Postby simseair » Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:58 pm
Finally succumb to the lust and got a 3790 Sg/My set this week. My 205W is aging and I have been considering a new navigation set for some time. I am keen to see how much improvement on the navigation GPS sets since the past 2 years. I did not go for Papago, being more familiar with Garmin.
Finally settled for the 3790 although there was some concern about the incompatibility of the MFM map and that the Autozoom cannot be disabled. But, I took the plunge and am glad to say I was quite happy with the set.
The unit is beautiful, currently the only one on the market that looked and feel like the I Phone. It is slim and has a glass surface. An attraction for smudges and fingerprints for sure. After turning on the unit, the screen is clear and the map is attractively done.
The NT map has undergone a tremendous improvement since the MSM and MFM maps were established. Even the small towns and some kampungs in Malaysia are shown, with road names included. I still wonder why some areas looked remarkably like MFM. I noticed a quarry road near Seremban which was about 70% tracked in MFM. In the NT map, the same 70% tracked road was shown while the remaining 30% was grayed out. Interesting. I am happy that the NT map has so much details now and it is possible to just rely on the map for navigation.
The map is well done, with shades of gray representing the contours of the landscape. When you are driving near hills or mountains, you can see the shapes of the hills and mountains changing as you drive past. Almost 3D effect. Good. I like to zoom back and looked at the landscape while driving. It gives me a helicopter view of the area which is interesting. You can see the blue horizon and the main roads in orange color on a gray background. Nice. When you drive on a road that goes up a hill, you can see the road sloping up the hill on the map. If you zoomed the map back all the way, you will see the earth, like the Google Earth display.
Road names now appear at the area where you are driving, unlike the older Nuvi models where the names do not appear at all. This is a big improvement. Also, the POIs now appear in driving mode, again, unlike the older models.
The map comes with Junction Views and Lane Assist. The JV are interesting. Nice pictures of the junctions. There are over 2000 JV shots, quite a good number. You can select to have a half screen or a full screen for the JV. One nice thing is the night mode. The sky in the JV shots will turn dark at night. The LA is also good. Always indicating how many lanes there are on a stretch of road and which one to use if you need to turn at a junction.
The touch screen is easy to use. The processor is impressive as it is easy to scroll the map. Also, when driving, the map "flows" smoothly unlike the older models when the screen looked jerky while driving. The touch screen is not as impressive as the I Phone, though. Sometimes, the screen does not respond properly. But quite a minor issue. Sometimes the unit will shut down by itself when I am trying out some of the features of the unit. Still some bugs in the software, even though the version is 2.50.
I like the tilt sensor. You can now use the unit in landscape or portrait mode. It is easy to turn the unit either way as the bracket is a ball joint. Another good feature is that the USB power socket is hooked to the bracket instead of the unit. Alighting from a car, you can just unhooked the unit from the bracket instead of having to pull out the USB plug as well.
The GPS reception looked good. I think it is better than my 205W but have not tested it in crowded downtown areas with tall buildings.
There is now a Pedestrian mode. Quite interesting if you want to use the unit for walking. This will be useful when you are overseas and would like to walk around an area.
The simulation mode is now easier to use. You can speed up the simulated drive (up to 500+ km/hr), so you can really see the whole journey. The older units were always a pain to use as the simulation is so slow.
Overall, quite a big improvement, both in terms of the hardware and the map. The screen is quite impressive and attractive. I have not explored the other features - voice command, blue tooth, MP3, etc. I am still a traditionalist - a GPS is for navigating. I do not like the TTS - the classic Kg is translated as Kilogram instead of Kampung. I still do not know how to use the Trip Planner. After planning my whole route, the unit do not follow the complete route but will ask which point in the route that you want to go.
For the map, the FI racetrack at the Johor Causeway is still on the map even tho' it has been demolished a few months back. The map is a big improvement. I still do not know how to use the MFM in the unit. Tried to generate a map without the polygons but the roads just don't show in the unit. Also, I noticed that when I inserted the SD card with the MFM map, the JV does not show, even though I untick the MFM map. My 205W is now just a back-up to view the MFM map.
Overall, pretty happy with the unit. Still not satisfied with Garmin for not being able to turn off the Autozoom feature. It is a nice feature but would like the option to turn off the Autozoom, like the handhelds. Such a simple process but Garmin always think it knows better.
Last edited by
simseair on Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
amazing 
to note as well at how the "mindset" is practised at the R&D within Garmin's workshop arena.... while other players in this field are far more advanced in the minor but yet, significant features that sets Garmin somewhat miles behind!! 
... real routing needs GPS units for thats what they are made for, right? 