New Zumo 340/350 GPS discussion

[Emmbeedee]

It's officially released now, apparently:

"Today we announced the zūmo 350LM GPS navigator – a stylish, rugged, sunlight readable, high-resolution and glove-friendly touchscreen device that helps keep motorcyclists on track, on and off the road. Mounted on the handle bars or in the car (motorcycle and car mounts included), the new zūmo 350LM’s design offers the flexibility riders want.

“New features, like the Service History Log, lane assist with junction view and TrackBack are just a few of the reasons the zūmo has become an essential tool for motorcyclists all over the world,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “It’s light-weight, it includes lifetime map updates, transmits guidance information via compatible Bluetooth™ headsets/helmets and can handle the toughest weather conditions¹.”

Garmin zūmo 350LM—Made for Bikers, by Bikers

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by ararat

Garmin have released a new GPS for motorcycles
Still on the expensive side at 699$us but lets hope it does loads more then the 550/650

Expect it to do somewhat less - it is wedged between the zumo 220 and the zumo 550. Doesn't have the HW or SW features of the zumo 66x.

Cheers,

[radon222]

Take a close look at the specs on the Garmin site:

MP3 - nope
XM - nuh huh

[skyguy]

Yeah, engadget just had a little piece about this unit today. The "maintenance log" feature is nice, but I'm already using "MyRide" (an iPhone app) that keeps those same records. And they're "announcing" BaseCamp like it's something new, even though it's been out for some time now.

And still Garmin refuses to add any kind of wireless data connectivity! C'mon, Garmin, the hardware is already installed. You could fix this with a software update.

How about letting us upload and download routes and tracks via Bluetooth? No, you'd rather we crack open the back door every time we need to exchange data. I can understand hard-wiring for the big stuff, like map downloads and software updates, but routes and tracks are very small files - less than a megabyte each - so why not let us use the built-in Bluetooth in this very obvious way?

[radon222]

And still Garmin refuses to add any kind of wireless data connectivity!

Rather than seeing built-in wireless...I think your more likely to see things like "Smartphone Link" more often.

[skyguy]

Originally Posted by radon222

Rather than seeing built-in wireless...I think your more likely to see things like "Smartphone Link" more often.

Thanks - I hadn't heard about this feature. But it reinforces my point - Garmin knows how to move data around via Bluetooth, so why not let us upload and download routes and tracks?

[Ramv]

Ugh. $699... I was waiting for a Z220 price drop, but at $699 I can't see the 350 driving it down. Why wouldn't I buy a 665? Or a Montana and add city nav?

[Emoto]

Originally Posted by Ramv

Ugh. $699... I was waiting for a Z220 price drop, but at $699 I can't see the 350 driving it down. Why wouldn't I buy a 665? Or a Montana and add city nav?

Yes, for the same money as a 660/665, why would a 350 have any advantage? Does anyone care about a service log? The66X already does trackback, right? Is lane assist with junction view new?

[markbvt]

Impressive. Once again Garmin has managed to produce a motorcycle GPS that doesn't interest me the tiniest bit.

I'll be buying a Montana when my Oregon finally needs to be replaced. Or maybe by then they'll have an even better handheld unit... Wyoming or Idaho or something. (I vote Vermont as the next product name!)

--mark

[radon222]

What's really scaring me is that if they're setting this price point for the 350...what the heck are they gonna charge for the full on Z665 replacement with all the bells and whistles?!?!?

[MotoMitten]

Originally Posted by radon222

What's really scaring me is that if they're setting this price point for the 350...what the heck are they gonna charge for the full on Z665 replacement with all the bells and whistles?!?!?

I was thinking that exact same thing earlier today. However what was the list price on the 660 when it was first released? If I remember right it was like $800.

[SharkMan77]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Expect it to do somewhat less - it is wedged between the zumo 220 and the zumo 550. Doesn't have the HW or SW features of the zumo 66x.

Cheers,

Sorry to post a silly question..., but what are the HW and SW features that the 350 doesn't have?

[/dev/null]

I don't get it. At all.

What exactly warrants a $699 price for this thing? What is superior about this unit compared to a 660? The maintenance log?

Looks like a $100 GPS with the holes plugged and a motorcycle icon turned on by default.

[/dev/null]

Originally Posted by SharkMan77

Sorry to post a silly question..., but what are the HW and SW features that the 350 doesn't have?

Music/audiobook playback (broken on the 66x series though if you need to use it through Bluetooth and care about music quality).

Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity.

[SharkMan77]

Originally Posted by /dev/null

Music/audiobook playback (broken on the 66x series though if you need to use it through Bluetooth and care about music quality).

Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity.

Thanks for your answer!
So, in both cases (66x and 350), you'd resort in playing music through a (hardwired? to headset e.g. Sena SMH10) player - such as ipod/iphone - and use the bluetooth connection to your headset just for navigation from the Garmin?