New Zumo 340/350 GPS discussion

Garmin should be announcing their new Zumo 340/350 Moto GPS line. It just recently cleared the FCC. It's supposed to be significantly cheaper too

http://gpstracklog.com/2012/05/chopper-bound-garmin-zumo-340-and-350-clear-fcc.html

It's about time... I've been out of the GPS loop for a while as I've been happy with my Zumo 450 for a few years now.

I recently went on Ebay looking for a cheap backup Zumo for a cross country trip I am doing and they seem to be going for more now than when they were new! I also understand that there is no 3.5mm hardwired audio out on the Zumo 220? :huh

I hope these new units at least have this...

These should be considered a replacement for the 2xx series, rather than an alternative for the 5xx & 6xx series. The form factor of these is rather good, but I worry about the speaker mounted on the rear panel.

The added functionality sounds marginally more useful than the 220, but I don't get the fatter form factor. How is this an 'improvement' over the sleeker 220? Also, I hate to see mini-USB plugs on anything that's supposed to be waterproof. While plugged into the unit it might be fine, but when the GPS is off the bike and the power cord is hardwired to the bike, the first time that little plug gets a drop of water on it, it's a goner. Those microscopically small pins were not designed with weather resistance in mind.

The USB connector has a rubber cover on it and isnt used as a power connector when on the bike cradle.

You're right -- there does appear to be a proper cradle mount on this one. This would be a huge improvement over the 220, which does use a mini-USB for power on the bike.

The Garmin 350LM was officially posted on Garmin.com today.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=107979

Silly me. I thought cheaper would be less than $700.

Tell me about it... this price was a shock to me.

Anyone have hands on experience with the Garmin Zumo 350LM GPS? Looks interesting.

http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-zumo-350lm.html

Shoot - perhaps not. Looks like it hasn't been released?

http://sites.garmin.com/zumo/#whyzumo

Here's hoping they can't sell that many and that they get the message.Putting a waterproof case around one of their standard units should bring about a $400 premium. I simply refuse.

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


Engadget

I wonder what the pricing will be on the 340 and what the differences are from the 350.

$699 and it doesn't include traffic? Maybe my expectations are too high...

If it follows their other pricing schemes, it'll probably be $599.

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

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,

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

MP3 - nope
XM - nuh huh


:huh

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?

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