FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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Sat, 1st Sep 2012
FYI, this story is more than a year old

The Garmin Nuvi 3590 LMT is probably one of the largest navigation devices I have ever used. With a 5.0” screen, you could almost mistake it for a touch screen phone. From first use, it was fairly easy to start up and acquire my location – there were many options to add listings to favourites, add layers e.g. fuel stations or ATM locations, and there were even some extra features I found intriguing. 

Out of the box, it comes with the GPS, a car attachment with an easy mount clip and USB cord to plug it into the computer for updating. If you have a USB powered adaptor you can also charge it via USB through a regular power source.

When you first switch it on, you are prompted to select a location (Australia or New Zealand), however if you want to switch between them, you would have to power it down completely so that you could switch locales.

There were some impressive features such as predicting arrival time (which was fairly accurate with no traffic) and lane assist, which tells you which lane to be in before you make a turn, and overall was quite accurate in approximating location.

Pros

  • Large screenfor easier navigating
  • Matte finish back and curved edges makes it comfortable to hold
  • Voice over includes multiple options
  • Voice activated for when driving
  • Search allows for use when walking
  • Cool features include 3D building images for major landmarks like the Skytower and lane assist
Cons
  • Large screen means touchscreen keyboard is spread out, which can be a hassle for typing
  • Acquiring location did not have a set time and was easily affected by tall buildings
  • Recalculating takes a while
  • Traffic feature needs to be installed as it wasn’t available out of the box
The Verdict

Overall, a great GPS option for those who appreciate a larger screen and lots of bonus features, or for those who want their GPS to double as a mini tour-guide.