New Zumo 340/350 GPS discussion

Yes, and no. The Zumo 220 (and I believe the 350 also) use a Bluetooth HFP (headset) profile, whereas the 660/665 use an A2DP profile. The Sena SMH10 has the ability to selectively pair to one HFP and one A2DP profile simultaneously, but not two A2DP profiles. What does this mean? For me, it means that I can pair my Sena SMH10 to my iPhone using the A2DP profile and get stereo music (playlist, Pandora, XM Internet) plus Siri voice control, phone, etc. I can then pair the Z220 to the Sena using the HFP profile and get voice guidance from the Zumo. This way I have both devices connected to the Sena via BT, and I get full voice control of my iPhone and stereo sound from it. With the Zumo 660/665, I'd have to pair the iPhone to the Zumo (using HFP), and Zumo to Sena (using A2DP), so I lose voice control of the iPhone and don't get stereo music from the iPhone. If there's one advantage of the Zumo 220/350 over the 660/665 IMO it's this.

Hopefully, the 660/665 replacement will allow the user to pick which profile (HFP vs. A2DP) they want to pair with.

This wouldn't be a big deal as the popularity of BT headsets and smart phones makes much of what the 660 does redundant, but I have to agree that bringing in a unit that doesn't have those features and at the same price point as the 660 doesn't make sense even with the 350's better screen.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=115830

Looks the same spec/feature wise, maybe the Euro version kinda like the dif between the old ZUMO 500 and 550

yeah, maybe you're right! the specs don't show any difference other than the map set, that I can see. Neither one comes with the map DVD. :huh

well, I bought a 350 LM here in the UK after good reports in the motorcycle press. Good navigator and features. Only trouble was that the unit would not charge in the cradle. Garmin sent out a replacement, and still no charge. Would only charge through the usb cable, which you cannot use in the cradle of course. So as a motorcycle nav it was not fit for use.

I had to go to my BMW dealer to get a report to say it was not the motorcycle at fault even after I explained it was wired straight to the battery ! (customer service, Halfords). The wiring was correct and showing voltage at the pins, so the BMW report said it must have been the unit.

I eventually managed to get a full refund from halfords. Not sure what to do next, any suggestions on a reliable unit (zumo 660 ?).

Back to using maps at the moment !

Anyone know if the 350 can hold more points than the 550. That was one of my gripes. Otherwise the 550 seems to do everything I need it to. I just don't see the wow factor in this thing unless someone has some real world experience.

I mean for $700 I can get the Badlands Jacket,


Any real world users gone on long trips yet? Offroad? Used MapSource / Basecamp to load routes?

Zumo 550:
<table id="playlist" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>Waypoints/favorites/locations: </td><td> 500 </td></tr><tr class="even"><td> Routes: </td><td> 50 </td></tr></tbody></table>
Zumo 350 (also accepts Micro SD card):
<table id="playlist" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>Waypoints/favorites/locations: </td><td> 1000 </td></tr><tr class="even"><td> Routes: </td><td> 100 </td></tr></tbody></table>
Zumo 660:
<table id="playlist" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="odd"><td>Waypoints/favorites/locations: </td><td> 1000 </td></tr><tr class="even"><td> Routes: </td><td> 20 (additional storage on microSD&#8482; card) </td></tr></tbody></table>
Not a user of any of these yet, just comparing the specs tab on the Garmin site. My old 2720's usb port is no longer functioning, so although I am going to attempt repair, it is likely that I will end up having to buy another unit of some kind. I could buy a used 2720, or I could step up to the larger screen, etc. of one of these.

I had the same problem with my 2730. I bought a cheap 2620 on ebay and took the USB connector/board out of it and put it in my 2730. Was easy cheap and worked great.

THese numbers are not really important as you just load the ones you need for the first couple of days and then you can load in the rest off the card anyway when you are ready.

Good to know. Is that a lot of keystrokes to do?

When I looked at the specs for the 550 I neglected to note that it also accepts an SD card.

Simple to do...forget how many keystrokes. I usually do it the night before while reviewing the plan for the next day (3rd day maybe).

When I first got my 550 I always loaded all the planned routes. Now I just load a couple of days with optional routes if I have them. I also have many extra favorites/waypoints loaded on the exported Garmin file (card or unit) GDB/GPX which I also load as needed.

Loading everything for a two week tour is just too much clutter and by that time anyway many of "great" plans have degraded anyway THis is when I load up the extra favorites (so I do not have to spell) and either direct route or use them to modify an existing route that I planned.

A chart that compares the Zumo 220, 350, 660 and 665. I got the 220 in the end. I didn't think the 350 was worth the extra $300.

http://www.gpscity.ca/compare/zumo660&zumo220&zumo350lm&zumo665lm

Are they still doing any development work on the 660/665 software? With the 350 released as the most current model, maybe it is their focus now. Not sure what that might amount to.

Looks like Garmin updated firmware in July 2012 for 550 and 66x series. For my 550 is was a bug/improvement fix not a new feature. I suspect the 66x was the same.

Nevertheless fixing a bug on the 550 after 4 years is a good thing............or bad depending on your perspective!

I have had the opportunity to use the Zumo 550 since 2008, the Zumo 350, and the Zumo 660 recently. This past month I used them all--two died.
I had two previous 550's --first lasted three months, the second 2 years with trips to the Dempster, Denali, Top of The World, Trans Lab, The Rock, and the third is being exchanged with their $150.00 exchange the head program. As the last 550 died on the trip I am on I got a Zumo 350LM overnighted and found out through a lot of discussions the unit would only accept 30 track points from Bascamp. So I broke up a days route to 30 track points in Basecamp. If you loaded a 30 point track and started it the device only wanted to go to the start of the track. Not like a Zumo 550 that would ask if you wanted to go to the start. I don't think the 350 was meant for you to go off track to get gas or to eat something. The 350 to me is a marketing dud that is meant for someone on the highway. Talking to the software people there I think they are even embarrassed when questioned about the 350. I had about 1450 track points to get through Oregon on The Trans American Trail. This meant I would need to break up the state into 50 tracks converted to routes to get through. Well during a rain storm and a day of 40 mph winds the unit died 4 times. Then plugged in with the USB it wouldn't connect through Basecamp or the computer. Had to do the 20 second hard start to get it going all day which wipes out anything you put in. Finally just totally died. The protection for the connections are just little flaps that are supposed to close tightly. Whoever put the OK on this design needs a slap along the side of his head. It has a micro SD but you can't access it with the device. I don't have a clue what you would do with the storage. Got an RMA number on that and sent it in. Had to plug in my Colorado 400t as a backup to get through the next day. They overnighted a Zumo 660 so I could continue. It will hold 200 track points from Basecamp but will not support tracks. You have to convert the tracks to routes to use the device. If you load tracks and call them up there is no way to start them. You can go look at them but not use them. The number of routes you can use on a 660 is 20 so you have to delete the ones you have used regularly. The call in support folks at Garmin must work at a call center as when you talk to them they have to continually say I will get right back to you. As I was on a cell phone for hours I finally gave them a list of specific questions and wanted answers via e-mail. I sent them example tracks and said OK you guys load them on Basecamp and tell me what happens when you load them onto a Zumo 350LM or the 660. Well they didn't have a Zumo 350 on the floor but would see about getting one. If you loaded a route with 100 points the device would get you to the 30th point and give you the final destination flag. The rest of the points would show up as being in the device but if you wanted to get to the last point it would show a straight line. Ya, right across this 400 foot deep ravine. Garmin tech support would finally see the same results I was getting after I e-mailed them the GPX files. I had one track that when converted to a route that sent me down a set of railroad tracks in Oklahoma. Bottom line is you do not know what these devices can do until you put them through the paces. It takes about 5 hours of computer time to now load the current 2013 map set. Which on another device every few days I just let it run all night. If I didn't have a laptop along I would have had to go home. The numbers of points, routes, and tracks is very ficticious-- 1000 points I don't think so. So, the number comparisons you are looking at in the previous posts are meaningless. The Zumo 550 was the best and I will keep that when I get it back home. If Apple would get there stuff in a hardened unit I would pay handsomely for it and Garmin would have to shut down their call center.

The track display capabilities of the Z660/665 are superior to the 550 series. I have read many threads on how (with pictures) to display old and 3rd party tracks on the 66X screen. The 550 will display your last 10K points only.

My 550 can of course record tracks and then import/convert to a route but this can be problem off road sometimes.

Zumo 350 software update available as of 10/2:

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=5741

Changes from version 2.30 to version 2.40: Improved Bluetooth headset compatibility.
Improved map scrolling sensitivity.

weird, in Europe, or Germany at least, the 350LM is a cheaper than the 660. OK, the 660 here doesn't have satelite radio, but I still don't understand why it is being positioned above the 660 in N.America, and below it in Germany...:huh

Personally I am torn between the Montana, the 350LM, a Nuvi in a waterproof box + my Colorado for tracks, or some Android based alternative in a waterproof box. This isn't getting easier...:eek1

The 660 here doesn't have satellite radio either. The 665 does. The 665 sells for much more then the 350 and the 660 just a bit less. I went with the Montana because the screen is so much better then the ZUMO's.

I don't think there is a very large Zumo 350 user base yet, although I could be wrong. This means not many people to offer opinions based on firsthand experience with the unit.

The least expensive option will be an automotive or android unit in a waterproof box. Personally, I think that will be inconvenient to use, but I cannot assess the value of convenience for anyone but myself.

I only want my GPS to be a GPS. I don't care about music or pictures or anything else (I have those covered in other better ways), so for me the 660/665 offer no added value with those features. I don't care about bluetooth either, as I hate keeping batteries charged enough that I prefer a coily cord running to my helmet; it never bothers me.

In spite of the caveats of the program, I like having "lifetime" maps, so that was a plus for me, and I am enjoying my 350 so far. I don't feel that I have used it enough or thoroughly enough to write up any kind of review. I like it so far, over my old 2720, FWIW.