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: Very Useful
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first GPS, so this is not a "Garmin vs. other brands" review.
First a word of advice: Do not leave either your GPS *or* the mounting arm in your car when you park. My mom's car was broken into by someone who saw the bare mounting arm and broke her window just to *check* if the GPS was hidden in the glove compartment (it was). The thieves know what that mounting arm/bracket is for.
GPS:
This GPS is very user friendly, and has all the POIs I've needed so far already added. It acquires satellites rather quickly and has the SirfIII chip which supposedly makes for better acquisition with obstructions overhead. I have no reason to doubt this so far. The speaker for turn by turn directions is loud and clear (in fact, you may have to turn it down a couple of clicks if it's too loud for you). The graphics are clear- it's difficult to get confused about which road to take. It does not do custom routes but there are ways to do quasi-custom routes. (If you want a scenic route through a park with roads, for example, you can set it to "avoid highways" and then also set a "via point" in the middle of the park. It will route you through the park. You can only set one manual "via point" for each calculated route.)
Bluetooth handsfree:
Good interface, minimal screen touching while driving. Speaker is loud and clear (again, may even be too loud at maximum). Microphone is also good (according to a friend I was speaking to, someone can tell you're using a speakerphone, but can hear you loud and clear nevertheless. It even works with your phone's voice-activated dialing if your phone has that feature.
POI loader:
You can load custom POIs via a free program called "POI loader" on the garmin website. The interface could be more user friendly, but if you're the slightest bit computer savvy you'll figure it out. It doesn't require programming, just the POI loader software and a textfile or Excel spreadsheet with the POIs you want to load. Instructions are on the web on various GPS-related sites. Nice if you want to set a warning alert when you enter a speed trap you know about- it'll warn you if you're above the speed limit.
Traffic:
Get this service, get this service, get this service. It's only about $12 a year, and has already paid for itself in my opinion. I've had the service for about 1 month and it's already routed me around three traffic plugs via (empty) side roads I didn't even know about or taken me off the highway and routed me through relatively uncongested local streets to avoid highway jams in the middle of rush hour. This is *the* feature that makes a GPS useful even if you're driving a route you already know. I will renew this service when the trial period expires in 2 months.
If you think you'll want this service, get the Nuvi 370, not the 360. The 370 comes with the traffic antenna (about $100 by itself), which the 360 doesn't, and is about $100 more than the 360. That means you basically get the Europe maps included free if you were going to buy the traffic antenna anyway.
Features I'd like to see:
If there's a road that's always a nightmare, a way to set it to avoid that road in all calculations (near me, a particular "major road" is always a mess, yet the GPS routes me through it because it's a "major road" and the GPS thinks it'll be faster).
Better custom POI loader interface
Compass feature for geocaching
All in all, a great GPS. I might do more research next time to see if there's a more cost-effective GPS that works as well but, that said, I'd buy this GPS again.
Customer Review: What a stress reducer!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this now for about three weeks, but in practical terms it's only been used for about a week as I live in a smallish city where I don't really need the Garmin on a daily basis. However, I bought it specifically for trips, and it worked like a charm in Orlando (and Minneapolis). It is amazing how much stress this reduces by not only giving you live updates to the next turn's distance, but also by telling you what side of the road the turn is on!
By taking a few of the key addresses and saving them in the favorites, you can ensure that you always know how to get to the important places--no matter where you happen to be at a given time. I truly felt confident that I would get where I needed to be, and the Garmin did not disappoint me.
There were a couple of hiccups along the way, but these are easily outweighed by the enormous benefits. I'll list the "problems," though, for your benefit.
1. The Garmin kept trying to direct me through a dead end where literally no road existed. It turns out that a road was supposed to be there but it was legally challenged by a resident and no road has been created. So, you may occasionally find a situation like that. However, as you can zoom out and see the destination point that you are headed towards, all you need to do is detour in the general area and it will re-route the plan for you.
2. I did a search for Walmart and found a number of them. Of the first two I tried, no Walmart existed. They were apparently prior locations and were no longer valid. However, when you first choose a destination from the list given, it provides the exact address and phone number. If you have a cellphone, you can just call ahead to verify if you have any doubts.
3. On occasion, the road name Garmin gives you doesn't match with the signs. This is generally at a location where Cherry Street turns into County Road 13, or some similar situation. The sign may show Cherry St., but the Garmin wants you to turn on County Road 13. Believe me when I tell you to trust the Garmin, though. If the street name doesn't match but you are supposed to turn in 150 ft., I strongly suggest turning! The one hitch I ran into was a place where the road split into three different directions *and* the road names weren't matching the instructions! It was a "think fast" moment and I chose wrong, but I got a recalculation real quick, and it didn't cost me.
I've seen some reviewers complaining about the load time of the maps. In the 30+ times I have turned my unit on, I have only had one time where it had a hard time picking up the satellites--and that was still only a couple minutes. I have also seen complaints about pronunciation. Really, I don't have a problem with the pronunciation. I have no doubt that the majority of people would get them wrong too since proper names have so many variations. If a name can be pronounced two different ways, how's a machine supposed to know the correct way? (I will say it was funny, though, when the unit wanted me to turn onto XYZ "Doctor" instead of "Drive!")
Most of the learning of the unit comes from using it and exploring with it. I have found many useful things like: when viewing a map you can drag it with your finger. Also, if you tap the power button quickly when it is turned on, you will have a "quick settings" option for volume and tint.
All in all, this one-time investment is WELL worth it. I seriously have no stress driving in big cities now. The old school way of printing off route planners has so many flaws. This is definitely the way to go, and I would recommend this for anyone who has a hard time with directions.
Customer Review: Happy Traveler
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a vacation coming up in Italy where we have a rental car for the duration of the trip. I hear Italian driving is crazy and it's not fun getting lost when you don't know the language or the country. I can see already how this unit is going to be nice to have when we're lost exploring and we want to return home, find some food etc. That why I picked the 370. Any Garmin that ends with a "70" has both Europe and US maps. Nice to have if you like to travel.
My brother bought a Mio 220c (something like that) a week before I got my Nuvi for just under $200. I like how the Mio is more customizable over the Nuvi, but his mapping software isn't as accurate. It's close but the Nuvi still a bit more reliable. You can change map colors, and a bunch of other little stuff on the Mio, for the price it's hard to beat. So you probably want to know why we got similar units and I spent $275 more? Preloaded with European maps is huge. That about $125 to buy no matter what GPS you have. Second, it's a Garmin. Tried and true, more updates and support. Ton's of "points of interest" and websites where you can download more points of interests for your travels or add your own. One thing over the Mio is that the Mio is a little confusing to navigate at first and I'm a tech kinda guy. The Nuvi is like a Mac. Simple to use. USER FRIENDLY!
I also purchased the Garmin Travel Guide for Europe. It's ok. Lots of the same POI that The NUVI 370 already has, but goes in more detail much of the time. It will tell you the store phone, address, what they sell or some other background info. I am still thinking about the language dictionary... maybe. I don't use the MP3 player becuase I have a new Ipod and PDA phone, but it's cool and I still might have a use for it in the future.
Things I don't like that Garmin needs to fix.
The keyboard is in ABC order, not like the keyboard your use to typing on. You get use to it, but still annoying. I wish it also showed stores, sites, etc on the map as you pass them by. If you zoom in right it will, but it's just a small dot. Could be improved. Bluetooth doesn't work with my phone, but I knew it wouldn't. I have a Samsung i730 PDA phone with Windows Mobile 5. No big deal, but I can use it with the fiancée's phone. This unit will tell you when to turn, but you can't change the distance before warning, some might think this is an issue, but I haven't had a problem with it. Never used the traffic update, but whatever, you need to be near a big city to use it.
I looked that the 600 series NUVI and I like the widescreen, but with me it's all about portable and this fits in my pocket no problem. I fear with the widescreen version I wouldn't have been able to carry it with me as much and it cost a lot more. In the box it came with European adapters, a nice car mount and the unit is mini USB which works with some cell phone chargers if you are in a pinch. Tons of voices to pick from and pronunciation is very good...so far. I like the English guy or learn a language when you drive! In your hometown you will think it gives an asinine route from time to time, but in your hometown you know the "shortcuts" etc, NO GPS is going to make up for that experience.
Overall, if you don't need the Euro maps, go with the 350 or 360, but you will be happy with your purchase that's for sure. Something like this, a GPS, it's worth spending an extra 100 buck or whatever to get a unit that will perform and do what you want. No more "map quest" directions to follow, this does it all.
Customer Review: Great for the USA, good for Europe
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Nuvi 370 initially for a 3 week vacation in Europe.
USA: I tested it out for about a month in Pennsylvania and Ohio and did not get lost once. The POIs are good for golf courses, shopping, and landmarks (museums, historical POIs, etc). The satellites were recognized within 30 seconds while standing still and beginning to drive. I used it mounted in a car and while walking with few problems with bearings. The pedestrian mode works well, but you can be misdirected if you are not moving for a short amount of time.
Europe: I also used this for about 3 weeks in Germany, Austria, and Italy. The satellite coverage did not seem to be as top-notch as it is in the US. It could take up to 2 minutes to recognize your position. This could be a small problem if you're in an urban area trying to get somewhere efficiently.
I used this in Berlin, Rothenburg, Nuremburg, Fusen, and Munich in Germany. The Autobahn was easy to travel on with this GPS unit, but POIs other than shopping and landmarks were not there (e.g. gas stations). In the towns and cities travel by foot was a bit more of an issue (see comment above). There were 1-2 strange calculations in Berlin (most likely due to construction) and Munich. I did not get lost, however, since I stayed the course it had originally calculated.
In Austria, I used it in Salzburg and it worked really well. Landmarks were the only problem since I was on foot in Salzburg.
In Italy, I used it in Venice, Florence, Padua, Verona, Assisi, and Rome. Since these were all visited via train, I only have comments about pedestrian mode. Rome and Venice were easy to traverse on foot with the 370. Florence was a bit of a problem since it was more difficult to figure out which street to walk to with the many plazas there. (Street signs are on the sides of buildings if you've never been to Italy). Assisi, Padua, and Verona are smaller geographical areas, so the landmarks were easy to find.
Summary: I would have given the 370 five stars if it would have performed as well in Europe as it does in the US. Remember to know the names of any sights you want to see in their native languages prior to leaving for your trip (this will save you a lot of time). Loading in additional addresses to your favorite locations is easy. Still, realizing that the accuracy of domestic GPS units is much better now than a few years ago, I guess I cannot complain. The military satellite accuracy is what the private companies need to strive for, but then again we would most likely see that cost in the price of the end-user units.
I did, however, have to send back my GPS back to Garmin since the windshield mount power supply/FM traffic receiver outlet did not work. Their customer service has been great so far.
I received the new unit back and it works at 100%. The traffic receiver function was the issue. It comes with 3 months of service, but it can be purchased for $60/year from Clearchannel in the US. MSN has a service with the 680 model, but it seems to be a young area of growth. So far I cannot comment on the accuracy of traffic, but it picked up major construction in my area.
Customer Review: Really worth the price?
Summary: 2 Stars
I have owned this product for several months. Initially, I was very attracted to a GPS system that promised to navigate through the most difficult combination of unmarked roads, street closures, and confusing road signs. Navigating uncommon routes here can be a difficult task, even for natives, as I discovered one time while trying to get a date back home. (Probably more than anything, driving around the countryside all night on unlit roads with my companion trying to find our way back to her house motivated me to buy this product.)
The 370 has a number of problems. Initial acquisition of satellite signals takes several minutes and must be done in an area clear of tall, dense buildings (kind of difficult in an old European city). This usually means pulling off the road as soon as the trip begins. In my experience, acquisition while moving is virtually impossible.
Once the signal locks on, the unit often has glaring glitches, like the time it told me the nearest TESCO was 254 miles away in Germany, when there is one half a mile down the street! Also irritating, the unit often mistakes winding, serpentine roads as a series of left and right turns, and will instruct you to make these phantom turns. If you continue without "turning," the unit will often "recalculate" the route for you; or, if you take the instructions literally, you may end up accidentally turning into someone's driveway! Then the unit will recalculate the route.
The unit's pronunciation of non-English street names and landmarks is so garbled as to be unintelligible. This is a serious flaw and one the manufacturer needs to address. The guide does not pronounce any diacritical marks, for instance, rendering Slavic languages virtually unrecognizable. This makes following the route simply by listening to the instructions (a safety feature touted by the company) very difficult. On many occasions I found myself staring at the screen or trying to find a street sign instead of watching the road.
The reason I did not give this product a one-star review is that there are some plusses, like the display quality and a feature that lets you "Go Home" by navigating you back to a preset location from anywhere in the covered area. However, this is subject to the limitations mentioned above. Also, the unit, when it works properly, can be useful, for instance getting you out of a city center and back on a major highway. After that, it is probably best to put it in the glove box and follow the highway signs.
What this all means is that you spend far too much time being distracted by this gadget, which has safety implications as well as being an issue of dollars and cents. If you must have one of these gadgets, cheaper is probably better. Overall, I think you would do better if you just used common sense, paid attention to your surroundings, and spent a little more time with a map.