Garmin StreetPilot c320 Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c320 Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: Outstanding value. Has all the necessary features
Summary: 4 Stars
This is almost everything I would want in a GPS. The maps are accurate and pretty fast, and I would much rather have the attractive price than the unnecessary features for 2x or 3x as much. (MP3 player? WHY??)
The one shortcoming to me is the lack of preferences. I find this unit sending me through the middle of town all the time, when I often much prefer going on the interstate. It offers the ability to go for shorter time instead of shorter distance, but it apparently doesn't accurately account for the speed difference.
All in all, though, I am very pleased and highly recommend this unit for the price.
Digital camera Review: Nav
Summary: 4 Stars
I wish it had more memory built in. Could not load maps with a mac...needed a pc....not coolDigital camera Review: Glad I bought it
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought 2 of these for my teens, then went back and got a 3rd for myself. Overall, we love it. Occasionally it tries to route us in round-about ways or takes me to a business that no longer exists, but it's right far more often than wrong. Positives: large bright display that I can read easily. Simple to operate. Negatives: We had trouble loading the software and the instructions aren't very detailed. One thing I didn't realize is that the charger plugs into the mounting unit, not into the device itself. Since I take this with me when I travel, that's one extra item to carry that I really don't need. Later models plug into the unit itself. Also, I find that when I travel to a new state I have to reload maps to make room. I'm going to have to spend for a bigger memory card. But overall, a great buy.Digital camera Review: Like it, buc consider the 330
Summary: 4 Stars
In the end, I probabably should have gone for the 330 for the small price differential.
WARNING: Although this is not a fatal error, DO NOT plug the unit into your computer until instructed by the on-screen display. I falsely assumed that I would save battery power by plugging it into the USB slot and THEN turning it on. WRONG. If you carefully read the literature, it warns you about this, but the "quick reference guide" does not. However, if you made the same error I did, you can reset the unit by removing the face plate and then start from scratch.
Second thoughts: 1) Memory: I live in Pennsylvania, and once I loaded PA, NY, MD, DE, WV and NJ, there was no room for anything else. Not that I travel much outside of those states, but when I read the information that said you could load a "region" I was actually thinking more than five or six states. I sort of assumed the entire northeast, or something close to that. But it's limited. As I said, I don't travel much out of those five states, but for the very small price differential with the 330, "having it all" is probably worth it.
2) Points of Interest: Maybe there's something I missed, but the 320 has gas stations, hotels and restaurants, nothing else I've discovered, like ATMs, museums, etc. And even though I've updated the software twice, it still lists places that haven't been in business for years, and does not list many other points of interest that I know exist.
3) Navigation: Whether I choose "fastest" or "shortest" on this little "test," from work to home, the Garmin insists on routing me along a street with a traffic signal every block, not to speak of two hospitals and a high school, when there is a parallel route which is all of 0.1 miles longer, with one traffic signal and NO traffic congestion generators like hospitals and schools. Likewise, on the way home from the vet today, it insisted on putting me on a four-lane highway that was going to take me 15 miles away from my home. Sure, I couild drive faster while on it, but getting home from the nearest exit to my home was going to be far more of a headache than following the two-lane direct route. For about 8 miles, it tried to re-route me back to to the four-lane entrance ramp that I had deliberately not taken. I understand full well that I am quibbling about the fact that I know local routes, traffic patterns, etc. better than it does. Just be aware that if you are coming from the south, and going to the south end of your destination, the Garman may just well route you on a four-lane that takes you 15 miles east, and then brings you back via streets you wish you'd been able to avoid.
4) Adding "this location" to your favorites is not particularly intuitive.
5) If you're intersted in trip statistics, your "trip" starts when the unit is powered up, so if you're still packing the car, all your stats will include that "stopped time." If this matters to you, even as a matter of curiosity, remember to reset your trip when you actually start.
Nevertheless, it is very easy to use with almost no learning curve. Very intuitive. The screen is easily readable, day or night, though sometimes glare interferes. Not a biggie. The "Go Home" feature is wonderful and isn't emphasized in what I've read. You can set any place as "home" and in 2-3 touch screen selections, you can set the Garmin to guide you back to there. This is extraordinarily useful for people like me who tend to like to explore unfamiliar terrority. Set your hotel as "home," and explore to your heart's content, and then hit "go home" and even if it DOES take you past three hospitals on the way and get you in line behind 17 school buses, it WILL get you back where you started. It is easy to remove the unit from the mount so as to reduce the potential for break-in/theft, and also easy to reattach it.
All in all, I'm pleased with it. I just wish in retrospect that I'd spent the relatively few extra bucks on the c330
Digital camera Review: Great - Saves me lots of time.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am in love with the Garmin C320 that I bought BUT I should have spent a few more bucks and bought a C330 or higher model. In saving a few dollars I have to download my maps onto a 128 MB memory stick. Because the stick only holds so much information I now plan on purchasing a 2 GB memory stick and downloading many more maps. I didn't realize this when I made my purchase. The C330 and later models are plug and play out of the box. Other than the memory problem I LOVE my Garmin and strongly recommend it to everybody. I should have bought years ago.