Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Garmin StreetPilot c340 Traffic-Ready Vehicle GPS Navigator

Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
 If you're looking for vehicle navigation that's powerful and simple to use, the Garmin StreetPilot c340 is just the ticket. Right out of the box, this unit helps you make the right turns wherever your travels take you. With an easy-to-use touchscreen interface, text-to-speech voice commands, a brilliant display that shows the way with 2D or 3D animations, and a massive points of interest database, the c340 has all the basics covered. Plus, you'll find some great additional features that make it a must-have companion.
 
 
Look Mom, no buttons! Garmin has taken simplicity to a new level with the c340.

The c340 is designed with simplicity in mind, although Garmin hasn't forgotten to add a touch of class. With a weight of under ten ounces and a width of 4.4 inches, the c340 is ultracompact and easy to transport. To keep confusion on the road to a minimum, the only buttons are a rotary volume knob and an on/off switch. The bright 3.5-inch-diagonal display features a touchscreen, making it a snap to input routing information and make quick selections on the road. The c340 sports dual integrated speakers for high-quality voice prompts, a USB port for PC connectivity, and an internal lithium-ion battery that provides power when you're planning your routes outside the car (approximately 4-8 hours battery life). In addition to an included 12-volt power adapter for in-car power, there's also an SD memory card expansion slot for use with other Garmin MapSource mapping products. The unit is secured by a suction-mount cradle that fastens to the windshield, allowing for easy portability between vehicles. You can even customize the c340's appearance with optional colored faceplates that suit your style. While the c340 has an internal GPS antenna, it also has an MCX-type connector for hooking up an optional external GPS antenna.

Finding your way with the c340 starts with inputting a location on the touch screen. Next, the unit's text-to-speech feature speaks to you just like a back seat driver, telling you the names of streets and when to turn and in what direction. And if you happen to miss a turn--don't worry, the c340 automatically calculates a new route to your destination. Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings help you navigate more quickly while keeping your eyes on the road. You can also choose between a 3D mapping perspective or 2D overhead view.

The c340 offers clear, easy-to-read 3D directions.
         
                                                            
Another time- and frustration-saving feature of the c340 is the database of preloaded maps and points of interest. Gone are the days of uploading partial maps from your computer to your GPS device: the c340 has them all built in. The unit comes preloaded with Garmin's highly detailed City Select NT street data of the entire United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Finding points of interest along your route is made easy with the c340's huge built-in database of nearly six million hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, and attractions. Garmin has also made it easy for users to upload custom points of interest--now you can add school zones or safety cameras to your database. You can even turn on a proximity alert to notify you of upcoming custom points of interest.

Garmin really kicks the power of the c340 up a notch with the addition of real-time traffic information. This optional service will display congested areas on a color-coded map, allowing you to avoid traffic by simply pushing a button that calculates a new route. All this wizardry is made possible by the new Garmin GTM 10 receiver that connects to the c340 and other select Garmin products. Note that while the GTM 10 receives digital data from specific FM broadcast stations in select major metro areas throughout the United States and Europe, note that these traffic services are available only in select cities where coverage exists. The service requires the GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver and, in some cases, a subscription to enable these traffic capabilities.

What's in the Box
StreetPilot c340 receiver with built-in antenna, dual internal speaker system for voice guidance and alerts, vehicle suction cup mount with 12-24 volt adapter, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, preloaded City Select North America NT database, and quick-reference guide.

Product Description
Package Includes: StreetPilot c340, windshield mount, USB cable, Lithium-ion battery
The new Garmin StreetPilot c340 provides in-car navigation that's simple to use and offers use-friendly options and control. The c340 gives you turn-by-turn directions and turns text into speech -- and if you miss a turn, it will automatically calculate a new route. Follow directions with a color-coded map and 6 million different points of interest. 3.5 LCD display with backlit touch screen Offers 3D mapping or 2D overhead view Built-in 12V power adapter/speaker for external power in your vehicle Integrated suction cup mounting system, for easy adjustment & quick release Lithium-ion battery for trip planning - approx. 4-8 hours battery life USB interface Dimensions(WxHxD) - 4.4 x 3.2 x 2.8 Weight - 9.4 oz.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Top GPS Navigator with Maps

Garmin Nuvi 350 Pocket Vehicle GPS Navigator with Maps for North America

Navigation
The nüvi 350 is first and foremost a personal GPS device. Wherever you go -- in your car or on foot-- the device offers extremely accurate position data, thanks to a high-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver by SiRF and WAAS-enabled, 12-satellite reception. Combined with detailed maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico the nüvi 350 provides automatic routing, turn-by-turn voice directions, and touchscreen control-- making it easy to find your way anywhere. Plus, the unique "text-to-speech" feature calls out turns by street name, and you can choose from either 2D or 3D mapping perspectives when you're viewing your route on the display. Additionally, the nüvi 350 is compatible with Garmin's GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver*, which allows users to avoid traffic tie-ups by simply pushing a button that will calculate a new route.

As mentioned, the nüvi 350 comes packed with mapping data for North America, but you can can also load up your custom points of interest. Set up proximity alerts for school zones, safety cameras, and more using Garmin's free POI (points of interest) loader program (available from garmin.com).



The device automatically calculates the fastest route and provides voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions along the way.
Tools for the Journey
Navigation is just part of the journey, and the nüvi 350 is one of the first devices to recognize that. The built-in "Travel Kit" offers an MP3 player, an audio book player from Audible.com, a jpeg-format picture viewer, a world travel clock with time zones, a currency converter, a measurement converter, and a calculator.

In addition to the included travel tools, additional software add-ons are available, such as the Garmin Language Guide, with data provided by Oxford University Press. This software suite contains a multilingual word bank, phrase bank, and five bilingual dictionaries. The multilingual word bank and phrase bank supports nine languages and dialects, including American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, European Spanish, and Latin American Spanish. Now you can look up and translate more than 17,000 words or 20,000 phrases per language -- right in the palm of your hand. Through the unit's text-to-speech interface, users can get a spoken pronunciation of each entry in the word bank, along with gender and part of speech information.

Another useful add-on software package, the Garmin Travel Guide, is loaded with information provided by Marco Polo. These guides put in-depth travel information such as reviews and recommendations for restaurants, tourist attractions, and more at your fingertips. The software allows you to navigate to an address or search points of interest-- places like hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions. The nüvi 350 automatically calculates the fastest route and provides voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions along the way. The unit also audibly announces the name of upcoming streets-- letting you keep your eyes on the road while navigating through busy traffic and tricky roadways. And if you stray off course, the nüvi 350 automatically calculates the quickest way to get back on track. ( What's in the Box )

*Traffic services available only in select cities where RDS-TMC coverage exists. Requires the GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver and subscription fee to enable traffic capability.