I recently had my vehicle broken into while on the street outside my parents' house. The only thing they stole was my Garmin Streetpilot c330. To replace it, I opted for an upgrade and bought the Garmin nüvi 360. In the tradition of my blog, I'll focus on personal insight and information you won't find on the manufacturer's web site.
As it's Bluetooth-enabled, its basic functions (dial, answer, caller-ID, voice dial) work without difficulty with my Motorola i880, even with the PTT functionality (though the PTT button must be depressed on the phone itself). The Phone Book, Text Message (SMS), and battery indicator do not work, while all other telephone-related features do.
The nüvi also boasts a fantastic array of voices driven by their Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine to read street names. Unlike previous Garmin products, all of the speech is synthetic (when a TTS voice is used). I prefer Virginie and Daniel. I must stop the casual reader here and explain why I think my 'approval' of this voice system is meaningful. I am a graduate student in linguistics and my thesis is based in phonetics and phonology. I have a very well-trained ear; for a voice synthesis system to impress me, it must be quite good. I'm impressed.
Another huge advantage this GPS has over the Streetpilot is its portability while a pedestrian. Essentially the size of my iPod, I don't find carrying it around while walking at all difficult, as I did with my Streetpilot. Also, a new 'vehicle' type has been added: you can tell the nüvi that you are a pedestrian, presumably fixing not only the route but also the ETA.
Last but not least: Garmin Lock.The nüvi can be locked with a PIN which must not only be entered to unlock the unit while en route but also before it will mount on a computer, thereby adding a level of protection for your sensitive data. As an added feature, the nüvi also requires you to select a security location that will unlock the GPS. This not only adds a back-door, if you forget your PIN, but if you set your security location to your driveway, or, more securely, somewhere near your usual route, you won't need to enter your security code to unlock it during routine driving.
As practically useful as it is striking in its design, the nüvi is my new favourite gadget. Thanks Garmin.
