Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
by Garmin
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Category: GPS or Navigation System
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: GarminBrand: Garmin
Edition: Electronics
Release Date: 2008-10-04
Model: 010-00538-00
Color: Li-Io
Publisher: Garmin
Studio: Garmin
Music Label: Garmin
Product features:
- Bluetooth wireless technology, built-in microphone, and speaker for hands-free calls with compatible phones
- MP3 player with pre-loaded sample songs and audio books, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm, and currency converters
- 2D or 3D views; pre-loaded with most recent Navteq-driven maps for United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Canada
- Turn-by-turn directions with actual street names; real-time traffic and weather info
- Super-bright 2.8 x 2.1-inch sunlight-readable color screen
- Bracketron UFM-300-BX Nav-Pack Weighted GPS Dash Mount/Carrying Case
- NAVGEAR Universal Dash Mount
- Garmin nüMaps Lifetime North America Map Updates
- Garmin GDB 50 MSN Direct Receiver
- Case Logic GPSS-4 Professional GPS Travel Kit (Dark Blue)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
Customer Review: Excellent performer - experience of a novice
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first GPS unit and I am pleasantly surprised. After I received the Nuvi 360 I updated the software and maps to the current versions. The process (really the maps) took some time, but was completed without any problem.
I am just back from a visit to New York City and New Jersey, the unit worked flawlessly and performed beyond my expectations. I experienced no problems with the loss of satellites while driving between the tall buildings in Manhattan. The 360's navigation accuracy is surprising. I was impressed as it even continued to navigate and give directions while in the Holland and other tunnels (without satellites). It was great to be reminded of what to do when you get out at the other end of the tunnel. (I assume it is storing the information in memory before you enter into the tunnel)
As a novice I had my preconceived ideas of GPS, i.e. only useful to get to a destination. The other functions I considered unnecessary if not useless. Was I wrong? In addition to getting me to where I wanted to be very satisfactorily, I will share my experience with some of the other functions:
* Shortcuts - I am glad I have read the manual before the time. I used the suggested "shortcuts" all the time.
* The speaker volume was adequate and I had it for the most part at about ¾ of its capacity.
* The trip information page is interesting, but it is not essential. Nonetheless, as it is there, why not?
* Trip and preview page - Used it often to get a better understanding of what was ahead. It is an essential function.
* Next turn page - Used it often to get a better view of what is coming and to confirm instructions. It is an essential function.
* Text to speech - I under estimated its value. It is very helpful, especially in a city like NY, to have the street names spoken. That way I could listen and concentrate and keep my eyes on the road and traffic around me. Based on my experience it is essential and I will not consider a model without this capability.
* After using it I appreciate how well the "Go to" has been designed. The POI information is not only convenient, I found it very useful. For instance, to refill the rental before I dropped it at the airport I could locate a gas station near the airport, enter it as a "via point" and get to the drop off area in the least amount of time. The battle to look for a gas station near the airport is now of the past and I will always use this function in the future.
* Bluetooth - A function I considered unnecessary. Yet, I used it all the time.
* MP3, Audio Books, FM, etc. I have not used it and still consider it gimmicks. However, it may just be that I will change my mind again once I have.
As I am traveling often and, hence, am renting cars, it must be convenient to carry the Nuvi with me. Therefore, the "size of a set of cards" of the smaller screen Nuvi 360 is very convenient. I never found the screen uncomfortable or too small. I don't know what the bigger screen Nuvis are like; however, as I am going to have it with me ALL THE TIME in the future, I prefer the smaller format.
I also bought the Nuvi "Portable Friction Mount Part Number: 010-10908-00". What a useful and innovative product. It is an excellent accessory and I have no intention to ever install the suction cup mount that comes standard. If you travel in many different cars this is a must have.
In summary, I have no experience with other GPS systems (Magellan, TomTom, etc.) or Nuvi models, but am very satisfied with the 360. In fact, it will in the future always travel with me. The only question I have is: How did I in the past get along without one?
An update - after more experience
In the past few weeks I had the opportunity to test the Nuvi 360 in different locations. I flew to Nashville, TN to visit the Center Hill dam and looked at property around the Old Hickory Lake including Henderson. I then flew to Florida where I visited the Tampa/St Petersburg/Clearwater areas on the Gulf coast, Ocala, Orlando inland and the Merit Island/Cocoa Beach areas on the east coast. From Tampa I flew to San Francisco to visit Oakland and Concord.
In summary the Nuvi 360 performed spectacular at all locations. Having read many of the reviews I gave particular attention to some of the criticisms. Here are my experiences:
* I never had a problem with satellite reception, nor did I have to wait "long" for it to connect on startup. (Some reviews mentions 10 minutes. I don't know their locations, but it never happened to me.)
* The Nuvi was always accurate and took me straight to my destinations.
* The POI information was very handy, accurate and useful. I used it all the time to get to my hotel, find a gas station and to decide where to eat. The data base is really good.
* However, once you have a detour/"via point" programmed, it is not easy to change it. It happened a few times that I had a gas station in as a "via point" on my way to my hotel. Later I decided to go eat first and then go for gas, or to go directly to my destination to fill up later. I had to "stop"/cancel the whole trip, lose the destination, and reprogram it from the start. Garmin customer support says there is no other way. However, I would love to know if there is anyone who has a workaround for this limitation.
* I added a 4 GB SDHC memory card to use the Nuvi as a MP3 player. It works well and is a benefit. Although I am not a music fanatic it allows me to download interesting programs and discussions to listen to while driving. It makes the long trips more bearable. Having the Nuvi coordinating the interaction between my cell phone (blue tooth), MP3 and driving directions is very convenient. I have to confess that I changed my opinion and, although not essential, I am very glad that the MP3 feature is available on the Nuvi 360.
* I added a "dubbing" or MP3 stereo connection cable to my standard travelling accessories. Playing through the car's radio improves the sound significantly on long trips (and for use as a MP3 player). For short trips, in my opinion, the Nuvi's sound is good enough and not worth the effort. I added to my car rental "profile" that my rental car should have a MP3 accessory connection on its radio.
* I tried to create a GPX waypoint and saved it on the SD memory card. Unfortunately, Garmin's information on this topic is very flimsy. Although I succeeded I am not comfortable that I did it right or on how to edit and manage the file I created. I wish they could post better instructions on their website.
* Talking about Garmin, apparently the current software for the 360 is version 4.7 and not 4.6 as stated on the Garmin website. I received an e-mail from Garmin Technical Support stating that version 4.6 is the current update for the 660, but the update for the 360 is 4.7.
* The arrival estimates (ETA) of the Nuvi were amazingly accurate. When I was able to maintain the speed limits I consistently arrived at my destination on the time estimated by the Nuvi when I started the trip. Of course, if I had traffic delays it adjusted the ETA accordingly.
* I have the Nuvi on "Shortest Time" as criteria to calculate the route. It seems that it considers the speed limits on various possible roads and logically puts one on a route where the allowable speed limits are higher (Although it is a longer route the higher speed limits should in theory get you to your destination sooner.). Consequently, it will select main streets rather than smaller and sometimes "better" backstreets. I developed a workaround for this issue that works for me. If I steer to the route that I know from experience is a "better" route it will assume that I made a wrong turn and will automatically recalculate and direct me back to the "less desirable" mathematically faster route. However, if I hit "Recalculate" it will reprogram and as a rule put me on the "better" backstreet route I know. Only once did I have to hit "Recalculate" twice before it established the route that I know from experience to be the "best" route. Personally I think that is pretty good and I have confidence to trust the Nuvi when I am at unfamiliar locations. I don't know what the results will be if one chooses "Shortest Distance" as the calculating criteria. As I have confidence in and am satisfied with the current results I will leave it on shortest time and just hit "Recalculate" if I suspect that, or want to check if there is a better route.
* Usually the rental car company is situated in a parking garage at the airport. If one, while in the parking garage, program the Nuvi to your destination it will unsuccessfully attempt to find satellites. Should you not get out of the facility into the open fast enough it will ask if you are under cover. An irritation I encountered is that if you dare to say "yes" it turns off the antenna and will not turn it on again automatically to find the satellites when you actually get into the open. One has to reboot the unit and reprogram the route over again. That can be dangerous if, on exit from the parking garage, you find yourself in traffic at a strange location. My workaround for the moment is to not turn it on until I am in a position where it can find satellites. However, I will keep on testing potential workarounds as I consider it important to have the route programmed and ready before I start driving.
* Another problem I experienced was on arrival in San Francisco from Tampa. On leaving the rental car facility at San Francisco airport the Nuvi (recognizing that the satellites locations were not as it calculated) asked if I was hundreds of miles away from my previous location. I said yes and it cleverly and expeditiously established my new location. However, when I "spelled" my city to go to as Concord it would find every city with the name Concord in almost every other State but the one in California. I repeated the process a few times with the same result. After a few minutes, somehow, suddenly, there Concord, CA was offered.
In summary and after hours and many miles of use at many different locations, I must still give it the highest rating. I am very satisfied and can recommend it strongly. For a person who travels a lot, the Nuvi 360 GPS is one of the best innovations you can have. The very high ratings of so many users are for a good reason.
More Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech reviews:
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Description of Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech
The Garmin nüvi 360 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant isa GPS navigator, personal translator, multi-media entertainer and tour guide all wrapped into one. In addition to all the advanced features of the Garmin nüvi 350 including automatic routing, turn by turn voice directions, an MP3 player and audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, and much more this pocket-sized personal travel assistant comes with hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology, making it the hands down go anywhere travel companion.The Garmin nüvi 360 GPS Navigator and Personal Travel Assistant isa GPS navigator, personal translator, multi-media entertainer and tour guide all wrapped into one. In addition to all the advanced features of the Garmin nüvi 350 -- including automatic routing, turn-by-turn voice directions, an MP3 player and audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, and much more -- this pocket-sized personal travel assistant comes with hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology, making it the hands-down go-anywhere travel companion.
Which nüvi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators
 The nüvi 360 comes with hands-free bluetooth wireles technology. See side view. |
 Browse your stored pictures with an easy-to-use JPEG viewer. |
 The device sports a handy MP3 player, letting you play songs stored on SD memory cards. |
The nüvi 360 integrates wireless technology with a microphone and speaker that lets you make hands-free mobile phone calls using your compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone. Simply dial numbers with the nüvi's touch screen keypad to place a call, and to answer calls, just tap the screen and speak directly into its built-in microphone.
In addition, you can easily look-up and dial numbers from your personalized phone book or from your phone's call history log. Don't know the phone number for your destination? Simply find and dial it from nüvi's database of more than six million points of interest -- including hotels, restaurants, stores, and attractions.
Navigation and Entertainment with Ease
For starters, the nüvi 360 includes a high-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver that offers exceptional performance and reception. The unit's flip-up antenna includes an MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection. Preloaded software features maps of Europe or North America, and it includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names, and a fingertip touch screen interface -- making navigation as easy as it gets.
But navigation is just the beginning. Like the nüvi 350, the nüvi 360 also includes many entertainment and travel tools including an MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer, travel alarm, and currency converters.
The nüvi 360 features a bright, 2.8 x 2.1-inch TFT display with white backlight for easy readability. At 3.87 x 2.91 x 0.87-inches (WxHxD) and just 5.1 ounces, the unit is small enough to be placed on the dashboard with the included suction mount, or into your pocket for easy transportability. The unit also features Garmin Lock -- an advanced anti-theft feature that disables the unit from performing any functions until you type in a specific four-digit PIN or take the unit to a predetermined location. A built-in lithium ion battery will give you up to eight hours of power, and an included 12/24 volt adapter cable will let you run the navigator off your vehicle's power. An AC battery charger is also included.
A built-in Travel Kit that includes sample MP3s and audio books will get you started with entertainment, and with the unit's SD memory card expansion slot you can add optional software, such as language and travel guides. A USB port is also included for loading and updating data.
What's in the Box
Gamin nüvi 360, Preloaded City Navigator NT North America or Europe (full coverage), vehicle suction cup mount, AC charger, 12/24 volt adapter cable, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, carrying case, owner's manual, and quick reference guide.
Device | Screen Size inches (W x H) | Included Maps | Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names) | Traffic | Bluetooth | Media | FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system) | Multi-Point Routing | Battery life (hours) | ||
Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico | AK and Canada | Europe | |||||||||
| nüvi 360 | 2.8 x 2.1 |  | | | FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | up to 8 | |||
| nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||||
| nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | Photos | up to 5 | |||||
| nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 |
| nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | |
| nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | |
| nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | |||||
| nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | Photos | up to 4 | ||||
| nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | up to 4 | |||
| nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
| nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos | | up to 4 | ||
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