350 M XL - how to questions

[thebrenda]

Just bough a 350 M XL. I had an older Garmin street pilot for years ... and years ... and that is my point of reference. Took the 350 for a test drive yesterday and there are some things I cannot figure out

1) OK, where is the detailed reference guide or users manuel. I have looked on this site.

2) I like 2D mode, but want to change the screen orientation so that I am driving towards the top of the screen. Currently the map always points north. Want this in route mode and non-route mode.

3) Non-route mode, when i look at the map and I have it zoomed just perfect so the entire neighborhood shows (I am a realtor and want to drive the entire neighborhood) and the minute i start to move it rezooms. I want to keep my zoom level.

4) I though it would speak the street names. On a route I have not heard spoken street names.

5) How do i turn off the display of street names? In nonroute mode, I want to drive the neighborhood and the street names are interfering with me seeing the streets.

6) How is the easiest way to pan the map? Currently I have to zoom out (which is not always good), or pretend I want to route and go to the map.

7) When I am trying to pan on the map - dragging my finger right or left - sometimes it will zoom out so that it seems i am on a satellite. What is the trick to panning on a map? Sometimes it pans, and sometimes it zooms.

8) is the 550 just larger screen? does the 335 and 340 have any additional features that I might like. I have tried researching this on the site but without reading the manuels (which i cannot find for my unit) the compare is not very helpful.

Thanks.


Sorry for all the questions. Trying to decide on a gps this weekend. Not sold on the 350.

 

[dhn]

The 350 series comes with 'EasyMenu' which means far fewer user options, including most of the list you showed in your post.

My suggestion? Take it back and get the 540M (if you want lifetime maps). The 540 has full mernu options, a 5" screen and lists for just $20 more than the 350M.

 

[thebrenda]

can the 540 do any of the things that I want: change screen orientation, stop zoom in non-route mode, remove street names, better panning of map?

 

[thebrenda]

Looked for a 540 user guide and cannot find it. Does someone have a link?

 

[dhn]

Heere's a link to the European XXL IQ routes model which is essentially pretty much the same as the 540 in North America:
http://download.tomtom.com/open/manuals/xxl/refman/TomTom-ONEv5-XLv2-en-GB.pdf

The 540 here DOES have text to speech, the European model does not as I remember.

 

[ewjax]

Hi, new XXL 540 member here, I'll pass along what I've learned since I picked it up. IRT your questions:

2. Yes the 540 can do this.
3. The 540 won't do this. It's a frequent request. Apparently the latest models do support this, however I don't know exactly which.
4. Yes the 540 does this.
5. Pretty sure the 540 does this, I've seen the screens customizing what shows up on the map-browsing display, and I think "Names" is a selectable option. I was playing with it last night and know that option definitely turns off town names, for example, I'm just not sure if it also kills street names.
6. On the 540 you can't pan from the main display, touching the screen brings up the main menu. However, one of the main menu options is to browse the map (the option definitely exists, I think it's on the main menu, going from memory here about where to find it)
7. On the 540, the side of the map display is a zoomer control, perhaps you are dragging your finger into that control and activating the zoom feature instead of panning. I find the pan a little herky-jerky myself.
8. I think the 540 = 340 but with bigger screen, 550 = 350 with bigger screen. Don't know how the 335/535 fits in. The only difference between the x40 and the x50 units are the x50 units have a dumbed-down, simplified menu structure with fewer options, which is why lots of people here advise buying the x40 versions.

 

[mvl]

I agree with the prior responses - and to answer the rest of your questions:

Just bough a 350 M XL. I had an older Garmin street pilot for years ... and years ... and that is my point of reference. Took the 350 for a test drive yesterday and there are some things I cannot figure out

Think of the 350 as a Nuvi. And a 340 as a Streetpilot. Less features = easier to learn.

1) OK, where is the detailed reference guide or users manuel. I have looked on this site.

Nothing is posted so far for the 350. The closest is the guide from a similar model in the UK, see here.

3) Non-route mode, when i look at the map and I have it zoomed just perfect so the entire neighborhood shows (I am a realtor and want to drive the entire neighborhood) and the minute i start to move it rezooms. I want to keep my zoom level.

This is only available on high-end Tomtom GO models. In North America, that would be any model numbered 630 or higher.

4) I though it would speak the street names. On a route I have not heard spoken street names.

It does - choose Susan as your voice.

6) How is the easiest way to pan the map? Currently I have to zoom out (which is not always good), or pretend I want to route and go to the map.

You can only pan the map in browse mode. Menu -> browse map

8) is the 550 just larger screen? does the 335 and 340 have any additional features that I might like. I have tried researching this on the site but without reading the manuels (which i cannot find for my unit) the compare is not very helpful.

550 is a larger screen 350, both easymenu. 335s have some easymenu models, some not. 340 are all non-easymenu. See our reference guide here.