Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

I purchased this unit in January of 2008 for ~$300. It was then in the middle of Garmin's Nuvi line and offered most of the features I wanted. Generally it is a very good GPS unit, but there are several things that bother me. 1) Touch screen is flaky (e.g. touching 'A' clicks 'U') at times which slows down look-ups and destination entries. 2) Routing preferences seem to have little to no effect on the route solution. 3) POI searches don't find results when using categories, but do work by name search (after an eternity of waiting). And finally, 4) Garmin only gives a free map update if one is released within 30 days of registering your unit. They only update in April so DO NOT register yours until April if you want a free update. Map updates cost nearly as much as a new low end unit. This model has been discontinued so you should start seeing them being dumped at fire sale prices.

I've been VERY pleased with the nuvi 350 since I bought it! Garmin has been the choice for my family for many years and I'm again impressed by their product. The interface is very easy to learn and navigate, information is presented clearly and firmware updates are easy to obtain and install.

Satellite acquisition is extremely fast, even inside a vehicle. I'm also pleased that Garmin has retained the same plug-in style for their external antenna as in past models, since I've owned the Garmin external antenna from a previous device; it fits into a small hole in the side of the nuvi 350's flip-up antenna and adds even more accuracy.

The windshield mount is unobtrusive, fitting nicely into the high-left (roof at the A-post) corner in my car. I haven't tried the dashboard disc yet, but it felt too smooth to stay in place on my Honda Accord's sloped dash. It's easy to read and doesn't take too much focus off the road, and the screen's color scheme changes from day to night so as to not overpower/underpower the user in high or low ambient light.

The routing has been fairly accurate, though I have discovered some minor flaws. In one instance, I was directed from one rural state highway to another in favor of shortcuting on a corner on what turned out to be a dirt road over a closed bridge; the rerouting was around an intersection I knew to be very busy, but I had to return to the original route. Another error includes a stretch of highway near Allentown, Pa., which has been open not quite a year but isn't in the map yet.

Within the routing is an option to detour. This is different from auto-rerouting when you miss a turn in that you can detour ahead of something and the device will replot your route. I've been pleased by this, but it only detours around an immediate hazard (i.e. bypassing an accident, a known problem area, etc.). The detoured route puts you back onto the original route fairly quickly, which is tough when you're trying to avoid a long stretch of road, such as a highway with a long construction zone.

The speaker is very clear and easy to understand. I was very pleased with the street name software, which not only reads aloud that there is a turn ahead but onto what road (even local names are sufficiently accurate; I live in Upstate NY and Indian names are very close, if not right on). The UI also includes the ability to load mp3 files and Audible audiobooks for listening, and these are very clear for such as small speaker.

I would overall recommend this as high bang for the buck. It's very affordable (which is what eventually convinced me to purchase it), very feature-laden and very easy to use. Garmin is known to have stronger U.S. mapping than many competitors, such as TomTom, and with very few exceptions I've been thoroughly impressed. The screen may be smaller than some other comparable models, but it's never been a problem for me and the additional cost for the larger screen doesn't seem to be worth it.

The Garmin was a great price and a great deal. It is easy to use and I definitely recommend it. We are really enjoying it.

The Nuvi 350 was a good choice. Actually i had that earlier also which i lost from my Car. But i was shocked to know that Amazon decreased its price from 175 to 150 within 25 days and when i asked to match price the customer care representative asked me to return the original and get a new one, instead of doing price match.

This GPS is excellent. The only downside is that if it's cloudy, it can lag on where you are. But other than that, it is an excellent device.