New Lowrance Iway 350c review.

[edonthenet]

I just received my new Lowrance 350c and wanted to give a review on it.
The 350c is there newest model of Lowrance portable GPS’s. There is an internal battery and antenna that allows it to be fully mobile from any base. The GPS charges it’s battery from a USB port or with the included 12 volt adapter. Supposed to last up to 15 hours.
The reason I chose the 350c other than a guidance system was for the built in MP3 player. The player plays both MP3’s and OGG compressed music files. It has an equalizer and built-in FM transmitter, so no prewiring is needed for car/bike stereo playback.
The internal memory is 4gb large, enough for plenty of waypoints and saved routes. Oddly, the internal memory only shares 24mb, so MP3 storage on the unit is limited to maybe 5-6 songs, necessitating the use of the secure data card. I have my eye on a Transcend 4gb memory card but haven’t purchased it yet. That should provide plenty of MP3’s.
The screen is big and very easy to see, even in full sun. There are no hard buttons except for the power/dimmer on the front. The screen does work well and is accurate, something I found the 500c was lacking. However, due to the small size of the unit, a pointer might still be needed if your fingers are real fat.
There is also a picture viewer for viewing JPG’s. I don’t know the reason for that but if your digital camera uses SD/MMC memory you can pop it in the GPS and view what you’ve taken. My Canon uses compact flash so I’m screwed.
The unit as very small, comparable with the Garmin 330 but not as deep. The weight is minimal also, explaining the cheesy mount they provide. The RAM mount is 2 ball joints with a suction cup. Doesn’t look too sturdy but held well upside down on my windshield. The bike test will have to wait until the 9” of snow outside goes away :mad:
Just driving around town provided accurate tracking and the POI database is AWESOME! Includes everything I can think to punch in & some I didn’t.
The unit has 3.5mm plug on the side for hardwiring into any AUX port, and the single rear mounted speaker is pretty loud and clear for what I expected.
The waypoint programming is easy to use, just punch in your stops and it will compute your route. I selected it to stay away from toll roads and it did a good job finding an alternate route.
I haven’t decided whether to mount the unit on a front dashboard or on the tank like the OEM BMW setup. A remote would be nice for a front mounted unit, so operating the unit while in motion would be a challenge and a reach.
Crutchfield charges $499 but I’ve seen them for $100 less elsewhere. So, for the money and features I think this is the nicest unit I’ve tried. My only other consideration was the Garmin 2730, but I’m not a big satellite radio fan (maybe if free) and if I decide to go back, it would be with Sirius (NASCAR in 2007).
Pictures Here (http://www.pbase.com/edonthenet/gps&page=all).

[mongo]

Nice review. I have the older model iWay. At 2 pounds it will stress the stock RAM mount which is plastic. I purchased the diamond aluminun RAM and screwed it directed into the back of the unit. I do not use the quick release as it was also not sturdy, and the extension mad for a bit more wobble on the mounting arm.

[CarSalesman]

With that memory slot on the side, it doesn't look like it would be water resistant at all. What does the manufacturer say about that?

[edonthenet]

Nice review. At 2 pounds it will stress the stock RAM mount which is plastic. I do not use the quick release as it was also not sturdy, and the extension made for a bit more wobble on the mounting arm.

Thanks, I thought of writing more but didn't want to make it seem like a magazine article :p
As for the car I feel the RAM mount would be okay. The suction cup is very strong and the ball joints are pretty stiff. As long as you weren't constantly flexing them you would probably find it adequate.
The bike is another subject. The RAM might be able to hold up for a little while but would start slipping, I feel. You might try center punching the ball joint to make it stick better or tighten the screws, threatening cracking the mount. I only planned on using the mounting tray itself and making my own quick release mount. I work in an atmosphere that gives me full use to a lathe, mill, bandsaw, shear & bender along with material. So, I am probably the exception as I'm not worrying about the mount.

[edonthenet]

With that memory slot on the side, it doesn't look like it would be water resistant at all. What does the manufacturer say about that?

They don't say anything at all. I am sure any moisture would be a threat to the unit. The 500c is waterproof, but carries it's own burdens IMO.
The 500c comes with an "official" motorcycle mount, thereby signifying it's claim to be used as such. The 350c makes no mention of motorcycle use whatsoever.
Although, with it's all solid state workings, would make a good candidate.

[meese]

Do you mind telling us about the burdens of the 500c model? Just curious.

[rixchard]

i have had my 500c on the RAM mount on a shelf over the stingray for almost a year and have had no probems with the plastic mount

[azsidewalker]

I also have had a 500c for a while, mounted to a shelf with a RAM mount with 4" arm. No problems. Also, have downloaded a Motorcycle skin (http://stwiki.notonthe.net/twiki/bin/view/IWay500c/MotorcycleSkin) which helps with any screen issue while using a gloved hand.

A few negative points of the 350c are
1) a 4gb sd cards cost about $230 so add that to the cost of the 350c and pay a bunch more than the 500c and you only have 4gb instead of 10gb.
2) it isn't waterproof.
3) smaller screen (which some may say is a good thing) so less room for map and touchscreen buttons.
4) the 4gb hard drive has very limited space for future map/POI upgrades so as maps take more space most likely there will be less POI. The 500c has 10gb reserved for upgrades.

I'll stick to my 500c thank you.

[edonthenet]

Do you mind telling us about the burdens of the 500c model?
The #1 thing that comes to mind is the sheer size of the unit. It is very large yet the poor resolution takes any benefit of it's size away. It's like looking at a large screen TV with a crappy signal.
#2 is the hard drive issue. I've read that they are now shipping the 500c with a newer drive, the old one would damage sectors from vibration. The only way to tell is to come across corrupt data when using the unit.
#3 is the slow processing. The unit takes much longer then most comparable GPS's to obtain a fix or even to compute a route.
#4 is the buggy software. Example is to tell it to avoid a toll road and then plan a route near a toll road, guess where it routes you?? Maybe the newest firmware has addressed this?
#5 is the outer waterproofing issue. There have been known problems of the waterproof skin cracking.
I have read other issues while researching the unit. Any internet search engine should provide them.
Ed

[edonthenet]

i have had my 500c on the RAM mount on a shelf over the stingray for almost a year and have had no probems with the plastic mount
I did not intend to make it sound as if the RAM mount was doomed and certain to fail, but on a $799 (retail) GPS they could put a tad more thought in something as important as it's mount.