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Here is a question I received from a Nuvi Review reader:

I have just 2 quick questions.

1. Does it have a headphone jack? I have a Pontiac Solstice with a 3.5mm audio input jack for mp3 players, so if it has a headphone jack, it will work perfectly for playing mp3s in this car.

2. How long will the battery last if the backlight is always on?

Answers:

1) The NuVi has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
2) If you leave the backlight on at medium brightness, the batteries will last approximately 2 hours. However, the right thing to do is to plug in the NuVi into your cigar lighter socket and that way the battery will stay charged and you can run with the backlight ON all the time without worry.

I've had a GPS III+ for years and worked around Garmin's former disdain for all things Mac pretty successfully. But I never had the need/courage to update its firmware.

Before I buy a Nuvi -- which really looks like the perfect "companion" to my GPS III+ -- I would like to know if Garmin is going to release an updater for it that runs in OS X.

It looks like the recent updates posted since many Nuvis hit the shelves have very useful improvements.

I emailed sales support, but want to post the question here in case anyone is on a faster track to answer it.

-dan

There is a ton of misinformation floating around the Internet concerning the total service life of rechargeable li-ion batteries.

The Apple iPod has been the focus of much of the discussion and I see nothing in the Nuvi specs to suggest its technology is significantly different. One possible concern is constant use of the 12v cord -- li-ion batteries need "exercise" to perform at their maximum.

For a detailed explanation of "exercise" and the whole question of "charge cycles" -- Garmin rates this battery at a nominal life of 1000 cycles, which is NOT the same thing as 1000 charges -- I invite folks here to have a look at my (non-commercial) iPod battery FAQ:

http://home.cape.com/danh/ipod.htm

-dan
==========

I just purchased a NUVI and am having iffy luck with it. I have not been able to acquire satellites as quickly as I feel I should. At least 50% of the time, I will wait for nearly an hour for it to locate satellites. The other 50% of the time, it will lock in < 2 mins. I'm making sure that I'm not under cover and that there is a clear view to the sky. Now yesterday downloaded 3.2 software and today I was able to lock in but it still took more than ten minutes. Anyone else have a problem locking in with this unit?

Greetings. Just got my Nuvi 350 and can't wait to go for a drive...
A quick question... I hope someone can help.

1) All three cables that came with the unit (the power adapter, car charger and Computer USB cable) have the exact same looking connector as my Blackberry Phone. Does any one know if I can use the cables from my Blackberry with the Nuvi??
Thanks,
FMG

FMG:

Info I have read elsewhere strongly suggests that Garmin's nuvi car cable has differences that mean using another device's charger cable could fry your nuvi.

As for the generic USB computer cable, it is just that, generic.

Can you (or anyone here) post for me before and after file listings so I know what to expect and how to do a firmware update using Mac OS X?

thanx,

-dan

Last night I updated to firmware 3.2 using nothing but my G4 iMac running 10.3.9.

The exe file I downloaded from Garmin expands using Stuffit and I copied its Garmin folder to an SD card. I put the card in my nuvi, booted up, and waited for the update process to complete.

Garmin should start bragging that its nuvi is already Mac friendly, cuz it is!

-dan

Are there any specific requirements for the SD cards for the NUVI or can any "generic" (non-Garmin) card work?

Garmin appears to be charging over 2x for their SD cards.

Thanks!

David

I bought a SANDISK card and it works fine in NuVi.

Is there a limitation to the capacity of the SD card the NUVI can use? Of the depths of folders for MP3 files?

David

David:

I have read elsewhere of people having trouble with 2 GB cards, but that is not verified and could be an off-brand problem.

My 1 GB Sandisk works fine. Don't know about folder "depth."

-dan

I am using a Transcend 512MB card I got at Fry's for $20. I've had no problems with it. I have loaded Audio books, MP3's, POI's, JPEG's.

[quote="u078356"]Are there any specific requirements for the SD cards for the NUVI or can any "generic" (non-Garmin) card work?

Garmin appears to be charging over 2x for their SD cards.
[/quote]

Any SD card works in any SD device. That is why they call they call standards - standards. There is no such thing as "Garmin SD card". It is a regular card from a regular manufacturer, just with a Garmn sticker over it.

But, SD standard was ment to work up to 1 GB. Later, they have extended it to the 2 GB, while 4 GB and up have a different name. So, all 1 GB cards must work in a nuvi (or anywhere else), most 2 GB should work and for 4 GB and up, I expect not to work since I have never seen Garmin mention it.

Does anyone know if the dash mount will fit on the base of the dash mount of the c340 (the heavy three legged base)? Link provided.

http://shop.garmin.com/accessory.jsp?sk ... 10613%2D00


I think I was this unit but like the base that I used with a c340. Its very easy to transport and just plop it onyo the dash and stays well. Thanks

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a Nuvi C350, just in time for a trip to Israel. Detailed road maps of the area seem to be few, far between, or quite expensive. I found a site which has some free maps:

http://home.icon.co.za/~ilstrydom/

But I'm not sure if I need special software, i.e. purchase MapSource from Garmin, to be able to load this map in the Nuvi.

Can anyone offer any experience on this? Do I just copy the extracted map files to the Nuvi via the USB connection, and it's done? Or do I actually need MapSource to do it?

Thanks!

A Sandisk 1gig (2 different cards) works just fine in mine.

The USB cable will work with a computer. The small end which plugs into the side of the Nuvi is the same as the cable and connector used with many digital cameras (and probably other portable digital devices. I also have three external hard drive enclosures with 2.5" HDD's in them and they use the same cable. The cable that connects to the back of the Nuvi is unlike anything I have seen before. It looks )to me) like a USB cable on steriods.

one option to look at (rental):

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topi ... C_ID=59895

When you want to detour from your route, how do you tell the Nuvi where to detour from? Say I'm driving a 30 mile route, and I hear on the radio that 20 miles ahead is an accident. I'd like to detour around it, but the Nuvi seemingly doesn't give me any options to tell it what point I'd like it to detour around.

You'd have to get much closer than 20 miles before you can detour. If it's 20 miles away, you're going to get stuck in the traffic back up before you can tell it to detour. Here's what I'd suggest: Pan out on the map (using the - key on the top left of the screen) and see if you see an artery running parallel to the route of travel. If you do - take it an stop your trip (on the nuvi). Follow it until you are well past the accident, then re-input your destination. The nuvi should get you back on your original route of travel.

My C350 takes about 30 sec to boot up and another 30~45 sec to acquire satellites. Is this considered as fast or other model/brands can do better?

I am about to purchase a Nuvi 350. In the reviews and on the Garmin site there is no indication about how, where, and cost for map and POI upgrades. It is obvious that streets, roads and POI change.

How does one stay current?

Try the Garmin Map Updates page here.

So that I understand correctly, one has to pay $75 each time a new release is issued to keep my unit up to date.

This doesn't seem practical for a unit with a high initial cost that obviously should have margin built in to cover software upgrades.

Am I missing something? Or is this the real world of GPS? Not complaining just trying to understand the rules prior to diving into purchasing a unit.