Everthing seems to be working as advertised for the first 3 weeks of heavy use. One glitch, an early route took us literally into a cow pasture outside of sheffield (where we met another wandering sat nav user). You still need a general idea of where you're going. Like the bluetooth, works well with iphone but not the features advertised with the competition.
I have had the unit for a week now using it every day for route guidance or just as a reminder for the speed cameras when no route is programmed into it. First impressions - well made with a quality feel & glass screen - it looks like a modern smart phone but thinner although a bit wider. Easy to use, i was familiar with the unit after just a few minutes. It has all the information you need on the screen (shown on a user changeable layout) including speed, time and distance to destination.
The cradle for mounting onto the windscreen is excellent with a good additional speaker within. After downloading the app from the android marketplace onto my mobile phone connecting the sat nav to my android phone (htc desire s) was easy & it now automatically connects when the unit is switched on. All my phone numbers can be scrolled through via the sat nav & the hands free speaker/microphone is more than acceptable. Traffic notifications are included with the unit however despite me using the aerial cable i have so far not managed to get a signal for this. I know some cars with heated windscreens can affect the signal but my car dosen't have this feature.
Pros
- Garmin Nuvi 3490 LMT - brilliant!
- This is the way forward
- Early glitches at risk of tarnishing what looks like a great product
- Garmin Nuvi 3490LMT
- £30 Cash back offer
- the extra speaker on the mount makes this really loud
Cons
- disappointment but a happy ending
- Poor sound quality and map information
- Voice command fail
- Garmin Nuvi 4390LMT
Negative Review of Garmin nuvi 3490LMT 4.3" Sat Nav with Europe Maps, Lifetime Map Updates & Traffic Alerts and Bluetooth
Total failure of voice command bought after reading good reviewsvery disappointed with this product ,only used five times before it stopped working .
Features of Garmin nuvi 3490LMT 4.3" Sat Nav with Europe Maps, Lifetime Map Updates & Traffic Alerts and Bluetooth
- Less than 9mm – it's the thinnest navigator in the world with automatic dual-screen orientation
- Lifetime map updates and traffic alerts - for the lifetime of the sat nav
- Lane Assist, PhotoReal junction view and Bird's Eye junction view
- Handsfree operation - Voice activated for spoken navigation instructions and handsfree phone calls via Bluetooth®
- Street-level mapping for Europe
A Premium Sat Nav Full of Features Including Lifetime Maps and Traffic, Nuvi 3490LMT is part of Garmin's flagship collection of premium navigators. With a stunning ultra-sleek design it is less than 9mm thin, making it the slimmest navigator in the world with dual-orientation 4.3' touchscreen display. It is one of our first Live Ready sat navs and is equipped with Garmin's new lightning-fast Guidance 3 navigation engine making it swift to operate, quick to calculate and reliable to navigate. Other premium Garmin features inside include 3D traffic, lifetime maps, our unique Cyclops speed cameras and Bluetooth hands-free calling.
Packed with Premium Navigation Features, Powered by Guidance 3, Bird's Eye junction view makes complex junctions easy The Guidance 3 premium navigation engine offers significant benefits including notably faster route calculations so you can get going much quicker. It provides a faster, more intuitive user interface as well as more accurate searches. It also includes Garmin's innovative Bird's Eye junction view which gives an overhead perspective of the correct lane to be in when approaching complex junctions. This is particularly useful in areas that require multiple manoeuvres. Other useful features include Automatic Orientation whereby Nuvi will adjust the display depending on whether it is in portrait or landscape position and the ability to 'pinch and zoom'. Guidance 3 also offers 3D terrain, buildings and landmarks to show a realistic image of the road ahead. Get a feel for exactly where you are with 3D buildings
Add Live Real-Time Information via Smartphone Link, Get live services via Smartphone Link Nuvi 3490LMT is also 'Live Ready' - via Garmin Smartphone Link - an Android app which provides live services to the sat nav. Smartphone Link creates a seamless navigation experience between the Nuvi and your Android mobile phone to communicate and share data. Among other functionalities, this lets you add live services to your sat nav such as 3D Live Traffic which provides real-time information to help you navigate in and around traffic problems. 3D Live Traffic updates every two minutes with 2000 messages including details of traffic incidents, road conditions and delays. There is 99% coverage of traffic flow data on all major motorways as well as A and B roads making it. 3D Live traffic gives you the best all-round view of the traffic situation at any given moment - it is fast, reliable and accurate. Your understanding of the traffic conditions is further enhanced by PhotoLive traffic cameras, available via Smartphone Link, which can be called up on demand for a real-time view of your route from the traffic cameras. You can see traffic for yourself with PhotoLive traffic cameras Smartphone Link also enhances Garmin's standard safety camera alerts with Speedwatch data, which provides real-time updates for fixed, temporary and average speed cameras, mobile zones and red light cameras together with "crowd-sourced" mobile speed traps reported by Speedwatch customers. Delivering content via your smartphone's mobile data plan, Smartphone Link also provides live weather, parking and fuel prices. You know exactly where and how long traffic jams are
Avoid Traffic Tie-Ups, To keep drivers moving, the Nuvi 3490LMT includes subscription-free 3D traffic for the lifetime of the product. Delivered via traditional RDS-TMC, the service combines trafficTrends historic route data together with information on the current traffic situation to identify congestion and incidents on your planned journey. An astonishing 80 million sources are used to understand what's happening on the roads, with comprehensive coverage of motorways and A roads across the UK and Europe. If there are queues, you'll be offered an alternative route to avoid any delay. Add our 3D Live Traffic via Smartphone Link for more detailed and extended traffic coverage updated every two minutes. FREE lifetime traffic updates may not be transferred to another person or another Garmin product. Lifetime traffic extends for the useful life of your Garmin traffic receiver (as long as you own a compatible Garmin GPS) or as long as Garmin receives traffic data from its traffic supplier, whichever is shorter. Traffic content not available for all areas.
Free Map Updates For Life, With Nuvi 3490LMT, you can drive reassured you've always got the most up to date maps, points of interest and navigation information on board. The very latest maps are available to download up to four times a year with no subscription or update fees.
Hands-Free for Safer Driving, Nuvi 3490LMT comes with Garmin's innovative voice-activated navigation so you can choose how you want to control it. Simply wake up the sat nav using your customised voice command and speak the menu options on the screen for totally touch-free navigation. With built-in Bluetooth wireless technology, you can sync with your compatible mobile phone for hands-free phone calling and even access your phone book and call history via the sat nav - no need to look at, touch or even find your phone. Garmin's SafeTexting even speaks your text messages, eliminating another risk of distraction.
Know The Lane Before It's Too Late, Avoid confusion at tricky exits and junctions. Nuvi 3490LMT's Lane Assist with PhotoReal Junction View shows the lane you need to be in at upcoming major junctions and exits with incredible detail of your surroundings right down to the trees, bridges and pylons. From a mile before the junction, the sat nav enters split screen mode to show your position on the map alongside a realistic depiction of your upcoming manoeuvre, with accurately reproduced road signs for confident navigation and reassurance you're on track.
Go Beyond Navigation,
Keep An Eye On The Latest Speed Cameras, Garmin Nuvi sat navs contain our unique Cyclops speed camera system, for real-time, direction-relevant and accurate alerts. To enhance your built-in speed cameras upgrade the service via Smartphone Link Get fuel prices and be directed to the petrol station with Smartphone Link
Find Fuel-Efficient Routes, Garmin's ecoRoute fuel-saver technology finds the most fuel-efficient route to a destination, helping drivers save money while being kinder on the environment. The innovative feature tracks fuel usage and calculates the cost of a journey as well as enabling accurate expense reporting. Save even more money by knowing where to get the cheapest fuel by upgrading to Smartphone Link. You'll be able to see fuel prices for yourself, how far away the petrol station is, and be directed there.
Smart Mount System, Nuvi 3490LMT is even more convenient to use. It has a "smart" mount, to provide a constant power source and it automatically powers on and off with the vehicle engine. An extra speaker in the mount provides a volume boost if you need it. When the sat nav is removed from the mount, Nuvi automatically marks your parked position and it finds the nearest parking to your location for the ultimate convenience.
Box ContainsNuvi 3490LMT Sat NavPreloaded City Navigator® NT street maps for EuropeLifetime traffic receiver/vehicle power cableVehicle suction cup mountUSB cableQuick-start manual.
This Is the Way Forward. This neat little sat-nav unit arrived in a very tiny package. It contained the actual sat-nav unit which is thinner than my iphone, the combined power adapter/traffic receiver, screen suction mount and self-adhesive disc for dashboard mount. Also included were quick start instructions. Installation was fairly quick, and consisted of connecting the device to my pc and downloading the latest maps. At this time the software on the device was also updated. I have a fast connection and the total setup time was around an hour. The unit was easily fitted to my vehicle. I tucked the antenna cable in the crevice between screen and dashboard and dispensed with the small rubber suckers. In use the screen is very bright and clear and responds well to touch. The onscreen keyboard is a good layout and has no lag. Easy to find my destination and the unit is well populated with points of interest, the mapping is clear and updates very quickly as you drive. There is a choice of voices and this model also speaks street names. This unit also has voice-activated navigation and unlike previous models requires no remote control. This is a much improved feature. Simply say 'voice command' and you are prompted on screen with recognisable commands, e. G. Navigate home or find address. I am delighted with this unit and even though i have probaly thrown away £258. 59 on something i could have lived without, at least i feel as though i have something to show for my money unlike my last car service. (well that was my argument to my wife anyway).
Good. This is my 1st garmin satnav. I have owned a navman and my last satnav was a snooper syrius snp-500. The nuvi 3490 is a great piece of kit. It logs on to satellites within a second even in the house. I find it easy to connect it to its cradle on the windscreen. Also it's very fast to calculate routes it's great to see the speed limit for the road you are on displayed on the 3490. The 3490 is very thin lightweight with a glass screen. It looks and feels a very well made product. It has an internal 4 hour battery. I find it easy to use with voice commands. It's also nice that garmin has a free phone number in the uk for tech support. I found it easy to add poi with garmin poi up loader software but if you have subscribed to garmin safety camera software and you delete any poi you have to re upload the safety camera data again. It's easy to find free poi on the web - don't pay for themi have not found out how the traffic system works yet and i have still not seen a lane assist junction come up even in norwich city. Garmin tech support told me it only works on 1 junction in the uk. They don't tell you that when buying it i do hope i was given wrong information on this issue if not i need to have a chat with advertising standards. Garmin could not tell me why the 3490 crashed when trying to update my maps or safety camera software and they kept telling me to press volume. Put your thumb on the top left of the screen for 10 seconds to take it in to diagnostics page then mtu and choose mass storage single session. It worked but i had to do this every time i wanted to update maps or safety camera downloads. They asked me to return the satnav. But i solved this by removing my sd card. It now updates fine. I am surprised garmin did not have a clue about this bug. Does anybody know if the safety camera warning works on the side of the road you are travelling on? can you change the bong-bong sound to voice to give you the warning instead?.
Great Sat Nav.. Bought this to replace my tomtom device. When i first connected the device to my pc to download the latest maps and software, it took over 5 hours. When it eventually loaded the 'my garmin' page was still saying that i didn't have the latest software. I rang garmin and they emailed me a pdf with instructions how to download directly from garmin. I have to say that they sent the instructions within two minutes of ending the phone call. Fantastic service. Now i've used the sat nav for a month or so my view is that it's absolutely brilliant. Lots of features, voice command is outstanding, good clear screen and updates very quickly. Ideal when you're navigating around complex junctions. The split screen photo junction is impressive. Expensive, but well worth the money. .
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 0.9 x 7.4 cm ; 118 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 522 g
- Item model number: 010-00009-01
- ASIN: B005LO3TJY
Conclusion of Garmin nuvi 3490LMT 4
When i saw garmin's new releases for 2012 i decided it was definitely time to replace my old nuvi 200 with something more high tech. I am more than satisfied with the 3490 - it has lifetime travel and map updates (i bought lifetime updates for the nuvi 200), lane assist and bird's eye views on roundabouts (brilliant)and you can sync it with your smart phone to use as hands free. I bought the garmin nuvi 3760t a couple of years ago and quite frankly thought it was a terrible product, but having recently dropped it i found myself looking for a new sat-nav. I was apprehensive about buying another garmin product, but it seems that all of the manufacturers make dodgy products now, so based on the reviews i took a chance. I have to say, first impressions have been good; the new interface is very clear and simple to understand and you can customize many of the features such as the new actions buttons that are displayed in the map screen and the look and feel of the dashboard at the bottom of the screen.
There are a few problems though; the device is claimed to be voice activated, but during the process of updating the maps i was informed that voice activation does not work with the uk and ireland maps, which is a bit ridiculous and misleading. Anyway, i will update this review when i have used the unit a bit more(here is the link to my review of the 3760)http://www. It contained the actual sat-nav unit which is thinner than my iphone, the combined power adapter/traffic receiver, screen suction mount and self-adhesive disc for dashboard mount. At this time the software on the device was also updated. Easy to find my destination and the unit is well populated with points of interest, the mapping is clear and updates very quickly as you drive.
Simply say 'voice command' and you are prompted on screen with recognisable commands, e. This is my 1st garmin satnav. I find it easy to use with voice commands. It's also nice that garmin has a free phone number in the uk for tech support. I found it easy to add poi with garmin poi up loader software but if you have subscribed to garmin safety camera software and you delete any poi you have to re upload the safety camera data again.
It's easy to find free poi on the web - don't pay for themi have not found out how the traffic system works yet and i have still not seen a lane assist junction come up even in norwich city. Garmin tech support told me it only works on 1 junction in the uk. Garmin could not tell me why the 3490 crashed when trying to update my maps or safety camera software and they kept telling me to press volume. It worked but i had to do this every time i wanted to update maps or safety camera downloads. I am surprised garmin did not have a clue about this bug.
When i first connected the device to my pc to download the latest maps and software, it took over 5 hours. When it eventually loaded the 'my garmin' page was still saying that i didn't have the latest software. I rang garmin and they emailed me a pdf with instructions how to download directly from garmin. Lots of features, voice command is outstanding, good clear screen and updates very quickly. I hooked it into the computer and jostled with the pc vs garmin registration process.
Likely a problem with ie and garmin software i thought. I was a bit miffed at receiving a product that needed 5 hours of update time prior to use, but if that was par for the course then thats the way it was. I tried the voice commands and the device threw up an error time and time again. Garmin call centre - long waits, polite staff but operate a system whereby they send you instructions to fix your problem by email, but when it doesnt work, you are back in the queue waiting to be seen to. Not bad but i have evoked the sturdy services of amazon to get me another unit (and by previous experience it will be less than 5 working days).
Overall the unit is good, but if there continue to be technical glitches then its going back for a cheaper unit. I believe if garmin are marketing this as a flagship unit, with the premium to match, is it really acceptable to be sending out untis that require so much input to get updated and appear to have so many technical glitches?. New unit arrived today (one day after return request made), man collected old unit. The replacement already works better with my computer and has updated etc and the voice commands work. Looks like i was given a duff unit first time round.
This sat-nav was an upgrade from my last garmin unit which was around 5 years old (i did not want to pay for the map upgrades, hence the lmt purchase). Fantastic product with much more detailed and intelligent routing, voice command is a fantastic addition. Traffic updates are a must as i travel a lot for work, the reporting is accurate and timely, a significant upgrade from my older unit. I have had the unit for a week now using it every day for route guidance or just as a reminder for the speed cameras when no route is programmed into it. Easy to use, i was familiar with the unit after just a few minutes.
After downloading the app from the android marketplace onto my mobile phone connecting the sat nav to my android phone (htc desire s) was easy & it now automatically connects when the unit is switched on. Traffic notifications are included with the unit however despite me using the aerial cable i have so far not managed to get a signal for this. The split screen showing complicated junctions is really useful & very accurate & overall the screen is the best ive ever seen on a sat nav. 4 operating system - some of the garmin software requires a later version. Although there are alternative ways to download which are offered by garmin which did work with my system a message came up saying this version wouldn't be supported going forward.
Even though i have a broadband connection which is reasonable it took 21 hours to download the software and update the unit, with lots of messing around by me to get over software freezes. I suspect it would be easier/quicker with later versions of the imac operating system though so i can not entirely blame garmin. Get a good case for it to protect the screen from keys etc in your pocket/bag - i have genuine garmin case which is excellent. Registration for the lifetime maps was easy and the unit updated both its formware and the maps easily. I have changed form a tomtom to the garmin and so far have been delighted with the switch.
Excellent. This arrived in a neat package which was very cleaver as it allows you to get to the gps and the cables separatly. It was simple to charge and set up. Registration for the lifetime maps was easy and the unit updated both its formware and the maps easily. The navigation seems to be good and the options are all there. I am still working out how much of it works. I have changed form a tomtom to the garmin and so far have been delighted with the switch. Great looking unit with a nice form which is easy to carry and so will not get left in the car. .
Fantastic!. I have had the unit for a week now using it every day for route guidance or just as a reminder for the speed cameras when no route is programmed into it. First impressions - well made with a quality feel & glass screen - it looks like a modern smart phone but thinner although a bit wider. Easy to use, i was familiar with the unit after just a few minutes. It has all the information you need on the screen (shown on a user changeable layout) including speed, time and distance to destination. The cradle for mounting onto the windscreen is excellent with a good additional speaker within. After downloading the app from the android marketplace onto my mobile phone connecting the sat nav to my android phone (htc desire s) was easy & it now automatically connects when the unit is switched on. All my phone numbers can be scrolled through via the sat nav & the hands free speaker/microphone is more than acceptable. Traffic notifications are included with the unit however despite me using the aerial cable i have so far not managed to get a signal for this. I know some cars with heated windscreens can affect the signal but my car dosen't have this feature. I am going to subscribe to the additional services on offer via my mobile phone which includes more detailed traffic. The split screen showing complicated junctions is really useful & very accurate & overall the screen is the best ive ever seen on a sat nav. The slight downside was connecting it to my imac running 10. 4 operating system - some of the garmin software requires a later version. Although there are alternative ways to download which are offered by garmin which did work with my system a message came up saying this version wouldn't be supported going forward. Even though i have a broadband connection which is reasonable it took 21 hours to download the software and update the unit, with lots of messing around by me to get over software freezes. (im pretty good with computers having studied them at college). I suspect it would be easier/quicker with later versions of the imac operating system though so i can not entirely blame garmin. Its easy to put in a pocket & can be used in pedestrian mode which i haven't yet tried. Get a good case for it to protect the screen from keys etc in your pocket/bag - i have genuine garmin case which is excellent. Overall im very impressed with the unit & would buy the same one again despite the niggles above. It nearly got 5 stars but lost half a star for the software hassles & half a star for the traffic signal problem. .
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