Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: Best Purchase - Nuvi in Ireland
Summary: 5 Stars
Needless to say, the 5-star ranking does not do this product any justice. After our trip to Ireland, I would have to say that this is the best piece of electronic equipment that I have ever purchased. Simply put, it saved time, money and my marriage.
Driving can be hard enough in Ireland, much less worrying about taking a random third turn on a bloody roundabout. (Fellas, you know what I'm talking about...driving in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road/car, with your wife routinely "white knuckling" the hand rest on the door every time a car approaches going 120km/hr.) Simply follow the directions given and get where you're going with no navigational anxiety. This is what makes the Garmin so great.
"Maggie" (affectionately known to us) proved to be about 95% accurate in her navigational skills, leaving the other 5% up to the imagination of the traveler. Now, some people might have a different view on traveling on dirt roads, but we thoroughly enjoyed these little 5% "safaris" that Maggie decided to take us on. They provided some absolutely unbelievable views that we would have completely missed had we used a map and stayed on the highway. These can also be avoided if you DON'T select the fastest/shortest route option.
It is true that she gives the street names for every turn, which some might find to be annoying. Alternatively, we found her attempts to be hilarious when trying to pronounce such streets as "Kilmacanogh-Gledullagh Rd". Truthfully, we didn't pay attention to the names that much anyway, since we saw a grand total of three proper street signs in over 12 hours of driving. Just listen to the "right" or "left", and watch the distance meter to turn and you'll be just fine.
One feature of this product which helped greatly was the ability to program in a destination to get a rough ETA when planning the day. One surprise that we encountered was the total miscalculation of driving time when planning the trip. A 40 mile trip in Ireland could take as long as 3 hours which seems impossibly ridiculous, but it's true. The Garmin ("Mags") nailed each trip within 15 minutes.
The walking mode also came in handy in both the streets of Dublin, and various hiking trails. Again, very accurate ETA's.
All in all, I would highly recommend this product after two weeks of near constant use in Ireland, and three months here in the States. No defects, no complaints and no regrets.
Digital camera Review: Beware of Electro Biz
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered the Garmin 370 through Amazon purchased from Electro Biz. The unit arrived in two days which was great.. When I tried to register the unit with Garmin, I could not do it because it was already registered. The Garmin 370 was a reconditioned unit sold as a new unit. I sent an e-mail through Amazon to Electro Biz about the problem. By e-mail, Electro Biz assured me the unit was new and that they had sent the serial number to Garmin to start my warranty. They said if I gave them my unit's serial number, they would fix the problem. Two days later I still could not register my unit. I contacted Garmin and was told the unit was a reconditioned unit and only individuals can register the units, not companies that sell them. If I sent Garmin a sales receipt, they could fix the registration so I could register the unit; however, the fact was that the unit was NOT new but reconditioned. I again contacted Amazon and sent an e-mail through Amazon to Electro Biz about the problem. Electro Biz responded that Garmin's information was false and they could fix the serial number problem with Garmin so I could register on line. That was all they could do or I could send the unit back. I was not offered a new unit. I again contacted Garmin and was told the unit was reconditioned and put back into service Nov.8. I have informed Electro Biz that I am returning the unit to them for a refund. Please BEWARE of items purchased from ELECTRO BIZ.Digital camera Review: Broke my heart
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this to send with my wife and niece on a road trip from Florence to Barcelona. My wife has had another Garmin unit for years. We used the Nuvi 370 in L.A. It was balky until we updated it, then it was fine. Just before the trip, I loaded photos and songs on it. VERY BAD IDEA. DON'T USE ANY INTERNAL MEMORY. It gave memory errors in Europe and would never, ever work. Never, ever acquired a satellite. Thought it was still in L.A. Very, very big disappointment. When they got home, I tried it and it would not acquire a satellite, even after 20 minutes. On a hunch, I deleted all the photos and songs. Now it works fine. I did not see this documented anywhere, and I am kind of a geek.
It was awfully slow to load photos, and did not sound good. So you are not missing anything. If you want to use these features, try using an SD card, and you might need to take the card out when you are navigating.
The sandbag holder works great in L.A. They never needed it in Europe.
Digital camera Review: Darn Good
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used a couple of GPS units over the past few years and decided to purchase a portable one for an upcoming trip to Europe. I have had good experiences with Garmin so the x70 was the way to go. So far I have only used it in the US and it has performed as expected- very well. It froze a few times (a minor hick-up on the highway but a pain when in town). It has also sometimes given questionable ETAs, but I think this may be due to how I have inserted 'way' points. The thing is so easy to use that I never read the instruction manual. On a recent trip to Wy it directed me to a road that was no longer in use, so it important to remember that this (as are all GPS units) is a navigation aid...good driving requires good situational awareness). I am excited to have it in Europe while I wonder around. This is also when I will try some of its real-time features.
Overall this is a great product. Prices on GPS units are dropping all the time so shop wisely. The 670 can now be had for just about what I paid for the 370.
Digital camera Review: Delivery problems
Summary: 5 Stars
The problem is Amazon phone operators. I got a call the day before the delivery of a Garmin Nuvi 370 GPS from Amazon stating the delivery would be the next day between 8 AM and 5:30 PM, and that I was the only one that could sign for the unit. UPS attempted to deliver the Garmin at 12:30 PM while I was away at a lunch meeting. I called Amazon in an attempt to find out if I could sign the UPS delivery attempt, and leave it attached to my front door, or perhaps someone else at my home could sign for it. The Lady at Amazon told me the only way I could get delivery was to take off from work and wait for the 2nd attempt at delivery which was scheduled for the next day, or make a long trip to the UPS delivery center and pick it up. I said I could not do that. At that point Amazon said they would cancel the delivery, which they did. The bored lady at Amazon said they would refund my money (I have not received it yet, but I am sure I will get the refund from them). I tried to email Amazon to see if there was some other way to get the delivery, but they never replied to my email. I BOUGHT THE UNIT FROM ANOTHER DEALER. The Garmin is great, it is just a problem with Amazon's policy of making you wait at home for delivery all day. If you save anything at Amazon, it is quickly lost by time wasted waiting for the delivery.