Garmin Nuvi 350/360 MP3 Function

As an mp3 player, it will skip songs when an alert is announced. Not much of an issue considering it's an inexpensive mp3 player.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/385299/32GB_Class_10_Micr...

Is trying a 32 GB micro SD pretty much a crap shoot then. It might work or it might not? Or is it more an issue of it might work, but it will only access 8 GB of the 32 GB memory?

The nuvi 350 will index a maximum of 1000 MP3 files: Which devices will play MP3 files and how many files can they hold?

So, as far as songs go, there is NO value in exceeding a 4GB card, but if I use it for songs and JPGs, POIs, etc. a bigger card is okay or am I misunderstanding this? Or, to put it another way, say an 8 GB card might accommodate 4 GB (1000 songs) and the remaining memory, which is probably less than 4 GB can be used for POIs, photographs, etc, then?

What is the largest size Secure Digital (SD) card that an automotive device can accept?
and
What data loaded to an SD card will a nuvi, LIVE, zumo, or dezl device recognize?

According to Garmin in the link above, the Nuvi max size is 8GB. I have used a 16GB class 10 card in both my 660 and 2460 and it was recognized. The 660 is quite old but it still worked.

The footnote does state a card larger than 8GB may or may not work, in my case it did work.
I never tried a 32GB card so I can't comment on that.

My Nuvi 350 takes a 16 GB SD HC card that I bought at the MicroCenter for a few bucks. It works well & I have lot's of mp3 files on it under each album heading. It even has photos of the album cover to show on the display.

Good luck.
Fred

Fred,

Do you have more than 1000 MP3s?

Jim

Similarly, my Nuvi 360 works with a 16 GB SDHC card. The unit, however, does not seem to recognize a map on the card larger than 2 GB--I've experimented with a map under 2 GB and it works fine but a map around 3.5 GB did not work.

It's a file size issue for more than just maps. Devices using FAT32 are limited to a maximum file size of 4GB while FAT16's limit is 2GB. The max file size for your GPS relates to how the digital storage device was formatted.

Actually the problem lies with the Nuvi Model itself, not entirely how the SD card was formatted. The Nuvi 3XX, 6XX, and Street Pilot Series (I believe) are limited to a maxumum map size of 2GB.
Although an SD card that is perhaps 4 or 8GB and is formatted to Fat32, a map larger than 2GB placed on the SD card will NOT be recognized. Those mentioned models can ONLY read map sizes under 2GB.

I knew I should have finished my morning coffee before trying to answer this. Thanks for the update!

So, should I NOT bother with LifeTime Maps then, or if I DO get LifeTime Maps, do I just need to put them on the SD card and hope they don't exceed 2GB then? Also, is there or would there be an option to just put on a few states in that case? In all honesty, the two vehicle that they are being used in are almost certain to NEVER go much beyond Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even traveling to nearby Canada, Iowa, North Dakota or South Dakota is simply highly unlikely for these two Garmin Nuvis!

Full 2013.40 North America (including Canada & Mexico) is 1.83 GB. So it is likely that the 2 GB limit will be soon be reached. When that happens, you can install a reduced coverage area such as lower 49, or with a little extra effort, you can split the map in two parts (main map and supplemental map) and still get the complete coverage.

As alandb is pointing out, there are lots of options for people with older units. It will be the rare member who is planning a trip that takes in every state and Canadian province in one long continuous cycle, and even then, there is a solution with multiple SD cards.

Step back and consider an older unit can still do most everything it was bought to do, even if it does not have a full North American map.

I think it depends on his musical preferences. There is some music that I'm sure is going to drive Jack or Jill absolutely crazy.

Instead of getting "Recalculating" you're liable to get "Turn off that infernal racket". LOL

I transferred identical MP3 songs from a laptop to the 16 gb SDHC card of the Nuvi 360 and to a Blackberry and I compared how the identical songs played on the Nuvi and the Blackberry through a cassette adapter in the vehicle. I noticed that the Blackberry played the songs with a much richer sound through the vehicle speakers than the Nuvi.

I didn't say a Nuvi was a good mp3 player, just inexpensive.

That is interesting and good to know. Thank you for posting that.