Garmin 3597 LMTHD review – new features and a new vision

Why Garmin this year ? Battle against smartphone with GPS..

 
The Consumer Electric Show of 2013 hit the audiences like a tsunami featuring some of world’s newest, biggest, smallest, fastest and curviest gadgetry, sweeping them off the floor. It could be undoubtedly argued that by the time the curtains dropped, consumers had sparkles of Ultra HD in their eyes and visions of Steam boxes in their minds. Amongst the many dazzling and stunning impressive gadgets, was the much awaited new line up by Garmin.

Garmin’s lineup at the CES 2013 comprised of three series of devices: the Basic Essential, the Advanced, and the Prestige.

Some of the key features that are said to be found in these models include:
• Fancy new brushed metal case
• 5-inch glass touch screen display
• Updated map layouts for improved readability
• Garmin’s new “Real Directions” — turns are announced in plain natural English (i.e. “turn left at the traffic light”, or “turn right after the Starbucks”)
• HD Digital Traffic
• 3D buildings
• Voice Command

 

Stick to basic or go advanced

While the Basic Essential series models seemed to have somewhat of a minimal frills, but did not bother to include any lane assist with reality view to assist drivers in finding the correct lanes at different highway interchanges, the advanced series models on the other hand somewhat made up for it by adding Garmin Real Directions, thus instructing drivers when and how to turn at the traffic light or a gas station or even at any other landmark.

Additionally, the Active lane guidance adds voice instruction and more-detailed graphics also help in guiding drivers through complicated interchanges.

And new voice-activated traffic gives verbal warnings about delays ahead, including estimates on how long the backup may be, and it can offer an alternative route.The driver can simply opt for the alternate route or decline by speaking their preference, for touch-free rerouting.

 

Garmin Nuvi 3597 LMTHD – if you need a dedicated satnav ..here we go

Amongst the new line of portable navigation devices announced by Garmin at the Consumer one which blew the whistle on all was the new Nuvi 3597 LMTHD.

Priced at $380, this gadget boasts a thin and stylish brushed metal case backed up with a five-inch glass screen, this model stands out as one of the most sophisticated model in the new Prestige series.

In terms of dimension, the new Garmin Nuvi 3590LMT is an average-sized gadget weighing just a little over 7 ounces with a battery that can last up to 4 hours if you take it out of your car although the preferred usage is to plug it into your car. Moreover, if you wish to program personal points of interest or even listen to audio books while using the Nuvi, you have the liberty to install a microSD card to expand the given storage space.

One of the key things that really caught my attention was is its innovative powered magnetic mount. All you need to do is hold the device near it, and the magnet guides snaps it securely into place. Moreover, the dock also offers several angles, so if you have issues with glare, you can easily twist and move the Nuvi around until you are satisfied.
Interestingly enough, one of the features swanked by the new Nuvis as far as the navigation is concerned, is the introduction of Real Directions. This boosts the standard turn-by-turn directions and text-to-speech spoken street names and takes it to a completely different level by introducing a new set of more natural instructions that utilizes recognizable landmarks and buildings.

Simply put, now instead of saying turn left in 500 feet, the new top-of-the-line Nuvi 3597 may say turn left at the Starbucks. Hence, after trying the demo unit at the show, one can be assured that the slick system most definitely has the potential to be the easiest mount to have been ever used.
Moreover, the Garmin Nuvi 3590LMT also offers FM transitions to identify heavy traffic areas, so in areas with less FM coverage or weaker signals, where the GPS has trouble finding and avoiding traffic you can easily use free traffic and map updates thus being always ready for whatever the road has to throw at you.

This being said,enjoy your trip with Garmin 3597 as companion !