Garmin nüvi 1370/1370T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth GPS Navigator

• Widescreen ultra-slim GPS design with 4.3-inch WQVGA touchscreen display; interface features improved graphics and a new slide control for menu operation
• Pre-loaded with City Navigator North America and Europe NT maps, and public transit mode allows you to navigate using buses, tramway, metro, and suburban rail systems
• Bluetooth wireless technology enables hands-free calling with a compatible phone; included traffic receiver provides North America traffic information
• Pedestrian navigation capability enabled through optional CityXplorer maps; ecoRoute suggests fuel-efficient routes to save drivers money and fuel
• NOTE: Model number on the box is 1370T because the traffic receiver is included; however, the model number on the device itself is 1370 as the "T" in 1370T refers to the additional component

First let me give the bad. Don't ever try to contact Garmin via phone. I waited 45 minutes just to get a live body. Then once I talked to someone he wanted to transfer me to someone else where I would have to wait another 30 minutes. I finally just hung up and sent them an email. The other bad is that Garmin has too many models and too many differences. Some of the nice features on the $200 model are not available on the $450 model. A perfect example is that this 1370t doesn't include route planning, which is ridiculous. Garmin also seems to change their mount every time they bring out a new line. How about just keeping the powered mounts that seem to work so well? I was limited to the 1370t because it was one of the few that had both U.S. and Europe maps.

Now for the good. I had previously been using a Garmin 330 but it had old maps and was huge by today's standards. This 1370T is a nice size, clear screen, and fast calculations. It has some nice features like Ecoroute, Cityxplorer, pedestrian mode, bluetooth, etc. The reason I was calling Garmin was because one of their cityxplorer maps was only downloading to 50%. Hopefully they get that figured out before I have to travel. I'm happy with the UI and everything else worked out well.

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Buyers should be aware that the "lifetime subscription to Navtraffic" is actually an FM (as in FM radio) ad based service that pops ads onto your screen based on your location. You have to touch the screen to get rid of the ad. To turn the ads off get this you have to turn traffic off (page 37 in the owners manual).

Another thing...This very webpage advertising the Nuvi 1370t shows the pretty picture of the arrow showing the lane change onto Exit 2V onto 14th St, is actually called "Junction Assist" and is not available on the 1370T. It's only available on the 1390 and 1490 (see page 17 and pg IV in the owners manual).

Otherwise, this unit does what they all do. Get you from point A to point B.

I'm disappointed with my purchase.

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I bought this unit to use both in the US and Europe, sounded better than the 265Wt at Costco, and I bought it despite the poor ratings it received from others here. I have had the unit for several months now, which means I can report on some of the long term ins and outs.

When I first received the unit, it had software version 2.50, and it was indeed rather flaky. It would put itself on mute whenever turned on, and shut itself off after sometime into a simulated drive. After I upgraded to 3.0, with a new map, these problems went away. I am now on version 3.2, and it seems to be working fine, both here and in Europe.

This unit has been down rated by some of the reviewers (yes, some rotten apples will exist), but I find that some of the ratings are unfair because they are not unique to the unit, or the same issues likely exist in higher rated models.

"Free Traffic": This unit was dinged for popping up adds to get free traffic info. AFAIK, *all* Garmin Nuvi's with free traffic have the same "feature". The adds are not terribly obnoxious (I must have a million best western points, somewhere) and it even worked well in Europe (w/o pop up adds).

Bluetooth: I am not using the Bluetooth capability because none of my phones are compatible, and rather useless for me because my car is rather noisy. To avoid disappointment, CHECK to see whether your phone is compatible, there is a list. Buyer beware. Also, some of the earlier auto muting/audio volumes problems has been correlated to leaving the bluetooth on when not in use.

Updating: I have found that you need to use their webupdater for most reliable results. Doing it over your browser seems to be too sensitive to your security settings/proxys/anti-virus s/w.

USB Charging: This unit charges just fine with USB. Be aware that some USB ports are powered while others are non-powered. So don't ding this unit because you don't know this.

Bad tracking in cities: Yes, if you are between tall buildings, it gets confused at times. Not sure what you can do about that, or whether any other unit is immune from it.

Route Planner: This unit is not a route planner, basically it's made to go from here to there, and it does a pretty good job. Be however familiar with some of the system settings (e.g., off road, shortest distance, shortest time), because it will result in different routes, sometimes surprising.

In Europe I found that it helped switching to the local language (assuming you understand the local language) because it will know how to pronounce things correctly. For example, setting the unit to German in the US will make it pronounce Ave as Ah-vah, and instead of South for "S" you get "eS". Version 3.2 correct some of that but not all.

I did find one bug that I still need to communicate to Garmin. In Europe, I accidentally hit "Go Home" (which is in the US), and it got stuck calculating at 36%. Rebooting and all did not help, it would always try to complete the planning. By setting the options to direct and off road, it was able to find a solution, get out of the infinite loop, and all was good.

So overall, this is a GREAT unit. The lane assist was very helpful, and I found it overall pretty accurate in both lane indications, speed limits, and locations. I have not used it much to locate hotels or other attractions, so I don't know how up to date that is.

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Bought 1370T in June and used it in July on a 3-week trip (with family) to Europe UK (London, Stonehenge, and Oxford), France (Paris), Germany (Munich), and Italy (Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Pompeii). Used it on a 1-day driving among London, Stonehenge, and Oxford, and 1-day driving between Rome and Pompeii. Later used it driving in Dallas, TX a lot and also walking in San Jose, CA once. It served our needs pretty well. The time and money saved because of it probably already covered its cost.

Here are some highlights of our experiences with this GPS. The directions (in either automobile or pedestrian mode) are generally accurate. The voice guidance generally works nice but occasionally went to mute for no reason; in such a case, go to the Volume screen and hit OK will temporarily fix the problem. The touch screen and non-alphabetical keyboard work well. The battery seems to be able to last for about 4 hours (spec), and much longer if the GPS is powered on only when necessary. The voice guidance like "enter the roundabout and take the third exit" is extremely helpful when driving through the scary roundabouts, especially in the left-side-driving UK, with roundabouts everywhere nowadays. Using it to find out and drop by grocery stores and restaurants in Europe cities probably saved us hundreds of dollars, as e.g. the drink and food in grocery stores are generally 3-5 times cheaper than in other places. When first turning on the GPS in a new city, it usually takes 3-5 minutes for the GPS to acquire the satellite signal (likely common to all GPS's). In narrow street with tall buildings such as in Italy, the GPS could loss satellite signal; in such a case, go to a big intersection with big open sky usually temporarily fix the problem (likely common to all GPS's). There were several occasions where the GPS hung up while calculating the route up to e.g., 30%; I soon realized that the GPS was still in pedestrian mode while I asked it to route a long distance for driving; changing back to automobile mode will fix the problem (likely common to all GPS's). There seems to be no better choice of GPS's with Europe map than this one.

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I decided to purchase this Garmin for my upcoming trip to Rome and Venice. I was attracted to it because of its European maps, as well as its pedestrian (walking) mode. I was a little hesitant at first as some gave it mixed reviews, but I decided to take the plunge. Well, I just returned from Europe having used the Garmin nuvi 1370t extensively in my travels and all I can say is WOW!!!! Before my trip, I downloaded the City maps on the Garmin site for both Rome and Venice. This gives you very detailed information for the individual areas your're going to and I would recommend doing the same if you're going to be walking around. Remember, this unit does come with Europe installed so this add on is just more detailed information. Walking around Rome and Venice was a joy with the 1370t. My family and I walked everywhere and never got into a taxi. People were asking us directions after awhile! I found that we would venture out in any direction we wanted because we knew we could always make our way back. It helps you plan your trip giving you the most interesting sites to see in and around where you are. In Venice, everyone is glued to the map in their hands. They have to stop at every intersection because it is so easy to get lost in that city. Even looking at the map in their hands, they were still lost! The Garmin allowed me to explore with ease and not have to stop at every turn to reacquaint myself to where I was. Now is this thing perfect? Here's the deal. In Rome and Venice, you're surrounded by tall buildings that cause problems for the gps reception. That's not Garmin's fault, it's just the reality of using a gps receiver. In both cities, your lack of reception lasts only a small amount of time and then you will enter a better reception area and your unit will update itself pretty quickly. Losing reception, while walking, is really not a big deal. You already have your way mapped out on the screen, so you follow it even though it may not be updating your precise position. This is an absolute must buy for those traveling. I've also used the automobile mode and it is outstanding!

Here are a few wish lists for future updates. In walking mode, you don't know which way to begin walking. You have to walk a small amount in a direction, look at the screen and see what direction your going, then adjust to the way you were supposed to be going. This was a bit frustrating. Next, when your in an unfamiliar city, it would be nice if the unit could give you some restaurant recommendations based on user reviews, price etc. Right now, it gives you a list of all the restaurants, but in an unfamiliar city with a family, it would be nice to narrow that list down. In walking mode, I wanted to know how much longer I needed to walk (in miles or part of miles) to reach my destination. It gives you this information in automobile mode but not in pedestrian mode. Bottom line: this unit will help you explore with confidence and reduce your stress while traveling so you can spend more time enjoying your vacation!