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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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: it does the job, but buy a different model
Summary: 3 Stars
I have owned this Garmin GPS for about 3 months and it has really helped out alot. I really hate maps and I'm not the most experienced driver, but with the Garmin c530 I am driving like a pro. It's very comforting knowing that I can find my way to a long distant job interview or navigate on busy highways.
However, the c530 isn't perfect. The biggest problem (as other reviewers have pointed out) is that this unit doesn't announce street names. Second I have experienced a few glitches. There have been a few times when the unit tells you to turn at the wrong address. Sometimes the unit gets really wacky and the voice says turn right and the screen shows to turn left. Another time I used the "point of intrest" feature to get some food and the GPS took me to a residential home address. I have also noticed that the recalculating feature lags sometimes for a few minutes (leaving you without any directions). It's almost like it decides to take a nap.
I don't regret buying this model, but I would rather own something that I know I don't need to upgrade. This one does the job, but it's almost embaressing sometimes when it screws up.
I have to give it a bit of credit. It does seem to hold up in the city and sometimes through tunnels. However, if you get stuck in a traffic jam in a big tunnel in the city, this unit will crap out and lose the signal. I also like how the unit estimates your arrival time. If you go the speed limit, the time estimate is pretty acurate.
Customer Review: Easy and accurate
Summary: 5 Stars
Out of the box this C530 was easy to use. I've had this for a month now and am in awe of how I can get to a destination that I never went to before without wrong turns.
There are some destinations that I am VERY familiar with and I think there's a short cut that the Garmin c530 doesn't take me through. This is inevitable. I am sure that I will not get lost going somewhere.
THe screen is bright day and night.
I can see the map and read the text very easily. I do need a wee bit of magnification to read well so I use 1.25 cheaters. I don't need cheaters to read the text.
The voice is loud and distinct.
I contacted Garmin and there is an updated full app MapSouce disk heading my way. This will enable me to see the map on my computer and input POIs (point of interest).
The menu is thorough and easy to learn.
I downloaded new vehicles from Garmin (Garmin.com/vehicles) these installed easily.
The Garmin c530 showed up easily on my computer.
This is ideal for my use.
I would buy this unit for my Dad who is computer illiterate and be assured that he would use it out of the box.
[...]
Very good tools.
I paid $[...] for this and it is well worth it. Last I saw the price was going down.
I ordered and use the "mat" to hold the unit in place. Very solid holding surface, thus far no shifting on the dashboard even in tight turns. I had the first windshield mount fall off after a bunch of hot days.
TOB9595
Customer Review: Love it but Odd route choices!
Summary: 4 Stars
Got this before the holidays for a 900-mile trip from the Northwest to California.
Good things? Easy to use! I can see the advantage of it saying street names, but they're on the unit's screen. It wouldn't be a $50 feature to add for me. Have seen a hack for getting the 530 to say street names, but haven't had the nerve to try it. Unit's sound is very adjustable, can hear it over the radio. Readout screen has day (white) and night (black) backgrounds--such a nicely lit screen!
We took a non-standard route, but we still took all US highways. Kept wanting us to take interstates. Putting in a closer destination usually fixed the quirk. Still, it sometimes routed us oddly; knew these were some odd route choices because we've driven this route for 20 years! Also, some of the restaurant info is outdated--and not just within a year. A restaurant that closed 6 years ago in a large town was one of its Mexican choices...Don't know how that's updated. I guess any Garmin with this set of maps would do the same thing... Frustrating to only be able to program one stop on the long route. We stopped for hotels, but could only put one in the "stop" function at a time.
It is a discontinued item, acc to the Garmin site--thus the discount prices. Works great, as accurate as any of these that use the particular map set that comes with it; has Canada maps; great value, and it's a Garmin. Terrific value for $$! I've told many friends about it!
Customer Review: Check how features differ from c550 and c340
Summary: 4 Stars
I was pleased to try out the C530 today when I received it and happy with it's overall performance, but am stumped as to why Garmin would leave out the ability to announce street names in the directions like the previous model c340. I would consider that part of the core software and part of all future and more expensive models. I was very disapointed to find that my c530 lacks this ability though.
After playing with the c530 some more I became even more disappointed when I realized that it lacks many, many points of interest that are on the c320,c330 models. I'm not sure what map set the c340 has, but the c530 has a different map set and the c320 and c330. I was surprised to find that the largest and most popular movie theatres were not listed on the c530 and I know they are listed in the c320 which had version 6 mapsets (the c320/c330 mapsets are now to version 7 released June 2005 to give you an idea how old they are). Since the c530 is a brand new product, you would think that the maps would be the most current and up to date and they appear to be the current version of the associated mapset, but it is missing many major businesses and the ones I do find sometimes haven't existed for more than 5 years. They have to be able to do better than this
I'm finding it probably wasn't worth spending the extra money, but will check with Garmin first to see if they can provide a different set of mapsets.
Customer Review: Highway voice guidance can be confusing
Summary: 4 Stars
I agree with all the pros and cons previous reviews indicated. however, seems nobody has noticed the highway voice guidance can be confusing - for example, when you are on a highway connecting other three highways, the voice guidance keep giving you "keep right", "keep right then keep left"...etc. If you are in a new place completely, such guidance can be very confusing - Megallon uses "left/right fork" to avoid such confusion.
I just got the unit today - will update as more usages.
updates from recent two trips (1/8/2007):
1) either because the map is not the latest version or due to some calculation methodology glitches, the GPS guided a most complicated route at highway switch. There is direct connection from Highway 80 to Highway 880 - both of them were built long long time ago - however, guidance from the GPS was to connect from Highway 80 to Highway 880 via Highway 980.
2)In another trip, the GPS guided to leave the highway 4 exits earlier than it should be, and to drive through most local/expressway with quite a few turns and connections.
I felt the "faster time" method does not necessarily agree with your daily driving common senses. The "shorter distance" method is even worse - give a lot of local connections.
however, the GPS still does its work. I would not change my rating for it. But for sure, there is space to improve.