Garmin nüvi 350 touch-screen GPS navigator

Garmin states that the nüvi 350 is “a versatile travel assistant that’s approximately the size of a deck of playing cards.” - correct.

They also state that it is “a portable GPS navigator, traveler’s reference, and digital entertainment system, all in one.” - correct again.

But when they state that it makes “it easy to find your way anywhere” - I have some reservations!

General Features:

The features on this unit are undoubtedly useful, practical, and very easy to use. The travel kit not only offers currency and measurement converters, a world travel clock, but also a text-to-speach language translator, which could come in very handy when trying to find an internet cafe in Tokyo.

It takes a couple of minutes and clicks on the touch screen to get accustomed to the menu. Once the nüvi 350 is up and running it is highly responsive when finding maps, browsing images, or skipping through music.

Unlike the smaller nüvi models, the nüvi 350 has a traffic feed capability through the optional TMC antenna. This service is not yet operational in South Africa, but when and if it does, would be able to feature live traffic reports and redirect you around any sort of traffic problems - and with the current load-shedding / traffic chaos, this service would be highly beneficial.

Uploading the South African traffic update onto your Garmin is a must. (Go to GARMAP to find out more) The traffic updates add all stationary, and reported mobile speed traps. This means that your Garmin will alert you with a red flashing banner and informing you about the speed limit when/where speed traps exist. This does not mean you can trust the alert system blindly, but it comes in handy when rushing down Jan Smuts Avenue.

But fancy features like speed trap warnings do not necessarily mean that this is a good GPS unit. It’s ease of use and accuracy is what should count, so I gave it the ultimate test:

Test:

Test subject: Gail
Time living in Johannesburg: 1 week
Knowledge of the Johannesburg street grid: ± 0.1%
Driving experience: little

So Gail had a look at the Garmin nüvi 350 and was able to navigate through all the menus very easily. The main feature she was going to use was the address finder.

But to find an address sounds easier than done:

First, one has to specify the country > South Africa
Then, specify the city > Johannesburg
This is where it becomes a little tricky…unfortunately it is not as easy as just typing in JOHANNESBURG, because once that name has been entered the following choices appear:

Johannesburg
Johannesburg City
Johannesburg Metro
Johannesburg CBD

Here is the first problem Gail encountered. Not really knowing the general areas of Jo’burg, it is basically impossible to guess which of the above options to choose from. Which means if the street name does not exist within that specific area the menu takes you back to the beginning…back to choosing country, city, etc.

Driving with the GPS is a whole different story. Not knowing the roads well, Gail had to carefully listen to the GPS, hoping it will direct her not only onto the right streets but also warning her to keep on either the left or right side of lanes, depending where off-ramps occurred.

The fact the this unit actually refers to street names makes navigating much easier. It is not necessary to look at the actual map when concentrating on what the unit is saying.

One needs to know basic areas, directions, and parts of a city to use GPS unit correctly. I would not solely rely on ‘British-Emma’ telling me where to go without checking if the destination seemed right.

The fear factor:

Any sort of GPS that one sticks against ones window is a smash-and-grabbers dream. Having the GPS stuck over ones dashboard, is however the most effective place to keep it; personally I feel uncomfortable having it there, but alas, where else should I put it? Luckily the nüvi 350 is very small and unobtrusive.

South African users need to be even more cautious with such a device in the car:

The latest GPS crime related incidents are however not that of smash-and-grabs, but rather hijackings. Hijackers now target cars with GPS systems, not only to get your car, but to click on the ‘Go Home’ button to drive to your home and rob you out. To avoid this it it has been suggested to rename ‘Go Home’ to a keyword you’d remember, or just call it ‘Police Station’

Conclusion:

The Garmin nüvi 350 is a small, compact, yet very powerful travel companion. It’s retail price tag (R5,100) is a little steep however it out-smarts the smaller models with its text-to-speech, MP3, audiobook, and image browser capabilities.The added headphone jack also comes in very handy when utilising the above stated functions.

From a usability point of view the nüvi 350 can become puzzling in terms of finding the right address, which is not necessary the problem of the actual 350 model, but possibly of the Garmin series in general. I would be interested to see if the TomTom GPS systems have similar usability issues.

This is what I like about the 350:

Size: small and compact
Screen: bright and clear
Speed: very fast for a touch screen unit
Use: the menu functions are very easy to use
Audio: It speaks the name of the next street.
Battery life: 5-8 hour battery life
Entertainment: MP3’s and audiobooks can be listened to whilst driving

Custom points: Get up-to-date speed trap alerts
Accuracy: Highly accurate and sensitive

This is what I don’t like about the 350:

Address finder: can become too confusing

Package Includes

nüvi™
Vehicle suction cup mount
Carrying case
12-24 volt adapter cable
Dashboard disk
USB interface cable
Sample Language Guide content
Sample MP3s
Quick-reference guide
Garmap SA Street Maps
Pre-loaded with City Navigator Europe, fully unlocked.

Quirky add-on:

You can have some fun with the Garmin by uploading different kind of navigation voices. The Garmin comes with a choice of English speaking presenters, as far as Australia, Britain, and America, but by doing some research online I found Michael Jackson’s voice. It’s kind of funny, yet scary at the same time, listening to the singers voice directing you through traffic!

Year purchased: Dec - 2007
Purchased at: Makro
Price paid: R2,500.- (on promotion)