Garmin nuvi 3490LMT Review

Mobile phones and tablet devices are rising in demand because they are capable of doing lots of things such as browsing the Internet, taking pictures, listening to music, and even tracking your position or viewing the most updated maps.

Despite various manufacturers developing new and improved models every year, dedicated devices like MP3 players, digital cameras and GPS devices continue to sell because you get more focused features for what you pay for. The Garmin nuvi 3490LMT is a good example of a GPS device that is filled with functionality. This “top of the line” Prestige series unit has the same price tag as one of those 7-inch tablets but these features make this Garmin device superior than smartphones and tablets with GPS features and even some competing GPS devices.

Garmin nuvi 3490LMT GPS Navigator

Design

Garmin is certainly no stranger to the GPS scene and the company has already crafted simple and elegant GPS models for several years. This time around, Garmin is joining the thin trend by making devices like the nuvi 3490LMT as thin as a pencil. It has the standard 4.3-inch touchscreen display with a 9mm thickness making it the thinnest GPS device yet.

Features

The user interface is what makes the nuvi 3490LMT and other Garmin devices highly accessible even by new users. You can turn on a Garmin nuvi device for the very first time and be greeted with a simple interface that you will see the next time you turn it on.  One welcome improvement is that it seems to lock onto satellites faster than the 37xx series.

Here are some of the exclusive features found on the nuvi 3490LMT:

• Powered mount
• Capacitive, multi-touch screen
• Higher resolution screen
• 3D terrain and buildings
• Screen orientation changes automatically
• HD Traffic
• MyTrends (anticipates your destination based on your driving habits)

While the familiar “Where to?” and “View Map” icons are still present, the Garmin Guidance 3.0 interface brings some refreshing changes to suit advanced users as well. The InstaRoute feature reduces the loading time for maps so you can plan routes faster. Common multi-touch gestures like pinch-to-zoom can be used so you can zoom in or out with ease. Because this is a high-end GPS device, the 3490LMT also lets you interact with the unit using your own voice. This encourages safer driving since you can keep both hands on the wheel. The device does a great job recognizing menu commands so you can get to different parts of the interface in addition to issuing navigational instructions.

Once you have planned a route, the nuvi 3490LMT can talk back by telling you the specifics of a turn. It uses Text-to-Speech technology for turn-by-turn instructions so you know which particular street a turn needs to be made. There are lots of possibilities in generating routes since there are more than 8 million points of interests plotted on preloaded North America maps covering U.S., Canada and Mexico. Many landmarks and terrain features are fully rendered in 3-D as well so you can get a better perspective as you drive around. It is possible to download updates of these maps from Garmin’s own service as the nuvi 3490LMT provides free lifetime map updates of up to 4 times a year. This ensures that you will never have to buy a new GPS device as long as you are contented with features. Garmin will never charge for this feature or add any expiration dates. The myTrends feature is a nice addition if you frequently plan several route destinations. This feature will remember them and even go as far as assuming your next destination based on past habits.

Lane navigation in highways was huge feature years back and many GPS makers caught on with the trend. Garmin is taking this a bit further with the 3490LMT and other recently introduced Garmin GPS devices by offering split-screen support so both the map and a close-up of the lane can be seen. Both portrait and landscape modes can utilize this feature to ensure the safest possible driving. This new feature is called photoReal and it helps a lot if you encounter any unfamiliar intersections or exits. Any road signs or arrows are properly shown you are alerted. If you need to see any other upcoming interchanges, you can change the view to the “Bird’s Eye” junction view which is exclusive to new GPS devices including the 3490LMT.

The nuvi 3490LMT has both lifetime map updates and lifetime traffic updates because it has the same LMT letters as several older Garmin models. However, the nuvi 3490LMT features some traffic improvements in the form of Garmin Traffic which is responsible for checking the traffic conditions well over 2 billion times every month. This feature also has a technology called Garmin Traffic Avoidance which can give accurate status updates of a route. If there are serious traffic conditions within your planned route, you will receive an alert along with an option to let the 3490LMT come up with alternate routes automatically. Since it acquires data from millions of other Garmin owners as well as live radio feeds and news stations, traffic reports stay up-to-date and are highly accurate. This also means that the alternate routes are most effective as well. The combination of “3D Traffic”, “Digital 3D Traffic”, and “3D Live Traffic” optimize the Garmin Traffic experience and it will always stay 100% free without the need of a separate accessory.

The nuvi 3490LMT also features Bluetooth connectivity opening up another useful feature that takes advantage of the built-in microphone. Once you pair the GPS device with a mobile phone, the 3490LMT effectively becomes a hands-free speaker phone where you can use the touchscreen to make or receive phone calls. Another new feature that previous Garmin models lack is the Safe Texting feature which is a text reader component that can accept text messages and read them out load through text-to-speech to encourage people to continue to stay focused while driving.

Other useful features of the Garmin nuvi 3490LMT include the classic “Where Am I” function which is an emergency locator that tells your exact coordinates in case you need to relay the information to others. If you cannot find your car in the parking lot, the park position feature can help you find it.

Conclusion

The $400 price tag may sound quite excessive for a 4.3-inch GPS device but the improvements and additional features more than justify the price. Plus, the lifetime map and traffic updates add significant value to the GPS device in the long run.

List Price: $399.99

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