Garmin nuvi 350 GPS

Gets the job done

Posted Jun 2, 2006 - First, I have found the Nuvi 350 good enough so that I no longer need Mapquest printouts. I have gotten lost plenty of times with that but thats another story. This unit is small, compact with a bright readable screen. From a warm start, satellite aquisition takes only seconds. From a cold start (having been off for many hours or turned on many miles from where it was last turned off), it may take 3 or 4 minutes. The speaker in the unit is horrible. Turn it up loud and it is so distorted it is hard to understand. The 350 has a built in MP3 player. Again the speakers are so bad you wouldn't want to listen through them. But thats ok, the MP3 software is so bad that this unit can never take the place of a dedicated MP3 player. As for directions, it has always gotten me where I wanted to go. Many times though, it tells me my destination is on the wrong side of the street. Weird. People complain that the unit does not give them the most direct route or take them through the shortcuts of local roads they are familiar with. That is true. If you are in unfamiliar territory, you don't really want the local backroads. The idea is to get there with the least chance of getting lost. Garmin recently released new firmware, version 3.30. Like a fool, I upgraded immediately. Bad decision. The 3.30 firmware introduces a lag of 3 or 4 seconds on the display. Garmin says they no longer support previous versions and there is no way of going back. Actually, they are wrong and you can go back. The instructions are floating around the net but I haven't been brave enough to do it yet. I am still glad I bought the Nuvi and hopefully with another firmware upgrade, all will be well.

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Excellent compact GPS

Posted Dec 17, 2005 - I recently upgraded to the Nuvi from the Garmin Quest after much research. The Nuvi has met or exceeded all expectations, it is a definite keeper. The one and only negative is the speaker. It is small and distorts if you max the volume. This is an issue in my Escape which allows considerable road/wind noise intrusion, not with my Nissan Z. The compact Nuvi has an ideal size screen which is readable in broad daylight and at night. The touch screen is much easier than the Quest's cursor/button system. The text to voice feature is another reason I purchased it. A realistic female voice announces street names instead of just distances. The Nuvi has an excellent mounting system, much easier to use than the Quest's and unobtrusive. I have not used any of the travel companion features as it was not purchased for those. It was ready to use out of the box....no downloading maps. Some may complain that some of the point of interest data is not current and correct. This is true, but is a software issue, not a problem with the Nuvi itself. Updating road construction and restaurant openings/closings has got to be a monumental task. Even with the minor speaker issue I recommend the Nuvi

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Garmin Nuvi 350

Posted Sep 25, 2006 - I've been using this for about a month. I'd never had a GPS before and bought it in self-defense. as my wife says, my problem with directions is that after 30 years of marriage, i still believe she can read a map. anyway, even at $600 (Amazon special), this is one of the best investments i've made recently. it worked right away--you just turn it on and it goes. it's remarkably accurate--i used it to measure my morning walks. and it comes complete and ready to use right out of the package. weaknesses? i've only found a couple: sometimes the unit tells you to exit to XXXX street, when the highway exit is actually marked with a different street name. it got fairly confused in the hills above oakland, but who doesn't? and i did find one flat-out mistake, but in the wilds of mendocino, when it tried to direct me to a restaurant that was on the other side of a river from where it thought it was.

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Excellent Product!

Posted Aug 27, 2006 - I love this product! It is one of those things I truly wish I had had before. It would have been a great help when I traveled on business to unfamiliar places or other times my wife and I weren't totally sure where we were. I haven't tested it in more rural environments yet, but I am hoping the maps will be as accurate as in the big city. From my research there is no other product with the portability and ease of use. You can slip this in your shirt pocket and you can get European maps. Can you imagine having this type of help in Athens or Rome or Paris? The internal battery holds up well. in fact, I haven't used the car cord yet. Haven't needed to. Just recharge it periodically. Also you never are alone in nte car and it's data base is helpful finding movies, restaurants, gas stations, etc.

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Navigate Your Way to The Nuvi 350

Posted Jan 9, 2006 - Just got it! Set up was a breeze, the PDF is available on Garmin.com so I had a couple of days to read and reread the manual (it's a quick read) but turned out to be a snap to get up and running... The nuvi found me in the house even though I was on the first floor in an area that is a dead zone for most electronics. I had test routes in mind to put it through... a few roads that were difficult, as which were the best roads to take, the first one I tried could have thrown me on the highway for a single exit instead of the road I knew to be shorter and a coin toss as to whether it was quicker- nuvi didn't get fooled!, it found some roads that I was sure were too new to be on a database. The sound is excellent for its size and sounds better once mounted. Not having a qwerty keypad input is one swift pain, the numeric keypad is very childish with numbers running in sequence- have they never used a calculator?, I hope that all owners let Garmin know... they have a reputation of being responsive to input and modifying software updates to accommodate. Just returned from Florida where I used the nuvi for five days- tons of fun I now know that the Jet Blue airbus was traveling a moving average of 558 miles an hour with a maximum speed of 644 mph! the max speed was achieved on decent...WOW. A couple of issues did arise, a few years ago I rented a Jaguar with a gps system and it got me to my brothers driveway and announced that I had arrived! I figured that with the new map system and advanced satellite network that the accuracy would be better yet it showed me at the house just before his..... this is a bit confusing but I think we figured it out, we noticed that Google maps showed his house not in the right place, so the older gps with a greater inaccuracy split the difference and it's best guess was the center of the inaccuracy...close enough announced the arrival, the nuvi in this case was insistent on being accurate! Not a big problem just set the new location and rename it. Since my brother knew his way around town we were treated to a nice woman's voice constantly "recalculating" we noticed that the recalculating exclamation almost had a harsh tone to it (slightly condescending) so those of you who are missing a wife who sighs when she thinks you've made an mistake in your shortcut will feel comforted. Found the battery life to be short of two hours but we were constantly playing music and touching the screen that brings on the back light...also I had the backlight set to two minutes. The battery life should be better once one stops playing with it and just let it do it's job.

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Garmin Nuvi 350 - Expensive but very nice

Posted Jun 13, 2006 - I have used GPS systems for the last 10 years or so. This one is very nice, as long as you remember it calculates LAT and LONG - house numbers come from the map and their location is only as accurate as the map. This GPS unit prompts you with intelligent, intuitive prompts. It alerts you to a ramp's location (left or right) so you know to get over. It flawlessly navigated us on a trip to Staten Island from Philadelphia. We choose a different route from the one it thought was optimal, and after re-calculating the route it said "there is a better route available" - which was kind of cute. GPS lock is quick, voice prompts give you street names (so you can just keep your eyes on the road and look at signs) and the GPS voice prompts will interrupt MP3 playback. I drive a diesel pickup (very noisy) and the loudness of the voice prompts was sufficient even with the stereo turned up a little. The only weakness I could think of was that a little more volume would be nice. I have read many comments that you can only have one waypoint in your trip - my unit let me put 2 waypoints in. Not sure how many it will take. It did calculate the route correctly taking into account the 2 waypoints (and flagged them properly). I am very pleased with this unit, but of course I wish it was cheaper.

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Alittle disappointed, but I guess it's better than not having one.

Posted Sep 5, 2006 - 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.

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I'm a bit of a map-freak, so I keep my Nuvi in my ...

Posted Sep 13, 2006 - I'm a bit of a map-freak, so I keep my Nuvi in my car and on on almost all trips, even when I know where I am and where I'm going, just for the fun of it. I really enjoy seeing where things are in relationship to where I am and have learned a lot more about my area, despite having lived here for 7 years! My Nuvi always gets me where I need to go - although it may not take the route I would've taken when I'm travelling locally. I feel very comfortable knowing that I only need to know an address and I can get pretty much anywhere - and be able to find food, banks, gas stations, stores, and anything else on the way. I've found it pretty much impossible to get lost with my Nuvi on. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

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Compact, fast and precise GPS

Posted Dec 19, 2005 - Used it heavily in San Diego and LA in California for the couple weeks on vacation. No way to confuse it - locks and recalculate in sec. The voice direction describes current maneuver AND next : Turn right on Main street and then keep left". The current instruction is written, if you missed the voice. Voice is pretty clear, despite of misarable buil-in dynamics. Voice to speech is not bad - I liked Australian English. The British English is scrumbled - I can not understand it. The screen is bright enough and can be clearly seen under direct sun. Graphics is OUTSTANDING - even nicer then GOOGLE maps. The arrow shows the approaching turn is very helpful. I find out that new SW is available for upgrade, that fixes single problem. The previous upgrade (that I already have as I bought the unit) had a bunch of bug fixed. So far machine is running smooth. I installed it on top of the dash board - not on the glass as it recomended. Much better to me, not blocking the view. The suggested routes make sense. Very good product, recommended!

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Wow. Perfect new generation GPS. Small, quick, battery operated~

Posted Nov 27, 2005 - I purchased a Magellan 760 and returned it. Like PC Magazine says, it really is confusing. Big, with no battery, it was awful. Would not click easily into its cradle. The Garmin 350 Nuvi is perfect. Small, sexy, the speaker is great. The screen is great. The menus are simple and intuitive. The maps are accurate. It clicks and unclicks easily into its cradle. It is small so you can use it in the parking lot. Put it in your pocket. Magellan is 10 years behind this one. I use it on battery power! I love it!

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Garmin Nuvi 350

Posted Mar 21, 2007 - This is my first GPS. It is an amazing invention. It is hard to believe so much information is available to you in such a small package. I paid $534.99 with tax in Feb 2007. I wanted GPS I could use in car, boat and on bicycle with sufficient memory to load full set of USA maps and with touch screen. I liked many features of the Quest but insufficient memory, no memory card capability, and no touchscreen. Nuvi's rechargeable battery has relatively short 4 hour life for bicycling. I went to Charlotte, by car, and it took me right to my destination with great ease. Ovens Auditorium was not listed in Nuvi database. When I needed to depart Charlotte after dark to a new destination, it was so nice to have my GPS talk me to where I needed to go. No maps. No magnifying glass. I like the ability to find food, entertainment, etc. wherever you are located. US 421 to Wilkesboro,NC was upgraded to four lanes 2 years ago but the GPS still tells you to exit and reenter at former construction locations where there are now no exit or entry ramps. Touch screen is easy to use. I notice it is easy to mess up destination when inserting Nuvi on its windshield suction cup mount. I don't know how this is happening but it has occurred two or three times and I notice my arrival time is way off from its original time. I stop the car, stop the mapping, reselect my destination and hit the go button to restart the GPS. Fat fingers can cause you to hit the wrong selection on the screen. I purchased remote antenna but have not needed it so far. I can't imagine using the books on tape read-out feature. I haven't tried the travel guides other than the ones that come built in. You do get an altitude read out for a single location but not over a distance. My only buyer remorse is having paid so much. But, now that I have it, I really like it. I would like updated maps that include new roads and streets. I live on a street that was constructed 5 years ago but it does not show on the GPS. I like the way it alerts you to upcoming turns. Sometimes (in heavy, fast moving traffic at intersecting highways) it needs to tell you a little sooner to stay left or right.

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SUPER PERFORMER IN ALL RESPECTS !

Posted Nov 24, 2007 - I've only stumped it once (by deviating to a newly installed road in my neighborhood) but the NUVI quickly recalculated and was in-synch within seconds. I love the compact size since it should be great for walking in strange cities. BE SURE TO GET THE TEXT-TO-VOICE feature on whatever brand/model you select. Without the voice, you're defeating the purpose of buying a navigation tool. I find myself listening to the prompts and watching upcoming street signs. Without the voice, you might as well save $300 and carry a paper map. It would be difficult to drive and watch the small screen as the only means of gathering information. The voice feature makes it a true directional helper.

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Works Better Than the Tom Tom One

Posted Nov 24, 2006 - I'm just writing this review to compare it to the Tom Tom One which I almost bought. The Tom Tom has on-screen buttons that are too close together, even for my small fingers. I'd consistently hit the wrong numbers/letters when typing in an address. The Garmin Nuvi 350 did not give me this problem. The only "issue" I have with this unit so far is that the speakers are on the back of it, meaning that if you put it on a soft surface (like the seat next to you) the volume will be soft and hard to hear as the sound gets sucked up by the soft material. Mounting it on the dash window reflects the sound much louder into the vehicle. This is not a big deal just a minor annoyance. Overall, I'm very happy with it.

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Best by far

Posted Dec 3, 2005 - I have owned a Navman 510 and the Tom Tom 700 and this is the best yet. I love the the speed of finding sats and the street names being called out are great. I charge in the house then go, no trailing wires from the screen. Also the safety cameras are pre-loaded buy the supplier which I thought was great as you do not have to anything but switch on and go.

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Portable, and easy to use

Posted Dec 17, 2005 - I have been playing with Nuvi 350 since I got it on Friday. The unit is quite small, fit into shirt pocket. The touch screen is very good, clear even under sun light. Used in the house and in the car, and in general give the sufficient information for driving. Good thing is that I can program it at home and take it to the car and go from there. Tried my routine route, and sometimes did not give consistent rounte, and did not always give shortest time route.

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