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| Garmin StreetPilot c340 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $365.00
Buy New: $124.99
You Save: $240.01 (66%)
New (13) Used (4) Refurbished (9)
Avg. Customer Rating:  1175 reviews
Sales Rank: 648
Color: Dark Gray
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 320x240
Free Memory Slots: 1
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.3
Dimensions (in): 4.4 x 2.8 x 3.2
Array:
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Warranty: One Year Garmin Factory Warranty
MPN: 010-00401-20
Model: 010-00401-20
UPC: 753759050658
EAN: 0753759050658
ASIN: B000A5TAT2
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Works really well. May 19, 2006
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
I am surprised how well this thing works! It does sometimes lose reception on overgrown streets - I live in the country, and on streets with very tall buildings.
But overall I never leave home without it.
Highly recommended if your an absent minded driver like I sometimes am.
For the price, it's a gem May 18, 2006
36 out of 36 found this review helpful
Others have gone into great detail here, so I'll *try* to be briefer. I've used other, very sophisticated and expensive GPSs, and so there are certain things about the C340 that bug me. But for the price, I don't think you can beat it. Rather than criticise it in comparison to the more expensive systems, I'll simply offer some thoughts that I think could be different about the unit even at its current price:
1) It loses contact with the satellites pretty easily, and if you are driving in a city with a lot of tall buildings around you, don't expect the Streetpilot to be of much help. Even in Philadelphia, with it's relatively small downtown, it goes astray and loses contact as soon as I get into the high-rises of Center City.
2) Its verbal alerts to a turn or a merge come very late, sometimes no more than 1/2 of a mile, which can be a bit of a problem at highway speeds, especially in heavy traffic (e.g., you know you're about to exit, but it turns out the exit is left instead of right). Yes, you can touch the screen and have it tell you the info at any time earlier, but, again at fast speeds in heavy traffic, I don't want to have to play with the thing. If they're going to provide the verbal alerts, why not at a point that gives you time to merge?
3) The route calculation algorithms, as with many less sophisticated systems like this, are sometimes pretty haywire. If you're familiar with an area, you'll be amazed at how wrong it can be. If you're completely lost, though (as I am most of the time), it's a life saver.
4) Battery life is not great. It's best to keep the thing plugged in to your cigarette lighter all the time.
Simple to use, real time traffic info April 28, 2006
33 out of 33 found this review helpful
I bought the c340 to replace the Garmin iQue 3600. There are only a couple of things that I miss from the iQue that are not present in the c340. For example, in the iQue, the street numbers are displayed as you travel down the road; not so with the c340. In the c340, only the street names that are perpendicular to the road you are traveling are displayed (maybe there's a setting I'm missing). I want to know the names of the street adjacent to the one I'm traveling.
With that said, the c340 interface is super easy to use. The text-to-speech voices are decent. Additional text-to-speech voices can be downloaded from Garmin. I'm currently running either British male voice or the Aussie male voice. The real time traffic information works well. It alerts you of potential traffic on the road you are traveling or on your route. You can then avoid said traffic by doing a re-route. Be sure to get Garmin GTA-11 and NOT GTA-10 traffic module. The GTA-11 module includes a built-in FM antenna where the GTA-10 does not.
One more quibble about the c340 is the timeliness of the map database (maybe this is NAVTEQ's fault). There have been instances where I selected POIs that have moved locations, closed, or are not in the database.
 Incredibly easy to use April 19, 2006
42 out of 43 found this review helpful
When I opened my Garmin 340 box I looked carefully for the thick manual. I couldn't find one, and, as it turns out, you don't need one. I have never seen an easier to set up electronic device, and that includes the Palm. The unit was ready to run out of the box.
So my next step was to figure out the CD and install the drivers. I inserted the CD and followed the instructions. The instructions told me to turn the Garmin on and then attach it to the PC.
Aha! I thought. They didn't tell me how to charge it. But, I pushed the on/off button anyway and it turns out it was already charged!
I then plugged it into the PC and followed the instructions to go to the website and download the application that looked for updates. The application found my Garmin and told me there were no updates.
So then I figured the suction cup device would be hard to use. Nope. It attached easily to my windshield. The device attached to the suction cup holder in an obvious way.
My only problem was that I couldn't figure out where to plug in the power cord. The quick setup manual quickly showed me how to do that. It plugged right into the holder!
Though I read through the manual it was completely unnecessary. The interface was easy to use, the driving instructions are easy to follow. I used it the next morning and found a customer site I'd never seen before.
My only concern was that I found the screen hard to see in bright sun with polarized sunglasses. But that's more of a physics issue than a product issue. I am TOTALLY impressed!
En Pointe Navigation! April 18, 2006
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I continue to be impressed by this device. It's worth every penny! I've taken this to Lake Tahoe, Reno, and Sacramento in the two weeks I've had it, and it's found every address and point of interest I've entered. Even taking wrong turns won't fool it--it recalculates a new route quickly. Comes in handy when you need a fast-food restroom in a hurry--an absolute must with kids in the car. It worked flawlessly during heavy rains and snowstorms in the Donner pass. Locks onto the GPS satellites quickly on startup. The only minor quibble is that GPS lock may take time with tall trees or buildings around (to be expected) and some of the newer freeways and streets couldn't be found, but I'm sure a future map download will take care of that. Next, I'll try the FM traffic attachment (a future update soon.)
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