Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $299.00 You Save: $100.99 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $50.00 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Digital camera Review: AWFUL WINDSHIELD MOUNT FOR A GREAT UNIT.
Summary: 4 Stars
What was Garmin thinking when they changed the mounting from the c300 series to the c500 series,instead of a secure mount that holds the unit in place.They added a ball and socket mount that literally gives absolutely no support to the unit.Go over a bump and unit will tilt downward.go over another bump and it moves to one side.another bump and it leans all the way forward almost facing the car floor.My unit in my old C340 never moved by itself,Garmin needs to rethink this mount and send buyers a new one that secures the unit.otherwise unit is great.For some reason i cannot downlaod POIs like i did in my c340.The blue tooth is great,I have no need for a MP3 Player as its easier just to put in a CD.And you can only program it to make one stop on your way to your final destination,inexcusable for a unit at this price.For those who no doubt will disagree with my opinion of the awful ball and socket window mount.Wait a moth or go over some heavy bumps and then tell me what you think.Digital camera Review: Accurate, durable, dependable GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
Have the c550 for about two months. First I bought the c530 but then decided I wanted the traffic and text-to-speech. Glad I got the 550, but the major and best features of both are the same -- very accurate, excellent signal retention (I often use it to plan routes INSIDE my condo), high quality, great display, solid construction. It's been through bumps, heat, cold and still works like the day it was new. Highly recommended.Digital camera Review: All of the Muscle and None of the Fat
Summary: 4 Stars
I do not have the world's best sense of direction and I am a lousy map-reader. So this type of product is a lifesaver for me. I chose Garmin because my husband and I have had good experiences with other Garmin products. I chose this particular model because it had the features I wanted without too many extras to drive the price up. I did not need to spend an extra $200.00 for a photo viewer, e-book reader, etc. I just want it to tell me how to get where I am going, and that, it does.
The features for which I bought it include the glare resistant screen, Bluetooth compatibility and Text-to-Speech. (TTS means is says street names when it is telling you to turn.) The screen works well in all lighting conditions and the volume is amply loud, even in traffic. I haven't set up the Bluetooth yet, so I can't say how well it works. (I don't honestly know that I will, but I want to know that I can.) The voice isn't unduly mechanical and I feel more confident when it tells me the street name before a turn. You can set it so that it will "Ding" before its spoken warnings, but it has not been needed thus far.
It has a few quirks. First of all, it is bulkier than some other units. (It cost less, so I could live with that.) If you go off-route, it says "Recalculating" in a voice that slows down just slightly, giving me the impression that I have annoyed it. (It's an electronic "Jewish Mother")
It does not always pick the route I would have picked on my own. That's not that big a problem, because it will recalculate and in any event, it will get you where you need to be. All in all, it is a good product that keeps me from getting lost.
Digital camera Review: All the features of the new GPS for less money
Summary: 5 Stars
The Garmin 550 has it all. It may not be the newest product that Garmin sells but it is the most full featured for the price that I found. I was always going with Garmin, I had a friend that owned a 320 and he loved the simple touch screen interface and ease of use. The 550 has voice prompts (with street names) that was a must for my wife, the newer technology to acquire satellites that the more recent Garmins have and it comes with a 3 month trial of the traffic alert service. All this and it was easily $100 less than a similarly equipped model from Garmin. It also has hands free bluetooth so you can use it as a speaker phone with your bluetooth enabled cell phone. I thought this option would have limited features but when I started reading the clear, easy to understand manual (yes, I read manuals...) I realized how extensive the bluetooth options were. I would normally just use a GPS unit to navigate to locations that are unfamiliar or far away but the bluetooth options make it a must have in the car each day. You can even use the phone numbers that are included in the ~6 million POI database to call restaurants or hotels via the touch screen while your traveling. Very cool. One other note on the traffic alert feature, I was worried that the coverage would be underwhelming but once I researched the links provided on the Garmin site I saw that it is actually very good in an around the major metropolitan areas in the country. I live outside Boston and we pickup service nearly 30 miles west of the city. We actually used the alerts the first time we used the 550 to avoid an accident on Rt2. For just a yearly $60 dollar subscription I was sold. So, to sum up, I am more than impressed that a sub $300 GPS has all these features and the already well known Garmin ease of use. Garmin was also the only GPS manufacturer that got any good reviews for customer service I found. I have not needed it yet but hope that remains true if I ever do.Digital camera Review: Almost perfect!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Garmin c550 is very easy to use right out of the box. Just turn it on and go. It quickly finds satellites and is extremely fast in calculations and accurate. The only complaint I have is with the age of the built in mapping. Several roads which have been around for over 7-8 years are still not in the database and restaurants which closed down over 5 years ago still are. The Bluetooth functionality works great although I would recommend buying the external microphone unless you're driving a car which is very quite inside. Overall I definitely recommend this product!