Garmin StreetPilot c580 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct
by Garmin
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List Price: Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c580 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct
Customer Review: c580 works as advertised and better
Summary: 4 Stars
There have been a lot of favorable reviews and while I write this, I think this is somewhat of a me too. I do have one feature that I wanted to share with other new/potential owners.
When using the MSN direct, Garmin does a good job of letting you know it will take some time to populate the data. I would like to add a little to this in the hope it saves others any angst.
Once you register for msndirect, you then need to have your power supply plugged in to a) begin charging the internal battery and b) begin receiving data. I think "a" is a forgotten aspect. Since, my commute is short, it took several trips to/from the office before msndirect began functioning properly.
Trips 1 and 2, it began to receive gas (3 days for this data to be accurate, movies, and weather. But for some reason, my commute was always a green road with no traffic accidents, delays, or anything at all. In fact, I only got traffic info when I left my map and went directly to msndirect link.
Then, on the 3rd day of use, while driving home, I got an alert in my map for the first time notifying me of traffic delays ahead.
So, it was working properly all along, and I only needed addtional patience, and enough time for the msndirect unit to get enough battery life so that it continues to download and update while you are not in your car.
Basically, as others have written, this is one great unit at a great price. I don't yet understand the draw in paying more for EQUAL features in the Nuvi line, as the StreetPilot seems to have it all at a far better price.
UPDATE: 2 months later, I still love the 580, but I am concerned with the availability of MSNDirect. It is as if the network is still rolling out. When my office location changed and I traveled a "lesser" highway, I noticed that only 5 or 6 of my 22 mile commute received a MSNDirect signal. Even while traveling Route 95/128 in the boston area, I do not receive a signal. And, I am not alone as others I work with have the sam eunit and the same problem.
So, MSNDirect while great when you get signal appears to be a network stil being rolled out or (I hope not) one being dismantled. We need more coverage.
Customer Review: Great value
Summary: 4 Stars
Garmin c580 is a very good GPS and because it comes with MSN Direct receiver (with 1 year of service included) it has the best value among other GPS devices. It is a bit bulky but it's not huge. One benefit of a larger size is that you will have two speakers which should be more powerful than speakers in "flat" GPS.
It is an older device but you can install the newest maps on it for free once you get it(Map Update 2009 as of this writing). During the activation of MSN Direct account, you will have an option to get 6 additional months of service for $10, giving you 18 months of MSN Direct in total. MSN Direct in itself doesn't really add that much to the unit but I'm not disappointed because I didn't really expect anything from it. Considering that it will cost you $10 for 18 months (or $0 for 12), it's OK. The most useful thing of MSN Direct is weather forecast. Traffic is not current and not all major roads are covered. Traffic status is not overlayed on the navigation screen, you need to go to a special section (MSN>Traffic) to see an overview of traffic conditions in your area. There is, however, an option to avoid traffic in GPS setup. Gas prices are also quite delayed and names of gas stations are almost never available (there's an option to navigate to a selected gas station.) Movie times seem to be ok and seem to be current.
Overall, c580 will give you a good GPS device with most current maps for a low price. You also get MSN Direct with the receiver included.
I chose c580 because I wanted to get good routing and maps (Garmin) and didn't want to pay a lot. I also wanted to play around with MSN Direct and with other Garmins I'd have to spend additional $150 to get a receiver which comes for free with c580. I would also recommend getting a dashboard mount: Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount for Nüvi Series and StreetPilot I Series, C530, C550 and C580 GPS Navigators.
Customer Review: Garmin StreetPilot c580
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my first GPS so I did lots of research on the web to figure out which was the best one for me. The first step was to decide how much I wanted to pay which was no more then $200. The second step was to decide on features. I knew I wanted the GPS loaded with maps of both the USA and Canada, some systems don't come with maps of Canada unless you purchase them. The next feature I wanted was turn by turn with text to speech as I liked the idea of hearing the street names as I approached them. I also wanted a GPS that was rated as very accurate and fast. As for additional features like MP3 and picture viewer, thought it would be neat, but not essential. I began my research at CNET, Amazon, Best Buy and Circuit City plus a few other sites on the net I can't remember now. I read their reviews and also the reviews of the folks who actually bought the devices. I came down to the choice between the Garmin c580 and Garmin c550. The difference was that the c580 had MSN Direct services free which gives you local gas prices, real time traffic and movie times free for a year. Otherwise I could find no real difference. The price at the time I purchased the c580 was only a few dollars more. Now where I live there is no MSN coverage, but when I went to Las Vegas I had coverage and down in the southern part of Maine there is coverage. I have no plans to extend my membership once it expires. I have really liked the GPS as I have found it extremely accurate. The MP3 player works well, but because of the size of speakers, not really that great to listen to music. The display and voice are very clear. It has Blue tooth functionality. The screen size is 3.5 in which is right for me. I would recommend this GPS as very good. My only recommendation before you buy a GPS is to do your research and read the reviews of the folks who purchased it to get a good general sense of the product.Customer Review: Best bang for the buck
Summary: 5 Stars
I just purchased the c580 on Amazon for $169.00. Free shipping, and arrived in 3 days. My prior GPS was a Magellion 800.
The c580 is a great buy!
Considerations:
The unit is not a flat unit, however it will sit up much better than a flat unit if you are not attaching to a windshield.
It really does operate right out of the box. "plug and play".
As others have stated, there is a free map upgrade, but beware...it took over three hours on a high speed line. (no..I really mean 3+ hours..)
The Bluetooth connected to my Palm Treo without a hitch. It is really cool to see an incoming call come onto the GPS screen, and be able to answer by touching the screen. You can also make calls from the screen.
The text to speach work great. You can just listen to the verbal instructions instead of looking at the screen.
The speakers work ok. They are at least as good as others I have used.I have not had a volume issue, and there is a choice of voices.
The POI are very good. They do require you to leave the screen, but they also include a phone number link to an establishment, so if you are using the Bluetooth, you just push the call button, and it connects you.
The MSN direct...well it works really well on a major freeway, in a major city. Most of the time it just says "no service available". But in a major city, it really works pretty well for the traffic. The gas prices and movies info. also works well in a major city. If you are travelling on a major interstate, the weather will show many of the cities that you are travelling through.
THe MP3 player...well, why would you want to play anything through the GPS?
This unit has all of the great features than many more expensive models offer, but for $160.00 bucks. GO BUY ONE!
Customer Review: Great GPS for your car
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded my old StreetPilot c320 to the newest c580, I think it is definitely worth the upgrade.
Here are couple improvements from old streetpilot C300 series:
1. New SiRF high sensitivity chip that locks satellite really really fast, less than 20 seconds, my old C320 takes over a min to lock the satellites on a cold start. And the new chip is supposed to perform much better in downtown area as well, though I have not tried it.
2. Intergrated MSN Direct service is great!(if you live near one of the major metro area) I get movie times, gas price, weather and traffic data. That is a lot of add-on feature, eliminate my need to check my mobile phone for these kind of stuff, and those are all intergrated so once you found a movie u like, or a cheap priced gas station, or a traffic jam, your gps either takes you over or re-route the route to avoid traffic problems. This is great.
3. Bluetooth hands-free calling is also great, now I dont have to be in danger of holding my cell while driving in a busy highway or make my neck tired when on the phone, and I can concentrate more on driving.
4. Great display LCD screen, brighter and now anti-glare compare to my old C320.
5. Improved mounting method than old C320
6. A MP3 player and a picture viewer
Things I wish they'd improved:
Design is old-school, to get better design you have to pay $100-200 extra for the nuvi series...
Cannot plan multi-destinations in a single trip.
Did not come with backup MapSource DVD, if you accidently delete data in your GPS, you are screwed.
Speaker can be better for mp3 playing