Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents
2. Understanding Garmin's nuvi product line
3. Unboxing: What's included in the box
4. Mounting the nuvi 350 in the car
5. Using the nuvi 350
6. Finding an Address
7. Finding a Restaurant
8. Setting the Home Address
9. Routing to Longitude/Latitude Coordinates
10. Adding A Stop Along The Route
11. Canceling the Route
12. Custom Vehicle Icons
13. Routing Engine Performance
14. GPS Reception Performance
15. Travel Kit (Music, Photos, & More)
16. MP3 Player
17. Playing Audible Books
18. Photo Viewer
19. World Clock
20. Currency Converter
21. Language & Travel Guides
22. Settings
23. Updating the nuvi 350's Software (WebUpdater)
24. Pros
25. Cons
26. Conclusion

1. Specifications

• High-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver by SiRF (SiRF StarIII)
• WAAS enabled; flip-up antenna - includes MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection
• Preloaded with City Navigator NT 2008 (v.9) - includes detailed maps of U.S., Canada & Puerto Rico
• Travel Kit includes Language Guide, MP3 player, audible book player, picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, and calculator
• SD memory card expansion slot
• Built-in speaker
• Traffic alerts with optional GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver
• Text-to-Speech - unit prompts you to "Turn right on Main St" instead of "Turn right in 500 feet"
• Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings
• Offers a three dimensional mapping perspective, or 2-D overhead view
• Display: 2.8" W x 2.1" H (3.5" diag.), 320 x 240 pixels; bright, TFT display, 64K colors, with white backlight and touch screen
• Unit dimensions: 3.87" W x 2.91" H x 0.87" D (98.3 mm x 73.9 mm x 22.1 mm) - fits easily in a pocket or purse
• Weight: 5.1 ounces (144.6 grams)
• Built-in lithium ion battery
• Between 4-8 hours of battery life, depending on use
• Includes 12-volt power adapter cable for external power while in your vehicle
• Includes suction cup windshield mount

2. Understanding Garmin's nuvi product line?

The nuvi 350 has a 3.5" diagonal touch-screen, pre-loaded maps, SD card expandability, and travel and multimedia features. The nuvi 360 adds Bluetooth support for hands-free calls, and the nuvi 660 features an extra-wide 4.3" diagonal touch-screen, Bluetooth support, FM Transmitter and includes a GTM 20 traffic receiver. The traffic receiver must be purchased separately for the nuvi 350 and 360.

When the nuvi 350 was originally introduced, it was Garmin's entry level nuvi. Since then, however, the 200-series nuvis have been released. The 200's don't have the travel kit or music player. Here's a complete breakdown of the nuvi product line:

Garmin nuvi Feature Matrix

	200	250	250W	270	350	360	370	650	660	670	680
Screen Size	3.5"	3.5"	4.3"	3.5"	3.5"	3.5"	3.5"	4.3"	4.3"	4.3"	4.3"
Map Coverage	US (48 states)	NA	NA	NA & EU	NA or EU	NA or EU	NA & EU	NA or EU	NA or EU	NA & EU	NA or EU
Text-to-Speech	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Bluetooth	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y
Receiver	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF	SiRF
FM Transmitter	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y
Live Traffic	N	N	N	N	Opt	Opt	Y	Opt	Y	Y	Y
Battery Life	5 hrs	5 hrs	5 hrs	5 hrs	8 hrs	8 hrs	8 hrs	3-7 hrs	3-7 hrs	3-7 hrs	3-7 hrs
Weight	5.2 oz	5.2 oz	6.1 oz	5.2 oz	5.1 oz	5.1 oz	5.1 oz	6.2 oz	6.2 oz	6.2 oz	6.2 oz
MP3 Player	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Photo Viewer	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Travel Assistant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
3.5mm headphone jack	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
MSRP $	$428	$482	$589	$642	$969	$965	$899	$749	$799	$1099	$999
Street Price $	$399	$499	$530	$599	$390	$450	$630	$599	$699	$840	$799

Buyers looking for an integrated MP3 player

3. What's in the Box (Unboxing)

Figure 1: Garmin nuvi 350, Retail Box

The nuvi 350 includes the following items in the box:

• Garmin nuvi 350
• Vehicle suction cup mount
• Carrying case
• 12-24 volt adapter cable
• Dashboard disk
• USB interface cable
• A/C charger
• Sample Language Guide content
• Sample MP3s
• Quick-reference guide

Figure 2: Everything that's included with the nuvi 350

Figure 3: nuvi 350's Suction Cup Windshield Mount

The nuvi 350 uses similar windshield mounting hardware as the rest of the nuvi product line; the windshield mount is a ball and socket style mount that consists of two pieces: the suction cup, shown above, and the docking cradle, or mount. This ball and socket style mount has proven very effective for Garmin, and is used on all new nuvi and StreetPilot GPS units. Garmin's well designed mount is easy to use and holds the unit firmly in place while driving.

Make no mistake about it: the mount is a major component of any GPS unit, and frequently a stumbling block for many GPS manufacturers. There's nothing worse than having that fancy new GPS fall off the windshield, or a mount that doesn't hold the unit steadily in place.

Garmin consistently does a better job with its mounting hardware than its competitors, and the nuvi 350 is no exception.

Once the suction mount is locked into place (by lowering the lever on the mount), it sits securely in place. In fact, the mount is so secure, that I occasionally had a hard time removing it from the window.

Figure 4: Windshield Mount, Assembled

The docking cradle has a socket at the rear that snaps onto the ball of the windshield suction cup mount, forming a ball-and-sockets joint that allows the GPS to be articulated into almost any viewing angle.

Figure 5: nuvi 350 connected to the Windshield Mount

Attaching the nuvi 350 to the windshield mount is simple: extend the GPS patch antenna so that it forms a 90 degree angle, as shown above in figure 5, then hook the bottom of the nuvi into the mount first, then press the nuvi towards the mount until it clicks into place. To remove the nuvi from the mount, press the release button on the bottom of the mount and rotate the GPS away from the mount.

Figure 6: Included USB cable

The nuvi 350 includes a USB cable for connecting the GPS to your PC/Mac. You may occasionally want to connect the GPS to your computer to update the firmware or mapping software, transfer music or photos, or upload custom POI (Points of Interest) files. More on this later in the review.

Figure 7: Included AC Adapter

The nuvi 350 includes an AC adapter, for charging the GPS outside the car. The modular design of the adapter allows you to snap in different shaped plugs for various countries (sold separately). The other end connects to the nuvi's USB data port and powers the unit and charges the internal battery.

Figure 8: Adhesive Mounting Disc

Most people will want to use the windshield mount to install the nuvi 350 in their car. If you happen to live in a State where mounting anything in the windshield is illegal (and the "man" actually is enforcing said laws), then you'll need to use the adhesive mounting disc instead.

I'm not a big fan of mounting discs, as they need to be permanently attached to the dashboard with sticky adhesive that's difficult to remove later. However, if you need to use one Garmin does include one with the nuvi 350.

Figure 9: Garmin nuvi 350, Front

Garmin's nuvi 350 is ideally sized for travel and portability, fitting nicely in the palm of your hand or in your shirt pocket. The unit itself is 3.87" W x 2.91" H x 0.87" D (9.83 x 7.39 x 2.21 cm), weighs 5.1 oz (144.6g), and sports a bright 3.5" color touch-screen display. The LCD display is made out of anti-glare material that maintains good visibility even in bright sunlight, and is fairly fingerprint resistant.

The nuvi 350 is an elegant looking GPS that looks good in just about any car.

Figure 10: Garmin nuvi 350, Left Side

The Nuvi 350 is quite slim, measuring just under an inch in thickness (0.87").

Figure 11: Garmin nuvi 350, Right Side

The right side of the nuvi 350 houses the headphone jack (bottom), AC Power/USB connector (middle), and SD Memory Card slot. Garmin makes additional maps and travel guides available via the SD memory card format. Additionally, you can use your own SD card and load music and/or photos onto the nuvi.

Figure 12: Garmin nuvi 350, Top

The nuvi 350 is powered on by pressing and holding the Power button for 2 seconds. The same process turns the nuvi off.

Figure 13: Garmin nuvi 350, Rear

The nuvi 350 utilizes a flip-up patch style antenna that must be folded out into the opened position to receive GPS satellite signals. When not in use, the antenna folds flush with the rear of the unit, as shown above, for easy storage and travel.

The nuvi 350 has a single speaker, located in the left-rear of the unit. Speaker quality is surprisingly good for such a small unit, though not as loud as Magellan's Maestro series.

Figure 14: Garmin nuvi 350, Rear with Antenna Open

In order to receive satellite GPS signals, the flip up patch antenna must be in the opened position. Garmin says that the correct position for the patch antenna is parallel to the surface of the earth, so in normal driving conditions you would have the antenna at a 90 degree angle, forming an L-shape.

The reset button is also located under the flip antenna. In my testing I never had to use the rest button, although it's nice that the button isn't concealed like on some other units, or a pin-hole that you have to use a paperclip to use.

There's also an MCX-type connector for connecting an optional external GPS antenna. The nuvi's internal antenna should be sufficient for most users, thanks to Garmin's use of SiRF's Star III high performance internal receiver.

At first I was concerned the flip-out style antenna would break easily during normal usage. However, the flip mechanism feels high quality and I've been using another Garmin with an identical flip-out antenna (nuvi 660) for a year now without issue.

Figure 15: Included Leather Carrying Case

The nuvi 350 includes a leather carrying case. You'll want to protect the nuvi's LCD display when carrying the GPS around. Including the case with the unit instead of making you pay extra for it is a nice touch; there's very little more annoying than having to shell out another $20-$30 for a case to protect the GPS you just paid hundreds of dollars for.

4. Mounting the nuvi 350 in the car

Figure 16: Garmin nuvi 350, Attached to the Windshield

Mounting the Nuvi 350 in the car is simple and straight forward:

• Connect the 12V power cable to the bottom of the mount, and connect the other end into the cigarette lighter plug in your car.
• Garmin suggests cleaning and drying the windshield and the suction cup prior to mounting it, although I did neither and everything still held solidly in place.
• Press the suction mount against the windshield and flip the locking lever into the locked position.
• Flip open the patch antenna.
• Fit the bottom of the nuvi into the cradle and tilt the nuvi back until it snaps into place.
• The Nuvi can now be docked and undocked by pressing the small tab on the bottom of the cradle and tilting the nuvi forward (towards you).

Figure 17: nuvi 350's Suction Cup Mount, Connected to the Windshield

Figure out where on the windshield you'll want the nuvi to reside. Most people will likely mount the nuvi somewhere between the rear view mirror and the dashboard, in the center of the windshield (although some people prefer to mount the GPS on the driver's side).

Once you're figured out where to attach the mount, press the suction cup firmly against the glass and lower the locking lever into the locked position.

Figure 18: Connecting the 12v Power Adapter

The included 12v power adapter is relatively small and unassuming. The cord is sufficiently long enough to accommodate just about any vehicle.

Figure 19: Connecting the 12v Adapter to the Dock

Thankfully, the 12v adapter connects to the back of the dock instead of the nuvi unit directly, making it that much simpler to dock/undock the nuvi 350 from the windshield mount. This is a nice touch not normally seen on entry-level GPS units.

Providing power to the unit from the mount means you don't have to fiddle with the power cable each and every time you connect/disconnect the nuvi from the car; everything is all setup and ready to go - there's no extra cables to connect. The nuvi snaps into the mount and automatically powers itself on.

Figure 20: Attaching the Dock to the Windshield Mount

Once the 12v Power adapter has been connected to the back of the dock, we're ready to snap the dock onto the tip of the windshield mount.

Garmin's excellent windshield mount derives much of its strength from its simplicity; to connect the dock to the mount, you simply press the socket onto the ball-style joint. Once the dock "clicks" onto the ball joint, the two pieces are held firmly in place and do an excellent job holding the nuvi. The mount and dock can then be articulated into almost any viewing angle.

To remove the dock, twist it either to the right or left until it snaps off the windshield mount.

Figure 21: Garmin nuvi Windshield Mount and Dock

With the windshield suction-cup mount, dock, and 12v power cable setup, we're ready to mount the nuvi in the car.

Figure 22: Garmin nuvi 350, Mounted in the Car

Here you see the nuvi 350, connected to the windshield mount.

Garmin's mount design is excellent; the ball and socket style joint holds the unit securely in place while driving, and allows you to tilt the unit at almost any angle. In my testing there was no vibration at all when driving.

According to Garmin, figure 22 shows the correct position for the flip-out patch antenna. The patch antenna should be parallel with the surface of the earth, typically forming a 90 degree angle with the nuvi.

Figure 23: Garmin nuvi 350, Mounted in the Car

Garmin's GPS units have outstanding mounts, and the nuvi 350 is no exception. In fact, the suction mount makes such a solid connection with the windshield, I had a bit of a time getting it off the windshield (had to use 2 hands). I always pay special attention to the mounting hardware because it is a critical component that often seems to be get overlooked by GPS manufacturers -- Kudos to Garmin for continuing to invest in simple, elegant, and functional mounts.

5. Using the nuvi 350

Figure 24: Viewing the Installed Software Version

The nuvi 350 I tested was running version 4.70 software, as shown above in the "System and Copyright info" screen. You can check the version of installed software by tapping on the wrench icon from the main menu, then tapping the System icon, and then tapping on About.

Figure 25: Checking the Version of Installed Map Data

All Garmin nuvi 350's sold after May 1st 2007 should ship with Garmin newest maps, "City Navigator North America NT 2008", which includes full coverage of North America. If, for some reason, you purchase a nuvi 350 post May 1 '07 and it doesn't have the latest maps installed, Garmin will ship you the updated maps for free (you'll need to register your GPS on Garmin's website, and then call Garmin support for them to ship you the map update installer DVD).

Make sure that you've got the most current maps on your GPS. To verify what version of maps are installed on the nuvi 350, tap on Settings (Wrench icon) -> Map -> Map Info

If you purchased your nuvi 350 prior to the May 1st free update cut-off, you can purchase the updated maps for around $70. For more details on how to update the maps, be sure to check out GPSmagazine's Guide to Updating Garmin Maps.

Figure 26: nuvi 350's Main Page

Figure 26 shows the Main Page screen on the nuvi 350. This is the screen you see when the nuvi 350 is powered on. From here you can view the battery life, GPS signal strength, view the map, enter a destination, or use the Travel Kit. Along the right-hand of the screen are icons to configure various system options (wrench), or adjust the audio volume (speaker icon).

Figure 27: Map Page

This is the screen shown during normal navigation. Touching the plus and minus icons zooms in and out on the map. The purple line indicates the route you should follow. The lower-left hand corner of this page displays the estimated arrival time. Touching the arrival time opens the trip information page (shown below in Figure 28). Touching the blue button just to the right of arrival time brings up the main menu. Touching the blue note icon brings up the integrated MP3 player, and touching the "Turn In" box brings up the Next Turn page. You can also tap on the horizontal green bar across the top of the screen to bring up a maneuvering list of all remaining turns in the trip.

Figure 28: Garmin's Map Screen Explained

1. Text Bar - This text bar displays the current navigation instruction. Tapping on this bar opens the turn list (a list of all up-coming turns)
2. Zoom Out - Zoom out the map display
3. Compass - Displays the direction you are currently driving
4. Vehicle icon - This customizable icon represents your vehicle on the map. Tapping on the vehicle icons allows you to save your current location (even if there's not a valid street address at your location)
5. Arrival Time - Displays your estimated arrival time. When not en route to a destination, your current speed is displayed here. Tapping this icon opens the Trip Information page
6. Menu - Tap the Menu icon to return to the Menu page
7. Turn In - Displays the distance to the next turn. Tapping this icon displays the Next Turn page (a detailed view of the upcoming turn) and repeats the last voice instruction
8. Highlighted Route - The highlighted route is "painted" in magenta
9. Zoom In - Zooms in on the map display

Figure 29: Map Page - Night Mode

The nuvi 350 can be set to automatically switch into night mode for easier viewing at night. Night mode is less bright, and uses a darker color scheme, as shown above in figure 29. You can also force the 350 into always using either day or night mode. When set to automatic mode (the default), the nuvi switches into night mode after sunset, and returns to day mode at sunrise. Note that the day/night mode switching is based on the time of day, and not ambient light conditions.

Figure 30: nuvi's Main Menu, in Night Mode

Night mode doesn't only change the map view - it also adjusts the background color and brightness of all other menu screens (a nice touch that not all other GPS units have).

Figure 31: Trip Information Page

Tapping on the Arrival box on the Map Screen brings up the Trip Information page. This screen shows your current speed, along with various other statistics about the current trip.

Figure 32: Next Turn Page

You can manually bring up the Next Turn page at any time to view your next maneuver by tapping on "Turn In" from the map view".

This is also useful if you want to repeat the last navigation prompt. While I liked having this feature available, I sometimes found the nuvi was too slow to render the map display, so by the time the nuvi finished drawing the map, the screen timed out and returned back to the standard map view before I could see the next turn. Also, I wished there was a way to set the feature to automatically appear shortly before a turn (Magellan's interface currently does this).

6. Finding An Address

Figure 33: Where to?

Entering a destination address on the nuvi 350 is a simple process . From the main menu, tap "Where to?" to bring up the destination menu (shown below).

Figure 34: Choosing a destination address type, Page 1 of 4

After tapping on "Where to?", the nuvi 350 presents you with 4 pages of destination address types to choose from. Tapping on the up/down arrows in the lower-right hand corner scrolls through the pages. The most commonly used options are located on the first page:

• Address - Allows you to enter a street address as the destination
• Food - Lets you search the POI (Point of Interest) database for restaurants
• Lodging - Search the POI (Point of Interest) database for hotels and motels
• My Locations - Brings up the address book of saved addresses, as well as the designated Home address, and recently found addresses
• Spell Name - Allows you to search the entire POI database for a business name (useful if you're not sure what category a business is listed under, but you know the name of the business)
• Fuel - Search the POI database for gas stations

Figure 35: Choosing a destination address type, Page 2 of 4

Scrolling to the second page in the "Where to?" menu reveals six additional destination types to choose from:

• Intersections - Allows you to enter two cross streets as a destination address
• Attractions - Allows you to search the POI database for tourist attractions
• Shopping - Search the POI database for retail stores and shopping centers/malls
• Parking - Search the POI database for parking garages
• Entertainment - Search the POI database for bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, live theaters, and casinos
• Recreation - Search the POI database for amusement parks, bowling alleys, golf courses, skiing centers, fitness centers, and more

Figure 36: Choosing a destination address type, Page 3 of 4

The third page of the destination type menu is home to the following destination types:

• Community - Search the POI database for Banks/ATMs, City Hall, Community Centers, Court House, Fire/Police, Public Libraries, Churches, and more
• Cities - Allows you to navigate to the center of town (handy if you want to explore a particular town/city and just want to head into the center of town)
• Browse Map - Allows you to pan/zoom around on the map (using your finger) and pick a spot on the map to navigate to
• Hospitals - Search the POI database for hospitals
• Transit - Search the POI database for air and ground transportation or transit services (taxis)
• Auto Services - Search the POI database for auto rental, auto repair, automobile clubs, car washes, dealerships, parking, truck stops, and more

Figure 37: Choosing a destination address type, Page 4 of 4

The fourth and last page of destination types allows you to enter a set of longitude/latitude coordinates as a destination address (useful for geocaching, and routing to destinations that may not have a valid street address).

Figure 38: Changing the Search Area

When you search for POI's, the default behavior on the nuvi 350 is to search close to your current location. But what if you want to find a restaurant near your destination address instead? Or a shopping mall along the way to your destination? Tapping on Near... from the Where to? menu allows you to specify exactly where you want to search for a given POI.

Figure 39: Telling the nuvi Where to Search

The nuvi 350 allows you to specify one of four options for setting the POI search radius:

• Where I Am Now (Show results in order of closeness to your current location)
• A Different City (Enter any city name and search within that city)
• My Current Route (Search for POI's along your current route)
• My Destination (Search for POI's near your destination address)

For example, if you wanted to find a restaurant near your destination, you would tap on Where to? -> Near... ->My Destination ->Points of Interest ->Food and so on.

Most of the time you'll probably be using street addresses as the destination, so let's entering an address:

Figure 40: Entering an Address, Step 1

The first step in entering any destination is to tap on the "Where to?" button from the Main Menu.

Figure 41: Choosing Address as the Destination Type

After tapping on Where to? from the Main Menu, tap on Address to begin inputting a street address.

Figure 42: Entering the State Name

After tapping on Address, nuvi asks for the State the destination address is located in. By default nuvi displays the State you are currently located in, or gives the option of spelling out a different State.

In this example, I'm currently in Connecticut, but will be entering an address in New York State, so I'll tap on Spell State to continue on to the next step of spelling the State name.

Figure 43: Entering the State Name

Next the nuvi 350 asks what city the destination is located in (if you're not sure what city your destination is located in, you can choose Search All to have nuvi include all cities within the selected State.

Spelling the State is straight forward; use the on-screen keyboard to spell out the city name until the nuvi has enough letters entered that it can narrow the results list to just a few, then it automatically produces a list of possible matching cities to choose from.

Figure 44: Choosing a State Name From the Results List

In the example above, I'm entering a destination in New York State, so I type out N-E-W-space, and the nuvi automatically produces a short list of matching States (just one, in this case) to choose from. I tap on "New York" and continue on to the next step.

The nuvi 350 is zippy and responsive, allowing me to enter the city name as quickly as I can type, without any annoying delays or sluggishness.

However, I did find myself wishing that the text entry system were more like Magellan's QuickSpell system, which dims out various letters as you type, only allowing you to press keys that would spell a valid city name. TomTom has a similar text entry system. These systems reduce the likelihood of misspellings and make it generally easier/faster to input text.

Figure 45: Entering the City

The next step is selecting the city. If you know what city your destination address is in, you can enter it by tapping on Spell City and using the same text-entry method as we used for spelling the State name.

If you're not sure what city the destination address is in, you can choose Search All to have the unit search all cities within the selected state.

Figure 46: Choosing the Destination City

Entering the city name is identical to entering the State name; once you've entered enough of the city name that nuvi can limit the results to just a few, it will automatically product a list of matching cities to choose from.

I'm entering an address in New York City (note that you can enter either "New York" or "Manhattan" for the city name - nuvi will accept either), so I'll tap on "New York, NY" to continue on to the next step.

Figure 47: Entering the House/Building Number

Like most GPS units, the nuvi 350 asks you for the house number before the street name, which some people find disconcerting. Once you get used to inputting the house/building number before the street name, you quickly get used to this.

Some other GPS units allow you to specify the order in which you want to enter address information, although the nuvi does not allow the order to be changed.

One downside of entering the house number before the street name is that the nuvi cannot list the valid range of house numbers on a given street, as Magellan's GPS units do. For example, if you're trying to get to a house on South Main Street, Magellan's GPS units will ask for the street name first, then show you the valid range of houses along South Main Street, allowing you to pick a house number even if you're not sure of the exact address.

Figure 48: Entering the Street Name

The final step in entering the destination address is the street name.

In this test I'm entering an address on "Central Park West" in New York City, so I start to spell out C-E-N-T-R-A-L...This is the step that sometimes causes confusion among first-time GPS users. When entering a street name, you only enter the main portion of the street name, and allow the GPS to search for possible matches.

For example, if you are looking for "North Main" street, you would only enter "Main" as the search criteria, and the GPS would product a list of matching street names, such as "South Main Street" and "North Main Street".

Figure 49: Address Confirmation

With the address successfully entered into the nuvi, I can now either view the address on the map (Show Map), save it to my address book (Save), or route to it by pressing the large green Go! button.

Figure 50: Viewing the Destination Address on the Map

Tapping on "Show Map" in the previous menu displays the destination address on the map. This is a nice feature as it allows you to see what the streets will look like at the destination address.

Figure 51: Navigating to the Destination Address

Tap on the green "Go!" button and the nuvi starts routing to the destination address

As you approach an upcoming maneuver, the nuvi 350 automatically adjusts the scale, zooming in closer as the turn approaches. Once you've successfully made the turn, the map automatically zooms back out to show more distance. Automatic map scaling works well ; scale adjustments are made smoothly over a few seconds, and the zooming in and out seems logical as you drive.

7. Finding a Restaurant

Figure 52: Searching for a Restaurant

In GPS speak, a "Point of Interest" is a business address saved on the GPS. You can think of the POI database as a pre-loaded yellow pages. Most modern GPS devices come pre-loaded with a Points of Interest database, allowing you to find nearby businesses, such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and more.

Garmin's nuvi 350 ships with around 6 million POIs pre-loaded onto the unit -- Magellan's highest-end GPS' only have 4.5 millions POIs, so 6 million is a respectable number. The accuracy of the Points of Interest (POI) database has been helped by Garmin's new 2007 mapping data. I found many new POIs in my area using the nuvi 350's new mapping data that my more expensive nuvi 680 could not find (it has the older Garmin maps installed).

To search for a restaurant, tap Where to? -> Food, as shown above in figure 52.

Searching the pre-loaded POI database is a simple affair requiring a few screen taps to choose a category (i.e. Restaurant), sub-category if appropriate (i.e. Restaurant -> Chinese), and how far away you want to search (Near...).

The icons are large enough that your finger won't accidentally tap the wrong box, and the icons do a good job illustrating the POI category.

Figure 53: Choosing a POI Sub-Category

Some POI categories have sub-categories. For example, if you choose "Food" as the main category, the nuvi 350 prompts asks if you also want to enter a sub-category (in this case, a food cuisine type). If we wanted to find the closest Mexican restaurant, for example, we could choose Mexican as the sub-category, and the nuvi would limit the results to just Mexican restaurants.

If you don't want to narrow the results by cuisine, we can choose "All Food" to list all restaurants.

Figure 54: Viewing the POI Search Results

Each POI is displayed in order of closeness (by default the nuvi orders the POI lookup results by closeness to your current location. You can change the radius of the search by tapping on the "Near..." button, shown in Figure 52).

Figure 55: POI Details Page

Tapping on a POI in the search results list displays the details page for that particular POI. From here you can view the POI's exact address, phone number, view the POI on the map, or begin routing to the business by tapping on the large green "Go!" button.

Figure 56: Viewing a POI on the Map

Tapping on "Show Map" in the previous screen displays the POI on the map. In this example, "Charlie's Deli" is displayed with the food icon. Viewing the destination on the map can be useful if you want to check out what the road situation will be like at the destination address.

8. Setting the Home Address

Once set, the Home address is a special entry in the Address Book that provides quick access to the address you'll use most often: home.

Figure 57: Accessing the Address Book

Garmin's nuvi 350 differs slightly from other nuvis in the way it handles the saved addresses. The Home address is located within the "My Locations" screen, accessed by tapping on Where to -> My Locations.

Figure 58: My Locations Screen

Tapping on "My Locations" brings up the screen shown above in figure 58. From here, you can quickly start routing to the designated home address by tapping on "Go Home", access the address book of saved places (Favorites), view recently found destinations (Recent Selections), or view your current position (My Current Location).

Figure 59: Setting the Home Address

The first time you use the "Home" button, the nuvi will prompt you to input your home address, as shown above in figure 59.

Previous Garmin nuvi's had a dedicated Home icon on the main Find menu, making for one-touch Home routing. Unfortunately, the nuvi 350 has moved the "Go Home" button to the "My Locations" menu, meaning you now have an extra click (or tap) to the process. Not a big deal, but I do prefer having the Home icon right out on the main menu since it's so frequently used.

9. Routing to Longitude/Latitude Coordinates

Figure 60: Routing to A Set of Coordinates

I was pleasantly surprised to see Garmin has included the ability to input a set of longitude/latitude coordinates as a destination address. I find this more useful than you might think. For example, some destinations don't have an official street address and need to be input directly as a set of coordinates. Routing to coordinates is also useful for Geocaching.

To route to a set of coordinates, tap on "Where to?" and then scroll down to see the Coordinates option, as shown above in figure 60.

Figure 61: Entering Coordinates

Figure 62: Selecting the Format for Coordinates

Garmin supports entering coordinates in all the popular formats.

10. Adding A Stop Along the Route

Figure 63: Adding a Stop Along the Route

Search for a destination while already en route to a destination address and the nuvi 350 will ask whether you want to insert the address as a stop (Via) along the existing route.

Note that you can only insert one additional stop along a route. Garmin's nuvi series doesn't support true multi-destination routing (although they do provide a way to add a single stop along a route). If you require multi-stop routing with route optimization (the ability to sort a series of stops by distance, you should take a look at Magellan's Maestro 3140 or 4050.

11. Canceling the Route

Figure 64: Canceling the Route

Tapping on the Menu button while navigating to an address brings up the menu shown above in figure 64. From here, you can stop routing to the destination by tapping on Stop, or detour around a problem area by (such as a traffic jam or closed road) by tapping on Detour.

Including the Stop button is a nice feature. I've tested a lot of GPS devices and have found that canceling a route can be a surprisingly difficult task. For example, TomTom's GPS units don't have any way to cancel the route (you can make it appear by switching the TomTom to "Advanced" mode, but under the default menu there's no way to cancel the current route).

In my testing I found the detour function worked well - you don't get any options for how far you want to avoid the current problem, or choose from a list of alternate routes, but it does provide a quick, easy way to get off the current road if you run into a problem.

12. Custom Vehicle Icons

Figure 65: Garmin's Custom Vehicle Icons

One of the more entertaining features of Garmin's nuvi 350 (and all other nuvi models) is the ability to download and install custom vehicle icons. Garmin's library of free, downloadable vehicle icons are available at www.garmin.com/vehicles.

Garmin frequently adds new vehicles to the library, so if you're into these icons you might want to check back every few months for new icons.

Figure 66: Changing the Vehicle Icon Displayed on the Map

Once you've downloaded the vehicle icons from Garmin's website, you'll want to unzip the files, connect the nuvi to your PC via USB, and then copy the new vehicle icons into the Garmin/vehicle folder on your nuvi.

One you've copied over the new vehicles, the icon that represents your vehicle on the map can be changed to one of the new downloaded icons by tapping on Main Menu -> Setup (wrench) -> Settings -> Map -> Change, as shown above in figure 66.

Figure 67: Choosing a Custom Vehicle Icon

As you browse the various installed vehicle icons, the nuvi displays the new icon on the map so you can see how it will look. Figure 67, above, shows the "Station Wagon" and "Motorcycle vehicle icons.

13. Routing Engine Performance

All the bells and whistles aside, what really matters on any GPS is the quality of the maps, and how well the GPS figures out the best way to get from point A to B..

The single most common complaint I hear is "the GPS took me on a crazy route that I would never have chosen and was not the best/shortest way."

Arguably the most critical components of any turn-by-turn GPS navigation system are the routing engine and map accuracy. The routing engine is the software on a GPS that decides which route the unit should choose to get from point A to point B. Many people falsely assume that simply having the same maps on two GPS devices will result in the same routing choices. Not so, as there is a great deal of math and decision-making involved when calculating the "best" route.

Not surprisingly, this also one of the most difficult and complex aspects for GPS manufacturers to get right, and is the aspect of GPS navigation that is least well understood by consumers.

The two largest mapping data providers are NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas . NAVTEQ is generally more accurate and complete in North America, so it's preferable to buy a GPS that uses NAVTEQ rather than Tele Atlas (as of this writing). (for more detailed information on both NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas, check out "NAVTEQ vs. Tele Atlas, Which one is Better?")

However, there is a lot more to a routing engine than just the mapping data provider. How a given GPS will determine the "best" route is the result of not only the mapping data, but also how many additional data points, or attributes, are factored into the equation. For example, are certain roads closed after hours or on the weekend? What is the average rate of speed for a given road? Statistically speaking, more accidents happen when making left turns as opposed to right turns -- is the GPS unit factoring that into the route? Each company takes all this data and compiles it in different ways, making unique decisions about what data is more important than others. The number of attributes used varies depending on how much money the manufacturer is willing to spend on their mapping data. For example, a full NAVTEQ map database that includes all available attributes can cost the manufacturer twice as much as a basic set of attributes.

All Magellan and Garmin GPS units use NAVTEQ mapping data, while TomTom uses Tele Atlas (TomTom recently acquired Tele Atlas, so now Tele Atlas is officially part of TomTom).

To test the Garmin nuvi 350's routing engine, I entered three different trips of varying distance in three different geographic regions of the United States, and compared the nuvi's results to a Magellan Maestro 4050 and a TomTom ONE XL.

Our first test took us along the Northeast, starting in Southbury, CT and ending in New York City:

ROUTING TEST #1
WINNER: Garmin nuvi 350
Start: 14 Oak Tree Road, Southbury CT. Destination: 135 Central Park West, NY, NY
Magellan Maestro 4050	Garmin nuvi 350	TomTom ONE XL
►0.1mi Main St S ►0.1mi US-6/Main St N ►0.1mi W I-84 ▲14mi W I-84 ►4.1mi W I-84 ►6.6mi Exit 20/White Plains/I-684/NYC ◄0.1mi White Plains/I-684/NYC ▲10mi South I-684 ◄16mi South I-684 ◄9.1mi W Cross County Pkwy ▲2.4mi W Cross County Pkwy ▲0.3mi W Cross County Pkwy ◄2.1mi Exit 2/NYC/Saw Mill ◄0.2mi Saw Mill River Pkwy South ►2.0mi S Rt-9a/Henry Hudson Pkwy ►10mi Exit 79 St 0.1 Roundabout W.79 St ►0.3mi Broadway ◄0.3mi W. 74 St ►0.4mi Central Park W * 0.1mi Arrive at 135 Central Park West	►300ft Main St S ►300ft Main St N ►300ft Right to I-84 W ▲14mi Keep left on I-84 W ▲4.1mi Keep right onto I-84 W to NY State ►6.5mi Exit 20 Right to I-684 to New York City/White Plains ◄0.1mi Keep left onto I-684 to New York City/White Plains ◄11mi Keep left on I-684 S ▲17mi Exit 1 left to Hutchinson Pkwy to Whitestone Br ▲9.1mi Exit 15 left to Cross County Pkwy to George Washington Br ▲2.7mi Keep left on Cross County Pky W ▲2.0mi Exit 2 left to Saw Mill Pkwy South to New York City ▲0.2mi Keep left onto Saw Mill River Pkwy South ▲2.0mi Keep right onto Henry Hudson Pky South ►10mi Right to 79 St to Boat Basin ▲500ft Take roundabout to 3rd exit ►400ft 3rd exit to 79th St ►0.2mi Right on Broadway ◄0.3mi Left on 74th St ►0.4mi Right on Central Park W ▲120ft Arrive at 135 Central Park W on right	►40yd Main St S ►100yd Main St N (US 6) ►240yd 84 WB ◄14.1M Bear left onto 84 WB ►4.1M Bear right onto 84 WB ◄3.2M Bear left onto 84 WB ►3.4M Rt. 20 White Plains ◄250yd 684 SB ►10.9M Saw Mill Pkwy ▲0.55M Continue Saw Mill Pkwy ◄13.2M Bear left Yonkers ►4.7M 22 Thruway ◄250yd 87 SB ◄0.35M 87 SB ►16:5M 7 Trenton �� Posted by Fletch on August 6, 2007 11:36 PM © 2009 GPSmagazine.com, LLC | All Rights Reserved