Nick 08 Dec 05

My problem with these things is the cord situation. Does this run off batteries at all times? I have cords into my cigarette lighter and stereo for various things like my iPod, and I get quickly overwhelmed with cord management.

But I do have to say, take a look at the product page on Amazon, I didnt get how small this thing was until I saw that picture with it in the guys hand.

JF 08 Dec 05

It runs off the cig lighter, yes, but the cord is long and thin so you can get it out of the way. Other units I’ve used have curly cords which are impossible to thread out of the way.

Ian Ashley 08 Dec 05

$900?!?! My car’s probably only worth 6x more than that thing…

Damien Tanner 08 Dec 05

It’s worth more than my car!

Swati 08 Dec 05

Ah, seems like that there are some really nice design changes and addition of the “small things that matter.” Great to see something positive floating around ;)

Ryan Ripley 08 Dec 05

Actually, $900 is reasonable for GPS… A nice one anyways…

J 08 Dec 05

You can import custom points of interest that other people have compiled. For example, people can compile speed traps or police camera locations and share that file. Load that into your Nuvi and you�ll be alerted before you head into a trap.

People are always looking for ways to beat the law rather than obey it …

John Jantsch 08 Dec 05

I long for the days when gas stations gave away free maps.

Scott 08 Dec 05

Whoa. I was interested until I saw the price. How much money are other web developers making these days? I’m going to send you guys my resume.

Anonymous Coward 08 Dec 05

Lighten up about the price, people. If you buy a built-in nav option for your car it’s usually a $1500-2500 option. This isn’t expensive all things relatively considered.

Pete Forde 08 Dec 05

Ebay has a bunch of Nuvi 350s listed for 140 Euros (plus 45 Euros shipping). Unless the exchange rate changed wildly since the last time I looked, these are either too cheap to be real, or perhaps they are refurbs.. Anyone have any insight?

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=nuvi+350

Graham 08 Dec 05

Pete-

I was looking at those eBay deals as well. Seems a little risky considering the seller has been a member since this Nov and is from China (but selling from Ireland??).

scott brooks 08 Dec 05

regarding the ebay guy …..look at the responses …then look at the responses for the other ten or so people …all giving each other good reviews …..

scam for sure.

Looks like someone got scammed already …..the price looks right however ……i remember my grandpa told me this a long time ago …and it still remains true even more so today …..if it seems too good to be true …it probally is.

He told me this after some guy sold him a electric razor in the Canadian Tire Parking lot for 15 bucks ( circa 77). It turned out to be nothing more then a electric razor shell with an electric buzzer of some sort in it.

i guess it goes hand in hand with the saying a sucker born every minute and two to take him.

cheers
S

Matt B 08 Dec 05

Does anyone have any opinions/reviews on the Garmin models that cost less than $900?

Annoyed 08 Dec 05

Spend less time commenting and wondering what others are earning in order to afford nice things and maybe you too can buy a $900 gadget.

Money commentors annoy the living daylights out of me.

JF 08 Dec 05

Money commentors annoy the living daylights out of me.

Amen.

Michael 08 Dec 05

Money aside, it looks excellent. All the other nav. systems are anoying. Even more anoying is plugging my Garmin Vista into my ThinkPad X21 and using that on the passenger seat. Thanks for the tip!

benny 08 Dec 05

Does the provided cup mount system work well?

JF 08 Dec 05

Yes, the suction cup mount is excellent. No movement, no falling down. It’s as solid as I’ve seen.

Peter 08 Dec 05

Looks pretty slick. If the traffic module provided Canadian data I’d totally consider one of these. The uselessness of the radio traffic reports is a bit of a pet peeve.

Justin 08 Dec 05

My only pet peeve with Garmin in general is their rather lax response to providing a way to load MapSource data with OS X. Otherwise, they make some good stuff.

JP 08 Dec 05

I’m relatively new to this blog. I appreciate many of the posts especially those that touch on design issues. I wholly understand 37signals using the blog to promote their “for profit” products and services. I also understand using the blog to promote great products as long as I am assured that those promotions are uncompensated. I followed the link to amazon and noticed the ref=37signals query string. It’s probably very innocent but I don’t know. Jason, have you posted a statement anywhere regarding this type of compensation issue. I think readers have a right to know whether they are getting an independent point of view or a commercial.

Ryan Ripley 08 Dec 05

TO JP: Dude, are you serious?

—Ryan

JF 08 Dec 05

Jason, have you posted a statement anywhere regarding this type of compensation issue. I think readers have a right to know whether they are getting an independent point of view or a commercial.

It’s the Amazon affiliate program used by tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people.

I wrote an independent review and linked to the page on Amazon with our affiliate code. We’d do the same with books, music, whatever. What’s the problem?

I’m not being paid by Garmin for this. I don’t have any relationship with Garmin.

Paul 08 Dec 05

Hey, how does this thing update itself? Is it DVD/CD-based? Plug in to your Mac…? (I’m convinced, by the way.)

JF 08 Dec 05

Hey, how does this thing update itself? Is it DVD/CD-based? Plug in to your Mac�? (I�m convinced, by the way.)

The US maps and millions of points of interest (gas stations, parks, lodging, attractions, etc) are pre-loaded. It works right out of the box. You can update the maps when they are available via a USB connection. It also has a SD slot so you can add MP3s, more points of interest, and other things.

JP 08 Dec 05

No problem. I think independent reviews are great. As I said, I’m pretty new here so just wanted to get it straight. Thanks!

Vishi 08 Dec 05

I’m waiting for a neat GPS app for my S60 phone instead of a GPS product.

You spend a lot less and can take advantage of the fast upgrade cycles. I guess the bottleneck is 2 GB MMC cards coming down to $40.

gps-man 08 Dec 05

Stone cold point on review. My only beef is that I enjoy it more than my iPod.

Eddie 09 Dec 05

These kinds of reviews are most welcomed.

Very rarely do you get usability related comments in product reviews… a review that focuses less on features available and more on how easy you can use said features is lacking.

Given the nature of GPS as aiding me as I drive, I have many reservations about the usability and responsiveness of the product. The last thing I want to worry about if I’m lost is the UI of the mapping product on my dashboard.

I’d LOVE to see more reviews of products that focus on usability. Mostly you get these kinds of comments nestled in with really in depth reviews typically found on forums for the products (ipod lounge, tom’s hardware, etc).

Someone should start a site that has usable reviews.

Oh wait, I just found a problem that bothers me… and maybe there are other people that are bothered by it. What does 37s tell me I should do?!?!

Collin Allen 10 Dec 05

Okay, the question has been answered how the map data gets onto the device. That was my first one about buttonless navigation devices like these. But how do you tell it where you want to go? Do you scrawl in an address like Palm’s Graffiti system?

Matt Schulte 10 Dec 05

Just purchased a nuvi and love it. The size really does allow you to put it in your pocket and take it anywhere with you. Furthermore they really did think of everything you might possibly want when travelling. Amazing product! I am having some difficulty finding someone who has the European navigation upgrades in-stock at the moment. Suggestions?

Does anyone have any suggestions for the suction cup mount in cold weather other than using the defroster on the windshield? It keeps falling during those cold winter mornings.

JF 10 Dec 05

Does anyone have any suggestions for the suction cup mount in cold weather other than using the defroster on the windshield? It keeps falling during those cold winter mornings.

I just discovered I have the same problem. I’m not sure there’s a solution for this — rubber becomes less flexible at cold temps and loses the ability to “grab” the window.

Amazed 10 Dec 05

Our Nuvi just arrived. Wow, Wow, Wow. This product is exactly what we have been waiting for and we have no buyer’s remorse.

As far as the cig plug concern - the battery lasts for at least 4 hours, so you don’t have to keep it plugged in to the lighter. We plan to rarely use the cig plug. We will use the wall plug or the USB computer plug to keep it charged. It is too $$$ to keep in the car and it is so light, we will just pop it in our pocket when we leave the car.

PS - for the price conscious who don’t want to wait for the inevitable price drop …. there are a few online stores that sell it for under $700, cheap shipping, no tax and not Ebay. If you are a PRO at using Google and take adVANTAGE of it, you will find one.

Anonymous Coward 10 Dec 05

I have one on order and it should be here tomorrow!!! I can’t beleive I almost bought a Magellan 760. Oh yeah, I am a Pro at using Google and took adVantage of it.
:)

First GPS 10 Dec 05

I have one on order and it should be here tomorrow!!! I can’t beleive I almost bought a Magellan 760. Oh yeah, I am a Pro at using Google and took adVantage of it.
:)

Joe 11 Dec 05

This thing is even better than it’s made out to be.

Howard 11 Dec 05

I have never used GPS before and was using the web to help with my buying decision…first point speak to someone who knows (thanks to GPS Warehouse in SW London). The moment I said high quality I was pointed at Garmin and the nuvi 300/350. I’d gone in to buy a Navman 550….very pleased I didn’t. The nuvi 350 is totally brilliant. Excellent quality and reliability…how can something so small do so much so well. My only grip is Emily (UK language text to speech) is a bit rough on the ear - result of a small speaker? But apart from that….fantastic. I took the nuvi on a run yesterday to see how far I was actually going…eight miles allegedly so it even knows how to make me feel good!

Col Young 11 Dec 05

Bought the Nuvi 300.Navigation is great,but installing custom POI’s are a bit of a pain.If you want to delete just one you have to delete them all,then reinstall the others you want to keep.Not as user friendly as tht Tom Tom IMO.Nice bit of kit all the same.

Guy Dickinson 11 Dec 05

No one’s mentioned TomTom? Are they available in the states? In the UK, they seem to be the ipod of the gps product world - renowned for simplicity and usable design…anyone able to comment on their usability? Tom Tom have nice, pocketable, battery powered gps unit that uses a bluetooth phone for it’s display…the ideal cycling/walking companion I think.

JF 11 Dec 05

Yes, the TomTom is available in the states. I’ve looked at it and I much prefer the Garmin.

1. The TomTom is a bit of a physical beast compared to the Nuvi.
2. The TomTom uses inferior TeleAtlas maps.
3. As simple as the TomTom is, I find the Garmin simpler.
4. Garmin has been at this longer and I feel they have a more mature grasp on this product category.

Guy Dickinson 11 Dec 05

Hi Jason,

‘inferior TeleAtlas maps’ - you mean the actual data, not the visual rendition of the maps?

I just looked at the TomTom vs. Garmin’s mapping interface; the maps look pretty similar, with the useful 3D perspective, with much of the extraneous detail removed (like a 3D google map). So much better than the complex, detail-ridden birds-eye views I’ve seen on older GPS units.

Pre-empting a showroom side-by-side - Jason, does the Garmin have broadly similar map visualisation as TomTom? Which do you prefer (all else being equal)?

JF 11 Dec 05

The Garmin 3-D view is wonderful and the screen is way better in sunlight — you can barely read the TomTom in sunlight (reviews on Amazon will confirm this).

In fact, I suggest you read the reviews on Amazon for both the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the TomTom 700 — they’re pretty spot on.

Manatee 12 Dec 05

I’d be interested in the nuvi for use on my bicycle, but:

1. They don’t make a bicycle mount for it
2. It doesn’t seem to be water resistant like the other hand-held Garmin units.

I currently use the Garmin 60C on my bike, and I’ll probably get the 60CSX when they release it. (Has SiRF and support for memory expansion.)

I do like the form factor and big hi-res screen of the nuvi, though, but they don’t seem to be targeting it for bicycle use.

Ben Lowery 12 Dec 05

Does it allow you to enter in a location as lat / long? I do a lot of geocaching and that would be one awesome feature for this little guy. Thanks.

Ben Lowery 12 Dec 05

Also, the POI stuff seems like it could be really cool. Are there any good POI databases out there for the US?

Charley G. 12 Dec 05

I was very impressed with the Nuvi 350. I wanted a gps/address finder to visit leavenworth (see supportmpscapegoats.com) this month. I compared the TomTom 700 and two Magellin units to the Nuvi 350 in ambient light at Best Buy. The Nuvi 350 was so much brighter than the others. It also has a money converter and a language converter ( words and phrases). It appears to have quite a lot in a small package (about the size of deck of cards but much thinner).

Peter 12 Dec 05

I purchased the unit a month ago and i am extremely pleased! I had the Garmin Quest before the Nuvi and I like it but you have to down load the maps. The Nuvi has the whole USA onboard. I would highly recommend the Nuvi.

Ben Lowery 13 Dec 05

So I just got my Nuvi. Did other folks get a CD or DVD in the box? I have this horrible feeling I just got scammed, as the packaging was pretty poor. The stuff was just rattling around in the bottom of the box. It appears all the cables are present, but there’s no media at all. I found the user guide on the Nuvi itself.

Any ideas? How do you get ahold of MapSource? Is it just not included?

JF 13 Dec 05

Ben, all the maps are preloaded on the Nuvi — there’s no CD or DVD to pull them from. It also doesn’t come with a printed manual (it’s that simple).

Ben Lowery 13 Dec 05

Right, I more wanted MapSource to pull down tracks and upload waypoints, like I could with my GPS V. I found the bit in the manual about how to upload waypoints, which is much slicker than the old way, but it doesn’t appear that this one supports tracks. Maybe I’m just missing something? It also doesn’t appear that you can find out your current lat/long, or navigate to a known lat/long, which comes in handy for some of the GPS games out there.

Otherwise, it seems great! It’s very responsive and the screen rocks. Just installed the 2.4 update and it went swimmingly. I’m not able to get a lock inside my apartment, but I’ll take it for a spin later when I head out.

Ben Lowery 14 Dec 05

Well, day 2 with the Nuvi and it’s now dead. Starts the boot sequence and then turns itself off. Called up Garmin and they’re going to have me either exchange it with the dealer, or ship it back to them for replacement.

It died after I updated some of the waypoint settings in the waypoints.gpx file in /garmin/waypoints. Specifically, I added some text to the cmt tag, possibly too much text, as I wanted to see if I could get scrolling text on a waypoint. You can normally add some text to the cmt tag and it’ll appear on the waypoint description screen. I added a few lines of text, and after disconnecting the device from my laptop, the problem started.

This may or may not be the problem, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone else trying it out, as my device is now dead and I’m going to have to go through replacement to get a new one.

H. Helum 14 Dec 05

I e-mail the following to the Garmin twice. No answer.

I have problem with my NUVI 350, I’m trying to simulate driving route in either Canada or Hawaii. Each time the unit gave me the “Route Calculation Error, Not Enough Memory” and then turned itself off. However, it works fine in the continental US. Any suggestion? Thanks.

HH

Ben Lowery 14 Dec 05

H. Helum:
Try giving their 800 support number a call. I had a great experience with them today getting support for my Nuvi, very responsive and helpful. I got a response to my email query about some other stuff about 4 days after I sent it.

Manatee 14 Dec 05

The lack of track logging is another concern of mine with the nuvi. Yes, I realize it’s not intended as an “outdoors” device, but for example, I’d like to use it to record a route while in my car, and then be able to play back the route on my bicycle. I currently do that with my 60C, or I record it on my 2610 and then download the track to a computer.

BTW, has anyone ordered the iQue M4? It has the same screen as the nuvi, and most of the same GPS features. It doesn’t talk, though. For me, it might be a better choice than the nuvi, since it is not much bigger than the nuvi, and has full Pocket PC functionality. If you want any of the features that are built into the nuvi, like language translator or currency translator, you can get various applications to do those things. It also supports I/O via the SD card. You can use a Bluetooth or WiFi SD card with it. It has track logging. Oh, and it is US$200 less than the nuvi. Ok, not as cool a package as the nuvi, but a great value and great features.

Joel 15 Dec 05

Will it work with a MAC?

Joel 15 Dec 05

Will it work with a MAC?

Jade 15 Dec 05

Will it works with a Mac?

- yes, but you have to launch VirtualPC. Webupdater.exe can’t see your USB Port, but updtate_240.exe works fine.
I downloaded PoiLoader.exe to get french radars positions and it works fine :-)

Erik Fransman 15 Dec 05

Warning:

Do not try to load more than 500 waypoints to your N�vi. It will freeze up beyond repair. I did it with my (absolutely great) N�vi 300, then my dealer tried it and than the Dutch distributer tried it. Result, three dead N�vi’s . Beside this “minor” glich (for me it is major because I need more than 500 waypoints), it’s absolutely great.

erik

Ben Lowery 15 Dec 05

Yeah, it seems like the waypoint handling of the Nuvi is fairly suspect. Long comments and too many waypoints both kill it apparently.

Btw, it supposedly does do tracks, but you have to have MapSource to download them. To get MapSource, they want you to spring another $30 for the Trips and Waypoints edition. I already paid $800 for the Nuvi, you’d think it would come with MapSource to let you access this stuff…

Steve 17 Dec 05

I have never used a GPS. Will the Nuvi perform as well over large lakes and within a mile of the ocean shore in the US?

Jade 18 Dec 05

Do not try to load more than 500 waypoints …

- I loaded 1962 POI in my Nuvi 300…
Nuvi 350 model is not available… only in january :-(

BJ 19 Dec 05

The Nuvi sounds like a very interesting device for frequent travelors. I travel back and forth between Europe and US. Can you get both sets of maps for the 350 and easily interchange them as needed?

Manatee 19 Dec 05

Yes, you can use both European and US maps at the same time. You can get the nuvi with one map set pre-loaded, and then add additional maps on a removable SD card.

I don’t know how the price differs for the unit between the US and European version, but Garmin sells the US map set for about $150, and the full European set for $420, so it seems you’d be better off buying the European unit and adding the US maps on the memory card.

RW 19 Dec 05

I would like to be able to make up a specific route on my lap top using MapSource then download it touse on the Nuvi . Is that possible/

Leo 19 Dec 05

Can you obtain maps for Mexico or European countries for this device?

BAB1002 19 Dec 05

Amazed, Anon Coward, et al…

I feel very PROficient with google and wanted to take adVANTAGE of a deal on the Nuvi at below $700 but could find nothing less than $830.00! did prices go up?… when do you expect the inevitable price drop? … or could anyone e-mail me PROactively with another tip of a website that has Nuvi for not too much $$$ so I could take ADVANTAGE of that? Many thanks for any help you could give. You can reach me at [email protected]. thanks again. Happy Holidays.

MRS 19 Dec 05

I bought the nuvi 350 a month ago. I’m located in Jersey right across the Hudson from New York (I’m looking out my window right now at downtown NYC). I’ve never owned a navigation system before. So, before dropping $900.00 on something the size of a deck of cards I did some research. Out of all the tech-mags online, consumer reviews (at the time, not too many) and just comparing the specs between similar models, the nuvi was the winner. So I bought it. I couldn’t be happier with it. I work in law enforcement and I have to travel all over NYC and a few areas of Jersey. I’m not from New York, and have only lived here for a month and a half. So, with that being said, the nuvi gets me around the city and surrounding areas like I’ve lived here all my life. The screen is perfect both in the day time and at night. You can view the screen even when the sun is directly on it. The directions are clear and easy to understand and alert you in enough time to make the correct turns. I have only had minimal trouble finding a signal when surrounded by all of the large buildings in the city. This only happened once though, and re-synched within a minute or two. Normally, it’s up and locating a signal within seconds. Just as the other reviews have stated, you can take this right out of the box and go. For those who would like the full directions manual, you can download it off of Garmin’s web page. I did have to deal with Garmin’s customer support once and they were more than helpful. No problem at all. I would recommend this product.

Doug 21 Dec 05

I’m really happy with it as well. I thought that there were a lot of features that would be overkill or not necessary but I was compelled to buy it anyway and I am so thankful that I did. I use a lot of the features that I initially thought would be superlative (including the MP3 and Audiobook functions) and am thrilled with its performance. A great product and a very wise investment!

SG 22 Dec 05

Besides $900, are there any monthly subscription costs as well?

Nigel Plunkett 22 Dec 05

I’ve just bought the Nuvi 350. It got me straight to th centre of Birmingham (UK), and right to the car park I needed NO PROBLEMS! What an amazing system. Does exactly what it promised on the box. I’ve fitted it in a Nissan Almera,Land Rover Discovery and a Panther Kallista and had no problems with the windshield sucker coming loose. Just clean the screen first and get the sucker wet, I lick it, and it sticks fine.
I’ve used it in the Panther with the roof down in December and it stays put! Also I’ve modded old earphones from my mp3 player, by cutting of one earpiece, and I can use it in the Panther at high speed and still hear the voice prompts OK.
What’s also great for UK users is that it supports Post Code address searches at last. That stopped me from going to TomTom or Navman.
All in all a great new product from Garmin.

lcubed 22 Dec 05

to do the firmware update using OSX, you can simply unzip the firmware updater file
and copy the contents into the proper
subfolders in the garmin directory on the nuvi.

loading custom waypoints does require using VPC w/ the nuvi mounted over the usb.

if there were a way to set AVOID waypoints, this would be a perfect device.

Jay 23 Dec 05

I just bought the Garmin I2 at Walmart for $200 plus tax and shipping. I love it! If you can live without the color screen and the streets being called out (you get a left, right warning) it is a bargin. I have had no problems with it taking me sraight to my destination as it is configured.

DeMario 23 Dec 05

I just bought the Nuvi 350. I am about to head to europe, where can I get the maps, specific ones like say germany. I dont want all of europe. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Bruce 25 Dec 05

I have a new Nuvi 350 and it is great. Some small issues. It sometime gives directions that are not realistic. i.e. turn on streets that are not connected to roads. Giving routes to places that you know are the longest possible ways to get there. MP3’s sound tinny when played, but great with earpiece.
Bought mine at sparco.com after searching interent for best price. With shipping etc. it was less than $700.00.

Mike 25 Dec 05

Do NOT bid on the Nuvi on Ebay - I am the guy who got ripped off - this guy is a major scammer - I alerted ebay - but of course, no response. I ended up getting one from Amazon fo just over $800 - the price changes daily there. The Nuvi is simply amazing, I am mesmerized by it. No problems at all - why by a Tom Tom 700 for the same price? No reason at all.

Ken Dibble 26 Dec 05

I got a Garmin Nuvi 350 for Christmas only to realize it doesn’t even have my own home street or address loaded into the unit. Can someone give me some guidance on how to load a new address into the unit? I’m assuming this is done via the PC, but I can’t seem to figure it out.

Thanks,
Ken

Jay 27 Dec 05

I have the Nuvi and it’s awesome. No problems that aren’t explainable. Wondering if anyone can tell me where to get custom POI’s for things like school zones and speed cameras, etc. I live in Austin TX area. Thanks

Tony 28 Dec 05

Where has been ther cheapest price?

Johann 28 Dec 05

I got one Nuvi 350 a week ago, preloaded with EU maps. Agree with most of the positive feedback here. But still some open issues regarding interworking with MapSource. I did not figure out how to get the waypoints from Nuvi into GeoMaps and viceversa. File copy did not work due to some differences in XML content. Strange - if updating the content of the waypoints.gpx file in the Nuvi, the content is not modified despite saving the changes with no error message. Also problems with recognizing the unit on USB port from nRoute, WebUpdater and POI Loader - all GARMIN stuff… I guess that it is just very, very fresh, and we have to wait until they fix these bugs in the new firmware. Last - I’ve never seen any comment as how to transfer tracks between Nuvi and nRoute - I guess this is not supported by current firmware, or? Anyway, so far the most versatile mobile navigation money can buy…. (hey, do not complain about the price - we buy it for appr. EUR 1.000,-)

Dennis 29 Dec 05

I love my GPS Navigator that came with my Honda, and want something for my other car (the GPS in German cars are horrible) … so I’m considering buying a Nuvi. Does the Nuvi show maps where I can zoom in and out to see more or less details? This is handy on long trips.

Mike 29 Dec 05

Yes - it does, it has a system set up option that lets you decide how much detail you want to see. Additionally, while driving - you can touch the + for more detail or the - for less - it is on the screen - you can see it in the screen shot above. Also - the map detail increases as you approach a turn and lessens when you have a lengthy leg of the trip. Hope this helps.

Bruce Williams 30 Dec 05

I too just bought a NUVI 350. It is superb. I have an used Garmin 2610 w/1GB Card, V5 & V6 of City Navigator (North American), original box and supplies. If anyone would like to bid on it, please send me an email at [email protected] and i will reply with photos and details on the sale. I will be posting it on eBay later this week. Thanks

Steve 01 Jan 06

I am the current owner of a TomTom GO “Classic Plus”, and while I like the GO in general, the quality of the TeleAtlas map data is definitely inferior. I paid $150 for the “updated” US maps on SD card in August, and found that major highway construction completed in my area four years ago was still missing. Since Garmin’s site lets me look at the map data, I was able to confirm that it had been appropriately updated.

I have been considering the Nuvi 350 to replace the GO and spent a few minutes the other day at a store playing with it. On the plus side:

- Much smaller than the GO
- UI is just as easy to use
- Speaks street names and has more detailed turn directions (The GO just says things like “take the exit” and the text form of directions is abbreviated.)
- Map data seems much better

On the minus side:
- The GO’s speaker is much louder and clearer. I could not find a volume control on the 350. The GO also has optional speed-dependent volume which works nicely.
- Only one waypoint can be added using the UI
- If you care (I don’t), the GO 700 has Bluetooth phone integration and the Garmin doesn’t.
- I could not find a way to “demo” a route with the 3D maps as the TomTom can.

I have not decided what to do yet, and appreciate the discussion here.

Johann 01 Jan 06

> On the minus side:
>- The GO�s speaker is much louder and clearer. I could not >find a volume control on the 350.
——————-
The title screen of Nuvi 350 shows two icons on the right side: the Settings and Adjust. Press the Adjust and you will get the options to specify the volume level, as well as the display brightness.

>- Only one waypoint can be added using the UI
——————-
Using “My Locations” under the main item Where to?, brings you also to Favourites option. Then you can use Spell to locate your Waypoint to be added. Use the same sequence to add as many waypoints as needed. Let’s hope to get from Garmin also the option to add more waypoints at once, via USB link either by editing of the waypoints.gpx file, or better via MapSource application…

Ed 02 Jan 06

Just got the Nuvi 350. Starting directions not very well written. E.G., how do you turn it off when using it on battery?

amit 02 Jan 06

how fast does the screen refresh on the nuvi when you zoom out in the map? i tried that on the 2720 and there was some hesitation….it took a second or two to do so which means a slow processor. ideally it should be near instantaneous.

also anyone know a place in NYC where they have it on display? want to try the interface, etc before i buy. I tried circuit city and Best Buy and no go….seems they had one on display in the Atlantic Ave Circuit City in Brooklyn and it got stolen so none there now :)

Adam 02 Jan 06

Almost sold on the Nuvi - but before I buy, can anyone tell me if the flat anntena I can see in all of the pictures folds down or if it is flat? I plan to mount this is a small hole in the dash so the smallness of this would be great.

Has anyone else mounted these anywhere apart from on the windscreen?

Richard 02 Jan 06

Does the 350 provide altitude information?

Steve 02 Jan 06

I don’t have one, but..

- There is a power switch on the top edge
- The antenna folds down flat, and the manual (you can download it from Garmin’s web site) says this turns off the GPS receiver to save power if you are using it for other functions.
- It does provide altitude information (but not lat/long!)

I was impressed by how quickly it calculated a route of some 1300 miles when I tried it in the store. Comparable to the TomTom.

Mike 02 Jan 06

The antenna folds flat and turns off the GPS - but there are a number of angles that you can have the antenna at. Most pictures show it with the antenna at the highest position - but I have had it one notch down at 90 degrees and it works well too. I have the Nuvi mounted on the mounting disk and have had a passenger hold it and it works fine. A small hole in the dash should work fine.

Johann 03 Jan 06

How about that Garmin automatic WebUpdater application - has anyone managed to make it work via USB connected Nuvi 350? In my case it keeps failing to recognize the device on USB. Funny, because MapSource at the same time can see this device and upload or download maps.

z.entropic 03 Jan 06

> How about that Garmin automatic WebUpdater
> application - has anyone managed to make it work
> via USB connected Nuvi 350?

It’s a WAG, but maybe there’s a drive letter confict and you have to change the letter of your USB card? When you check
Start->Adm Tools->Computer Mgmnt->Disk Mgmnt,
do you see that all your disks have proper letter names?

z.entropic

z.entropic 03 Jan 06

I’m trying to figure out how to get the nuvi manual onto the SD card—and have it available on the gadget. Right now, the only way I see is to convert each page into a JPG file and download 60 JPEGs onto a SD card—how silly! Is there a better way? Maybe somebody will write a hack to display PDF files on the nuvi, and later on, maybe Excel, like the myriad hacks for the early Palms?

Finally, why isn’t there a digital camera function on the nuvi to overlay landscape pictures on the maps?

z.entropic

Nuvi fan 04 Jan 06

I bought 2 nuvi 350s, one for me and one for the wife. The wife doesn’t want it so I have one I can sell for less than authorized dealer price. It’s still new and unopened in the box. Please email me at [email protected] if interested.

iGuidance fan 04 Jan 06

I just tried the highly rated 5” Cobra NavOne 4500 and
was thoroughly disappointed as my old Ipaq Navman
solution puts it to shame, not to mention my newer Dell
Axim X50v + iGuidance 2.12 + BT GPS receiver.

The Cobra does have a bigger screen, but that just makes
it’s 320x240 pixel picture look worse (the 640x480 VGA
display on the Axim is beautiful, and iGuidance showing
road names at the angle of the road is so far superior to
the Cobra which places a red dot on the road and text is
always horizontal). Worse, try heading up or 3D display,
and you are treated to the ugliest mess of a map one
could imagine (can you say false advertising? look at
the web site or box 3D picture and then the actual
device…clearly not the same). Cobra isn’t all bad …
very easy (if abundant even in quiet mode) voice
prompts, probably good for beginners.

I’ll stop rambling about the Cobra, but am just concerned
that perhaps the Nuvi 350 will be similarly disappointing
to me after reading all these great reviews. My only
real complaints with Axim+BT setup is having to power
on two devices … I’d like both to turn on when I turn
the ignition key. Does Nuvi have an auto-on with 12v
power connect feature, or will it put itself into sleep
mode after a period with no 12v and no activity to
avoid total drain of battery if car left alone overnight
or for a few weeks but no one turned it off?

Has anyone here used iGuidance 2.12 (or other recent)
and a recent Pocket PC as well as Nuvi 350? I’d
love to hear a comparison from someone with such
experience.

Cheers!

Raj 04 Jan 06

Just went to Circuit City and played with the Nuvi. It is quite a beautiful unit and is small enough to comfortably fit in your pocket (a key consideration since you can’t leave anything in your car anymore). The salesman recommended it over the TomTom which was similarly priced. It even has interesting features like “Will I make my flight” buttons, etc. I will definitely buy this unit, but Circuit City has it priced at $899. One advantage (don’t know if it’s true or not) is that if you buy the $149 warrantee, you can swap it after 2 years usage should the touch screen start acting up.

Bill Brown 05 Jan 06

Here are my usability metrics:

1. Can I buy this for my parents without having to do any tech support for it?

2. Will they find it easy enough and useful enough to use on a regular basis, or will I find it in a cupboard when I visit the next Christmas?

If the Nuvi can pass these tests, I’ll buy one today.

On a side note, how is the road information detail for Toronto, Canada (where my parents live)?

karl 05 Jan 06

Before you decide to spend $150 on circuitcity for extra warranty, check buydig.com. I bought it from there and their extended warranty was much cheaper… at 50 bucks. Though the price of the Nuvi on their website is $900. I decided its worth the money coz GPS unlike MP3 players are not stable yet.. and still have the possibility of crashing completely!

Johann 05 Jan 06

To IGuidance fan: - Yes, Nuvi has an auto-on with 12v
power connect feature, and it will it put itself into sleep
mode after 30 secs with no 12v and no activity.

To Bill Brown: I would buy it for my parents. The story abou zero learning curve is absolutely true. It is literally self explanatory. TTS recognition would make it for them even easier. No sofisticated GPS slang, but lots of graphics, icons, etc. They will find their way, indeed.

IGuidance fan 08 Jan 06

I stopped in at Circuit City and played with Nuvi 350 for 15
minutes … certainly small and easy to use, but too small a
screen for my taste, voice prompts are unnatural sounding,
low resolution and display engine doesn’t allow for nearly
as much useful (mostly importantly street names)
information as iGuidance (even iGuidance on a QVGA Pocket
PC, but on a 640x480 PocketPC, iGuidance display is another level better).

If Nuvi 350 does well enough, hopefully someone will follow
up with a higher resolution model with a slightly bigger screen, better voice prompts, and then I might consider
switching; for now, I guess the PocketPC + iGuidance
solution is still the best for those that can live with a separate GPS receiver (and don’t mind using PC to create
download maps, and don’t need the entire country on the
device all at once … I’ve got entire NorthEast, CA, FL on
mine in ~700 mb and haven’t needed anything more yet).

Enddy 08 Jan 06

i saw this at sparco.com and it it says,

GARMIN 010-00455-00 NUVI350 TRAVEL ASSISTANT [RETURN FOR REPLACEMENT ONLY]

now what the fish does that mean ‘return for replacement only?’

by the way the price quoted over at Sparco is $711!! Still the cheapest ive seen anywhere.

Enddy 08 Jan 06

Shoot..i just missed the contest just an hour ago after january 8 12:00cst. i don’t believe it !! arggggg

http://www.garmin.com/nuvicontest/

Steve 08 Jan 06

“return for replacement only” means no refunds. If it’s DOA, they’ll send you another one.

The screen size is fine - same as the TomTom GO. I need to play with this more in the store to see how I like it.

barry 09 Jan 06

Does anyone know if the Nuvi automatically recalculate your route if you leave the originally calculated route? Thanks!

roberto 09 Jan 06

You cant say that Teleatlas maps (Tomtom)maps are inferior. It depends on the country. For France they are more detailed than Navteq for example. For other countries Navteq may be better such as the US perhaps?

Mike 09 Jan 06

Yes, the Nuvi recalculates if you leave the route - at first it tries to get you back and then will eventuually map out an alternate route.

Johann 09 Jan 06

To barry:
I have the best experience with route re-calculating - it takes few tens of seconds after you leave the calculated route (tested by me intentionally), and it tells you: RE-CALCULATING!. Within next few seconds it shows you the new route with your actual position. This works just fine.

Shawnz 09 Jan 06

I picked upa Nuvi 350 before the Christmas holiday and I absolutely love it.

I also was upset that this $900 GPS will not give you lat/long information. Garmin support was quite rude and persistant that this is not an outdoor GPS.

Aside from the rude Garmin support lady, thew unit has been great. It took me a while to figure out how to save your current position (tap screen, then save) as a waypoint.

I had hoped that the 2.6 update would let me see lat / long but it was to no avail.

Does anyone know what ‘maintinence mode’ is? It was added in 2.6 and I haven’t figured out how to get into it. I figured it might display lat/long :).

Has anyone figured out how to update the maps? I found some errors that I’d like to report and I’d also liek to be sure that my maps are current. Garmin seems to have me on auto-ignore over the whole lat/long thing.

Shawn

Rick 09 Jan 06

I bought the Nuvo 350 for my wife for Christmas and was very happy to see she could use it without my help. She is not good with electronics but this was simple for her. I just loaded 2.60 software and saw the bit about POI loading. Is there a site with POI files in the USA yet?

Charley 10 Jan 06

I don’t need a money converter or a dictionary or music or videos. I need a Garmin that will direct me from point A to B and will verbally tell me to turn at Main street or turn at Smith Ave. I also don’t need the heavy price. Is there such an item? If so then what is the cost?

Dr. G 10 Jan 06

Charley, text to speech is the function you’re looking for. It’s featured on both the c340 and 7220. Costco.com just sent the 7220 to $749. However, neither of these uses the SiRF chip like the nuvi.

I just ordered mine for $769.95 online (also a 3 year Mack warranty for $26.99!). You can order here too, if you have a COMP-U-ter. It’s also a PLUS if you are handy with Google.

Dr. G 10 Jan 06

Sorry. To clarify above, I ordered the Nuvi.

Mikey 11 Jan 06

Can someone help please?
I need a little bigger hint at being a PRO AdVantage google bargain finder!!! ..I’d like to find it at under $700!
Thanks!

Mikey 11 Jan 06

…got it!! Thanks!
However, it’s no longer on that site!
Any other deals out there??

Boots 13 Jan 06

Have any of you looked at any of the devices that also sync with live traffic reports to help you pick a better route?
Ultimately, I’m looking for something that will let me enter a dozen or so destinations per trip (trip planner) and that will account for current traffic conditions. Battery operated option would be great too.

Jeff 13 Jan 06

Although the Nuvi was not designed for off-road purposes, is it still posible to maunally set POI marks (whenever necessary) to create a sort of cookie trail? I know that this method will be impractical but if it can it may create some usage while hiking or on the lake.

Randy 15 Jan 06

Works fantastic in our van. The $850 was well worth the reduction in blood pressure I have experienced. It will be interesting to see what functionality is truly realized once the OS X version of their s/w is out. ETA feature is amazingly accurate.

Bruce C 16 Jan 06

I am intersted with a unit that will function in the USA, but I can also use in Europe. Will the 350 work in both?

Carter 16 Jan 06

Looks great so far…

will it work in an airplane?

how do you enter information (destination address, etc.)?

z.entropic 17 Jan 06

I’ve been testing a nuvi 350 for 2 weeks in the Boston street maze and, in general, I’m impressed. I see quite a lot of suggestions for often simple interface changes to make the unit even more user frindly and natural to operate, but at present one thing stumps me; here’s an example:

I’m driving with the unit mounted on my windshield in Boston, but have to optimize quickly (without closing the satellite antenna) a route from Concord, NH to Portland, ME with a via point in Fitchburg, MA. Can’t figure out how to do it without closing the damn antenna, mainly because the Set Loc. function is inactive when the antenna is out!

Any nuvi owners willing to pitch in with advice?

z.entropic

Ben Lowery 17 Jan 06

Woo hoo, the waypoints problems I experienced were fixed in the 2.6 update. 2.7 just came out and it looks like it fixes some other problems as well.

Shawnz 17 Jan 06

Jeff - yes you can.

Tap the screen when you are at a location you want to save and a arrow will appear at that point. The middle button then changes to ‘save’. Hit save and you can name the waypoint as you see fit.

I’ve found it usefull for marking the fixed photo-radar sites around town :). You can do this while moving.

Shawn

z.entropic 17 Jan 06

Shawn, I’m not sure if you were answering my question or Ben’s, but the tap->arrow->Save sequence does nothing to resolve the problem I described above as I can’t initiate a route calculation from a different than present point.

Maybe the unit wants us to keep our eyes on the road while driving, not let us program it for a future route…

z.entropic

Jeff 17 Jan 06

Thanks Shawn
That was exactly what i was looking for.
This brings me from 99.99% to 99.999999999% close to buying this thing. =P

Just making sure that i don’t uncover any unfortunate problems in my research on this device.

Thanks again

karl 19 Jan 06

z.entropic, if you’re enroute to a destination and you select a second location, the nuvi will ask you if you want to add it as a via to your current route.

I used my nuvi recently in San Fran and it worked great downtown. I found the via when I was driving back to the airport and needed to find gas stations nearby.

jaydeebee 20 Jan 06

I have to visit places all over the southern part of Louisiana for my job and - post-Katrina - there is a paucity of street signs, etc., for landmarks. Especially in New Orleans! Bought a Nuvi. Problem solved. I just type in my destination and then drive. I don’t even have to look at the Nuvi (albeit the dumb thing’s seductive! Let’s you know where you are and what’s all around you - like a rolling trivia show!). I just drive until Nuvi tells me - out loud and clearly - when and where I need to turn. And Nuvi gets me, not just to the destination, but into the freaking driveway! Switches to a black screen at night (to reduce glare - great feature!). When I want to go home, I just hit the home button and Nuvi guides me, turn by turn, through the dark until - voila - I turn into my driveway. With Nuvi in the car, I finally feel like I know where I am and where I’m going. All the time. For the first time. What a relief! Definitely puts iPod in the SHADE!!! The handiest, most useful tool I’ve EVER had. If Detroit ever starts selling their cars with these things in them, they could forget having to offer rebates! As Napoleon Dynamite (and my kids) would say … sweet! And, uh, Vote for Nuvi!

z.entropic 20 Jan 06

Karl, thanks for your suggestion, but I knew that part.

If you re-read my message, you’ll see I had asked about finding a route from C to D via E WHILE driving from A to B, with the antenna out.

Yesterday I received a reply from Garmin that this can’t be done with the antenna out, so that answers my question (but does not relieve my pain) :-).

IMHO, Garmin put some annoying and unnecessary limitations on the mode of operation of this otherwise fantastic device. Let’s hope the consumer and techie pressure will overcome the misguided ideas of their marketing guys who might be unwittingly(?) patronizing their customers!

z.entropic

AndyR 21 Jan 06

Shawnz asked about the maintenance mode - press on the lower left corner as you turn it on. Sorry, just computer programmer stuff; stacks, interupts, error codes, register, etc.

Sadly it does not show Lat/Lon. I know its not an outdoor unit, but I’d like Lat/Lon for landing Medivac helicopters for my fire department, especially with how fast this unit locks in.

Well, other than that I’m satisfied with the unit despite envisioning how much more it could do.

Marcelo 22 Jan 06

I have bought a week ago nuvi 350, is fantastic!!!

In the attempt to load a list of POI … for error I have delete the file silvia.vpn. Now, the GPS does not say more to me the name of the street in which turning…. I have sent a mail to the Garmin attendance but they do not answer to me.

Someone could kindly send to me through mail the rows?

Thanks

Marcelo 22 Jan 06

Someone could kindly send to me through mail the file silvia.vpn ?

Thanks

Dave Haverty 22 Jan 06

Did I read correctly somewhere that there is no choice of route (fastest, shortest….)? And only one ‘via’ point can be added to a route? If true, I won’t be buying, especially with no lat/long display.

Steve 22 Jan 06

Yes, you can choose fastest, shortest or off-road. You can also tell it to avoid things such as U-turns, carpool lanes, unpaved roads, etc.

It is true that only one via point can be added.

I just bought a Nuvi 350 to replace my TomTomGO. There are some things the TomTom does that I wish the Nuvi did (such as advanced planning), but overall I like the Nuvi MUCH better

Dave 23 Jan 06

Thanks, Steve. Advanced Planning means sitting in your home before a trip and planning a route? I’d miss that - one of the key advantages of portable over built-in, and I certainly used it with the Go I tried out. What is the restriction that stops you doing it?

I’d be very interested to hear the other downsides vs the Go you had before.

mark 23 Jan 06

Has anyone tried the GTM10 FM traffic receiver? I’d be interested to know opinions on this extra for the 350, in particular for Austria and Germany.

Also, I live close to the Slovenian border but Slovenia isn’t covered, only EU countries it seems. I guess there is a good reason why non EU countries are not mapped but I don’t know it can some kind sole enlighten a GPS noobie, please. I have the 350 on order and expect delivery by end of week. I can’t wait for it to arrive and judging by all the +ve reviews I’ve seen I’m expecting it to be fab gadget.

Thanks,
Mark

Steve 23 Jan 06

You can plan a route sitting at home, sure. As long as you don’t mind it starting from where the Nuvi thinks you are now. The TomTom can do “A to B” planning where you set both the start and end locations independently.

I did find an amusing way to do A-B planning on the NuVi, though. With the GPS off, plan a trip to point A and say yes to demoing the route. When the simulated drive gets there, then plan the route to place B. Place A had better not be too far from where you are now, as the simulated drive takes real time (as the Nuvi believes you could drive it.) The TomTom’s simulation lets you speed it up, but also has a hard 200km limit. I think this is really meant more for store demos than anything useful.

Bearing in mind that I have had the Nuvi for just a few days and haven’t used it all that much, here are my thoughts on it vs. the TomTom GO.

- When driving, the TomTom seems to be more willing to give you guidance such as “keep left” or “go straight” whereas the Nuvi assumes that once you’re on a road, you won’t be confused by splits. The offramp that I take to my house splits at the end. The TomTom would tell me to keep left and then go straight (across the intersection at the end of the ramp), but the Nuvi just tells me where the next turn is.

Another situation which surprised me was that the Nuvi failed to tell me that I had to take an on-ramp off of the street I was driving on. It seemed to believe that I was on the ramp as soon as I turned onto the street. Bizarre. If I hadn’t already known where I was going, I would definitely have missed the turn.

That said, the TomTom has failed to give me such guidance in other situations where it was absolutely required, which was one of the things that prompted me to look at the Nuvi.

- The TomTom gives you a visual indication of the direction of your next turn. On the Nuvi, you have to tap the “Turn in” section to get a reminder. That said, the Nuvi does tell you both when you start on the road and as you come near what you’ll be doing, so it’s not that big a deal.

- The on-screen graphics are a bit clearer (to me) on the TomTom - mostly the fonts used.

- The TomTom has a dedicated “Go home” button, it takes me an extra level of menu to get to it on the Nuvi.

- The TomTom starts up far faster than the Nuvi, and omits the lawyer screen.

- Speed-dependent volume. The one thing I really miss.

- ASN - the GO Classic (and the 500/700) has accelerometers that can (with varying degrees of success) follow your path when the satellites are temporarily invisible (such as in a tunnel). Some TomTom users turn it off because it isn’t helpful to them, but it worked ok for me.

Now here’s all the things I prefer about the Nuvi:

- The maps. I paid $150 for the so-called “updated” TomTom US maps in August 2005. While some errors I had noted in the 2004 maps were fixed, it still omitted major highway (as in US 3) construction in my city that had been completed FOUR YEARS AGO! The Nuvi had it perfectly. TomTom uses TeleAtlas maps, which I understand are good for Europe, but for the US, they’re bad.

- POIs - The Nuvi has much more detail about POIs and offers categories and the ability to search by name. Not so on the TomTom. Also, I found that the TomTom’s locations for POIs tended to be significantly inaccurate.

- Text to speech - Love it. I’m amazed how well “Jill” speaks the names of streets and roads. My only recommendation would be that she get a diction coach - one that might get her to pause slightly between words rather than slurring names together. And I have no complaints about the volume or sound quality, though the TomTom is superior in the latter (but with prerecorded voices, it should be.)

- Clear and useful “where am I turning next?” bar. The TomTom’s default interface omits this entirely. On the other hand, the TomTom can tell me (with some difficulty) what street I’m on now, which is nice.

- Automatic switching to night mode. There’s a user-addon for the TomTom that does this, but it is flaky.

- Size - the Nuvi is so much smaller than the GO and is much less obtrusive when mounted in my car.

The other frills of the Nuvi such as the MP3 player aren’t of much interest to me at this time.

Kim 24 Jan 06

Steve, you do not need do simulate driving to the starting point A — just locate it on the map, tap the screen and press Set pos. (with antenna down); now n�vi uses this as its current position

Michael 24 Jan 06

I recently returned my TomTom Go 300 when the installer at the stereo store failed to install it. The screen wouldn’t come on, and it wouldn’t reset. I’d had it for two weeks and was pretty happy with it. I just wanted to replace it but they’re sold out everywhere.. SO…. I start to look at other units.. THIS is the unit, the Garmin Nuvi 350, seems like it’s the real deal.. The main question that I have is related to mounting. I’d like to have the power supply be semi hard wired, vs having a dangling cord go to my cigarette lighter which already has the full time job of charging my cell. Anyone have any experience/luck doing this yet? Comments? My other concern is that the Nuvi doesn’t (according to someone’s note above) tell me which lane to be in like the TomTom did.. I like it saying “stay to the right” so that i can prepare for my next move etc.. Anyone else hav a comment on that also? thanks in advance. I love this little talk about it ;)

ian sellers 24 Jan 06

do you need to purchase the travel kit to be able to use the it for mp3s?

Kim 24 Jan 06

Ian, you do not need the travel kit for mp3 playing.

David, I think you are right about european mapping better on the nuvi. I get those “stay to the left/right” messages on the highway using the nuvi in Denmark.

Queenoid 24 Jan 06

I bought a Nuvi last week, and I love it! I have never had a unit like this before, so everything is very exciting to me. I bought it on eBay for $700 from klausk1. Everything went very well and I would recommend this seller. ANYWAY, is there some way I can route the audiobooks or mp3s through my car speakers, or some other external speakers? I’d appreciate your advice.

Dave 24 Jan 06

Queenoid - does that mean there’s no audio-out socket? I was hoping there would be (even if only for the voice directions). I have an aux-in on my radio.

Also, does anybody know if alternative mounting brackets are available? Can’t find any. I don’t want to use the windscreen bracket because it leaves tell-tale marks for thieves when removed.

Queenoid 24 Jan 06

No, it doesn’t mean that at all. It just means that I am clueless. There is something that looks a LOT like an audio-out socket. Perhaps I should read the online manual!

Dave 24 Jan 06

Queenoid - No, the manual is unimpressive but does say in the specs that there’s a headphone jack. I guess that could be used to connect to car stereo if it has an aux-in jack. What the sound quality would be like is another matter.

Dave 24 Jan 06

Queenoid - The manual is unimpressive but does say in the specs that there’s a headphone jack. I guess that could be used to connect to car stereo if it has an aux-in jack. What the sound quality would be like is another matter.

AS 24 Jan 06

Has anyone used a nuvi350 with US base maps for europe navigation?

Steve 24 Jan 06

The Nuvi mounting bracket has its own power connector, so you could connect power to that and then just snap the Nuvi in. There is not (yet) a “hardwire” kit as you can get for some other models.

I have read elsewhere that the audio quality through the headphone jack is good. Haven’t tried it myself.

As for the “keep right” - yeah, I wish the Nuvi would do that. It does tell me in which direction the next turn is. It seems like something that could be added by Garmin easily enough.

Oh, and I found it does tell you what street you’re on if you are not following a route. It even tells you the name of each upcoming cross-street - neat! (This is on-screen only, not spoken.)

Michael 24 Jan 06

Ok, went out and bought it today.. Very cool.. almost 800MB for Mp3s and JPGs.. cool file viewer and pretty cool MP3 player actually..

Anyone know how to enter an intersection as a destination? what if I don’t know the address, just an interesection? The TomTom made it easy..

Updated the software to 2.7 and stuffed it full of Dave Matthews Mp3s.. So far so good ;)

Kim 25 Jan 06

Michael, choose the second screen under Where to, there you’ll find the Intersection

Michael 25 Jan 06

Thanks Kim! If it was a snake, it would have bit me…;)

I totally love that I can drag this little guy along and do as slideshow of pics while jamming tunes.. it seems to me now much more than JUST a GPS!

Duffy 26 Jan 06

Considering buying a nuvi for use in real estate. Cannot believe there is no way to create a route and have the locations sorted by “shortest route” or something. Is there a way to use the nuvi in this manner?

Dave 26 Jan 06

Don’t think so, from what I’ve read above and elsewhere. You can only have three points on a route. TomTom lets you have multiple points but will not work out the most efficient way of visiting all. You have to decide the sequence for yourself, unless I am much mistaken.

lcubed 26 Jan 06

for loading mp3’s and jpegs, its much faster to load
onto an SD card via usb 2.0, then pop the card into the
nuvi. the nuvi will detect the additional media.

duffy 27 Jan 06

Can I enter addresses and Intersections into the nuvi using my laptop and a usb connection?

Kush 28 Jan 06

I have the Nuvi 350 and use it with the GTM10 traffic reciever. It worked great in my area, the northeast, and saved me a few traffic jams. Unfortunately when I updated to 2.70 the traffic feature no longer worked. Emailing garmin takes a long time for a response, it is well worth the hold time to call tech support. Unfortunately their response to the traffic reciever problem is to send both parts in for repair or replacement. This means a period of about a week without them. They also informed me that several others are experiencing the same problem. I would suggest on waiting for this problem to be resolved before investing in the GTM10. When it worked it was great to have.

MO 29 Jan 06

THE NUVI 350 IS THE BEST OF THE BEST RIGHT NOW.
I JUST BOUGHT MINE ON THE 28 JAN 06 AT BEST BUY. I LOVE IT
I HAD THE NAVMAN ICN 550 FOR TWO MONTHS. WHEN I SAW THE SIZE OF THE NUVI 350 I JUST FELT IN LOVE WITH.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW YET WICH GPS TO GET, NOW YOU KNOW.
GO FOR THE NUVI 350.

Randy 30 Jan 06

Bruce,

You say you purchased your Nuvi 350 on Sparco.com. I went to their web site, and it does not show item in inventory. Any ideas, as I liked the price you paid for it.

Randy 30 Jan 06

Bruce,

You say you purchased your Nuvi 350 on Sparco.com. I went to their web site, and it does not show item in inventory. Any ideas, as I liked the price you paid for it.

Randy 30 Jan 06

Any ideas who sells the Nuvi 350 at the lowest $?

Charley 31 Jan 06

Lowest price at Nextag.com was $719.99
.
I’m still wondering if there is something out there without all the bells and whistles of the nuvi 350. Don�t need a money converter or a dictionary or music or videos. I need a Garmin that will direct me from point A to B and will verbally tell me to turn at Main street or turn at Smith Ave. I would think that without the bells and whistles it would be cheaper. Is there such an item? If so then what is the cost?

Tuan 31 Jan 06

I bought my Nuvi last week and it’s the greatest gadget that I have. I was using ALK CoPilot 5.0. Nuvi is much better than CoPilot. The POI are amazing. It even have a small business I bought recetly. Great gadget and a great GPS.

JohnB 01 Feb 06

Hey, I still can’t figure out why you would not buy the Garman M5 IQ. It’s 200 bucks less than the Nuvi 350, is a PDC, GPS has Microsoft, email accessability, bluetooth software for internet, mp3, expandable 64 meg memory etc. Same size screen, auto pak.

Is there anyone that can help me on this perplexing question?

JohnB 01 Feb 06

Here is the link to the Garmin M5 IQ, with the same features the nuvi has plus a whole lot more.

http://www.gpsw.co.uk/details/prod2611.html?

Kim 01 Feb 06

The IQ has very limited memory. I doubt you can download full Europe in it.

And Windows in my GPS ? No way

Kim 02 Feb 06

Any ideas how I transfer waypoints from one n�vi to another ? I have copied the waypoints.gpx file, but that does not seem to change anything? I still only have the 3 original Garmin waypoints

Jeff 02 Feb 06

Kim - I’ve read that someone had problems with duplicated waypoints on their Nuvi. What they did to solve the problem was to select the “delete all” waypoint function and then copy the gpx file to the nuvi.
See if this helps. I guess the nuvi may have some type of temporary cache for waypoints.

z.entropic 02 Feb 06

A seditious thought occurred to me: induce all Garmin nuvi 350 owners to write letters to Garmin officers to ask them to force engineering and marketing guys to display the latitude/longitude coordinates on the satellite status screen. Why? A GPSR without them is like a car with no odometer!

Who will join me?

z.entropic

Jon 03 Feb 06

Has any body had a problem with the mp3 player on their nuvi not playing some files? All the files I have tried are mp3’s, no DRM. For whatever reason they will not play. It pauses for a few seconds and then skips to a different song. About half the songs I tried were unplayable. I have tried loading both to the nuvi’s internal memory and to a SD card. Any thoughts or advice? Thanks,

Kim 04 Feb 06

There may be a bit rate limitation. I have no problems with 160 kbit/s, but if you use 256 kbit/s it can be the reason

Steve 04 Feb 06

z.entropic, lat/long in an automotive nav product is a frill. I’ll agree that it would be nice to have it, but no, it’s not like leaving out the odometer. One could say it’s more like a tach in an automatic transmission car - pretty to look at but not terribly useful.

Re: navigating from A to B - yes, you can do a “set loc” in map view, but you can’t do this by address! If you look up an address or POI and do a view map, there is no “set loc” button! There should be.

Just got back from a trip to Oregon - the nuvi did very well for me including POIs, though it led me to a gas station that wasn’t there anymore (I could see the sign).

MP3 player works ok for me with 200kbps MP3s.

Regarding the dictionary, etc. - you can ignore these if you want. Besides, the nuvi comes just with a small sample dictionary, you have to buy the real one.

I used the nuvi on my plane flight back, attached to the window. I liked that I could zoom out the display enough to see something quite reasonable for my flight progress.

Athabasca P. Gazorta 04 Feb 06

I was bullied in JHS by a guy named George Iwaskow. It has always damaged by self-esteeem and my sense of direction.

Now with the Nuvi 350, I can find my way to NYC and look up old George and give him a paste in to mouth.

Oh, well, I really won’t go. It’s too far. I am now living in San Salvador and the Nuvi doesn’t work here. But it’s fun anyway. I use it to find the nearest Starbucks when I’m in Seattle.

I also hold it close to my heart and murmur softly, “Blummis, blummis, blummis, my darling.”

That’s why they put me in the Home.

Latitudo the Magnificent 04 Feb 06

A GPS without Latitude and Longitude is like a fart without a small crowded elevator!

z.entropic 05 Feb 06

Steve, I disagree. I drive around in the Death Valley and S. Utah neighborhood whenever I can, but I’m no big hiker. Lat/lon coords are very useful when looking for features described by true hikers and outdoorsmen in such sparsely street-coverd areas, and almost any other automotive GPSR has it. It doesn’t cost Garmin anything to show two already available numbers.

z.entropic

Queenoid 05 Feb 06

I bought a nuvi 350 on ebay from a seller named klausk1. I offered him $700 and he accepted the bid, with surface shipping included. Everything worked out great, and I would recommend him. He has offered me an insurance package, which I should probably buy. Anyway, check him out - he sells a lot of them. I panicked when I opened the box and I didn’t see the unit itself, only the accessories, but it was cleverly packed in the bottom.

Smead 06 Feb 06

Anyone have experience with the Quest 2 and how it compares to the Nuvi? I want a small unit…but it appears that the Quest 2 may be a better fit for hiking…while maintaining the features need for being in the vehicle…

EricB 06 Feb 06

Bought one few weeks ago, after beating myself up if I should spend the money on this gadget or not. Well after finding it for $736 shipped I bought it, It is awesome! If you are the fence about getting one, All I can say is do it.

z.entropic 07 Feb 06

Queenoid, I hope you won’t have to send it back to Garmin for a warranty repair; they seem to be a bit pricky about accepting units bought on auction sites—and they say so openly.

Good luck with it, I really like mine—and find it useful (despite some widely complained about limitations).

z.entropic

Jim Jordan 08 Feb 06

I am a motivational speaker that travels all over and when i say all over i mean all over. I go to little towns that i have never heard off but the NUVI does. I payed 1200 canadian and it was worth every penny. easy to install, easy to use. If you need navigation don’t go anywhere else. this is top of the line and well worth it. I have a friend who has a much cheaper model from a different company. the best way i can describe this is to say if you have ever been on high speed internet than seen someone on dial up and you think wow how could you look through the internet like that. well the nuvi is the rolls royce of gps. it is awesome thanks Garmin

z.entropic 09 Feb 06

Hey Jim, you really sound like a motivational speaker—for Garmin! :^)

z.entropic

A.K. 10 Feb 06

I’m planning to move to europe in 1 or 2 years.
How significant the base-map is?
I do not mind paying extra for either additional North America or Europe maps, but giving the fact I will be using it more in Europe, is it necessary to wait and buy it from Europe?

Kirk B. 10 Feb 06

Just spent 2 weeks in Hawaii, drove at least 1500 miles. (Maui and the Big Island).
What a GREAT products.
Don’t hesitate.
Does more than reviews can explain.
Found the nearesr Subway (.03 Mi. West on ….), or an out back road that was bairly there, up the side of a mountain.
Go For It !!!!

“It costs $$$$ to stand on the edge”

Kirk B.

Kirk B. 10 Feb 06

Just spent 2 weeks in Hawaii, drove at least 1500 miles. (Maui and the Big Island).
What a GREAT products.
Don’t hesitate.
Does more than reviews can explain.
Found the nearesr Subway (.03 Mi. West on ….), or an out back road that was bairly there, up the side of a mountain.
Go For It !!!!

“It costs $$$$ to stand on the edge”

Kirk B.

Steve 12 Feb 06

A.K., you can buy the European maps from Garmin when you move. No need to wait.

JILL 12 Feb 06

I am seriously considering the nuvi, but one thing that I can’t find anywhere is whether you can set it to play the directions, mp3’s, etc through the speakers on your car and not just the speaker on the unit itself.
Can someone who owns one let me know?
Thanks!

Jeff 12 Feb 06

JILL -
The nuvi should have an audio out jack for earphones/speakers.
Here are a few options that i can think of for outputting the nuvi’s sound to the car stereo using the output jack.

If your car stereo has an aux input then you can connect the nuvi’s audio out directly to the stereo’s aux in.

If the stereo has a cassette player then one of those cassette adapters with the wire connecting to the audio device will work.

You can also use a FM-transmitter which takes the output from the nuvi and broadcasts the audio on a selected FM station. Simply set your radio to the same station.

Hope this helps.

Mike 13 Feb 06

From the reviews I realize I cannot enter several destinations and have them sort by route. HOWEVER, can I simple enter the individual addresses and call them up from memory as I need them?

I’m struggling with the routing convenience of the 2730 vs. the overall convenience of the nuvi. ???

z.entropic 13 Feb 06

Absolutely!—they are called Favorites and are always sorted as a list by distance from the current location. They can be named, modified or deleted individually.

Any other address or location can, or is, saved in Recent Selections, which are cleared all at once by hitting Clear.

z.entropic

mike 14 Feb 06

How many “Favorites” does the nuvi hold.allow? Are there other sort options for the favorites?

Kim 15 Feb 06

I think it holds 500. No sort options, but you can search for a string

Larry 15 Feb 06

After readin many different reviews and all comments on this board, I purchased my nuvi. It is quickly becoming as indespensible as my iPod…. If you are on the fence about it, believe me: You will NOT be disappointed with your purchase. The unit does much more than the OEM GPS in my last car and it is portable to boot.

My question: I am having trouble finding resources for “Third Party” POI downloads for the nuvi, other than Mapsource. I was thinking about less commercial and perhaps more focused…… Can anyone lend assistance?

Thanks

JILL 15 Feb 06

JEFF -
Thank you for the info. Where do I get an FM transmitter? Will any FM transmitter work? This is pretty important to me unless the unit is really loud and clear.
Thank you!!
Jill

dank 15 Feb 06

Just purchased….love it …but can’t get out of Kansas City…what is my problem fellow nuvi-ites?

dank 15 Feb 06

Can U say open up the antenna stupid?

Kim 16 Feb 06

Jill, the spoken directions are more than loud and clear enough for me. I wont use the builtin speaker for music, though

Jerry 16 Feb 06

I just loaded 2.9 ver and it slow down it getting satellite.
So be aware of this.

jerry 16 Feb 06

Sorry that on a nuvi 350

Jeff 16 Feb 06

JILL-
I’m assuming that you are located somewhere in North America.
Here’s a link to the first FM transmitter that i could find.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6211761&type=product&id=1069298385668
There are probably better ones out there so you may want to search around more.
Keep in mind that if you’re using the transmitter, you’ll lose some sound quality. To me, its hardly noticeable. To others, it may be more noticeable. =/

Good luck

Ericb 16 Feb 06

As far as running the nuvi through your cars stereo, I went to Wal-Mart and found a Fm modulator for 20 bucks wired it in and I am good to go, I went this route because it has the best sound. You can buy one that is all built into what looks like a cigerett plug for 30 dollers but the sound is weak. All I can say if you dont understand all this, you could just go to maybe Radio Shack and tell them what you are wanting to do and they will hook you up with what you need.
I also just down loaded verson 2.9 and it did slow the satt link down alot, If I had over to do agine I wouldve stayed with 2.7

z.entropic 16 Feb 06

I’ve been using v.2.9 from the first day it was released and have not seen ANY slowdown in locking etc. Maybe reception conditions/satellite positions are now less optimal for you…

z.entropic

z.entropic 16 Feb 06

Good news and high hopes: I hear the enginnering staff at Garmin is seriously considering adding the display of lat/lon coords on the satellite status page of nuvi 350. It *may* show up in a forthcoming software update.

z.entropic

Michael 17 Feb 06

Is anyone really happy with their FM-transmitter??
I like the concept of playing MP3s off the Nuvi on my stereo.. but haven’t heard anyone having “mucH’ success..

thanks

z.entropic 18 Feb 06

Act, your suspicion has been confirmed—those fraudulent offers have laready been removed.

z.entropic

Steve 19 Feb 06

For a while I experimented with various FM transmitters for my wife’s iPod. Most of them stunk - weak, crackly audio - and this was even with “name brand” products. The only one which was decent was the one from Monster.

When I’m driving, I’m usually listening to the radio already (XM or FM) - I don’t have interest in listening to the Nuvi only. For myself, I find the Nuvi’s built in speaker perfectlty adequate.

jerry 20 Feb 06

I bought my Nuvi-350 at www.computergate.com/ at a
price of $728 ship to my door in 3 days. Very happy with it.
I travel all day as a saleman and lead me to the address every time.
sure beat the Garmin III +.

Mike 21 Feb 06

DONT BUY FROM CHINA - I TRIED TO AND LOST $150. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

ericb 21 Feb 06

Well have used this Scosche Audio Modulator for a few weeks now and it works awesome, I know a few where asking how to play your MP3s on your car stereo, This is the ticket

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3661255&cat=4429&type=19&dept=3944&path=0%3A3944%3A3947%3A4429

z.entropic 21 Feb 06

I bought a 2 GB SD card to load all four US Topo 100K files (East,
West, Alaska and Hawaii) on a single card, but apparently the nuvi
recognizes only one custom map file (IMG) on the card: gmapsupp.img.
As a workaround, I renamed the files to gmapsupp[E,W,A,H].img and
leave only the one I want to see as gmapsupp.img. To do that, though,
I need a laptop.

Is my impression correct that only one gmapsupp.img file can be
seen/recognized by the nuvi on a single card? Is there a better way
to manage these files without a laptop?

By the way, the topo maps work very well on the nuvi even though they
are not listed as compatible; even rudimentary routing works
reasonably well. What doens’t work at all is any search, including by
state or city—one needs to drag and magnify to a location (but Garmin
has not been making any promises that it would). The street maps are
old (as on all US topo maps in general), but the level of detail is
quite good.

z.entropic

Jerry 22 Feb 06

I just found out that the new nuvi-350 don’t show the rest area on the map, At least in Michigan map.

z.entropic 23 Feb 06

Not true; is does show such areas under

Where to? —> Auto Services —> Rest Area/Tourist Info.

z.entropic

Vincent 23 Feb 06

I bought the garmin nuvi 350 for $709 shipped on ebay. Greatest invention ever! I love it. Curious if there is anyway to customize it, as previously stated in another post.

z.entropic 23 Feb 06

Customize nuvi? Easy! Just spray-paint it blue or green!

z.entropic

===
Silly question, even sillier reply.(TM)

Yepa 24 Feb 06

Has anyone had any experience with TomTom Navigator 5 GPS Bundle for the Palm Treo 650 PDA?

If so, what are your impressions between this and the the Nuvi 350, in terms of user-frindliness and ease of use? (I am aware in the differences between the mapping data.) These are the two alternatives I am considering.

Steve 25 Feb 06

Are you in the US? If so, then you’ll just be frustrated by the out of date maps TomTom uses. I gave up on a TomTomGO for this reason, even after shelling out $150 for “updated” 2005 maps. In Europe, the TeleAtlas maps TomTom uses are better.

Michael 26 Feb 06

Nuvi is THE BEST SatNav.
However,I am worried about internal battery which is NON replacable.How long do this batteries supposed to last?Does anybody know?
Regards
Michael.

mrjirey 27 Feb 06

Yes I’m in the US.

I have heard the same comment about TomTom’s US maps before.

I have ridden with a friend that had the TomTom GO 700, and it seemed to be a good unit. I did like the number of selectable voices for directions that it offered. I noted that the TomTom would only say “Right turn in 300 meters” and not tell you the street or direction as Garmin would say “Turn right on Main Street heading north in 300 meters”.

I did not note any mapping issues myself, but we were in an area that has not changed much in 10 or so years.

during our drive, I noticed one little quark on the TomTom that I found interesting…. The TomTom on some roads would tell us to exit to a merging lane and then take us back onto the freeway. I was not sure if this was a setting, but it seemed odd.

A friend has just given we his Delorme Earthmate GPS for my laptop and I have only had a chance to play with it for a few days. This system works vary well and was easy to setup. The GPS receiver connects to 12 satellite’s and offers reasonably fast connections. It is nice having the large screen (15 inches) of a laptop, but it does not offer the speed of use of a touch screen. I wounder how it would be on a tablet PC? Well, free is a good price for now, and at $99 retail off the shelf at Best Buy and other places, with the GPS receiver, it is a great deal. It even offers voice turn instructions out of the box.

Still the convenience of a small self contained unit is much preferable.

I think I will use the Delorme system till the TomTom One is released in the US, them I will buy both the TomTom and the Nuvi for testing. I will setup all three systems in the car and see which one wins my personal road test.

But for the moment I’m still leaning toward the Nuvi.

David 27 Feb 06

Will this work on hiking trips? Deep into forests?

Steve 28 Feb 06

“power connects to the unit rather than the bracket,”

Not so. The Nuvi bracket has a USB power connector on the back if you want to use that. Yes, there’s also one on the NuVi itself.

DaveH 28 Feb 06

Sorry, I wasn’t clear - I meant that power connects directly to the TomTom One - a disadvantage vs both nuvi and TT Go.

Eric S 01 Mar 06

Loving the NUVI I recently purchased through a wholesaler at a price I can’t mention (More than $100 less than the lowest price listed on this site). It’s a truly amazing product. I am using it here in the NYC metro area… and it has been pretty flawless.

Disappointed in lack of altitude data - and a few other advance features I have seen on the Magellan products… also why is there a 500 MP3 limit - I bought a 2 gig card and can’t fill it. I’d also like to be able to sort by Artist / Album - but I bought it for a GPS not an MP3 player!

Thanks for the Gem Garmin!

McGibbo 03 Mar 06

I’m interested in the price discussion - for those on a budget, the Nuvi 300 is available (here in the UK anyway) and it retails for approx UK�300. This is about �50 more than the TomTom One that’s been mentioned above.

Compared to the Nuvi 350, the 300 has less memory built-in (though it still has the SD Card slot), and it does not offer the “Text to Voice” feature when translating languages - it just offers the text on screen and leaves you to work it out. I am sure there are other differences, but they did not convince me to spend the extra UK�200 for the 350 model.

I have recently bought a Nuvi 300 - my first venture into GPS SatNav - and I am impressed. My main use is in the car, and it is very clear and fast. It also has a neat “detour” button which gives you a fast re-route if you need to divert around congestion up ahead.

I added a UK Speed Camera database using the SD card - for those worried about law-breaking, the device sounds a repeating tone if you are over the limit approaching a detection area. If you drop below the speed limit, the tone stops too - so it is promoting slower driving by nagging you selectively!

It also boasts a “trip computer” display. This shows total distance covered which is very useful if you are doing a lot of business driving. It also shows speed and time stats, although this is probably marginally useful unless you are into endurance racing!

Another reason I went for Garmin as I believe the unit is compatible with various Ordnance Survey mapping software packages. I have not yet bought any of these, but once loaded up, I believe this allows the unit to act as an off-road device similar to the eTrek ranges. This will be used for Mountain Biking and Hiking sometime soon, and so the battery life will be useful if it is the claimed 8 hours.

Overall - very impressed. I don’t know if I am missing much by having the Nuvi 300 compared with the 350, but I am very happy with the device and would highly recommend it.

Kim 03 Mar 06

Eric, the n�vi shows altitude at the satellite page

Henry 03 Mar 06

Eric and many of us are looking for Latitude/Logitude data which are not available in Nuvi as of v2.90.

z.entropic 03 Mar 06

I was told by a senior Garmin tech support person that, prompted by many customer complaints, they are seriously looking into displaying this info on the sat page; it may show up in an upcoming firmware update.

z.entropic

msvirick 03 Mar 06

In my retirement, I thought time was passing me by, I bought a GMS truck, then started looking for a GPS unit for this monster. I looked for a Garmin 7200 , a rather large unit, and stated talking to a sales person at a Canadian web store. I asked Charlene, if she was buying a unit what would be her choice. She said Garmin Nuvi.
I set aside the purchase and started looking at 350, that is in mid 800s dollars in Canadian funds.
I have few questions and wonder the pundits in this group will answer them
a. How will I replace the built in lithium battery when it dies off.
b. I have Street Pilot III, will I be able to use some topo maps I already bought?
c. Can I use a 4 gig card to carry lot of music.
d.I could not use a Garmin 60C on my trip to New York City… the buildings were too tall. Would the Nuvi have done a bit better here.
Thank you folks

z.entropic 03 Mar 06

msvirick, I’ll try to answer a couple of questions.

1. you don’t; you don’t ever replace a Li-ion battery yourself in a consumer product, you replace only a complete battery pack (even if it is a single-cell pack) since the cell(s) need(s) a special charging circuit for safety reasons. Most probably in 2-3 years (or 3-5 if you don’t overheat it by leaving the unit in full sun in August in AZ) you’ll have to send it back to Garmin for refurbishing.

2. I purchased US Topo 100K maps for my nuvi 350; they work really much better than I ever expected them to based on what I’ve read on the Net and heard fromm the Garmin reps. Routing doesn’t work well (it seems it’s based on the basemap), search doesn’t work at all, even the states, but current location, scaling, 3D views, topo details, names, roads (well outdated, like on the USGS topo maps…), lake shores and all that jazz are just great. I loaded all of US Topo 100 East (East Coast to Mississippi) as a single gmapsupp.img file (680 MB) into the internal memory, I have a second one (US Topo 100K West) on my 2GB SD card. Alaska and Hawaii are just a cinch. One problem is that nuvi (and I believe, maybe mistakenly, all other Garmin GPSrs) can only have one gmapsupp.img file installed, so the gmapsupp.img loaded on the SD card is useless even after renaming it to gmapsupp.img and after renaming the gmapsupp.img to something else in the built-in memory… I’ve been waiting 10 days for a reply to this question form Garmin tech support…
Also, don’t expect route planning and trip plannig/downloading to be of much use on the nuvi, it’s not designed to do that (yet).

3. I read that irrespective of the SD card size, nuvi can only see 500 MP3 files. Seems like a firmware fixup is needed, but then iPod guys may sue Garmin…

4. I have absolutely no problem with keeping a good lock in the financial district of Boston (not much different, although a bit smaller than the Wall Street area in Manhattan ;-)). However, if you get out of a garage and start driving, it may take a while to get a good lock from a cold start. The SiRFIII chip is excellent compared to the older ones.

nuvi 350 is a wonderful toy as it is, with lots of room for improvement—but then, who would buy anything else from Garmin, esp. if you place nuvi in a waterproof plastic bag? ;-)

z.entropic

z.entropic 03 Mar 06

msvirick, I’ll try to answer a couple of questions.

1. you don’t; you don’t ever replace a Li-ion battery yourself in a consumer product, you replace only a complete battery pack (even if it is a single-cell pack) since the cell(s) need(s) a special charging circuit for safety reasons. Most probably in 2-3 years (or 3-5 if you don’t overheat it by leaving the unit in full sun in August in AZ) you’ll have to send it back to Garmin for refurbishing.

2. I purchased US Topo 100K maps for my nuvi 350; they work really much better than I ever expected them to based on what I’ve read on the Net and heard fromm the Garmin reps. Routing doesn’t work well (it seems it’s based on the basemap), search doesn’t work at all, even the states, but current location, scaling, 3D views, topo details, names, roads (well outdated, like on the USGS topo maps…), lake shores and all that jazz are just great. I loaded all of US Topo 100 East (East Coast to Mississippi) as a single gmapsupp.img file (680 MB) into the internal memory, I have a second one (US Topo 100K West) on my 2GB SD card. Alaska and Hawaii are just a cinch. One problem is that nuvi (and I believe, maybe mistakenly, all other Garmin GPSrs) can only have one gmapsupp.img file installed, so the gmapsupp.img loaded on the SD card is useless even after renaming it to gmapsupp.img and after renaming the gmapsupp.img to something else in the built-in memory… I’ve been waiting 10 days for a reply to this question form Garmin tech support…
Also, don’t expect route planning and trip plannig/downloading to be of much use on the nuvi, it’s not designed to do that (yet).

3. I read that irrespective of the SD card size, nuvi can only see 500 MP3 files. Seems like a firmware fixup is needed, but then iPod guys may sue Garmin…

4. I have absolutely no problem with keeping a good lock in the financial district of Boston (not much different, although a bit smaller than the Wall Street area in Manhattan ;-)). However, if you get out of a garage and start driving, it may take a while to get a good lock from a cold start. The SiRFIII chip is excellent compared to the older ones.

nuvi 350 is a wonderful toy as it is, with lots of room for improvement—but then, who would buy anything else from Garmin, esp. if you place nuvi in a waterproof plastic bag? ;-)

z.entropic

msvirick 04 Mar 06

Could somone use Microsoft Street Maps 2006 on the nuvi?

Smead 04 Mar 06

Click here….not sure if this is what you need, but it is good info.

Eric S 04 Mar 06

Thanks for the info - looking forward to the next firmware upgrade! I cant seem to get Garmin to send me maps on CD - I keep trying!

msvirick 04 Mar 06

entropic
Thank you for your informative reply to my questions.
I will keep on reading the posts here and hope will learn from you and others like you who know so much and are willing to share your knowledge

z.entropic 07 Mar 06

Changes made from firmware v. 2.90 to 3.10 for nuvi 350:

=================================
- Display the current location on the gps page (lat/lon).
=================================
- Fix to not reset all settings to default when traffic setup button pushed with no GTM10 connected.
- PictureIt now captures screenshots of message banners and popups.
- Added Slovakian, Slovenian, and Estonian text languages.
- Added ability to change splash screen to any JPEG stored on the unit.
- Fixes for Finnish, French, French Canadian, and Spanish pre-recorded voices.
- Update route calculation error messages.
- Fix for UTF-8 encoding and XML files.
- Fix ‘Near’ button functionality in Travel Guide.
- Fix for active route page distance display.
- Improved traffic data reliability.
- Fix potential shutdown when panning the map.
- Power-On page improvements.
- Play error tones when disabled buttons are pressed on the map page or on the button row.
- Fix to max autozoom range.
- Added capability for Flemish pre-recorded voice.

z.entropic

Kim 08 Mar 06

… and 3.10 shows Latitude/Logitude data !

But, beware, it erased all setup AND waypoints in my unit … and I still haven’t found a way to restore waypoints from a backup file … anyone knows how ?

Don 08 Mar 06

3.10 also erased all my Favorites. I am so Pi…ed.

I have lost a lot of work. I will call Garmin but I am sure all data is lost.

Don

Henry 08 Mar 06

1. Glad to see 3.10 with Latitude/Longitude data. I can now use nuvi and Google Earth (satellite images with resolution of a car) to choose hiking/biking routes and camping spots. I can also visit countries without a Garvin map (e.g. Japan) and not get lost by bringing nuvi along with a few images with printed Lat/Long grids.

The next step for me is to push Garmin to let users enter coordinates. The Spell State page should be enhanced with a Enter Coordinate button.

2. Mad to find out all of my Favorates are lost by 3.10 updater. I was later told that I could copy some files to PC first.

Eric S 08 Mar 06

Before I updated to 3.10 I had backed up the entire drive of my NUVI - has anyone figured out a way to restore favorites?

I got in my car this morning and everything was gone! I’ll work on restoring my data when I get home - I was happy to see the update and p’od to see my favorites all gone.

Cant win…

Kim 08 Mar 06

Henry, you can copy all the files to pc first, but it does not help if you cannot restore them !

asgrewal 08 Mar 06

I am receiving my 350 on Monday. GPSCity
just received the units today. I wonder if it will have the 3.10 preinstalled or I would have to update the sys file?

msvirick 08 Mar 06

I see few have mentioned a 4 gig card for the NUVI.
I wonder what it costs and where is the best place to buy one.

Eric S 08 Mar 06

asgrewal - I just got my NUVI last week and it still had an old version of the firmware. A model you will be receiving will not be updated - It only takes about 5 minutes to upgrade.

I guess model being produced now will contain the most up-to-date vers. of the firmware.

shawnz 08 Mar 06

I also lost all my waypoints.

Now if I can get them to add a proximity alarm for waypoints (photradar)….

Shawn

asgrewal 08 Mar 06

Eric S I guess atleast I will be better off, to insert data after upgrading, and I wont will be re entering POIs etc again

msvirick 08 Mar 06

I see some rumbles abot Magellan 800.
How does it compare with NUVI?
Some seem to rate it good.

Eric S 08 Mar 06

I am glad I backed it up before upgrading.

I was able to restore my saved addresses. In the Garmin/waypoints directory there is a file waypoints.gpx - if you copy this before upgrading and then copy it back to the system after upgrading your saved addresses will be restored!

I feel a lot better! I wasn’t in the mood to re-program my little toy!

EricB 08 Mar 06

I wish I would have read this before I did the upgrade to the new firmware, oh well I didnt have that many spots saved, I Love that they added lat and lon, I can do geocaching. It would be even better if you can enter lat and lon feature to the where to go, We cant have all “right?” maybe they will next firmware upgrade. I am still in love with little gadget, even with its very few flaws.

Kim 09 Mar 06

Eric S, exactly WHEN did you copy waypoints.gpx back? And what was your precise procedure afterwards ? (I.e. how did you disconnect and repower on) ? I’m in no way able to get the file back (the data is cached somehow …)

benson 09 Mar 06

HELLO SALES DEPT,
I WILL LIKE TO PLACE AN ORDER FOR PRODUCTS IN YOUR STORE AND I WILL LIKE YOU TO LET ME KNOW IF YOU ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS AS METHOD OF PAYMENT AND IF YOU SHIP OUT TOLAGOS,NIGERIA GET BACK TO ME WITH YOUR WEBSITE ADDRESS SO AS TO ORDER I HOPE TO READ FROM YOU SOONEST.
REGARDS.
DIAMOND BENSON

Eric S 09 Mar 06

Just because I am paranoid I decided to copy the entire contents of my NUVI drive to an external hard drive. I did this approximately a week ago. Yesterday morning I performed the firmware upgrade to V3.1 After getting in my car I realized all my settings and Locations had been reset to factory defaults.

To resolve this issue - I copied and overwrote the new waypoints.gpx file with the backup from my external hard drive.

I disconnected my Nuvi and started it up as usual - I looked in My Favorites and it was all resored back to where it was, with the addition of the 3 or 4 Garmin locations which I had deleted when I first recieved the unit.

That was the entire procedure. Maybe I got lucky!

I have been toying around with the POI loader - and was wondering, what software is best to use to Edit POI. How do I set proximity alerts and speed alerts if I dont have the Garmin Mapsource software? What has everyone been using? Any input on this or links would be appreciated.

Kim 09 Mar 06

Eric, I think you have been lucky … I’m paranoid too, I did the same thing (except I have TWO copies :-) ), but I’ve tried in ~10 ways to restore the file, even with using the RESET button at the back. But no success. It keeps the 3 Garmin waypoints, and if I add another I can see my waypoints.gpx file is overwritten (it keeps its full length) with the cached waypoints. Duh!

Eric S 09 Mar 06

Wow - I did get lucky — I only had about 20 - 25 saved adresses in there - that may have had something to do with it!

I found some software on the net last nite - I think I searched for POI editor, I was able to modify the GPX file using it. I am thinking maybe you export the names saved in your original GPX file and import them to the new one. Just an idea! Let me know if you have any luck.

I’m out of suggestions… have you tried to ask Garmin? They are pretty good at responding to emails.

Joel F 09 Mar 06

Has anyone seen the specs on the Nuvi 360 that include anti-theft and bluetooth? Looks good, but I wonder if the software portion of 350 will be upgradeable to include anti-theft?

John B 09 Mar 06

Where did they put the lat/long display. I looked quickly last nite and couldn’t find it.

Smead 09 Mar 06

They put it on the satalite page (touch the signal bar on the main menu page when GPS is active).

Dennis 10 Mar 06

Anyone using Blue Chart Navigation Software for Marine Apps?

SG38 10 Mar 06

I used Magellan 700 before, and I don’t like it at all. Have to return it to BJ’s Wholesale Club in Massachusetts. The problem I have is signal aquisition, and most of the time it never find the location, or address. I was told it is their attenna problem, and I need to use external attenna. They told me that my Nissan Murano SUV **may** have some kind of special shielding/or Paint? or Window is anti-Sun glare (whatever…), if I put the unit inside the car, so the signal aquisition is hard inside my car. Gees, what a good answer. The external attenna costs me more $$ of course and I don’t want to go that route.

Read many of reviews and comments on NuVi, and it seems a really good product. But before I buy, does any guru here know if NuVi will work with any new model cars? Like mine: Nissan Murano SUV 2004 model.

Your reply is really appreciated.

Lou 11 Mar 06

I have the signal aquisition problem on a Magellan 300. Funny, they told the same thing. So I stood outside my vehicle in clear view of the sky, and guess what…same problem. They also told me to order the external antenna. I have a 2001 vehicle that does have tinting on the windshield, but my TomTom and Nuvi work fine. Magellan has no explanation.

J 12 Mar 06

Anyone have any recommendations for an FM transmitter for this (for audio to the car)? It would be nice to use in rentals that may only have a single 12v power port, so battery powered? The iTrip is nice and small, but only works with iPods.

Ken C 13 Mar 06

Maybe I missed it, but if you are listening to MP3’s, can you still hear voice directions? Thanks.

Eric S 13 Mar 06

Ken C - When playing MP3 files - and a voice direction comes on, the MP3 temporarily pauses and you can hear the voice.

msvirick 14 Mar 06

My new NUVI arrived , and my initial reaction is , I like it….no I love it.
It came with a 2.9 rom.
I would love to upgrade to 3.10, but reading all the problems, I am really sacred. I would hate to bomb out and have the unit to be sent to Garmin for flashing.
Is my fear valid?

Smead 14 Mar 06

3.10 works fine for me…love the addition of the lat/long info…. The only thing I will be careful of next time is saving my waypoint file.

Dave 14 Mar 06

Regarding tinted windows. - Normal blue/gray tinting is no problem. Some vehicles have a hot climate option that puts a metalized coating on the windows. These coatings typically appear bronze or gold in color and reflect more light than normal tinted glass. The metalized coating stops some or all radio waves. This can prevent a GPS unit from working. Because the Nuvi 350 has an excellent receiver, it may work in some vehicles where others won’t.

Also, these metalized windows can reduce the effectiveness of radar detectors. (The police radar still works normally, but the detector may not detect the police until it is too late.)

msvirick 14 Mar 06

J …It would be nice to use in rentals that may only have a single 12v power port, so battery powered? The iTrip is nice and small, but only…..
Radio Shack has a 2 to one cig. lighter plug
that will let you plug in 2 devices.
Also iTrip does work with non iPod devices

Kim 15 Mar 06

msvirick, I have upgraded my unit 4 times now, no failures (except deleting user data). My advice will be to upgrade it before filling it with waypoints.

An upgrade can always fail of course

Kim

msvirick 15 Mar 06

Kim Thankyou. IU did the upgrade, lost few waypoints and now I have about 60 new ones.
I see the waypoints are listed in order of your Home waypoint. Can this be done in alpabetical order?
I have now many new POI after I installed Mapquest MetroGuide Canada V4. Seems this software is must for Canada.

Anonymous Coward 15 Mar 06

As far as I know waypoints cannot be sorted. You can search in them (the search text can be anywhere in the waypoint name)

Kim 15 Mar 06

As far as I know waypoints cannot be sorted. You can search in them (the search text can be anywhere in the waypoint name)

John B 15 Mar 06

What does the Mapquest Metroguide Canada V4 do for you? Where do you get it, what does it cost, and how do you install it?

Jon D 15 Mar 06

Hi.

I think the Nuvi 350 looks like the perfect GPS for me. I do want European and USA maps. If I get the European model, where is the best place to get US maps? Will these be identical to the maps supplied on the US version of the 350? Thanks for all the uesful info.

Jon.

msvirick 15 Mar 06

John B
Metroguide Canada is more recent and has more waypoints. Without it, from Sydney NS the search told me the nearest hospital was in Maine. With MetroGuide installed I found my Regional Hospital 7 km away. It seem to have more busineses and lodgings in it.
I bought mine at Wal Mart for about $130. Cdn
It is not fussy about serial codes and installation is done from Germin website program.
I installed all the eastcoast on a 125 meg card and I guess if you had a bigger card say 1gig, you could install all of Canada.
I feel for a little money it is worth it.

asgrewal 15 Mar 06

Go and buy MetroGuide Canada, if you live in Canada. Atleast it is more recent and seem to like Canada.
I found 20 mor waypoints in my town

Dan 16 Mar 06

Just purchased the Nuvi 350 based on all the great feeback from this thread. Jason- your first post said …

“It speaks the name of the next street. It doesn�t just say �Turn left in 0.2 miles� it says �In 0.2 miles turn left on Paulina.� This makes a significant difference. I didn�t think it would, but it basically allows you to keep your eyes on the road (instead of a map) 99% of the time.”

I used it last night for a quick trip across town and was disappointed that the voice prompts did not identify any street names. Just “turn right in .3 miles”. Do I need to configure this device to get the street name?

Thanks

msvirick 16 Mar 06

Dan
I think the voice prompts will only work if you have a POI set up in the Favourites, and then set this as a destination.
When in the navigation mode voiceing of streets does not work. If it did work that way, it will be annoying while driving.

Kim 16 Mar 06

Dan, you must select a voice with a name in voice setup. Then it will work

Dan 16 Mar 06

I just upgraded to the latest software version and the inital set up after “American English” was a second option for “SSN” (speakes street names). I must have blown right past that last night in my haste to play with the device.
Thanks.

Steve 16 Mar 06

When you choose a language, only those with names (eg. “Jill”) have the text to speech feature. The others use prerecorded phrases that may sound better but have a small vocabulary - like the TomTom units.

msvirick 18 Mar 06

I am conevting some waypoints I like in the data base, to POIs and retain all details like phone numbers etc.
But when I enter a waypoint from a address search, I am unable to enter a phone number.
I need some help to enter a phone number. Can I do this?

asgrewal 19 Mar 06

Does anyone know where I could download some custom Canadian POIs for the Nuvi. I also travel to Maine and east coadt USA
Thank you for your help

gek330i 19 Mar 06

How to backup/troubleshoot Favourites (Waypoints) problems after update to firmware v3.10 for Nuvi 350:

1. If you haven’t updated to v3.10 yet, backup your waypoints.gpx file located in the \Garmin\Waypoints\ directory. It is just a text file that you can edit with all your favourites information.

2. After updating to v3.10, connect the Nuvi to your PC and just copy your waypoints.gpx file back to \Garmin\Waypoints\

3. If you don’t see all your waypoints in the Favourites of your Nuvi when you turn it back on, then the file might have some illegal characters like ����’�…. etc… You can quickly glance the file over by opening it in a text editor and getting rid of those characters or you can download EasyGPS (free) from EasyGPS.com and use it to open the file. It will tell you on which line/column the illegal characer is. Edit the file and open it in EasyGPS until no errors are found. Then you can copy the waypoints.gpx file back to \Garmin\Waypoints\ and all your saved Favourites should be back.

Hope this helps…
/GEK

Chuck 19 Mar 06

Overall my Nuvi 350 has excellent map detail with a lot of points of interest. But it still does miss some.

I thought Garmin would be releasing updates which included updates for the map but it seems as though all the updates are firmware only. So will it ever be possible to update the map with more points of interest and new roads through the website or will I eventually have to buy a $300 CD/SD card to update it.

Dave 20 Mar 06

Thanks for all the useful info on this site. I received my nuvi 350 a few days ago. I immediately updated to V3.10. This little gadget has blown me out of my sox! As Robert Heinlin said, “Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.” My wife, who is technophobic, took to it like a duck to water.

I have three questions.

1. How can I enter an intersection as a destination? I did read the directions and can not find the intersection option that should be available.

2. Is it possible to enter a short comment, even a phone number, for my personal points of interest?

3. I have downloaded the POI loader from the Garmin site, but can not get it to recognize the 350. I can access the 350 files using Windows Explorer, so I know that I have a valid connection between my PC and the 350.

Thanks for all the info.

Dave

Dave 20 Mar 06

Thanks for all the useful info on this site. I received my nuvi 350 a few days ago. I immediately updated to V3.10. This little gadget has blown me out of my sox! As Robert Heinlin said, “Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.” My wife, who is technophobic, took to it like a duck to water.

I have three questions.

1. How can I enter an intersection as a destination? I did read the directions and can not find the intersection option that should be available.

2. Is it possible to enter a short comment, even a phone number, for my personal points of interest?

3. I have downloaded the POI loader from the Garmin site, but can not get it to recognize the 350. I can access the 350 files using Windows Explorer, so I know that I have a valid connection between my PC and the 350.

Thanks for all the info.

Dave

Kim 21 Mar 06

Dave, the Intersections is at page 2 after you press Where to? (there are 3 pages totally

DaveR 21 Mar 06

I bought my Nuvi at arlarms4u.com best price I’ve seen and includes free overnight shipping. Got it fast. love it! I used it in San Francisco this weekend and found everything. Entered Pier 39, Hotel names, Lobard Street, starbucks and found all! I use the audiobooks feature. I have 1gb SD card. room for lots of books and mp3 music. I tried radio shack tape device to play on car stereo. It kept trying to auto reverse which interupted the sound. Very frustrating. cord was long enough to plug in back seat lighter so cord is hidden.

DaveR 21 Mar 06

Sorry for typos, Lombard street. Also cord I was talking about was power cord for NUVI not for the tape device. Anyone have success with tape devices?

DaveR 21 Mar 06

alarm4u.com

LarryB 21 Mar 06

I live in Washington state and have a Street Pilot 3 that I’m still reasonably satisfied with. The main reason I want a Nuvi is for European travel, most immediately the UK this June. Given the relative prices of the North American and European maps, this seems to indicate that it would be better to buy the European version and add the North American maps, rather than the reverse. Two questions: (1) Is there some reason that I haven’t thought of not to do it this way? (2) Is it possible to order a European Nuvi in the US, or do I have to buy from a European vendor (about which I know almost nothing)? Does anyone have one to recommend?

Dave 22 Mar 06

Kim,

Thanks for the reply. I didn’t realize that there were three pages. The nuvi could benefit from better instructions.

I figured out how to enter phone numbers for the POI in “My Locations.” It involves using notepad to edit waypoints.gpx.

JonD 22 Mar 06

LarryB, I just got a 350 from http://www.unbelievable.pt in Portugal. $710 inc. 2 day fedex. Arrived fine with Euro maps. I got US maps for $100 from provantage.com - still not arrived yet.

I am not clear if I can have all maps loaded AND ACCESSIBLE at the same time, but I will be really bummed if I can’t put the US maps on it!!!

I will post when I get them loaded, but would be pleased to hear if anyone has Europe & North American maps loaded & accessible simultaneously. Also, I am about to get a 4Gb SD card. Has anyone used 4Gb SD on Nuvi 350?

Jon.

LarryB 22 Mar 06

JonD, Thanks for the helpful reply—as it happens, I have been looking at the very same website! One question: did you have to pay US customs duty, and how does that work?
LarryB

msvirick 22 Mar 06

JonD
I have ordered a 4 gig card from Surplus Computers for $130.
You should try the web site and checkout.
I am going to London England in Aug 2006 for a week , but I think I will buy a SD card for UK. I understand it is about $130.
I think I will disable the US maps while I am in UK. You do this at the start up screen. Too many maps slow the boot up processes. I have Topo Canada and MapSelect Canada v4. along with the US maps that came with the Nuvi, If I use all,the boot up is slow.

JonD 22 Mar 06

msvirick - Enjoy London! Thanks for the info.

LarryB - I may yet change this info, but I don’t think there is any duty to pay. Go to fedex.com and sign up for their duty calculator. It asks various questions and helps you identify the customs code for the Nuvi. It suggested a duty of $2 (two) was due, but who’s going to collect that?

unbelievable.pt use FedEx 2 day service. After about 24 hours after your order is placed, the goods should be with FedEx US for customs clearance. FedEx will call you to verify details and get your importer’s ref. or Social number.

I could not fault their service.

Good luck if you go that route!

Jon.

DrSam 23 Mar 06

After looking at the nuvi 350, I bought the Magellan Roadmate 360. Good alternative I think. It has a touch screen and good, fast UI and gets GPS lock in under 30 seconds (Is 3-4 secs really “better”?). Yes, it’s slighly bigger (my car doesn’t care), less POI’s (who needs more than 7 million), no internal battery (I’m not a hiker), no true 3D view (the pseudo-3D works ok) and a few redunant off screen buttons (which my wife prefers). It is WAAS enabled, accurate, and has good voice guides but, alas, no Text-To-Speech street guides (I would like TTS). Did I mention the Roadmate is $474 LESS than the nuvi 350 (got mine at Costco with a lifetime warranty: $425)?

JohnB 23 Mar 06

Msvirick, You seem to have everything. What does Topo Canada do for you over and above the maps that came with the Nuvi?

msvirick 23 Mar 06

JohnB
You are quite right, Topo Canada just gives elevations streams and lakes views. I am neither a hiker, or a out doors fellow. Having retired, prematurily, I am just bored.

ColoradoDriver 24 Mar 06

Firmware version 3.2 is now available and seems to work fine.

Bob 25 Mar 06

Costco is offering a $150 Costco card as a rebate when you order the Nuvi 350 from 4/7/06 - 4/23/06. No price has been posted yet.

JohnB 25 Mar 06

msvirick. The Topo sounds very useful, but I don’t understand how you use it in conjunction with the existing maps. Where do you buy it, what does it cost, how detailed is it? WHen you get it home, how do you install it on the Nuvi? How do you run it when it is on there? Does it replace the existing maps? Can you still search for addresses? How did you figure out how to do this in the first place? I haven’t seen any documentation about this stuff. Thanks for your help.

z.entropic 25 Mar 06

I’m not msvirick, but have a full set of US Topo 100ks installed on my nuvi 350—and love the option.

I bought them from Walmart online, ca. $80 for 3 CDs with US East, US West, Alaska and Hawaii; the install include MapSource, which in itself is a very useful program that allows you to see and play topo maps to the max resolution and is directly linkable to Google Earth (last item under View). The one thing that it doesn’t have is 3D terrain rendering, maybe in 5 years… ;-)

The maps themselves can be previewed in full resolution on the Garmin website using their MapSource map viewer at http://www.garmin.com/cartography/, a true WYSIWYG application.

I bought a 2G SD card for $80, installed MapSource, selected e.g. US East CD, marked the entire eastern half of the CONUS, renamed the map file and downloaded to nuvi in 1h 40m (it’s a bit less than 700MB file; all 3 CDs take 1.8GB, but the download is terribly slow (>14 hours, so I was never able to finish and test it fully, what with 6,700 map segments is really necessary).

The NA Navigator 7 map that comes with nuvi overrides any other map unless you uncheck it under Map Info on the map setup page; if you have both checked, only the Nav will show up; it’s a SOP for Garmin GPSrs.

You CANNOT search anything on the topo map, but the Show Map manu works well and keeps the car on the road (the street info is outdated as are US topo maps in general, but there are many POIs, navaids, lakes, swamps, forrests, parks, schools, terrain etc etc. It’s fun to drive with it on and see how high the hills are by the road!

However, don’t expect to get any voice directions or autorouting with the topos, and NO SEARCH CAPABILITY OF ANYTHING, even the states… Sometimes I’d plan a route using the NA Nav 7, then switch to the topo, but after a few turns this trick usually fails and leaves me with an ‘as the crow flies’ line to my destination. As nuvi was not designed to work with topos (which can be used on the second unit), I can’t complain too much, right?

How did I figure it out (I could not squeeze ANY info or help on the topo/nuvi combination from Garmin)? Just played with it and was very pleasantly surprised by how well it works! It’s absolutely worth the $80—unless you live in Kansas! ;-)

z.entropic

outeast 26 Mar 06

Any reason to upgrade from 3.1 to 3.2? I can’t find any info on it and it seems that I’m constantly in upgrade mode…

Steve 26 Mar 06

Information on the changes are at http://www.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=1169

I agree that for most people it is not compelling.

steve 28 Mar 06

My question is what is the cost to have the battery changed. I believe you have to send the unit to Garmin for a new battery every year or two. That is very inconvenient.

If you connect it directly into the radio, I wish there was a way to be able to listen to the radio and have it lower the radio volume when commands are spoken on the Nuvi. That’s one big benefit of a built in unit in the newer cars.

Question: doe the Nuvi speak the name of the street for all streets?

steve 28 Mar 06

My question is what is the cost to have the battery changed. I believe you have to send the unit to Garmin for a new battery every year or two. That is very inconvenient.

If you connect it directly into the radio, I wish there was a way to be able to listen to the radio and have it lower the radio volume when commands are spoken on the Nuvi. That’s one big benefit of a built in unit in the newer cars.

Question: doe the Nuvi speak the name of the street for all streets?

Zack 28 Mar 06

Ok, I have read the reviews, but I have not found anyone who mentioned this.
1)What is the process to find POI’s ONCE you are on your way.
2) How are they displayed?

For example, I am driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This is about a 400 mile trip, with large stretches on open highway. My wife decides she needs a pit stop. Can I EASILY hit a button or 2 and get a list of closeby POI’s listed by DISTANCE(not alphabetically)? Does it happen to show an arrow with the direction?

This seems like it is not needed, but if you on a freeway with exits every 15-20 miles, finding a POI that is .5 miles behind you does not help much since it will turn into a 40 mile detour. Alphabetical listing also is annoying since you would have to click on each one to see which is closest.

P.S. This feature is what got me interested in GPS systems 5+ years ago..
Go to Top of Page

Larry 29 Mar 06

Zack;

When you search for POI while enroute, you can search by distance from where you are at the moment; or by distance from your route; or by distance from your destination; or even by distance from some other place.

When the list show up on the screen, it is arranged by geographic distance from where you are at the time and does include arrows pointing toward the respective locations.

I have noticed that (at least when looking for closest POI to current geographic location) the distances shown are as the crow flies. When you select one of the POI, of course, it shows the route and distance, etc. and will insert the POI into your route as a “via point”.

I’m still a newbie with my Nuvi, but this seems to be the case.

noochie 29 Mar 06

awsome device,,, buti want to hard wire this thing, do i need to attach to a certain fuse or any will do? i know the cord has a 25 volt fuse…

Gerardo Garcia 29 Mar 06

I got it for $729 at amazon.com.

Can’t wait to see how it works, so far this is the gps that has the best reviews all over the net.

Being so small and really “portable” is a big plus for people that likes to do hiking. Battery life is great which is also very important.

I was looking into the magellan 800, but one of things didn’t like is that you can’t play the mp3 player while driving.

This one allows you to do that and a lot more things.

But the most important thing is that it has a very good reception, which is the number #1 reason you buy a GPS.

Mark 29 Mar 06

I bought a NUVI 350 and I love it, however, the maps are not up to date for my area, and I cannot figure out how to update them. Also, I bought the Garmin Language Guide and it worked great, but when I tried to update my NUVI, it screwed something up on my Language guide and now it will not work……any help??

beck 30 Mar 06

I spent two weeks getting lost on the way to everyplace I tried to get in NJ. I went to a retailer to get the 2720, but changed my mind when I saw the nuvi 350. The store was out, and I followed the associate’s directions to another store, stopped and asked for directions twice, learned a couple new languages and finally bought the thing 1.5 hrs later. In the parking lot I turned it on, entered the hotel address and 20 minutes later…CHECKERED FLAG BABY! I love this thing. I just checked the software version and it shows 2.8. Is this a big deal?

z.entropic 30 Mar 06

Yes, it is. We’re now to v. 3.20—go to the Garmin page http://www.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=010-00455-00, download the file to your PC, connect the nuvi using the USB cable, just in case backup your waypoints to the PC (waypoints.gpx) and run the update file. Wait until everything is transferred and updated, and fire the engines.

z.entropic

Dave 31 Mar 06

I would like to be able to play audible books that are available from my library on my nuvi 350. However, the books are in WAV format and the trial book exerpts are in AA format. The software from audible.com will not recognize the WAV format. Any suggestions?

Steve 31 Mar 06

How did you get Audible books in WAV? They always come down as AA. You can use some external program to convert the WAV to MP3 and play the books that way. You won’t get chapters, etc. Or, re-download from your Audible library.

sd diver 31 Mar 06

Okay, I’m really happy with this thing - to the point that I want to hard-wire it into my car. So I contact Garmin to see if they have an appropriate cable. Their response is that hard wiring it would void my warrenty. Huh? Any way, the connector is a fairly standard mini usb. The car adapter outputs 4.5V, while the power outlet is 12v. What would be the best way to drop this 12v down to 4.5 - 5v?

sd_diver

Dave 01 Apr 06

Steve, thanks for the reply. I did make a mistake, the files download with .wmv not .wav. They show the media player icon. When I load a .wmv file, the audio book player does not recognize it.

Steve 01 Apr 06

Dave, I’d be even more astonished that Audible books download as .wmv, which are video files. .wma perhaps? I haven’t seen Audible use that format, but it’s possible they’ve added it since I last used them. Audible files have copy protection and the Nuvi doesn’t do wma so the only thing I can think of is to burn the file to a CD and then “rip” as MP3, which the Nuvi will play.

sd diver, I’ve seen someone in another forum try to build a voltage regulator to convert 12V to the standard USB 5V, which is what you need. He got it built but the Nuvi kept insisting that it was connected to a computer rather than simple power, and he eventually gave up.

You’re looking for a low-power 12V to 5V converter with a mini USB plug. The small Kensington or iGo power adapters with the appropriate tip would do this, but it may be overkill.

Steve 01 Apr 06

Of course, I should have thought to suggest that you simply buy a second Garmin charger and hook it up inside the dash with a hidden socket….

Dave 01 Apr 06

Steve, These books are not from audible.com, but from a free loan service through my library. I can listen to the books on my PC using Windows Media Player. Is the .aa format proprietary to audible.com, the recommended vendor?

Steve 01 Apr 06

Ok, then they are NOT Audible books. Yes, .aa is a proprietary audible.com format. You’ll have to see if it’s possible to convert the files to .mp3 using software on your PC.

George 02 Apr 06

Here’s a link to the Costco offer. It will be $799 which includes a $150 Costco card. That makes it equivalent to $649, which is quite a deal!

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11119421&whse=&topnav=&browse=&s=1

Tennessee 02 Apr 06

Run search for Nuvi 350 at techbargains.com. Reputable online retailers like buydig.com and buy.com just had a big price drop to around $660 for these units. Probably because there’s are new Nuvi and Streetpilot c3xx coming out soon with bluetooth phone features. See garmin.com for more info.

Mark Pardin 02 Apr 06

Garmim Nuvi is excellent. I tried it also in France and it is perfect. Highly recommended.

S. Simon 02 Apr 06

Does the Nuvi 350 have an auto-complete function when entering a street or city name, i.e. does it offer a list of options when part of the name is spelled allowing the user to choose the correct option from the list?

Thanks.

SD Diver 03 Apr 06

Yes, it has somewhat of an auto-complete. When entering San Diego, after pressing the ‘D’, it pops up a list containing San Dimas and San Diego. When entering a street, once enough unique characters are entered, it auto completes.

Kim 03 Apr 06

You dont have to wait for autocompletion … hit Enter at any time and get the possible choices (the list may be huge, though)

ajgrewal 04 Apr 06

I had a installer, hard wire a female cigrette lighter and attatch the Nuvi cig. adapter and hide under the hood.
All I have is a wire coming to the Nuvi. It looks quite neat.

DB 04 Apr 06

How is the address find feature, i just got a Magellan 360 from Costco and it sucks, if it encounters a Street name it doesn’t recognize, it asks me for a county name, how the heck will i know the County name if I don’t know where that place is.. that is why i need a GPS!

Can you search by Zip Codes?

Steven 04 Apr 06

Hi, guys.

I need to upgrade to 3.20.
Garmins WebUpdater says it does not see device with prober capabilities or I have to set interface option on GPS itself yo “Garmin” or “Host” in Setings menu I do not see option like this. Please advice. Thanks.

Steven 04 Apr 06

Hi, guys.

I need to upgrade to 3.20.
Garmin�s WebUpdater says it does not see device with proper capabilities or I have to set interface option on GPS itself to “Garmin” or “Host”, but in Settings menu I do not see option like this. Please advice. Thanks.

Steven 04 Apr 06

Hi, guys.

I need to upgrade to 3.20 on my Nuvi 350
Garmin�s WebUpdater says it does not see device with proper capabilities or I have to set interface option on GPS itself to “Garmin” or “Host”, but in Settings menu I do not see option like this. Please advice. Thanks.

TP 05 Apr 06

Need help. The screen on my NUVI 350 does not display any images. The screen lights up but only displays a plain, blank gray screen. The unit still navigates because I get the voice prompts. I’ve tried resetting it a number of times. I’ve tried upgrading to 3.20, but I just get a blank screen. Any help or recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Anonymous Coward 06 Apr 06

Steven, can you see your n�vi as 2 drives in Explorer, when it is connected?

SD Diver 06 Apr 06

Steven - Yes, that is normal for older versions of software. Do the manual update (d/l the updater from Garmin). I had to do this last month when I got mine. Afterwards, it will show up and you can use the WebUpdater for future update.

TP - Sounds like an lcd backlight issue. There is a control that allows you to change the brightness as well as one that controls backlight on/off/time. Can’t tell you how to navigate to them since you would be in the blind. Can you see anything if you shine a strong light at it?

TP 06 Apr 06

SD Diver - Thanks. I don’t believe it’s a backlight issue as the unit lights up without any problem. The problem is that when it lights up, it doesn’t display anything. When I turn on the unit, I hear the beeps that it makes and see the unit light up. Instead of seeing the Garmin screen, I see a bright white-ish screen. Because I know where to touch the screen for the legal disclaimer, I wait a few seconds and touch the bottom of the screen and hear the beep. After that, the unit dims a little and recites the appropriate text. There are some very faint horizontal lines that I can make out, other than that, the screen is lit up a plain light gray.

George 07 Apr 06

Updated Costco link. You can now order it from here:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11109502&whse=&topnav=&browse=&s=1

Tom DePetrillo 08 Apr 06

When I load European Metroguide Ver. 5
on my Nuvi 350 I get no info until I get
down to the 3 Mile detail. It would be
helpful in traveling long distances to have
detail further out. Also when I try to load
WorldMap onto the Nuvi it ask’s for a
unlock code.As an old map I don,t belive
there is an unlock code. I would be thankful
for any help on either
one of these problems.

Seth 08 Apr 06

I was going to order from Costco but the presales page said it would take 20-30 business days to process the order. Glad to see they’re down to 7-10, but that’s still too long.

I ordered mine on 4/4 for less (a couple bucks more expensive but no 8.5% CA sales tax!) from a well-reviewed outfit in PA and am expecting it on the 11th. Total cost was $676 ($658 plus S/H) which beats $704 plus shipping from Costco.

Robert 08 Apr 06

1. Where do you get updated US maps for the Nuvi 350? I understand that all the maps are preloaded and that there is no CD, so if I want more up to date road info. how would I install it?

2. Is there a way to backup the US map that is installed in the internal memory. Simple drag and drop of folders, perhaps? Is this even necessary?

Thanks.

BTW, I bought from Costco- mainly for their excellent return policy.

Michael 09 Apr 06

Thanks Robert for your question.That’s exactly what I want to know as well.

z.entropic 09 Apr 06

Robert,

1. the main map file on the nuvi, gmapprom.img, is a large (914,560 MB) file in the Garmin folder—I can’t see how it could be updated easily online, but if you firmly ask, Garmin will provide a backup DVD…

2. yes, you could back it up by dragging, but it would be a painfully slow transfer… I’m not sure what kind of copy protection is there.

z.entropic

Robert 10 Apr 06

Thank you z.entropic. I did some more research on the Garmin website and found out that the nuvi’s map is called “City Navigator NT North America” Apparently, it is not sold separately.

Although there isn’t a current update for the nuvi’s maps, Garmin’s updates for their other models are priced between $50-70 so I suppose if Garmin releases an update for the nuvi’s maps then it should be in the same price range. Not bad at all. I guess that the update DVD must include instructions on how to install the updated maps, because there isn’t any mention of how to do this in the nuvi’s owner’s manual.

Jim 10 Apr 06

I recently purchased the 350 (2 days ago)…although I am more than satisfied…I was mislead by the sales rep when he told me this model came bluetooth ready…which is not true…the model numbers can be misleading I guess being that the 310 comes with bluetooth, so shouldn’t the 350?…I WILL return the 350 for the 360…which was only $50 more….

Josh 11 Apr 06

I bought this Nuvi 350 for $652.00 shipped and insured. pricegrabber and futurepowerpc.com. I am due to PCS back to the states in a week and I wanted to have it when I got there. I haven’t got to play with it yet, but from this blog…. I CAN’T WAIT! I wanted bluetooth, but I need it now and not in July. BTW, the nuvi has been delivered, but my in-laws are afraid to touch my expensive toy. I hope it works. the site said new in box. I was kind of scared to purchase from an unknown company, but it was cheap! I plan on using it for my cross country trip to my next duty station from TN to CA. I think this has been the most informitive/extensive coverage I have read to date about the Nuvi. It took a while but I was able to read the whole thread without going to sleep.

Josh 11 Apr 06

one other thing….

Does anyone know if they will upgrade the arrow icons to selectable car icons in the future updates?
like what is offered in the 360 model.

Or is that possible with this model already?

Seth 11 Apr 06

The only functional difference between the 350 and the 360 is the bluetooth support, right?

Kim 11 Apr 06

No, at least there is some pincode protection too

Kim 11 Apr 06

No, at least there is some pincode protection too

Steve B 11 Apr 06

Just ordered a Nuvi from Costco - currently offering a $150 credit on the purchase. Looking forward to playing with it. Already have a streetpilot, but looking forward to replacing it with smaller more protable unit.

I believe I read on here where the onboard memory is pretty much full from the from the software already loaded on the thing. I am planning on taking the unit to Europe with me and want to load those maps. Do I have to delete the maps in the onboard memory, and if so how do I get them back on board when I come back? I downloaded and read the manual - it doesnt seem to cover this.

Thanks for any help

vuman 11 Apr 06

If the Nuvi price is not going down, I am going to by the Sony NV-U70 at sonystyle.com. The NV look similar and nice too. Only $600

Thanks

Steve 11 Apr 06

There is about 700MB free space in the onboard memory when you get it. You can install add-ons here (maps, travel packs, MP3 and JPG files, etc.) if you want. You can run the Europe maps from the SD card, if I understand correctly.

As for map updating - all Garmin has to do is provide a file loader similar to how firmware updates are done.

Josh 12 Apr 06

So…. the 350 has it where you can change the traveling arow icon to a car?
I don’t think I have seen any pictures of it doing that. And I haven’t read anything where is changeable. I have only seen it on the 360 model. I know it is worthless, but I still think it looks cool and it wouldnt be hard for them to throw it into the next update. Just a thought.

Steve 12 Apr 06

I have not seen an option to change the arrow icon.

Ginger 12 Apr 06

Bought the Tomtom returned it after 1 week. Purchased the Nuvi. No comparison in units. The Tomtom couldn’t find it’s way out of my subdivision or where it was suppose to direct me next. This happened 3 out of 4 times. The Nuvi even tells you what side of the street the address is on. Love it!

Seth 12 Apr 06

Update on my purchase - got the unit last night. Worked great on the drive back, but I noticed a stuck pixel right in the center of the screen. Will be returning the unit for another one.

Disappointing, but stuff happens.

Paul T 12 Apr 06

Hi All

can anyone tell me does the 350 cover the european map all roads or just the major roads , looking t use one for the Cannonball this year and cannopt decide the tomtom 910 or the 350 nu ?

London to Budapest in 2 days LOL

beau 13 Apr 06

I am finding the nuvi for UNDER $650 folks. Real easy to do, go to yahoo, look under shopping, enter nuvi in the search box, up comes a list, hit the price button to put into least price first and shazam, you’ll see at least 3-4 stores selling for under $650.00, free shipping and no tax. I’m gonna get mine soon. Thanks for all of the messages relating to this great gadget.

Fool 13 Apr 06

I just got it yesterday, and felt it is easy to use, even my eight years kid can use without any problems. This unit comes with United States version. But if you plan to travel to Europe, the additional map download is going to cost you a fortune. I got this unit from buy.com, and it is just under $650.

Seth 13 Apr 06

@beau: cheapest I’ve found using your method is $649.77, and that store is out of stock at the moment.

Also keep in mind also that you want a highly-rated store if you need to return it (like I did).

TP 13 Apr 06

Sety & Beau:

The new low prices on the NUVI 350 are due to the NUVI 360 release very soon.

MDM 14 Apr 06

I’ve never used a GPS device before but I’ve just seen the Nuvi demonstrated recently and it looks pretty slick. I’m in the US so I would buy it here. But I’m going to Ireland in a couple of months. Is the “Garmin City Navigator on SD - UK and Ireland” for $165 all I need to make it work in Ireland or is there something else I’d need? Thanks.

DznyRulz 14 Apr 06

I’ve had my n�vi for about a month now. I installed the suction cup mount in my daily driver where it has stayed. Today I went to move the suction cup mount to my SUV since we are going camping this weekend. I found that the suction cup adhered to the window. At first I though it was stuck really well but when I had to force it off the outer ring of the suction cup stayed on the window, ripping off the suction cup. It is now pretty much useless. At home my cars to get full sun and I’m sure the black suction cup had something to do with it. The clear suction cup on the mount for my satellite radio has never had a problem. Has anyone else experienced this? Hopefully I can get a replacement from Garmin.

Smead 14 Apr 06

DxnyRulz….this happened to me as well on a business trip to Florida. I ended up buying another one off ebay….and I have not had the problem since.

Zetetick 14 Apr 06

I’m going to graduate school far away, and bought a NUVI 350 so I can find way around the new city. It was expensive but, for me, totally worth the peace of mind it gives me. I’ve been using it for weeks and I couldn’t be happier. It’s small, pretty, has never frozen or locked up, is easy to use, and tells me exactly how to get places. The default female voice is clear, and when it chimes and says “take a left on Main Street” I really am coming up on Main Street. Amazing. I don’t use the included windshield suction cup. It’s easier just to open the dashboard and rest it snugly against something. My experience with the device is that when I turn it on, it can take from 15-120 seconds to acquire enough satellites to begin giving me directions. I’ve found on a few occasions that I cannot be moving during this phase, or it will never acquire them. I’ve gotten used to waiting for a few minutes after I turn it on before going somewhere. Not a problem. The battery life is good (4-5 hours on a charge) and the screen is readable even in sunlight. The MP3 player is very usable (I’ve played some stuff at MAX volume without a problem). The JPG viewer is interesting but I don’t really see the point; I’ve thought about using it as an address book or something. All-in-all, a totally sweet device which has already gotten me out of a few scrapes.

Just out of curiousity, does anyone happen to know if the accuracy of satellites will go down if more people buy GPS devices? Is there a finite amout of GPS “bandwidth” — or can everyone have a handheld GPS device like this and still get accurate readings?

Seth 14 Apr 06

Zetetick: since the GPS signals are unidirectional (satellite->earth; your GPS doesn’t transmit anything), there’s no such thing as congestion related to number of end-users. Think of it like broadcast TV: the signal quality of your favorite TV station doesn’t go down the more people are watching it.

George LeRoy 15 Apr 06

I just made a 1,100 mile trip with the Nuvi 350. It took me from my Home to my destinatioon without missing so much as a heartbeat. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT UNIT. My older Unit, a GPS-V, cannot hold a candle to it. Hands-down, this simply rocks.

For those times that I have missed an Exit, the Nuvi 350 recaluclated the new route in seconds whereas the GPS-V would have you six Exits down the road before it made up it’s mind.

I bought mine at West Marine (www.westmarine.com) for $799.00. Make no mistake about it - when I say this did over a thousand miles door-to-door, I mean door-to-door. As was said at the begining, best item to hit since the iPod.

TuttoSports 16 Apr 06

I’ve been using the unit for about 2 weeks, and I am so pleased with the experience.

Extremely accurate and fast route recalculation. Compact so you can take it hiking.

The closets competition to this one is the magellan 760 (800), but after reading several reviews there’s no doub that this a lot better than magellan’s (800 is kind of busy and although you can store MP3 songs, you can’t use it by driving.)

Just one thing about MP3 files… I used iTunes and have a bunch of iTunes MP4 files, but this unit doesn’t recognized those files.

Should be because Apple locks those files so you can only plays those in up to 5 diferrent devices (including computers, iPods, etc).

Would be nice if in an future upgrade the nuvi could please those files, but I doubt it.

Besides this, everything else is great and I am extremly happy with the decision I made.

There’s a new unit coming soon, this one will be bluetooth enabled. Usefull if you have a bluetooth cellphone.

TuttoSports 16 Apr 06

I’ve been using the unit for about 2 weeks, and I am so pleased with the experience.

Extremely accurate and fast route recalculation. Compact so you can take it hiking.

The closets competition to this one is the magellan 760 (800), but after reading several reviews there’s no doub that this a lot better than magellan’s (800 is kind of busy and although you can store MP3 songs, you can’t use it by driving.)

Just one thing about MP3 files… I used iTunes and have a bunch of iTunes MP4 files, but this unit doesn’t recognized those files.

Should be because Apple locks those files so you can only plays those in up to 5 diferrent devices (including computers, iPods, etc).

Would be nice if in an future upgrade the nuvi could please those files, but I doubt it.

Besides this, everything else is great and I am extremly happy with the decision I made.

There’s a new unit coming soon, this one will be bluetooth enabled. Usefull if you have a bluetooth cellphone.

George 20 Apr 06

I was seriously considering a Nuvi, but couldn’t justify the price. Instead I found a Garmin C320 at Costco for $349 ($388 with tax and shipping), which is a lot less than a lot of other places that charge anywhere from $400 to $550 for the same model.

The maps and navigation interface are nearly identical to a Nuvi.

Here are the key differences:

-Maps are preloaded onto the Nuvi
-Nuvi pronounces street names
-Nuvi is more compact (the biggest reason I wanted a Nuvi)
-Nuvi has extra stuff (MP3, pictures, audio books, etc.)
-Nuvi has optional traffic alert capability
-C320 is about half the price of a Nuvi

Costco says the standard shipping takes 7-10 business days, but I ordered mine on Sunday night and received it Tuesday afternoon! I live in Southern California and the unit shipped out of Fresno.

If you want a simple navigation unit with a good interface and without all the extras check out the C320. Here is the Costco link:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11044251&whse=&topnav=&browse=

Oh yeah, if you decide you don’t want to keep the unit, you can return it to any Costco for a full refund including tax and shipping costs.

DznyRulz 21 Apr 06

I posted on 3/14 about my problem with the suction cup mount adhering to my windshield. I contacted Garmin via email on Friday. They were closed for the religious holiday and the weekend. I received a reply on Monday. Garmin replaced my suction cup mount, I received it today, and I shipped them the damaged one via DHL using their account. A fast reply, good customer service and the item was replaced with no cost to me. I like that in a company.

Shirley Bushnell 22 Apr 06

I am a first time user of a GPS. I have needed a compass in my car to help me from getting lost. Now, that I have the Garmin, I finally know where to go.

I love the unit. I live in Los Angeles, CA. I have learned a few new routes with the unit. I purchased the unit with the automotive mount and the bean bag mount. In California it is illegal to have a unit on the windsheild. The bean bag mount is great, and I have not put the dashboard automotive mount on.

I have used the unit for almost a week. One route it gave me the instruction to turn right, but I knew to make the left turn. The freeway exit sign name can be different than what the Nuvi says. The Nuvi actually gives you the street name that the exit puts you on. Took me a little bit to figure that one out.

Overall I give the Nuvi 350 an EXCELLENT rating. Love the Webupdater software, as I got a new voice for the unit.

S. Simon 24 Apr 06

Generally, how would the Nuvi 350 rate against the navigation systems which come as optional equipment with some cars, e.g. the Alpine system which comes with the Acura TL? What are its advantages and disadvantages compared to a stock system?

Does the Nuvi have the same or most of the same features as the stock navigation systems? Does it calculate and re-calculate routes as fast?

It seems that one advantage the Nuvi has is that it is portable while one disadvantage is that it is not built-in and therefore not quite as aesthetic but overall is it as functional?

Mike H. 25 Apr 06

I am very curious to get a nuvi 350 after all my reviews and reading this interesting thread. I had an iQue Palm PDA 3600 for about 2 years and was very happy. I travelled Europe, US and Australia and it was good on earth and in the air. But unfortunately somebody stole it out of my car. Well that things are happening.

Now it is really strange travelling without a GPS so I am looking around and I am about to get a nuvi 350. I have read the manuals but it is not clear for me if I can store my tracks on that device. I want to download them after a trip and import them (maybe via mapsource … like I did it with my iQue) into google earth in .gpx format so i can see the track of a vacation route. Does anybody know if that is possible?

Thomas 25 Apr 06

Can anyone comment on the bean bag mount, and on a side note if you live in CA, I would check with your local authorities on the windshield mount. I live in San Diego and called my local law enforcement you told me that windshield mounts are ok as long as you keep them out of your line of sight. What that specifially means I suppose is up to debate, but i asked specifically if there would be an issue with mounting it low on the windshield and i was told, “That would not be a problem”. Also REI is an option for anyone looking to ultimately save money, you pay 799 up front but you get 20% back at the end of the year, actually March i believe it is, so you end up paying 649 plus tax. If you are not a current member you can join REI for $15 and that membership is good for life.

Thomas

Thomas 25 Apr 06

Correction, my math was a little off, would be 639 plus tax. I just found a few sites on the bean bag mount, does anyone have any input on how well it works?

Katherine 25 Apr 06

After reading a large portion of this blog I am seriously considering buying the 350. However, I recently had the TOM TOm 700 and loved it. (it was stolen out of my car last weekend) I wanted to research a bit further before i repurchase the Tom Tom device. I found a new model, the 910 available from Tom Tom and am wondering if anyone has looked into these? My main usage is for commute and travel.
I am also a mac user and am not sure if the 350 is complatible which Tom Tom is. I bought tom tom thinking my blackberry or Treo, with bluetooth capability would allow for real time traffic update, rerouting, and weather but it turns out that it is not compatible with blackberry.
So my main questions are:
1. Does anyone know what device does have bluetooth technology with traffic info and reroute?
2. mac compatibility?
3. pre-installed US maps
thank you for your info…

Edmond 25 Apr 06

Thomas: I recently purchased the bean bag friction mount for use with my Nuvi and am happy to report that it is working exactly as advertised. As a test, I’ve been on some spirited car club runs through the twisties and the bean bag sticks to the dash like glue throughout the ordeal. Remember to also purchase the automotive mount as you’ll need the “arm” attachment to connect to the bean bag.

-Ed

Barbara 25 Apr 06

I just got my Nuvi 350 yesterday and am installing the update now. I hope it goes OK! I noticed there is no choice for “most direct route.” To get to my house, I get off the freeway onto one road, and stay on that road all the way into town, then turn left to my street. The Nuvi wanted me to take 4 different back roads and turns all over the place. This was the case with both Fastest and Shortest routes. It seems dopey. Is there any way around this?

Also, the updater said to back up my data with MapSource. Should there have been a CD with software in the package?

Thanks — Barbara

Mike J 28 Apr 06

I have following the garmin sp270 for sometime. But, I have ordered the Nuvi 350 after seeing its features. I should get it on 05/02.

m60mgman 28 Apr 06

Barbara
I noticed some of the routes around my house were longer than they needed to be and if you try the “detour” button on the Menu page it might give a better route.

There is also an option on the “settings” page: click Navigation and there is a “Shorter Distance” option which might get you there more directly. However it then does this for every route you program. The normal setting is “Faster Time”. HTH.

Mark 29 Apr 06

Katherine,
I owned the TomTom 700 before I upgraded to the Nuvi. There is no comparison between the two as the Nuvi is far superior, especially in accuracy. The Nuvi has the US Maps preloaded. The Nuvi 350 does not have bluetooth capability but the 360 is coming out in June with bluetooth.
The 350 has a good re-route capability and you can purchase a subscription for traffic. I’m not sure about the Mac.
You won’t be disapointed if you but the Nuvi if you owned the TomTom.

Racey_Gracey 30 Apr 06

I just spent the morning reading this entire blog and then went and bought a Nuvi at bestbuypcs,com They are a 5 star company. Could have bought for $25 cheaper from a 3 star but got at bestbuypcs.com - 5 star co. It cost me $668 + $18 shipping and for $58 I got a 3 year extended warranty.

Thanks everyone for all the great reviews. I was told that most places are having a difficult time keeping this gem in stock. Will share more info upon arrival.

Racey_Gracey 30 Apr 06

I just spent the morning reading this entire blog and then went and bought a Nuvi at bestbuypcs,com They are a 5 star company. Could have bought for $25 cheaper from a 3 star but got at bestbuypcs.com - 5 star co. It cost me $668 + $18 shipping and for $58 I got a 3 year extended warranty.

Thanks everyone for all the great reviews. I was told that most places are having a difficult time keeping this gem in stock. Will share more info upon arrival.

John C. 30 Apr 06

I have had a Navman connected to my IPAQ for a few years, and have found it cumbersome. I decided to get Garmin. I started looking at the 7200 for the biggest screen but decided it was too big, and too $$. So I had decided on 2730, then become interested in the 350. I hope I enjoy the GPS as much as doing the research. Now I think I’ve decided to wait for the 360. I don’t have a Bluetooth cell phone, but would consider getting one, and would to regret not having the capability. My car also has bt built in, but it might be hard finding a phone that speaks to both my Audi and my 360. Both have a short list of compatible (Verizon) phones. It is disappointing that the 360 apparently will add only bluetooth, no other new features. I have not read anyone mentioning the RDS-TMC FM traffic support which requires an optional attachment and a subscription. Anyone have experience with that? I am anxious to have one now, and like the 350’s price, and I am getting antsy waiting for the 360.

Alan Biocca 02 May 06

Note that the Nuvi 3.20 upgrade may not erase your waypoints etc. The Garmin site explicitly states that upgrades from versions 2.90 or earlier will erase user memory, so if you already have 3.10 then upgrading to 3.20 may not be a memory erasing experience. My new Nuvi came at 3.10 so I’m going to give it a shot, especially while I only have a couple of waypoints set. Later I may bring a few hundred waypoints over from older GPS’s..

OK, just did the update. My waypoints, recent finds were preserved during a 3.10 to 3.20 update. The version 3.20 does show up in settings/system/about.

Thanks to this list for a lot of info. This is a useful repository. It would be improved if a moderator deleted the duplicated comments that occasionally posted here.

— Alan wb6zqz

Anonymous Coward 02 May 06

So I am a proud owner of this garmin device…but i have a few questions about the operation that maybe an experianced user can answer…

Firstly, as this is a small unit, is there a way to register my product with Garmin or somewhere to find it if some a** steals it?
Secondly, WAAS/EGNOS is an option i select to be off, but what is it? I don’t notice a change either way.
Thirdly, will changing the vehicle preferance try to avoid underpasses and such with height limitations? Obscure i know, but still worth knowing.

thanks for the insight. BTW, belkin makes a nice little case for the palm pilot…i got it and the nuvi fits perfectly in it, with storage for buisness cards and memory sticks. You just can’t have the antenea up while its in the case…

paul 02 May 06

So I am a proud owner of this garmin device…but i have a few questions about the operation that maybe an experianced user can answer…

Firstly, as this is a small unit, is there a way to register my product with Garmin or somewhere to find it if some a** steals it?
Secondly, WAAS/EGNOS is an option i select to be off, but what is it? I don’t notice a change either way.
Thirdly, will changing the vehicle preferance try to avoid underpasses and such with height limitations? Obscure i know, but still worth knowing.

thanks for the insight. BTW, belkin makes a nice little case for the palm pilot…i got it and the nuvi fits perfectly in it, with storage for buisness cards and memory sticks. You just can’t have the antenea up while its in the case…

GPS newbie 02 May 06

Hi, total GPS newbie here. My wife and I do really long driving trips. Start out in Vancouver Canada, drive to Montana, camp for the night, see Little Big Horn, drive to North Dakota stay a few nights see Mount Rushmore etc, drive to New Mexico see Santa Fe, drive back home etc.

Is this Nuvi useful for this kind of thing? I’m worried about the lack of waypoints, would you have to be entering the next destination as you go kind of thing?

There’s a coupon for $100 off May 22-28 in the Canadian Costco Summer Savings book, which is why I found this page.

EricB 02 May 06

Well GPS Newbie
This GPS would be perfect for you and your wife’s trip
I don’t know who told you that there are hardly any waypoints in the Nuvi, but they are mistaken. You can enter a detonation in route. Say you are going to see Mt Rushmore and you get hungry and don’t know where there are any restaurants well you can punch it up under Food and select McDonalds go to in route and it will have you eating Big Macs in no time, then it will wait till you start driving again to get you to Mt Rushmore.
I drive for a living and this device hasn’t let me down yet. Good luck on your trip.
-Eric

Barbara 03 May 06

One week later, I can say I adore my Nuvi 350! I discovered that it was taking back roads because I had checked Traffic as an avoidance. I thought that option was functional only if you have the FM traffic gizmo attached, but I guess not.

One negative is I used it to take a long walk around Anchorage, where I was visiting, and went to the address it gave for the botanical gardens. I wound up in the parking lot of some apartments or something, nowhere near where the botanical gardens were. So if you use it to find landmarks, double-check the address before you set out to get there!

I use the suction cup on the display screen of my Prius, but am going to research that beanbag thingie.

Barbara 03 May 06

Forgot to add one minor complaint. It’s cool that you can take screenshots, but you can’t look at them until you sync to a computer. I simulated a route and wanted to be able to refer to its step-by-step instructions later, but the Nuvi dumps screenshots into a Picture It directory that is available only on the computer. I hope that gets changed in a future update.

z.entropic 04 May 06

Barbara, the problm is, nuvi dumps the screenshots in the BMP format, but the viewer understands JPGs only… They’d need a format converter.

z.entropic

Dinesh 05 May 06

I am planning to buy nuvi350 but not sure if I should wait for 360. Does anybody knwo what are the extra feature in 360.

Dino

Barbara 05 May 06

The only difference I’ve read about is that the 360 has Bluetooth capability so you can use it with your phone or as a phone or something like that.

z.entropic 06 May 06

…and it has a PIN/login code to discourage theft (or at least piss off the thief). It’s all on the Garmin nuvi page:

http://www.garmin.com/products/nuvi360/

I wonder how difficult it would be to include a login/password/PIN function into a nuvi 350 firmware update.

z.entropic

Barbara 06 May 06

So what is the thief going to do when they can’t get the thing working? Track me down and give it back? I assumed the “lock” was hardware related. I guess if it at least lets you show a splash screen with info about a reward and how to contact you (similar to Palm) then that would be better than nothing….

On a different note, has anyone bought the Savers Guide card thingie? Is it any good in terms of the kinds of discount it offers? Are the places where the Nuvi thinks they are? etc.

Thanks — Barbara

z.entropic 06 May 06

Sell it on e-bay? Anyway, you can include the name and reward info yourself; I modified my splash screen to include the name and cell phone number in case it’s not a thief who got my nuvi, but a good soul who found a lost thing…

z.entropic

Barbara 07 May 06

Wow, that’s a good idea about adding name and number to the splash screen. I think I will do that! Anyway, it wouldn’t do much good to sell the thing on ebay if it was locked, right?

Smead 07 May 06

I have the Savers Guide…it is a nice addition. I travel for a living and it is nice to have the discount for the various hotels & restaurantes. It will pay for itself over the course of the next couple of months…

Marc 07 May 06

Hi, I’m a newbie and I appreciate all the guidance. Got a couple questions: 1. Are waypoints and favorites the same thing?
2. If no, is there a seperate 500 item limit for each?
3. Can one load a waypoint or favorite set? Say, one set for Oregon, and another for Calif? By set, I mean seperate computer files.
4. Are these different then POI items, or are all 3 the same animal?
Thanks again.

Donna 08 May 06

I live in the uk and recently travelled to Germany to visit family.I used my recently purchased nuvi 350,and must say it was invaluable having never driven this far before on my own.
I took the wrong option on two occasions (my fault not the nuvi) and it re routed me immediately, absolutely faultless, could ever have done the journey without it.
It took me straight to the door, something that was a first, due to my brothers house being difficult to find and previous visiters getting lost within the last half a mile.
So far can’t fault it.
Can someone help, I am going to florida on hol in july and have got the europe map.Where is the best place to get maps of florida and what’s the best way to get them on the nuvi.Im a bit of a novice.
Please help!

Roy 11 May 06

I own a Garmin 76CS and am interested in the Nuvi 350 because the web site says that you can store and view photos. I’ve not found info on how one would load the photos. Does the Nuvi 350 have a CF card slot, an attachment, etc., for downloading photos or would you connect a USB cable between the digital camera and the Nuvi 350? Thank you.

z.entropic 11 May 06

Yes, you can loads tons of JPGs on the nuvi’s internal free 700MB or external, up to 2 GB, SD card. Just drag and drop, because nuvi is seen as just another disk drive.
You can zoom in and out of pictures and move them around.

I added map pictures, manual pages, all kinds of useful documents, address books etc, since the high zoom feature helps to see liitle features. Not to mention MP3s and audio books. The only problem is, you have to edit them on a PC first and then download to the nuvi.

z.entropic

z.entropic 11 May 06

Yes, you can loads tons of JPGs on the nuvi’s internal free 700MB or external, up to 2 GB, SD card. Just drag and drop, because nuvi is seen as just another disk drive.
You can zoom in and out of pictures and move them around.

I added map pictures, manual pages, all kinds of useful documents, address books etc, since the high zoom feature helps to see liitle features. Not to mention MP3s and audio books. The only problem is, you have to edit them on a PC first and then download to the nuvi.

I don’t think connecting a digital camera and a nuvi would work, though… who would be the boss? :-)

z.entropic

z.entropic 11 May 06

Yes, you can loads tons of JPGs on the nuvi’s internal free 700MB or external, up to 2 GB, SD card. Just drag and drop, because nuvi is seen as just another disk drive.
You can zoom in and out of pictures and move them around.

I added map pictures, manual pages, all kinds of useful documents, address books etc, since the high zoom feature helps to see liitle features. Not to mention MP3s and audio books. The only problem is, you have to edit them on a PC first and then download to the nuvi.

I don’t think connecting a digital camera and a nuvi would work, though… who would be the boss? :-)

z.entropic

Benny 12 May 06

I bought my Nuvi 350 NA since April. I always had to boot it up twice to get the GPS to work. (The sat page is empty, without any Satellites pics and it will never aquire any, no matter how long I wait). I recently upgarded to Firmware 3.1 , and laost all my waypoints. However, the problem persists. I did not find any other person on this blog to have the same problem. Did I get a lemon? Should I replace it before the arranty expires?

Benny 12 May 06

I bought my Nuvi 350 NA since April. I always had to boot it up twice to get the GPS to work. (The sat page is empty, without any Satellites pics and it will never aquire any, no matter how long I wait). I recently upgarded to Firmware 3.1 , and laost all my waypoints. However, the problem persists. I did not find any other person on this blog to have the same problem. Did I get a lemon? Should I replace it before the warranty expires?

Lance 12 May 06

I just got a Nuvi for my wife for Mother’s Day (about $640 at Sam’s Club) and I had a problem that sounds like Benny’s. It didn’t aquire any sats when I first turned it on.

z.entropic 12 May 06

Well, how long did you wait before you jumped to those conclusions? After a cold start in an unknown location, a new unit can take an hour or more to find itself in the Universe-it’s not a digital camera even though it displays pictures… Some recommend leaving the GPSR charging with an antenna open for a few hours.

z.entropic

z.entropic 12 May 06

Well, how long did you wait before you jumped to those conclusions? After a cold start in an unknown location, a new unit can take an hour or more to find itself in the Universe-it’s not a digital camera even though it displays pictures… Some recommend leaving the GPSR charging with an antenna open for a few hours.

z.entropic

Barbara 13 May 06

When I was in downtown Anchorage recently, I couldn’t get a signal at all. I finally got one after walking several blocks away from the hotel. If you aren’t getting a signal where you are, have you tried going somewhere else and trying again?

lm 13 May 06

I just brought the nuvi 350 home from Sam’s for around $670. I am a little confused by the add ons availible…this thing is pre-loaded with N. American City Navigator, and seems to have info on restaurants, sights, etc. However, I plan to visit Boston and Italy. Does the City Navigator software or SD include the detail of the travel guides for the same region? (ie if I buy the Italy City Navigator, will I have all of the detail (for Italy ) that I would also have if I bought the Southern Europe Travel Guide?

I also wish to use the language guide. But if I have two SD preloaded cards, how would I use both? Can you use the computer (and I am less savy with PC than Mac) to put all of the data from both onto a larger SD?

Thanks for any help here. This is the first GPS adventure for me.

LM

Allen 14 May 06

I’ve been searching for a GPS system to use when I am traveling and after reading all the posting on this one GPS
system Garmin NUVI 350 I’ve been convince to go out an purchase this system. I really got a good sense of the pro and con about this unit from your posting. I just found this website that sell the unit for $699.00 at www.ologps.com. I though I share that information with you. Thanks to you all I can now go and purchase this great device.

Steve 14 May 06

Neither the Nuvi nor the City Navigator includes travel or language guides - you purchase those separately. They come on an SD card and can “install” into the internal memory, so you don’t have to have the SD card in all the time.

LM 14 May 06

Steve
Thanks for replying to my post. You didn’t touch on something specifically though….what does the travel guide have that isn’t already on the city Navigator for a specific region?

LM

Benny 15 May 06

I have now updated my firmware to 3.2 and GPS SW Version 2.5. The cold start problem persisted. When the malfuction happens, and only when it happens, I find the statement “GPS SW Version 0.00”. under the setting System “About”.

I would like to hear from Lance and other people who may have the same cold start problem:
- No GPS templates nor acqisition capability at all when started cold the first time (let’s say in the morning). Another indication is that the GPS colorless ( and nonfunctional) bars would stay ON when I flip down the antenna.

I would like to now whether I have a lemon worthy of a replacement warrantee before it runs mout on me.

Barbara 15 May 06

From what I understand, the Travel Guide includes ratings for hotels, restaurants, etc. Also, it appears to be multi-lingual in some cases. Here’s what it says about the Europe one:

“Allows user to look up particular points of interest by a defining category, find a restaurant or hotel based on rating. The information is provided in five different languages: English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.”

hth — Barbara

Barbara 15 May 06

Admin note: avoiding multiple posts

When you click Post This Comment, wait a few minutes and your post should appear. I think some people click it multiple times, so their post appears multiple times. It takes my browser about 15 seconds or so to finish the posting process and refresh the page so my post shows up.

Thanks! — Barbara

Benny 17 May 06

Cold Start Problem:

After a lenthy discussion with the Garmin customer service hotline (1-800-8001020), who is extremely helpful as usual, we have decided the cold start-up problem is an uncommon hardware glitch. Therfore I have exchanged my unit with another NUVI 350 from the the same store.

My new unit is excellent! No glitch at all and ready to go!

CJ 17 May 06

Does anyone know if you can listen to the mp3 player and use the navigation at the same time? I would guess not…

shaun 17 May 06

i’m thinkin of buying the nuvi 350…can anyone tell me when the lithuium-ion battery dies and can’t be recharged anymore can you still use the nuvi in the house i.e. assumin there is a signal…. to view the sceen and set your destination…would the ac adapter be used for this…..as you guess i’m a novice with gps this would be my fist one ….thanks

Barbara 17 May 06

To CJ: Yes, you can. (Well, I listened to an audiobook, so I assume it’s the same.) The audio pauses when instructions are being announced, then resumes a second or two earlier than where it paused. Or you can turn off announcements completely and just watch the screen for instructions while the audio plays. The manual also explains shortcuts for going back and forth between the player and the other screens when audio is playing.

To Shaun: I would imagine that you could use it in the car with adapter as usual, and in the house with AC as you mention. I hardly ever use it with battery only, so don’t expect it to die for a long time.

hth — Barbara

Bill 17 May 06

shopping for a gps. Can’t decide between Tom Tom and Nuvi. To me the Tom Tom looks like a better buy. I like the idea of a bluetooth feature, and understand there is a new Nuvi 360 out that does has bluetooth. Not sure I would use all the avail features of Nuvi, like MP3, etc, . Guess portability of Nuvi is a real advantage. Anyone out there who has owned both that could help me make the decesion. Almost sounds as if you couldn’t go wrong with either uint.

Anonymous Coward 17 May 06

Barbara and Steve, Thanks for the feedback.

As for using the audiobook and directions at the same time…I plan to download a few of the travel books/guides and do some of the walking tours , listening and walking and using the mapguide/gps at the same time. Hopefully I won’t walk over an open manhole or something :)

Planning a trip to Italy, will order the language guide, have already downloaded the Pimlser Italian Level one Audiiblebook and will get the Southern Europe Software.

Will let you know how it goes.

LM

Barbara 17 May 06

Regarding walking: Note that I discovered what I think is a bug, although tech support disagrees. I was walking and using Nuvi in Pedestrian mode. Upcoming turns were not announced. You have to watch the screen. (Maybe tapping in lower right works as well - I forget.) I switched to Bicycle mode (while still walking) with the same results.

The tech support reply implied this was as designed (see below). But this seems fishy to me. Also, I tried DRIVING while in Pedestrian mode, and the turns WERE announced. So whether or not turns are announced seems to be a function of how fast you are going!

I’d be interested to see if others test this and get the same results.

=============
My first email to Support:

When using the nuvi in pedestrian or bicycle mode, I don’t get any guidance or navigation. It tells me where to start, and tells me when I’ve arrived, but doesn’t announce any turns in between. It also doesn’t seem to recalculate. I have guidance and status enabled, and it works great when I am in car/motorcycle mode. But I have taken two walks of about 2.5 miles each and had the same problem each time when in pedestrian mode. I tried bicycle mode to see if that would make a difference but it didn’t. Thanks.

TS reply:

I am happy to help you with this. The NUVI was not meant to be used on a Bike or while walking, just to show a route to take to get to a destination by bike or on foot. Hence not having the unit display turn by turn instructions as it does in the car. Tell the unit to avoid Highway and Toll roads and keep it in car mode, and you will get close to what you are looking for.

My reply:

Thanks.

Just FYI, the workarounds didn’t work. The only way I can get a path through small back streets is to set it to Pedestrian or Bicycle. I don’t understand why “shortest distance” wouldn’t be the same no matter how I was getting there, but the car one had me spend much more distance on a main road no matter what avoidances I had set up. (The entire trip is only 1.5 miles - I don’t know if that has anything to to with it.)

Another of my replies:
When I have Pedestrian mode on while I’m *driving*, the announcements do come on. So it seems to maybe have something to do with how fast I’m moving?? I haven’t tested it on a bike, just when walking.

=======
Haven’t received any more replies from TS.

shaun 18 May 06

hi bill i’m shoppin for a gps and can’t make up my mind ..it’s between the nuvi or the tom tom go 910 which has alot of good features than the nuvi…. just wondering which one …..i have read a couple of good reviews with the tomtom plus here in the uk i can get a 5year gaurantee with it if i pay extra…so it seem a hard decision can anyone lend a hand ……
p.s thanks for replyin earlier.

Mark V. 18 May 06

I owned the Tom Tom 700 and I now own the Nuvi 350. The TomTom was nice but the Garmin Nuvi 350 is far superior and much more accurate. The TomTom was not accurate expecially on the arrival time. The TomTom gave me wrong directions on streets that did not exist on several occasions. The Nuvi is has been accurate 100% of the time to date. The Nuvi has a trip computer the TT did not. The Nuvi tells you street names the TT did not. The Nuvi is small and compact the TT is large and heavy. The TT has bluetooth but would not pair with my bluetooth phone. The Nuvi automatically switches from day to night mode and knows what time it is, the TT does not. The Nuvi is more user friendly. I recommend the Nuvi over the TomTom.

Paul 21 May 06

Just bought the Nuvi 350 and find it very impressive, it is quick and very good I must say. However I just seen a cheaper model/version 310 advertised on tv offering blue tooth and speed camera detections all free to install and download from the garmin web site. I guess this is not available for the 350 more expensive model as I cant find anything about this on their web site. Also to read the manuel you have to go on line for this, I prefer to read manuels when I am commuting on public transport as I dont own a pc at home, the personal travel assistant doesnt give you that much information. After 2 hrs on the phone trying to get through to Garmin and 2 letters sent, still no reply as with spending 600 euros I feel you should not have to download a 60 page manuel to read how to work what you have just bought. This is not fair epsecially to non pc users. Last but least, to use your GPS on a bike, I am told there is no bracket or mount to use on your bike, anyone have any ideas what can be used.

Paul 21 May 06

Just bought the Nuvi 350 and find it very impressive, it is quick and very good I must say. However I just seen a cheaper model/version 310 advertised on tv offering blue tooth and speed camera detections all free to install and download from the garmin web site. I guess this is not available for the 350 more expensive model as I cant find anything about this on their web site. Also to read the manuel you have to go on line for this, I prefer to read manuels when I am commuting on public transport as I dont own a pc at home, the personal travel assistant doesnt give you that much information. After 2 hrs on the phone trying to get through to Garmin and 2 letters sent, still no reply as with spending 600 euros I feel you should not have to download a 60 page manuel to read how to work what you have just bought. This is not fair epsecially to non pc users. Last but least, to use your GPS on a bike, I am told there is no bracket or mount to use on your bike, anyone have any ideas what can be used.

Eric 21 May 06

I just down loaded the newest version 3.30
It has alot of usefull improvments, you can now do a goto with the coordinates. you people that wanted the little car ,well you will have it now

choong lee 22 May 06

I have a job where I fly to different client projects - they change very 4-5 months. I’ve got a car w/o GPS nav, and will be keeping the car for another 3-4 months. I NEED this type of product.

The reviews seem fabulous, the unit seems small enough to slip into my laptop bag to tote with me to my client projects. And I’m just about to pull the trigger.

However, I’m also going on an extended vacation to Europe in a few weeks (yeah, $$$ on vacation + a new toy = insane, I know) and the US and EU maps are about $200 different! I would like to know if there’s a way to purchase in US, a Nuvi with the EU map preloaded, but at the same price as one with US map preloaded?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

scarletknight 22 May 06

I, like 2 or 3 other people, am in between the TomTom and The Nuvi. HOWEVER, most of you answer the questions regarding the TomTom to the OLD 700 model, I was wondering what everyone’s take is on the NEW 910 model. It does have bluetooth, has a 12gb mp3 player (not a huge issue since this is a GPS not an mp3 player) a new 4inch screen, pronounces street names, has like 20 language voices, and has all the maps of US, Canada, and Europe pre-loaded. What’s the take on the POI in the new 910 vs. the Nuvi? I was wondering what everyone says between the new 910 and the Nuvi. I live in the USA and am looking to purchase any minute and can’t make up my mind.

scarletknight 22 May 06

Also, another comment. What’s everyone take on the sensitivity of the Nuvi 350 and the TomTom 910. I know the old tomtom used a 12 channel receiver and was very good about picking up signal and from what i know so is the Nuvi about getting good signal. The new tomtom 910 uses a 3 channel reciever? and when i played with it at the store, it was one of the few gps’s that couldnt get a signal (the nuvi and the older 700 tomtom did fine). Any take on signal strength along with all my other questions. Thanks everyone!

Barbara 22 May 06

Reminder if you are updating to 3.30 - backup your waypoints.gpx file first! It gets overwritten without warning and you’ll lose all your favorites unless you can restore from a backup. (There is a warning on the web page, but if you run WebUpdater and don’t look at the web page, you won’t get warned.)

This update seems to be chock full of features and fixes: http://www.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=1223. I’m looking forward to checking out the new features!

P.S. to scarletknight: If the unit couldn’t get a signal while other units could, to me that’s a red flad warning you away from that unit.

Barbara 22 May 06

It looks like the option to turn off autozoom is no longer available on the Map page. Weird…. The update pages says “added variable autozoom” but I don’t see any zoom options. Anyone?

Also, if you want to change the “vehicle” which I guess means change the little triangle to a car or something, it tells you to download them from garmin.com. Not very helpful - where on garmin.com?

Finally, after installing the upgrade, there’s a list of other available upgrades, such as new voices etc. One of these is “GPS Receiver Software.” Does anyone know what that might be? It’s separate from the main upgrade so I guess it’s not required, but I’m wondering what it might do.

Thanks — Barbara

Don 22 May 06

Barbara:

I had that same issue as I picked the “card reader” drive, I.E. the SD card in the Nuvi for the upgrade. The upgrade went fine (DID back up the Waypoints) but no vehicles. Then checked the SD\Garmin folder and found a “\Vehicles” folder, copied it to the Nuvi\Garmin\Vehicles folder, now have those little cars.

My three favorite new things: Music Icon quick link on the map when playing MP3s, co-ordinates entry for destination, auto setting day/night mode on satellite lock up.

Barbara 22 May 06

Don:

I don’t have an SD card, and don’t see a Vehicles folder in the regular Garmin folder. Feel like zipping up the contents and sending it to me? [email protected]

Just curious - what do you use the SD card for?

Thanks — Barbara

Don 22 May 06

Open the update with Winzip or WinRar and you can browse to the folder and grab it directly. If you still can’t find it, I could send it to you.

I’ve got 2 gigs of MP3s on there, in my case about 26 hours worth. The MP3 player is something I hadn’t thought about, but it works better than I had expected, so I’m using it after all. It pauses the music for Navigation instructions, I will randomize / shuffle an album, artist, genre, or everything if you want. Makes for a nice ride with your own music. I’m using an FM modulator into the headphone plug to transmit to the car radio.

Don

Don 22 May 06

Barbara:

I also found it (after the update) on the C:\Garmin\nuvi350_330\nuvi\garmin\vehicle folder

Don

Barbara 22 May 06

Don:

I don’t have any folder like that either! Maybe that’s related to the SD card as well… Under C:\garmin I have only USB Drivers and WebUpdater (the second of which I put there myself, as I recall.) What SD card do you have? Just a data card? Or one of the add-ons?

Did you install the second, optional update called GPS Receiver Software? I didn’t… yet. Maybe that’s what I need to do.

Thanks — Barbara

Barbara 22 May 06

Oops just saw the suggestion about using Winzip directly. Will try that next. Am still curious about the GPS receiver SW, though, if anyone knows what that is.

— Barbara

Eric S 22 May 06

So does the new upgrade to 3.30 eliminate the 500 song limit? I have a 2GB SD card and I am limited by the internal restrictions of the machine!

Thanks

Kyle 22 May 06

I found more vehicles on Garmin’s site: http://www.garmin.com/vehicles/

Don 22 May 06

Eric S:

Hmmm,… I guess I don’t know because I just checked and I’ve got only 445 MP3 files on there, with some space left over. I just used the MP3 files from my desktop machine at 192K (I know, wastefull over 128k in a car environment, but that was what I had) and copied them the SD card. Using an FM modulator (a cheap one admittedly) it works very nicely, and with 26 hours of music I’m unlikely to run out on almost any trip. Heck, I could fill a few more cards and have a music library on SD…

BARBARA: I got adventurous and installed that GPS Receiver update, and the Nuvi still works, so nothing broke. I haven’t yet noticed anything new/different.

Don

Don 22 May 06

Eric and Barbara:

Re: My New Nuvi. I just got this thing last week, but I travel constantly for work and it’s already been a very nice stress reliever finding meeting sites. I live in a large city and it has been VERY nice finding my way around locally/regionally to places I don’t know. I think it will fit my needs to a “T”. I’m now considered something of a Troublemaker with my co-workers, as 3 of them have already ordered Nuvi’s, and 6 or 7 more are thinking seriously about it and cussing my affect on their budget…

Don

Barbara 22 May 06

Don:

I know what you mean. I brought it along when carpooling to a meeting yesterday and now both the other people in the car want one of their own!

I love my Nuvi!

— Barb

Eric S 22 May 06

Yup - I have several family members and friends that have bought GPS setups since my purchase. Best toy ever!

Kim 23 May 06

Where do you find the “GPS receiver update” ?

Kim 23 May 06

Barbara, are you able to select between 4 different vehicles in the map setup menu? Then you must have the “vehicles” directory installed somewhere

Kim 23 May 06

I too have wondered about the “variable auto-zoom” … my guess is, it has replaced the auto-zoom option and now is no longer configurable

Kim 23 May 06

Barbare, you wrote “Finally, after installing the upgrade, there�s a list of other available upgrades, such as new voices etc.” … is it when using Webupdater, yout get this list or how? And is one of the new voices by any chance a Danish TTS?

Eric S 23 May 06

Don:

Why would you say 192kps is wasteful —- I can hear a significant difference in 192 over 128 - The majority of my MP3’s are @ 192 - Someday I need to re-rip the files I have at 128.

With a 2GB SD and the internal memory - There is enough room for a good amount of MP3’s @ 192

accordionist 23 May 06

Check the LATEST V:3.30
software folks.It’s FANTASTIC.

accordionist 23 May 06

Check the LATEST V:3.30
software folks.It’s FANTASTIC.

accordionist 23 May 06

Check the LATEST V:3.30
software folks.It’s FANTASTIC.

Don 23 May 06

Eric:

I certainly hear a difference too, in an office, headphone, or home environment, I’ve just been wondering about whether in a car environment how much you could really discern the difference between 128 and 192. I would HOPE that my car is quiet enough, but… Anyway, in my case I’ve got a little bit of room left on that 2GB SD card with 445 cuts comprising 25 CDs. Comes out to around 26+ hours of music.

I spoke with Garmin Support, and they said that the NUVI is sort of limited to 500 MP3s internally, but they knew of no limit externally on the SD card. 2GB cards seem to do OK, but there have been some reports of problems with some 4GB cards, but not others. Also asked if we could make our own “Cars” and got a chuckle. Not yet..

Caught a rumor in another forum that there may be a map update in the not too distant future.

Barbara 23 May 06

Re: vehicles: when I first loaded 3.30, I didn’t see any vehicles. I got a message to go to www.garmin.com. Then I did the unzip thing and created the directory and got like 4 blue vehicles. Then I saw the msg about garmin.com/vehicles and downloaded a bunch of other ones. It’s such an unnecessary feature but I love seeing that little red compact on the screen! (Even though my car is blue….)

If you use WebUpdater, after you install 3.30, it brings up another menu, and that’s where the GPS update is. I think there is a Danish TTS voice, but I’m not sure.

I still wonder how “variable auto-zoom” differs from “auto-zoom” and why they got rid of manual zoom, which I know some people specifically requested.

I wish they included a readme with the updates. Maybe I will suggest that.

Barbara 23 May 06

Found this on another forum: haven’t tried it myself yet.

Just found out how the variable autozoom works. While in a route, you set the zoom where you like it. It stays there except at turns, where it zooms to 500ft. After the turn it zooms back out to where you set it. Perfect!

Kim 24 May 06

Barbara, tnx for the info. The Danish voice is still missing, I’ll have to wait a litte longer.

I think you’re right about autozoom, that matches my experience completely.

BTW, why don’t you download a blue car instead? ;-)

Barbara 24 May 06

Kim: The red car shows up better on the screen, and the car color I actually wanted was a deep red anyway!

Eric S 24 May 06

Don:

Wow - I never really thought about the limit being an internal memory limitation! That sure changes things - I have a majority of my MP3’s on my SD card, and only a few on the internal memory - Now I dont have to be so paranoid that I will go over the limit and freeze up the system!

I notice the MP3 quality more in my car than anywhere else - I guess I do most of my music listening in the car and have a pretty good sound system in my car. I have the Nuvi wired into the stereo system - so quality does matter.

The new Car Icon feature is neat - I have a red Monster truck right now - it cracks me up!

Im pretty happy with the 3.30 update - but the MP3 player can still use a little fine tuning. I am used to searching by Artist/Album - and I wish when I hit back - it wouldnt go back to the main menu but it would go back to the contents of the album!

I wonder what those guys at Garmin will come up with next!

Richie 25 May 06

Comments about money or it’s cost. The old expression “you get what you pay for”

Don 25 May 06

Eric:

With 3.30 there’s a handy Music Icon on the map when the MP3s are playing that takes you directly to the player, and from there if I’m doing Album/Artist/Genre I just hit Browse. It is not unusual for me to shift from Random Shuffle to Artist or Album, and this seems to work well for me. How do you get the Album art to display?

My car has a very good sound system, but my Home System is just a little on the crazy side, and MP3s at ANY bitrate are very obvious.

Scary, I like this thing better all the time. It’s a “Don’t leave home without it” item now.

Don 25 May 06

SD card MP3 note from Tech Support and my experience:

Just make sure that you put your MP3s in a Directory on the SD card NAMED MP3. I did that sort of just for organization, and it worked fine seamlessly. Apparently that is a directory that the Nuvi scans for and processes automatically.

Eric S 25 May 06

Don:

Your SD Card Note may be the answer to an issue I had once. I had a spare SD card and wanted to bring a mix of some chilled out music I had downloaded. My Nuvi recognized some of it but not all of it. I didnt have it in an “MP3” directory like I do on my 2GB card. ha - never even though of that.

I do like the little music icon - now I want them to add the name of the song and artist on the map - at least just for a second when the song starts.

I need to learn how to program this stuff - I’d have the ultimate toy!

I must say I am glad my Cell isnt Bluetooth or Id be very jealous of the 360!

I am heading out to Cali on Saturday - picked up the beanbag mount for the car - it looks pretty sturdy - I gave it a test run this morning!

seeya!

Shirley Bushnell 26 May 06

I updated to 3.30 and have found a problem. They changed the way you enter the address information. If you wanted the Street Address to be in all CAPS, you could press shift.

Now Garmin has Mode. There is no way to get it to stay all CAPS. Anyone have the same experience or solution?

Shirley

Shirley Bushnell 26 May 06

I updated to 3.30 and have found a problem. They changed the way you enter the address information. If you wanted the Street Address to be in all CAPS, you could press shift.

Now Garmin has Mode. There is no way to get it to stay all CAPS. Anyone have the same experience or solution?

Shirley

Barbara 26 May 06

Shirley: Yes, annoyingly, the Mode seems to be buggy. You can pick All Caps mode, but as soon as you type one letter it goes back to lower case, and they removed the Shift key!

I guess the thing to do is complain to tech support and maybe they will find a way to fix it in an update.

If they’re going to use modes, they need one that looks like this: “Abcd” for the first-letter-caps mode. Then the ABCD mode can work the way one would expect it to.

butch 26 May 06

My first GPS was a Garmin C330. I recently replaced it with the new Nuvi 350 because I like the fact that it fits in my pocket and it pronounces that street names. However, the speakers are weak, and I can’t hardly hear out of them. My former GPS had a way louder and clearer sound. I tried turn up the volume higher than the company preset. It did get louder, but the sound came out “distorted” similar to the sound coming from a speaker with a broken cone! In fairness, I could perhaps just have a defective unit. So I will reserve my final comments until I can exchange this unit to see if there is any improvement on the sound. Otherwise, I think I’m going to have to purchase a Garmin C340 which is the upgrade from my old C330 but with text-to-speech capability!

BEN 26 May 06

Butch, ur rite. The nuvi350 does appear to have a weak speaker system especially since they are promoting the mp3 player feature. However, if you have a car radio that has in audio input, you can run the nuvi350’s audio or headphone out into it and get great sound. I do have a problem with this unit locking up which continually states “Acquiring Satellite” - and they’re suppose to have a better satellite receiver? Besides the fact that it is slimmer than my Garmin c340 (also text-to-speech capable), I regret buying this unit and consider it “not worth” the heftier price. I do not understand all the raving reviews about the nuvi350—I am really kind of disappointed how everyone sort of mislead me to believe this is one of the best units in the market—IT IS NOT!

Scot 26 May 06

I am a new buyer of a GPS unit and I was just debating the buy it now 350 or wait it out a month for the 360. Now I see Butch and Ben’s negative review of the 350.

Now I have no idea which unit to buy.

How can so many people love it and so many hate it?

Help….

Corey 26 May 06

Hello

I am considering the Nuvi 350 because it is soo small, and has a battery operated feature.

I am on the road everyday and usually get my driving destinations sent to me a week ahead of time. Can I input multiple destinations into the NUVI ahead of time, then just choose which one I want to drive to on the day ?

TG 26 May 06

Re: TomTom 910

I recently purchased 3 (no typo there… I did say THREE) TomTom 910’s, after reading several four-star reviews by some pretty credible sources. My experience…

#1 - Dead after 3 days.
#2 - Dead out of the box.
#3 - Dead after 24 hours.

These were purchased from 2 different local stores, so I had to rule out ‘rough handling’ by store employees. As much as I loved the 910 (the short time that I managed to have 2 of them working), I cannnot ignore the fact (and believe me I tired) that there are some serious design flaws here.

I’m sure there are units somewhere out there that work… I just haven’t been able to find one. On the bright side I just pre-ordered the Nuvi 360 for $764, no tax and free shipping!, and can hardly wait till it’s released.

In the meantime, I’ll continue getting lost and enying those of you who already own your 350. tg

Barbara 27 May 06

Corey: Yes, you add them as Favorites.

Phillip 27 May 06

hi scot, this is in direct response to your comments and adding to butch & ben’s experience ont he nuvi350. well, i purchased one yesterday at sam’s club. they were $694.95 plus tax my total was $759 and some change! like you, i’ve read so many raving reviews from people who absolutely love their unit…supposedly—lol! i was so excited when i got it out of the box. i immediate set my home and work address, mounted it into the suction cup, and waited for it to load the initialization process. it immediately got a satellite lock and took me to work flawlessly! i want to comment on butch’s review on volume. when it’s in your hands and indoors, the volume is quite good and loud. but when you mount it inside the car with the engine and road noise, you have to stuggle to hear it. i turned it up a notch and it was ok but does sound like the internal speakers can’t handle a setting beyond the factory default. now on to ben’s comments about satellite lock. i wanted to show off my new nuvi350 so i took a co-worker for a ride. to my embarassment, it would not get a satellite lock. i turned it on and off and still it would read acquiring satellite like ben said. i called up garmin tech support at 800-800-1020, waited 35 mins. to talk to tech support, and they suggested that i download the newest software that was just released may 19th. so i connected the unit to a computer and downloaded the newest software. i was so happy to find out i can add more languages and also an optional male voice as well for variety like in my wife’s honda civic which you can have both male and female alternately. one more feature which i think is GREAT is the new update allows you to enter a PASSWORD of your choice before any of the gps functions will work rendering the unit useless if stolen. i then turned it back on and reloaded my addresses, and for a minute, i was so happy because even barely outside, it acquired a satellite lock and instructed me to drive to my destination on the screen. well, i turned it off again and mounted it into the windshield mount, it turned on automatically, and to my dismay, it still displays acquiring satellite. i drove this thing home from work to home for 35 minutes and was FROZEN WITHOUT A SATELLITE LOCK! thank goodness that i didn’t buy this thing from a mail-order place because Sam’s Club gave me an exchange unit which seem to work OK. they also said that if i am not happy with the second unit that i can take it back for a full refund. my advice to anyone considering purchasing a nuvi350 is buy it locally from a store that does not charge you re-stocking fee for returns or refunds. avoid places like best buy products who charges 15% on returned merchandise. so find out about their policy prior to the purchase. never buy a gps from ebay or mail order. it take you a while to get it, and the returns are even more of a pain, you will pay for the return shipping, and most likely only for exchange of defective items—refunds will cost you big $’s!!! also, if you want a unit that you can place in your pocket, have mp3’s, and other non-navi functions, the nuvi350 is great with some compromises mentioned. but if you don’t need those features, especially those of you who struggle with hearing, i would definitely STAY AWAY from the nuvi series because of the aforementioned problems i’ve encountered with my first unit. also, i think Garmin should have a shorter wait time for their customer service department. every other customer service phone number i’ve called with regard to computers, banks, etc. can get to you within 2 minutes…10 minutes is considered unacceptable—garmin’s 35 minutes? boy, go figure—that’s insanely lousy! ok folks, there’s the most thorough review you will ever get about the nuvi350 and garmin. i think most of the positive reviews you guys have heard may have been garmin employees—LoL! drive safe everyone!

STAN 27 May 06

hey guys and gals, here’s my take on the nuvi350. i like the design, and seems to work ok with albeit intermittent satellite lock problem. strange, they said this unit with the sirf satellite receiver is suppose to have a stronger sat receiver…hmmm! volume is ok but can definitely be louder but what did you guys expect from such tiny speakers? duh! but here’s a *real problem* people. when you save an address, and you use the number sign or “#” and you follow it with a number, the number will not print and it will not save it. also, if you click the “backspace” button, it will freeze the unit. you cannot even turn the damn thing off with the power switch. you must then reset it using the tiny button labeled reset in the back of the flip/flop antennae. this is a real problem. because of you are naming your stops #1, #2, #3—you cannot do it on the nuvi350. i have a garmin c330 and no problem storing names that way! i took mine back to fry’s electronics, they gave me a different unit, it did the same thing!!! but they refunded my money in full!!! hooray fry’s - booo for garmin on this over-rated and over-priced nuvi350. here it is again…all of you owners of this nuvi350 do this: 1. enter an address, 2. click on save, 3. click on the “#” sign, 4. without any spaces in between immediately type any number (from 1 to 9 for example), 5. click on the backspace arrow….and presto—your unit will FREEZE UP and all the functions will LOCK UP you won’t even be able to turn the unit off with the power switch and must use the reset button to clear this system lock! hey garmin, pity us faithful loyal users—make a downloadable software update to CORRECT this issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for now, i would stay away from this unit =(

Basil 27 May 06

gentlemen, relax—please! i’m a IT TECH and ran into the same problems with satellite lock. what i did was downloaded software version 3:30 and the owner’s manual for my Nuvi350 which I LOVE!!! starting on page 55 & 56 on troubleshooting, it told you to hold down the switch for a “re-boot” and continue pressing down on it until it tells you to press a series of dots. after it tells you it’s completed—viola! my nuvi 350 now works perfectly and gets instant satellite locks. the sound is kind of softer than my other street pilot c330 but man, the difference is between having a bulky CRT computer monitor, or an LCD flat screen. to me, the trade off is worth it. just turn up your hearing aids people—hahaha! i dig the new password feature and add-on languages plus the optional male voice. what can i say, now that garmin supplied to new update—I LOVE MY Nuvi 350!

Mookoo 27 May 06

Well…….. despite the recent poor reviews on the Nuvi 350 above, I have just ordered the new Nuvi 360 (�417 from purelygadgets.co.uk). Being a bit of a gadget collector I have found that most things are released onto the market a little early resulting in most of the bugs being discovered by customers. Microsoft is the best at this! I am buying this unit fully expecting that due to its tiny size there will be some compromises like volume etc, and also some glitches due to the fact that it’s a new model. My iPod Video was riddled with bugs which over the past few months have been ironed out with regular firmware updates. I could have got my self all stressed out about this, but in the grand scheme of things, what’s the point. No single electronic gadget on earth will please everybody. You will also get unfortunate people who got a faulty unit and review the product based on their experiences. I have read all the reviews and all in all things seem positive.

I will let you know how I get on with my 360 when I receive it next week. I will be using the blue tooth facility with my phone so I’ll also let you know whether it’s any good. I live in the UK so I’ll also comment on the accuracy of the European maps. I am going to get an FM transmitter so that I can hear the unit through my car stereo (it doesn�t have an aux input). I figure this should remove any problems with quiet speakers. I’m hoping that the firmware is up to the equivalent of 3.30 in the 350 unit.

If anyone wants to know anything specific about the 360, let me know & I�ll do my best to answer.

Luke 27 May 06

the nuvi 350 i recently bought is my first gps so i don’t have anything to compare it to. i’ll only comment on navigation because that’s all i need it for. ok, so i didn’t expect it to be loud because of the tiny size, and i can live with the volume. but it locks up 30% of the time i use it. the only thing will clear it would be to turn the unit off and hold down the switch so it can reboot. then it’s ok for a while until it locks again—and it will! it’s tolerable, but there’s gotta be a better-working unit out there. too bad because i do like it’s slender design and works great when it’s functioning. hopefully garmin will have the firmware to correct this satellite acquisition and freezing problem. if they fix the bugs, the nuvi 350 would no doubt be one of the best little gadgets a traveller could have. but until then, better carry a spare thomas guide!

Mookoo 27 May 06

Luke - Some others have had problems with locking up and returned their Nuvi to the store for a perfectly functioning replacement unit. I would do this if I were you as most owners don’t suffer from this problem.

Edmond 27 May 06

I’ve had my Nuvi 350 for a number of months now. I’ve been very happy with my unit and am happy to report that not once has my unit ever froze, nor has it ever had problems with acquiring satellites. For those having problems, I wonder if it could be the particular unit you have in hand? As some others have mentioned, try to exchange it with another unit to see if it helps.

One of the main reasons I chose this unit was its size and portability. When I leave my vehicle, I wanted to be able to bring the GPS with me and this unit is small enough to fit in my pockets. The speaker volume is adequate for me. I sometimes use the Nuvi in my commercial work van and the cabin does get pretty loud at times since theres not much insulation. But I’m still able to hear the Nuvi’s voice directions clearly.

The one thing I’m hoping for in a future firmware update is to have a “set loc” added in the map screen after you do a search. For example, when I do a location search (with the GPS off) for a particular hotel in another city, then I press “show map” to see where that hotel is. After I do that, sometimes I may want to “set loc” there just so I can do further searches in that area surrounding the hotel that I’ve chosen just to see what other amenities are in the immediate area. Unfortunately, there isn’t a “set loc” button in that map screen.

accordionist 27 May 06

I don’t understand you people.My Nuvi works like swiss watch.NEVER let me down.Best GPS available on the market today.
Greetings

James 27 May 06

Need some help from all you Garmin experts…

I’m a Realtor and am looking for the best GPS for giving me the most efficient routes to multiple destinations without backtracking. Would that be the 2720, 2730, 2610 or 7200? Are there major differences in any of these? Pros or cons? Easy to use is a definite plus in my book as is reliability and being relatively problem free. I like the size of the Nuvi 350, but don’t think it have this feature. Thanks in advance for any advise you can provide. James

Corey 28 May 06

James -

I’m not sure but I think as Barbara mentioned above (thanksby the way Barbara) -

you can enter destinations as favorites - ahead of time, but it likely will not plan a route which will ” connect the dots.”

Barbara if you are travelling and find an amazing scenic vista that you would like to come back to and photograph can you save this location as a Favorite , or I guess some manufactures call them waypoints or POI’s ???

Also how many favorites can the NUVI hold ?

TP 28 May 06

When entering a Favorite place, is it possible to include the telephone number along with the address?

Also, when doing a search, is it possible to include the Favorite places in that search? I know that the Nuvi doesn’t have information on Caribou Coffee in my area, so I entered the locations as Favorites. When I do a search on Caribou Coffee, the nearest one listed is still over 100 miles away even though I have 5 in my favorites that are all less than 10 miles from my current location.

Thanks in advance.

Andrew M-C 29 May 06

The only problem I see is a potential, down the road one: the battery is not user replacable. Granted, the vast majority of people will want to use the thing in-car (the windshield mount with charging interface is among the best I’ve seen) and so will have it plugged in at all times. That said, there are menu settings for cyclists and pedestrians and the thing is light enough to carry. I use GPS downtown and on my bike a lot, so it’s a concern for me. Other than that though, it’s a solid GPS. I’ve got five on my desk that I’m testing, and it beginning to look like the best for the form factor.

Cindy 29 May 06

I’m purchasing a GPS for an upcoming trip to Alaska and I’ve narrowed my choiced down to either the Nuvi 350 or the Magellan Roadmate 800.

From the outstanding reviews I’ve read on the Nuvi (and less-than-outstanding reviews on the Roadmate), I’m leaning toward the Nuvi, but the Roadmate has two features that are important to me. It allows users to include multiple destinations in a trip and save routes for future travel.

Do you think it’s likely that Garmin would incorporate these features in a future Nuvi update? I understand it has only one “via” point per trip, which seems like an oversight for such an otherwise great GPS. I have some hope because they did add the latitude/longitude feature after release.

I was also wondering if anyone knows how well Alaska maps are covered by the Nuvi.

Thanks for your time.

John Velletta 29 May 06

I was just about ready to purchase a Nuvi until I discovered from Garmin that the battery is factory only replaced. Not only that but they said that on average it will last about 1.5 to 2 yrears and the replacement cost is $250.00 plus shipping and all aplicable taxes which should bring it very close to $300.00 US. A little too pricey for my liking.

Barbara 29 May 06

Just a few comments:

Battery - I almost never use the Nuvi on the battery. When I’m in the car, it’s plugged into the lighter. When I’m playing inside, I might use the battery or I might plug it in. In any case, I really can’t foresee ever reaching its 500 or 1000 charges it’s supposed to be able to do before needing to be replaced.

The pedestrian and bike features are misleading. See my earlier long post on this topic. You can use them to calculate routes, but the TTS only announces your first turn and your arrival, so unless you keep looking ahead, you won’t know where to go.

It would be nice to have multiple waypoints, and I would imagine that wouldn’t be a huge programming task. As for planning and saving routes, I think it just isn’t designed for that, and I can’t see how that feature could be added without a total rework of the design. So I can see the former happening but not the latter.

Yes, when you are somewhere you want to save, touch Where To (totally unintuitive!), Current Location, Save. You enter a name, it saves lat. and long.

For phone numbers of favorites, I make them part of the name. Clunky but it works.

I don’t know what the limit on favorites is, or if there is one.

To search favorites, touch Where To, Favorites, Spell.

OK, back to work I go.

— Barbara

Corey 29 May 06

Barbara..

let me get this straight ,

THe NUvi is advertised as not being able to save waypoints… NOW is that the same function as saving a location as a favorite ?

Are multiple destinations only usefull if you want to see an auto-route tell you how to get from a to b to c to d…. ?

Cindy 29 May 06

Thanks Barbara!

My other concern with the Nuvi is the battery. I contacted Garmin regarding replacement cost and was told it’s a flat fee of $225.

I’m still undecided between the Nuvi and the Roadmate 800.

Thanks again for your input.
Cindy

John 30 May 06

I received two E mails from Garmin Tech. Support, in the first one they said that the battery was good for 1000 cycles and that some of them would work on 12V and others may not when the battery went dead.

The second E mail said that the battery was good for 1.5 to 2.0 years and that the unit would work on 12V even after the battery went dead, now I am assuming that the battery automatically re-charges every time the unit is used in your car on 12V so 1000 cycles could very well be 1.5 to 2.0 years after which you could not use the unit as a portable until the battery was replaced. Am I correct ?

Barbara 30 May 06

Corey: You can save waypoints, which are then called favorites. However, if you are on a route, you can add only one waypoint. Some people want to map out a route that makes several stops. The Nuvi can’t do that.

If you are on a route and arrive at your waypoint, you can then add another waypoint for the next leg of the trip. If you change your mind, you can replace one waypoint with another, or get rid of it altogether (for that route) by just re-entering your final destination again.

You can also do something with Points of Interest, which I did some research on but couldn’t find much of use to me.

I suggest downloading and reading the manual from the Garmin site. It’s not in great depth but it does explain the basics pretty will.

hth — Barbara

Michaelhk 30 May 06

Hi, new to this Forum.
Have used the C320 in Sydney without any problem at all, the sound from the internal speaker is nice.
I just wonder how the sound quality of the speech is compared to Nuvi 350.

My car has the metal coating on thw windscreen, so I need to have an external antenna plugged to the unit for GPS reception, where is the plug for the Nuvi 350? Is it at the flip up antenna side? would it activate the internal built in antenna when I plug the external antenna in?

If according to all your comments using the FM transmittor in the car, together with the power cord to the charger, I would have 3 cables connected to the Nuvi! It would be quite messy!

Any comment?

shaun 31 May 06

hi i posted earlier and i am still wondering whether to buy the nuvi 350 which would be my first gps….its just the battery which is my concern? cause when the nuvi is plugged into the cig lighter i would assume that the battery would still be charged like john says , or would it actually stop the battery from charging automatically? also when the battery is dead does the nuvi still work plugged in the cig lighter or via the computer usb….. would appreciate an answer ,have tried garmin them selves but no reply…thanks…

ps garmin should have made the battery so you could replace it yourself very crafty of them…. more money to shell out. but still sounds the best gps ive reviewed so far unless someone can point me to a better one.. any comments ?

Mookoo 31 May 06

I think it’s fairly safe to say that by the time the batteries are failing on the first edition Nuvis that an aftermarket solution will have been found. The battery will be a standard type lithium ion that will you could probably find in countless other gadgets. I doubt that Garmin will have had a battery designed just for them. iPod users are replacing their built in batteries with aftermarket solutions so I really wouldn’t worry about it.

corey 31 May 06

Has anyone looked at the new to be released
Magellan 6000T as a comparitive to the NUVI ?

Anonymous Coward 01 Jun 06

The nuvi 350 is wavering between $629.99-679.99 (changes back and forth every few days) at amazon.com, but is backordered for 1-2 weeks. I also took advantage of the audible promotion for $100 off if you join for 1 year (see amazon.com website for details). I am waiting for mine to arrive!

John M 01 Jun 06

Just received my Garmin Nuvi from GPSdiscount.com and am very happy with it. Their delivered price of $643.19 is hard to beat and got a free t-Shirt as well. One thing I read in Garmin’s fine print in the package is that the they will not repair any item that is bought thru an online aution site. Glad I didn’t buy from an ebay store.

John M 01 Jun 06

Just received my Garmin Nuvi from GPSdiscount.com and am very happy with it. Their delivered price of $643.19 is hard to beat and got a free t-Shirt as well. One thing I read in Garmin’s fine print in the package is that the they will not repair any item that is bought thru an online aution site. Glad I didn’t buy from an ebay store.

John M 01 Jun 06

Just received my Garmin Nuvi from GPSdiscount.com and am very happy with it. Their delivered price of $643.19 is hard to beat and got a free t-Shirt as well. One thing I read in Garmin’s fine print in the package is that the they will not repair any item that is bought thru an online aution site. Glad I didn’t buy from an ebay store.

John M 01 Jun 06

Just received my Garmin Nuvi from GPSdiscount.com and am very happy with it. Their delivered price of $643.19 is hard to beat and got a free t-Shirt as well. One thing I read in Garmin’s fine print in the package is that the they will not repair any item that is bought thru an online aution site. Glad I didn’t buy from an ebay store.

Jason 01 Jun 06

Here’s my solution to the question of how long the battery will last (and the touchscreen, for that matter) … I bought my Nuvi from Best Buy and the 4-yr ESP (additional $100). If the battery fails or the touchscreen goes anytime in the next four years, I get a brand new device. I usually get the ESP for anything that goes in my automobile, just because those things usually take a lot of wear and tear.

Barbara 01 Jun 06

Folks —

Press the “Post this Comment” button ONCE, then wait! It takes several seconds for the page to record and reload.

— Barbara

Scot 01 Jun 06

Thank Phillip for the response.

Hey does anyone know of any retail stores in Ontario Canada that carry the nuvi? Toronto/Mississauga/Brampton etc?

Trying to find a store to buy from.

Edmond 02 Jun 06

Scot: you can try Radioworld (www.radioworld.ca). They are in Toronto.

Scarlet Knight 02 Jun 06

You can get the Nuvi 350 for $637, no tax (if you dont live in NY) and free shiping. I bought mine there 2 weeks ago, it came in perfect brand new condition and came within 2 days. Fyi….

Scarlet Knight 02 Jun 06

You can get the Nuvi 350 for $637, no tax (if you dont live in NY) and free shiping at futurepowerpc.com I bought mine there 2 weeks ago, it came in perfect brand new condition and came within 2 days. Fyi….

Joe 02 Jun 06

I just got my Nuvi today. I am very impressed. Compared to the voice I have on my Compac Ipaq using Copilot Pocket PC GPS system, the Nuvi voice is heads and shoulders better. I find it to ve plenty loud, easily heard above car noise, and the woman’s voice is very clear and clean. I’ve upgraded the firmware to 3.3 and that went off without a hitch. I had copied my waypoints file and then put it back after the update, and there was no problem. I am amazed that I can get 6-7 satellites while sitting in my house — that is far better than my Copilot gps system which absolutely must be outside, and then it takes about 5 times as long to get the initial fix. I haven’t had a chance to test out the routing yet in my local area, but the short drive I took was impressive. Regarding data, I was pleased to find my daughter’s street in a 5 year old development outside of Atlanta, but which copilot still doesn’t have after my three 100 dolar updates with them. The only problem I’m having so far is that I don’t always get even one Nuvi drive to show up in windows explorer, even though all looks will in the device manager. Also, I havn’t been able to get an alternate vehicle to work. I created a vehicle folder inside the Garmin folder per instructions, and copied the new car file into that, but I still have no alternate selections when I try to make the change. If anyone has any suggestions on that, I’d appreciate a helping hand. Overall, I am very satisfied with the Nuvi, and I’ve been using GPS systems, starting with a laptop, for over ten years. Oh yes, one more thing: no manual is included in the box and there are no instructions about charging the battery before use. I did get the downloadable manual however.

Mike 03 Jun 06

What is the beanbag mount, and where can I get on?

Mookoo 03 Jun 06

Got my new Nuvi 360 today. It has the Matt screen and looks great. It came with SW version 2.2 which I used for most of the day without a hitch. I have now upgraded to 2.3 by unzipping the download and running the exe with the Nuvi connected (did not use web updater). This went without a hitch and all component and software updates (including vehicles) were done.

This thing is great! There is no lag and satelite aquisition was within 10 seconds straight out of the box! The bluetooth handsfree feature is brilliant with my V3. Callers can hear me really clearly and I can hear them too. Did I mention that this thing was great :-)

Strangely I got a user manual for every language going (about 10 in all) plus a quick start sheet for each language too. Most people are saying they got no manuals at all.

I’ll report back in few days when I’ve had a bit more usage but looking good so far.

Duane 04 Jun 06

I am contemplating a NUVI 350. I am totally clear on the pro’s. I have one con that I wondered how others may be getting around it - I’m basing my comment on the Garmin Quest with the PC based MapSource.

With Quest/MapSource, the TO/FROM destination wil pick the shortest path. I often do not want the shortest path, but maybe a scenic path. With multiple waypoints, you can force the unit to take the route along waypoints that net you the “inefficient” but “scenic” path.

The problem is that with one waypoint, the calculated path will jump back to a “efficient” path after the first waypoint is passed.

I like the NUVI over the QUEST 2 for all the features talked about on this forum. However, multi-waypoints looks to be a con for this unit. Thoughts?

Mookoo 04 Jun 06

Duane: It might be a bit long winded but if you want a Nuvi, there may be a work around; Store your waypoints as favourites, punch your route in with your first favourite as a via point. When you reach your first waypoint you can then add the next favourite as a waypoint using the via feature.

I can see Garmin adding multiple via points in a future firmware release as many people asked for a “to coordinates” feature that the unit didn’t originally have. Garmin obliged and added the feature in the latest firmware.

Duane Breeden 04 Jun 06

Thanks Mookoo. That’s a great idea - thanks.

The only other solution that I actually tried on the Quest 2 (taking waypoints out of the equation) is to break one big route down into multiple routes - forcing the software to take the overall route that I want. At the end of each route, then I’d jsut queue up the next route , and so on.

Gary Raymond 04 Jun 06

Is there a Nuvi version with voice recognition for command and response input?

DCinDC 04 Jun 06

2 on the Nuvi 350 questions based on reviews I’ve read:

1. Is the screen on recent versions shiny or anti-glare? I’ve heard that they switched to shiny screens recently and that they are hard to read in the sun. Perhaps a way to push folks to the 360 even if they don’t want BT.

2. Anyone looked at the screen with polarized sunglasses on? One review said it makes the screen hard to read. I’ve noticed this on some devices (like my cell phone) but it’s better in some cases than others.

I’d appreciate any comments. I’m very interested in this product and I’m glad I found this forum. Thanks!

DaveinNJ 05 Jun 06

I’ve noticed lately that my Nuvi 350 seems to take longer to acquire satellites when I turn it on in the morning and leave my house… I’ve thought of three things that may have caused this and wondered if anyone else has had a similar issue:

1. Recently installed firmware v3.3
2. Enabled PIN security screen
3. Added personalized backsplash screen

Has anyone noticed their initial satellite acquisition time increasing after doing one of these three things? Any help is appreciated.

Oh and in response to Poloarized Sunglasses… I can see my Nuvi fine with Polarized Sunglasses. I have a matte finish (anti-glare) screen.

Thanks!

Dave

tisoy 05 Jun 06

Responding to MICHAELHK. Hi Mike, if you had a c320 and like the fact that it had a volume knob and the speakers are loud & clear—you will be very disappointed with the Nuvi 350’s sound. The preset is at 2 notches away from full volume, but if you increase the setting—the sound you’ll get will distort like a speaker that exceeding it’s headroom. also, the first Nuvi 350 i got had satellite acquisition problems. the replacement is on the way. so if you have a metal coating on your car like i do on my ford ranger, you will definitely need to hook it up to an external antenna to get good reception. and yes, it is hooked up to the flip/folding antenna. you’re right, if you need to hook up an FM device, you will have 3 plugs to deal with. Radio Shack has an add for a magellan roadmate 760 for $499…i’m seriously considering selling my Nuvi 350 and buying that device. i’ll see how well the replacement unit is. if it gives me the same pains, i’m buying the roadmate 760 and sell the nuvi 350 on ebay. a friend of mine purchased it, and he only had good things to say about it.

Mookoo 05 Jun 06

It’s a shame that some are having problems with satellite lock on their Nuvis. All I can say is get a replacement unit. My 360 is great. It gets a signal from cold in just a few seconds and never looses signal. I was setting up new favorites in the Paris area pending my trip with the kids to Disney in the living room tonight. I live in a two story house and was nowhere near any windows and the darn thing still acquired enough satellites to give me a position lock!

My car is a new shape Vauxhall/Opel Zaphira and the Nuvi is suckered to the driver’s quarter light window panel which places the unit directly below a 6 inch wide window pillar. No problem - I get full signal all the time.

I really do think those who have issues also have a hardware problem which could be resolved by returning the unit back to the store/Garmin for a replacement/repair. Even if the unit appeared to be ok before a particular firmware upgrade, there could have been an underlying hardware issue that the new firmware has uncovered.

Kyle 05 Jun 06

Does anyone know if the MP3s can somehow be connected to the cars audio system?

Kim 06 Jun 06

Kyle, please read the previous postings …

Corey 06 Jun 06

The Magellan 760 for $500 bucks seems like a decent deal, however it does not have the newest sirf iii chipset like the nuvi has, which I think Is probally the most important aspect of a GPS…. getting a signal.

Perhaps if it was for 200. bucks it might be worth it, as GPS’s seem to be going the way of disposable technology.

tisoy 06 Jun 06

anyone who thinks a full-featured gps that has text-to-speech capability coming from a reputable company like magellan and expects to 200 bucks for it is delusional or perhaps work for garmin. i on the other hand is just an objective reviewer who only share my experience with these products. i have not in fact owned any magellan product. my first gps was a garmin c330 which i loved. it acquired satellites rapidly and never lost a signal. it also prompts me well in advance for the turns. the volume level and quality is “awesome” to say the least! the mounting hardware with built-in p/s is amazingly convenient to mount/dismount, and is very stable. the only reason i purchased and upgraded to a nuvi350 is the portability factor and text-to-speech capability. i’m telling you people, even with a firmware upgrade to 330 from 320, it still locks up and freezes. the volume is literally inaudible when you roll your freakin’ window down. unless you are wearing a headset or re-routing the audio signal to your car speakers via fm transmitter, you will be disappointed of the sound. i have taken mokoo’s sound advice and returned it for a replacement unit to at least solve the satellite acquisition problem. i have yet to receive my replacement unit but will be fair to garmin and report back here how the unit will perform upon receipt. drive safely peeps!

PRS4 06 Jun 06

I have noticed that after updating the software to ver. 3.30, it seems that it does not speaks the name of the next street anymore. It just says something like �Turn right in 0.2 miles� instead of �In 0.2 miles, turn right on Olympics�. Have you guys noticed that? Or maybe it just does not speak all of street name you turn-in?

On the next updates, it would be great if it has EQ setting on MP3 player. Also, I wish to have an option to choose the keyboard layout (keyboard layout used on PC or an alphabetical order).

Anonymous Coward 06 Jun 06

DUDE…

I never said expects…. My words were not in need of interpretation.

I was more hopefull… And if Magellan is about to unload some new gear - then perhaps some dealers might clear out old stock with a huge bargain. Personally I think all technology is over priced considering it’ ability to stay current and usefull..

Corey 06 Jun 06

DUDE�

I never said expects�. My words were not in need of interpretation.

I was more hopefull� And if Magellan is about to unload some new gear - then perhaps some dealers might clear out old stock with a huge bargain. Personally I think all technology is over priced considering it� ability to stay current and usefull..

Kim 07 Jun 06

PRS4, just select a TTS voice in the Locale menu

Mookoo 07 Jun 06

I agree with PRS4s request for EQ on the MP3. Also the volume control should be finer (have more increments) when using MP3. At the moment one level might be too loud and the next level down a bit too quiet. Also I think it should remember your volume settings for MP3 and GPS independently. I find myself constantly adjusting the volume between half way, which is where I listen to MP3s on headphones, and a few clicks from full which is where it needs to be for GPS.

Also - has anyone else noticed that when the back light goes off when running on batteries that it hasn’t actually gone off. Mine remains very dim which may impact on battery life.

All in all though, my Nuvi 360 is great.

Tisoy 07 Jun 06

Update on my Nuvi 350 replacement which just arrived. The first one I had froze and had satellite acquisition problems. The new one had absolutely NO PROBLEMS acquiring satellites—Mokoo is right—I must have just a defective unit. I marvel at this unit’s ability to rapidly acquire a satellite and maintain a signal lock throughout the trips I’ve taken so far. Route calculations and re-calculations have also been almost instantaneous! I still only have 1 minor gripe—the sound level and quality leaves a lot to be desired. But as far as navigation, I am truly awed by the reliability of the Nuvi 350!

BEN 07 Jun 06

PRS4, downloading 3.30 firmware should not have caused your nuvi350 text-to-speech capability. you either downloaded the wrong firmware or something affected the settings, or there is now a glitch within your unit. you might try downloading garmin’s installer and try to re-install the 3.30 firmware again making sure you select the correct one. but before you do that, you can try re-booting your unit by holding down the on/off button until it goes into pre-boot mode and continue to hold it down until it completes the reboot. if both of those fail, call garmin’s tech support line at 800-800-1020 and they will be able to help you isolate the problem.

Luke 07 Jun 06

Mokoo, is the Nuvi 360 as reliable as the Nuvi 350? Now that the Nuvi 350 is also PIN capable as a theft deterrent along with other updates by downloading the new 3.3 firmware, is it really worth paying the extra money just to have blue-tooth capability? I can’t listen to my car radio and still expect to hear my Nuvi 350…would having blue tooth capability allow you to hear the Nuvi 360 through your blue-tooth cell ear piece?

Mookoo 07 Jun 06

Luke: I think the 360 is the same as the 350 as far as reliability is concerned. I suspect however that the quality control issues that have plagued the 350 will have been sorted in new units shipping now. As the 360 is so new, this will also have been subject to the same hike in quality control right from the start. This will probably lead some to falsely thing that the 360 is more reliable. In short - both units shipping now will have the same reliability IMHO. This is why I am trying to ecourage all those with problems to send their units back. When they work, they’re fantastic and never fail to impress.

In the UK the 360 seems to be selling online for less than the 350 for some strange reason (or at least it was when I got mine). I can only assume that the online companies here are having a bit of a price war. That’s the only reason I got the 360. I suspect that in the future the 310 & 360 will replace the 300 & 350 at a cheaper price point world wide. Having said that, I love the bluetooth feature and I use it daily instead of my headset because the Nuvi displays caller ID etc for incoming calls and has a host of other features like dialing from POI. You will notice that most of the built in PIOs have phone numbers. On the 360, you get a phone button on the POI info screen which allows you to dial the number when you are connected to your phone. I don’t know if the Nuvi will pair up with a BT headset though. My headset was wired so I can’t test it. I will try and borrow one to test. I just mute my radio when there’s an incoming call but I do intend to get a wired FM modulator (had no success with the transmitter type) soon.

PRS4 07 Jun 06

Kim - that was it. Since all setting was re-set after updating, I selected the wrong voice option. Thanks for the help.

Ben - That was my simple mistake. I appreciate your help, though.

Pete 07 Jun 06

Does the Nuvi 350 come preloaded with maps of USA? If not what is the process? Do you have to purchase SD cards with preloaded maps?

Thanks

Mookoo 08 Jun 06

The Nuvi 350 can come with either USA or Europe but not both. If you want both then you’ll have to buy the other on DVD from Garmin.

Darius 08 Jun 06

How would the Garmin Nuvi 360 compare with the TomTom 910? I’m at debate over getting one or the other

butch 08 Jun 06

hey gps types, i just got my nuvi 350 and have been using it for 2 days with absolutely no problems. i also downloaded the 3.30 firmware update and now enjoy an anti-theft feature that you unlock with a 4-digit pin#. i think the nuvi will pay for itself in time, fuel, printer ink & paper savings. it also fits in my pocket and is truly a great travel companion. i don’t understand people complaining about “satellite acquisition” problems as it almost instantly acquires a satellite, rapidly calculates a route, and maintains a lock until i arrive at my destination. i have not tried the other functions, but i mainly purchased it for navi purposes. but as they say, there are always room for improvement. for some reason, garmin forgot to allow users to put multi-routing capability. also, out of all gps units i’ve used, this seem to have the lowest volume level. i figure stops can always be saved on to favorites, and i can always wear a headset, hook it up to an fm modulator, or connect the audio out of a headset. i even saw someone on ebay selling a blue-tooth adapter for this around $59—does it work? after d/l the firmware update, i have it set on jack tts voice, and i can actually hear the instructions better! btw, i also d/l a new vehicle—a red monster truck! in a nutshell, if you’re looking for a gps, and can afford to buy quality, for about $650.00 for the Nuvi 350—you will MARVEL at this magnificient piece of equipment!!!

Jorge 08 Jun 06

sup homies! this nuvi 350 speaks english, SPANISH, french, german, danish, czech, and whatever else—LoL! seriously homes, if you’re looking for bi-lingual, tri-lingual, bi-sexual (what i meant male or female voices—hehehe), this be the unit u want! gets satellites quick, stays connected, and gets u there no problema! you’ve gotta be a moron to not appreciate this unit mang! you don’t gotta think no more. if i can use it, you can use it! I LOVE IT! but you know, it ain’t cheap…700 bones this cost me…and WORTH EVERY PENNY HOMBRES! go buy it—don’t waste your time buying the other crap….das’ all i gotta say!

Basil 08 Jun 06

i want to thank all the reviewers. collectively speaking, i agree with all the pros and cons. but overall, i still got a very positive vibe about the nuvi 350—so i purchased one. i was fortunate enough not to have purchased a unit that had satellite acquisition issues. mine performed all it’s navigation functions flawlessly—the rest of the other features i can always expore later. so here’s my take, i will make this very simple. it is by far the most reliable unit i have tried. and if the sound quality was a little better and multi way points were allowed on a later upgrade, this unit from 1 to 10 would be a 10! but because of some very tolerable issues and that nothing is perfect, i would rate this unit a “solid” 9 out of 10!

Patrick 08 Jun 06

Will buy the 350 Nuvi - shall I buy the extended warranty as well? Is it worth it?

Darren 09 Jun 06

I’ve been fishing around for the my very first GPS navigator, there are 3 reasons I wanted one. 1. For my job, 2. for the wife (Always getting lost going down to the shops) and 3. for going on holiday in France in a couple of weeks. (also because I’m a technoholic).

This one looks like it will suffice for all, fingers crossed.

Its had 4-4.5 out of 5 on most sites.

Dat 09 Jun 06

Wow!!!! I haven’t read any thing with such a lot and lengthy comments like this on any product. It is true that this piece of electronic is soooooo amazing how it works. I got it with a lot lower price than $900. It is only $652 exact including one day shipping delivery. I put my order in Saturday night and got it on Tuesday. The price is comming down now people. Ofcourse, a new model, Nuvi 360, is about to comming out sometime on July, so Nuvi 350 price will definitely drop further. I am very happy of having it. I usex it to drive from San Diego to Austin, then to Plano, TX.

Rick 09 Jun 06

Bought one a few days ago, but what a disapointment! The screen washes out in the least sunlight, even on cloudy day. It is extremely difficult to read and is a hazard while driving. I believe that Garmin recently substituted a “new” (shiny)screen on the nuvi350, whereas the original screen was much brighter. Otherwise the unit has a tremendous set of features. I agree with Mookoo above (7Jun) that the MP3 and GPS volume should be separately adjustable.

Barbara 09 Jun 06

Rick: Have you adjusted the brightness on the screen? Push the power button once. Mine is visible even in bright sun. I bought it about a month ago.

— Barbara

Jorge 10 Jun 06

Rick, you must be blind mang…i used my bro’s other gps and my nuvi ish brightah. if u dont wanna crash, u don’t gotta look while driving so much is da reason you have one that speaks da street name—duh! i wanna see you make a better gps than the nuvi rick…i know yo won’t coz you can’t even use one or adjust one like barbra says…i wonder why someone like me who don’t graduate high school can use it no problem and u can’t? u graduate grade 6? LOL….everybody homres y muchachas, nuvi 350 es muy bueno y facil de usar—yahooooooo!

Luke 10 Jun 06

Hi Rick, it was suggested to you by Barbara that you check the brightness setting. Between that and my suggestion that you adjust the viewing angle, you should have a pretty good display. The Nuvi 350 is my 3rd GPS and is the brightest out of the 3. That’s the reason I’m a bit puzzled you’re having trouble. As far as the volume, I agree with most reviewers—it leaves a lot to be desired. I think Garmin committed a “design blunder” going for symmetry instead of functionality with regard to Nuvi’s speaker configuration. They could have moved stuff around and have these tiny speakers facing the “FRONT” toward the driver instead of speaking to your windshield instead of to the driver—now how LAME is that? I still don’t regret buying it. Navigation-wise, it has no equal in my book! Scale of 1 to 5? i’ll give it a solid 4!

pitcoken 11 Jun 06

The Magellan is FRENCH and thus not to be considered as a serious alternative to the Nuvi.

Steve Evans 11 Jun 06

Advice please:

I’m a fanatic cyclist and to complete an interesting (but unplanned) circuit I rely on my Garmin eTrex Vista. It fits neatly on my handlebars, its durable and fully waterproof. It works both on and off road. The downside is poor satellite lock and crap image quality (especially when your eyesight is as bad as mine)!

So, I’m interested in upgrading to the Nuvi 350.

But … does it work off-road? In other words, does it record trails away from the tarmac? Similarly, can pre-planned routes be forced off road?

Are the Nuvi maps exclusively roads, or are trails and topographic features included as with my MapSource loaded eTrex??

Is it weatherproof?

Can it be handlebar mounted?

Realistically, how long will the battery last? (My eTrex gives me a full day’s cycling on 2 AAs)

Steve 11 Jun 06

The Nuvi does not record anything. You cannot route off roads. You can load topographical maps, but I think these are informational only. The Nuvi is not weatherproof. It can be handlebar mounted. The battery typically lasts 3-4 hours.

The Nuvi is really an automotive GPS. I suggest that you look at other products more suited to your off-road needs.

Tim 12 Jun 06

I purchased a nuvi350 and found it to do the job. i hear what you guys are saying about the speakers mounted in the back so that is kinda stupid for garmin to do that. it’s like buying a speaker system with the tweeter, mids, and woofer facing the wall-tsk tsk! but otherwise, this thing gets me everywhere i want to go accurately and quickly. i’d still recommend it for people who can afford it.

Mookoo 13 Jun 06

I think they put the speakers on the back to allow the unit to be smaller. The unit is not much bigger than the screen so how could you possibly put the speakers on the front without making the unit bigger. I think the practice of putting the speaker on the back is fairly standard. I can’t remember when I last saw one with the speakers on the front. I’m sure that Sony, Navman & TomTom all have speakers on the back. I think the lack of volume is more to do with the tiny size of the Nuvi more than anything else.

I am fitting a hard wired FM modulator to my car this weekend which will allow me to route the sound through my car stereo in high quality (mainly for the MP3s). The modulators only costs about �15 on Ebay here in the UK (probably cheaper everywhere else!) so I’ll let you know how I get on. I’ve tried the transmitter type and just got a crap reception.

I do agree that the Nuvi is not very loud but I think it’s loud enough. This may be different in louder vehicles etc but I find it ok and would rather a tiny but quiet Nuvi than a ‘brick sized’ but loud one :-)

Tim 13 Jun 06

I agree w/Mookoo that the nuvi is loud enough for navigation. But for MP3’s, forget it folks. Only if you can use the audio out to play other external speakers. Especially if you’re going to be outdoors—it’s not even close to audible, let alone enjoyable. But as previously stated, if it is portable & reliable navigation you want that fits in your pocket and can take everywhere, no other unit currently available would do the job as well as Garmin’s Nuvi series. IMHO, it’s worth every penny of the $650 I paid for!

Jorge 13 Jun 06

u peepols crack me up. the nuvi ish a GPS mang…for direciones hombres. for dat ish the best thang out there! if you wanna play mp3s sounds, buy a phat system. i got 1000 watts and kickers on the woof that will make ur car rumble when u pull up next to me. if i wanna hear my nuvi, there is a thang called mute button mah brothas…use it and listen to your GPS…duh!

Mario 13 Jun 06

Hey everyone, GPS units right now are getting better and hopefully cheaper. I purchased my first cd player before for $985 for a simple one made by philips magnavox….and it was a single play unit. needless to say, they are a dime a dozen now and are a lot more sophisticated not to mention better sounding due to oversampling. In my opinion, when the momentum picks up and more people buy GPS units, they will get better and cheaper just like any techno-related products. take for instance the non-TTS units & the non SiRF equipped models, the educated GPS buyer will steer away from those and therefore prices will come down which will help out first-time users. I do believe the current prices approaching $1000 for the good portable units such as the nuvi 360 is way over priced. I personally see that in the very near future, something like the nuvi 350 and 360 will be in the $200-300 range! Wishful thinking? I don’t think so…the past price drops of electronic products speaks for itself!

Stevens 13 Jun 06

Does anybody give credence to the statements I’ve read which says “units with text-to-speech capabilities have slower operations than simpler non-TTS units” ??? I’ve even read a review of someone who put a garmin c330 and c340-tts capable unit side by side & observed the simpler c330 react earlier than the more complicated c340 which pronouced the street names! so how about it nuvi350 owners? any lag or delay you’ve noticed as a result of having TTS capabilities on the nuvi???

mike 13 Jun 06

Why does my nuvi show mileage that is consistently incorrect when I use the Lodging, Fuel, Food etc?

Kim 14 Jun 06

mike, what do you mean by incorrect ? The distance shown in the waypoint list is as the crow flies — it does not plan any routes until you selects a destination

Chris 14 Jun 06

I purchased the Nuvi 350 at Sams Club for $690.00. It is the best GPS device I have ever seen or used. If you really need it, it is worth having. An awesome product!

Mookoo 15 Jun 06

The Nuvi was never designed to play MP3s through the internal speaker. The speaker is tuned for clear spoken audio and therefore has no bass. Through headphones however, this is as good as any MP3 player I have heard. With a few more audio adjustments (may come with a future firmware) it would be fantastic. Don’t even try listening to music through the internal speaker - this will just scare the cat and maybe even startle horses in a nearby field!!!!!

This is why I love this little gadget so much tho….. You are navigated to your destination - It’s so small you can then remove it from the car and put it in your pocket - Then you can plug in a set of headphones and pass the time away in your hotel room listening to your favourite tracks. This is what the Nuvi is all about.

derek 15 Jun 06

hi kim, did u mean airtime by the crow flies? mookoo, the movie map is kinda outdated. it keeps telling me to turn into a street that was sealed off and dead-ends to a shoppping center 2 years ago. is there a firmware to update maps? or is garmin charging me $60 or so for a current map in a form of a dvd? that’s not fair because i just purchased this unit—it shd have had a current map. also chris, what sam’s club did u buy ur nuvi for $690? i paid $799 for mine a couple of weeks ago! no complaints whatsoever on this unit besides the maps. it’s awe inspiring. gets u there and when u do get there, u remove it from it’s cradle and stick in ur pocket…what other gps is gonna give u that? just the nuvi!

Mookoo 15 Jun 06

Derek: In the UK Garmin have just released new maps (Version 8) and the 360 ships with this new version. However if you purchase/register your unit after a new maop release, Garmin allow you to upgrade for free. New maps for the US are imminent (current version 7) so do not register the unit with Garmin yet. As soon as the new maps are released (could be just a metter of days), register your unit and claim your free upgrade :-)

derek 16 Jun 06

mookoo, thanks for the tip. fortunately, i got ur advice on time. i have not yet registered my nuvi—it’s just 2 weeks old!

DEWEY 17 Jun 06

what is the differences between the European metro map and the travel guide?

Mike Lougee 18 Jun 06

Has anyone played with the “TourGuide” functionality? It’s meant to allow a custom .mp3 and custom .jpg start whenever one gets in proximity to a destination. This would be a fascinating way to create a “tour,” just like museums (and some US national parks) have audio tours. Those audio tours require the user to press a button when standing in front of a monument, whereas the Garmin TourGuide could do it based on simply arriving in front of the monument. Great stuff, if it works!

The latest help/instructions for Garmin’s POI loader describe how to do it, but I don’t have the Mapsource app… the only way to get that it to purchase it, and wait for a package w/ the CD (lame, to not allow purchase and download!).

Scot 19 Jun 06

Anyone know when the 360 will be released in Canada? I see July 2006 on a few websites but want to know when in July or even if July is a for sure release date.
Anyone see a better price than $899.00 cdn out there?

Mr. Tan 19 Jun 06

Hello people, I am a new nuvi 350 owner. Total cost with shipping was only $650 through www.gpsnow.com which was a great deal because mail order has no tax & shipping was included in the price. My first unit was defective. For some reason, it locked up on “Acquiring Satellite” mode. When I called gpsnow, they referred me to Garmin tech support. Although it took more than 30 mins. for someone to help me, they were very helpful and determined I have a defective unit. After this diagnosis, GPS Now quickly issued me an RMA number, and set-up an exchange. I was impressed at how quickly they delivered the replacement—hooray for GPS NOW’s customer service department.

The replacement unit functioned FLAWLESSLY. It acquired satellites quickly and maintained the signal on every trip I’ve taken. Never has it lost a signal. There have been a few times, however, that turns given to me led to a shopping center parking lot which are dead ends. But I suspect that it is because of an old map that according to a previous reviewer version 8.0 is soon to be released. It does not happen frequently, and I still get there in almost all of the time. Sound is kind of soft for a GPS but it’s portability makes up for it. I have learned to tune my ear to the nuvi’s softer speakers, and if I’m listening to the radio, the on-screen instructions are always on the the top of the status bar well before you have to turn.

I have not as yet used the other functions like mp3’s, etc. But as far as being a street navigator for anyone in the U.S., the nuvi 350 is a wonderful product of modern engineering. I still am amazed how far we’ve come in street navigation, and having said that, at least for now, the smallest happens to be THE BEST!

greg 20 Jun 06

i wanna buy a gps and is considering the nuvi350 because of recent price drops. i noticed a few people had to return their units due to satellite locks? am i to expect this problem? i hate taking stuff back and waiting for replacements. why don’t garmin just recall the defective units instead of aggravating people doing exchanges?

toni 20 Jun 06

Hey Greg, it is impossible for any company, Garmin included, to check every single unit’s full functionality. Some of these units are bound to be missed by quality control checks. It is then up to the consumer or end user to discover them and get either a replacement or repair work done under warranty. That, as they say, is how business operates. All in all, if you read the totality of the review, there are more first-time users that experienced no problem in proportion to those who had to exchange their units. And once the replacements arrived, I believe all of them reported perfectly working units and gave the nuvi 350 the most raving of reviews. I rest my case! -Happy with my Nuvi-

Cindy 20 Jun 06

I had posted some questions a few weeks ago regarding whether to purchase a Nuvi or the Magellan Roadmate 800. I couldn’t make up my mind (drawn to the Roadmate for it’s multi-destination feature), so I ordered them both.

Either the Roadmate had a problem or it just suffered by comparison to the Nuvi. The first time I turned on the Roadmate, it couldn’t acquire a signal and the screen went blank after about 15 minutes. I turned it off/on and it acquired a signal in 4-5 minutes. By comparison, the Nuvi acquired a signal within a minute of being turned on for the first time.

Subsequent use of both units only proved the Nuvi’s superiority (at least in the case ot the two particular units I had). On several occasions, I had to turn the Roadmate off/on before it would acquire a signal. Sometimes it just never received a signal; I gave up waiting and drove 25-30 minutes to my destination in one case and it never picked up a signal. Never had that problem with the Nuvi. The Roadmate also locked up once during use, which the Nuvi has not done (at least not yet).

The Nuvi was the winner hands down. If anyone else is undecided between the two, I’d highly recommend the Nuvi.

Cindy 20 Jun 06

Attention Nuvi owners:

I contacted Garmin about offering an update that would allow multiple destinations (and optimization between them) within a single trip. I also suggested an �avoid� feature if you don�t want to use a particular route suggested. (Magellan offers both of these features.)

I received a response stating they would pass my request on to the appropriate department. If anyone else would like these features, I�d encourage them to contact Garmin and let them know. Perhaps if they receive enough feedback, they�ll incorporate them in a future update.

Mr. Tan 21 Jun 06

hi cindy, we appreciate ur efforts especially with the avoid feature which negates a wrong turn on one-way streets and into outdated routes that lead to a dead end or sealed off streets which i have run into. i have a feeling that the multiple destination issue has already been suggested numerous times to them judging from earlier reviews. but as they say with votes, the more the merrier!

butch 21 Jun 06

hey cindy, strangely enuf, the problems with the roadmate with satellite locks and freezing i had with the nuvi 350 i had before a replacement unit came in and now works perfect. i suspect ur magellan roadmate had a mfg defect. exchange it. that’s what warranties are for!

Judie 21 Jun 06

Help! I have a new Nuvi 350 and it keeps the losing satellite connection. It works fine in my house, and works when I am out of state, but I am having trouble getting connected in the car! Of course what good is it in the house? Any ideas?

Jae 22 Jun 06

Do you have a metal based tint on your car? I hear those sometimes give trouble for portable gps units. If you do, you might want to consider mounting an external antenna.

KoChi 22 Jun 06

This comment is for those who may be considering buying the 350. As a first time buyer, it was thru these reviews that I got the courage to buy the product and it hasn’t let me down. The best part for me is it will even tell you which lane to stay on!

butch 22 Jun 06

judie, don’t believe that baloney about a metallic tint on ur windshield. i have a ford ranger who is in the “list” with metallic windshield warning for gps’s—i had NEVER had a problem maintaining and acquiring a satellite lock! you have a “defective” unit. i had the same problem with my first unit…read the last few dozen reviews and you will find a abundance of people who had the same problem as you in one way shape or form. the good news is—your dealer should exchange it, and if they don’t help you, Garmin will exchange or repair your unit. i got my replacement from the dealer i purchased from with no problem. my replacement unit works PERFECT! good luck!

Dean 22 Jun 06

I just updated my software from 3.20 to 3.30 and every single one of my favorites has dissappeared. Wouldnt’ have been so bad if the upgrade software would have let me know that it was about to erase all my favs. I’m so Pi$$ed at Garmin right now I can’t hardly see straight. How can a company build such a beautiful state of the art piece of equipment and not even be able to do a simple upgrade without deleting my favs? This is absolutely insane I tell ya’!!!!

Dean 22 Jun 06

And furthermore….how about at the very least explaining to us how to go about saving our favorites and reinstalling them after an upgrade. Is this some kind of freak’n secret or something? Garmin sucks for not telling people up front how to work around this problem in the first place….and I told them so in an email.

For all you newbies out there about to upgrade your software - beware….unless you figure out how to save your favs to your computer…you’ll lose them - thanks to Garmin!!!

Cylon Pete 22 Jun 06

Tom Tom 910 Vs Garmin Nuvi 360: this dribing me nuts. I have been reviewing these 2 models and i cant decide…Please someone help me..

butch 23 Jun 06

to dean, when u quick-restore a computer akin to updating from 3.20 to 3.30, you literally reformat everything and lose data…the benefits of the update far outweigh the slight inconvenience of re-loading ur favorites. and as you stated garmin gave us a “beautiful state-of-the-art piece of equipment” so chill out and enjoy it!

to cyclone pete, are you reviewing the 910 and nuvi 360 as an owner or by reading other reviews? because if you truly have both, you would have noticed that the tom tom’s mounts are poorly designed. they are hard to connect together to have the electrical seat properly and very difficult to disconnect. The display of the tom tom washes out easily on daylight, and the screen seems very flimsy. if that’s not enough, i’ve found their POI database to be out of date. do yourself a favor my friend, if you haven’t done so already, BUY A NUVI!@

mr. tan 23 Jun 06

This is also for Dean: above everything else, the nuvi will fit in your pocket. As stated in earlier review—the SMALLEST is also the BEST! Too bad we can’t convince women of that—LoL! ;-)

Dean 23 Jun 06

Butch: I agree it’s a beautiful piece of gear but it makes no sense that Garmin does not make an effort to educate us that updating the software will wipe out all previously entered date. They also should educate us on how to save our favorites so that we can install that back into the new updated software. I had several addresses in my Nuvi that were very important to me and when I updated the software…they were gone.

I got an email from Garmin regarding this and it appear that the person who wrote the email is from some third world country and hardly understands english…I can’t make heads or tails of their explanation :/

Agian, I’m very dissappointed in Garmin!

Dean 23 Jun 06

What exactly is a Waypoint? I asked Garmin how many “favorites” my Nuvi would hold and they said it holds 500 Waypoints. Is a Waypoint the same as an address?

Once again - they fail to educate me about the product and in fact have left me more confused. Am I expecting too much from these people?

ScottM 23 Jun 06

Dean…do yourself a favor and don’t click-away when upgrading to new versions. I just bought the 350 today and upgraded to 3.30 and it is CLEARLY marked in red “Warning—all user data will be deleted” and then it goes on to say how to save all of your data so that you can restore it after the upgrade. Chill out, slow down, and RTFM. I’m sorry you had a problem, but I found your post confusing in that Garmin was very clear in the instructions.

mr. tan 24 Jun 06

Hello again Dean. Did you know that Garmin made it so easy to use their GPS’s especially the nuvi that my 16 year old has no problem with it? In fact, he updated my software to 3.30 and saved the favorites for me. It has now been restored. Nomenclature and terminology is secondary but would be helpful if you took the time to do a little educating yourself rather than to rely on Garmin to give you GPS-101. All in all, you are not going to find a simpler, more reliable & portable GPS than the nuvi series. Please don’t take offense with our advice. It is only because the rest of us here reading your complaints are puzzled why rather than taking a little responsibility for your own edification, you are so quick to blame Garmin who brought us this marvelous unit. I think here in America, they call it “barking at the wrong tree” and I hate to say, in your case, you are even peeing on it-LoL! Make sure next time you do a bit of soliloquy and pee on your own leg—perhaps the warmth will wake you up and download the freakin’ manual like the rest of us did…and btw, like ScottM sez’ you also have to read it! Lastly, feel fortunate that you have purchased the best…one would only have to guess what would have happened if you would have purchased a unit less than this fantastic nuvi series that is a TECHNOLOGICAL MARVEL from our friends at Garmin!

Anonymous Coward 25 Jun 06

If you think your 16 year old son updated your nuvi is something special ,how about my dog Rex did the same job in less then a minute!
NUVI RULES !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scotty 25 Jun 06

You guys make this sound like sliced bread and the invention of the wheel all rolled up in one. Maybe we should coin a term - sliced wheels or wheeled bread. I want to buy one just from your rave reviews, but I really don’t need a 5th GPS, but when did need enter the equation.

For those of you looking at different machines and desiring to learn how GPS works, look at http://gpsinformation.net There is mucho information there and it is fairly simply explained.

Enjoying the comments - thanks.

Scotty

Scotty 25 Jun 06

For those asking about different mounts for the NUVI. I have uses Ram Mounts in several different situations. Presently using a ram mount for my motorcycle with a Garmin 276. They have a huge assortment of mounts and they are sturdy. Below is a mount for a bicycle, but the Nuvi is not waterproof so beware.

http://www.ram-mount.com/gps_mounts/garmin_gps_mount_ga21.htm

Scotty

mike 26 Jun 06

Is there a way to identify [Food, Lodging,schools etc] for an address that is in NUVI when you are not located at that address?

Dana 26 Jun 06

Cindy et al: I will eventually get to the point, but I talked with Garmin this AM about an issue i had with the 350 (same as Jeff on Feb 03) with an mp3 not playing and then going to the next song, but sometimes I get a loud scratchy static POP! and the unit shuts down. I can play the mp3 FROM the 350 when USB-connected to my XP desktop, and no problem with WMP on my desktop. Just wondering what kind of “corruption” (the Garmin techie’s assessment) in that file (and others like them, all downloaded mp3 versions of a weekly radio broadcast, and ALL of them cause the same problem, but ONLY on the nuvi playback software..does anybody know what it is anyway? proprietary??) could be (and please pardon my frequent use of parenthetical asides!). I am going to convert the mp3 file on my desktop to anopther format, then convert it back to mp3 and see if that can be a work-around, but all the techie could suggest is to “send it in.” Think I needed a Level 2 techie or a supe.

ALSO (yes I will get to my point, or you can scroll down, but this next thing is interesting, too!), I -did- learn of a nuvi secret you all may like to know about. You can enter “Maintenance mode” by pressing on the screen (unit is OFF when you start) with a pencil eraser in the lower left corner, just above the word “GARMIN”, then press and hold the power button until the splash screen appears, then let go of the power button while still pressing the spot on the screen. As soon as you get the screen that asks if you REALLY want to enter that mode, lift the eraser off the screen, and go ahead and say YES, but BEWARE! This will erase EVERYTHING in the “MY LOCATIONS” section, except “CUSTOM POIs”, so you’d better save them first, and re-load them later.

ANYWAY…. what I then asked was about multiple waypoints, and he said it will probably never happen, that the 350 was never designed for that, that I should consider a Street Pilot, to which I replied “but the SP won’t fit in your POCKET, which is why I wanted the 350” and he said, sorry, which completely satisfied me. NOT!

Has anyone experieinced my first problem, other than Feb03 Jeff? Any solutions??? Thanks. My email is abbott-contact(AT)houston.rr.com

Armando 27 Jun 06

I have a question about the maps.

On Garmin site two types are mentioned:
1. City Navigator on DVD
2. City Navigator NT on SD card

As the site indicates NT “includes the same detailed maps, just compressed differently for your compatible Garmin”.

Is it possible to install CN on the computer and then save it on a SD card and use it on NUVI or only CN NT would work?

Also, would data on the SD card and the one pre-installed on the unit work together, or do you have to uninstall the previous map and install the new one?

Richard Adam 28 Jun 06

I got a Nuvi 350 on June 21 which came loaded with City Navigator V8. I asked Garmin why the latest version on their website is V7. Garmin said V8 isn’t officially released yet. It will be available on the website as the first update for the Nuvi series in “about a month” with V9 to follow in another 12 to 18 months.

Got mine from FuturePowerPC.com for $626 (no tax and shipping was free). Works great and I love it.

pt 29 Jun 06

Has anyone used an anti-glare overlay on your Nuvi 350?
What’s a good brand? And should I go with adhesive or
non-adhesive type? Thanks!!!

Golem 29 Jun 06

Attn all New nuvi owners—do not register your new unit with Garmin until V8 maps become available. Once it is released, you can register your nuvi and claim your FREE download to update your old V7 that came with your unit. Thanks for that bit of info Richard…I am anxiously awaiting
Version 8’s release!!!

PT 30 Jun 06

Golem, Do you know when V8 maps is scheduled to release?
My Nuvi is arriving tomorow :-) Thanks!!!!

Kim 30 Jun 06

Just wondering … has ANY n�vi been released with V7 map ? In Europe I’m rather sure all n�vis are V8

Golem 30 Jun 06

Hi PT, if you recently purchased your nuvi like Richard Adam, chances are you already have version 8. If you don’t, Garmin is due to release it sometime in July. So it could happen any moment. The thing to remember is v.7 is adequate for now. There’s always going to be a couple of weird turns here and there in any navi sys. Just hold off registering your new gps. Otherwise if you do before version 8 is released, you will have to pay for the update. I think it’s worth waiting a few weeks for a freebie don’t you? Happy & safe 4th of July everyone!

Barbara 30 Jun 06

I don’t understand why anyone should have to pay for a maps update! A GPS is only as good as its maps. I would expect maps to be updated regularly and at no charge to existing customers.

I bought my Nuvi about two months ago. I shouldn’t have to pay for new maps already.

— Barbara

EricB 30 Jun 06

I spoke with Garmin about the map update. He advised me the version 8 will be out in Aug 06, If you bought your nuvi with the old v7 you will be able to get a update disk once you contact them, they will send it to you.

MarkF 30 Jun 06

I also talked to Garmin today, and was told the same as EricB. The release will be some time in august, but anyone that bought a nuvi after monday(support said that the announcement for V8 maps was on monday). It even sounded like you could register now and still get the V8 update later. Hope this is so. I still may hold off on registering though.

PT 30 Jun 06

Golem, tnks for the info. I agree it’s worth the wait for the map upgrade. But hopefully it’s free for everyone that owns the nuvi. You have a Great July 4th also.

PT 30 Jun 06

Just opened open my brand new nuvi. Your guess is correct, Golem … the map is V8 and system software is 3.2. Think I be ok for now. :-) :-) Gota test it out now.

YE 01 Jul 06

Anyone on the list who used US Topo Maps - any idea, if the old version (v3.00) can be used on the Nuvi, or do I need to buy the new one? I downloaded and upgrade to the latest v6.11.

pt 01 Jul 06

Just tested out my brand new nuvi & there seems to be a problem with it. My nuvi have problem acquiring satelites often on startup. I would have to press the “reset” button & startup again to get it to acquire. I tested it Irvine, CA yesterday and Houston, TX today & both areas have the same acquiiring problem. I have not figured out under what circumstance my nuvi have problem acquiring satelites.

amy 02 Jul 06

We just bought the nuvi 350 but ours DOES NOT SAY STREET NAMES, just left/right. What is wrong with it - my husband says it is about settings, but we can not find any way to fix it.

This is really important to me for it to say the streets so I don’t need to look at the map. PLEASE HELP - HOW DO WE GET IT TO SAY THE STREET NAMES!!!!!

ps - yes, it is the real deal - garmin nuvi 350 new in the box ect - that was my gut reaction, its not the garmin 350 - but it is, any hints?????

PT 02 Jul 06

amy, I believe is in your setting (your voice selection will determine if your nuvi will say the street names). Only some of the voice selection, Jill for example, will do text-2-sound. Try doing the following from you main menu: settings -> Language -> Voice Language & select a different voice. I think the ones with (TTS) will do what you want, but not sure …. I just my nuvi also :-)

pt 02 Jul 06

When you startup the Nuvi for the 1st time, it ask the user to select a voice. The instructions also say which voice can say the street names (text-to-speech) … I can’t remember which one. Anyway, if you followi the instruction above the voices
with (TTS) -> Text-To-Speech will do what you want.

-PT

Donna 02 Jul 06

I live in the uk an I have a nuvi 350. I am travelling to florida in the next two weeks and want the maps of north america on sd card. Does anyone know of anywhere in the Orlando area where I can get them. Your help would be appreciated. Mnay thanks

Donna 02 Jul 06

I live in the uk an I have a nuvi 350. I am travelling to florida in the next two weeks and want the maps of north america on sd card. Does anyone know of anywhere in the Orlando area where I can get them. Your help would be appreciated. Mnay thanks

Dean 02 Jul 06

I am trying to decide between the Nuvi 350 or 360. Do either have problems viewing with polarized sunglasses? If so is there a screen protector that can be purchased to correct this problem? Any problems pairing a Verizon phone with the 360? Thanks in advance for your help.

Kathy 02 Jul 06

I am looking for a really good GPS and have found good and bad reviews for the Garmin Nuvi 350 and now I’m confused. I really don’t need all the entertainment features on the Garmin so would it be worth the price just for the GPS? I have GPS on my phone but it also uses minutes and we don’t have unlimited minutes. Any recommendations?

Kathy 02 Jul 06

I am looking for a really good GPS and have found good and bad reviews for the Garmin Nuvi 350 and now I’m confused. I really don’t need all the entertainment features on the Garmin so would it be worth the price just for the GPS? I have GPS on my phone but it also uses minutes and we don’t have unlimited minutes. Any recommendations?

Bill 02 Jul 06

I am a novice. What is a ‘Waypoint’? Thanks.

Barbara 02 Jul 06

Bill —

A waypoint is a stop you add to the route. Say you are travelling from point A to point B. You can add point C and then Nuvi will take you from A to C and then C to B. Some products let you add multiple waypoints - you can only add one on the Nuvi.

— Barbara

Kim 03 Jul 06

Bill, a waypoint is (like a favorite)a position you give a name.

Barbara, you confuse “waypoint” with “viapoint”

Keith 03 Jul 06

I just got a Nuvi 350, and did the 3.30 update, which I thought was tremendous. The manual is now slightly outdated and there is one feature that I cannot figure out, and it is probably simple….map outlines under the Map settings. I change this and can’t see anything change at least obviously. Anyone know about this?

Also, my Nuvi came loaded with v8 maps. The instructions talk about using MapSource, and I am wondering if Garmin will send a CD or do I have to buy it even though I have the latest?

crusty 04 Jul 06

I am astounded by those of you complaining about having to pay for map updates! These companies make their money from producing map data. In the same way that all of you get paid for doing your daily jobs, companies such as Garmin must get paid for the work they do on updating maps - this costs them money.

Try phoning Dell and ask them for a free upgrade to a P4 dual processor and let me know how you get on.

John 04 Jul 06

Does anyone know if the European maps come as part of the product if you are buying the US VERSION (US maps) and simply have to load them OR do you have to buy them seperately? If you have to buy them, does anyone know how much they cost? Thanks for your reply.

Keith 05 Jul 06

Crusty;

If you are referring to my comment, I definitely wasn’t complaining nor cannot figure out where you would read into that since I was asking a newbie question. I don’t mind paying but I have read that Garmin will send a free CD for recent purchases if the same version that is offered is loaded on the device. This is simply a learning curve for me and this site is very active about this device.

pt 05 Jul 06

Does anyone have a problem with your Nuvi not being able to acquire satellites on power up. I would have to turn off & on the Nuvi a couple of time (or reset it) in order for it to acquire the satellites.

pt 05 Jul 06

I think the satellite I’m having is when I shut off my Nuvi, take it to a different location and then start it again. Nuvi probably
have somekind of memory after it acquires the satellites, and it may have gotton confused when it’s taken to a different location when it’s off? Anyone seen similar situation, or know
that that is normal? Thanks!!!

Tizzy 05 Jul 06

Pt, sometimes it takes a moment for the nuvi to acquire satellite info. Most of the times, it gets it right away.

Got mine for $ 649 at Best Buy. Great deal for a great device. Even for digital illiterate people like myself.

pt 05 Jul 06

Tizzy, I got mine for $649 also at TigerDirect.

For the satellite acquire problem, I waited for about 3 minutes before I gave up. After I press the reset button, it takes about 15 seconds to acquire. I’ve never waited more than 3 minutes, so I don’t know how long it would take to lock to a satellite again. 3 minutes seems too long for me … but it’s the 1st time I’ve used a GPS. But I do notice the acquision problems happens when I move the GPS to a different location (while it’s off) and restart it again.

New User 05 Jul 06

I ordered my Nuvi from the lowest priced five star internet vendor I could find ($598 plus shipping). Ordered it Thursday, June 22 and received it Fedex on Tuesday, June 27. They have a 14 day, no questions asked, return policy, but I see no reason to use it. So far the buying experience has been excellent.

My Nuvi worked as advertised right out of the box. It�s small size allowed me to mount it in the speedometer cavity on my dash with a little Velcro and still view all but the temperature gage (there�s also a light). Works great. It acquires the satellites, on average, in about 30 seconds when not moving. It came with firmware version 3.40 and City Navigator North American NT v8. Prior to ordering my Nuvi I downloaded the 63 page Owner’s Manual PDF file from the Garmin site and printed it at home. It answered a lot of questions, although, being new to GPS, it left many more questions unanswered. The manual was written sometime in 2005 and as far as I can tell, never updated, so it’s getting somewhat outdated.

I called Garmin on Thursday, June 29, and asked them about using MapSource to load PC developed waypoints into my Nuvi. They said they would send me a free disk that same day. The disk was waiting for me when I returned from a trip out of town to visit family (the Nuvi stayed on track the whole way there and back and I also found out it’s great for jogging in new surroundings). The disk contained a PDF copy of the manual and the complete City Navigator North American NT v8 running in the MapSource program. It installed effortlessly on my PC (I think it’s about 1 gig).

The PC loaded MapSource allows you to view maps, zoom in and out with an easily adjusted scale, create single or multiple routes with multiple vias (unlike the Nuvi’s single via), and input many catagorized waypoints marked with multicolored flags, pins, symbols, etc. You can save all that information as a file and create many more files with different routes or waypoints. You can also create waypoints in MapSource and load them directly to your Nuvi via the USB cable, where they will be added to the waypoints already saved in your Nuvi Favorites (see page 54 in the manual).

I’m still learning, so these may be dumb comments, but here are some things from my wish list. The manual could use a picture of the Nuvi and the mount showing ports and switches. Also, a tree diagram of the software would be nice. The manual needs a better description of how to use the map screens. The tracking screen that can be set to say 3D, North Up, or Track Up; then when you touch that screen, a North Up screen appears that allows you to select locations and also track. They need a quick way to set the map scales in the Nuvi, like the drop down in MapSource, rather then endlessly tapping the plus and minus keys. And finally, they also need a quick way to get back to the menu screen from deep in the screen tree. Pressing Back four times is annoying.

So far I can’t put the thing down, but I’m sure that will change.

pt 06 Jul 06

new user, to get back to the menu screen quickly, press and
hold the “back” touch button.

crusty 06 Jul 06

To Keith,

No my comment was aimed at those posters earlier on that explicitly said they didn’t feel they should pay for map updates.

This website is an invaluable source of information for newbies and wannabe Nuvi owners!

Keep up the good work everyone.

PT 06 Jul 06

Anybody know where I can get some free downloads? I’m looking for some POIs & custom icons that people created
or any other things that people created.

New User 06 Jul 06

PT, thanks for the tip on holding the back key to get to the menu screen. This is a great forum.

PT 06 Jul 06

Here’s a forum that have lots of good information on the Nuvi 350 and other GPS devices.

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/default.asp?group=2

-pt

SD Diver 07 Jul 06

New User,
Good to hear about your success. I got my second 350 (wife stole the first) two weeks ago and it was at 3.30, map v7. I just registered it today and sent an email to customer support, so I’ll see where that goes.

Cole97 07 Jul 06

I’ve made the decision to go with the Nuvi 350 and should pick it up this weekend. My question may seem a bit insignificant, however it has me concerned. I travel very much by airplane and I can’t seem to find a “case” of any kind for the 350. What are the other owners doing who fly alot to keep the unit from getting banged up in the briefcase? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Barbara 07 Jul 06

To Cole97: The Nuvi comes with a leather (or leather-like) case in the box. The only problem with it is that you have to close the satellite-finder thingie to put it in the case, which turns off the GPS. So if you, say, want to take the Nuvi in its case with you when you leave the car, or use Nuvi while you are walking, you have to turn off GPS to do so. I am thinking of cutting up my case and adding velcro or something so it can be in the case but with GPS still on.

cole97 07 Jul 06

Thanks Barbara - While I played with the demo unit, I was not able to see the leather case. Do you think the leather case is sufficient to keep the unit safe in an overnight bag with other “stuff”. Like I said before, this is kind of trivial, but after playing with the demo I came away feeling as if the unit housing was a bit fragile.

Mack 08 Jul 06

Just purchased one w/ City Navigator North American NT v8 and in checking the POIs found many new restaurants, hotels, stores near us (in suburban Detroit) that have been open for a number of years are not in the database. There are also erroneous entries e.g., it lists a Marshall Fields store as a Target store. All of these POIs can be found (and correctly) on Yahoo and Google maps. I wonder how deficient v8 is on a nationwide basis?

Does any one know how to provide this kind of feedback to whoever puts out City Navigator?

Michael 09 Jul 06

My Nuvi 350 came pre-loaded with City Navigator Europe Nt+v8 deluxe. I have managed to somehow delete the maps from the device whilst connected to the pc and attempting to download updates. This happened when I was having a problem with the GSTART - failing to recognise my device. So I thought I would delete the Garmin from my PC and re-load. From this point the mapping disappeared and no matter what I do, including system restore, I cannot get the maps back. Attempts to call Garmin Europe leave me dangling on the end of an unanswered phone for long periods. Has anyone got any ideas please as to how I can get my maps back ? I would be obliged for any advice.
Michael

Barbara 10 Jul 06

To Cole97: Yes, I think it is sufficient, it feels the same as the cases for my phone, sidekick, etc. But if you tend to be rough on equipment, you can always stuff it inside some socks or something. LOL

Kim 11 Jul 06

Michael, AFAIK there is no other way than returning your unit for a reload :-(

Lisanne 11 Jul 06

After reading this blog for months, I have decided the Nuvi is the one for me! Costco online now is offering the Nuvi 350 for $629. And, since it is Costco, theoretically no need to purchase an extra warranty. Mine should be here in a week. Thanks also to everyone who has been vocal with Garmin about upgrades. I look forward to joining the fray.

Sure wish I’d had it in Italy (with Europe maps) a few months ago!

Carmine 11 Jul 06

The NUVI 350 is simply the best GPS on the market ! It seems Garmin learned a lot from their experience with the IQUE ( which I also own ) and made the Nuvi simple, easy and fun to use right out of the package. I have a GPS built into my Mercedes but it does not have the traffic information that the new Nuvi offers as an option. Since New York road travel is all about traffic, I had to buy the NUVI 350 and the GTM 11 antenna. The traffic antenna really sucks. I am very surprised at Garmin ! I installed the antenna as suggested in the manual and called tech support several times ( with 30 minutes waiting time each time I called ), the antenna did not work unless I held it out of the window manually. It just does not work when installed inside the windshield. Garmin provided 2 types of antenna, a whip type and a wire type antenna. They both did not work, again unless I held the antenna outside of the windshield along with the amplifier. Finally, I had to mount the antenna on the outside of the windshield ( a bad idea as rain and snow will destroy it) but at least for now it occasionally picks up the traffic data, and not immediately and sometimes not at all ! Shame on you Garmin ! Your tech support told me they knew of the problem and that the antenna does not work inside many of the latest coated windshields ! All Garmin needed to supply is a simple FM antenna similar to those used for car cell phones, which is glued on the outside of the windshield and transmits the signal via a gap to the windshield mounted receiver on the inside.
So, if you are looking for a terrific GPS, the NUVI 350 is an outstanding product. If you want to receive traffic information quickly and “before” you hit traffic, unless you have an older car, forget it, at least until Garmin fixes the problem.

Barbara 11 Jul 06

I just got an update notice that 3.60 SW is available. Has anyone installed it yet? Just curious about any special plusses or minuses it might have. Thanks.

Kim 12 Jul 06

3.60 includes “Added support for enterprise tracking” … wonder what that can be

Barbara 12 Jul 06

WARNING!! I updated to 3.60 and also updated the GPS software. Now, every time I start Nuvi, it says “Updating GPS Software” but never sees any satellites! The “Acquiring Satellites” page is blank blank blank. FRUSTRATING! I am going to try reinstalling and also call tech support tomorrow.

Barbara 12 Jul 06

OK - whew - calm down - breathe. I reset Nuvi, reinstalled the GPS update, and all is well.

Newbie 12 Jul 06

For starters, I have had the nuvi 350 for about three weeks now. Reading this blog pushed me over the edge and made it a “had to have” item. I have not been let down in the least. This product is great, and thanks to all of you for the reviews, words of wisdom, etc.

One question I was hoping someone has the answer to: I entered my home address in my favorites and titled it “home”. I also changed the map symbol to a house. However, everytime I shut off the unit and turn it back on the symbol defaults back to a little black dot. All of my other symbol changes in my favorites remain in tact, but “Home” always reverts back to the black dot.

I know this is a very silly request, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me.

Thanks…

Keith 12 Jul 06

I just bought a nuvi 350, and I am having a problem that the backlight never comes on. I can read the display if I look really close, but it is completely black in a dark room.

Has anyone else ever seen this problem?

Kim 13 Jul 06

Keith, I’m sorry, but it seems that your backlight is defective

Kim 13 Jul 06

Upgraded to 3.60 without problems. Still wonder what �Added support for enterprise tracking� means. Anyone knows?

The Ajaxian 13 Jul 06

Interesting reading, everyone: “Paris via GPS” (Nuvi 350, that is), PC Magazine on-line edition.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1987091,00.asp

Barbara 13 Jul 06

Keith - Have you pressed the power button and adjusted the backlight? Maybe it’s set to a very low setting (or off entirely, if that’s possible).

Lamar 13 Jul 06

Does anyone know if polarized sunglasses work with the Nuvi 350 or 360?

PaulM 14 Jul 06

re: Polarized sunglasses and Nuvi 350 & my general observations

I believe polarized sunglasses are somewhat incompatible with the Nuvi 350 screen. The contrast on my unit certainly reduces when I use polarized sunglasses, even with full backlight settings. In general, the screen washes out in direct sunlight, with or without sunglasses. I read somewhere that there is a third-party overlay plastic that fixes the polarization problem but I did not keep the reference.

Mounting the unit so the screen is in shadow from direct sunlight may help. The audio street name annunciation significantly reduces dependancy on looking at the screen. Therefore screen visibility idiosyncracies in direct sunlight are very tolerable on this unit. I find the positive locking suction cup assembly works great on the windshield and other flat non-porous surfaces in my car. I have not yet had to face freezing temperature issues, like some other users.

My gripes with the unit are routing choices and loudspeaker hardware. The unit will easily route you through the low speed secondary streets across an urban area, rather than picking the fastest highway routing. If you know the best general routing to a desintation, then use Nuvi to figure out the final turns to a destination. Today in NJ, the unit tried to send us through an “alley” to get to the final destination. The “alley” looked like a dirt road through a cemetary. You need to apply common sense on top of the guidance, in order to get the most appropriate routing. (I have no info on how real-time traffic data influences the routing, but it looks like a neat feature, if you can afford the extra subscription).

I like to use Nuvi to see my progress, even for well known routes. The estimated time of arrival feature is pretty much useless in urban settings with traffic congestion. It works best when you are able to drive at the posted speed limit.

The loudspeaker is easily distorted at the loudest settings. The MP3 plays very loud vs the route guidance announcements. There does not seem to be a way to balance the two audio inputs. Maybe by using the headphone jack through a sound system, it would work better.

I see lots of negative comments on the web about lat/long features, which are unfounded with the current software downloadable from the Garmin website. Assuming you are getting the satellite position signals, you can get the lat/long position easily by going to the favourites screen and selecting current location. It is also possible to enter lat/long coordinates to find a location, rather than using an address. This is useful to get back to a saved waypoint. On the home screen, press on the symbol for signal strength bars and you can see the status of connection to satellites-which may be standard for many GPS units but I think it is neat!

My colleagues have other GPS handheld units but they all seemed impressed by my Nuvi 350 for the compact size and touch screen interface. They bought other brands in order to get North American plus Euro mapping bundled together cheaper. I only need the US and Canada. Seems the additional maps for Europe are rather expensive SD card options for this model of Nuvi. It seems you cannot add maps from your PC but you can use this unit as a USB drive. I believe there is 700 MB of free space in the memory of Nuvi 350, plus you can add an SD card e.g. 2 GB. I am not sure yet what the utility would be of adding an SD card, unless it is a (relatively expensive) Garmin map card for foreign countries.

If you search for a point of interest by just trying to spell the name, it seems to take forever for the Nuvi 350 to search through its database, proably because it needs to search through 6 million entiries. I usually back out of that unless it returns something right away. Other points of interest seem to pop up fast when searching under specific categories.

I love the point of interest database for restaurants and gas stations as it is very fast to give you distance and direction from where you are. The direction arrows even change position like a compass when you pass something on the list. Pick from the list fast, because the list can change quickly on its own, if you are travelling near the listed points of interest at higway speeds.

One cool feature is the ability to use your finger to drag-scroll the map or point to a place on the map and make it an on-the-fly waypoint. Unfortunately, since you can only add a max of one waypoint into an A to B trip, you cannot really force a certain routing for a trip. The unit will often bring you back to the route it suggests you take. A way to beat this limit is to create waypoints as different custom points of interest, then force the unit to go to each waypoint one after the other. That means you have to keep giving the unit new routing instructions as you reach each waypoint. You can’t really tell what routing the unit will give you in an area where there are lots of routing choices, so my work-around is not practical when you are in completely unframiliar terrirory.

If you have the money, do not hesitate to buy this model, I absolutely love mine. Any of the negatives are far outweighed by the positives.

PM - Toronto

Adonis 14 Jul 06

Upgrade to 3.60 is another freshness to this wonderfull machine.It went without hitch,straight in and no problems.
I congratulate Garmin and I am proud to own my NUVI 300.

Jim O'Brien 15 Jul 06

I support everything Jason says. The Garmin Nuvi 350 is outstanding. I looked very hard before parting with my $699.99 (on sale at Circuit City) but I am amazed. The unit is small, clear, accurate, quick and I don;t need to plug it into my cigarete lighter as long as I keep it charged (operates 4-8 hours per charge). It’s about the same size as my Canon ELF - fits comfortably into my pocket- and comes with a nice leather case- The windshield mount is very well made and easy to use.

This units is also the top recommended unit by Consumers Reports. Not only is it substantially less expensive than a unit built into your auto but you can move it from vehicle-to vehicle or carry it with you and use it on foot. The latest software download also adds a password feature. Turn the unit off and the only way to use it again is to enter your password (which you can change). So most theieves will not be able to use a stolen unit.

When you are at home or office or on vacation or traveling and want to know what restaruants or movies or gas stations or any other business are in the area, just pull out your NUVI 350 and perform a search. No need to be in your car or plugged into an outlet. Think of all the ways you can use this unit outside of your car.

There are plenty of cheaper units out there but not nearly as good as this unit. If you want the best- this is it. Shop for sales at legitimate places. If this is too expensive for you I suggest you skip this blog- Readers want to know the opinions of users not how cheap you are.

Dave 16 Jul 06

I’ve been doing a lot of research online on the Nuvi 350. I notice that there are many complaints regarding the matte screen that was changed in all the latest versions of the Nuvi 350. It seems like the original Nuvi 350s came with a better screen that allowed clear visibility even through direct sunlight and that the new ones all come with a cheaper screen that is much harder to see even in some sunlight. Has anyone experienced this issue? thanks.

Barry 16 Jul 06

Just picked up my first GPS, the Nuvi 350 - two questions …

Is there a way to make the unit repeat on demand what it just said or do I have to keep on driving to hear its next voice prompt?

Does the unit have two speakers in the back? The grills in the back indicate such, but I hear sound coming out only of the left side grill (when looking at it from the back).

Thanks for the help.

Barbara 16 Jul 06

Barry — If you are in View Map mode, tap the lower right corner of the screen. Nuvi will announce the next turn you have to take. That may or may not be the same as what it just announced. Sometimes it says “Continue 12.4 miles on xyz road” but the next announcement might say, “In 12.4 miles, take ramp on right to ABC road.”

hth — Barbara

Pesh 16 Jul 06

I am curious if anyone is having problems with their Nuvi and windshield mounting? Specifically, issues with the suction cup. I had heard that there may be a design flaw with the suction cup. Specifically, the unit is heavier than the suction cup can support.

Perhaps this is an issue in hot climate areas??? I live in TX, but curious if anyone has had problem and if so, what you’ve done to solve.

Thanks
Pesh

smediajr 16 Jul 06

This is the greatest. The price is coming down since the 360 (bluetooth) is out. Sans is 694.52 and others price match it. My question is when I plug into the cigarette lighter and use the mini plug to go through my car speakers it whistles with interference. It does not do it on battery or when plugged in on its speakers. I listen to books on tape and it has replaced my ipod. I thought my ipod video was the greatest thing since peanut butter. The nuvi 350 has it beat. I tried the TomTom 700 and the 910. Horrible compared to the nuvi. It is worth every penny. I can remove it and put it in the case and drop it into my purse and it doesn’t take anymore room than my cell phone. I was going to trade up to the 360 but I can deal with the bluetooth on my phone without it going through the car speakers. It geats a 10+++++++++ from me. The only negative is Garmin is hard to reach for support but they have ALWAYS called me back and answered my questions.

Bernd Sommer 17 Jul 06

I installed the firmware update 2.40 (bought a few weeks ago) to 3.60. Immediately afterwards the device worked fine with preinstalled Germany map in detail. The next day my nuvi 300 did not find a German map, offered to select a state as if it was an US map, but in the next step did not offer states from which to choose. Could somebody tell me how to find again my nice German surroundings? Please mail to [email protected], because I am not sure if I will find the same thread again tonight.

rumana 17 Jul 06

I just noticed that Garmin took the 3.60 software off of their web site and changed the date of the 3.30 software to June 30,2006. Why?

Xhoodlum 18 Jul 06

I got the Nuvi 350 through Amazon for $608 and free shipping! I recently purchased a new car and the GPS option was well over 2K. I didn’t get the built in option since I travel quite a bit and find myself in a rental car 2 to 3 time a month. That’s what started my search for a decent portable GPS unit. First off, let me say that I am a huge eBay fan, however I would not recommend an eBay purchase for two reasons.

Reason 1: Directly from the Garmin site: “Products sold through online auctions are not eligible for rebates or other special offers from Garmin. Online auction confirmations are not accepted for warranty verification. To obtain warranty service an original or copy of the sales receipt from the original retailer is required. Garmin will not replace missing components from any package purchased through an online auction.”

Reason 2: Quite a few of the units sold through eBay are loaded with the original map database Mapsource Product:
City Navigator North America NT v7 and City Navigator North America NT v7. A new map databse (v8) was released in April of 2006 and if the unit you buy has been sitting on a shelf for a while you will not get the latest and greatest mapping software database (the thing that actually gets you from point a to point b).

OK so how does my new Nuvi 350 work? Freakin phenominal! Right out of the box, plugged it in, turned it on and presto, it aquired the satellites and gave me my exact location in Florida! I have been driving around with it for three weeks and have used it flawlesssly in Hartford Connecticut, Raleigh North Carolina and Atlanta Georgia. The built in battery has run for well over 3 hours aquiring the satellite signal without a problem after I forgot to pack the car adapter. The plug is a standard mini USB which is the same as the plug for my Blackberry but I was hesitant to try it on the Nuvi…(although I believe the current requirement should be the same).

Frank Ginsburg 20 Jul 06

Actually if you shop on lilne i have found it for as low as 597.00 so dont let price stop you, i have seen this work so well for the shuttle vans to the airport it was amazing and how recalculates if you miss the turn is amazing.. it was very accurate and i have purchased one for my wife who gets lost when she turs right out the front door..

here is the url I found it cheaper at

http://www.compuplus.com/i-Garmin-nuvi-350-Personal-Travel-Assistant-010-00455-00-1005730~.html?sid=357epk7owoj4wsn

basil 20 Jul 06

pesh, about the suction cup falling off, i ran into that problem also. i solved it by putting a little sprinkle of water into the suction cup area that makes contact with the surface of the windshield. i merely dipped my hand on some water and applied it directly. i’ve never had it drop since then. i hope it works as well for you. good luck!

scot 20 Jul 06

Hey there.. I just got my 360 today! Yay… I thought it was supposed to voice direct by street name… mine does not. I guess there is some option to turn this on? anyone know quickly? I will have to check the manual…. device looks great so far.. ;-)

SD Diver 21 Jul 06

Scot - make sure that you select a voice that supports it. When scrolling thru the list, some sames will have TTS (text to speech) next to them. Jill, Karen, etc. have this. My favorite has been Karen! :-)

Pesh 21 Jul 06

I just noticed that Garmin posted a Beta 3.62 software update for the Nuvi 350. I just installed it and works like a champ. Not quite sure what happened to 3.6, but maybe it was unstable.

-Pesh

Richard 21 Jul 06

Managed to get my Nuvi 350 at an online store for $606 total with free shipping. I had trouble with “acquiring satellites” message going on forever about 25% of the time and Garmin said that it has trouble locking in when your moving. If you wait about 30 seconds while you are parked, it will lock in every time quickly. I’ve had to return it to Garmin because I’m getting a purple splotchy stain-like pattern in the display which changes in shape and size and visibility as you change to different screens. These splotches are fairly small and minor on the map screens, but very pronounced on the menu screens or on photos that I have loaded into it. Weird problem. Can’t wait to get it back though. Very much worth the $606 if I can get these purple splotches to go away. It didn’t start this way, but seemed to develop after I loaded several pictures into the unit. Who knows what happened. It didn’t go away when I upgraded to 3.6 from 3.4 that it came with on the operating software. I have an emap which I’ve had for years and am very high on Garmin as a brand. Very nicely designed unit. Is the Lithium battery operator replaceable??? How much will upgrading the map software be I wonder? At least this unit comes with all of the accessories that you’ll need excpet for an SD card for loading MP3s or pictures.

Richard

Pesh 22 Jul 06

Charging the 350???

I have been having trouble charging my Nuvi 350. Anyone else experience this? Specifically, using the same USB charger for my Motorola RAZR or the RAZR USB car adapter. All I see on the screen of my Nuvi is an icon of nuvi connected to computer.

Any tips? tricks?

Thanks,
Pesh

Michael 22 Jul 06

Infra-red reflecting metal coated windscreen??

Anyone driving a Mercedes S-Class with this windscreen?
Will it affect the GPS reception of NUVI, do I need to add the external antenna?

Anyone tried the bluetooth mobile phone support of Nuvi?

James 22 Jul 06

For those wanting a better case for off-vehicle use, consider the Lowepro Rezo 15 http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Camera_Pouches/designed_digital/Rezo_15.aspx
is a perfect fit.
It has a flap cover with Velcro and a belt loop.

Udo 23 Jul 06

Love my Nuvi. We RV and wonder if there is a way to add campgrounds to the POI files. Before I got my GPS I used Microsoft Streets and Trips to look for campgrounds and this feature would really help sell this to RV people

basil 24 Jul 06

pesh, when ur driving someplace where u don’t need the nuvi turned on, it automatically goes on charge mode while it’s sitting on it’s holder when not in use. that is more than ample time to keep the batteries fully charge when u do arrive at your destination. however, if u want a separate charger, u can get one on ebay for very little money.

Marv 24 Jul 06

How easy is it to find the nearest Wendy’s?

Dave D 25 Jul 06

Subject: saving waypoints and phone numbers.

I recently updated my Nuvi 350 firmware to V 3.60. I copied the waypoint file to my hard drive before the update. The waypoints were not lost. However, they were renamed and moved to a new location: nuvi\Garmin\gpx\current.gpx

It is vital to save this file to your hard drive so that waypoints can be restored in case of loss of data in the Nuvi or to share waypoints with a second unit.

You can edit this file to add phone numbers or comments to your waypoints.

1. Open the file using Notepad or any text editor. Be sure the file type is set to all files.
2. Use the find function (Control F) to find the waypoint to be edited.
3. Following the street address, and before the city name, there is a symbol that is used to start a new line on the display. Copy it (Control C) so that you can paste it later.
4. Paste (Control V) the control character immediately following the last digit of the Zip code.
5. Enter the desired phone number or comment. There is enough room to identify the number with home or cell.
6. If you wish to add a second number, paste the control character after the end of the first entry. There is enough room for two phone numbers.

travis 25 Jul 06

go to poinusa.com for rv parks and other cool poi points

lisanne53 25 Jul 06

Love the Nuvi…but…after reading about the Topo maps, I bought the MapSource Topo software. Can’t seem to load it.

Well, MapSource loads onto my computer, but I can’t get any farther than that.

I keep re-reading z.entropic’s post from awhile ago—yet can’t get MapSource to see the USB port. It only wants serial port. I go to “file” then “save to device” and under “USB Port” it just says “no compatible devices are available”…ARG!!! My Nuvi has the little icons for computer connected to Nuvi. My computer sees Nuvi, but MapSource won’t unless, apparently, I have the old fashion serial port.

I just updated to the beta 3.62 yet that doesn’t seem to help…

Any thoughts? Thanks!

lisanne53 26 Jul 06

Re: MapSource and Topos…I had an “aha” moment at 3 am—I realized I need to load MapSource and the Topo’s onto my 2gig card, while it is not in Nuvi I guess. So, I put my 2 gig card in my card reader of my computer, tried to install MapSource.

It will only let me do a “typical” install (either on the card or when I was trying to install it on the computer). Apparently meaning I always need the CD’s. Not very helpful as I can’t cram them into Nuvi…

What is the magic I am missing to load the topo’s onto Nuvi?

On another Nuvi note, my friends and I are having fun with the wacky pronunciations of familiar towns (Bot-Hell for Bothell—kinda fits) and Lee and Karen’s interpretation of WA 202—that would be Washington 202 but they want us to turn onto “Western Australia Highway 202”.

Thanks!, Lisanne

SD Diver 27 Jul 06

Lisanne,
Don’t feel bad about the names - Jill referes to Del Mar Heights Rd as Delaware Mar Heights and La Jolla Village Dr (jolla should be pronounced hoya) as Lake Jolla Village Dr (with a ‘j’ and ‘l’ sound).

Feashman 27 Jul 06

How does the Nuvi identify locations like airports? Does it recognize 3 digit airport codes?

I am constantly frustrated with mapquest on the web as it requires the actual street address of the airport to provide directions (yahoo maps allows for the use of airport codes - cool)

Keith 27 Jul 06

Does anyone know if the 350 or 360 allows you to enter waypoints? I travel a lot accross country on a motorcycle and usually travel by secondary roads(no interstate). I plan a route the old fashion way(paper maps) but would like to enter the small towns as waypoint usually 100 or so miles apart and have the gps guide me. Thanks for any help Keith

Marv 27 Jul 06

I think that I asked a relavent question.. How easy is it to find the nearest “my favorite retail place”, but nobody responded. If you are in an unfamiliar city, how easy is it to find the nearest….
Thanks,
Marv

Leslie 28 Jul 06

I’m a real estate appraiser and have been reviewing a number of brands of GPS systems the Nuvi 350 being one of them. I’ll need to pre-program multiple locations so I don’t need to enter each location while I’m on the road and I’m trying to figure out if this can be done. Anyone have an insight into this and whether it can be done with the Nuvi 350, the Streetpilot 2730, or the Streetpilot i5?

Pesh 28 Jul 06

Question about Time Zones…

I fly a fair amount and tend to cross time zones in many of my trips. Is there any way to get the clock to the Nuvi to automatically detect what time zone you are in?

Currently, I find that I have to manually set it each time i get off the plane.

Thanks,
Pesh

Bill 28 Jul 06

Hi.. Love my 360! Only annoying thing is the start up time. Takes a few mins.. but I can live with it.
But is there anyway to disable the warning screen, having to see it every boot up is a pain.

thanks.

Ed 28 Jul 06

Question regarding bluetooth phone use with the 360: if I already use a bluetooth earpiece, will the cell phone be able to function through the Nuvi and still allow me to use the earpiece?

TxTxYeHa 28 Jul 06

Feashman - You can search for airports using the three digit code. Glad you asked the question (I didn’t know it could do that).

Keith - your route can only have one waypoint/detour in it at a time. However, it is fairly easy to replace waypoints after you have passed the last one.

Marv - It is fairly easy to ask the Nuvi “Where’s the nearest Target?”

Leslie - You can easily enter those addresses while at your desk and recall them later when you are in the car. You can recall them by address (“Recent Selections”) or by a name you give the address if you save them as a favorite. Later you can delete favorites one at a time to free up room in your favorites section.

Pesh - I have the traffic antennae and my nuvi does not automatically switch over to the new time zone either. Wish it would. It’s pretty cool to be able to use the nuvi inside the plane.

denis zayia 29 Jul 06

just ordered a 350 from amazon for $590 delivered (after signing up for their visa card). i’m really hoping it comes with v8 loaded. has anybody recently received one from amazon with v8?

JB 30 Jul 06

Just purchased one from Amazon.com and it came with v8.

Dann 31 Jul 06

I’ve owned the Nuvi 350 for about three months, bought it at Sam’s for 700, I own two boats and have gps’s on each also in my truck I use DeLorme’s Earthmate GPS on my laptop (get’s a little bulky) which can be puchased for under 100 dollare for those aq little overly money cautious. The Nuvi by far exceeds them all, I love it. As far as zero learning curve, that may be just a small stretch. I turned mine on an said “GO”, nothing happened. Couple minutes after playing I was off, simplicity is astounding as is the clarity and accuracy, one small note; If most of your trips are highway make sure to set it to fastest route, I beleive ethe default is shortest route.
Anyway, well worth the money and I hope they continue to build on it.

Adonis 01 Aug 06

Has anybody updated to V3.62 and would you please comment regarding this latest offering from Garmin?
Greetings to you all.

butch 01 Aug 06

hi pesh, how different is the 3.30 from the 3.62? thanks!

pedro 02 Aug 06

hi everyone. i have a new nuvi 350 but the map is version 7. nav 8 is already out on the garmin website. they said i can request the dvd but how do unlock that for free once i receive it? i noticed someone says don’t register the unit until navi 8 is out…well, it’s out…so i register it now and request that garmin provide me the unlock code? please help!!!

Ollie 03 Aug 06

Ed,
The Nuvi 360 with the antenna down sees the Bluetooth phone as an earpiece, and with the antenna up as a piece of hands free kit. I use mine with a Nokia 6210i and it is does all that it says in the manual.
Why would you want the Nuvi and the earpiece to work at the same time?

Ollie 03 Aug 06

Ed, because the volume coming out of the nuvi’s speakers are to soft!

Pesh 04 Aug 06

I did update to 3.62 but my unit was continually crashing, not finding satellites, etc. So I reverted to an older version, 3.40. Since everything seems to be fine.

-Pesh

butch 04 Aug 06

thanks pesh, i’ll leave mine alone then!

Paul 04 Aug 06

I live in the US but I’m going to England, ireland and Scotland next weekend.
How do I get maps installed for these areas?
Thanks for any response.

Michael Dickey 04 Aug 06

I purchased the 350 about three weeks ago, upgraded the OS & took an extended vacation from southern Missouri to Cass state park in West Virginia, A bed & beakfast in a town of 500 in Northeastern West Virginia & a trip to see old friends in Middletown Ohio. The unit perforformed flawlessly & earned
the effection of my wife/co driver. My only problem was the map software which was lacking a couple of major streets. Not in the town of 500! My friends in Ohio were impressed by the cordinates(sp) which directed us to the correct micro cache, a
search we were totally unaware of.

Michael Dickey

Michael Dickey 04 Aug 06

I purchased the 350 about three weeks ago, upgraded the OS & took an extended vacation from southern Missouri to Cass state park in West Virginia, A bed & beakfast in a town of 500 in Northeastern West Virginia & a trip to see old friends in Middletown Ohio. The unit perforformed flawlessly & earned
the effection of my wife/co driver. My only problem was the map software which was lacking a couple of major streets. Not in the town of 500! My friends in Ohio were impressed by the cordinates(sp) which directed us to the correct micro cache, a
search we were totally unaware of.

Michael Dickey

Michael Dickey 04 Aug 06

I purchased the 350 about three weeks ago, upgraded the OS & took an extended vacation from southern Missouri to Cass state park in West Virginia, A bed & beakfast in a town of 500 in Northeastern West Virginia & a trip to see old friends in Middletown Ohio. The unit perforformed flawlessly & earned
the effection of my wife/co driver. My only problem was the map software which was lacking a couple of major streets. Not in the town of 500! My friends in Ohio were impressed by the cordinates(sp) which directed us to the correct micro cache, a
search we were totally unaware of.

Michael Dickey

Michael Dickey 04 Aug 06

I purchased the 350 about three weeks ago, upgraded the OS & took an extended vacation from southern Missouri to Cass state park in West Virginia, A bed & beakfast in a town of 500 in Northeastern West Virginia & a trip to see old friends in Middletown Ohio. The unit perforformed flawlessly & earned
the effection of my wife/co driver. My only problem was the map software which was lacking a couple of major streets. Not in the town of 500! My friends in Ohio were impressed by the cordinates(sp) which directed us to the correct micro cache, a
search we were totally unaware of.

Michael Dickey

Michael Dickey 04 Aug 06

I purchased the 350 about three weeks ago, upgraded the OS & took an extended vacation from southern Missouri to Cass state park in West Virginia, A bed & beakfast in a town of 500 in Northeastern West Virginia & a trip to see old friends in Middletown Ohio. The unit perforformed flawlessly & earned
the effection of my wife/co driver. My only problem was the map software which was lacking a couple of major streets. Not in the town of 500! My friends in Ohio were impressed by the cordinates(sp) which directed us to the correct micro cache, a
search we were totally unaware of.

Michael Dickey

Adonis 05 Aug 06

I use V3.60 and it works like a good luck charm.

Steve 06 Aug 06

I just had problems with the nuvi suction cup. It just wouldn’t come off the windscreen, and when I finally persuaded it to ley go it left a ring of rubber stuck to the screen. The cup is now rough, so suction will be reduced. Anyone else had that problem?

Paul 06 Aug 06

I live in the US but I�m going to England, ireland and Scotland next weekend.
How do I get maps installed for these areas?
Thanks for any response.

Deb 06 Aug 06

Regarding Steve’s suction cup problem — call Garmin and tell them what happened. When I did they told me it was a “known problem” that had been fixed and they immediately (as in, Fedex overnight) sent me a new suction cup mount at no charge of course.

jon 06 Aug 06

my kids got hold of my unit, and now it is not aquiring satellites. they might have hit the reset button on the back. any suggestions as what to do.

Steve 06 Aug 06

I just had problems with the nuvi suction cup. It just wouldn’t come off the windscreen, and when I finally persuaded it to ley go it left a ring of rubber stuck to the screen. The cup is now rough, so suction will be reduced. Anyone else had that problem?

udo 06 Aug 06

Pedro, I did the same thing. Garmin sent me the City navigator software but no way to unlock it. I got frustrated but if you find out how to get the unlock please reply. I just bought it three weeks ago and it came with v8 maps. Overall I love it but wish it had RV parks as a POI

Jeremy 07 Aug 06

Steve,

the suction cup has been known to “melt” onto the windshield after a while. It happened to me a few months ago. Simply call Garmin (10 mins on hold) and they will send you a new one in 2 business days. Don’t even bother trying to use it.

Steve 07 Aug 06

I just had problems with the nuvi suction cup. It just wouldn’t come off the windscreen, and when I finally persuaded it to ley go it left a ring of rubber stuck to the screen. The cup is now rough, so suction will be reduced. Anyone else had that problem?

jewan 07 Aug 06

Use the bean bag instead of the Suction cup/ it works great and is more aesthetic than some other mounts.

Mike 07 Aug 06

Does anyone know if the Nuvi 350 will play .wma files?

Anonymous Coward 09 Aug 06

I Know.

Paul 09 Aug 06

I live in the US but I�m going to England, ireland and Scotland next weekend.
How do I get maps installed for these areas?
Thanks for any response.

diverruss 10 Aug 06

Does anyone know if the garmin 350 has additional “voices”? It’s an excellent sat nav, but it would be nice to have a change of voice somtimes

Eric S 10 Aug 06

**3.80 released**

Changes made from version 3.30 to 3.80:

Added support for GPS-Buddy
Added support for MPC maps
Added capability for Slovenian, Greek, and Croatian Pre-recorded voices
Improved multiple map searching
Added support for Safety Cameras
Added fix for long routes
Improved MP3 player: increase maximum number of MP3s to 1000
Changed to make update procedure consistent with other GARMIN products
Fixed Travel Guide warning text
Updated some text translations
Added fix for ferry avoidance
Added fix for coordinate entry
Added fix for powering on from charge mode with GTMxx connected
Added fix for Travel Kit button display on power off

mark 11 Aug 06

I have a North American Nuvi, but I’m in London, UK, and would appreciate (as would Paul) any suggestions of where to get UK/Europe map. Do you buy an IC and plug it in or what?

jack 11 Aug 06

I have no driver installed on my pc(with Windows XP Pro).
Where can I download drivers for my nuvi 350?

vlad 12 Aug 06

It’ll pick it up without the driver. It will show up in your windows explorer

Joe 12 Aug 06

I realize its a matter of preferance, but does anybody
reccomend the additional warrenty coverage for their 350?
( another $50 )

Roger 14 Aug 06

I bought one of these last month. (I have a brother that manages a electronics store so I got big brother mark-up… ) It was $650 which tells me that is the cheapest it will ever be avaliable.

We needed to drive to Rhode Island and back (600 miles round trip) and then the following weekend to Syracuse and over to Rochester and home. (700 miles round trip).

This thing is fanastic! It’s like having a 3rd person in the car to read the map. One nice feature is how it tells you what side of the road your exit will be on so you can work yourself into the right position for the exit. Very handy in high traffic areas.

It has a bunch of voices that are mostly regional (American Jill vs Australian Kelly). You’ll stick to one and probably never change it.

One downside, Mac users and Audible. You will not be able to put books on this and have them authorize to play. It is an Audible problem.

Roger 14 Aug 06

I bought one of these last month. (I have a brother that manages a electronics store so I got big brother mark-up… ) It was $650 which tells me that is the cheapest it will ever be avaliable.

We needed to drive to Rhode Island and back (600 miles round trip) and then the following weekend to Syracuse and over to Rochester and home. (700 miles round trip).

This thing is fanastic! It’s like having a 3rd person in the car to read the map. One nice feature is how it tells you what side of the road your exit will be on so you can work yourself into the right position for the exit. Very handy in high traffic areas.

It has a bunch of voices that are mostly regional (American Jill vs Australian Kelly). You’ll stick to one and probably never change it.

One downside, Mac users and Audible. You will not be able to put books on this and have them authorize to play. It is an Audible problem.

Roger 14 Aug 06

I bought one of these last month. (I have a brother that manages a electronics store so I got big brother mark-up… ) It was $650 which tells me that is the cheapest it will ever be avaliable.

We needed to drive to Rhode Island and back (600 miles round trip) and then the following weekend to Syracuse and over to Rochester and home. (700 miles round trip).

This thing is fanastic! It’s like having a 3rd person in the car to read the map. One nice feature is how it tells you what side of the road your exit will be on so you can work yourself into the right position for the exit. Very handy in high traffic areas.

It has a bunch of voices that are mostly regional (American Jill vs Australian Kelly). You’ll stick to one and probably never change it.

One downside, Mac users and Audible. You will not be able to put books on this and have them authorize to play. It is an Audible problem.

Roger 14 Aug 06

I bought one of these last month. (I have a brother that manages a electronics store so I got big brother mark-up… ) It was $650 which tells me that is the cheapest it will ever be avaliable.

We needed to drive to Rhode Island and back (600 miles round trip) and then the following weekend to Syracuse and over to Rochester and home. (700 miles round trip).

This thing is fanastic! It’s like having a 3rd person in the car to read the map. One nice feature is how it tells you what side of the road your exit will be on so you can work yourself into the right position for the exit. Very handy in high traffic areas.

It has a bunch of voices that are mostly regional (American Jill vs Australian Kelly). You’ll stick to one and probably never change it.

One downside, Mac users and Audible. You will not be able to put books on this and have them authorize to play. It is an Audible problem.

tm 14 Aug 06

how do you know what Navteq version a unit has installed? What “update” is required to get coordinates?
Can it do “bread crumbs” or something like it to “learn” a novel navigation route.?

Raja 15 Aug 06

I am having problems with the suction cup falling off while I am driving, and worry about braking my Nuvi. Is there a way to make it stick better?

I mainly see it during change in temperature, like when my car is hot and I turn the AC on . It startled me a few times and can cause accidents !!

Raja 15 Aug 06

I am having problems with the suction cup falling off while I am driving, and worry about braking my Nuvi. Is there a way to make it stick better?

I mainly see it during change in temperature, like when my car is hot and I turn the AC on . It startled me a few times and can cause accidents !!

Raja 15 Aug 06

I am having problems with the suction cup falling off while I am driving, and worry about braking my Nuvi. Is there a way to make it stick better?

I mainly see it during change in temperature, like when my car is hot and I turn the AC on . It startled me a few times and can cause accidents !!

Raja 15 Aug 06

I am having problems with the suction cup falling off while I am driving, and worry about braking my Nuvi. Is there a way to make it stick better?

I mainly see it during change in temperature, like when my car is hot and I turn the AC on . It startled me a few times and can cause accidents !!

AC 15 Aug 06

Interesting thread on key features the nuvi is missing that Garmin units that cost half as much have (i.e. Garmin Quest).

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=64213

Greg Harris 16 Aug 06

I just bought one, after TONS of research, from SAM’S, in preparation to move to Washington D.C. The unit is amazing! It is very easy to hear and understand, recalculates routes almost instantly, is amazingly accurate, tells you what side of the street your destination is on, and is so easy to use! The list of “places to go” is pretty awesome as it lists even the most obscure locations for dinner, etc. I bought a 1gb SD disk and have loaded tons of MP3’s on it (I haven’t tried audio books yet). With a cassette adapter, I can listen to it through my stereo. The directions pause the music, tell you where to go, and then continue the music where it left off. Free firmware updates are available on the Garmin website. The suction cup fell off once, but I adhered it to my wood dash trim and it seems to hold just fine. Now, all I need is a motorcycle adapter, and I am ready to go anywhere!!!

Greg Harris 16 Aug 06

I just bought one, after TONS of research, from SAM’S, in preparation to move to Washington D.C. The unit is amazing! It is very easy to hear and understand, recalculates routes almost instantly, is amazingly accurate, tells you what side of the street your destination is on, and is so easy to use! The list of “places to go” is pretty awesome as it lists even the most obscure locations for dinner, etc. I bought a 1gb SD disk and have loaded tons of MP3’s on it (I haven’t tried audio books yet). With a cassette adapter, I can listen to it through my stereo. The directions pause the music, tell you where to go, and then continue the music where it left off. Free firmware updates are available on the Garmin website. The suction cup fell off once, but I adhered it to my wood dash trim and it seems to hold just fine. Now, all I need is a motorcycle adapter, and I am ready to go anywhere!!!

Greg Harris 16 Aug 06

I just bought the nuvi 350, after TONS of research, from SAM’S, in preparation to move to Washington D.C. The unit is amazing! It is very easy to hear and understand, recalculates routes almost instantly, is amazingly accurate, tells you what side of the street your destination is on, and is so easy to use! The list of “places to go” is pretty awesome as it lists even the most obscure locations for dinner, shopping, etc. I bought a 1gb SD disk and have loaded tons of MP3’s on it (I haven’t tried audio books yet). With a cassette adapter, I can listen to it through my stereo. The directions pause the music, tell you where to go, and then continue the music where it left off. Free firmware updates are available on the Garmin website. The suction cup fell off once, but I adhered it to my wood dash trim and it seems to hold just fine. Now, all I need is a motorcycle adapter, and I am ready to go anywhere!!!

Jim Johnson 16 Aug 06

Tons of research… ya ….leads to only one conclusion, within 1.5 - 2 years (and every other 1.5 - 2 years after) you’ll end of spending 35 - 40% of your purchase price replacing a useless battery, that once dead, could overheat and kill your GPS…. ya lots of research.

I agree, the nuvi 350/360 is fantastic, but it’s also a tiny little money time bomb…. not worth it.

Note to Garmin, next model, make the battery replacable by the consumer and you’ll have yourself a wonderful little gold mine.

Anonymous Coward 17 Aug 06

OK Jim,have you got any BETTER suggestion?I still think NUVI is THE BEST SAT-NAV MONEY CAN BAY.
Regards,
MM.

Josh Mayer 17 Aug 06

I see all these ways to import traffic jams and police traps. How do you do this stuff? Plug it into the comp?

nuvi rookie 18 Aug 06

Just opened my NUVI and can not figure out how to get the GPS function turned on. Box wasn’t sealed and I have the feeling I am missing some instructions. Any hints? Thank you!

tretep 19 Aug 06

A very in depth review of the nuvi:

http://gpsinformation.info/nuvi/nuvireview.html

nuvi rookie - flip up the antenna on the back of the nuvi.

Jack the Tripper 19 Aug 06

Just took delivery of a 350 at $630 (private source). Entered the wrong time zone by two hours, turned it on, and it acquired in 8 seconds! Entered my home address, upgraded to 3.80 and every thing was essentially the same. Now have the following configuration:

Software Version 3.80
Audio Version 1.50
GGS SW Version 2.7
City Navigator North American NT v8

All seems well. Jill is my choice, after trying them all.

Jack the Tripper 19 Aug 06

Just took delivery of a 350 at $630 (private source). Entered the wrong time zone by two hours, turned it on, and it acquired in 8 seconds! Entered my home address, upgraded to 3.80 and every thing was essentially the same. Now have the following configuration:

Software Version 3.80
Audio Version 1.50
GGS SW Version 2.7
City Navigator North American NT v8

All seems well. Jill is my choice, after trying them all.

Jack the Tripper 19 Aug 06

Sorry for the double post, but confirmation of a post is sketchy, at best!

Albator 20 Aug 06

Getting my nuvi 360 in 2 days!!! I think if you do your research properly, there will be only 1 option left: Navi 350/360. It is also the top rated portable GPS device in Consumerreports.org. Definitely an expensive device (CA 960$ including taxes and shipping) but cheaper to pay CA2700$ to CA3500$ from a car manufacturer… I’ll leave a feedback in a week or so!

charlie 21 Aug 06

Just got my nuvi 350. Anyone noticing on theirs that in the summary screen (shows avg spped and max speed) that when you are going NW it only shows the “N”? Its positioned correctly for the “W” to show, but it doesnt. When going true north the “N” is centered and not to the left as it should be for “NW”. Small minor issue, but curious if I am alone.. Please email me any inputs at [email protected] thanks charlie

Ollie 22 Aug 06

Charlie,
The error in the compass reading may be to do with the difference between magnetic and true north. The magnitude of the variation depends on where you live. I use the 360 all over Europe and at home in Ireland and it is just the business.

Marilyn Colby 22 Aug 06

Regarding mounting the Nuvi 350 with the suction cup bracket: I noticed a separate plastic disk (must fit on the bracket somehow or why would they send it) but don’t know how to use it. The disk has a red backing on one side with a peel-off plastic liner on the other. Would that be used to make the bracket more secure on the windshield? Please email any suggestions to [email protected]

coachkerry 23 Aug 06

Does the Nuvi 360 have roadmaps of the Hawaiian Islands preloaded or are they purchased separately?

Aloha

Anonymous Coward 23 Aug 06

Hawaiian Island?……don’t know.I live in Siberia.

pb 24 Aug 06

My nuvi 350 has Hawaii preloaded.

AV 25 Aug 06

Can the 350 search by Zip Code?

Steve Devan 26 Aug 06

Hi folks,
New to this forum and Garmin. Just got my 350 and tried to upload the 3.8 update. It corrupted my map files. I called Garmin and they immediately replaced it by sending me a new one UPS overnight. Now that’s service!

I’ve been reading about some of your battery concerns. 1000 recharges is actually huge. A recharge cycle is considered a complete recharge, so a partial recharge does not count as a complete recharge cycle. About once every six months, completely discharge and then recharge the battery. That should help.

TheDood 26 Aug 06

I just got my Nuvi350 a couple of weeks ago. After doing some exhaustive research it is the one I decided to go with and have been pefectly happy with it! This is my fourth GPS purchase and by far the best. Garmin has their act together, Magellan is still lost in the stone age. Great bang for the buck, and not illegal!

gail 29 Aug 06

I got my NUVI 2 weeks ago after much research and was thrilled to take it to the GULF coast where my group would be driving from New Orleans to Biloxi. Forget it. The device couldn’t get us out of the airport, then gave us directions to go west; so we spent at least 1 1/2 hours extra on the road. I put it in my bag in its case til the drive home. Result? A busted screen. This device should have a rigid screen cover. Garmin wants $250 to fix it; I think thats crazy and I’m looking for advice???

Bill R. 30 Aug 06

very simple:get another one nuvi and be more carefull in the future!

Reme 30 Aug 06

The Nuvi is on the Costco.com website for $650. If you’re a member, you can get a great deal. If not, sign up and get a great deal on lots of stuff. I spend half my money there every month.

Mike P 30 Aug 06

Beware the latest firmware updates to the 350/360 cripple the point coordinate entry.

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=65747

Steve 03 Sep 06

I just had problems with the nuvi suction cup. It just wouldn’t come off the windscreen, and when I finally persuaded it to ley go it left a ring of rubber stuck to the screen. The cup is now rough, so suction will be reduced. Anyone else had that problem?

FenoMeno 03 Sep 06

Couple of Nuvi questions:

Had been using the cumbersome MS Streets/Trip/Laptop before the Nuvi. One feature i miss is being able to save a route. Is there software avail. for the 350 that will allow me to do that?

What benefit is Mapsource? As it comes with the maps already loaded, so what is the advantage of Mapsource software…I don’t get it..

thanks

S. Simon 04 Sep 06

Anyone got the new Nuvi 660 with the 4.3” screen and the ability to broadcast directions through the car’s audio speakers by way of the FM radio system?

http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/mobile/090106.html

Should be a big improvement on the 350/360.

Kevin 05 Sep 06

I�ve own the Nuvi 350 for about two months now. There is no doubt about it that it will get you to where you want to go. There are two things about it that I�m disappointed about. The speakers on this little thing are not very clear and get distorted when the volume is turned up.

The other thing is the Fastest Route calculation. If you�re living in an area where there are a lot of little US highways or one-line highways along with Interstate Highway systems. This GPS does not distinguish any differences between the two. We all know that little US highways speed limit is a little slower, roughly around 50 mph, runs through little towns, and sometime loaded with stop signs and stop lights. Interstate highways are sometimes longer, but with no stop lights and the speed limit is roughly 70 mph depending on where you live.

Example 1: Fort Wayne, IN to Ann Arbor, MI
Mapquest: Take I-69 N to I-94 W to Ann Arbor, MI
Nuvi 350: Take I-69 N to US-12 NW to Ann Arbor, MI

Mapquest: longer distant, but actual time to get there is around 2 hrs
Nuvi 350: shorter distant, but actual time to get there is around 3 hrs

Example 2: Ann Arbor, MI to Somerset Mall
Mapquest: roughly 40-45mins
Nuvi 350: roughly 1 hr

These are just two examples. There are many instances where taking the Interstate Hwy would be much faster than taking any other routes that this Nuvi 350 suggest as being faster.

The software I�m running is their latest, version 3.90. Like I stated earlier, it will get you to where you need to go, just don�t expect getting there in the fastest time possible. I�m just disappointed that my $700 GPS is not as smart as a free service from Mapquest.

carmine 05 Sep 06

A truly outstanding GPS ! But the traffic reception is sporadic at best. And when the traffic information is received its usually not up to date. The reception part at least could have been far better with an antenna mounted on the outside the widshield, such as the ones used for cell phones ( I understand most modern windshieds block the signal ).

Jason S 06 Sep 06

I have a Garmin Nuvi that I have been using for about a week. I am willing to sell for $400.00. Do not have box but have all the accessories needed. My email is [email protected]

Vincent 06 Sep 06

can the nuvi 360 be configure to read pdf files?

I hope so. thanks.

msvirick 07 Sep 06

Upgrades of Nuvi Maps to V8

Anyone done a upgrade to V8 from V7

ericb 07 Sep 06

The upgrade is not available until sept 15; at least that is what I was told by Garmin reps. That date was moved from Aug 31.
-Ericb

Hot Foot 08 Sep 06

Nuvi to the community

Just received my Nuvi 350 last night. Purchased the unit from GPSonSale for $569.99. Can not wait to test it out this weekend. Thanks to everyone on their comments that helped me in my selection process. Will post additional comments when I get some road mile use.

DznyRulz 08 Sep 06

Steve,

The suction cup mount does just that, it sucks. Unless you want to permanently mount it to the window. I had my first mount replaced under warranty. It was fixed to the window of my car for a couple of months and left a good sized ring behind. The second mount did the same thing after only two days when traveling to FL last month. I purchased the friction mount and auto mount, which really should come with the friction mount, from Amazon. I had a coupon so it only cost me

Jack the Tripper 08 Sep 06

I’ve had the 350 for three weeks now, been to SoCal, been to Mesa, been to St. Louis, and been all over Seattle and everything’s perfect. Would like to manage my favorites list on my PC and down load from there. Any software to do that? Will MapSource do that? It doesn’t seem to be free with the Nuvi, and the offerings on the internet come with maps and are very expensive. I paid for North America in the Nuvi. Can I just buy the application and upload from the Nuvi? Thanks…Jack

Gary 09 Sep 06

Finally purchased a Nuvi 350 - replacing an old Streetpilot w/NYC Metro card. WOW what a difference in technology, its come a long way. So far the 350 exceeds my expectations. NO macintosh support from Garmin, but I did use Virtual PC to upgrade the software it’s slooooow but it worked. I also purchased the GTM 12, but have not used it yet. I’d recommend this GPS.

Mural Adams 09 Sep 06

Can I use my Nuvi 350 for geocaching? How can one load the places?

Jack the Tripper 10 Sep 06

EricB…
Wow! EasyGPS is exactly what I wanted. Works great. Thanks very much…

EricB 10 Sep 06

No problem
-Eric

Queenoid 11 Sep 06

Another great thing about the Nuvi…
I used it in Mexico quite a lot this summer. Now, of course, it doesn’t have all of the streets and turn-by-turn directions. BUT - it DID have the major highways, and when I got mixed up where I was going, I was able to see where I wanted to be and sort of head that way. Definitely a help.

And to the Newbie Nuvi user - I made the same mistake as you (not knowing how to get the GPS going). I thought the antenna was a prop to keep the Nuvi upright on a desktop. Oops! Anyway, I was glad to hear that someone else made the same mistake!

JOHN RUPPEL 11 Sep 06

Does anyone know if you can use a 2 gig or 4 gig sd card with the NUVI 350. Thanks

SD Diver 12 Sep 06

I’m using a 2 gig card in mine for mp3s

Mickey 16 Sep 06

Only once did I see a comment about the built in battery. They said when the batterry ever goes bad, there is no replacing it. You have to discard your NUVI. Is that correct? Does anyone know the life expectancy of the battery?

pegasus 17 Sep 06

Battery should last about 2-3 years at best Mickey.But by that time you will know all routes in your head and you shoud not need NUVI anymore.

Ken 17 Sep 06

Can this unit find Canadian addresses?
Thanks.

Ken 17 Sep 06

Can this unit find Canadian addresses?
Thanks.

Ken 17 Sep 06

Can this unit find Canadian addresses?
Thanks.

Ken 17 Sep 06

Can this unit find Canadian addresses?
Thanks.

Ken 17 Sep 06

Can this unit find Canadian addresses?
Thanks.

Mike 18 Sep 06

It must be me, but this thing is way to small for a car. Great for hiking, but I want to be able to see the map in a vehicle.

Armen 20 Sep 06

Yes Ken, this unit can and does find Canadian addresses, provided you buy the North American version.

SD Diver 23 Sep 06

Well, just got the update disk and unlock code. Went thru updating the nuvi 350. Now, when I turn it on, the map load progress bar goes about 2/3 of the way thru. I then get a “Can’t unlock maps” error. Waiting to hear back from tech support.

AR 24 Sep 06

I have the Garmin Nuvi 350. The battery power was low, so IU plugged it in to charge but noticed a light colored screen opposed to the dark colored screen that usually says “charging battery” - or whatever it says… Anyway, I unplugged the unit and now it seems frozen. I tried pushing the power button, nothing happens. I tried pressing Reset, nothing. Even tried Power and Reset at the same time. Any suggestions? Please help, I really need this unit asap.

John 25 Sep 06

>> pegasus: Battery should last about 2-3 years at best Mickey.But by that time you will know all routes in your head and you shoud not need NUVI anymore. >>

That is the most lame comment I’ve ever heard! No offence intended, but like, in 2 to 3 years I’m not going to want to travel anyplace anymore? Or I should just “know” every route everywhere by that time; no matter what city or where I am? Give me a break! And if the battery dies in about 2 years, and if I pay the current price for the 350 on Amazon.com, which is $614.00, that means this thing cost me $25.62 a month. Okay, sure, that’s not a ton of money but we sure DO seem to be living in a throw away society now, don’t we? I have electronic devices setting around here that I still make good use of, which are far older then 2 years. I was all set to run out and buy one of these a few minutes ago, but if the battery can’t be replaced and it’s going to die in 2 or 3 years then I think I need to re-think this. That’d be like buying a Sony Vaio laptop for $2,000 and getting it with a sealed battery that can’t be replaced and so you just accept that you get to throw your new laptop out in a couple of years (or maybe sooner if the battery doesn’t last that long). Actually, some people do actually do this � upgrading to a new computer every year or so, but not all of us can afford that path. What a totally stupid thing to do - make such a wonderful device and then nullify the entire product by making it into a throw away device in about 2 or 3 years time. Hey, this is just my own lame opinion but this seems totally absurd to me; assuming it’s true that the battery can indeed NOT be replaced.

John 25 Sep 06

One more thought: Of course, I suppose you could always just plan on using your 350 on AC, or on the car battery from that point on. That wouldn’t make it a total throw away. But if you wanted it for portable use than it’s a problem unless you’re resolved to buy a new one every couple of years. So, in that light, I still think it’s a totally stupid thing.

PRS4 26 Sep 06

John,

The fact is that you cannot replace the battery by yourself but tech people at Garmiin can. When the battery dies, simply send it to Garmin and they will replace it for you. Queston is how much they are going to charge to replace it, though.

Simon 02 Oct 06

Without going through all the comments left on this site, can someone tell me what the difference is between the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the 360? Is it just the inclusion of the Blue Tooth on the 360? Any comments? Cheers.

Barbara 02 Oct 06

I just tried to update to the latest SW and Nuvi hung up after I disconnected it. Now it is saying “System Software Missing.” Great. I am on the phone with tech support, and they are telling me to expect a wait time of 30-35 minutes. Sheesh….

Barbara 02 Oct 06

Wait - it gets better! After 30 minutes, I spoke with someone who said I needed to be transferred to the software support line - which then announced a wait time of over 30 minutes! Thank goodness for headsets! After all this, I’m sure I’ll have to send it in, since connecting it to the computer doesn’t work at all (computer doesn’t recognize it’s there). Sigh….

Barbara 02 Oct 06

Third part of the trilogy. Miraculously, after a total of two hours on the phone, Nuvi is up and running again, with 4.10. Interestingly enough, when we were reinstalling the operating system, it said it was installing 3.80, which I would have been happy to have. But I guess 4.10 was already in there somewhere, so the next time it rebooted, 4.10 got reinstalled. I think I’ll steer clear of any more updates for a while.

While the wait time was a total of 75 minutes, the fact that I won’t have to send the unit in is a great relief. They used SW to take over my machine remotely and walk me through the steps to reload. Very nicely done.

Ajaxian 03 Oct 06

Barbara:
Sorry to hear about your difficulties with upgrading your Nuvi to V. 4.1. I used Web Updater yesterday evening to do the same thing and it went without a hitch.

ajaxian 05 Oct 06

So, now it is my turn to report a problem and ask for advice.
Yesterday I received an update disk for North America NT v.8. I faithfully followed the on-screen information, obtained unlock code from Garmin, updated the software on my PC, unlocked maps with the code and then transferred updated maps to my Nuvi 350. But now, when I power-up the GPS, I get a message “Cannot unlock maps”. I though that I already unlocked them on my PC; do I need to unlock them again on my GPS? If so, how do I do this?

Dave 05 Oct 06

Great product but has lots of software/customer service issues. I purchased the 350 which worked great out of the box. Be careful with the updates though. They sent a new Map update with a map unlock that unlocked the map on the home PC but locked me completely out of the NUVI upon download. Customer service wait times are in excess of 40 minutes so put the phone on speaker - go shower, $%$@, and shave and maybe you’ll get a live person when you’re done. Customer nonservice then tells me that I have the wrong unlock code and I now have to pay them $75.00 for the unlock. After 10 minutes of back and forth, I ask to just forget the update and unlock my NUVI. I then get put back on hold for 20M minutes and told that there is no way to unlock the NUVI and it now has to be sent in for warranty repair with all shipping/insurance on me to send. I then ask nonservice why the system allowed me to download and then lock me out without warning of wrong codes etc. I get no response and speak with a supervisor who informs me that he will forward problem to tech support due to fact that he is not familiar with system. Not familiar with system??? Who’s working at Garmin??? Ends up that I call back next day - *&^%, shower, shave and they offer the free unlock but the unit still has to be sent in for repair. The system is not designed correctly which allows downloads before checking to see if the unlocks are correct. I’m not sure if this was designed this way so that Garmin holds your NUVI hostage until you pay or what. Just be careful - one wrong key strokeor unlock code and it’s off to Garmin in Kansas - and the ruby slippers won’t have the unit back home for at least 7-10 business days.

Scott Smith 06 Oct 06

I’ve had my Nuvi 350 for a few months now, and love it. It is easy to use, and very portable. I have a few comments on questions others have asked. Some have had problems with the suction cup mount in cold weather areas. I had a problem with mine in the hot Florida sun. It works great, but when left on the windsheild for a month, the rubber welded itself to the glass, and ripped when I removed the mount. Personally, I don’t mind. I bough an extra mount and power adaper, and permanently attached the mounts in both my vehicles. Now I just move the GPS, not erevything else. I’m sure the mount would be easy enough for you bicyclers to adapt as a bolt or strap on to your bikes. Be careful about e-bay sellers from outside the US. Some are scammers, and there is a non-US version of the nuvi. I haven’t had trouble with the maps, but you can search for names and addresses with the unit. If you search for say “starbucks”, the information it provides may not be accurate. It’s like looking up starbucks in an old phonebook. It may have moved, closed, or there may be a newer one closer. The updated maps will help, wish they were free. Last thing, people asked about using it in their boat. It is not a marine gps. If you go out to the middle of a lake, it will show you there on the map, but you can’t set gps lat and lon waypoints, and navigate tracks the way a marine gps is designed to. It would be a great feature to have, but the nuvi is designed to follow streets, not waypoints. All in all, every gps has it’s drawbacks, but for a street based gps system, the nuvi 350 is the best I’ve ever used, and is worth every penny, great for audio books too.

Ajaxian 06 Oct 06

Further to my posting on Oct. 5 re. updating North America NT maps from v.7 to v.8, it turns out that the “Can’t Unlock Maps” problem was caused by a glitch in the transfer of unlock code from my PC to the GPS unit, which caused the last letter of the unlock code being dropped during transfer, resulting in an incorrect .unl (unlock) file in my Nuvi350.

A discussion of this entire matter and phe repair procedure can be found on another bulletin board:

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=67141

Hopefully this will be of help to those who will be updating their NA maps, as I am certain that they will run into the same problem as I did.

I sent an e-mail to almost everyone at Garmin (tech support, investor relations, media relations) urging them to disclose this glitch in their map update software on their Support website and to post clear repair instruction for the defective file.

Nick V 06 Oct 06

Does the Nuvi software updates and music loading work with Mac OS X?

George 08 Oct 06

I just bought the Garmin nuvi 350.
The thing works perfect.
I do not like that there is no way to replace the battery.
This is done or deliberately or just shortcoming of the design.
But if to get the exploded drawing of the unit it may be possible to replace it. But after 2 years this Garmin will cost
nothing anyway with all this GPS bum.
If to think how much it cost for us per day based on 2 years lifr of the GPS, then better not to buy anything.
Man have to have a toy and this is one of those which is not only help get around but give you a lot of fun.
The other thing I do not like, that it dos not give you the message , like some mobile phones, that battery is fully charged. It just fill the rectangle indicator of the battery charge, but with the AC or car adepter plugged in it still show the arrow indicating that battery still charging.
Is this still charging or the voltage of the battery is equal to the voltage of the charger?
For me personally this is shortcoming.
This is my first GPS and I am new in this type of gadgets, but otherwise I like the design and the operation.
It recalculate very fast and despite of my intentional passing the turns brought me to the destination point.

Anonymous Coward 09 Oct 06

I can only say “I could not have put it better myself” George! You are Genius and this is BEST write up here regarding NUVI GPS Forum.
Greetings.
M.D.

Anonymous Coward 09 Oct 06

Thank you very much, Anonymous. I really appreciate your comments.

ferdie 09 Oct 06

About garmin c320 gps.
Whenever i turn on my car cd/mp3 player, my c320 loses satellite signal after about 30 seconds, but not with the radio on. When i switch to radio, the c320 re-acquires satellite signal after a few seconds. Does the car cd/mp3 player affect the gps satellite signal acquisition?

George 10 Oct 06

I just want to share my speculation about the battery issue.
I think that Garmin deliberately made imposible to change the battery by the consumer. In fact I do not see any possibility to open the unit without destroying the housing.
So I think and it is only my thoughts that they just wanted to hook up the consumer to the product and come back in 2 years to have the battery replaced. They just break the plastic which cost pennies for them and after replacing the battery snap everything in the new housing.
Or they even will not care to replace the battery but just send you different unit which will cost for them even now may be 10 times less then we pay. By the time you will need the battery they will be paid off for years ahead.
I just tryed to replace the battery in my Sonicare toothbrush and faced similar scenario. There were no way to find how to open the housing, I think that besides of the snaping they even applied advesive, so I just broke the housing and looked inside. The battery was laminated in place and there were no way to remove them.
But Sonicare price is 60-80 bucks so I bought a new one.
I am very suspishious with the fact that there is no direct indication that battery is completely charged.
Fuul green bar is not enough for me. I want to see the same indication as I see on my notebook or on the mobile phone where the message displayed that phone is fully charged.
I doubt about some people speculation that Garmin 350 may stop working as soon as battery become dead, then this is really sucks and if this is truth that with the right approach the company could be liable for misleading the customers. I may be wrong but this what I think.
About walking with Garmin with setting on CAR i agree it does not announce the turns, but dirrection arrow is enough for me. Besides walking with the unit with open anntena is somehow weird. It just announcing original point and the destination point.
I still have to play with this to find out why it does not say the turns.