Garmin nüvi 360 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech Reviews

• Lives up to its promise

  
  By A26BKP5YFLJN34 on 2006-07-22
  Previous to this, I had the Nuvi 350, which is also an excellent device. Since the function is identical in nearly every regard to the 350, there is little point in covering the basics in much depth, but it's worth re-stating some of them. I will go into great detail on the Bluetooth functionality below.
  
  This is such a handy device, and is so well executed, that you would be hard-pressed not to love it. The first thing I noticed about the Nuvi was its incredibly small size and weight. I could not believe how light it was. I literally expected it to have at least twice the heft when I went to pick it up the first time - it was like picking up a deck of cards, but lighter.
  
  The antenna is a flap that is raised from the back, maybe about the size of a matchbook. When raised the Nuvi immediately starts locking in on satellites, when lowered, the unit knows you are through navigating for a while. Intuitive and effective.
  
  Navigation on the Nuvi is very good, fast, and intuitive. It's no different from many of Garmin's other offerings in that regard. Some buildings and businesses that you would expect to be shown as POIs are not there, but most are. One thing I would suggest: when a route is less than ideal, Garmin should allow you to correct it permanently so that it does not re-suggest the non-preferred route each time.
  
  I had a problem with my old Nuvi 350 that I have not observed on the new 360. Sometimes the 350 would not lock onto the satellite signal. Once it went into this mode of searching for, but not locking in, for over a minute it just never found anything. The only way I found to correct this was to push the small reset button under the antenna. I notice that another reviewer found that his new 360 had the same problem. This must be a bug in some Nuvi units that would be worth following up with Garmin on. I can tell you that my 360 NEVER has required a reboot, and I've been using it continuously.
  
  I did not test the MP3 functionality beyond verifying that it plays back the songs that are pre-loaded for demo purposes. I didn't care about this feature; I'm very happy with my iPod for song management and playback. I can verify that you would not want to use the Nuvi's internal speaker for song playback, though. It's good enough to use as a speakerphone and for voice prompts, but it's not a hi-fi.
  
  Now, for the fun part: Bluetooth functionality. I have been using it with my BlackBerry 8700c with excellent results so far. I had no problems with the initial discovery and mating process. The interface is robust. What happens is that once your phone has made the connection with the 360, a phone icon appears on the Nuvi. You can now use the 360 to call ANY POI directly from the screen! This is truly amazing; you are now walking around with the yellow pages in the palm of your hand, sortable by your current location, or any other location you choose. I just find the Point of Interest, and touch the phone number of that POI, and the phone starts dialing it. The sound comes out through the speaker of the Nuvi, and conversations have been natural so far. It's working like an absolute charm, and this single feature moves the device beyond anything else available right now.
  
  When you select the phone icon from the main screen, several phone-related icons appear. From the phone screen, you can make a call manually, access your address book, call a POI, etceteras. The manual dial function works fine from the touchscreen. The really cool news: Nuvi automatically downloads your phone's address book to its database when it makes the initial Bluetooth link. So, if your phone supports this functionality, you can use it for all dialing functions, since the display is so much nicer than most phones, and the touchscreen works really well. You can always break the BT connection once you get the number dialed if you want a private, non-speakerphoned conversation. I have done that many times already. Once your call ends, the connection to the Nuvi is reestablished automatically. One word of warning: BlackBerry does not support sending its addresses to the Nuvi, so I was unable to test the download feature, but this does not surprise me given BlackBerry's security obsession. I am confident that it would work fine with other supported phones.
  
  Overall, the device is a joy to operate. The battery life is good, although I would not call it excellent. The menus are very intuitive. The accuracy is very high. Even the windshield mount earns my praise. I did a lot of research on the Nuvi, comparing it in excruciating detail to the latest Tom Tom 910, the Magellan Roadmate 800, etceteras. The 350 was a great unit, the 360's Bluetooth functionality makes it even better, and worth the extra money for me.
  
  UPDATE (7/28/06): I just returned from a 4 day trip to Banff, Canada during which I logged another 20 hours of driving. The unit continues to perform perfectly, including comprehensive POIs in the Banff/Lake Louise area. I also discovered an amazing feature I had not noticed before. I was unfamiliar with the Lake Louise area and had three hungry kids in the car. I pressed Where To, then Restaurants, and the list appeared, in order of proximity to my moving vehicle. Each listing showed the distance to that restaurant, with a little arrow next to it showing the exact direction to that restaurant. I just left it on this page and drove around, following the arrows, which moved as I did, until I found a restaurant that looked good. What an amazing device. I also have nothing but praise for the window mount. Seems like a small thing, but it's so solid and well-designed I had to make special mention of it. It has a lever to easily create a large suction force, the ball joints are very solid, and the method of attachment to the Nuvi is just extremely well designed.
  
  Update (9/2/06): I have now owned the Nuvi 360 for about two months. It continues to exceed my expectations in terms of reliability and accuracy. So many nice touches that you don't notice right away but that are executed so well. The auto brightness level, for example, is perfect. The night mode changes the color scheme and the background goes black, highlighting the roads well and keeping the light emissions at a pleasant level, where the day mode would have been too bright. Everyone I demo it for wants one. My next step: buy stock in Garmin?
  
  Update (9/14/07): The unit continues to operate flawlessly. I have now bought this machine for several employees of my company, each of whom love it. I also followed through on my impulse to buy Garmin stock, which has more than doubled since then! I now also own a Nuvi 660; it's fantastic. However, with the wider screen it's a bit bulkier to carry around, so my wife and I trade them back and forth depending on what we are doing. I still say that the 360 is the best bang for the buck if you want the Bluetooth functionality, and the 350, which is now selling for only $370, is every ounce as good if you don't care about the Bluetooth.
  
  One other point - I now drive a BMW 545i with integrated GPS. I bought the car used but I know that the option costs a bundle. I never use it because the Nuvi is so much more user friendly and fast. So for anyone out there who is trying to decide if they should spring for a very expensive integrated GPS system in their new car, here's one vote to save yourself the money and get the Nuvi. It's easier to use and you get to carry it around with you to boot!
  
  

• Best All in One Solution Out There!

  
  By A3IPSECQAUAT8V on 2006-07-15
  This may be one of the slickest little gadgets I've ever owned. It is not without some relatively minor deficiencies which pale in comparison to this products overall design and function.
  
  First the good news. This is the smallest, most elegant and compact AIO (all in one) GPS navigation solution I've come across. The mapping details are excellent. The Nuvi 360 has map v8 updated from the v7 in the Nuvi 350. The voice prompts are loud, clear and timely. The ease of use is just fantastic and the visibility and quality of the display are very good. The 360 uses the low reflection screen and brighter display which were only found on the very latest 350s. POI access is excellent and can be navigated to much more simply than the TomTom unit which requires additional cumbersome steps. The attachment system for the Nuvi is superb and very secure. With the Nuvi 360 you can access your POIs directly by name rather than having to go through a cumbersome category menu and then only getting the POIs by proximity as is the case with the TomTom 910.
  
  The new screen display in the 360 is nearly as good or equal to the TomTom 910. The automatic panning is not quite as good as the TomTom. And bright light visibility is nearly as good as the TomTom 910. Despite these minor comparative deficiencies, all the other advantages of the Nuvi much more than outweigh the disadvantages of the TomTom 910 (their top of the line). As with all GPS units, you want to place the Nuvi so as to reduce the sun's glare.
  
  This device is intended as an extremely simple point to point navigating AIO GPS navigation solution and is not intended to enable the use of way points or easily changing the course selected by the unit. You have essentially two options: the shortest route and the fastest route. Fortunately, the mapping program selects routs that are very acceptable. Personally, I like to look at the overall route and fiddle with it. This unit is not designed for such use. Microsoft Streets and Trips is ideal for this kind of tinkering, but terrible for point to point navigation while on the go at which the Nuvi has no peer.
  
  Make sure and get the most recent firmware updates on the Garmin website which will fix the known bugs and further improve the functionality. This unit is so easy to use that my 85 year old father purchased one for himself and he loves it to. He is, to put it kindly, technologically challenged but this unit is so intuitive and easy to use that he's had no problems whatsoever. He doesn't like to be distracted while driving so he plans his trip before leaving and simply listens to the voice prompts.
  
  The new bluetooth feature makes using hands free use of your bluetooth enabled phone a pleasure. If you don't need or want the Bluetooth feature save yourself a couple of hundred bucks and get the most recent Nuvi 350 but make sure it's got the low reflective screen, the bright display and map v8. Remember, only the most recent Nuvi 350s have the bright low reflective screen. I believe if you get a 350 with map v8 it will automatically have the brighter display with the low reflection screen. I give this unit a 5 star on form and a 5 star on the functionality for which it was designed. You will not be disappointed.
  
  

• Exceptional nav, but marginal hands-free cel

  
  By A127XH38CHW7P on 2006-11-15
  I've used the unit daily for a couple of months, now. I would rate the navigation portion as outstanding- it exceeds my expectations in every way. I also like that it is small enough to use while you carry it, if you happen to be taxiing or walking through a city, such as San Francisco or New York.
  
  But the hands-free bluetooth for the cel phone is marginal, because of the tiny speakers. If you turn the speaker up high enough to hear callers, it distorts. If you turn it down a notch, you'll be asking the other party to repeat a lot. I've had a couple of hands-free car kits in the past, that had their own, appropriate-sized speaker, that had superior sound quality to this. But these little speakers are not up to the task. They work fine with the navigation's voice, which I'm guessing is because they graphically equalized the voice to work well with the speakers. But when someone speaks loudly, or has a boomy voice, then the speakers distort a lot. I sometimes have to turn off the unit, and take the call on my cel phone directly, in order to hear the person.
  
  My advice would be to save some cash and buy the Nuvi 350. Then, buy a seperate hands-free bluetooth cel kit.
  
  

• Fantastic for Address Navigation, Bluetooth not worth it though

  
  By A5FEK57BKPUE1 on 2006-09-11
  I've had the Nuvi 360 for a couple of weeks now and has really performed fantastically. From finding us places to eat and sleep in Hawaii (Oahu) and correctly navigating me to about 15 different addesses as I was checking out houses in the Southern California area, the unit has provided incredibly detailed and timely driving directions and even tells you which side of exit ramps to bear to, so that you can accurately go east/west or north/south as the case may be. The FIND function is good for finding things nearby your location, but don't count on it to take the place of the yellow-pages. Though there are POI's stored on it and it easily locates some of the more frequently visited establishments, this real worth of this device is not in finding you the nearest restaurant you're in the mood for, but navigating you to that destination given an address or intersection. You will do yourself a favor if you always have an address or intersection, as you can not find a single road with the Nuvi--so a little prior planning will go a long way.
  
  I got the 2GB SD card with it, but just know that it is totally unnecessary. You don't need it for navigation or restaurant storage--in fact the country, language and Fodor's guides are all on separate and special SD cards. If you get one, it will only be to store photos or MP3's. If you're using this as your sound system however, perhaps you should be putting the money somewhere else first, before getting yourself a Navigator :O)
  
  The included cigarrette-lighter plug works out nicely when you keep it plugged in all the time. It automatically turns the unit on when you turn the keys in the ignition and shuts down in 15 seconds when you leave the automobile. If you choose not to use the Nuvi while driving however, it simply charges the Nuvi for later battery use, for instance, if you wanted to take it biking or on a walk (yes, it has navigational settings for both!).
  
  The visitbility is fine and the suction-mount is terrific, so there's no permanent commitment necessary. The only problem with the obvious windshield mount of the device is that once you link it with your Bluetooth phone and try to talk through it, your face is so far away from the front of your windshield that people on the other end can barely hear you and it's a tossup of how well you hear them (forget about it if you have a sunroof or convertible top down). For the difference in price between the 350 and 360, I wish I had forgotten about the Blue Tooth option and just went with the 350. Enough people seem to have other hands-free devices these days that having "another" one, that only works in your car, is really not worth your while.
  
  Apart from the Bluetooth glitch, the Nuvi is one of the greatest devices I have ever owned and I think has payed for itself in uselessness, just this past week. And I don't think driving to a new location and asking it to show you driving distances to everything "nearby" will ever get old :O) I love it!
  
  

• thrilled and disappointed at the same time.

  
  By A183VQ2YQ06WMA on 2006-08-05
  I bought the nuvi360 it arrived very quickly as promissed.
  The device was up and running in no time. I did not even have to read the instructions because it was so easy to use.
  Lots of great features and i found forums with support software and database for this device very cool.
  My first disappointment with this device was minor when I learned you can not use it to watch avi or mp4 movie files a must for the travel assistant when you need to kill time.
  2nd disappointment was the dictionary library preloaded is very minimum and if you want the full deal then you need to fork over more $$ for SD cards for your trip.
  My biggest disappointment came when I actually read the instruction booklet to learn that the battery in this expensive toy comparable to a laptop computer is not removable/non replacable and when it dies you need to dispose of your nuvi that you spent big bucks for. To me this is not fair for the manufactures and vendors who to fail to mention this fact on a non returnable item. And furthermore in my book this type of tactics to sell more future devices is not excusable. There is absolutly no reason why the nuvi could not be designed in such a way as to have the battery changed. Even if this change needs to be done by the service centre, it should be possible to do this. And ofcourse thinking that the battery would be replacable when i purchased this product I did not get the extended warranty and now I am up the creek without a paddle and I feel like a victom of misleading advertising fraud. Buyer beware do not buy anything until you read the instruction booklet carefully which is very hard to do online.
  
  
  
• Garmin is the best for GPS
  By A1CPRP3VFJRS1R on 2006-09-29
  I spent a lot of time trying out GPS units, and have compared Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and several factory GPS units. All of these GPS units tell you how to get somewhere and will re-route if you make a wrong turn. However, Garmin is my absolute favorite, and here's why:
  
  1. The most important thing about Garmin units is the user interface. It is simple to understand and easy to use.
  
  2. The Garmin unit uses a built in database of sunrise and sunset times (based upon your location) to automatically change from daylight mode to night-time mode. This is important because the daylight screen is much too bright for use at night. With the Tom Tom, you must make this change manually.
  
  3. If you have the Garmin unit plugged into your car power, when you turn off the car (and the cigarette lighter power goes off), the Garmin unit will detect that and automatically turn itself off (it gives you 30 seconds to override and keep the unit on).
  
  4. When you start your car again, the Garmin unit will detect that too and automatically power up. If you were in the middle of a trip, the Garmin unit will pick up where you left off, and you won't have to tell it where you were going again.
  
  5. Unlike most factory GPS units, Garmin will allow you to select your route and make changes while you are moving.
  
  6. The Garmin units have an extensive database of locations and the excellent interface makes it easy to search the database to find what you want. Do you want food or gas? Just click three buttons and a list of locations (sorted by distance) will appear. If you know the name of the place you want, you can type it in on the on-screen keypad and Garmin will find it for you. You can even add your own locations using the favorites feature. I first started using this when I was out of town, but its amazing what you'll find near you when you look.
  
  7. While you are driving, the Garmin unit will both prompt you to turn and give you a written explanation of the turn (including the street or highway name and direction) at the top of the screen. The Garmin unit also shows an estimated arrival time (usually a few minutes earlier than you'll actually arrive) and the distance to your next turn. A separate screen gives you detailed trip information, including how far and how long you've been driving and your maximum speed. I used mine on an airplane once (yes, it is allowed - read the back of the airplane magazine), and it now says that by maximum speed was 590 miles per hour.
  
  8. I often use the Garmin even when driving locally, becase it often finds better, faster ways to get there then the way that I usually use.
  
  9. Garmin offers a variety of installation options and accessories. My favorite is the friction based dashboard mount (three weights connected to a center stand) which is much more convenient than the supplied mounting system.
  
  10. If you turn off the GPS receiver (see settings) and then look up another location, you will get the option to set this new location as your present location. This will allow you to use search Garmin's points of interest for the new location. This is a great feature when planning trips, because Garmin's points of interest database is quite extensive and includes all of the typical tourist attractions, plus food, shopping, gas, banking, etc.
  
  11. Be sure to check for the latest map and firmware updates at Garmin's web-site.
  
  
• I normally do not bother with writing reviews . . .
  By A1WKN82QPRV3BK on 2006-07-30
  but after using reviews to make this purchase--I want to share my feedback.
  
  We used the Nuvi 360 in over 2000 miles in Europe (with optional European card). It worked great in all 7 countries we visited. It located a gas station in a very remote rural area when we were extremely low on fuel. My device recovered very well after long tunnels (It never required rebooting). Worked very well on confusing roundabouts in large cities where many roads converged. It recalculated and routed perfectly when we were detoured several times. I found many obscure locations without fail--even when I was unsure of the exact address. I used it to plot drive times and even to determine real-time currency conversation rates. My wife and I enjoyed the scenic drive without hassling and debating each other over maps and routes. I would highly recommend this product to any travelers!
  
  
  
• Worth every cent!
  By A19GUY7QKAKL4A on 2006-10-23
  It is over a month since I purchased this item. Prior to buying the Nuvi 360, I used MS Streets and Trips on a laptop. I researched for 6 months prior to buying it and my choice came down to the US designed Nuvi 350, 360 or a European Tom Tom. The latter was a very close favorite, but I dropped it because of reviews of poor customer service. I then had to decide whether it was worth paying $90 extra for a Nuvi 360 over 350 which had a Blue Tooth. Looking back, 360 was really worth it. I would definitely buy the 360 over 350. The blue tooth is just wonderful. Not only can you pull your phone book up on the Nuvi but you can call any business in the huge data base of Nuvi - restaurants, car rental, recreation etc etc.
  
  The pros of Nuvi 360 are - very fast satellite tracking, recalculates route rapidly (say you see an accident ahead - just exit the road, and Nuvi will do an alternate route). Routing is really good, the volume of the instructions is very good even on a 70 mph road with the AC and fans on. The touch screen is excellent and unlike the equivalent Tom-Tom, switches very easily from day time viewing to night time. The antiglare screen is excellent and one never has problems viewing the maps during the day time. Prior to buying it, I was a bit concerned about the small size of the screen, but that has never been a problem, in fact the size of the Nuvi is great to put in my pocket. It is very easy to take off the Nuvi from the mount.
  
  Cons: CA and MN don't allow mounting the GPS device on the windshield. I mounted the Nuvi on the dash board and it would fall off. I called Garmin, got connected after about 50 minutes. They were very friendly and sent by 2 day delivery a new mount and my problem got solved. Later I read some where dipping the base in water makes a great suction, I did it and am now using the old mounting system without any problems. The Nuvi can run 4 hours without a power source and I have taken it on walks and used in rental cars without the cord, without any problems. The Nuvi has in-built male and female voices and even different accents, like Canadian, Australia, Brit etc and it is cool to keep changing it. Garmin has a great web update system and one can connnect and get firmware updates for free. One can even download different car symbols etc from there. The Nuvi connects to the laptop effortlessly for both charging and downloading MP3, just like it were a jump drive. Garmin provides power connecter, USB connector and Car charger connector - 3 ways to charge your Nuvi! I downloaded the manual from Garmin site and read it even before my Nuvi arrived, but the learning curve is almost nill and one can start using the Nuvi very quickly. There are many user sites for downloading ready made NUVI POI (e.g., all starbucks in the US or Canada etc) on sites such as GPS Passion etc.
  
  The blue tooth is great, but the sound quality at the other end of the line is a bit distant. I got over the problem by buying a Nuvi Microphone, which plugs in to the Nuvi mounting bracket and the sound quality is great. The MP3 is average, but I never use my Nuvi for MP3 anyway.
  
  All in all, this is great product and my wife is now starting to like it, I will definitely buy a 360 and not a 660 because the 360 size is cool to carry it - I would never leave my Nuvi in the car! BTW, the Nuvi has a great lock. One can set a password, if you forget you can take it to a secret location and unlock automatically when the GPS position matches lock place. The only other way for the thief to unlock is to send it to Garmin, who will report to police if the device is reported stolen!
  
  
• An "insanely great" device
  By A17IDP37NM8TFJ on 2006-11-25
  I'm one of those people who wondered why anyone would pay big bucks for a GPS Navigation system when a $3 map would do the trick. The Garmin Nuvi 360 has converted me! And I continue to be amazed at the power, usefulness and ease of use of this little device.
  
  On a recent trip from San Francisco to Vancouver, B.C. I took the Nuvi with me to avoid having to lug a shoebox full of maps. It took less than 15 minutes from opening the box to having it working in my car. The mount attaches easily and securely to the windshield, and the device powers up and is ready to use quickly right out of the box. The interface is well-designed and intuitive. You really don't need the manual. Even technophobes will quickly learn how to use most of the features with ease.
  
  Entering a destination address is easy and quick. You simply press letters on a touchscreen keypad to spell out the address. Usually after just a few keystrokes, the device is smart enough to predict what you are typing and fill in the rest. Then you simply press a large "GO!" box and the device takes over. It varies the scale of the map so you have the best view of what you need to do next, and it speaks direction commands to you at just the right time. In my experience, these commands were very accurate and extremely helpful in their specific detail, for example, "In 50 feet, turn right on Main Street..."
  
  I've read others say that the routing is not always accurate or optimal. I have not found that to be the case. In fact, on occasion, the Nuvi has suggested a route that was better than the one I was already familiar with.
  
  There is a "favorite places" menu which I have found very useful, and the device keeps track of the recent places you've gone, which makes going back to any of them--from anywhere--extremely easy. Just press the big "GO HOME!" button, and wherever you are, the device will guide you home.
  
  For longer trips, the device can display a "dashboard" with useful and interesting information, like estimated arrival time, length of travel, average speed, etc. You can also watch your progress on a map which shows points of interest that are nearby.
  
  All this is pretty cool. But what really sold me on the device was an experience with the restaurant guide feature...I was driving on I-5 in the middle of nowhere and getting hungry. Just for fun, I decided to see if there were any Chinese restaurants nearby. With 2-3 keystrokes, the device listed one within 3 miles. I pressed "GO", and it guided me there. The travel guide feature soon becomes addictive. It's full of useful points of interest which are simple to locate and select.
  
  After mastering the basic features, I experimented with the audio player. I easily added music and podcast files from a Mac using the supplied USB cable, simply by dragging and dropping MP3 files. An SD card allows for expanding the memory capacity. Ok, so it is not an iPod, but if I could have just one device in my car it would be the Nuvi. My only quibble is that the sound volume seems not to go loud enough, especially if you are driving with a window down, it will be difficult to hear the audio. Perhaps there is a way to wireless transmit the audio output to an FM channel on your car radio. If so, that would be a great feature.
  
  The unit is about the size of a deck of cards and feels solid. The screen is sharp and bright enough for most applications, except perhaps in direct sunlight. It's so useful and portable that I sometimes carry it with me when traveling in unfamiliar areas, and definitely use it in rental cars. I haven't yet used the bluetooth features, as I need to upgrade my phone first. But when I do, I expect it will add a whole other dimension to the device's usefulness.
  
  In short, this is one of those rare devices (TiVO comes to mind as another) that I never thought I needed, and now that I have it, I can't imagine how I lived without it. Garmin has really hit a homerun with the Nuvi 360. It's easy to learn, easy to use, and full of useful features.
  
  
• Room for improvement
  By A12F3TS5S4RA74 on 2006-09-21
  I tested the Nuvi 360, along with a separately purchased Europe NT SD card during a recent trip to Italy. A lot has been written about the positives and the technology in general is remarkable and should not be taken for granted. However, given the increasing competition and the many new GPS models introduced every year, as well as Nuvi's premium price, here is what I wish the Nuvi 360 had:
  
  Hardware:
  = A built-in FM transmitter to play audio through the car radio. It is strange that a $50 device such as Delphi's Roady XT XM radio has a great built-in FM transmitter, while the $700 Nuvi 360 does not. And it should not cost additional $200 to get it in the Nuvi 660. Otherwise the hardware was solid and to my knowledge the 350/360 remains the most portable device on the market. The device never lost satellite reception, including in many short tunnels.
  
  Software issues:
  = Very limited (inadequate) customization.
  = While Jill did a good job with street names in the US, she failed miserably in Italy - her speech was useless as the spoken street names were completely unrecognizable - and soon the butchery of the Italian language became extremely annoying. Unfortunately, switching to the Italian lady did not help as she did not even try to pronounce the street names - she only instructed us to turn left or right in a given distance, without telling us the names of the streets.
  = Another major software issue was the lack of color distinction in the display of the traveled vs. not-yet-traveled route - the identical purple path display was very confusing at ramps, complicated intersections, and u-turns - it was often impossible to tell which way to follow and we had to rely on street signs.
  
  Less significant software issues included the following:
  = Speed was not displayed on the main page while driving to a destination. Instead, the semi-static ETA display took the place of speed. I wish the ETA were displayed for a few seconds initally, and subsequently only for a few seconds whenever there was an ETA change or a route recalculation. The continuous ETA display should have been relegated to the secondary page, or at least the user should have been allowed to choose between speed and ETA display on the main page;
  = The map display zoomed out automatically as the speed increased beyond a certain level ignoring the zoom level selected by the user. The auto zoom feature could not be disabled and was unpleasant. Apart from being more respectful of the user's preferences, without the autozoom the Nuvi would have been quite helpful in displaying the geometry of the next turn of the winding minor road in the hills of Tuscany. The auto zoom feature also meant that the points of interest (POIs) seized to be displayed at all at a certain speed, regardless of the wishes of the user;
  = the Nuvi was of limited value when driving in Rome due to the following: 1) the street name pronunciation issue, 2) the delay in updating the display after a turn which presented a significant problem when driving along the short and narrow streets where turns came quickly and u-turns were often not a possibility, and 3) the strange routing in the city - on several occasions the GPS instructed us to make a detour of about a mile in order to get to the next point on the indicated route - only a block or so away from our current position and reachable in a perfectly legal manner;
  = the Nuvi lacked an option to select a touchscreen keyboard layout - the built-in sequential keyboard (abcdef) was quite awkward to use given that every other portable device I have has a qwerty keyboard;
  = it was impossible to choose to display POIs selectively by categories - for instance, when driving I would have liked to display restaurants I passed by - instead, the autozoom did meant that no POIs were displayed most of the time, or when waiting at a light all nearby POIs of all categories became displayed resulting in a crowded and useless map. In addition, I would have liked the POI display to show the POI's name and not only the category symbol;
  = the simulated route was useless as currently implemented, as it needed to be `traveled' in real time - in the TomTom One the same feature allows high speed browsing of the route and thus the ability to review and influence the selection;
  = there was no way to turn off the Bluetooth when not required - I assume that it consumed unnecessary power and shortened the battery life when the Nuvi was operating unplugged. In general, I found the Bluetooth quality lacking.
  
  Before I left for Italy I downloaded Italian speed cameras POIs - this feature worked very well and may result in significant savings to drivers who may be mislead by the seemingly erratic driving in Italy and elsewhere in Europe (cars going 200 km/h and then suddenly breaking and barely moving for no apparent reason) - due to speed cameras known to the locals.
  
  I was also impressed to find out that many unpaved roads were correctly shown on the GPS - I followed some and experienced more thanks to the device.
  
  In conclusion, I am still debating whether to keep or return the unit. With GPS prices falling rapidly and competition intensifying, I very much hope that Garmin will make some significant changes to the software and make us feel good about having bought the best.
  
  
• Happy and disappointed at the same time.....
  By A2LQV4SLONFHBL on 2006-12-07
  I was previously using the Magellan Roadmate 760 before purchasing the Garmin 360. I got fed up with the 760 because at times, it would take forever for it to pick up the satellites. I would be driving for 15 minutes before it would kick in even on sunny days. Anyway, I for the Garmin 360 today, took it out of the box and I was amazed at how small and light it was! Fits in the pocket and you don't even feel it...I turned it on, and it located where I was immediately. It's really simple to use and didn't really need to read the instructions. It has features for playing music, handsfree phone calling, but I'm not too interested in using those features, I really just want to use this as a GPS. Another cool feature is that it's portable so I was walking around with it and it still worked.
  
  Now....here's the part where I'm disappointed with it. I live in Suunyside Queens, and there's a McDonald's right on Queens Blvd. near where I grew up for as long as I can remember, been there at least 20 years. I was 3 blocks away from it, choose to look up fast food resturants, spelled out McDonald's and it started searching for the McDonald's in the area. It said the closest one was 5 miles away in Maspeth?!? I couldn't believe this. So, I tried White Castle. I was standing right in front of White Castle and it led me to one in the Bronx!!!!
  
  Another thing is with the Garmin 360, you can't exclude a route out, you can click for a detour but it doesn't help much. For example, if I want to go the Bronx and if the directions tells me to take the Whitestone Bridge, I can click on Whitestone Bridge, exclude it from the route, and it will reroute and use another bridge, such as the Throgs Neck Bridge with the Magellan Roadmate 760. I can't do that with the 360, and I hate that. The only two options is faster time or shortest distance with the 360. Unlike the 760, I can choose from 4 options..1) fastest time, 2) shortest distance, 3) avoid local streets, or 4) stick with highways. (I'm not sure about the last one, I forget).
  
  One last example, I need to go to a friend's house this weekend. I know the fastest way to him is through Lincoln Tunnel through Manhattan for me since I've been there before. But, when I type in the address, it sends me all the way to the Holland Tunnel. So, I clicked detour...and all the 360 did was send me in a different way to get to the Holland Tunnel.
  
  
  In all, I'm ok with the 360. I'm happy with the features and the size, not sold at all on the performance of leading me where I need to go which is the most important thing to me. I'll continue to play with it for now, and if Magellan made something this small and if the satellites picked up just as fast, then I'm getting rid of this one.
  
  
  
• Astonishingly good, but just wait for the Nuvi 660!
  By A2TLUB637G1P6Y on 2006-09-05
  I've been using my Nuvi 360 for two months now and have driven some 4,000 miles using it as my only means of navigation. Most of this was cross-country on a single trip. The unit has performed flawlessly.
  
  This is the tenth Garmin unit I've owned and I have to say it is, overall, the best single unit I've owned. I also currently own a StreetPilot 7200 (with the 7-inch screen) and there are some things that, remarkably, the Nuvi 360 does better than it's big brother:
  
  * Graphics: They are sharp and crisply rendered on the Nuvi's screen. The SP7200, by comparison, looks a little clunky. Even with it's large screen size it's not THAT much more readable than the Nuvi. The fonts on the 360 are far superior, which makes it much easier to read small type than you'd think judging by the unit's size.
  
  * Speed: In direct comparisons the Nuvi seems to render complex routes faster than the SP7200. SInce it's a newer unit it may have a different (faster) processor with more memory.
  
  I've been using my Nuvi with the Entertainment/Savers Card on SD. This is fantastic; it allows me to not only see places that offer discounts right on the unit -- and navigate directly to them -- but it also lets you use the Nuvi instead of the bulky books that normally ship with discount cards. You can even search on all the places in your immediate area that offer discounts, and this works nationwide!
  
  I also use it with the Travel Guide SD card that gives you Fodor's reviews right on the Nuvi's screen; these are integrated with the Nav functions to allow you to choose a restaurant based on its' reviews, then drive there using the Nuvi for guidance -- just as Acura touts on their $45K luxury sedan. This all functions flawlessly, by the way...
  
  I am anxiously awaiting Garmin's replacement for the StreetPilot 7200. If they can incorporate Bluetooth, the enhanced graphics, and the overall cutting-edge design of the Nuvi into the next generation of large units, they will have an amazing package on their hands.
  
  Until then, search on Amazon for "Garmin Nuvi 660" and be prepared to drool! Essentially it's a widescreen version of the Nuvi 360 that adds a built-in FM transmitter (allows you to hear MP3s, navigation commands, or traffic alerts over your FM radio) AND a built-in Traffic receiver! If you haven't yet ordered a Nuvi 360 you may want to wait until October 1st...
  
  
• Amazing Product and You CAN use the MP3 Player
  By A2WVIPJMKOLATQ on 2007-02-25
  This product is great. I'm not going to waste your time rehashing what others have already said. The GPS works well and you should buy this product primarily for this reason.
  
  However, many have asked why the need for an MP3 player. I agree that playing the MP3 player through the peakers of the NUVI is a stupid idea. But, If you have the NUVI hooked into your car speakers IT WORKS GREAT.
  
  How do you do that? Well, I went to radio shack and bought a cable that has RCA on one end (RED & WHITE) and a headphone jack on the other. I hooked the RCA plugs into the back of my car stereo and hooked the headphone jack to the NUVI. Now I listen to my directions and MP3's through my car stereo. This is not that hard to do. Go to a car installation place and ask them to do it for you. The cable at Radio Shack is $10.
  
  Alternatively, if you have a tape deck you can buy those tapes with a headphone jack and hook that to the nuvi headphone jack.
  
  Why this is great:
  1. The nuvi plays your songs and pauses them for directions. After the directions are given it resumes the song. So, if your listening to your stereo, you will never miss a direction again
  
  2. If you recieve a phone call it pauses the song and when you end the phone call it resumes the song.
  
  Try it out....well worth it :)
  
  
  
  HOSA CMR206 Stereo Mini Male to RCA Y-Cable - 6 Feet
  
  This is the cable I used. I connected one end to the AUX port on my car stereo and the other in the headphone jack of the NUVI.
  
  If you have a tape player, you can use this :Philips USA PH-62050 CD/MP3/MD-To-Cassette Adapter.
  
  Revised Feb. 26th, 2006
  
  I should mention that the NUVI comes with 500MB of free space. The mapping software takes up 1.5GB. So, if you plan to use this as an MP3 player, buy an SD card.
  
  
• Great with a few minor complaints
  By AWP70V34YS2IA on 2007-11-03
  I have bought two 360's, one for my wife and one for me and will buy a third (as a replacement), so I'm a fan and I would recommend a Nuvi over any other competing product hands down. However, that doesn't mean there aren't issues:
  
  A few plusses and minuses:
  
  ON THE PLUS SIDE
  1) There is no better product on the market for GPS and the rest of them are toys by comparison. The interface is so wonderful that it's the GPS equivalent of the iPhone. There are minor issues but they're not worth discussing. I could write pages on how wonderful the interface is, but everyone else has done the product justice already.
  
  2) The 360 is the size to buy unless you are vision impaired. It is small and thin and light and you can stick it in a pocket.
  
  3) Maybe it's silly but I really like the audio book and mp3 feature. I use it constantly.
  
  4) The Europe software is awesome. Travelling with a Nuvi in Europe is unbelievably less stressful. I've covered every country and it's wonderful. I would ask that they buy some database of tourist attractions because I ended up programming most of my own. And yes, eastern europe is twitchy and limited but it's still much better than paper maps. I used it all over Moscow and St Petersburgh and it was fine.
  
  5) The usb charging is wonderful and some phones like smartphones share charging plugs limiting the number of cords you have to carry. The clamps, and connectors are well designed, and easy to work with. THe use of SD cards for map data rather than relying on PC connections is great. The abilty to store mp3's and audiobooks on SD cards is useful. I carry a set of SD cards and this means I dont need to carry a separate unit while travelling.
  
  
  
  ON THE MINUS SIDE
  1) The web site is awful, uninformative, and customer-unfriendly. The mandatory registration is awful to use, and confusing. In the support area, they clearly want to protect themselves from customers rather than explaining clearly what they can and cannot do for customers. They make it far too hard to contact them. Whoever does their web site thinks far too much like they are talking to their distributor channel and is entirely ignorant of their customers. For example, they bundle all customers and products together and treat them the same even though the products, while having similar functions are for very different customers with different skill levels.
  
  2) The product is fairly fragile. It is complicated technology, and it is not housed in protective shells, and breaks easily. I have broken the screen on one by dropping it on a (thinly) carpeted floor in a restaurant, and broken the audio output plug on another unit simply by keeping the earphones plugged in and wrapping the cord around the unit. There are too many reports of gps antenna problems as well. So the units are reasonably fragile given their intended purpose and their fairly high price tag.
  
  3) Given their fragility their customer service is in the obvious position of having customers who break the unit try to blame the product, and the company is trying to evade responsibility for when the product fails during reasonable use. This is why customers are often unhappy with product support: because the product is actually fragile, the company will not say that the product is fragile, and then must dance with customers to find out if they can reasonably replace it or not. Instead, they should simply be honest with customers using the reason that it is advanced technology that is fragile, or they should change the housing and antenna and connectors so that they are less fragile. Anyway, that's the problem with support. THey don't want to talk to you. They have a reason why they don't talk to you - they're afraid to. They are not sophisticated in how they manage customers either on their web site or via the phone, and they are that way because they have too much channel influcence and not enough consumer orientation. They should hire a new VP of customer service from a major brand like Nike or Apple. (No I don't have any inside knowledge, I simply run one of the country's larger consultancies on such things).
  
  4) The satellite reception and triangulation is still wanting and sometimes frustrating. The reception in cities, where it is actually hardest to navigate, and where you have the least reaction time as a driver is terrible. In New York, San Francisco, Chicago and even Pittsburgh, you can wait for ten minutes or more before the unit acquires sattelites and can give you directions, even if you seek out an open space like a small park. I stood in the shopping district in Chicago waving the unit in the air for twenty minutes acting like Verizon's "can you hear me now?" character trying to acquire sattelites so I could find the restaurant for my next meeting. Since this is NOT anywhere as bad a problem if you leave the unit running as it is if you turn it off and on again, there is a problem with the approach they're using. This is also a problem at airports, where you've rented a car and have to throw the unit up on the dashboard or hold it out a window for ten minutes waiting for it to acquire satellites before you can put it somewhere more visible and use it. As a person who is busy travelling, thats an issue. Unfortunately, the way around the problem is to leave it on all the time which the battery won't tolerate. I don't know where they're getting their batter life estimates from but if you use the thing much, the battery burns down in more like two or three hours than what's advertised. And there isn't a switch to kill the video in order to preserve battery life. (And no, don't add yet another button combination to the power button. It's like tapping out morse code as it is.)
  
  5) The speaker is weak and distorts too easily. I end up driving with an earphone almost all the time. There is a tradeoff here in engineering terms, because if you make it much louder it's a power drain. While they've put Bluetooth in the unit, it's pointless because you can't hear the other person, the speaker distorts too easily at low volume (which is a bad product decision because better speakers are available), despite the fact that the microphone does work reasonably well. I have a Jaguar, a Porche and a Ferrari. They represent the full range of internal sound levels. The Jaguar is almost perfectly quiet, but the audio is still underpowered in that environment. (I won't even talk about how pointless it is in the Ferrari.) The unit's speaker is on the back, facing away from you. So if you hold the thing, or lay it down on cloth like a seat, you have to turn it up, which then puts the speaker into distortion mode. This product design choice relies on relection to improve the sound quality, and I undestand preserving the front of the device for screen only. But just putting a better speaker inside and facing it forward or even downward would be a better answer. "We have the technology" to make a seventies pop culture reference.
  
  6) Response time given the weakness of the antenna is a problem. It looks like they wrote the software without changing the lead time on directions to reflect the driver's speed and frequency of turns. Driving around the UK for example, with the twisting little roads is difficult because unit does not give you notice in time for the turns. Once you get down to a lower number of sattelites, especially in London, the thing becomes effectively useless. Nothing is more annoying than having the cutely accented narrator tell you to turn right fourty feet after you've passed the turn.
  
  7) The voice software isn't smart enough to recognize "St Albans Street" as "Saint Albans Street". It needs to smarten up regarding common abbreviations.
  
  8) The foreign language software, for phrases and such, is so bad that it would be better not to include it. Really. It's terrible. And it is totally unsuited for the user interface. I mean, who has twenty minutes to look up how to ask for lunch?
  
  So, whomever is in charge of the software for the product should get a promotion and bonuses. Whoever is in charge of product engineering, purchasing and manufacturing should get a talking to, and should work harder. Whoever is in charge of customer service should get demoted. Whoever is charge of the web site should be fired, and with predudice. I wonder, that since this sequence of problems is the OPPOSITE of what is difficult in product development, how this can happen in a company unless it's a senior management problem in the first place. Customer service is easy to get right. Software is almost impossible. Engineering is something the Japanese usually get right day in and day out, but American companies can't seem to: American engineers are too often rewarded for being cunning, and not for being wise, and that is the feeling I get when using the product. Hardware development tried to be cunning not wise.
  
  And I also get the feeling that the executive management is unwisely cheap and still does not realize how great a product they have on their hands, and what to do about it. As it stands, a competitor with brains could improve on the software and engineering. So why not take advantage of the one thing that a competitor cannot so easily steal: the loyalty of customers who truly depend on the product, by making customer service the company's core competency?
  
  
  
  
• Easy to use. Accurate and quick. Strong performance.
  By A2DYU1XDZZVU42 on 2006-09-10
  
  This is a great little unit:
  
  VERY FUNCTIONAL:
  It has a ton of functions including bluetooth (which works better than my Motorla bluetooth earpiece), MP3 player, and book reader. It really can be used as a personal travel assistant - even with the base software that comes included. I've used to find nearby restaurants, gas stations, and if you don't have the address for your destination, it has a built-in directory/phone book.
  
  PERFORMS GREAT:
  The initial placing process took about 10 minutes, but everytime thereafter it's taken seconds for the unit to place where I'm at. And it always places me exactly - when I approach and cross a cross street, where I am is very truly represented on the (very clear) screen. Also, the unit has never lost signal - even in the cement parking garage at work.
  
  The unit is ready to use out of the box, and comes with everything you need to carry it around, charge it at home or in the car. There are also several levels of personalization (the navigating voice, amount of detail on the map, what to avoid when navigating, i.e. U-turns, unpaved roads, toll roads, etc.).
  
  I highly recommend this unit to anyone. I spent a lot of time researching the different GPS units and wanted to be sure I chose the right one as they're not cheap. I am very happy with my choice in the Nuvi 360.
  
  
• Absolutely Excellent!
  By ALGGLODWV4I6I on 2006-08-20
  I just bought this and I find it to be absolutely EXCELLENT ! Very intuitive to use and also extremely easy to 'update' using the Garmin Website.
  
  I almost bought the Nuvi 350 thinking that I would not have a use for the Bluetooth technology, but I am very happy that I got the 360. Matching my phone (a Sprint Treo 650) to the Nuvi was extremely easy and the ability to make phone calls using the device is extremely helpful.
  
  Also, when I was driving, I received a phone call and I was surprised that the Nuvi alerted me to an 'incoming' call. When I pressed the option to 'answer' on the Nuvi, it behaved like a 'speakerphone'. I was able to talk and hear the caller through the Nuvi. I never even reached into my pocket to get the cell phone !
  
  BJ
  
  
  
• How not to win customers
  By A3T6100BTKP3AP on 2006-11-08
  I ordered the Garmin 360 based on reviews of the 350 for my husband's birthday. It arrived and he opened it. He actually read the instructions first - he then turned it on and chose language etc. The first thing you notice is that the manual is for the 310/360. The instructions did not match up with the accessories that were included in the box. O.K. so they did not update it so great, well it is made in Taiwan. But when he went to put it on again, it was deader than a door nail. We called tech support and were blown off. Nasty - Really third rate won't give out last names.We gave then ours. "Jack" couldn't be found when we called back. No email addresses for supervisor. Why do they hide? Called corporate put into voice mail. Bet you can count on them for service after the return time to Amazon. We will follow up - glutton for punishment asked for replacement.
  
  
• This NAV needs an update
  By A2WRPCA4TS0MEB on 2006-11-30
  I read all the reviews on amazon.com and thought this NAV/GPS was the one I wanted. The unit is good quality and feel. The interface is fast and the display is bright and clear. The reason I give it three stars is the way the software calculates the route. It has two modes, fastest distance and shortest route. I have tried both and both get confused if you dont follow its route. It always wants to go to the freeway and will think that it knows the only fastest way. It has no understanding of "STOP LIGHTS". Its fastest way takes you on the freeway then a route that includes 30 stop lights. The faster way, slightly slower traveling (65 MPH instead of 75 MPH), but with far fewer stoplights, will be faster. Once it took me to a road that didn't exist. I had to go to the next turn and I ended up lost and miles from the checkered end flag. When I got close to my destination, I told it to just get me there and it took me miles out of my way because it thought it had a faster route on the freeway. I was just 1.5 miles away and it went 6 miles on the freeway, through 10 stoplights, thinking it was the fastest way. I was very late for my appointment because of this unit. This was a test of the unit and I new the fastest way there (cost me 1/2 hour). It just got confused and took me all over. I can't trust the unit to get me there fast. Shortest route didnt work any better, just different. I live in an area that is growing and has new roads built within the last 3 years. It has no knowledge of these roads and takes you way out of your way because of not knowing about the new roads. It would be better if it had a learning mode to instruct it about stop lights and new roads. The data base can be updated, but it might takes years and dollars before it is updated. The built in locations of shops and locations is already out of date and took me to many stores that no longer exist. If the business is in a mall, it only takes you to the mall. We have huge mall here with hundreds of stores, and then you have to look for yourself. Then you find that the store is out of business! Don't think you can go out and find a better NAV/GPS. They all have this kind of problems. Some are really slow and others don't have the graphics of this unit. I still think it is the best one out there for the price. I just wish it could be put in a learning mode.
  
  
• Nice product but unusable in a car
  By A2JKCUHDBJXLCP on 2007-04-26
  A frustrating product. The hard stuff - Sat acquisition, POI database - it does very well. It fails on the simple stuff: getting $1 plastic parts to work. There is no way to mount it; Windshield mounts are illegal in Calif and regardless this mount does not stick, is hard to get the 360 to attach to, and is rumored to not stand up to sun very well. I bought the friction "sand bag" adapter and the 360 does not even fit. I am very disappointed.
  
  P.S. a UI flaw - if you wonder why you are not hearing street names, use/google English (TTS)
  
  
• Disappointed
  By A1QHYBWRGYFLF8 on 2006-11-15
  Thinks my street is 50 feet before it actually is, therefore recalculates before the turn.
  If I go a different route, it continually tries to get me to make a "U" turn.
  Instead of shortest or fastest route, it may pick one that is very roundabout (you should see how it wants me to drive home from work).
  Maps need to be updated more often. Street Atlas or Streets and Maps do a better job of being updated...I'd use them except I don't want to tie up a PC just to drive across town.
  It might work well for cross country, for me, it's an expensive toy that I have yet to develop trust in.
  
  
  
  
• Absolutely the Best!!!
  By A2LP0BPV35HDM5 on 2006-08-10
  This little GPS is incredible. Small size, loaded with functions, easy to use. I had it figured out within 5 minutes of opening the box, and thats because unlike any other electronics product you buy this one comes fully charged and ready to use, no waiting...way to go GARMIN! It is so user friendly that anyone can use it, and I mean ANYONE. Works perfectly, and is very accurate! It has more features than I ever imagined built right into the unit. The touch screen is great, and the unit has worked flawlessly since it arrived.
  
  I have added a Travel Guide and the Eurpopean Travel Maps for a trip to Germany, all installed with ease, and the computer interface for downloads and updates works great as well (I updated the latest version of software withing minutes after I got the unit to ensure I had the latest software/firmware) The window suction cup mount for the car is well designed and holds well since the Nuvi is so light. Not only can you use in your vehicle, but small enought to walk around with and sight see and use many of the other functions.
  
  I know this is a little pricey, but it is work EVERY CENT!!! Do yourself a favor if your even thinking about buying a GPS and get this one.
  
  
• Serious tunnel bug
  By A1H7VP149U6GAR on 2006-07-18
  The Nüvi 360 has a serious system error: after passing a tunnel, the Nüvi 360 cannot find any satellite at all. Even after waiting for more than 30 minutes! The system has to be reset by switching it off and on again. On my way from Holland to Italy via Switzerland, I had to switch off and on the system more than 10 times. Very annoying, I am disappointed! If I had known this, I would not have bought this expensive GPS. I informed Garmin weeks ago about this, but I did not receive any response at all.
  Further, I would not recommend it for bikes: small roads are often interrupted and in this way not chosen by the system.
  
  
  
• Very disapointed
  By A1VPQNP7B3WGFU on 2007-12-22
  I have been using this product over the past month. I bought this for when I travel, but I have been testing the directions around where I live (within 100 miles) where I know the routes I should take already. It has caused me to have concern about using it on the road. About 50% of the time it has given me directions that made no sense and in one case was in the opposite direction from where I was headed. I now fear relying on this device when I travel to areas I am not knowledgeable. My experience with the Hertz rental car systems has been completely different. The Magellean systems also seems easier to use.
  
  The product comes with only a small pamphlet for user documentation. Very inadequate for such a complex device.
  
  Finally, this may have come with old map data. They advertise other North American maps on the web site for an additional charge of about $140. The web site description was inadequate for me to determine if the new maps would improve the device performance to justify the added cost. On the other hand, why didn't this system come with the latest maps? I wouldn't mind paying for upgrades down the road, but not right when I purchase it,
  
  Overall I find the Garmin Nuvi very disappointing and overrated.
  
  
  
  
• Great unit but Bluetooh needs expansion
  By A2QW6TB3FVY8JV on 2006-12-07
  For years I used the provided GPS units in rental cars and liked the way they help me get around. So I finally decided to get the Nuvi 360. First thing I did was try to update the software to 3.3 using the Garmin WebUpdate program and promptly corrupted the software so the unit no longer worked. By the time I got done my computer wouldn't even recognize the unit. I thought I now had a $500 paper weight on my hands. I called the support line first thing the next day. After waiting on hold for 30 minutes I told the person what happened and they put me to the software help line. They were able to net conference with my computer and quickly get my unit up and running again. I was very impressed and greatly relieved that I did not have to send it in for reprograming. Thank you Garmin for great customer support.
  
  So I finally got to use my Nuvi 360 and found it very intuitive and easy to use. Much easier than those units in the rental cars. I am 60 years old and find it uncomfortable to drive on the interstate highways. The Nuvi allows me to by pass those to everyones delight and safety.
  
  I love the small size and the ease of attaching and removing the unit each time I get in to and out of my car. The included leather carring case is also terrific for protecting the unit as I carry it in my jacket or pants pocket.
  
  The voice commands and Text to Speech capabilities are natural and for the most part very accurate. They truly eliminate the need to look at the maps. However, if you have a car full of noisy grand kids the maps are easy to read at a glace. The map accuracy is acceptable. No, it does not always give you the absolute fastes short cut and some places and locations are out of date but that is true with any GPS system. all in all I found it very good and it has always gotten me to where I need to go. And since I am no longer afraid to update my software it will be easy to keep the unit current.
  
  My one disappointment was the Bluetooth. The main reason I got the Nuvi 360 and not the Nuvi 350 was the Bluetooth function. Alas, my phone (Samsung c417) is not compatible. I have a year left on my cell phone so that is a real bummer. Yes I know Garmin has a list of compatible cell phones and mine is not on the list, but why can't they expand the software to make it work for all Bluetooth phones? I don't understand that.
  
  
• Worthless
  By A2KMJMHO2BI0ZP on 2007-05-13
  WARRANTY SERVICE REQUIRED
  List of problems:
  Online update failed. Still will not update.
  Saved coordinates at Oxford Valley Mall in PA and proceeded to NY. When returning via the saved coordinates, I was taken 80 miles away from the coordinates. This cost me 3 hours and 160 miles total return trip.
  One time, on another long road trip, it behaved as if I had avoid highways selected. I didn't know any better so I kept following the directions. Eventually I realized something was wrong as no avoidances were set and I was clearly taking the 'scenic route'. I had to do a restore and then directions adjusted. This cost me several hours in time as well. I would have been better off using a map and my instincts rather than relying on electronic equipment that does not function as advertised.
  I am extremely disatisfied with the performance of this product and require a replacement or repair.
  Also, the window mount easily broke on one side while being adjusted. Now, the nav would just hang limp, so I have to hold it in my lap. Overall, this has been a very frustrating experience and for the money I paid for it, I expect much, much more than a glorified 2.5" map that gives bad directions.
  
  
  
• Great GPS
  By AS637KBBA5ZMQ on 2006-12-04
  I upgraded to Nuvi 360 from Garmin StreetPilot i3.
  
  What I like:
  
  1. Faster recalculation time, very important when traveling in areas where streets are much closer together (like NYC);
  
  2. Bluetooth connectivity -- shows caller id on the Nuvi screen, so I can decide whether to take the call or not. Also Nuvi automatically transferred my phone book over (from T-Mobile SDA), so I can call from the Nuvi unit directly.
  
  3. Connection to car stereo -- I plugged the Nuvi to my car's aux jack and can listen to the map directions and people one the phone through the car's stereo. This is much better than through an FM transmitter where there would be a lot of interference in a metropolitan area (if you can get an open chanel at all!).
  
  4. The music is paused when the Nuvi announces the next turning direction, etc. The music is then resumed. Great feature.
  
  5. Miscellaneous features that will come in handy when traveling.
  
  What I don't like:
  
  1. Only one - the American female voice (Jill) sounds lethargic, unlike the original female voice. There is a setting to choose the original female voice, but this one will not say the street name, etc. The man's voice is ok though I would have preferred a woman's voice.
  
  Overall a great unit, and though a little more money, it's definitely worth it!
  
  
• Great Graphics, Let down on route selection
  By A1AMIFISX8NH5Q on 2006-10-20
  I bought the nuvi 360 to drive to Disney from Massachusetts. Its a nice little unit. Great color and good menus. The drive is simple for most of the way. Route 91 to Route 95 then to Route 4 at Daytona beach. The nuvi could not keep this in mind and kept giving me instructions to get off virtually every ramp I passed in metropolitan aresas. I got so sick of hearing this that I had to turn off the voice prompting. It made no difference whether I picked the option of shorter route or fastest time. Its strength is in local driving and using it to find your car at the huge Disney parking lots using the off road choice. It needs a software update to increase options of alternate routing by choice.
  
  
• Almost perfect - a marriage saver - 4½ stars!
  By A17OP12B3INT98 on 2007-02-09
  This is definately a wonderful tool, functionally complete with only a few trivial improvements to make it absolutely PERFECT. For reference I will compare it to the TomTom One with Bluetooth, which has almost exactly the same dimensions and feature set. I used the Tomtom One for a week until it failed to distinguish between 3 oblique right turns.
  
  Notable differences include
  1. Garmin Nuvi 360 announces streets by NAME, so that when looking at a funny intersection with two oblique right turns (like spokes in a wheel)
  a. Garmin says, "turn right on Street X" while
  b. Tom Tom sahys,"turn right and then stay right"
  This feature makes the Garmin so very much better than the TomTom even though the TomTom seems to be more user friendly with less compromises.
  You can stop reading this now and buy the 350/360 ...
  
  2. Garmin has A-Z keypad, but
  TomTom let's you toggle between A-Z keyboard OR QWERTY keyboard
  (I really wish Garmin had Qwerty)
  
  3. Pocket size?
  A. The Garmin has a fold up antenna, but TomTom's is internal.
  This means you can put TomTom in your shirt pocket as you walk or hike,
  but Garmin will not fit, otherwise they have the same dimensions
  B. On the other hand, when Garmin's antenna is closed, GPS is off, perhaps saving battery, letting it still function as a map and a yellow pages. Garmin says their battery life is longer, I can't say yet.
  
  4. TomTom has a screen that shows relative satellite position, signal strength and coverage. How cool, but with that info, now what?
  
  5. Bluetooth (not on 350 but on 360) works fine even on the emasculated Verizon phones. TomTom too Dorothy. You can not use VZ's "say a command" feature.
  6. Yellow pages ...well not "Yellow" but "Business Directory".
  When stationary Garmin lists the results of your search in order of closes proximity indicated by 1.2 mi NE, 1.9 mi SW, 2.2 mi NW. But these compass indicators turn to relative arrows, up, down, left, and at 45 degree angles. This is another marriage saver. My wife wanted to visit 3 ethnic shopping centers in Los Angeles, a town so very foreign to me. The Garmin found them so quickly and painlessly that my wife's hate of the $550 purchase turned to joy. We have named this Nuvi 360 "Wife #2"... the worst thing it has ever said is "recalculating..." ... it says it the 7th time just a patiently as it did the first time. Don't get a ticket driving aimlessly around your neighborhood trying to confuse it.
  
  I highly recommend that whatever you choose that you ALWAYs take 5-10 minutes no matter what kind of hurry you're in, to park and run through your trip on the map first, understand the major junctions BEFORE turning the key. These things do MAKE MISTAKES, and always will make mistakes because
  A. obsolete maps and mispelled street and business names are provided by 3rd parties, ...these require YOU to think.
  B. Overcast, overgrown and canopied roads can distort satellite line of sight
  
  When new, it's a good idea to see how it handles a familiar route.
  In my case, each day on the familiar route leaving work, both Garmin and TomTom told me to take a non-existant right turn over a near-vertical canyon wall.
  This gave me a great feeling of superiority since I knew better, but what would happen to me if this happened when out of town or in Europe in the dark? Therefore do not relinquish your mind to the machine...it's no substitute for human intellect.
  
  Conclusion:
  **NUVI** 350/360 is hands down the best ONLY because of the ability to speak the NAMES of each street... with just a few humorous and perplexing mispronunciations... (Wateridge becomes Wait-idge) and compression of words, swallowing some final syllables...it cost $550 on Amazon in Dec 06
  
  TomTom One - nearly equivalent EXCEPT for the text to speech feature above. TomTom's development team showed finer attention to detail with more friendly configuration options. It cost $350 at Staples.
  The Garmin (and maybe the Tomtom?) can act as a Removable Hard Drive plugged into your PC's USB port. It plays MP3s, even shows Album art, and has screensaver applications. When the human voice speaks the
  
  
• I like it!!!
  By AK0L17TEN5WKV on 2006-08-09
  I just got the nuvi 360 so I may update my opinion as I get more experience with it. First I would like to mention to purple that the battery is replaceable; you can't do it yourself but you can send it to garmin for replacement. I spoke with a rep there before my purchase and I was informed that the battery should last for approximately five years and then you can send it to them for battery replacement at a charge of $50.00, about the same as an ipod from what I am told. If you are pretty much just using it in the car instead of carrying it around a lot, use the power adapter and you will be fine anyway.
  
  I am only giving it a four at this point because I haven't given it a full run and I had a little trouble finding a big attraction like 'disney world' in the points of interest. Maybe I have to actually be in that particular state for it to register but it didn't from my office in D.C. ... then again I could be looking it up incorrectly and need to learn garminese to get everything I want. (A learning curve I am happy to deal with.)
  
  The few times I have used it in my local area, it has performed wonderfully. I did put in my parents address in north carolina and it mapped a way I would never have thought of as it was comprised of many, many turns instead of using a direct route via I95. I think it looks out of the way but will try it on my next trip just to see if it acutally is a shorter drive. This led me to see that one thing that does seem to be missing when compared to my neighbors factory installed gps is the ability to choose 'maximize highways'. The nuvi does give you the option to 'avoid' certain types of routes but not a way to 'maximize' that I can see so far. Not a problem as this runs at a fraction of the price and so far seems to be very thorough in what it does.
  
  From other reviews, I expected the MP3 player to sound subpar, but while playing with it in my family room, I found the sound quality to be very good. The speaker phone had great clarity on my end and my friend that served as the guinea pig stated she could hear me clearly and didn't realize that I was on a remote speaker vs. the speaker directly on the cell phone.
  
  I have to agree with purple; although my reason for purchasing this is first and foremost for the navigation, I would love to be able to play videos and movies on this thing ... and maybe the xm radio ... that would make it an ultimate package, throw in a camera and inspector gadget couldn't do any better. Enough fantasizing, the purpose is navigation and too much in one package could spell disaster but I would imagine within the next two - three years a lot of this will actually happen.
  
  Bottom line, I think this will be a fine unit that most people will find satisfying.
  
  
• A Really Fine Product
  By AA98GW5LPFBNC on 2007-04-15
  Although the Garmin Nuvi 360 doesn't always go where I think it should, it gets me there. And if I stray off the path it wants to send me on, it recalculates quickly, almost as if it knows where I want to go.
  
  I bought the friction mount Garmin Portable Friction Mount for Garmin GPS Units (010-10306-00) which I like better than having it stuck on the windshield or rather permanently on the dashboard.
  
  Oh yes, you can pair it with your bluetooth-enabled phone and make and receive calls. Very cool.
  
  Most of the reviews for the model 350 have already said what I have to say, so there's not much to add. You do get a free Audible book (two "small" ones or one big one) which you can listen to if while you travel. You are required to sign up for a trial Audible membership, but after you've downloaded your book, you can cancel on-line. (I bought Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything which I had already read, but want to re-visit). A Short History of Nearly Everything
  
  In sum, the Nuvi 360 is one of the coolest "toys" I've ever owned. Just don't let it distract you too much. You won't be able to take your eyes off it, even though it speaks very well on its own. (P.S. My wife and I agree that "Jack" is an easier voice to understand than "Jill".
  
  
  

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