modes. I never encountered any streets that weren't known and this surprised me since these maps are from 2006 and there is tons of construction. Speaking of which, that was one of my complaints: that 2006 maps are included with a late 2007 sold product. I think it should have the maps of the year it is sold in.
Then came my trip to VT which I pre-mapped using Google on the way up thinking I'd see if the GPS agreed with the route I took. I had dragged my Google Map directions so that I could avoid the interstate routes that went through NJ. My route was PA->NY->VT on the way up. The Google map directions got me confused around the NY/VT border with some road names I couldn't find, but the GPS led me the rest of the way to Stowe, VT. I had absolutely no problems; I did not get lost once using the route the Nuvi 370 told me to take, even when I accidentally missed a turn and the route changed. Incidentally, it takes about 10-30 seconds to recalculate routes and I was pleased with that. In fact, the only slow point is when I first turned on the Nuvi and it took as long as 3 minutes to "acquire satellites."
I then used the Nuvi around Stowe and found pretty much everything I punched in, including some not-so-run-of-mill places I wanted to visit. Some of the roads were dirt roads, but they were considered finished (just sort of backwoods, which seemed typical near some of the hiking spots I went to). The Nuvi did fail in finding Mt. Elsmore State Park since it took me to someone's house in the woods. It was definitely not a ranger station or park office. That was it's only failure.
Coming home I allowed the GPS to completely figure my route. I had previously set the GPS for "shortest distance," but once I changed it to "fastest route" it put me back on interstates, which is where I wanted to be after all of those one-lane (in each direction) VT roads. Another small problem I had was the Nuvi's insistence on calling road name changes "turns", which sometimes caused me to wonder whether I missed something. I realized that all I really did was change roads so from then on I ignored the word "turn" if I saw I was not supposed to physically turn. Also, I never used the sound so I was going strictly by looking at the GPS. I prefer listening to music so I figured I might not hear the turns anyway. I used the mileage to each turn to remember to change directions or roads.
If you click the bottom left of the screen (Expected Arrival Time when you're routing), you can get a view of the trip information like fastest and average speeds as well as mileage and total time. Clicking the top where the current routing info is (like the road you are on and the very next upcoming turn) lets you see quite a few more steps in the future, which I also found useful.
All in all, I believe this GPS (which I bought here on Amazon) was well worth the money even though the maps are old-ish, the travel kit and languages come separately, the warm-up time is a little long, and I could not get it to stick to the dash (I placed it in the driver's cup holder instead since the dash of my car is too slanted to reach). I will be using my Nuvi 370 often.
Customer Review: Mac Users beware!
Summary: 2 Stars
Apparently to increase sales of their map and mapping products, Garmin has abandoned the NMEA data transfer format used extensively throughout the GPS industry. In it's place Garmin developed its own transfer format "Garmin PVT". I recently purchased a Garmin nuvi 370 to replace an aging Garmin eMap (nearly a decade old), and to use on an upcoming vacation in England.
Over the years I've used my Garmin eMap--for tens-of-thousands of miles-- I've developed an effective and efficient routine, using Delorme Street Atlas, to plan routes and uploading the final choice to the eMap. I also converted an obsolete laptop running Windows 98, dedicating it to in-vehicle GPS navigation. The combination of Street Atlas interfaced with the Garmin eMap, has provided me with a relatively large-screen navigation system equivalent--or better --to $1200 in-dash vehicle systems, for a fraction of the cost.
I arrived at using Delorme Street Atlas as my preferred map program after thoroughly investigating, and using, Microsoft Streets and Garmin's own Map Source, MetroGuide U.S.A. In fact, I found Map Source the most expensive, the most incomplete, the most bug ridden, the most inaccurate, and the least user friendly. In fairness to Microsoft and Garmin the editions I used were late 1990's or early 21st century editions.Perhaps they've improve in later editions. I wouldn't know. Happy with Street Atlas I've purchased updates three times.
I also was a long-time user, fan, and loyal supporter of Macintosh personal computers until Apple nearly went belly-up. Lack of third-party support for critical, work-related mathematical software, and pressured by my employer I switched, reluctantly, to Windows driven computers for both work and, ultimately, home use.
Now I'm retired, Apple is back in the personal computer business, and my newest computer is a Macbook. I should be a happy-camper, right?
Well, for the most part I am, but...
After an exhaustive search of the Web, condescending, inaccurate answers from Garmin techs to my queries, and conversations with friends who are ultra-literate computer gurus, I've had to accept my shiny, new Garmin Nuvi 370 will not replace my eMap, at least not in the near future, and perhaps never.
The upcoming England vacation include a week traveling a few of the country's canals on a narrowboat--think RV that floats, 6.5 ft. wide--I had hoped to put together Google Earth, and the Nuvi 370 and track our progress along G. Earth's satellite photo's, on my computer's screen. (I've done this with eMap and Google Earth both with Windows and Macintosh OS X Leapord.) However, Google Earth's GPS subroutine can't find the Nuvi, neither on the USB nor the Bluetooth connection. I've tried every piece of Mac compatible freeware, and shareware I've found on the web that claims it can connect a broad spectrum of GPS units to the computer and Google Earth. They've all worked with eMap. None have worked with the Nuvi. Garmin technical support told me I had to download and install Garmin Communicator--a browser plug-in--in order to operate the 370 with websites that are conditioned to support Garmin PVT format. I did, but had no success with Google Earth.
In other respects Nuvi 370 is an adequate, dumb GPS, certainly dumber than my eMap. I'll keep it because it has Europe maps pre-loaded. However, I am very disappointed, and had I been fully informed beforehand would have purchased another manufacturer's unit. Not having the ability to plan routes on my computer and upload them to the Nuvi 370 is a huge "thumbs down" for meeting my needs. Route planning on the Nuvi 370 is limited, and cumbersome.
N.B. I've also tried to connect the Nuvi 370 to Google Earth on my wife's Windows Vista driven laptop (not exhaustively as I did my MacBook). I could not effect a connection.