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1. Nathaniel Allen

   January 21, 2012

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   345 of 360 people found the following review helpful:

   
   2360LMT: Useful voice/traffic functions; advertisements are BACK! (update), February 1, 2011

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   Nathaniel Allen (Oakland) –
   
     
   
     

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   This review is from: Garmin nüvi 2360LMT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Map Updates (Electronics)

   (Edited on 1/3/12 with comparison of Garmin versus an Android phone [see page 6 of comments])
   (Review updated on Sept. 12th 2011 with summary of changes at the bottom of this review; Garmin software updated verson 3.30.)

   >> I’ve written a rather long review for the 2360LMT, so these first 5 paragraphs are
   a quick summary. Note that Amazon has lumped the various 2350 & 2370 models into the
   same bucket of reviews, which have slightly different features.

   >> 1 ** THE UNIT WORKS AS INTENDED and is great with basic navigation, but there are
   some rough spots with some of the bonus features, and sparse documentation. Build
   quality is typical of older Garmin units — solid, not particularly svelte. The touch
   screen is fine for entering letters and tapping the “OK” button, but the “drag”
   function when scrolling the map around with my fingertip is inconsistent and requires
   heavier than normal finger pressure.

   >> 2 ** VOICE RECOGNITION works very well, but it’s slow on the uptake and not
   perfect — so expect to repeat yourself often. At each step it guides you with a voice
   prompt, or you can turn voice prompts off and follow prompts on the screen for faster
   entries. Speaking street addresses is surprisingly accurate; voice-navigating the menu
   not so smooth.

   >> 3 ** THE JUNCTION VIEW screen has been “fixed” with the latest device software: it
   displays representations of freeway junctions and off-ramps side-by-side with the map
   to help pick the proper lane. The LANE ASSIST function can be a help, but
   simultaneously may lead to confusion at complicated freeway junctions. ROUTE
   RECALCULATIONS could be faster, but processor speed and animation overall is fast and
   smooth.

   >> 4 ** DISPLAY is adequately bright except in very bright sunlight, and the screen is
   just reflective enough to pose viewing issues unless adjusted precisely. VOLUME is more
   than adequate, and can be adjusted/muted by voice command. The TRAFFIC feature seems to
   work OK, though not as good as Google traffic on my BlackBerry, and it doesn’t make it
   clear when my route is being re-drawn due to an accident or congestion. ADVERTISEMENTS
   seem to have been eliminated with the latest software updates. (And just like that, as
   of 10/20/11, the ads are back! No idea what happened — didn’t update the unit software
   or do anything out of the ordinary. *sigh*)

   >> 5 ** OVERALL, I recommend this unit. Despite the frustrations I detail below, it
   offers the most usable features, with little fluff, for a very good price. Don’t expect
   perfection, but do expect a very capable GPS with consistent lifetime traffic and a
   voice recognition system that makes **some** data entry / navigation tasks easier than
   on touch-screen nav units.

   >> So with that summary out of the way, on with my review…

   I’ve used a narrow-screen Garmin 200 for the past few years, as well as Google Maps on my BlackBerry Storm. I hesitated purchasing a new GPS because between the two of those devices, I was pretty well covered to get anywhere I needed to go.

   But the 2360LMT came along and I couldn’t ignore the list of “extra” features it packed in for the price. And let’s face it: A cell phone is great for finding stuff, but not actually navigating while driving, and the old nuvi 200 lacked voice recognition, which I considered a significant safety compromise as well as an input hassle.

   Initial power-on / boot-up went smoothly with just a couple of “Accept” screens and reminders to register the product with Garmin. No additional setup steps were required, though it took a few minutes for my initial position fix to be calculated. After that, position fix occurs imperceptibly, even when I power the unit on in a city miles away from where I turned it off. However, boot-up takes about 35 seconds to where the device is ready to receive input, and that feels like an eternity when I want to get navigating.

   Build Quality & Screen: the 2360LMT isn’t “razor thin” like some of the recent, more expensive Garmin lineup. It’s not much thinner than my old 200. The screen is reasonably bright, decent resolution, and wide. Brightness can be adjusted with voice commands while driving. If I have sunlight shining on a light colored shirt, the screen tends to reflect that back at me, but can be minimized with very precisely adjusting the tilt of the unit. The animation is smooth, less jerky than my old unit, and the zoom level “flies in” and out depending on vehicle speed & location relative to upcoming turns. It’s a very fluid presentation, and Garmin has nicely tweaked the auto-zoom settings in their latest software updates.

   One gig on the animation is in an instance when the unit expects me to turn left,…

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