Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
 Out of Date Maps!!! September 8, 2010
TGFather
While the general experience with the product is good the maps are severely out of date, not accurately depicting roads that were completed more than an year ago. This was found after the maps had been updated to the latest ones provided by Garmin as of 8/31/10. These roads were accurately represented by Google Maps and the Navteq maps on my Sprint Navigation (phone based). I expect far more from Garmin and would tell anyone that needs the most up-to-date maps to hold out.
I have asked Garmin to give me a free update with the latest maps and should they agree to do so, and they prove to be accurate, I will gladly change my review. As this is a navigation device, despite the other great features, it fails at it's main duty right now and I cannot give more than one star.
 Overheats September 8, 2010
InsaneFreak
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
While the unit has a great display and, on paper, great features, I have 2 big issues with it.
First, it overheats. After about 1/2 hour of usage, it gets very, very hot. While I am careful to not get burned (yes, it can get that hot) when removing it from the cradle, I wonder how long the electronics will hold up to this heat. I guess that this is a side effect of packing a lot into a tiny package.
Second, like others, I have gotten some strange routing - on a number of occasions, I've been directed down side streets and/or routings with lots of strange turns, when a quicker, more direct route was possible.
Also, on one occasion, the map disappeared and wouldn't reappear unless I turned the unit off and turned it back on, letting it "reboot." I don't know if this was because of some software glitch or other reason.
Bottom line: it's a great device on paper, the display looks great, but it is not ready for prime time. I'm returning it. I would rather buy a bulkier GPS that is more reliable and not as expensive.
Nice Graphics and better interface but routing weird September 7, 2010
D. Morgan
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The graphics on this device are much sharper and colors much better than previous versions I have owned (Nuvi 660 was the last). That makes the display interface more inviting although the map displays seem pretty much the same (albeit better resolution). The voice pronunciation is significantly improved over previous models. It is more fluid and streets are pronounced much better. The fact that it can be used in "portrait" mode is great...I like seeing further ahead on my route when I want to. I also love the customization of the display info on the map to include things like mileage remaining or altitude or time remaining or time to turn or direction etc. All these things are much better than previous models...in fact an order of magnitude better.
I found the voice recognition to be pretty good given the noisy environment of a car (turn off your radio when you talk and it works even better!). However, the number of commands controlled by voice is very limited. You cannot pan and zoom using voice and you can't switch to the "data" screen from the map (but you can go the other way). They should make a lot more of the commands available by voice but just zoom in/out would be a major major improvement for "hands free" use.
The major disappointment for me was in the routing. I drive from Houston to San Antonio and back four times a month. It is 200 miles each way of which 189 miles is on Interstate 10. I have one stoplight each way. My Nuvi 660 (and daughters 270w) both route me along I-10 for 189 miles. Unfortunately, this device has me exiting off the highway at one exit and getting right back on after going through the intersection. This makes absolutely no sense. I estimate there were 30 instances of this. I have tried changing the preferences for routing and that helped some but it still wants me to get off. I think that for some reason it wants me to take US90 rather than I-10 but clearly that would be foolish. Also, leaving home, it sends me six blocks up, one block over and five blocks back to get on the highway so you drive right past the very street it puts you back on later--and it even recognizes they are interconnected. It also can't direct me to my home but admittedly it is hard to get to my place because it is right next to a huge urban interchange and the roads are hard to map. Nevertheless, you buy a GPS for routing and this did a very poor job.
I cannot recommend the traffic reporting. It didn't see any of the traffic directly in front of me but it did for accidents 70 or 100 miles out. Not very useful. Also, the killer for this is that I paid a HUGE amount of money for this device but apparently they insist on selling advertising on the traffic display (how much do they make? one or two cents??).
This is supposed to show the signs above the highway interchanges but it only did it once. Since then, no joy...it tells you about the route but it doesn't show the signs.
The display of 3-d buildings is fun and surprisingly accurate but not very dense even in Houston. Therefore it doesn't really help navigate by providing visual clues on the route.
They have come a long way with the device but, unfortunately, the routing problems are significant. In the end, that makes it, at best, a "3" for me. Of course, you may have a better experience living in another part of the country.
 Pretty darn good device September 6, 2010
pokeysman
Overall I'm pleased with "Karen" (I like the Ausie gals voice). The power cord goes to the mount instead of the gps, and that's a great idea. I suppose this is like many other units in that it takes you to the wrong place or it doesn't recognize places; e.g., I looked for the nearest post office, and Karen took me right past a big one on my way to another. It is generally intuitive except when it comes to saving, modifying or deleting favorites. The resolution is very good, and I have had no trouble locating satellites. The touch screen seems to have some calibration issues: you try to select something but the screen moves up or down or what you want doesn't get selected. Overall it's a very good unit and I recommend it.
 Overall, it's a step down from previous Garmin Nuvi GPS devices September 6, 2010
SalsaBoy (Bay Area, CA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've had my Garmin 3790t now for a couple of months. This is my fourth different model of Garmin devices (and because of their susceptibility to break and malfunction, it is my ninth or tenth unit in just over three years -- meanwhile, I was overseas for nearly one year of that time without my GPS . . . but the sturdiness of the unit is a different story).
Superficially, this is a great GPS. It's simply beautiful. The screen is much brighter; the size is thinner; the speaker on the back of the mounting device makes it much easier to hear while speaking on the bluetooth (though it is still sometimes difficult to make out what people are saying with the road noise). I've been having some issues with the bluetooth, however, which I'll get to in a moment. The Voice Recognition software is a wonderful addition, though far from perfect. I imagine that it will only get better with time. The first couple of weeks using the Nuvi 3790, I enjoyed it so much more than earlier models, but over time I began to see the same issues arise over and over again.
The biggest problem with the Garmin 3790 is the routing. In a word, it's terrible. I don't know what Garmin has done, but they've apparently ditched perfectly good routing software from previous Nuvi versions to some cockamamy routing that makes little sense. Sure, sometimes, even on older Nuvis, the unit would suggest un-optimal routes, but the routings with the Garmin 3790 are truly obscure. Whereas the routings on previous Garmins were direct and simple, this Garmin tends to zig-zag me to my location. If my destination is ten blocks east and six blocks north, instead of having me travel on the main road ten blocks east and another main road six blocks north, it will send me one block east, then one block north, then two blocks east again, then one or two blocks more north, etc. This is NOT because I'm programmed the unit to have eco-friendly routing or to avoid traffic or the shortest distance -- of which, incidentally, these routings wouldn't qualify. I've tried playing around with those settings, but I've seen no noticeable difference. Even on routings that are clear -- such as going down one road to get to my destination -- this Nuvi will often direct me to go to a parallel road and then come back. I have never seen this before on any other Garmin unit. It's atrocious. When I know my way around, I simply ignore the Nuvi. When I don't, it often sends me in circles. I get where I'm going, eventually, but it's not an efficient or effective system. It's not the trustworthy mate I'm used to having with a Garmin device. To be sure, these routings are so bad, I'm going to call Garmin personally and let them know they've screwed this up and I am one unhappy customer about it.
I also have problems with the bluetooth. About half of the time, it doesn't connect. I'm accustomed to haivng the Nuvi take a minute or so to find and recognize my phone every time I start it up. With the Nuvi 3790, however, it often never finds my phone. It doesn't necessarily give me the message "Bluetooth device disconnected" -- it only says that when I don't have my phone with me -- but it still doesn't connect. In these instances, I have to turn off my Garmin 3790 and then turn it on again, in which case it recognizes my phone immediately.
I have noticed that it is taking an increasingly long time to find satellites as well. When I first bought the unit, it found satellites within seconds. Now, it takes minutes, and sometimes, it's often three or four minutes.
Overall, I'm not terribly pleased with the Garmin 3790. It's sexy, but it's not reliable. I don't understand why Garmin would change what was working so well before. With earlier models, the navigation routings were on-target about 80% of the time. With the Nuvi 3790t, the routing is on-target about 25% of the time. It's the biggest issue by far. The bluetooth is a slight annoyance, but it wouldn't detract from my appreciate for the well-made enhancements. Still, at the end of the day, with all of the sex-appeal stripped away, I bought a GPS unit for direction and navigation, and the Garmin 3790 does not do a good job with that fundamental task. Personally, I'd wait before getting one, until Garmin recognizes and corrects these issues because the whole Nuvi experience is significantly dampened.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
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