Garmin, the largest GPS receiver manufacturer, recently let me test out its nuvi 350
receiver (). It's tiny, measuring a
bit less than 4 by 3 by 1 in. Also, it's powered
by an internal lithium-ion battery that charges
from ac or a 12-V car outlet. The LCD color
touchscreen is 3.5 in. diagonal with good resolution. The nuvi 350 comes loaded with full
maps of the U.S. And, the antenna is a patch
that flips up so you can position it for best
reception.
It takes a couple of minutes for the radio to
acquire the satellites and compute its location.
But when that's done, it pinpoints your position on the map. Though it only works outdoors, the nuvi 350 can easily maintain contact with the satellites through a car
windshield and limited tree cover.
I used the Garmin to find various addresses
on several trips I made around the Austin,
Texas area. All you do is type in the desired city
and address, and the Garmin gives you
detailed driving instructions on the screen and
by voice output. If you think cell phones are
distracting while you drive, a GPS receiver is
worse. That's what makes the voice output so
useful and a lot safer.
At first I was reluctant to trust the instructions, but after several trips, I was convinced
and followed it blindly. One thing I found is that
it chooses the route it wants and doesn't take
kindly to you going another way. I know Austin
pretty well, so I wasn't inclined to take some of
the routes it offered. I know shorter routes in many cases. The Garmin handles this well by
recomputing and giving you instructions about
how to get back on track.
I also took the nuvi 350 with me on a recent
trip to southern California. I don't know my way
around Orange County too well, but the device
came through for me. It quickly guided me
from John Wayne Airport to my hotel and to
some other locations I visited.
All in all, the nuvi 350 was quite effective. My
two main complaints were the screen and the
mounting hardware. The screen pretty much
washes out in bright sunlight, making it difficult to read. But I don't blame Garmin, since
this is the case for most LCDs. The nuvi has a
brightness adjustment that helped.
The mounting hardware was a bracket and
suction-cup deal that was designed to attach
the receiver to a windshield or the dashboard.
It didn't work well at all. I had to hold the
receiver or position it on the seat so it could
maintain a link to the satellites—a real pain.
I didn't try the traffic-reporting mode. The
nuvi contains an FM radio that picks up transmissions from a local FM station. The station
tracks traffic in specific cities and reports it to
the receiver which, in turn, helps to reroute
you. It's a great option for drivers in traffic-bound cities. Known as FM-TMC (Traffic Message Channel), the system is available in more
than 20 U.S. cities.
Since the coverage is continuous, there's no
need to wait for a traffic broadcast on the usual
AM or FM station. The Garmin automatically
plots an alternate route for you if you're heading
toward a tie-up. The FM receiver is usually an
extra cost. Garmin even offers a version that
gets traffic updates from an XM satellite radio, if you have one.
The nuvi 350 has several other features I didn't test, including a Bluetooth interface, an
MP3 player, and an audio book player. But I
did try out the feature that lets you locate
restaurants, gas stations, and hotels nearby. It
worked like a charm.
Despite the LCD and mounting issues, the
nuvi 350 is a terrific device. If you've never
experienced one, you have a treat coming. It's
easy to use and extremely precise. If you get
lost a lot and have a problem finding your way,
or just hate asking directions, don't leave
home without one of these devices.