Garmin nuvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Our Price: $48.90 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin nuvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: A GPS that does its fundamental thing CORRECTLY
Summary: 5 Stars
This is exactly the type of GPS I was looking for. Although it also comes with all the bells and whistles that are good for initial few days but find little use later on. But it is great when it comes to its fundamental functions: finds the best route, says the name of the street (eg, Turn Right on Edgell Road), does a recalculation in an instant, easy to use, has day and night mode, has the locations of lots of important places, is light, is sturdy, etc.
It also has picture viewer, mp3 player but when I buy a GPS those are not the features that I am looking for. You have ipods or zunes for mp3 player and then you have dvd players these days.
Digital camera Review: A Good GPS Unit But Serious Defects
Summary: 3 Stars
I really love my Nuvi and have been a loyal Garmin user for quite a while. I drive 1500 miles a week so I really depend on it. The two serious concerns I have deal with the screen brightness at night and the black suction cup that is used for mounting.
Even on the lowest power setting the screen is too bright at night. I have to cover the screen frequently to block out the light. This has been an issue on all Garmins I have owned. The only solution I have found is to purchase a heavy tinted film from a car window tinting business, customize it to your screen, and put it on at night and take it off during the day.
While this may not seem like a big deal the light from the screen reduces your ability to see at night (dilates the pupils) and also draws unwanted attention to your vehicle.
The other issue has to do with the suction cup mounting. People in northern climates may not be affected but here in the south it gets very hot during the day. Garmin uses a black colored suction cup. Black as you know is the worst color available to reflect light from the sun. I have had to replace so many suction cups because they have fused to the windshield due to the black color absorbing the light which generates the heat causing black rubber circles on the windshield where the suction cup was mounted. I now use a bean bag mount.
If you can afford it get the 660. It has a wider screen the is easier to read during the daytime.
Digital camera Review: A Good Sales Pitch but Unacceptable
Summary: 2 Stars
The hardware doesn't work properly and I got stuck with an outdated version of the software. When recently using the unit on a trip the machine could not correctly pronounce some street names.
The installed software was so outdated it took me to places that were no longer in existence. It's very apparent that Garmin is just going for the bucks and an unfortunate customer like myself will be forced to pay out the nose for an upgraded version of data that should have come with the unit.
Be careful. In hopes to get the latest GPS software I waited many months before buying the unit but was still taken by Garmin. In addition to these disappointments described Garmin doesn't even provide a manual.
Digital camera Review: A Great Value With Great Garmin Support (very important read before you buy)
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this unit in Oct 2008 for about $80 more than this site is offering it for now. Bottom line is I have no complaints but I will try to address some concerns or issues that other reviews have stated. First off you need to know this is a discontinued model from Garmin. That is the one reason the price has dropped so much but it has nothing to do with the quality, support or functionality of this unit! What you need to know is after you buy this unit you will need to register it at the Garmin web site to get all the free upgrades and support. After you do that you get the warrenty PLUS the free maps 2009 upgrade and any other update your unit may need for your unit out of the box. Mine needed the maps 2009 plus a software update. Both were very easy to do over the Garmin web site but two things to consider is you need a high speed internet connection for the maps update (or it may take quite awhile on download) and a USB connection on your computer (that most all have these days). The updates are all FREE! I do belive I saw a offer of a CD they will mail you if you do not have a great internet connection for about $10, but don't quote me on that. All the needed cables come in the box with this unit plus it even comes with a carrying case (at least mine did I should say). So I rate the support and the free upgrade at 10 of 10 stars. Very easy to do and alot of other companies that discontinue a product limit the support. This is not the case with Garmin and a big Kudo's to them! Next, it is written that the unit takes time to start up. I don't have this problem and that maybe one of the issues Garmin corrected with the free internal software update you get online. I will say that when you first start it after it has been off for some time (over a couple hours) when you start it up it may take different amounts of time to locate the satilites. I have jumped in the car and started to drive and it has taken a couple miles to lock in to it's position and it seems the faster you move after start the longer it may take. But it still does get "online" within a few miles. That said, if you stop at a store and shut off the unit and come back and turn it on, it starts right up real quick. Don't ask me why but it just does it. The other great thing I like about this unit is if you plug it into a power source that shuts off after you shut down your car, it will automaticlly go into shutdown mode unless you touch the screen button and tell it to continue operation in battery mode. So you don't have to plug and un-plug all the time which over time will damage the power supply (wires/plug). Finally, getting back to the web site....this unit shows a car/truck driving on the road instead of an arrow like other units do. The Garmin site offers various down load car/truck downloads in various colors to match you automobile. Not a real important issue but just an example of the support and options Garmin offers with this unit. So my over-all review is 4 of 5 stars. I honestly believe it deserves five stars but because the unit does not come out of the box fully up to date it does not warrent a five star rating in my opinion. That said, it is very easy to get it that way at no additional cost pretty quick and I was very please with the Garmin support and easy access of the web site. This is a great unit for the price and you will not be dissappointed. Very bright screen and easy to use. I just may buy another one at this price to have a spare or as a gift.Digital camera Review: A Great Value on a GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
A great GPS for the price.
The best feature is Text-to-speech, it speaks the actual name of the street or turn. A big safety feature, you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Also, the fact that it comes with maps of Canada is very useful if you live near the border or plan to visit Canada.