Why can't Garmin add the "search" CUSTOM feature found on the new 3597 to all previous models?

Add it to what?

You certain it will actually search the custom POI files?

It does seem to search the Custom POIs. I didn't realize it could do that until I saw this thread. I entered a location in the Where To - Enter Search field that I knew as only in my Custom POIs and the search found it.

I think how you can tell is that the results of the search will always have an icon to the left of the entries in the list presented. If the icon is a grey pennant/flag it's from your custom POI list. If the icon is something else it's from the built in POI list.

You could go a long time before you found that the Custom POIs were being searched, at least in my case, as the search seems to look in the built in list first and if it finds a location there it doesn't list the same place if it's also found in the custom POI files, at least in my tests so far.

AFAIK, Garmin has never added a new feature to preexisting models.

Garmin want to sell more newer units.

Yes it will search all your CUSTOM POI's. It's the only Awesome feature that the 2013 models have.

The 2012 models have the same Awesome feature too.

Garmin never update the old hardware with new softwares, even the hardware capable to handle new update. Not like smartphone.

sounds like a nice idea!

Pillowcase; I don't know which 2012 model you say have that feature but I own the 3490 & 3590 and they don't have that capability.

Ok, thanks for the heads up on this. I will test it on my 2797.

I have the 2495. It behaves in the same manner as t923347 described in the second post of this thread. Tap Where to, and just enter the search string in the "enter search" box on the top of the next screen that shows up. It searches through all POIs (build-in and my own saved). I also like the natural format,as you would use in Google or Mapquest, e.g. "123 Main Street, Anytown, California" or "Mike's home".

I am assuming the same feature is available in the 34xx/35xx series and this is the feature that you referred to. Maybe I am mistaken, since I do not own any of the 1013 models.

The feature that I'm talking about is when you click "where to" then "search" on the 2012 models it shows the POI's that come standard with the unit and it show's the POI's in the "saved" location.

On the 2013 models it also searches the "custom" POI's files that you load on your own from the POIFACTORY.

I have just checked my 3490 and 3590 and they don't search the "custom" POI's. There might be some 2012 models that have this feature but it's NOT available on the 2 models that I own.

And why wouldn't they want to sell more units? That's what they are in business to do.

That's the truth about wanting to sell more units.

Learn something new frequently from this site. I have been conditioned to assume (wronly of course) that Garmin *.gpi entries are not searchable.

This is definitely a welcome new feature.

Thanks,

Just an update to my previous post.

Did another look on the entries of the Red Light Camera POI that I downloaded form this forum site and installed on my 2495. All the entries start with "RLC". Did a "Where to" and typed "RLC" in the search bar. The Red Light Camera entries showed up one by one in the order of the distance from my current location.

So the 2495 of the 2012 model does search through custom POIs in the *.gpi files. Probably the other 24x5 and 25x5s do too.

And yet it does not seem to be the case for the 34xx/35xx series as gadget_man observed .

Great way to prove the theory that Cusom POIs are being searched, Pillowcase. Never thought of using the RLC file.

The one thing that I'd found annoying about the search feature on the 3597 was that it often took forever to come back with any results. When you mentioned using the RLC example, it occured to me that maybe the reason for the long search times had something to do with the fact that not only are the 6(?)million built in POIs being searched but also the few hundred thousand Custom POIs I have installed.

I then deleted all my Custom POIs and used POIloader to put just the RLC file on my 3597. Now searching for RLC takes much less time than it did with my large .gpi file.

Looks like it's time to revisit the need for some of the Custom POIs I have installed on my Nuvi's.

Would be nice.

Garmin Nuvi 2595

I did the RLC thing - The first thing that my unit finds are four different businesses beginning with RLC, between 17 and 187 miles from here. Red Light cameras came next, showing the closest one 2 miles away. So far so good.

Next up: Where To- Let's try typing a favorite POI, Famous Graves into the search box. Results? Nope, nada, nothing- except for an admonishment to check my spelling.

Tried and true old school Custom POI menu, find folder, touch Famous Graves, and almost immediately come up with a list beginning with Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. King's parents, etc.

A few more tries using other Custom POIs also came up empty. So a waste of my time. Well at least I didn't try antics like this while driving.

And. Why - The - Heck can't we access Custom POIs using Nuvi 2595's Voice Command menus?

Geo/ATL

On my 2595, any names containing the search string are displayed. The order of the returned results are favourites first, then builtin POIs, and custom POIs last. There may be up to 40-ish results for each type.

@GJannini: is Famous Graves a POI name or a category name? (search does not process category names)