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GlobalSat GV370 GPS review
Recommended best value entry level unit
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The GlobalSat GV-370
has a 3.5" screen - the same screen as the
Via Michelin X-930, but
with much better use of screen space.
The unit is easy to use and better than the Via Michelin
unit in every respect. Part
of our series on GPS - additional articles to be
published in coming weeks - see links on the right. |
Sometimes available for less than
$200 (currently as little as $170 on
Amazon ), the GlobalSat GV-370 is a bargain priced unit that works
well.
Although there's nothing brilliantly special about
it, with such a low price, and nothing startlingly bad to offset
the generally positive impression we have of the unit, we
recommend it as being the best value entry level unit
unit currently on the market today (Aug 07).
The GlobalSat GV-370 -
What You Get
The GV-370 comes in a nice
box, with its attractive design slightly marred by the prominent spelling
of the device as a 'Navagator' (rather than Navigator).
Elsewhere it refers to a 'Windsheild' mount (rather than
Windshield).
Opening up the box shows a
full kit of goodies inside. In addition to the unit itself,
there's a somewhat cumbersome two part windshield/dash suction
mounting device, a car power adapter, a mains power adapter, a
USB cable, and a DVD with a copy of the map data and some
software drivers on it.
There's also an attractive
16 page color Quick Start guide, and notwithstanding the
spelling errors on the box, the English is excellent and so too
is the spelling. A more complete 51
page manual is on the CD and/or can be downloaded from the
manufacturer's website.
Map data is provided on a
supplied 2GB SD card.
One minor omission (inasmuch
as it is rarely included with GPS units) was some sort of a
carrying case. This would be useful if you were planning
on traveling with the unit on a regular basis. A carry
pouch can be purchased from the
manufacturer's website however, for the very reasonable cost
of $10.
The unit has a one year
warranty provided.
Using the Unit
Mounting the GV-370 was a
fairly easy procedure, with the mounting bracket being able to
twist and turn in most directions to ensure a good convenient
and secure location was used for mounting the unit.
After inserting the SD card
and turning it on, the unit quickly found sufficient satellites
and started providing location data.
The unit I'd been testing
the week before testing this one had a 7" screen (ie four times
more screen area than this unit's 3.5" screen) and so I
immediately noticed the smaller screen size, but when placing
the unit alongside a Garmin Nuvi 680 with a 4.3" screen, the
difference in size wasn't nearly as apparent. I still
prefer the 4.3" screen sized units, but to get this extra screen
real-estate, you'll be paying two or three times more money, so
for casual users and people on a budget, you might choose to
stick with a 3.5" screen and keep the extra cash in your pocket.
The one implication of the
smaller screen that is most noticeable (and unavoidable) is the
smaller 'hot zones' for each of the touch controls on the
screen. If you have a big clumsy finger or thumb, and if
the car should move slightly while you are reaching over to
enter a selection, you might well end up making the wrong
choice. Recognizing this issue, the unit comes complete
with a stylus that can be used to more precisely select choices.
Most of the time, making the
wrong choice is no big deal - you simply return back to the
previous screen, or backspace to correct the wrong letter
entered. But there's one time when you absolutely don't
want to make the wrong choice, although the several times we did
this were not due to us hitting the wrong space, but
misunderstanding what the option meant. This is when you
go to the screen calibration routine - described simply as
'Screen' in the setup menu.
We'd thought this might give
us options as to what data appeared on the screen, or
brightness/contrast/color choices, or who knows what else.
Nope. Choosing this option takes you directly to a screen
calibration page with no way to cancel and return back, and you
then have to exactly touch and hold on cross-hair marked locations
five times to
calibrate the screen. If you're driving, this means
your unit is stuck, useless, until you pull over to the side of
the road and carefully do this while stationary.
The data that is presented
on the main mapping screen is helpful, appropriate, and easy to
understand. And, very sensibly, much of the data is
semi-transparent so you can still see some details of the map
that would otherwise be obscured by the data overlays.
This is a great way of getting maximum possible use out of the
limited screen size, and is much better than the
inferior-in-all-respects but similarly sized and priced
Via Michelin X930.
The unit doesn't have quite
as much zoom flexibility as the Nuvi does. The Nuvi zooms
from 120' to 800 miles (per measured unit of screen) in 23 steps, with each step being about
one and a half times the previous scale. The GV-370 zooms
from 100' to 10 miles in 9 steps, with each step being twice as
big a scale (or slightly more) than the preceding scale.
To compare apples with apples, the Garmin Nuvi unit takes 15
steps to go from 120 ft to 12 miles, the GV-370 takes 9 steps to
go from 100 ft to 10 miles.
While there's little use to
being able to zoom out as far as 800 miles, a 10 mile limitation
is sometimes too restrictive, especially if you're doing a long
across-country drive on the freeway, and with the smaller
screen, the ability to more carefully fine tune the zoom levels
might be helpful.
The screen colors weren't as
bright on the GV-370 as on the Nuvi 680 - they were more pastel, making it easier
for them to wash out in bright sunlight. The GV-370 also
showed less differentiation between private roads and alleyways,
minor roads, and major roads than did the Garmin 680 - all three
categories of road were often shown identically on the GV-370,
but were all shown differently on the Garmin, making it easier
to get a quick 'snapshot' view of where you were and which roads
were important and worth looking out for.
The unit doesn't handle
automatically powering off at all well. Other units will
switch on and off automatically as/when power is applied to the
unit and taken away (ie caused by the ignition key going on or
off), and some units are clever enough as to power down if
there's been no movement for some minutes. But this unit
doesn't power on/off in synch with power to the unit, and if you
set its auto-power off feature, it will power off after the specified
period of time, whether the unit is in a moving vehicle or not,
and whether the unit is actively navigating you to a destination
or not. Someone just didn't even start to think this issue
all the way through.
But, casting these niggles
to one side, and viewing the unit through the lens of its
remarkably low street price, the key impression is of a very
good entry level unit with at least as much functionality as
other units costing up to twice as much money, and a generally
sensible and easily understood layout of menu screens and
controls. Sure, there's no Bluetooth, and it doesn't
pronounce road names, but if these features are important to
you, be prepared to pay substantially more money.
The Bottom Line
This is an excellent 'good
all rounder' with few flaws and a lot to like. Easy to
use, and very well priced, we rate it as a 'Best Buy' and the
best value unit currently available in the entry level, 3.5"
screen category.
Great for people seeking a
first time low cost GPS, or for people wanting a second GPS, eg
to take with them when traveling elsewhere in the US and hiring
rental cars.
Feature Analysis
|
Feature |
Test
Unit |
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Model |
GlobalSat GV-370 |
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Price |
Shown
as available for $359.99 on the
manufacturer's website.
Available for $315 through
Amazon, and
(still as a new unit) for under $200 if you
choose their 'used and new' option -
currently it is an amazing bargain at only
$170. |
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Review
Date/Details |
August 2007. It
came with firmware version E-PPC-0D-0702261,
which amazingly proved to be the current
firmware version available from the
manufacturer's website.
The unit reported it was using IntelliNav
version 1.00.07, with copyright dates
through 2006, and Navteq mapping data
showing a copyright date of 2005.
GlobalSat said that although it shows a 2005
copyright, in actual fact the map data was
updated in 2006. |
|
Warranty |
One
year. |
|
Support |
Through
GlobalSat's website or via their toll free
support - (888)323-8730, 8am - 5pm Pacific
time, Monday - Friday.
It was quick and easy to get through to a
representative, who seemed to be locally
based in California where the company has
its US office. He was friendly but not
particularly knowledgeable (but this may be
due to the company not providing him with
answers to questions such as upgrade
policies). |
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Inclusions |
The unit
comes with a complete package of just
about everything you're likely to need :
-
The unit
itself
-
Windshield or dash mounting adapter
-
Car power
supply
-
USB cable
-
AC
charger
-
Quick
reference guide
-
DVD with
map data and related software
-
2 GB SD
card with map data preloaded
|
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Runs out
of the box |
As soon
as you've plugged the SD card into the unit,
it is ready to go.
A simple
straightforward operating system makes the
unit almost intuitive in use, so there's
very little learning curve needed to start
using it productively. |
|
Size |
The unit
measures 4.2" x 3.3" x 1.0". |
|
Weight |
The unit
by itself weighs 6.7oz. The unit
complete with screen mounting hardware and
power cable weighs 13.8 oz.
As such, the unit is well suited to pack and
take with you when traveling. It is
neither particularly bulky nor heavy. |
|
Mounting
Accessories |
The unit comes with a two piece suction cup
mounting accessory to mount on the dash.
A cradle clips into the suction mount, and
the unit then clips into the cradle.
The cradle held the unit fairly loosely.
It was easy to take the unit in and out of
the cradle.
The suction cup mount was easy to affix to
the windshield and provided a positive
strong mounting point.
GlobalSat also sell a vent mount adapter
that allows you to situate the unit on an
air vent. In some ways this is a
preferable mounting method (and essential in
states that outlaw windshield mounting)
because it makes the unit less obvious to
casual prowlers looking for cars to break
into.
Extra windshield mounts can be purchased for
$16 and vent mounts for $15 on
their website. Note that you'd
also have to buy an extra cradle too if you
were wanting to conveniently swap the unit
between two different mounts (ie in two
different cars), these are $7 each. |
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Screen
Size |
3.5"
diagonal screen
2.1" x 2.8" = 3:4 aspect ratio |
|
Screen
Pixels |
240 x
320 pixels.
114 pixels/inch vertically
114 pixels/inch horizontally
This is a good pixel resolution - better
than most computer screens, but not quite as
good as the Nuvi 680. |
|
Screen
Colors |
65,536
(16 bit) |
|
Screen
Visibility |
The screen is only moderately clear and easy
to read. It doesn't use strong colors
- instead it uses light colors, and so the
lack of color contrast makes it easy for the
screen to be washed out in bright light.
Good pixel density makes for a sharp image. |
|
Screen
Backlighting |
Yes,
six levels offered. |
|
Day/Night Mode |
You can
choose between having the unit automatically
switch between day and night (time of day
dependent) or you can manually switch it
over as you wish.
Night
colors are darker and deeper. Reducing
the brightness is often helpful at night,
too. |
|
Controls |
In
addition to the touch screen, the unit has
five buttons on its front, a scroll
wheel/rocker on the side and a master On/Off
switch on the back.
Two of
the buttons on the front are somewhat
unnecessary - they are zoom in/out buttons,
which are duplicated on the map screen, and
the mute button is also duplicated on the
map screen, but not elsewhere, and so adds
very limited extra value.
One of
the other buttons is a 'home page' button
that takes you to the main menu screen from
anywhere, and the other is a power button.
The
scroll wheel on the side is for adjusting
the volume. |
|
Interactive help files available |
No |
|
Limited
functionality when moving |
No |
|
Graphics
processor speed |
Excellent |
|
GPS
Receiver |
SiRF
Star III |
|
Max
number of satellites simultaneously tracked |
Up to 20 |
|
WAAS
enhanced |
Yes |
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Dead
reckoning capability |
No |
|
Satellite display |
Yes, two
different ways.
The
color of the car cursor changes based on the
number of satellites being tracked.
Green indicates four or more satellites,
yellow means three, red means one or two,
and gray means no satellites.
You can also access a satellite status page
that gives information on how many
satellites are being received, plus your
latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and
time. |
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Accuracy
calculation |
No |
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Can the
unit show you your current latitude and
longitude and compass heading |
Yes,
the GPS info screen shows latitude,
longitude, altitude, speed, number of
satellites and satellite based time (ie very
accurate).
Compass heading is not shown, although the
map screens do include a north pointer. |
|
Can the
unit show you your current altitude |
Yes, it
shows altitude in feet on the satellite
information page. |
|
Can the
unit show you the exact time |
Yes |
|
External
antenna capability |
Yes.
The unit uses an MMCX type connector. |
|
CPU
processor speed |
Samsung
S23C2410 266 MHz. Uses Windows CE.NET
4.2 Core OS. Has 64MB of NAND flash
and 64MB of SDRAM.
The processor is lightning fast for route
recalculations, faster even than the Garmin
Nuvi 680. |
|
Trip
Computer functions |
None |
|
Battery
Type |
Lithium Ion, 1400 mAh capacity. |
|
Battery
Life |
The
manufacturer says the battery is good for
2.5 hours. I've used the unit on
battery for over 2.5 hours and still
had one of the three power bars in the
battery power meter remaining after this
usage (with the screen set to moderately
bright), so this is a delightful example of
a conservative rather than unfairly
optimistic battery life specification. |
|
Power
Input |
The unit
is powered either from its built in
rechargeable battery or from an external
power source, which feeds power through the
unit's USB port.
The unit comes complete with a mains power
adapter, a car power adapter, and a USB
cable to connect to, eg, a computer.
The unit therefore has maximum flexibility
in terms of power sources (plus a long life
battery) with you not needing to buy
anything extra to derive full benefit from
its standard simple USB power input.
Well done, GlobalSat. |
|
Auto
Power On/Off |
No.
And when you do power the unit back on, you
have to then move from the 'main' screen to
the map screen. |
|
Mapping |
|
Map
provider |
Navteq |
|
Countries provided |
US, Canada,
Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands |
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Update
policy, frequency and cost |
They
were unable to tell me what their update
policy, frequency, or cost would be. |
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Other
countries also available |
Yes. In theory they also offer a
European SD card, but were unable to tell me
how much it sells for. |
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How is
map data loaded into the GPS receiver |
Map data is loaded from the SD
card, nothing is stored in the unit itself. |
|
Can the
entire US be loaded into the unit |
Yes.
The supplied 2GB SD card holds all of the US and Canada. |
|
Speaks
Directions |
Yes |
|
Speaks
Street Names |
No. It will speak some numbered
highways, but not street names. |
|
Languages spoken |
The system can display prompts in 8
different languages. It can speak
directions in 3 different languages -
English, French and Spanish. The
English language option is English accented
English with a female voice. |
|
2D/3D |
Yes, you
can choose between these options. |
|
Can you
choose between North up or Direction of
Travel up |
Yes |
|
Split
screen mode |
No |
|
Map
Scale Shown |
Yes
There is no auto-zoom feature. |
|
Number
of POIs provided |
They
say 'more than a million' points of
interest, but were unable to be more
specific. |
|
Number
of user POIs that can be added |
You
can't add extra POI information. If
you wish to add extra information, this has
to be in the form of favorites. |
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POI
information includes phone number |
Yes |
|
POI
proximity alert |
No |
|
Speed
limit warner |
Yes -
you can enter a speed for it to sound an
alert tone, or set it to 'Auto' (and it then
alerts you for speeds depending on road type
- but these speeds aren't necessarily the
same as the posted speeds, making it a
fairly useless feature).
The speed alert feature can also be
completely disabled. |
|
Does it
show both miles and kilometers |
Yes |
|
Route Planning |
|
How to
enter addresses and other data |
The
touch screen displays an ABCD style
keyboard.
As you type in a name, it displays a list of
matching results which you can then choose
from, rather than type in the full name.
It is
actually a nice and helpful interface for
data entry. |
|
Can you
build a multi-stop journey with waypoints |
Yes |
|
Will it
solve the 'traveling salesman' puzzle |
No |
|
Can you
program assumed speeds for different road
types, and if so, how many different road
types? |
No.
The unit's default settings are not very
accurate and while it shows ETA data, it is
not something you can realistically rely on. |
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Can you
choose different settings for different
types of vehicles |
No |
|
Can you
program preferences for road/route types |
Yes,
you can choose to include or exclude
ferries, toll roads and carpool lanes, and
can also select a reduced amount of turns or
normal turns. |
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Does the
unit present you with multiple route choices
to choose from |
No |
|
Can you
choose between fastest/quickest and shortest
route options |
Yes,
you can program in a choice for quickest,
major roads preferred, shortest, or local
route preferred. |
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Will it
show breadcrumb trails? |
No |
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Extra Features |
|
Bluetooth |
No |
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Export
data to laptop |
Although
it has a USB port, data can not be imported
or exported. The USB port seems to be
mainly for power supply purposes. |
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Can it
play MP3 or other digital audio |
Yes, it
can play mp3 audio files. |
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Can it
play MP4 or other digital video |
Yes, it
can show mpg format video. |
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Can it
display pictures |
Yes - in
jpg format. |
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Integrated with
real time traffic reporting |
No |
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Integrated with other location services |
No |
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Other features |
The unit
comes with a stylus to make it easier to tap
in data on the small touch screen. |
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Read more in the GPS
articles series
See the links at the
top right of the page to visit other articles
in our GPS series.
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Originally published
31 August 2007, last update
21 Jul 2020
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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