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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin StreetPilot c580 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct
Customer Review: Just say No
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this as an upgrade to my c550, which had a failing battery and 2007 maps. After comparing the price of replacing the battery and upgrading to the 2008 maps, it was cheaper to buy a new unit. I thought the 580 would be a nice upgrade with the MSN, which according to their map, would work in my area, whereas the FM in the 550 did not. I've had it for three weeks now and still have yet to get the MSN working. Even in Seattle, it didn't work. The 2008 maps have some serious problems - it tried to send me through a BUS ONLY tunnel in Seattle and later the wrong way down a one way street! Luckily I had some idea where I was going and eventually turned the darn thing off because it kept telling me to turn around so I could drive through the bus tunnel. But one of the most irritating problems is when using the MP3 player. The screen periodically flashes - a bright white flash - sometimes as often as once a minute. This isn't so bothersome during the daytime, when the background is light, but when driving at night, it is like having a flashbulb go off in your face! I'm considering taking the thing apart to steal the battery and going back to my c550 and the old maps.Customer Review: great unit, just a bit slow finding the satellites
Summary: 4 Stars
this is a great unit.
Theonly real issue is that sometimes it take a loooooong time to find the satellite, without any real reason, when this happens I just turn it off and back on, and will find the satellites in just a few seconds.
the speakers are good but not really loud espcially when in the highway with the windows down, it might be challenging to understand what the voice is telling you.
another annoying issue is that sometimes it will tell you that a target destination is in the wrong side of the street, not a big deal, but better to be aware.
regarding the MSN service, It was free, so I should not complain too much :-) but the truth is that it's not worth the money to renew it. I used the GPS for the first time for a 2000+ miles roundtrip and everytime I check the MSN service to search for cheap gas I got the same answer "no information available for the area, it migth take 24 hs to get info" ... pretty useless ...
there was a large car accident in the road back and the highway was close for miles (and for a few hours) but MSN never reported it to me ...
All in all, this GPS is was a great investment.
Customer Review: Takes the stress out of driving ...
Summary: 4 Stars
Very easy to set up and use. It's small enough to not block my view of the road, but the screen is large enough to make the maps very readable and the color-coded streets are very helpful. The screen has excellent resolution and is readable in the brightest sunlight. The Bluetooth connection to my cell phone was quick to set up and works beautifully. Directions are reliable if not always the most efficient, but it adjusts smoothly if I decide to take a different route or get detoured.
The only thing I'm not certain of yet is the value of the MSN traffic information. I haven't fully tested that yet, but initial results are unimpressive. At least the first year is free so I'll have plenty of time to evaluate it.
Most importantly, this GPS takes the stress out of driving when I'm going someplace and I don't know the way. No more fumbling with maps or wondering where that tiny side-street is. I feel very confident that I'll get better directions from this GPS than I can get from a local gas station attendant.
I have no way of comparing this to other GPSs, but this one does nearly everything I need and it does it very, very well.
Customer Review: Amazing Functionality and Ease with this GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most amazing and useful toy I've ever owned. It's simple to set up and you'll have it working in no time flat. Easy to read maps, with zoom in/out, and the screen actually switches background lighting between day and night. Routes are calculated in lightning speed. Anytime you want to choose a different route, just hit the "detour" button and a new course is loaded for you. The 1 year of MSN Direct free is brilliant! Live traffic plus finding local businesses, gas prices is great. We'll definitely renew when it's over. There's a simple trip computer which gives you info on how much time/mileage is left in your trip. The ETA functionality is scarily accurate. Hooking up your Bluetooth phone is easy, and you can make all your calls and receive them through the unit. It even pulls in your phonebook. However, you can only have one phone hooked up to it at a time. There's also a simple mp3 player and speakers built in, so rather than bringing your iPod, just load the music right onto this unit. Overall, it's a little too big to just stick in your pocket when you leave the car, but it's small enough to put in pretty much any bag or pack. This is a great tool.Customer Review: California Trip
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, my wife and I bought this because we were planning a vacation to drive from San Diego to San Francisco. The price was very attractive and it arrived very quickly from Amazon (go amazon!!!)
Overall, work exactly as advertised. It is a little large and the MSN features are cool nice to haves but only really care about traffic. Be sure you have all your avoidances set. This could be a fault of our own but when we were on our way to Santa Barbara and wanted to take a more scenic drive on the coast the unit did seem to have trouble and put us in a serious loop. We had to stop, power it down, then power it back up. Also, noticed in San Francisco it did a great job getting us around the city. It did have a few problems in Union Square with all the tall buildings.
Finally, it gets us where we need to go at a good price. I was considering one of the more expensive garmins but this one is perfect for us as a portable unit. It has most of the important features (bluetooth, and MSN) of the expensive guys and is much cheaper. Also, a word of advice, do not put your home address in the unit. If this is ever lost or stolen...