New Nuvis (3490LMT, 3590LMT)

I was about to post the same questions!!
Can't wait to hear the responses.

I happily own both.

Please do a search on this wonderful website and you will see my comments and others on both models.

Thanks!

Hi gadget_man.

Actually... I believe I posted a question... and received no response, so I thought I'd try my own thread.

Do you still like your GPS units?

I looked at the comments for the 3490LMT on Amazon. Although the comments were not necessarily bad, it seemed to me that the 3490LMT got some mixed reviews. Have you experienced any difficulties with the traffic feature? Does it work well with a smartphone?

I wrote an extensive report about the 3590 in early June, and posted it at GPSreview.net The web link is:

http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=25830

It has become a "Sticky" there (in the Garmin Auto Forum), and is titled "Review of the Nuvi 3590, after Two Months of Use."

...AND if that isn't enough information for you, I got really long-winded in my Amazon Review, entitled "LEARN Nifty Nuvi plus..." That Review was dated June 3, and is written by "Nuvifan." I have since appended several "Comments," with more info, to that Review, also at Amazon.

Bought one... not all that impressed so far.

like it. Used it on a trip to La. and it perform very well.

My Nuvi 3490LMT still very buggy in the software after countless update. It's seem Garmin used us to test drive their products.

I got a 3490LMT, so far I was impressed in all its functionality, gps boots fast, quick in acquiring satellite signals even indoors.. its voice app is awesome and lets you focus on driving.. now it seems that this nuvi learns as you drive, when you set it up to take you at your destination the fastest way, it defaults to its own settings.. then it learns the roads you frequently drive at , the next time you pass that road again it lets you drive that way again, its also affected by traffic data that it receives. Its really a smart gps, it learns.. unless you turn off the trend or traffic settings..
Using my android phone with this gps is a snap, works well with its bluetooth, that even my 5 yr old kid can use without a problem by using nuvi's voice app.. it even looks better than my phone and a lot thinner.
Thats my feedback, hope it helps.

I still own them both and love them greatly. I have had NO problems with either one.
I've used both units on long trips and they are the best PND's that Garmin has ever made. The traffic is fast and accurate. Even though traffic is not perfect on any product that I have tested this is the best traffic receiver that Garmin makes. The screen is great, the dashboard lets your tailor the screen to your liking, the avoiding roads from your route is a feature I use all the time,so there's many things I love about both units. There not perfect but pretty close.

Of course everyone has their own opinions about what features they like and don't like but I have owned every high-end PND (Garmins, TOMTOMS, Magellans, DASH, & others) for the last 10 years and this is the best so far.

gadget_man,

I really liked the perspective that you offered on the 3490/3590, based on your extensive familiarity with GPS' from different manufacturers...all over ten years.

I've only owned the Nuvi 855 and 3590, so I can offer zilch comparison to other brands, let alone Garmins over X years. Despite various quibbles and grumbles that I've had about both my units, they have REALLY been relatively minor issues to me.

I view the 3590 from the perspective of its OVERALL performance, and I think that is excellent. Two good examples of my perspective are regarding:

a. Voice Commands are limited to having only 13 Commands (and thus I can't Zoom In/Out at will, nor see Traffic Reports or preview the "Next Turn" Lane Assistance without tapping the screen), BUT I do love being able to SPEAK my Search Commands and FIND whatever, and immediately re-route myself while driving. For me, even that limited ability to use VC is a crucial feature, especially on highways or in busy traffic.

[NOTE: My 855 had over 30+ Commands, and did respond well to my Voice, but the 3590 responsiveness to Search requests is exceptionally speedy and effective, such that it is much preferred to the earlier unit.]

b. Trip Planner is another major feature, for plotting day-long drives along my custom choices for road trips. I plot all the highways and side trips for multiple days of travel (a week or so beforehand), and save each to the Nuvi. I know that others much prefer to plot with other software and transfer the results to the 3590, but I enjoy doing it right on the Nuvi.

I acknowledge that others may find such planning a PITA, but practice over two units has made it no longer cumbersome (and a bit easier with the 3590). The payoff, for me, is that my custom routes in Trip Planner perform flawlessly, as the Nuvi segues smoothly from one Trip Segment to another, throughout each day's travel. My Point: Trip Planning has become easy and performs well, and is worth the effort, even though Garmin should significantly improve the process. [Yeah, I would LOVE to be able to select my highways via the same "rubberbanding" process used in Google and Mapquest, but right on the Nuvi!]

Again, despite the various quirks and glitches of the 3590 (which I think are common to ALL Nuvis), I love the Overall Performance of the 3590. I frequently read of others displeasure with "this and that" feature, but (except for obvious malfunctioning units) I think most complainants just don't acknowledge the OVERALL desirable performance of the 3590's features versus other units.

I own the 3490lmt and love it now, before it had a few quirks but seem to to well with the latest update. keeping my fingers cross

I think I am developing a love/hate relationship with this device.

* I love that the device reacts to voice commands, but hate its lack of a "natural language" interface.

* I love the idea that I can use Smartphone Link to interact with my cell phone, but hate the fact that Garmin requires a separate subscription for gas prices and such.

* I hate the fact that Garmin has decided to eliminate the Garmin Lock feature. Alas... there is no love in this regard. If my device is lost or stolen, there is NOTHING to keep my info from falling into the wrong hands. (Why would Garmin do this? The answer I got from Garmin was that it was an "executive decision" -- but was offered no basis for that decision.

One thing that I've found really annoying "upgrading" to the 3490 from the 3790 is your Favorites are now shown on the screen in a very large "speech bubble" type icon. It's way too big and shows no other information other than where it is on the map. The previous method used with the 3790 was the standard Garmin favorite (selectable) icon such as a blue flag, red flag, green flag, etc along with the favorite name displayed as well...as much information as you need, clearly visible on the map screen. You knew exactly which favorite you were near. The 34xx/35xx now shows just the above mentioned "speech bubble" icon with nothing else. To get this info, you now have to divert your attention away from driving to peck at the screen, hoping you'll select the desired icon while they are moving on the map screen. Once again, another one of Garmin's step backwards.

I couldn't agree more! One of the first things I tried to do when I got my 2595 (previous unit was a 255) was to customize the POI symbols on the screen to the previously user-defined symbols available on the 255. (Tents, picnic tables, school, banks, etc.) I couldn't believe it when I couldn't find this menu of choices on the 2595 and for the longest time just assumed it was buried someplace in the menu trees and I just hadn't found it yet. I was dismayed to learn that it had been "replaced" with essentially -nothing-.

The new "hovering bubbles" on the screen are completely useless.

Note sure if you can do this on the 2595, but on the 34xx/35xx, you can customize the green "bubble" icon for your saved favorites. There are about 2 dozen or so choices, if I recall. But it's true only the icon appears instead of an icon and the name of the waypoint. I agree this is a step backwards. It seems like the art director over at Garmin has a taste for simplicity so they've been taking out more and more text from the map (less street labels), etc.

However, the map visual quality on the 34xx/35xx has improved with thinner lines, making it look more map-like, rather than cartoony.

Also wish they'd have an option to turn off the bllue built-in POI bubble icons while still allowing is to turn on our own custom POI and icons.

Agreed. The map display is a much needed improvement...it's just too bad that they ruined it with the huge favorite icons...

Yes...all the POI icons (built-in and user-loaded) and favorites sit on the same "Places along the way" map layer. Turn it off and you get nothing...turn it on and you get everything.

Bubbles:

I did find the reduced generic icon screen. (about a dozen bland offerings on the 2595). My 255 must have at least 100 to pick from: something for just about every POI you can think of.

Loves:
* The 3490 calculates routes very quickly.

* Lane Assist is going to be very helpful when I am on an unfamiliar road.

Hates:
* Garmin has "killed" the custom proximity alerts. On my old device, I could configure it to say "Red Light camera!" On the 3490, it just beeps... and forces me to glance at the GPS to figure out why it beeped.

Garmin has also apparently eliminated the custom POI icons. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong!) I now see a "heart" icon for just about everything I have added.

* Voice Command feature is sensitive to background noise. I have found that I need to turn off the radio and the car fan to get it to recognize my voice.

You can do custom proximity audio on the 3490 nuvi, but not with .MP3 files. You have to use .WAV and the SOX.EXE utility program with POI Loader. Read through the POI Factory FAQ's and you will find the procedure. Here is the link: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730

You must use a wav file as indicated. Add the custom icon in the same folder and name it the same as the file and wav file.

I added custom voices for my Red Light, Speed Cams and Rest Areas using the free AT&T text to speech utility that is out on the web. It's excellent: I picked a very pleasant female voice that happens to have a very professional "serious" tone.

You seem to have a history with PNDs - it might be interesting to see a list of makes and models you've owned over the years.