Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $42.53 You Save: $321.26 (88%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Best Investment you can make
Summary: 4 Stars
I am in real estate and was out on a sales call with a client who had one of these units in her car. I was amazed at the amount of road information it had. I was so impressed that I bought one for myself. One of the many things that I like about this product is that it warns me in advance that I need to turn. You dont have to worry about running up on your turn and missing it. If you do happen to miss it because you werent paying attention to the voice or you wanted to go to the gas station on down the street, it recalculates the best way to still complete the route. I have only found a few roads/addresses that werent in the system. I found that the touch screen was easy to manage and the unit is very simple to use. It asks you very specifically for the information it needs in order to find your destination. I really like that I can set favorite addresses so I dont have to type in the information every time. This product also has a feature where you can select shopping, eating, etc information for the area that you are in and it will bring up the local businesses for that particular venue. This feature certainly makes road trips much easier. Something else that may not seem important but certainly impressed me was the fact that when the night-time hours came, the screen also reflected night-time. This really cuts down on the distractability of the unit while you are driving because the white light isnt shining in your face. This product also lets you know a general road configuration so that you arent suprised by a sharp turn or curve. I would certainly recommend this to anyone in Real Estate or Outside sales. This is a great companion and cuts down on the amount of mapping that you have to carry around with you. If you travel very much at all, this will pay for itself with the first family vacation. I strongly do and have recommended this product.Customer Review: Garmin Review
Summary: 3 Stars
You must realize that this review will be a little different than usual, since I use my GPS 5 days a week, 10 hours a day running service calls.
The user interface is great, and the touch screen is a plus.
The autocomplete address/town is very nice.
The ability to internally lock the GPS to prevent theft is nice.
I can do without the warning screen everytime I start it up.
Also the fact that I have to type the city in everytime is annoying.
In my local area, there have been some screw-ups:
Telling me to go the wrong way on a one way street.
Having me attempt to go on a old road course that has been changed.
Informing me that there is no such address, when I have been there before.
The "fastest time" preference is best used for people that are from out of town. It will not always get you there in the fastest time possible.
Sometimes, the GPS will have you turn on the wrong street, use your eyes.
If you go out of town on vacation, DO NOT use the lock feature, unless you are really careful. You only get one shot at it, and then it locks until you return to your home location. I made the mistake once, and had to get friendly with the paper map for the rest of the day.
If you have thick fingers, get a pen, or something dull to touch the buttons on-screen.
Some roads that have had their name for many years (i.e. Maple Ave) come up as CR 308, etc.
I have never had it get me to the doorstep, only within 100-500 feet.
If Garmin would update their road maps more often, it would really make my job easier.
And yes, I have updated my GPS, right after I bought it.
All in all, it is a good assistant, not a all knowing guide.
Customer Review: Garmin C530 and C330
Summary: 4 Stars
I used Garmin C330 in NY, Philadelphia and Niagara Falls. I did not have any problem. It is great GPS. Recently I bought C530 to try the TTS hack. I did TTS hack on C530 and it works great. Today I got a chance to use both them together and see the difference beside C530 announce street names.
1. In term of Signal acquisition , both units I found same. I put togeter in my front car seat and both took equal time to get the signal and calculate the route.
2. Both will alert before .2 miles you take turn. Both will recalculate at same time if you missed the route. I saw some people mentioned that C530 is quicker than C330. But no, Both are same.
3. C530 display whole street name (like Reed Hartman Hwy) but C330 displays half name of the street (Like Reed Hartmn).
4. C530 screen is readable thn C330 in sunlight.
In my opinion I did not find any big difference beside screen visibelity in sunlight in C530. I tried C530 inside my house and it could not get the signal. same with C330 as well.
The good thing with C530 is, you can hack it to get the street names to be announced and also it display almost full street name.
Update (9/15/2007):
I used Garmin c530 from Cincinnati to Chicago Ohare airport. While going it took me through correct path (same path was displayed by Google map). While coming back It took different path from I-65 S. It alerted me that Road is closed in 45 miles. Also it alerted me about traffic in Chicago and took me through small streets instead of Highway. Traffic was really heavy though on I-90 W (while going to Chicago).
I am surprised why my C530 alerted me. I did not subscribe any traffic service or so. Does it come by default? Anybody also had similar experience?
Customer Review: The eye vs. the ear
Summary: 4 Stars
My wife just had her (originally mine) Garmin StreetPilot 550 stolen, and I, my 340. As a musician frequently needing to find remote addresses in the greater Chicago area at night, I needed a replacement. Since the 550 was clearly a premium machine compared to the 340, how could the 530 possibly be priced below it? I like the reduced reflection of the 500 series' screens (at least for daylight use), definitely easier on the eye than the 300 series. The 530 may not pronounce street names, but it allows you to see them on the screen better.
But the Cnet review of the 530 is not encouraging, and Amazon consumer testimonials on behalf of the c530, while favorable, are relatively cursory compared to those provided by 330 and 340 supporters. (I personally find the smaller, Nuvi series too minuscule--additional gadgetry to carry in overloaded pockets and to lose faster than a thief can break into a car.) Even though both the 340 and 530 are discontinued, I don't see how any upgrades available to 330 or 550 owners would not also be available to 340 and 530 owners.
Having owned both a 550 and a 340, I frankly never noticed any faster, improved locking into the signal with the 550, despite Garmin's claims. It pretty much comes down to better screen appearance (530) vs. more detailed voice directions. So I'm going to go with the reviews as well as the unit I really had no complaints about, other than the wash-out factor, and pick up another StreetPilot 340.
Either way, you probably can't go wrong. If the price spread reaches 20 or more, buy low.
Customer Review: Garmin Street Pilot 530c- Glad I bought this unit!
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Garmin Street Pilot 530c and have owned it about 6 weeks now. I love this unit and after much homework on which unit to buy, I found Garmin was rated highest in satisfaction, support, and cost. I think the screen size is just right, even though slightly larger screens are available from others, it definitely affects the battery life to go larger though. The screen is super bright in sun, and automatically dims for night driving. It is a TFT screen which is the brightest in it's class (don't buy an STN style, as you will have brightness issues on sunny days).
I do need to consider updating my maps from the Garmin website, as a few "very new roads or gas stations, resturaunts, etc. are not listed.
This thing I must say is so accurate, I have found places that I have never been to, and it takes you right to the driveway. I truly think this is so easy to use, even my wife can do it by herself. I like the fact that it's portable to take from car to car or to a rental car, etc. I truly will never need another mapquest map ever again, and save more ink cartridges. I love being able to be in the middle of a strange place, and find gas, banks, resturaunts, entertainment, attractions, etc. (too cool)
This is the best unit I have seen compared to other friends I have that bought other Manufacturers units. I also found the best deal on Amazon at $399, no shipping or tax either! Best $399 I ever spent, and as a traveling salesperson, this has already proven to be an extreemly valuble tool, and I recomend it to friends and family.