Garmin StreetPilot c320 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c320 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: A GPS navigator well worth the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I am very pleased with this device. It is very accurate and helpful directing our travels. The touch screen menus are very user friendly; even those not technically savvy should have no trouble with this device. The only negative I have experienced is a tendency of the unit to fall off the windshield if both the window and suction cup are cold when it is first installed. Also the maps in our area are out of date, but so are all the map programs on the Internet, so I don't feel it is Garmin's fault. I bought this for my wife for Christmas, now I want one as well!Digital camera Review: A GPS that moms can love.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this GPS for my 60-something year old mother as a birthday gift. I bought it specifically with her in mind because of its simplicity. Many GPS systems have a multitude of buttons, confusing menu systems and exotic options. The StreetPilot series is very simple and straightforward, and having the large screen (for a unit of its size) was a big selling point for me.
The unit is about the size of a baseball and reminds me of a tiny version of Apple's original iMac computer. There are very few external controls; only a power button and a volume dial. Every other function is controlled through the large (for its size) touch screen. There's also a "docking port" on the back which mates to the mounting arm and provides power, a port for an external antenna, and a mini USB port for connecting it to a computer. The unit contains a (sealed) rechargeable battery which is good for about 3-4 hours -- handy if you suddenly find yourself stuck on the road and need to walk to the nearest gas station or hotel for assistance.
It ships with a suction cup swing-arm thing that you can attach to your windshield; the GPS mounts to the arm so you can position it to your liking. It also ships with an adhesive pad if you want to permanently mount it on your dashboard, a DC adapter for your cigarette lighter, a 128MB memory card (good for two small states or one medium/large state), a Windows CD containing the application and maps, and the owner's guide. No surprises there. It is my understanding that Garmin now offers a Mac OS X application although I have not tried it.
Setup is a piece of cake. Charge up the GPS (mine shipped with a half-charge on the battery already) and insert the SD card. Install the software on your computer, connect the USB cable, select which states you want on the GPS and download them. When it's time to go, mount the unit in a location in the car where it will have good outward visibility (e.g., the base of your windshield) and plug in the power cord. One really clever/useful feature: The unit will automatically shut off (after asking you if you want to continue on battery power) when you turn the car off, and will automatically power up when you turn the car on. It does this through a simple voltage check through the power cord. Not very high tech, but effective and useful.
There's one bad thing about the physical design of the StreetPilot which has been mentioned by others before me: The screen quickly gets washed out in everyday lighting conditions. You often find yourself adjusting the GPS so you can see SOMETHING. There are two solutions to this problem. Solution #1 is to fashion a sort of hood for the GPS. (I worked with a local shop to make a small opaque plastic hood which I Velcro'ed to the top, which works flawlessly.) Solution #2 is to put the GPS off the dashboard (up near the rear view mirror works especially well) and then run an external antenna. The problem is bad enough that I'm removing a full star from my rating of this product; had Garmin put a better screen in this unit I would have given it a full five stars.
One thing I thought was particularly nice: At sunset, the GPS automatically shifts colors to a "night mode" which uses darker colors so as not to blind you during night driving. At sunrise it switches back. This isn't a Garmin-specific feature but it's nice to see nonetheless.
You can preprogram a number of favorite locations into the GPS which makes it a lot easier to work with. You also program your home location into it so that at any time you can "GO HOME" with the click of a single button. It also contains an astonishing amount of information about regional businesses; you can tell it to locate gas stations, restaurants, hotels, shopping, amusement parks or virtually any other type of business in your area, and plot directions to those locations with a quick button press or two. Very simple.
Directions are called out clearly in a mechanical-yet-female sounding voice. You quickly learn to pay attention to the verbiage in use; "turn left" is different from "stay left" or "merge left", for example. Directions are given according to speed and location. When you enter a highway, for example, you are told how long it will be before you get off the highway ("in 12.2 miles, keep right") and then as you approach the turn you're reminded again ("in 400 feet, keep right"). If you're caught in traffic it won't drive you insane with mindless repetitions. One REALLY nice feature: If you miss a turn, the GPS will automatically announce, "off route; recalculating" and within a second or two plot you an alternate route based on your current position. It bears mentioning that while the C320 does not call out street names or exit numbers the screen does display this information, so the GPS screen may show "Bear right at exit 17A" but the voice will say only "in .5 miles bear right". Many of Garmin's higher-end systems will call out the street names and such so if you must have that feature you'll need to look at something other than the c320.
Of course, any GPS is only worthwhile if its maps are accurate. My c320 shipped with version 6 of the map software which were not flawless but were quite good. On 10-07-2006 I updated the maps to version 8 and found that several minor errors that existed in the version 6 maps had been corrected, and a number of points of interest had similarly been updated. It is my understanding that Garmin ships the most current map software as they're updated. (The 2820 that I purchased in 2006 came with version 8 of the map software which is the most current as of this writing.) Note that you will need at least a 1GB memory card to install all maps; a 2GB card is recommended (by me) so that you can have all maps and as many custom points of interest that you want. The c320 uses a standard SD card; as of this writing a 2GB card can be purchased for less than 40 bucks. One minor annoyance: The c320 has a USB 1.x interface rather than the faster USB 2 interface. Transferring all maps -- about 950MB -- takes between 45 minutes and an hour. Fortunately you only need to do this once.
Garmin also has a very nice and painless method of updating the software in the unit. Connect the GPS to your Windows PC (no Mac support) via USB, then download and run Garmin's free WebUpdate application. It will detect your GPS model and then contact Garmin's servers for any applicable software updates. (You may need to run the updater several times to get all of the updates.) My c320 shipped with version 3.2 of the system software; after running WebUpdate it brought the Garmin to version 5.3 which contained a number of bug fixes and performance updates.
I would definitely buy this product, or another Garmin product, again. In fact, I did! I purchased the Garmin StreetPilot 2820 for my own personal use. (You can see my review of it here on Amazon as well.)
Digital camera Review: A Great GPS If it still works!
Summary: 4 Stars
It is a great product. I only had a proble getting somewhere, twice, so far. But, I only
had it for 3 weeks. I turned it on today and it shut back off and wont turn back on.
Digital camera Review: A Great GPS for the right price
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this GPS to help myself and my wife when we go to unfamiliar places. So far it has worked well and the interface on the Garmin products is much better than the other models we have tried. I recently took this unit with me on a business trip to San Francisco. It was a god send helping me get from the Airport to my hotel and then around the city to do the touristy stuff. I don't recommend buying the c330 model with the pre-loaded entire US maps. For only $30 more you can buy a 1gb SD card and load the entire US on it.
My only complaint is that it is not easy to load new points of interest from the computer if you are not using someone else's premade POIs.
Digital camera Review: A Police Officers Friend
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a Police Officer in a large city and was recently transfered to a new section of which I had no knowledge of the streets. The key map I had did the job but gave me a headache evertime I used it because I just didn't know the area and didn't know what I was looking for. I researched the various GPS systems and decided on the Garmin c320 and was not disappointed. The first night I used it I was able to imput very quickly the addresses I needed to get to and it took me straight there. The verbal commands were very clear in the British English voice (don't use the American voice- it sounds like a computer). The second night I used it when there was a Home Invasion in progress and I had no idea where it was. I quickly put the address into the GPS and followed its directions and arrived in about 8 minutes, well before the other police units, who knew the area well but were having trouble finding this one location.
I have tested it for two weeks now and I feel confident that I can get anywhere at anytime. One weakness though is the mapping system which I think is the weakness of all GPS systems. There needs to be a better and more accurate update system since it was unable detect the newer subdivisions and the new highways being built in the city. At one point the GPS told me to turn left but there was a new toll road blocking my path. Knowing that the street I wanted came out on the other side I drove about a mile and then turned and the GPS quickly recalculated a new pathway and took me to where I wanted to go. But still I think there should be quicker updates for users.
Another weakness is driving into the downtown area. I asked it to find police headquarters in downtown Houston and it did great until I got in-between the buildings and then lost the signal. The entire time downtown I was unable to use the device.
But overall I am very happy with it and can't imagine driving the streets of Houston without it. I rode with another officer who was also new to the area and showed him how it worked and he was blown away by it and probably made a sale for the Garmin people.
This is the device to get if you want to use it for a single city or state. If you are a traveller I would probable get the c330 since it has the entire US already in its system.