Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $42.52 You Save: $321.27 (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: AWESOME GADGET!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, I am not a gadget person but wanted this for our trip from Colorado to the east coast. My wife realized that 30 miles into the trip we had forgotten the atlas we purchased from walmart two years ago. We passed a walmart and I said screw it, lets do it without one... This little trick did everything perfect the entire way across the US.
Mr. Garmin found every hotel we needed to stay at and it also found every gas station when in need. We even tested it all along our route to Tenn, then to Va. and back, just to see if all of the places were were looking at while re-fueling were there and it showed most of them... I do understand that all all of the restaurants can't be listed but in several different locations they were for the most part. Over 3500 miles later I have recommend Mr. Garmin to many people and praised it over and over. I even found the beer store for all the guys that wanted a particular St. Louis beer at 10:30 am, it rocks!
We just returned two days ago and I love this little guy, he proved us well. The price is well worth it at around $170 shipping included. The Amazon vendor sent exactly what I ordered and in just a few days I received it.
Awesome purchase! I cant wait to download other coutries into this little creature which we travel frequently. Should be fun.
Colorado Dave
Customer Review: Very Good GPS but not perfect.
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
* Sirf is a MUST and this unit has it. Sirf will keep your GPS unit connected under bridges and tall buildings. Reception is top notch.
* Fast sattelite connection.
* Users friendly, to the point and very straight forward.
* Windshield mount is very strong, unlike my Magellan which keeps on falling off the windshield mount.
* No external buttons, its all touch screen, except for the power button
* It records the highest speed, time idle, time travel, odometer and speedometer.
* It will operate up to 8 hours if unpluged. I hate chords hanging on my windshild, so I run mine solely on the internal battery power.
Cons:
* No options for route preferences. For example if you want to avoid freeways in your route you will have to go to a different menu to disable it first. I found this to be bothersome and time consuming. Other GPS (Magellan) will give you an option which route you prefer such as: shortest time, shortest distance, least use of freeway.
* Points of Interest takes too long to process. Its beyond slow. For those who uses this feature often I have news for you, BE PATIENT or it will drive you nuts.
In summary I give this unit a 4 Star due to the Cons that I listed above. Other than that this GPS unit is GREAT.
Customer Review: Doesn't include the 2008 edition of Maps
Summary: 3 Stars
Just received my C530 Street Pilot. I also ordered the additional AC charger. Upon examination I found that it plugs into the USB port on the GPS while the DC car adapter plugs into a different location on the back. The manual does not explain this but after a call to Garmin I found that the AC charger does hook up to the USB port. You can also charge the unit by connecting it to your USB port on your home computer thus eliminating the need for the AC charger unless you plan on taking it on trips where you might use a rental car.
I went to Garmins web site and after putting in the serial number of my unit I found that it did not come with the 2008 edition of maps for North America. Now that seems strange since we are within 23 days of it being 2008. Garmin expects you to put out another $69.00 to purchase the updated maps.
The units seems simple to use and is fairly straight forward. I tried it out this morning on my way to coffee. It obviously didn't know where it was as it wanted me to take a wrong turn within two miles of my house, which it couldn't find on my return trip so if you don't live in a large metropolitian area this may not be the unit for you.
I would recomend that if you are buying this unit that you make sure you are getting the most up to date maps available.
Customer Review: Great lil device!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought a Garmin C350 a couple of weeks ago and have used it enough to say that this is one of the best things I've ever bought! Its siRF receiver is powerful and I think thats what gives it an edge over its predecessors. It catches a signal literally 10 seconds after switching it on! I'm new to Madison and I've no idea of the routes but this thing's guided me perfectly ever since I got it and I've traveled miles and miles on the city's roads - big or small - without worrying about getting lost. So far it hasnt taken me along any strange dirt roads (I've programmed it for "shortest route" rather than "fastest route") unlike some other GPSs that I read about, but I havent traveled long distances yet so I'm not a 100% sure of that. However I understand that the siRF receiver is quite powerful and hope that it'll be able to position me better and opt for conventional routes. The POIs are great and well organized, it recognized all the names that I entered.
The only thing that's missing is the text to voice feature (which reads out the name of the street on which it asks you to turn). BUT that is not a problem at all because the name of that street appears in a large font on the screen so all one has to do is take a quick look at the screen...its as simple as looking in your rear-view mirror.
Customer Review: Quick, simple, reliable
Summary: 4 Stars
I have never used a GPS before. I cannot give you the elaborate comparisons or insights that others will provide. I purchased this system and began to use it 5 days ago. I love it. It found the satellite in less than a minute and has consistently done so. I live in a rural area with many tree covered roads. I own a sirius radio receiver and, from time to time, momentarily lose the signal. This has not happened thus far with the c530. The touch screen is extremely easy to use and the questioning system is a breeze. I have used it two times to drive over an hour from home to places I've never been and it has been stress free and spot on. I honestly don't care about finding businesses, restaurants, hotels, etc. Maybe I will in time, but I'm just too new at it now. I bought it to stop the aggravation of getting lost and the flaws of depending on mapquest. I am completely satisfied and have no regrets at all. The voice directions are clear and given in plenty of time to make the turns. The estimated arrival times are accurate within one minute, and recalculation if you choose a different path are immediate. I'm someone who didn't want a lot of bells and whistles, but I also wanted something very simple to use. There may be better ones out there, but I am very satisfied with my purchase.