UPDATE: A new model, the Garmin nuvi 3490LMT, has superseded this one (despite the lower model number!).
Hands on with the best nuvi yet
The Garmin nüvi 3790T
Before we get into more details, lets look at some closely…
Related units
- Garmin nuvi 3790LMT – Adds lifetime map updates to the 3790T’s feature set
- Garmin nüvi 3760T – This model drops voice commands, 3D terrain and 3D buildings
- Garmin nüvi 3750 – This model offers even less, dropping Bluetooth and lifetime traffic from the 3760T’s feature set
What’s new on the 3790T
Form factor and display
One of the first things you notice with the 3700 series is just how thin they are. You can see this in the image below, comparing it to my nuvi 765T. Also note the standard micro-USB connection (a cable is included to allow you connect it to the USB port on your computer). Micro-USB connections are becoming quite common as PNDs and mobile phones get thinner and thinner.
The capacitive glass display is beautiful, but is quite the fingerprint magnet; of course, these don’t really show much unless the unit is off. It is very bright, even in full sun. I’ve always found the nuvi series to have the brightest screens of any portable navigators, but at certain angles this model makes my 765T looked washed out.
Also new is the built-in accelerometer, allowing the display to rotate and be viewed in portrait or landscape mode, as seen below. At left you see junction view, which comes up in split screen mode when in portrait orientation. To the right is the map view, giving you a peek at 3D terrain on the 3790T.
The screen is much more responsive than previous nuvis; tapping takes less pressure and dragging / panning the map is much easier. The multi-touch display allows you to zoom in by pinching or double-tapping. Here’s a video demo showing quite a few additional multi-touch tips:
trafficTrends
The 3700 series is the first to use historical road speed data in calculating routes, which should result in improved routing, especially in areas with routine traffic problems. I saw definite improvements in routing behavior over my nuvi 765T, with the 3790T sending me on locally known shortcuts and alternative routes, routing me on freeways where my 765T would keep me on a parallel road, etc. While I occasionally saw some wonky choices, for the most part the trafficTrends feature selected faster routes.
myTrends
This feature enables routine routing (home to work, work to home) to be automatically set at that time of day. This feature can be enabled/disabled under Tools > Settings > Navigation > Automobile > nuRoute > myTrends. I did not see this happen with my test unit but then, my schedule has been quite erratic lately.
UPDATE: It has also recently become clear that myTrends does more than just that. It actually learns your preferred routes.
New voice command interface
Garmin has dropped the awkward steering wheel remote found on the nuvi 8xx series units, opting instead for a customizable wakeup phrase to initiate voice command. Once you say the magic words, the following screen appears.
If you say or tap “down,” you’ll also see options for volume and brightness.
In some ways I found the voice command mode easier to use than on the 8xx series, with less delays while the unit processed the commands. However, many things seemed to work less well than on 8xx series units I’ve tested.
Some phrases were more difficult than others for the unit to understand – unfortunately for me, one of those was the frequent response “yes.” The good news is that after selecting a destination, you can say “navigate” instead. I found that I often had to repeat commands a second time for the 3790T to understand me.
On the 8xx series, you can use voice command for nearly any menu item on any screen. Your options are much more limited on the 3790T. I especially missed the familiar Near option, which allows you to search near your destination, along your route, etc.
Here’s a video showing the mount and a quick look at the voice command interface:
New speaker / mount
This is probably the loudest nuvi I’ve ever heard. Much of the reason for this is the powered mount which has a second speaker integrated into it. I generally kept the unit at 80% in my noisy truck and 50% in my somewhat quieter car. This despite me usually having music or a podcast going and the fact that my hearing isn’t the greatest.
New menus
The menus have changed a bit, and share a similar interface to those found on Garmin-Asus phones. In the sample Where To? screenshot below, on the left side are icons for menu, up, down and back. As with other nuvis, you can hold down the back icon to return to the main screen.
The new menus may take some getting used to. For example, consider this path for navigation preferences: Tools > Settings > Navigation > Automobile > nuRoute > Calculation Mode > Off Road.
More Street labels
It appears that Garmin has finally listened to years of complaints by nuvi owners and started showing more surrounding street names. You can see this in the screenshots below; the top one is the nuvi 3790T, the bottom, a nuvi 765T.
3D terrain
The 3D terrain imagery, found only on the 3790T model, is quite beautiful. I especially enjoy it in the mountainous terrain where I live and work. It doesn’t have that much functionality, but I like it!
Features from previous generation nuvis
In addition to the above, you’ll also find:
- Customizable data fields – Tap the left data field to see the options; these are different depending upon whether or not you are navigating. Only the left data field can be changed.
- Additional data fields (shown below) – Switch the data fields to the right side of the screen and get two additional fields which can be customized; you can do this from Tools. Settings > Navigation > Automobile > Map data layout > More data.
- Lane Assist and Junction View – These features (respectively) are shown in the two images below; coverage seems to have expanded somewhat too.
- Speed limit display and warning – In the image below you can see the posted speed limit and the fact that your current speed field turns red when exceeding the posted limit. In my testing, Garmin has had greater speed limit coverage for secondary roads than TomTom, though they also tend to be less accurate as to the posted speed limit.
- ecoRoute – This feature adds a “less fuel” option to your routing choices and gives you fuel and mileage reports, estimated fuel cost for trips, and even a “driving challenge” to improve your fuel efficiency.
- CityXplorer map compatibility – These add-on maps offer advanced pedestrian routing options including mass transit.
- 3D buildings (see below) – These show up in major metropolitan areas.
Navigating with the nuvi 3790T
When typing a city or street name previously entered, you’ll see it pop up on the screen (shown below) after entering a few characters. Gone is the file icon to locate previously entered names.
The 3790T performed fairly well in all my tests. The historical road speed database, trafficTrends, generally resulted in superior routing, though it would have sent me on a slower route on at least one occasion. Still, it did so much better that I would definitely prefer it to a unit without this feature.
As a result of trafficTrends though, the 37xx series must crunch a lot more data to generate a route. This does result in a time delay. It was only a second or two for local destinations, but more distant ones took nearly 10 seconds for the initial route calculation (compared to just a second or so for my 765T). Recalculations took up to 7 seconds for long routes.
In local testing I expected to see missed turns when recalculating as a result of these delays, but didn’t experience any more than I did with my 765T.
Bluetooth
The 3790T paired with my Motorola Droid with little trouble. There are separate volume controls available for your phone and navigation once you make a Bluetooth connection — use the menu (three line/equalizer) button on the volume control screen.
The sound quality for the person on the other end of the line was disappointing though – fuzzy, tunnel-like and distant, and not as good as I would have expected on this unit. It is definitely inferior to my 765T, which has two microphone holes in the housing, probably for noise cancellation.
Multi-destination routing
The 3790T allows you to add multiple via points from Where To?, without going into the Trip Planner, but there is no route optimization option if you do it this way.
Alternatively, you can select Tools > Trip Planner to create a route. Once a route is created with a beginning, end and at least two via points, you can access the Menu for the options shown below.
You can tap a via point to select an item and specify an arrival time or duration of stop. This is quite the useful feature. I plugged in the duration of several stops, the time I wanted to arrive at my final destination, and was able to easily determine when I needed to start my trip.
I have seen quite a few message forum comments about problems with multi-destination routing on the 37xx series though, and there do appear to be some bugs. For one thing, you can’t import routes from MapSource. For another, the handles on the right below are a little tricky. It’s hard to drag an item up in the list without starting to drag it down first. Route optimization also appears to not work very well. Hopefully Garmin will address these issues in a firmware update in the near future.
Nuvi 3790T hardware notes
A couple of things are worth mentioning here. First, you may think the power button is non-responsive. I had no problem powering the unit on or off once I started pressing the right side of it. Startup is nearly instantaneous, by the way, on the order of a couple of seconds.
To carry the earlier iPhone analogy a bit further, there appear to have been some compromises made in the GPS antenna in the 37xx series. I did notice it being a few seconds slower to lock on occasion. This could cause problems if say, you fire it up in an urban canyon with expired ephemeris data, because you hadn’t used the unit in the past few days. It did not however, cause any significant problems in my testing.
Lifetime Traffic
I do not live in an area with FM traffic coverage, though I did get to fringe reception areas while testing the 3790T. Traffic functions appear identical to recent nuvis and, as with all Garmin lifetime traffic units, the subscription is ad-supported, as you can see below.
Garmin nuvi 3790T pros
- Very thin
- Gorgeous, bright screen
- The loudest nuvi yet
- Terrain view
- trafficTrends historical road speeds result in improved routing
- More streets are labeled than on recent nuvis
- Improved junction view and lane assist coverage
- Voice command eliminates 8xx series remote
Garmin nuvi 3790T cons
- Voice command performance and options weaker than expected
- Disappointing Bluetooth performance
- trafficTrends results in increased route calculation time
- Slightly weaker GPS receiver performance than other recent nuvi series
- Multi-destination routing needs improvement
Conclusion and recommendations
Highly recommended — the best nuvi yet. The 3790T feels like a work of art; the screen is drop dead gorgeous. Routing has been significantly improved with the addition of historical road speed data (trafficTrends). I expect that a couple of my complaints (the missing Near option for voice commands and multi-destination routing bugs) can be fixed with firmware updates, but the core functionality is very good.
For the past year or so, it’s been hard to point to a top of the line nuvi, with the 765T, 885T and 1690 all being able to lay claim to the mantle. No more though – while a few features may be missing, it’s pretty clear that the 3790T is now the top dog. If I could only convince the minister of finance of the need to buy one!
More Garmin nuvi 3790T reviews
- Consumer-authored Garmin nuvi 3790T reviews
have been posted at Amazon
- And PC World reviews the nuvi 3790T from Down Under, giving it their Editor’s Choice award
- TechRadar gives a 4-1/2 out of 5 star rating in their Garmin nuvi 3790T review
- Engadget reviews the Garmin nuvi 3790T
- There is a nuvi 3790T user review thread at GpsPasSion
- PC Mag gives the nuvi 3790T a 4 out of 5 star review and their Editors Choice award
- GPS Magazine says the 3790T set the new standard for GPS navigation
- From across the pond, Crowded Brain gives it a 8-1/2 out of 10 rating in their nuvi 3790T review
- Another UK review of the 3790T, this time from Stuff.tv
- WebSneak has posted their own nuvi 3790T review
- About.com gives a 4-1/2 out of 5 star rating in their review of the nuvi 3790T
- CNet gives a 4-1/2 out of 5 star rating in their Garmin nuvi 3790T review
- GPS Lodge has posted their own review of the nuvi 3790T
- Pocket GPS World reviews the 3790T from across the pond
- ComputerActive gives a 4 out of 5 star review in their Garmin 3790T review
I’ll be posting more hands on GPS reviews as they appear, but in the meantime, here are some…
Other Garmin nuvi 3790T resources
- The Garmin nuvi 3790T owners manual, in the language of your choice
- Want to see how the 3790T stacks up against other models? Check out this Garmin auto GPS comparison tool or my own Garmin nuvi comparison chart
- There is a dedicated Garmin nuvi message forum at GpsPasSion
- And another nuvi forum at GPS Review
- The official Garmin nuvi 3790T web page
- How to access archived nuvi trip logs
- Five more tips for nuvi newbies
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About Rich Owings
I have question about TomToms new Go 2405 & 2505. I noticed that both are limited to 4GB of internal memory with no SD or micro SD card slot for expandable memory. What happends when you update the maps with the lifetime updates that will require more memory? Is the GPS deemed useless once the memory maximizes??
Does anyone know???
Which manufacturer has the largest traffic coverage nation wide: TomTom, Garmin, or other?
I wouldn’t even begin to make a blanket judgment on that one! Here are links to coverage details:
Most Garmin units use NAVTEQ http://www.navteq.com/rdstraffic/
I believe TomTom is mainly using Clear Channel http://totaltraffic.com/coverageareas/
I really appreciate your honesty. Thanks!
Garmin: 98 cities of traffic
TomTom: 93 cities of traffic
Also realize that those lists and maps may or may not be up to date.
I want to know how to activate a fm traffic in my 3790T model that I just purchased from the garmin website. Also, does anyone know how to make the ecoroute HD (car diagnostic system adapter) work? It says the 3790T is compatible, but I cant make it work. Thanks. Ivan
You just need to have the power cord/traffic receiver plugged in and attached to the unit, and be within the coverage area. There is no activation required.
ecoRoute HD requires an add on to wirelessly transmit data from your car:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=38354
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the answers. I got the add on and plugged in the car’s OBDII. I see the ecoroute hd led light on, but my 3790 doesnt connect to it. The gps is upgraded, so is there something I am missing. Hope you can help. Thx, Ivan
I assume you followed the instructions at http://www8.garmin.com/services/ecoroute/i/ecoRoute_HD_supp.pdf (PDF). If so, your best bet may be to call Garmin support (I usually have better luck with calls than emails on issues like this.)
Rich great review of this product by far. I’ve read the other reviews and now ready to buy. Thanks for your inputs and looking foward to getting my hands on this unit.
I used to play music in my old GPS (which is stolen from my car) in my car all the time and really miss it. I wish this expensive Unit had the same MP3 future.
Yeah, I did too. I guess it wasn’t that popular of a feature though. I don’t think we’ve seen it since the 7×5 series.
What is the difference between a 3790T and 3790LMT?
The 3790T adds lifetime map updates.
Hey Rich,
Is there a way to turn off the advertising adds on the Nuvi 3790T/LMT without turning off the traffic feature completely? The adds are annoying and distracting. Does any of the TomTom lifetime traffic units have the add “pop-up” issue? If TomTom is able to supply their customers lifetime traffic without the add pop-ups, why isn’t Garmin able to?
Nope, no way to get rid of them. As for TomTom, I don’t believe they have ads. I’m not sure about their business model on this. Since they own Tele Atlas, maybe the maps cost them less and they can afford to take a hit offering traffic.
I had a feeling there wasn’t a way to turn them off. Thank you!
Is there any way to set the unit’s clock to the exact minute? My unit allows only selection on 15 minute increments, but it’s never the minute that I want.
Where are you finding this? The time is based on the clocks on the GPS satellites and as such should be your most accurate timepiece.
Dear Rich,
Thanks for the prompt replies to my other questions.When do you think you will have tested the 2350/2360 nuvi’s.My choices are now down to 1450LMT,3760 LMT,and possibly the new 2360 LMT.
Thanks,Don
I probably won’t receive one to test until around the end of the year. I should have a 2200 model in hand before Christmas. Reviews generally tale around a month for testing and posting.
Hi Everybody,
I just have a new Garmin Nuvi 3790T.. when I first turned it on and it loaded the software the language of operation is all in Arabic (I purchased it in Middle east) Can someone guide me how to go to language selection from the home screen to change the languate to English. (you can mention the icons to make it easier)
Thanks and hope to hear from some one having this model or similar model (as like phones it might be similar in terms of language selection)Thanks … Connie.
Try this. From the start screen, hit the Toolbox icon. Then the Wrench, then the Lips. I’m looking at a 1695, but it should be similar. Once you do those steps, the first three fields are Voice Language, Text Language and Keyboard language. Hope this helps.
Enjoy reading these comments and seeing the newest and best. I’m always looking for a GPS with new features I can’t do without, but right now I have the Tom Tom 540TM and am very happy with it. This new Garmin seems interesting but it doesn’t yet come with lifetime maps does it? The screen may be beautiful but how often will you really be looking at it, unless you are the passenger ? I thought the Navigon 8100 always had the best screen. Keep up the great reviews.
Thanks David.
It’s actually is available in LMT version (lifetime maps+traffic). Check Amazon. Also, there is no comparison with Navigon, sorry, 3700 series’s screen quality has no peers right now among similar devices.
Right you are Gen. I must have been asleep when I answered that one.
http://gpstracklog.com/2010/11/garmin-nuvi-3760lmt-and-3790lmt.html
Hello. Need alittle help here. Just bought a (nüvi® 3790LMT )
today and did all of the updates plus the firware update.After this update my Nuvi is not functioning properly and some of the icons are not showing up properly. Can the firmware be rolled backwards or reloaded in some way.
Thank you for your time and help.
Dave
I would make sure the unit is fully charged and then try running the update again.
If you decide to revert, here’s the old file: http://www.garmin.com/software/nuvi37xx_regionfileonly__250.gcd
Here’s some info from http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=21369
“To backdate, connect the nuvi to the PC, then drag the file to your WebUpdater icon. If you don’t have WebUpdater, get it here:
http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp
After WebUpdater is finished, disconnect the nuvi and power-cycle it. On the power-cycle, you will get the following message:
“The software on the device is newer than the software you are attempting to install. Installing the older software will erase all user data. Install the older software?”
Answer “Yes” and the nuvi will proceed to flash v2.50 to itself. Note that you’ll need to reset all your user settings afterwards. It’s also a good idea to clear all user data (hard reset) after the backdate:
On the moving map screen, press the Speed in the lower-right corner. On the trip computer page, press and hold the compass heading on the speedo dial just above the numerical speed for ~7 seconds. At the diagnostics page, press “Clear all user data”, then answer “Yes”.”
Hope this helps.
GREAT WEB SITE!
As the 3790 is 6 months old, are you aware of a replacement? I would like a state of the art unit and can wait.
Paul
There will probably be some new Garmins announced the first week of January. Whether there will be a new high-end model is unknown.
There is a 3790LMT just hitting the market now too. It’s the 3790 plus lifetime map updates.
So far, I think TomTom’s interface is more pleasing to the eyes than Garmin’s. It just seems much more crisper and cleaner. I like the traffic timeline to the side of the screen. I also find that TomTom’s traffic is more responsive than Garmin’s. That’s just my opinion…
Does the Nuvi 3790T/LMT offer alternative routing on its own if there is traffic like the TomTom devices do, or does it just show traffic and you have to choose an alternative route obtion on your own?
Yes, the nuvi will automatically reroute you. But I do like the fact that when TomTom detects traffic issues it says “you are still on the fastest route.” Reassuring.
I’ll wait and see what Garmin and TomTom comes out with next. I’m in no rush. Lets see if Garmin can top it’s Nuvi 3790LMT and TomTom can top its Go 2405/2505TM units. This could get very interesting.
@Dale, yeah the date keeps getting pushed back for some reason. Now it’s looking like it will be mid-January.
Just updated to the 2011.30 map. Before the update I thought I saw the phone icon on the moving map view, but now it’s not there although I could dial from the main menu. Was this due to the update? I like seeing the phone icon on the moving map screen so that I know my phone is connected while driving. The other thing is that when I end the call, Nuvi 3790 will drop the bluetooth and no phone is detected? If I tap on power to make it go to sleep, the connection is reestablished when it’s awake. Isn’t that strange? Please help.
The map update shouldn’t have affected it. Did you do a firmware update too? I’d run WebUpdater (http://garmin.com/webupdater) several times. Its possible you might get a Bluetooth update. Also, can you tell me what firmware version you have? On the 765T I have with me, its under Tools > Settings > System > About.
The firmware version I have is 2.60. I wrote to Garmin and they told me to do a hard reset, but that still doesn’t do the trick; I still don’t see the phone icon in the moving map screen and each time I do make a phone call through 3790, the bluetooth connection will be disconnect as soon as the phone call ends. Frustrating.
The current firmware is 3.60.
Are you sure? I have software version 3.6 but gps firmware showing 2.6. Why is it when I hook up my 3790 the webupdater and mydash both say my software and maps are up to date? If you do mean the GPS Firmware to be 3.6, then how do I force it to download it?
Hi Rich,
i’m really having difficulty picking between this and the new Tom-Tom go live 1000, which would you suggest and why?
Many thanks and happy New Year
I’d pick the nuvi, but I generally prefer Garmins. I like the 3790T’s thin form factor and its ability to learn your preferred routes. I found the US version of the GO 1000 a bit buggy, but the model you are considering does have HD Traffic, which might be a plus for you. That would be the biggest advantage IMHO.
@ Jenny M,
No, that sounds right. I’ve checked some other forums like this one but don’t see other reports of the issue…
http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=21369
Have you tried un-pairing and re-pairing the phone? Another thing to try is rebooting the phone.
Does anyone know if Garmin release a software update for the 3790xxx so the ecoRoute HD works? Also, how can I find out what information the OBDII when used with a car?
Thank you,
Yes, it is now compatible.
There are some links here to the manual etc., which may help with your other question…
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=38354
This may also help…
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=132371&whichpage=1
What are people’s experince with garmin 2460LMT and can someone provide comments comparing the 2460 with the garmin 3790 (i.e. differences/similarities, value, etc.)
I hope to have a review of the 2460LT posted in the next week or so. Theoretically, the 24xx series is a better value, but I’d wait for some hands on reviews.
Rich! Love your site. As a GPS nut myself, I love your insights.
1) Can you comment or have you reviewed the Pedestrian Mode using CityXplorer Map on the 37xx series? Feeling or thoughts?
2) Can you shed some light on screen size verses resolution. I see many with larger screens but lower resolution. So is it truly a fair comparison just on screen measurements?
I haven’t tried it with the 37xx series, but my general impressions are that (a) the routing isn’t perfect. It will get you there, but maybe not as quick as someone with local knowledge and (b) it’s a great deal if you’re travelling to a single city overseas.
5″ screens are nice, especially when using the onscreen keyboard. I don’t see a lot of advantages to the 37xx’s resolution. Given the choice, I’d take the 24xx series (but not because of screensize; I’d chose it for the feature set). Hope this helps.
Thanks again.
We are packing for a month long cruise to the Baltic. I’ve loaded the Europe maps to the Oregon 450T and CityXplorer maps to the 3790T. The 3D mapping in the 3790 is cool. Most of the sights we going to see including statues are in 3D, able to do a walk around. Like a previous poster note, it would be way nice if the Oregon had that functionality too. Do to battery life issue, I know I’ll be shutting down the 3790 at each stop along the way.
BTW: I can easily transfer waypoints from Base Camp to the 3790 but transferring routes doesn’t seem to fly. They just disappear. I can recreate the route as a multi stop trip but it’s a small pain.
Is there other software programs that work better than Base Camp or Map Source you can recommend?
BTW: I see people others jumping at the 24xx series, other than price and screen size, what features are you gaining? I see less battery life on the 24xx and no 3D buildings (which isn’t required to get you from place to place but has the cool factor). Thanks again Rich!
You’re gaining the ability to create custom avoidances and exclude roads on the fly. There are some other things as well. Details here…
http://gpstracklog.com/2011/03/garmin-nuvi-2460lt-review.html
Why won’t Garmin just release an uber-Premium device. Doesn’t have to be as think as the 3790, but man would I jump at a device wtih all of the features in both 24XX and 37XX, plus the NuLink connected features and a 37XX style high res screen. It seems like every couple of years they redo their device with a new “high end model”, and then release mid grade models in the subsequent months with features that never quite make it into their “high end”. I’m looking at the new detour features (new being relative) in the 24XX that I can’t do in my “top of the line” Garmin.
@MickeyLive – No. Garmin has promised an update to allow you to send multi-destination routes from MapSource, but it hasn’t shown up yet.
@Scott – I suspect they’ve found that they’ll sell more this way.
Well they’re right, but it still drives me nuts every time I “upgrade”.
I bought the 3790T to replace my 765T. I HATE THIS 3790T GPS. It takes Forever to acquire satellites when you turn it on. (Like 5 minutes sometimes.) It is WAY less sensitive than the 765 so it looses satellite reception in city driving. The routing takes FOREVER. (At least 3 times as long as the 765.) If you miss a turn the recalculation takes FOREVER. (Like you arrive at your destination before it finishes the recalculation.) The advertisement pop up windows always seem to happen right when you are making a turn and you need to see the map… (And you get a popup advertising a coupon for a discount to something you never want…) These advertisement popup windows cover the map so you can’t see it at critical decision moments. I don’t understand why a unit with 4X the resolution of my 765 can find a place on the screen to advertise that does not block the MAP! My 765 never had this problem.
I guess you can disable trafficTrends & myTrends… And you end up with a 765T for 3X the cost. I simply cannot recommend this GPS. I am selling it and keeping my 765T.
Sounds like a lemon to me. I’ve heard one other report of slow acquisition times. Are you in an urban canyon? Recalcs don’t sound right either. And I don’t see the ads coming up at critical times either. I’d contact Garmin. Something just doesn’t sound right.
This is my second unit. I took the first one back to the store and got another one. It acts the exactly same. I believe the only lemon is the engineer who picked a slow processor and a poor GPS chipset. I have contacted Garmin twice for help. Their advise was to turn off the 3D map view and disable the trafficTrends for faster routing. (And this does speed up the routing… But what’s the point of trafficTrends if it’s too slow to use…)
Cycling power on/off/on sometimes gets a faster satellite lock. But this 3790 just takes longer to get a satellite lock. The 765 is way faster and the GPS reception is superior.
Am I in urban canyons? Yes… sometimes. Sometimes I drive on country roads. Some times I drive on freeways… and yes… Sometimes I drive in the city. And all of my previous Garmin GPS products (765T, 2620…) all performed well in most of these environments. The 3790 does perform well in many situations. And the popup advertisements always seem to happen at the worst possible moments. The 765 had the same free traffic reporting system with popup ads… But the 765 did not put the ads up while you were moving and the ads seemed to block less of the map.
There is nothing wrong with the TWO units I have tried to use. The DESIGN is just a lemon. (In my opinion.) And I firmly stand behind everything I am saying.
One more thing… I what to confirm that I DO perform the software updates. In fact… I check every week or two. My unit has the latest firmware and the latest map updates possible.
I still have to wonder if you didn’t get two out of a bad batch. Recalcs for me aren’t very different from other units, unless it is a long route (a couple hundred miles). Then it can take 7-8 seconds. I wonder if Garmin would swap it out for another one (or better yet, a 2460LT).
About two weeks ago I bought a 2460LMT rather than a 3790 based on Rich’s very positive review of the 2450 and 2460. I strongly considered a 3790, but the larger screen on the 2400 series was a major winning point. I am very pleased with the decision after two weeks.
Since it it still Springtime in the Rockies (aka the mud season) I have not yet been far enough off-road to check its performance with no signal. Also it has not been hot enough yet to see how it does with high temperatures. Both environment were problematic with my 1690 causing frequent restarts and confused directions.