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| Garmin nüvi 370 3.5-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Text-To-Speech, North American and European Maps | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $899.99
Buy New: $255.73
You Save: $644.26 (72%)
New (22)
Avg. Customer Rating:  222 reviews
Sales Rank: 376
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 1 x 3 x 2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 0100053878
Model: 0100053878
UPC: 753759068011
EAN: 0753759068011
ASIN: B000MF7L5A
Release Date: January 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 GPS System August 10, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Being stationed in Germany this helps me to learn my way around because Europe has many different languages and different signs.
Great for the USA, good for Europe August 8, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I bought the Nuvi 370 initially for a 3 week vacation in Europe.
USA: I tested it out for about a month in Pennsylvania and Ohio and did not get lost once. The POIs are good for golf courses, shopping, and landmarks (museums, historical POIs, etc). The satellites were recognized within 30 seconds while standing still and beginning to drive. I used it mounted in a car and while walking with few problems with bearings. The pedestrian mode works well, but you can be misdirected if you are not moving for a short amount of time.
Europe: I also used this for about 3 weeks in Germany, Austria, and Italy. The satellite coverage did not seem to be as top-notch as it is in the US. It could take up to 2 minutes to recognize your position. This could be a small problem if you're in an urban area trying to get somewhere efficiently.
I used this in Berlin, Rothenburg, Nuremburg, Fusen, and Munich in Germany. The Autobahn was easy to travel on with this GPS unit, but POIs other than shopping and landmarks were not there (e.g. gas stations). In the towns and cities travel by foot was a bit more of an issue (see comment above). There were 1-2 strange calculations in Berlin (most likely due to construction) and Munich. I did not get lost, however, since I stayed the course it had originally calculated.
In Austria, I used it in Salzburg and it worked really well. Landmarks were the only problem since I was on foot in Salzburg.
In Italy, I used it in Venice, Florence, Padua, Verona, Assisi, and Rome. Since these were all visited via train, I only have comments about pedestrian mode. Rome and Venice were easy to traverse on foot with the 370. Florence was a bit of a problem since it was more difficult to figure out which street to walk to with the many plazas there. (Street signs are on the sides of buildings if you've never been to Italy). Assisi, Padua, and Verona are smaller geographical areas, so the landmarks were easy to find.
Summary: I would have given the 370 five stars if it would have performed as well in Europe as it does in the US. Remember to know the names of any sights you want to see in their native languages prior to leaving for your trip (this will save you a lot of time). Loading in additional addresses to your favorite locations is easy. Still, realizing that the accuracy of domestic GPS units is much better now than a few years ago, I guess I cannot complain. The military satellite accuracy is what the private companies need to strive for, but then again we would most likely see that cost in the price of the end-user units.
I did, however, have to send back my GPS back to Garmin since the windshield mount power supply/FM traffic receiver outlet did not work. Their customer service has been great so far.
I received the new unit back and it works at 100%. The traffic receiver function was the issue. It comes with 3 months of service, but it can be purchased for $60/year from Clearchannel in the US. MSN has a service with the 680 model, but it seems to be a young area of growth. So far I cannot comment on the accuracy of traffic, but it picked up major construction in my area.
Product is good but service is bad August 7, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
You may not able to register your product online due to the "funny" registration code. The Web form keeps saying the code is invalid. To register I had to call Garmin and wait for more than 30 minutes to talk to a person. Neither could she register the product. She asked me to send a copy of the order and the two yellow sheets where the registration code is. I am still waiting...
Excellent Product - A great value August 1, 2007
36 out of 37 found this review helpful
I was looking at the 300 series and 600 series Nuvi units for some time. I did a LOT of research before finally making my decision to go with the Nuvi 370. I didn't realize just how hard it would be to find some really good comparisons on these products -- at least the type of comparisons I was looking for.
The unit has worked extremely well for me. There are some things you need to get used to, such as not turning the GPS part of the unit on until you're outside (otherwise it can take some time to re-aquire the satellites) but things like this happen with any unit you purchase -- it's just something you learn about and it's never a problem once you do.
The 370 has taken me to over a hundred locations successfully without a problem. There were a few cases where the unit got me close, but not to the exact location. I don't see this as the fault of the unit, rather it's just the way our address system works in the states. That's why Google maps, Yahoo maps, and MapQuest will often times only get you 'close' to a location. They can only take you to a location according to how it has been inputed by someone else (such as the government, or whomever is inputting the data). But, often times 'close enough' is exactly that -- when it gets me to a location I simply look around with my own eyes and can usually spot the exact address I need, or the sign of the company I was looking for, etc.
The one area where the unit gave me the most problems was in the downtown Dallas, Texas area. Near W Hotel (which is not listed in the Nuvi) and the American Airlines Center (where the Mavericks play). The Nuvi didn't list the W Hotel, but that's probably because the W is brand new and map updates haven't been uploaded. Shoot -- W doesn't even appear on Google Maps, so I can't blame the Nuvi all that much. Also, the Nuvi kept referring to streets incorrectly. I found out later that the wonderful Dallas city engineers decided to change the names of all the roads in that area because of all the new construction (and because of marketing dollars by big corporations to get them to rename everything). I learned very quickly to TRUST the directions the Nuvi was giving me, but to be aware that the street names in that area were all screwed up. Once I learned what the problem was everything went smooth. I've only experienced that issue in Dallas, though.
So... why didn't I get the Nuvi 350? or a bigger 600 series? Multiple reasons. The 370 comes preloaded with all the European Maps, and since I travel to the UK often it was a good thing for me. Purchasing the European Maps after the fact would have cost me $180.00 extra -- so you can see where the 370 is already coming close to the price of the 350. Not only that, but the 370 included a lot of extras -- such as the FM traffic antenna. If you use this service this will represent a great deal, as this antenna would have cost me another $130.00, or more, to purchase separately.
The unit has a lot of built-in storage (for MP3s, photos, additional maps, etc.) but the best thing is the SD card reader. I purchased a 2GB SD card from Best Buy for about $20.00 and filled it with enough music to last for a complete road trip across the United States. I put the SD card from my digital camera into the Nuvi and it recognized all my photos automatically and was willing to play them all one at a time, in thumbnail view, or as a slide show. I had about a thousand photos, so I found the unit a bit on the slow side (my camera is faster) so I'll probably only load my favorite photos to the Nuvi to show off to friends. The Nuvi also recognized all the MP3s that I placed on the SD card automatically, so that was a great plug-and-play experience.
The speakers on the Nuvis aren't as good as on the 300 and 500 StreetPilot series, but then again the StreetPilot series are very big units -- so it's a tradeoff. I'd rather have a Nuvi that I can slip in my pocket than a StreetPilot that I have to carry around in a bag... even if the speakers on the StreetPilot are superior.
The screen is big, bright, responsive... the tools are easy to find, and the extras are really useable (at least for me). I synced my BlackBerry up to the Nuvi using Bluetooth and it synced up (paired up) without a hitch. Now, when I get a call my Nuvi notifies me, pauses my music automatically, and allows me to press one giant on-screen button to talk with someone. If someone else calls while I'm on the phone it also allows me to place the first caller on hold, or just ignore the second caller. Truth be told, people could actually hear me better on the Nuvi than they could on my BlackBerry. Odd. But that's cool with me. I could also hear them better through the Nuvi than I could at times on my BlackBerry... so that's a huge plus for me.
Oh... one other thing. My BlackBerry is not listed as a phone that works with the Nuvi... but it did. I guess they just haven't tested my phone out, since it's older, so they didn't list it as a working model.
The Nuvi 600 series are great units... and they have larger (wider) screens. I almost got one of them, but I figured the 370's screen was plenty big... and if I had purchased a 670, for example, it might have been too large to fit in a pocket (you even have to have big pockets if you want to 'pocket' the 370). So, the extra expense for the 600 model just for a wider screen didn't appeal to me. The MSN features of the 680 model seemed cool, but I've heard that they're not always up-to-the-hour accurate (such as gas station prices, or weather conditions) and you have to pay an extra fee to use that feature, so I thought I'd pass on that.
I couldn't be happier with my 370. And for all the extras that came with it (such as European Maps and the traffic antenna) it was cheaper than the 350 (assuming I'd eventually buy those items after the fact).
Great unit.
 Super tool August 1, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Always right on, I love this product, I travel often to different states and this device lets me get a rental and go wherever I need to go as if I've lived there for years. Recalculates in seconds if you make a wrong turn, clear voice directions, and love all the added features.
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