Sunday, March 18, 2012

Garmin nuvi 350 review

Garmin_nuvi_350

UPDATE: Though still available and supported, Garmin has discontinued the nuvi 350. For newer models, check out my Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

The Garmin nuvi 350 has proven to be an incredibly popular touch-screen GPS navigator. Garmin bills the nuvi as a “a Personal Travel Assistant™ that combines a GPS navigator, language translator and travel guide capability, an MP3 player, an audio book player, a currency and measurement converter, a world clock, and a digital photo organizer.” The nuvi has the newest generation of GPS chipsets, the SiRFSTAR III, resulting in fast satellite lock and improved reception. It also speaks street names, so you’ll get “turn left on Highway 128” instead of “turn left in 200 feet.”

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Garmin StreetPilot 2610 Review

Streetpilot_2610 UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.   The Garmin StreetPilot 2610 GPS auto navigation system is very similar to the StreetPilot 2620. The key difference is that, with the 2610, you have to load City Select maps to a Compact Flash (CF) card, whereas the 2620 comes with a built-in 2.2 GB hard drive. The next level in this series, the StreetPilot 2650 and 2660 models add a gyroscope which can maintain your position when satellites are lost for brief periods in urban canyons or under heavy canopy. The StreetPilot 2610 is a popular unit. 98 reviewers at Amazon rated it an average 4-1/2 out of 5 stars. Here’s what reviewers elsewhere had to say: read more

Garmin StreetPilot 2620 Review

Streetpilot_2620

UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

 

The Garmin StreetPilot 2620 GPS is a touch screen auto navigation system that comes with Garmin’s City Select software pre-loaded on a 2.2 GB internal hard drive. That’s the key difference between it and the StreetPilot 2610; to get the same detail with the 2610 you have to transfer City Select maps from CDs to a CF card. Going up one more level in this series, the StreetPilot 2650 and 2660 models add a gyroscope which can maintain your position when satellites are lost for brief periods in urban canyons or under heavy canopy. Before moving on to the 2620 reviews, you might want to check out my review of the updated version, the StreetPilot 2720.

58 reviewers at Amazon gave the StreetPilot 2620 an average 4 out of 5 star review.

Here’s what other reviewers are saying:

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Garmin StreetPilot i3 Review

Streetpilot_i3

UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

The Garmin StreetPilot i3 GPS is a great entry level auto navigation system, that will get you where you’re going without breaking the bank. The mid-level model in the i-series, this unit is a step up from the i2 monochrome edition. Packaged with Garmin’s City Select software, this little dynamo gives voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, to guide you wherever you want to go. One caveat though — this unit has no touch screen. If you want that feature at a reasonable price, check out the StreetPilot c320.

The StreetPilot i3 garnered 4-1/2 out of 5 stars from 39 readers at Amazon.

Here’s what others are saying about the i3:

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Garmin eTrex Legend C

Etrex_legend_c

UPDATE: This model has been discontinued. For more current recommendations, please refer to our handheld GPS buyers guide or our Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.

The Garmin eTrex Legend C is basically the Vista C without the barometric altimeter and electronic compass. With the Legend C, you pay less, and get longer battery life (36 hours vs. 20 for the Vista C). Otherwise, it’s the same compact unit with a bright color screen. Like the Vista C, this powerful device is capable of displaying maps that will generate turn-by-turn directions. Recently, the Legend C has been updated with the Legend Cx.

Dozens of readers have reviewed the eTrex Legend C at Amazon.

Here’s what some other reviewers saying:

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Top 10 Best Selling GPS

As previously mentioned, I’m working on posting reviews of the top 20, best selling GPS receivers. I’ve searched for other references, but have yet to find a better one, so I’m basing it on Amazon’s ever changing (okay, changing hourly) list of their Top 100 best selling GPS. It’s actually fairly consistent, or I’d never be able to keep up with it! Today, I’m happy to announce that I’ve made it through the current top 10. And don’t forget, despite the temporary but frequent posting of reviews over the next couple of weeks, I’ll still be interspersing lots of other news, tips and tricks at GPS Tracklog. Without any further delay, here’s the list, and links to my reviews:

EDIT: Click here to go to an updated list of my reviews of the top 20 best selling GPS receivers.

  1. Garmin eTrex Legend
  2. Garmin Forerunner 201
  3. Garmin Quest
  4. Garmin StreetPilot c330
  5. Garmin Forerunner 301
  6. Garmin StreetPilot c320
  7. Garmin StreetPilot 2720
  8. Garmin eTrex
  9. Garmin GPSMap 60CS
  10. Garmin eTrex Vista C


Garmin StreetPilot c340 Review

Streetpilot_c340

UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

 

The Garmin StreetPilot c340 is the top unit in Garmin’s StreetPilot c3 line of auto navigation systems. Like the c330, this receiver comes with pre-loaded maps for all of North America or Western Europe. While all the c3 models give voice commands, the c340 adds the ability to call out upcoming points of interest and street names. This model is also compatible with the GTM 10, adding the ability to show real-time traffic info in major metropolitan areas.

Dozens of consumers have posted StreetPilot c340 reviews  at Amazon.com.

Compare prices on the Garmin StreetPilot c340

Here’s what others have to say…

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Garmin eTrex

Garmin_etrexUPDATE: This unit is being replaced by the Garmin eTrex H, which has greatly improved reception over the older model.

UPDATE 2: This model has been discontinued. For more current recommendations, please refer to our handheld GPS buyers guide or our Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.

The basic yellow Garmin eTrex is Garmin’s entry level handheld GPS. If you choose this unit though, I highly recommend purchasing the cable to connect it to your PC. This will make it easier to download waypoints, as opposed to manual entry, which is an approach prone to error. You might consider instead stepping up to the eTrex Venture or eTrex Legend, both of which come with the cable included.

You can’t load any maps to this unit, but you can’t beat the price either, and the low price sells a lot of units. At Amazon.com, 154 readers have posted reviews, giving the eTrex an average 4 out of 5 star rating. .

Here’s what others have to say…

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Garmin StreetPilot c320 review

Streetpilot_c320

UPDATE: Most of the several generations old StreetPilot series, including this model, has been discontinued. For a more current recommendation, check out our Auto GPS buyers guide or go straight to our Garmin nuvi comparison chart.

 

The Garmin StreetPilot c320 is a popular entry level auto navigation system. It is very similar to the c330 and c340, except that maps do not come pre-loaded on a hard drive. Instead, you get a City Select disc from which maps can be transferred to the unit via USB or loaded onto an SD card.  Additionally, while the c320 gives voice prompts for navigation, it will not call out upcoming street names and points of interest (POI) like the c340.  But even though it doesn’t have a hard drive that will hold the entire
country, you can still fit all of California on the 128 MB SD card that comes
with it, and you can always get a bigger card.

This unit is quite popular, with dozens of users rating it highly in their StreetPilot c320 reviews at Amazon, which has this to say in their editorial review…

"With a simple touch screen interface, automatic route calculation to any destination, and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions, the StreetPilot c320 GPS navigator is a powerful companion for your adventures on the road. Plus, Garmin has designed the "c-series" of car navigation units to be as simple and easy-to-use as possible– no more intimidating features, just straightforward, basic navigation at your fingertips. Selecting a destination is as simple as a few finger-strokes, and you can choose between a three-dimensional navigation view or the more traditional "bird’s eye" overhead view.

Although the c320 boasts distinctive and sleek styling, simplicity is the name of the game. The only buttons are a rotary volume knob and an on/off switch. The device is secured by a suction-mount cradle that fastens to the windshield for easy portability between vehicles. You can customize the unit’s appearance with an array of colored faceplates that are sold separately…"

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GPS Comparison Charts

UPDATE: We’ve created a number of comparison charts to assist you:

There are so many GPS receivers on the market with similar features; the minute differences between models in a single product line can make buying decisions a real challenge. I’d like to call your attention to some tools that can help make these critical choices a little easier. Garmin and Magellan both have product comparison tools on their sites, which you can use to generate side-by-side comparisons. It won’t help with the Garmin vs.Magellan decision though!  Here are the links:

You’ll find most of these in the upper-right corner of your screen under the heading Buying a GPS?, along with our GPS Buyers Guide and other useful links.

A special note here to all the new readers coming to us from Engadget and GPS Information.org. You may have missed my recent About Our Reviews post where I explained that, due to the holiday season, readers of GPS Tracklog will be seeing a temporary increase in the frequency of reviews (and posts in general). I will however, continue to intersperse other original posts filled with news, tips and other cool GPS stuff as we go. Poke around the site; I hope you enjoy what you find here.