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 Tom-Tom better for travel - and both are bad if you need a specific store Jun 30, 2010
We travel a lot - often with multiple interim destinations. The Garmin does not allow you to set up a trip with interim destinations - the Tom-Tom does. For that reason, I recommend the Tom-Tom over the Garmin for travel.
We often need to find specialty stores (Toys R Us, Hobby Lobby, etc.)in unfamiliar cities. I recently needed to find a Toys R us in Knoxville TN. I had to use Google Map on my phone and then enter the address into the Garmin to get it to direct me. Same thing happened a few days later when I needed a Hobby Lobby in Chattanooga, TN. Both stores had been at the same location for 5 of more years.
Both Garmin & Tom-Tom seem to have omitted these stores from their databases - not sure why, but I suspect these companies are trying to make the stores pay to be found by their databases. If so, they are making a huge marketing mistake - should a service like Bing or Google decide to add a subscription talking directional application, both firms would find their product obsolete in short order
 ok but has 2 problems Jun 25, 2010
We have used this GPS in various US states over the last 2 years. While it has been ok overall (we only use it for directions, not for music and all the other stuff it can do) We have always had the following issues:
1. The suction cup suddenly falls off the windshield at times. This can be dangerous for the driver. So now the passenger just holds it in his/her hand and it is not safe if the driver is alone.
2. Sometimes the satellites just don't load. This seems to have nothing to do with area (cos it has happened in areas where it has previously worked) or weather.
You would be better off trying the dashboard mounted models, at least they wont fall off and hit the driver's face! While this has taken us to many places .. I don't think its worth the money given that these are getting so much cheaper these days.
 My Trusty Travel Companion Jun 17, 2010
I used iGuidance 1.0 for the Pocket PC for over 4 years before I got the Garmin nüvi. I loved the iGuidance but the Garmin nüvi blew me away!
Accuracy
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The nüvi is very accurate; it has yet to fail to bring me to my destination. However, I've encountered a few instances where an address or road wasn't in the nüvi database (I have the 2009 maps). In such cases, your best bet would be to simply enter an adjacent or nearby location into the nüvi.
Directions
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The software lets you know how far ahead your next turn is when you're within between about .1 to .5 miles. It says something like "In .1 miles, turn left onto Broadway" and a few hundred feet before your turn, it omits the information on the distance before your turn and simply says "Turn left onto Broadway." I wish it used feet instead of miles when specifying distances .2 mile (1056 ft) or less but it's a minor complaint.
The software gives you the directions for two successive turns that are very close together (say, 300 feet apart) all at once to make sure you have ample time to respond to the second turn that immediately follows the first. For example, "Take exit 70, then keep left", or "Turn right, then immediately turn left."
However, it may occasionally notify you of a turn a little late, which results in you missing the turn. Thankfully, this doesn't happen very often. If you do miss a turn, however, the software recalculates a new route very quickly (within a couple of seconds)!
Auto-Off/Resume Function
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My Garmin is a permanent fixture in my car. I leave the car adapter permanently hooked up to the unit. What I really love about it is it automatically turns off when the external power supply is lost. What this translates to is whenever I turn off my car engine, the unit automatically shuts itself off. When I start my car, the unit automatically fires back up. It gets better - it remembers your set destination when it turns back on and resumes giving you directions to your destination. This feature is handy for when I need to fill up on gas midway to a destination. After I'm done filling up my tank, I start my car, at which point the GPS unit fires back up and immediately resumes giving me directions to my destination. Very cool! This makes the Garmin nüvi the perfect In-Car GPS solution!
Data Entry
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The keys for entering addresses into the nüvi are arranged alphabetically from A-Z, not in a QWERTY format. Personally, I find the tedium of having to hunt for letters in the A-Z format a real inconvenience and annoyance!
Lock It
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You can lock your nüvi with a 4-digit PIN. The package comes with 2 decals that state that your GPS unit is secured with a security code to deter would-be thieves from stealing the unit.
Text-To-Speech
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The text to speech still sounds like it comes from a synthesized voice but it's perfectly intelligible.
Nice Extras
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- SD card Slot
Since the unit can serve as an MP3 Player and a photo viewer, it has an SD card slot allows you to load mp3 and photos (JPEG) onto the unit.
- MP3 Player
The MP3 Player is very basic. It has shuffle and repeat track/playlist. The unit will only read mp3 files in the root directory of the SD card; it will not read mp3 files that are in a folder. It will, however, read playlist (pls) files, which can have their source from one or more folders / sub folders. There are other limitations to the mp3 player:
(i) you cannot delete tracks
(ii) you cannot arrange/edit your playlists
To edit/delete your tracks or playlists, you will need to do so in your computer, mobile device, or music device.
- Picture Viewer
You can load your photos via the SD card slot and view it on the screen.
nüvi 350 vs. nüvi 360
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The only difference between the nüvi 350 and the nüvi 360 is the nüvi 360 has Bluetooth for connecting your cell phone whereas the nüvi 350 doesn't.
Alternatives
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I would really recommend the Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic instead. The nüvi 765/765T has *live* traffic (it comes with a traffic receiver and a *free* lifetime traffic subscription) - it factors in current traffic conditions and routes you accordingly. It has a built-in FM transmitter so you'll be able to listen to the voice directions (and music, if you choose to use the included MP3 player) through the stereo/surround-sound speakers in your car. It also has bluetooth and a host of other features. Here's the clincher - it costs half as much as the nüvi 350 sold here!
Conclusion
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The Garmin nüvi is a very affordable In-Car GPS Solution. Apart from the cumbersome interface (A-Z keys) for entering your destination, I really don't have very much else to complain about it. As good as the nüvi 350 is, I would strongly recommend the nüvi 765/765T instead. It has many, many more features than the nüvi 350 and costs half as much!
 Doesn't take the most direct routes Jun 12, 2010
Turning it on and off is a problem. Spent 80 minutes on the phone when ours lost maps, only to have more problems. Would not buy another Garmin product. This GPS is like dealing with a stubborn child!
 Love it! May 31, 2010
My GPS has been the best money I've ever spent. When you print out an online map, you're distracted by reading it and when you miss your turn, you're stuck like Chuck to find your way back. This talks to you as well as giving you the option to glance down and read the instruction. If you're like me, then you've rushed out of your office to a meeting and realized once you're on the road that you left your online map directions on your desk. With a GPS, you don't have to worry about it.
It takes a couple of minutes to find a signal sometimes. This model also gives you other options like avoiding tollroads, traffic, highways, etc. (I hate toll roads!) You can also save locations you go to often. So once you're ready to leave your current location, you can just hit, "home" or "work" without putting the address every time.
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