Unboxing – Garmin Nuvi 3790T

We don’t get to say this very often, but Something exciting has occurred in the world of sat navs. Is it a phone? Is it a new pocket-sized tablet? No, it’s the Garmin Nuvi 3790T.

Out of the box, the Garmin Nuvi 3790T is a real beaut: a gorgeously thin (9mm) and very light slice of GPS gadgetry, with an equally eye-catching 4.3-inch WVGA display (800 x 480). We’re talking sleek lines, slim body and all round aesthetic goodness. It may very well be the slimmest sat nav in the world at this very moment. And no, we’re not in Italy, either.

 There’s nothing much to look at around here, except for a lovely brushed metal backside and speaker grate.

I know what you’re thinking, it looks like an iPhone and its specs are very iPhone-esque. We’re talking about its sharp, capacitive touchscreen that even supports multitouch for pinch zooming and twisting on maps.

On the features front, the Nuvi 3790T serves up 3D terrain views, Bluetooth connectivity, ecoRoute and TrafficTrends which locates routes for you based on historical data for the time of day you’re traveling, in a similar way to TomTom’s IQ Routes. The PhotoReal Junction View will also help you navigate tricky junctions by showing exactly what‚Äôs in front of you, including signs, layout and even trees. 

Fed up of the monotonous tones of the female droid telling you to “turn right”? Get rid of her and record your own voice using Garmin’s Voice Studio. 

With intense competition coming from the smartphone market and Google, Garmin seemingly felt it had to bring something new to the table that will both innovate and keep its devices relevant. Or perhaps the thinking behind it was that by disguising it as a smartphone, people would be more attracted to it?

Make no mistake, the Garmin Nuvi 3790T will get stolen if you leave it in your car unattended. It’s a far cry from the plasticky, boxy and repetitive form factors currently flooding the market. The design and price tag (£300) both tell us that.