A fusion of in-car and handheld navigation (and more)
GPS navigation systems have undergone a revolution in the last few years. Once expensive and bulky, new models have become increasingly smaller and more affordable. They're a popular option in cars, while small handheld units are increasingly common in the rucksacks of travelers, whether exploring the backcountry or strolling city streets.
Garmin's nüvi 350 fuses a plug-and-play car navigation system with a portable navigation system into a device that's equally at home on the dashboard of your car or in your pocket. And to make it more appealing to travelers who enjoy the digital lifestyle, they've added some other cool features as well. To put the nüvi to a real world test I took it along on our family's spring break ski trip to Colorado.
Garmin's nüvi 350 combines the best of in-car and handheld navigation — with some cool added features as well.
About the nüvi 350
Here at the Crutchfield offices, everyone's first impression of the nuvi was, "Wow, it's small!" And it is — the nüvi is about the size of a deck of poker cards, with a bright 3.5" LCD touchscreen dominating the front side. With the exception of a power button on the top, virtually all the nüvi's functions are controlled from the touchscreen. The back side houses an internal speaker, power jack, and the fold-out antenna, while a headphone jack, mini-USB connection, and an SD card slot occupy the right side. The nüvi's internal Lithium-Ion battery will power it for 4 to 8 hours (5 hours seemed to be the average for me), or you can operate and charge it by using the included mini-USB to USB cable, AC adapter, or 12-volt DC plug.
Using the nüvi is easy. The touch screen interface is so logical and intuitive I was happily enjoying many of its features within a few minutes of opening the box. When you consider all that it can do, it's one of the most user-friendly pieces of electronics I've ever encountered. If I wanted to dig a little deeper into a particular feature, the included manual and quick-start guide was complete, clear, and easy to follow.
