This is Signal vs. Noise, a weblog by 37signals about entrepreneurship, design, experience, simplicity, constraints, pop culture, our products, products we like, and more. Established 1999 in Chicago.

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 Nüvi. It will freeze up beyond repair. I did it with my (absolutely great) Nüvi 300, then my dealer tried it and than the Dutch distributer tried it. Result, three dead Nüvi’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 bradbray@usa.com. 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 bwcw@mac.com 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 pnstlion@aol.com 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.

Erik Olufson 04 Jan 06

Just found out over at engadget that they have some sort of blog for this bad boy: http://nuvi.blogs.com you can even win one by signing up during CES http://www.garmin.com/nuvicontest/

Love the “Zero learning curve” part. Can’t wait to try one.

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 nüvi 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 ;)

David Haverty 24 Jan 06

Steve - that is so helpful (and thanks for your point, Kim).

Everything I read seems to say the TomTom has many strengths. I’d add that it has a greater range of accessories. But, overall, everyone who’s tried the Nuvi seems to prefer it. European mapping, not just US, is said to be better on Nuvi than TomTom. I think I’ll wait just a little longer and see what TomTom announces at CeBIT in March. Unless I buy one of each and run both together….

You might like to read a couple of UK reviews I found:

http://tinyurl.com/d7pzc
http://tinyurl.com/7un96

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 nüvi 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

Act 17 Feb 06

A few sellers on ebay (from China) are offering new Nuvis for sale at ridiculously low prices, under US $200. As earlier posters have noted, this appears to good to be true - especially given that many of the customer reviews are gibberish and recently posted (I suspect posted by the seller). I was wondering if anyone has successfully transacted this too-good-to-be-true purchase?

See for example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Garmin-Nuvi-350-FREE-P-P_W0QQitemZ9105336304QQcategoryZ3312QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-Nuvi-350-Pocket-or-Vehicle-GPS-Navigator_W0QQitemZ5868627170QQcategoryZ4668QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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.

mrjirey 24 Feb 06

I was looking at the Nuvi 350, and everything sounds great about it except the price. I have seen them on eBay for $500 (probably refurbished), but wanted to make sure I was spending my money wisely

I then stumbled across the new TomTom One:

http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=143&Language=1

It has just been released in the UK, but I’m sure the North American release is not too fare behind, given TomTom’s success in the US

I noted that the TomTom One is similar in size and incorporates the latest GPS reception and to top it off it is about $300 cheaper then the Nuvi.

Well, I just wanted to see if there were any of you out there who had seen a comparison review of th