My Garmin Nuvi 1350T

This is the first real chance I have had to test my new wide screen Garmin Nuvi 1350T GPS unit. So far it has found the correct routes but I have a couple of observations. One, it does not take kindly to a change of route. I set it to take me from Olympia, WA to Bakersfield, CA. This route follows I-5 for the first few hundred miles but I always take the Portland bypass on I-205. "Emily" started complaining as soon as I turned off I-5 and kept trying to get me to return to it. Even when we were back on I-5 at Wilsonville, OR she wanted me to return to Portland to take the "correct" route.

I had to change the annoying default voice that was pre-programmed. After trying a few I settled on "Emily", a British English voice. It is much less annoying. I like the ability to add my own Points of Interest and have added "Diners, Drive-Ins  and Dives"amongst others. We will use this to try out a couple of the oddball restaurants Guy has  featured on his show.

This unit gives traffic updates, supposedly warning you of congestion. This feature operated a couple of times on the way down the Hood Canal, warning me of two minute delays when there really were none. It was not a big deal and I suppose those areas could be subject to delays if the traffic was any heavier. This feature is paid for by advertisers so every once in a while a little coupon box appears offering a discount in an approaching restaurant or hotel. Mostly Best Western Hotels and Olive Garden restaurants so far. This can be turned off by turning off the traffic feature.

Another minor annoyance is when you program in a waypoint such as a restaurant. The coordinates are probably the front door of the restaurant and we never park that close. When you return to the rig after eating and try to find your way back to the highway, the unit keeps directing you back to the restaurant because she is not satisfied you were ever there.  This is probably a common problem with all units but it is annoying to have to pull over and reset the destination.

I am still getting used to this unit and will probably have more to say about it later.