On a previous trip, I borrowed a TOM TOM One and was an instant fan of these products. When I went to purchase a GPS of my own, my first stop was the TOM TOM, but after reading a lot reviews about them, the number one complaint seemed to be maps and not having Text To Speech. TTS is simply the ability of the unit to announce the street names rather than having to read them off the top of the unit. This is a safer option while driving in a strange place since you do not have to take your eyes off the road.

Our first experience with the NUVI 350 was a positive one and I gave it 4 stars for a lot of reasons. These include the ease of use, the nice displays, the POI directory, etc... all of the same things that everyone else here is praising. Additionally, the TTS was a nice feature, but to be honest, I got tired of the voice and eventually muted it and was able to navigate just fine. For those people slamming the TOM TOM because of the map detail, I would say that the only reason I did not give the NUVI 350 5 stars was because of the challenges I experienced with the maps.

We traveled to Dallas, TX and as the largest metroplex in the country with road construction happening all the time, there were multiple occasions where the streets were wrong. To be fair, most of the time it was right on but you still have to use your common sense when driving in a city of that size.

For example, we were trying to find an exit on Hwy 121 when the exit we were looking for was right in the middle of an interchange. There were two exits on the right within 100 yards of each other and the Hwy was splitting off into two different directions; essentially we had 4 options and we had to make a decision quickly. Even with the NUVI spouting off directions, we still took the wrong one. Of course, the NUVI correctly and quickly calculated a new route and we made it to our destination just fine, but you cannot expect a GPS to replace common sense and your ability to make decisions.

The last error was an interesting one. We were heading back to Orlando when we made a stop in Vicksburg. We discovered that our daughters DVD player needed a new car adaptor so we plugged in Wal-Mart and followed the directions. It started by telling us to turn down a street that did not exist and when it finally routed us to the address, there was nothing but an open field on one side and a wooded area on the other. Fortunately, we continued down the road, made a left and stumbled on Wal-Mart about .5 miles off course.

I love the GARMIN and am glad I chose this one, but the real reason I chose the NUVI over the TOM TOM was because GARMIN is an American company and I have recently been trying to buy American. Additionally, I like the $100 savings when we joined Audible. Don't be fooled by all the talk about maps on different units because the reality is there is no way any of these can be updated realtime; there will always be errors. Find the unit you like with the features and the price you can afford and you will be fine. You will not be disappointed with the NUVI 350; just don't expect any of these to be perfect.

On the assumption that some others may know as little about a GPS as I did, you're going to find that a GPS will far exceed your expectations -- a perfect product.

After reading several reviews, I got it that this unit would pre-announce turns. But, I didn't know that it, like an alert co-pilot who knows the route intimately, would do so much by way of preparing me for what was ahead with instructions to "bear left" or "bear right" given well in advance -- thereby avoiding those last-minute lane changes and/or missed exits because you're not in position. And I didn't know that it would remove those doubts one can get about whether one remains on the correct road. (If it's not "recalculating" a new route, you're on track. If it is "recalculating" -- no big deal. It will tell you what you need to know.) And I certainly didn't expect it to tell me when to bear left or right when the road curves and you're not certain which way to go. It tells you that in advance.

Also, I'm a guy who doesn't necessarily register a direction when I first hear it. No problem. You're told in advance. You're told when you're close. And you're told a final time at the last minute. All in a voice that sounds natural and which is easily understood. There is no need to look at the display. But, if you want confirmation when two rights are close to one another and there is no road sign, the white arrow that appears will make it crystal clear which right to take.

As you might have figured by this point, it also tells you when you're on an exit ramp whether to bear left or right at the end of the ramp.

After a turn is made, you get your first notice of the next turn and of the distance to it -- a distance that is kept updated on the display. So, a glance at the display at any time will immediately tell you how far you are from the next turn -- a relaxing assurance that there is nothing for you to do except follow the road. Also on the display is your arrival time -- which, of course, gets adjusted in real-time. When you're pulled over, you can even bring up a display that reviews statistics on the journey from your average speed to your top speed to the amount of time that you've been stopped. (Yes, it can accurately measure your speed!)

Maps for Europe and Mexico (presumably Canada too) can be ordered on an SD card. I don't know the price. Map upgrades are available annually for $75, but you may find that you can go for a couple of years in between upgrades. The unit comes with everything you need.

It's easy to use. There are no subscription charges for the satellite use (I didn't know that either!) There are more features than I'll attempt to describe except to tell you that they're all easy to find and to use. The touch-screen interface is brilliant.

Perhaps the most wonderful feature is that it makes possible car trips to new locales that are tension free. The "driver-navigator" arguments are gone. The atmosphere in the car is tension-free and . . . fun! (The other day, I was in the middle of a fairly large city where I made a special trip I wouldn't have otherwise attempted to seek out a chocolatier that had received a great review. After enjoying a remarkable cup of hot chocolate (like no hot chocolate I had ever encountered), I realized that I was smack dab in the middle of the city with NO idea how to find a way out to the highway. With the GPS, what might have been a stressful fifteen minute search on crowded city streets became an easy three minute escape. Terrific!)

If you're on the fence, I suggest going for it. This is a terrific product. If mine ever gets stolen or broken, it's a no-brainer that the replacement unit will be ordered on the same day. I'm a fan.

There IS one downside. I find that I'm looking to find places I don't know how to get to just to let the GPS get me there. That costs gas. Hopefully, the novelty will wear off soon and save me the new gas expenses!

I have owned GPS units from all of the major producers...My verdict; Don't buy anything but a Garmin...They are the leaders...As for the Nuvi 350; this thing is fun! I live in the Washington DC area, and it does a remarkable job of getting me where I want to go...OK, it can't account for the frequently closed streets in DC (demonstrations, etc), but it does re-route me without breaking a sweat...As with any GPS, it does not know the shortcuts that the locals can tell you about, and will sometimes send you a slightly longer way...But if you are that familiar with an area, you probably don't need your GPS on local trips anyway! The volume could be a bit louder...It is fine with the windows up, but, on these nice Spring days, it can be hard to hear with the windows down...It is great having the voice pronounce the actual street names instead of merely "turn left in 300 feet"...If I had to mention a criticism, it would be that sometimes the unit gives you short notice of a turn...Of course, here in DC, nobody will let you over into the other lane anyway...The mounting suction cup is sturdy and hasn't fallen off yet...In all but direct sunlight, the screen is readable...I would highly recommend using one of the screen protectors available for hand held devices...They attach and peel off easily and, if you have grubby fingers, will save your screen from possible scratches from frequest cleanings...It locates satellites quickly, and the antenna is as sensitive as any I have used...I have an external antenna that I used with a prior unit, but have had no need of it yet...Might be useful in cities with huge skyscraper "canyons"...I have updated the software once with Garmins Auto-Updater, and it went smoothly...It will be interesting to see how much Garmin charges for the first map upgrade...I will be going to Europe next Fall, and I have noticed that the expansion card for Western Europe is rather expensive ($240 USD) (Doesn't seem like the card should be almost half the cost of the unit)..The maps are very accurate, even to very minor roads in parks, malls, apartment complexes, etc...As for the MP3 player; It is adequate, but will never replace the in car stereo; Have not tried the talking book option yet; The World Clock, Currency Converter and Calculator work as advertised...I do not have any of the other add-ons...Nice that it comes with a carrying case to protect the screen...It is light enough to use while walking downtown, but it does "lock" to the street, so you always seem to be walking down the middle of the road! But, it gets you around town. If you are looking for a GPS for hiking, mountain bike riding, Geo-Caching, etc., select another unit more suitable. In summary, I highly recommend the Nuvi 350 for an auto based GPS...You will find yourself smiling as the voice directs you to your destination!

I'm sure you're all aware of the new GPS craze that has taken the country by storm, and if you're aware of that then I'm sure you're all conscious of the present war between the GPS manufactures that is taking place. Customers of these products all seem to have different opinions about which is the better GPS, the two most prominent names being TomTom & Garmin. My friends and I decided to find out personally which is the better GPS for North America by taking both the TomTom One (New Edition) and the Garmin Nuvi 350 for a two week drive across the country.

Having accumulated four weeks of vacation time at my job (and being forced to take at least two weeks off this year because of the extensive vacation time I've built up) my brother-in-law and I decided to put our two GPS products to the ultimate test. He (the owner of the Garmin 350) and I (with the TomTom One) set out to end all disputes about which is the better GPS once and for all.

We routed out all our stops the night before and this is where we ran into the first problem. The Garmin 350 lacks any itinerary planning system. I was able to program into the TomTom One all the destinations on our cross-country voyage from start to finish. My brother-in-law had to use a Rand McNally road atlas. We both got a good laugh about this and both agreed this was a definite plus for the TomTom One.

The next morning we headed out. Our first stop the wonderful city of Chicago, which is about a three hour drive from our hometown. We both turned on our GPS units and waited to acquire a satellite signal. My TomTom One is programmed with the latest maps form Tele-Atlas and has all the latest updates form the TomTom website so I was able to acquire a satellite signal within 25 seconds where as the Garmin 350 took about a minute and a half. Not really that big of deal but when you're conducting a test between two GPS systems everything counts.

Our routes were calculated in about the same time and we were off. The Garmin 350 has the ability to pronounce street names (text-to-speech) so it was a little easier to watch the road while driving. The TomTom One still tells you where to turn when approaching new road but only tells you whether it is a right or left turn. So the driver has to watch the TomTom's screen to ensure he or she is making the proper turn. The Garmin 350 wins in this category.

We noticed on our drive that Garmin 350 gave us a route that would have taken about 15 minutes longer than the TomTom One's directions. Also, once we got to the city the Garmin lacked several streets in it's database we wanted to visit. We then compared the Point Of Interest databases in both devices. They both scored fairly low in this category. The Garmin 350 only located 5 out of the 10 points of interest we entered where the TomTom One located just 6 out of 10.

We left Chicago for New York and noticed again the Garmin 350 gave us a longer route than the TomTom One. This time roughly 60 minutes out of the way. Not very reassuring. Once in New York we decided to visit some family & friends, the address database in the Garmin 350 is extensive but not as accurate as the TomTom One. We visited an old high school friend in Brooklyn, the Garmin 350 recognized the address but was about two blocks off when navigating there. The TomTom One located the same address in it's database and was able to navigate us within 30 yards of it. Out of the 7 different street addresses we visited in New York the TomTom One had trouble locating only 1 where as the Garmin couldn't find 4. It was about this time my brother-in-law smirked at me and said, "Wanna trade?"

On to Texas to visit some filming locations used in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." We ran into some road construction on the way there and had to use several detours. The Garmin 350 hiccupped several times during our alternate routes and became very confused. It attempted to recalculate a route for us but stalled. Eventually it did manage to get a route for us but it ran us in a circle and took us back to the road construction we were attempting to get away from. The TomTom One recalculated routes very quickly, the alternate routes it gave us were accurate, and got us to our destination much faster. It was about this time we noticed the Garmin was having trouble determining the turns on our route. Sometimes telling us to turn left only after the turn had already been made.

We spent four total days in Texas before heading to Southern California. The traffic on Los Angles freeways is frantic making it extremely easy to miss your exit. Several times on the route the Garmin Nuvi 350 thought we were on a different road then we were actually on. It quickly realized it's mistake and began to recalculate it's route. The only problem, while in the middle of recalculating (for quit a lengthy amount of time) we missed a key freeway exit.

All in all we were both surprised by how lacking the Garmin Nuvi 350 is compared to the TomTom One. When we started this little adventure we thought both products would have their ups and downs but in the end be close. This was just not so. My brother-in-law has since exchanged his Garmin Nuvi 350 for a TomTom One. After our cross-country road test and at nearly $200.00 less it seems the more logical choice.

I ordered the Garmin 350 after doing extensive research on Amazon, Consumer Reports and other websites that rated the product. I also did a test run at Best Buy where the sales person was telling a group of people that Garmin was the best from a satellite and maps perspective. The price of the Nuvi 350 was well over $100 more than at Amazon.com. AND, they were out of stock, which tells me that even over $100 more it was a good selling item. My motivation to purchase a GPS was due to getting lost in a very unfavorable/dangerous section of Philadelphia where as a female alone I was afraid to stop and ask for directions. I was using Mapquest directions that do not take into account construction detours.

I have used the Garmin Nuvi 350 for several road trips since my purchase. I cannot be more pleased. Navigation through the unit is extremely user friendly. I simply type an address and hit "Go" and I'm on my way. You can add an additional stop to your route and incorporate it into the bigger trip. You can type in key words to a business you might be looking for and it will pull up all listings in the area with that key word. For example, if I am looking for directions or the phone # to Biltmore Winery, which is part of the Biltmore Estate, I simply type in Biltmore and choose from the list it presents me. The Nuvi will also give you listings by hotel or restaurant type and list them by their distance away from your location. You can chooose Chinese, Italian, Steak house, Fast Food, etc. Or you can choose ALL and see what is close to you.

The voices are clear and audible on this unit. It is a cynch to snap in and out of its holder, which suctions to your window. It has a leather case to keep it in when you are using it on foot to navigate through the city. The colors are bright and friendly to the eyes. You can store a list of favorite places and there is a button for "home". Start up is quick and the routes that have been chosen so far are efficient. It may not choose the route that you might usually take, but it does choose good routes from my experience. It recalculates the route immediately if you take a different turn and get off the original route it provided for you. I traveled to Portland, OR to visit a friend. I programmed his address into the unit and from there was able to drive my friend to work, go sight seeing on my own, drive back to his work and pick him up and drive straight back to his home. This was no easy feat with all the turns, interstates and highways that I was not familiar with. However, with the Garmin Nuvi 350 it was so simple to navigate through traffic without a worry. It was incredible. I would be lost without it! No pun intended!

One thing I have noticed, which would be the same with any GPS I imagine, is that when you are parked in a totally enclosed parking garage it takes a moment for the unit to calculate your route. You must get out of the garage into an area where the satellites can reach the unit in order to calculate the route.

Overall, I am absolutely thrilled with the Garmin Nuvi 350. I am not a person that would score this unit less than a "5" b/c of lack of reception in an enclosed parking garage, which would most likely be the case with any GPS unit. The benefits and features, ease of use, feeling of safety for me and my service from Amazon make this product a solid "5" in my opinion.

This is my very first GPS and I'll never forget my first time with Jill. My wife and I used it for the first time to drive from San Antonio TX to Yellowstone Park, via a side trip to Boulder CO to see our daughter. And we'll never forget the joys of not being lost and the comfort of having ZERO fear of getting lost. The Nuvi is my friend. We love the voice of Jill. She never becomes exasperated if we don't do exactly as she offers, but if we DO follow her instructions the end result is always spot on.... except for exact street addresses of homes. I suspect that's more of a builder's problem as they assign inexact house addresses than it is a Nuvi problem. Still, home addresses are within a house or two.

The Nuvi-350 is the single most comforting, easy-to-use, perfectly-sized, dynamic, intuitive piece of electronics I have ever purchased. I simply cannot believe that it can and does do what it does. As in another review I read which convinced us to buy the Nuvi-350, I also say: "Insanely recommended."

This GPS is user friendly, so you can use it without reading instructions. Upgrading the software over the Internet is also very user friendly and fast. It normally finds the satellite quickly, but on occasion this takes a minute or two. Overall, it is a great GPS, with really only one down side I have found.

The Down Side: Even while the Nuvi is connected to the car battery, the Nuvi battery can die. When this first happened, I thought the Nuvi had died, but after charging the battery, it revived. Initially I thought this flaw might be unique to my Nuvi, but I saw this complaint in a couple of other reviews. This is a serious flaw, since it necessitates having backup plans (i.e., MapQuest printouts) in case the battery fails. Again, this Nuvi battery failure happens while it is connected to the car battery, so you are dead in the water until you can find a plug and recharge the Nuvi for a few hours. I don't know whether or not this problem is unique to Nuvi, or happens with most GPS devices, but it is a serious flaw.

Yes, it's true! This is a fantastic device. Just a couple of notes:

1) The 350 I purchased in October 2006 came with the latest maps (v8). My understanding is that earlier this year the 350s came with v7 installed.

2) The device can show the latitude, longitude and elevation (it's in the satelite view).

3) The mp3 player sounds very good. I hooked it to my car's Bose system by using a plain old tape adapter and I'm very satisfied with it.

4) The suction cup is perfectly glued to the windshield! It was pretty hard to remove it upon returning my rented car. I've no idea why some people complain about it - perhaps they don't know they have to create suction by using the small lever on the cup.

5) This is a sophisticated device with a lot of functions. The user interface is truly outstanding though and it makes it very easy to navigate among all these options.

6) The device comes with localized menus. I got quite a kick when I configured it to use menus in my native language (Romanian).

7) The satellites are acquired fast, even indoors (in a wooden house, for example). Obviously though, don't expect to receive the satellite signal if you're under a concrete structure or under a metallic roof!

8) The maps are excellent and with a lot of detail. It was very useful to see the upcoming road curves on the map while driving at night, at high speed, on a remote highway in Utah! However, don't expect the map to be 100% accurate - I found that a local highway from a rural Vermont area was missing.

9) Unfortunately, this device doesn't have a USB 2.0 interface so it takes *forever* (2+ hours) to fill the 700M of available memory with mp3 files! I purchased a high speed 2GB SD card to store my music files.

I spent a lot of time trying out GPS units, and have compared Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and several factory GPS units. All of these GPS units tell you how to get somewhere and will re-route if you make a wrong turn. However, Garmin is my absolute favorite, and here's why:

1. The most important thing about Garmin units is the user interface. It is simple to understand and easy to use.

2. The Garmin unit uses a built in database of sunrise and sunset times (based upon your location) to automatically change from daylight mode to night-time mode. This is important because the daylight screen is much too bright for use at night. With the Tom Tom, you must make this change manually.

3. If you have the Garmin unit plugged into your car power, when you turn off the car (and the cigarette lighter power goes off), the Garmin unit will detect that and automatically turn itself off (it gives you 30 seconds to override and keep the unit on).

4. When you start your car again, the Garmin unit will detect that too and automatically power up. If you were in the middle of a trip, the Garmin unit will pick up where you left off, and you won't have to tell it where you were going again.

5. Unlike most factory GPS units, Garmin will allow you to select your route and make changes while you are moving.

6. The Garmin units have an extensive database of locations and the excellent interface makes it easy to search the database to find what you want. Do you want food or gas? Just click three buttons and a list of locations (sorted by distance) will appear. If you know the name of the place you want, you can type it in on the on-screen keypad and Garmin will find it for you. You can even add your own locations using the favorites feature. I first started using this when I was out of town, but its amazing what you'll find near you when you look.

7. While you are driving, the Garmin unit will both prompt you to turn and give you a written explanation of the turn (including the street or highway name and direction) at the top of the screen. The Garmin unit also shows an estimated arrival time (usually a few minutes earlier than you'll actually arrive) and the distance to your next turn. A separate screen gives you detailed trip information, including how far and how long you've been driving and your maximum speed. I used mine on an airplane once (yes, it is allowed - read the back of the airplane magazine), and it now says that by maximum speed was 590 miles per hour.

8. I often use the Garmin even when driving locally, becase it often finds better, faster ways to get there then the way that I usually use.

9. Garmin offers a variety of installation options and accessories. My favorite is the friction based dashboard mount (three weights connected to a center stand) which is much more convenient than the supplied mounting system.

10. If you turn off the GPS receiver (see settings) and then look up another location, you will get the option to set this new location as your present location. This will allow you to use search Garmin's points of interest for the new location. This is a great feature when planning trips, because Garmin's points of interest database is quite extensive and includes all of the typical tourist attractions, plus food, shopping, gas, banking, etc.

11. Be sure to check for the latest map and firmware updates at Garmin's web-site.

Right out of the box, we tried two business addresses which could not be located. When it works though, it works well. In making this purchase we missed the fact that updates (if wanted or needed) for the maps need to be purchased. Here is the response I received from Garmin on this issue:

"The company that updates our mapping, Navteq, releases updates every 12-15 months. The latest update was just announced, and will be ready to order in August. The updates require an unlock code for the device for a fee of $75. Since you have registered your device we have your email address. There will be an email notification sent to you of the updates arrival. At that time you will visit our website, and go to Mapsource Unlock. You will need to follow the onscreen prompts to Unlock Update Disc."