Stop getting lost! Throw away those dirty maps. If you are a man and read this, you STILL will not have to ask directions! My favorite “gadget” next to my iPod is definitely my Garmin nuvi 360 Portable GPS unit. This is one of the handiest devices I ever bought. I paid about $650 from Amazon.

Besides being an excellent GPS Navigator that more than rivals my much more expensive built-in factory installed unit in my Toyota Sienna. The nuvi 360 includes touch screen, automatic routing and turn-by-turn voice directions with street names. The nuvi 360 also has an MP3 player, Audible audiobook player, jpeg picture & slideshow viewer, currency converter, calculator, world clock, measurement converter, and integrated wireless technology with a microphone and speaker that lets you make hands-free mobile phone calls using your compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone. The nuvi 360 has an SD memory card expansion slot allows you to add to its internal memory and add optional software, such as language and travel guides. I put a 1 GB SD card into my unit and had no problem adding jpeg pictures and MP3s using my Mac (OS X) with the supplied USB cable that Garmin provides. Although Garmin software updates do require Windows XP.

I originally bought the nuvi 360 to use in a smaller second car I own. The Garmin nuvi 360 is slightly larger than a iPod at 3.87″ W x 2.91″ H x 0.87″ D (98.3 mm x 73.9 mm x 22.1 mm)
making it very portable for travel when leaving your vehicle allowing you to place its light 5.1 ounces (144.6 grams) in your pocket and use it in rental cars. When traveling to places unknown, the nuvi 360 really shines by finding locations and dialing calls to your Bluetooth enabled phone from nuvi’s extensive points of interest database — including hotels, restaurants, stores, and attractions.

My nuvi 360 came preloaded with maps of North America and Canada, and includes automatic routing, 2D or 3D map perspective, turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names in several languages. The nuvi 360 can run on its built-in lithium ion battery between 4-8 hours of battery life depending on use or run on your vehicle’s 12 volt power. It comes with vehicle suction cup mount & dashboard disk, indoor AC charger, carry case, USB cable, and 12/24 volt adapter cable for connection to your vehicle lighter.

The only accessory I felt that Garmin should have included is a set of headphones to connect to the jack on the side for playing the MP3s and audiobooks when you are walking around with the nuvi 360. If your vehicle’s sound system has an aux in (mine does) you connect the nuvi 360 to your car stereo to play MP3s or audiobooks, which the nuvi will pause when it gives you turn-by-turn directions. Nice touch. If your vehicle does not have an aux in, the built-in speaker in the nuvi 360 is sufficient for hearing directions. Listening to music this way is not that pleasing using the internal speaker, but audiobooks might be ok on a quiet road.

The nuvi 360 has a nice bright touch screen that can be seen even in sunlight. The size of the screen is a nice size to check out the maps with driving. I love the small size and flat “iPod-like” shape for carrying the unit around with me, as I do not want to leave it in the vehicle when unattended. Some of the other units I have seen have a larger form and a rounded back that would not fit in your pocket. I found the directions the nuvi 360 gave me on many trips to be good, better than MapQuest in most cases and as good as my Toyota factory unit in all cases.

Garmin has recently released the nuvi 660, $750 which features a even brighter 4.3″ widescreen display and a wireless FM transmitter (think iTrip for nuvi) so you can hear audio, including voice prompts, MP3s and audiobooks, through your vehicle’s FM stereo. The nuvi 660 is about 1 inch wider than the 360 due to the wider screen. The nuvi 660′s also has an integrated FM TMC traffic receiver. This allows you to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that lie ahead on your route. This requires a service plan that is not available in all areas. The nuvi 360 offers this as an optional add-on. I have not personally tried this service.

Nirvana for a gadget “geek” like me would be a “mash-up” of Apple’s iPod and Garmin’s nuvi. Sure the nuvi plays MP3s, audiobooks and has some other iPod-like features like the world clock and the picture viewer. But the iPod is well an iPod and a nuvi is a nuvi, which is a really nice GPS Navigator. Wouldn’t be great if Apple bought Garmin? Hey, Apple check out the nice large touch screen on the nuvi. I know the iPod one may be coming, but the nuvi’s is here now.

Anyway, do not be fooled by all the portable GPS units popping up all over that might look to have an even longer list of features than Garmin’s nuvi (cough… TomTom). It is not the length of the list of features, it is how well those features actually work. I found the nuvi 360 put through its paces to have a great user experience and recommend it. The nuvi 360 is well built, well thought out, and easy to use. Even the windshield mount is well built and designed.

I originally wanted to write an even longer more detailed review of the nuvi 360, but I found a nicely written review on Jason O’Grady’s PowerPage that was already illustrated with nice pictures of what I wanted to convey. Please read Jason’s excellent review.

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