Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
|
List Price: Our Price: $80.00 You Save: $819.99 (91%) 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 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Best Purchase - Nuvi in Ireland
Summary: 5 Stars
Needless to say, the 5-star ranking does not do this product any justice. After our trip to Ireland, I would have to say that this is the best piece of electronic equipment that I have ever purchased. Simply put, it saved time, money and my marriage.
Driving can be hard enough in Ireland, much less worrying about taking a random third turn on a bloody roundabout. (Fellas, you know what I'm talking about...driving in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road/car, with your wife routinely "white knuckling" the hand rest on the door every time a car approaches going 120km/hr.) Simply follow the directions given and get where you're going with no navigational anxiety. This is what makes the Garmin so great.
"Maggie" (affectionately known to us) proved to be about 95% accurate in her navigational skills, leaving the other 5% up to the imagination of the traveler. Now, some people might have a different view on traveling on dirt roads, but we thoroughly enjoyed these little 5% "safaris" that Maggie decided to take us on. They provided some absolutely unbelievable views that we would have completely missed had we used a map and stayed on the highway. These can also be avoided if you DON'T select the fastest/shortest route option.
It is true that she gives the street names for every turn, which some might find to be annoying. Alternatively, we found her attempts to be hilarious when trying to pronounce such streets as "Kilmacanogh-Gledullagh Rd". Truthfully, we didn't pay attention to the names that much anyway, since we saw a grand total of three proper street signs in over 12 hours of driving. Just listen to the "right" or "left", and watch the distance meter to turn and you'll be just fine.
One feature of this product which helped greatly was the ability to program in a destination to get a rough ETA when planning the day. One surprise that we encountered was the total miscalculation of driving time when planning the trip. A 40 mile trip in Ireland could take as long as 3 hours which seems impossibly ridiculous, but it's true. The Garmin ("Mags") nailed each trip within 15 minutes.
The walking mode also came in handy in both the streets of Dublin, and various hiking trails. Again, very accurate ETA's.
All in all, I would highly recommend this product after two weeks of near constant use in Ireland, and three months here in the States. No defects, no complaints and no regrets.
Customer Review: A company not keeping up with the demand...
Summary: 2 Stars
Until now I have been an admiring and faithful Garmin customer.
Our household now as 2 Garmin NUVIs less than a year old and I have a decade old Garmin MAPS 12. I am inspired to write this review as I am on a projected 35 minute hold (this could be a long review) with Garmin Technical support to obtain a RMA number required to send it back for repair. This is my second experience with horrendous wait times to get Garmin support on the phone. The first pertained to a snafu in obtaining their free North America maps update that took 18 hours to download with a satellite internet connection. The download ended up being for Europe. I had a week of arguing resulted in I made a mistake and "sorry but I would have to pay to get North America".
My ~8 month old NUVI 370 has since stopped functioning. I get a quick start-up screen when unplugged then dies. When plugged in either to the car or the AC charger it will not start. I have left it connected overnight to ensure it is charged but no change. There has been no adverse handling or conditions to cause to to fail. I keep it in the case in my brief case whenever not in use.
I have become greatly disappointed with Garmin products and especially their support. Maybe in our world of off-shoring services we should expect this kind of service for goods we only pay several hundred dollars for vs. several thousand...
My guess...Garmin has been focused on Marketing, developing a huge product line and is dropping the ball on good design and customer support.
Hey a person, and only 26 minutes...Wish me luck on this call.
Oops guess it was my fault. According to the technician the battery is dead and the car or AC charger will not charge it (don't look for this info in the manual, it is not there). I must connect it to the computer USB connection for 8 hours and it should recharge the battery. Also it is imperative that I do on-line software updates regularly (she would not tell me why but I am guessing it has to do with the unit not shutting off and the battery going dead). Another important piece of information not in the manual... I suggested adding this and she seemed too busy to even acknowledge this thought.
So if your going on a long trip bring your computer to charge your NUVI should the battery inadvertantly go nearly dead.
Customer Review: Awesome navigation system!
Summary: 5 Stars
I get lost everywhere I go. When I had to start traveling for work, I was horrified. The Nuvi took my mind off my worries because it helps me to get around just like I have a local tour guide in my rental car. Here are the positives about the Nuvi 370:
1 - Comes with North America (including Canada) and European maps - a HUGE plus if you travel to Europe a lot. You can update your maps by registering the product right away. I don't know what maps it came with, but I registered my product and then downloaded the 2008 maps for free.
2 - It recalculates directions right away when you deviate from the chosen route. I tested this at home and the Nuvi starts recalculating within seconds. I have seen other units take 5-6 minutes to realize you're off-route and recalculate. You can be way off track in 5-6 minutes, so I was happy to see the Nuvi recalculate so quickly.
3 - It comes with everything you need: carrying case, car mounts, car charger, home charger, USB cable for the computer, FM traffic receiver - you name it, it's in the box.
4 - You can look at the map or you can view the line-by-line directions - very nice for those of us who need to see the directions in writing.
5 - You can use the Nuvi for walking, biking, and driving. It also has different settings for taxi cabs and semi trucks.
6 - Extensive database of restaurants, attractions, gas stations, airports, parking garages, etc. When planning a trip, I can input my hotel, chosen restaurants, and even find close gas stations before I leave home. When I arrive at my rental car, I just have to turn on the Nuvi and select my destination and chosen detours.
7 - Beeps and provides verbal instruction in advance of your turn. Even tells you to stay left or right on the highway depending on where your next exit is located or when the highway will split.
The only problem I've had with the Nuvi is that it will not find a satellite signal from inside a parking garage. I had figured this prior to travel, so I had a general idea of which highway to take when I left the parking garage. Once outside the parking garage, the Nuvi picks up a signal right away and you're on the way to your destination!
I cannot say enough good things about this device - it's an absolute lifesaver!
Customer Review: Incredibly Happy (so far)
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had this unit for about a week and will be happy to amend this review if my opinion changes but in the meantime....
I LOVE THIS DEVICE. I have had no problems locking into a satellite. It takes marginally longer to "boot up" then it does to pick up a satellite.
The bluetooth functionality is great. The sound quality is great on both ends. Granted I have not tried to use this with the windows down cruising down the Autostrade at 100 clicks but in regular traffic with windows down it works great. As an added bonus being able to search your phonebook and call by touching someones name on the device is pretty awesome.
I used it today to go to a park (Parco Virgilliano) in Napoli, Italy which I've been to a dozen or so times and it lead me a completely new way which saved me probably half an hour. I also found it to be incredibly accurate. A friend who has a TomTom says that his device will very often confuse a parallel surface street with the highway and tell him to turn when flying down the highway. In my experience with surface streets on both sides of the highway the Nuvi accurately pinpointed my location even in "urban canyons."
The screen quality is fantastic, even in bright sunlight but looks that much better in the shade or even in night mode.
I have not used the MP3 player and really could care less about it. The only thing that would be cool is if it had iPod integration so you could "touch" your music as Steve Jobs would say.
My only gripe is that I should be able to lock into TMC FM traffic, which would be a GODSEND in Napoli, but for some reason I am not able to search for additional TMC providers in Italy. I believe this is because I have a north american unit. I have an email into Garmin about this issue and I am awaiting their response.
I look forward to using this device locally and abroad. I am headed to Scotland at the end of this month and plan on using it when walking around Glasgow.
Personally I couldn't be happier with this device and feel satisfied with this being my first GPS purchase.
Customer Review: OK, but limited
Summary: 2 Stars
Like another reviewer, I purchased my 370 for a trip to Italy. The Venice area specifically.
I tried it around home for 1 day before I went, and found that it was generally ok, but sometimes gives you exit names that are not on the signs. This was ok when I was playing with it at home, but once I got to Venice, it was a nightmare.
I tried to go from the airport to my hotel, and the first problem I had was trying to enter Italian addresses. It did not recognize the address, but it at least found the road I needed. Ok, so I now had a rough idea of where to go, but no specifics. Not much better than I would have had with a paper map.
It missed my turn, and I ended up on a toll road. I finally turned around, and it again missed the exit I needed. It was apparently taking me out into the middle of nowhere, so I finally resorted to paper maps and found my hotel.
The next day I used it to find the company I was visiting. It got me in the general area again, but did not exactly put me right at the address. On the way, the voice told me to turn right at one point, but the route on the map showed left. I turned right without looking at the screen, and then figured out the mistake. A couple miles later, it tried to get me to turn left, then right, which would have put me into oncoming traffic. As someone else said, it frequently uses the term "turn" when it is really only a road name change. In another case, it wanted me to exit the freeway I was on, go through a roundabout and get back on the same freeway. Overall, I did not trust it in Italy, so it was a stress raiser rather than a stress reducer.
I have run into similar problems using it here in the US now too. Overall, I am not thrilled for $500. If it were $150-200, I wouldn't be so bothered having it sit there but for $500, it is too much money for the inaccuracies and for the amount that you actually are traveling in unknown territory. I think GPS is like a lot of things. If people actually evaluated how much they will use it vs the cost a lot less would be sold. I think I will return mine if I can.