Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Not for Austin, Texas
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used Garmin GPS for a while now, starting with their StreetPilot III (which still works, after 4 years, now in my wife's car), GPS 10 (which I sometimes carry as a backup) and now the C550. The C550 is by far, the best GPS device I've used. It has many strengths:
1. Fast GPS lock on. Especially so if you're touring and stopped only for a while. If you've only powered down the device for a short while, the GPS will find the GPS satellites almost instantly, which is really amazing.
2. Bluetooth capability. Very useful, and the Bluetooth function works even while running on battery. Now I don't have to carry a separate device for making conference call while on business trip. I use the C550 when I'm in the hotel room.
3. Sun light readable screen. The screen alone makes this a better device compared to older Garmins.
4. Very fast routing capability. Being used to the slow routing capabilty in other Garmins, I was amazed how fast this thing can calculate routes.
There are some quirks you should be aware of though:
1. As my title suggests, this device does not work well in areas around Austin, Texas. The maps are pretty poor for the outlying areas around Austin and you'll have difficulty following its direction. There seems to be plenty of highway/freeway changes and additions to this area and they're not reflected in the MapSource 8.0 NT. In downtown Austin, it works alright though.
2. 3-D maps can be a little difficult to get used to. Especially when you're in parking lot or off normal road and the GPS will tell you to "Please drive to the highlighted route". With the 3-D map, you can't normally see the highlighted route unless you zoom out a lot or switch to 2-D view.
3. In a strange lack of foresight, Garmin chooses to display the main menu with its 2 basic option "Where To?" and "View Map" every time you power on the system. While understandable for its target market, it doesn't make sense when it does the same thing when you have an active route and you re-started the device (eg for fuel stops). You'll have to manually press the "View Map" button for the screen to show the route information. An option for users to select if they wish to start with the "View map" option would be nice.
4. Remaining miles info. On the older StreetPilot III, I have the option to display how many miles I've got till I reach destination. The C550 only shows you miles to next turn. Not a big deal but I miss knowing how many miles to go when on long distance driving. Useful for deciding if I want to stop for gas for simply finish the drive and return the car (I typically pay for the fuel option when renting).
5. Time zone update. For some reasons, the unit I have will not update its time zone and device time. I purchased and initialized the device in California, Pacific Time zone. When I travel in another time zone (eg. Texas), the device still shows California time. A bug perhaps or something I missed.
Overall, no major problems with the device and I'm satisfied with the purchase. If you're a new owner, here are some tips:
1. Buy the bean bag friction mount, it works much better than the wind screen mount. This is especially so if you have a sporty car (eg. BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS etc) with firmer suspension and the shock of going over a bump is better handled when the C550 is in in bean bag.
2. Buy one of those cigratte lighter socket extender so you can plug the C550's power adaptor into the socket extender and plug the extender into the car instead. This way, you save on the wear and tear on always plugging the device in and out of different cars. I wore out 2 adaptors in my StreetPilot III before I adopted this habit. Those extenders from Radio Shacks are dirt cheap compared to a new power adaptor for the C550.
3. Beware of road naming conventions. Some states, like Texas, name their roads differently. For example, if you look at Yahoo maps or the map in your C550, some highways in Texas are labeled US 2341. But if you look at tourist guides local to Texas, they labeled that road "FM 2341", which you won't be able to locate using the C550. Interestingly though, the device says "FM 2341" even though its search and display shows "US 2341". Other examples are "Mo-Pac Expressway" near Austin. Many locals spell it "MoPac Expressway" without the hyphen, you'll have a heck of a time if you spell it the way they do.
4. The Bluetooth capability works with most phones, even those not listed by Garmin. The only differences are that for some phones, you cannot use the phone directory and call history. You will still be able to make/receive calls using the C550. I get around this issue by creating a Favourite location and entering the phone number of people I call most. Its a bit of a pain but it can done. Afterall, its best not to talk too much while driving eh?
Good luck with you purchase!
Customer Review: Excellent GPS! Highly Recommend!! 1 point off for windshield mount.
Summary: 5 Stars
When researching the available portable GPS receivers on the market my head began to spin as I am sure you the reader are going through now. I purchased this unit for the car and not as a handheld portable device. In my opinion if you are looking for a handheld version I would look at the Nuvi line from Garmin or the TomTomOne.
As far as in the car, look no further!! Originally this unit was retailing for $799 but currently you can get it for far less. For that it is worth it!!! Comes pre-loaded with US maps, POIs AND includes the Garmin FM receiver (a $125 value) The FM receiver is integrated into the cigarette lighter charger which is convenient if you don't mind the cable. It comes with a 3 month traffic subscription and if you want to continue I believe its around $60 for 15 additional months. If you travel for work, trust me, you will love this feature. You can ask the device to avoid jams if need be or at the very least know where the traffic is and what is going on (i.e. construction, accident, congestion etc). Plus it will calculate your estimated arrival time to your destination which has been spot on perfect since i got it! Every arrival has been within a MINUTE of the ETA! That's pretty good. Check the Garmin site for technical info for your area on traffic technology. but I believe this is a pretty wide spread technology that almost every city offers. If this doesnt appeal to you you can get the c530 which is the basically the same unit minus the FM receiver adapter.
I have also put the mapping to the test. I live in south Florida where roadways change OFTEN and the c550 has been accurate in every way. Recalculates when you miss a turn immediately with an impressive degree of accuracy It has saved me several times already and I have had the unit for 3 weeks! It even knows where U-Turns are illegal!! I have read industry reviews saying it is sometime slow to get a signal but in my opinion, slow meaning about 15-20 seconds once in awhile upon start up is no big deal. Once you get a signal it doesn't loose it, I have even had signal inside my house! That is very rare for GPS units!
My father in-law has a $90k Lexus with the GPS built in and it doesn't do half of what the Garmin can do. For example, POIs (points of interest) are very decent and come pre-loaded as well. You can find local banks, food, shops etc. I use that feature everyday!! You can purchase even more detailed POIs in the form of a SD card but I haven't found a need at the moment. You can also add your own POIs pretty easily. Once you put in a new address you can save it and add a phone number as well. I have all my friends and family plugged in so at anytime i can call and tell them when I will be arriving. Also if you are driving to a new location and like it you can add it quickly by just touching the little car icon and it will store it immediately. (Note, pull off the road before adding the title information :)
Bluetooth connectivity! Awesome! I urge you to get a cell phone with bluetooth technology if you don't already have one. Find a POI, such as a restaurant. The phone number appears on the page to say go. Touch the phone icon to call ahead for reservations or store hours etc. The ETA feature will let you know exactly when your going to arrive... done. The unit has a built in Speaker phone and microphone which in every call I have had, the participant on the other end was surprised to know I was talking to them on a speaker phone. The built in speakers are adequate, and if you have a AUX IN to your car stereo you can hardline it into it using a stereo mini plug cable. It also instantly syncs your entire phone book and recent call list, plus, if you have voice dialing it supports that as well. I own the Motorola Razor V3 FYI. I had a bluetooth earpiece and haven't used it once since i got the Garmin c550.
The only thing I can say is a con in my review is the windshield mount. It attaches to a ball mount which tends to not hold the unit in place in some cases. So far it has been fine for me but once in a while when I touch the far left or right side it will move a bit. You will read other users saying the same thing, even to go as far as in bumpy roads it may move out of position, so possibly Garmin might fix this but don't quote me on that. But with all the features and ease of use I still think you can not go wrong with the c550. I absolutely love this product, recommend it highly, and would purchase one for each family member if I could. I already bought one for my girlfriend! :D
Customer Review: Will Never Again Drive Without My Garmin
Summary: 5 Stars
In my home we've turned the phrase "green eggs and ham" into a verb, much like "google" has become indicative of a definitive action. To "green eggs and ham" something is to change your mind on some item or concept you had previously disdained. It started back in the early 80's when my Daddy finally permitted my Mom to purchase a microwave. For years, he'd held off, swearing that if his own saintly mother (the matriarch of seven kids) had done without one, we could too. Once she wore him down, Daddy was the first to admit, "Green eggs and ham - I love it! Why did we wait so long to purchase it? How have we done without it for so long?!"
This year, I've "green eggs and hammed" a techno gadget - the GPS unit. Who needs it when we've got something as nifty as Mapquest to get us from point A to point B? My mother-in-law foisted one upon my husband for his birthday last year and I scolded her vociferously. Her gift to Greg was the Garmin C550 Streetpilot GPS Receiver and I was upset with her for spending the money on something I was positive my husband wouldn't use. After all, he's one of those guys who absolutely refuses to ask for directions. I was sure it would sit unused in his car.
Wrong - a major "green eggs and ham" moment! We tried it out on a family trip a week later and became instant Streetpilot addicts. When my own birthday rolled around two months later, guess what my mother-in-law purchased for me? Yes, now we have "his and hers" models in our vehicles.
What's the good of this particular tech gadget? You'd be amazed! Here are some of my favorite features:
* Speed and accuracy. As soon as its been turned on, the Streetpilot determines your location and queries you about your desired purpose. Within minutes of entering your destination address, you receive a map and detailed instructions which are verbally given to you turn by turn. The GPS also computes your estimated arrival time - I've found it's accuracy on that item almost uncanny. The unit has options to update your route and travel time, accounting for delays in traffic hotspots.
* Ease of use. The Streetpilot has an easy touchscreen interface and gives verbal directions to walk you through the directions. It even anticipates which lane you need to be in for upcoming directions. Unlike mapquest pages which may require a solo driver to look at a paper copy of the directions, a voice (or rather, your choice of many voice styles) tells you exactly where you need to go without you taking your eyes off the road. Our voice of choice, Lee the Australian, has never led me astray and is even smart enough to recalculate when I make a wrong turn or miss an exit.
* Bluetooth. In many states, hands-free cell phone usage is now the law. The Streetpilot immediately converts my cell phone to hands free and has a clear signal for a speaker phone conversation that can be heard throughout the whole car.
* Doubles as an MP3 player. My Streetpilot holds some of my favorite tunes and podcasts, making my road trip even more enjoyable.
* Goes with the flow. Now, when we leave on a family road trip, we rarely scout out the directions beforehand. With the address, it's easy to drive straight to our desired destination. But we can also stop and smell the roses along the way, using the Streetpilot to direct us to upcoming points of interest, services, lodging, or even an emergency Starbucks stop.
I will never again go back to driving without my Garmin C550 Streetpilot GPS Receiver - getting to our family fun has now become easy and reliable.
Customer Review: Easy to use, but lacking/silly in many features
Summary: 2 Stars
Pros: Super easy to use for basic navigation. Ready to go out of the box, just turn it on and start using it. Very easy to use for basic navigation. Basic screen has just two buttons: "Where to?" and "View map". For "Where to", type in city, street number, street name, and go; or hit "Go home" button, recent finds, favorites, etc. Easy to add additional destinations along route. Easy to zoom in/out. Great user interface for people not particularly comfortable with technology. Finds satellites very quickly, much quicker than my previous Garmin. Voice tries to read street names ("In 1 mile turn left on Maple Street"), which is helpful, even though the voice mispronounces nearly every name. Excellent value for the price.
Cons: Very limited in features, and downright idiotic in how it handles certain things. While navigating, you can't drag the map left or right to see what's coming up; all you can do is zoom out, or you can leave the map and go to ANOTHER map that you can drag (requiring several button pushes). Traffic is not superimposed on the main navigation map; you have to go to a DIFFERENT map to see traffic, and that map has NO STREET NAMES!!! (I don't know why they didn't just overlay the traffic info on the navigation map). Navigation doesn't include a feature for shortest time for given traffic. When looking for places (e.g., gas stations) along the current route or near the current location or destination, you can't specify how far away to look. And when looking along current route, the search returns results that you might have already passed miles back (truly foolish of the designers, nobody wants to go backwards). The maps all have a "cartoony" imprecise feel with horrible choice of colors (yellow on white, c'mon, when have you seen a map with those colors?), especially the traffic info which looks like it was drawn by a child's crayon onto the map. Once you've added a destination along a route, you can't delete it, and if you've added multiple destinations, you can't reorder them. The system has very limited configuration options. The traffic only shows yellow and red, but not green -- meaning you can't distinguish between "no traffic" and "no data". None of the above are expensive to add; I don't understand why Garmin dropped the ball so badly.
Ah, now for the traffic accuracy. The accuracy likely differs depending on what city you live in. For southern California, it's HORRIBLY INACCURATE. I don't mean slightly off, like should have been yellow when red, or missed the start of traffic by a couple miles. I mean it very often has NO RELATION TO REALITY WHATSOEVER. The map showed red for 20 miles, but I was driving 65 mph the whole time. It shows stopped traffic when traffic is cruising (even at midnight!). It shows no traffic when traffic is stopped. Sometimes it gets it right (e.g., it notified me of an accident ahead, and indeed there was, so I was ready to exit). But it's SO wrong SO often that one cannot use the information in any meaningful way; if I see red ahead, I'm not going to reroute because odds are that the red is WRONG. I've also used it in Phoenix, and again it was wrong. I've seen Garmin's response on some chat sites to the MANY complaints about inaccuracy -- "Hey, the FM traffic service is responsible for the accuracy, we just provide access to the service." That's sort of like a restaurant saying "Hey, if you don't like our food, well its the food distributor that's to blame; we just cook what they give us." If the FM service is so horrible, don't provide it until its reasonable.
Customer Review: I'll never be "completely" lost again!
Summary: 4 Stars
I can get lost in my own neighborhood so GPS was developed for people like me. I delayed buying a personal GPS using the excuses of "they cost too much", "the maps aren't good enough", "not enough features for what I want", etc. I finally found the incentive to go out and buy one - my teenage kids driving 350 miles to visit relatives over Thanksgiving - without me. I did my homework, shopped at a competing electronics store and then purchased the Garmin c550 from Amazon. It arrived the next day thanks to Amazon Prime. I read the instructions and tried to get some music loaded on the Garmin but didn't have much luck. My music is not in the MP3 format so it wasn't recognized. But I didn't buy this gadget for music - that was just a nice plus. I plugged in the adapter that doubles as an FM traffic receiver and plugged in my work address. The directions were clear and gave me plenty of time to switch lanes and make my turns. When I chose a different route than the garmin, it "recalulated" my route and gave new instructions. The kids took it with them and they not only found the farm house down an old dirt road, they also made it to the airport to pick up their father and then to their uncle's house for leftovers. You have many choices for voices and accents as well as languages so if one voice is difficult to understand, try another.
This weekend I used the Garmin to find my way to a college town 3 hours away. I was able to enter a generic destination, pick an address and then find my hotel near my destination. Along the way, my son and I were hungry so we asked the Garmin to find a place to eat nearby. It was able to route us to the restaurant we selected from the list and then back on our route to the hotel. All in all, it did pretty much everything I wanted.
What didn't it do or did wrong? Just as we arrived at our destination, with one turn left, it locked up and required a reset. The reset button is found under the decorative plate in the front. This was not a good time to lock up but we had flipped back and forth between a couple of screens so it was probably trying to execute conflicting commands. My bad - I suppose. It would be better if it didn't lock up at all but it is a small computer. Another oddity is the pronunciation and interpretation of street names. FM271 North was pronounced "Federated States of Micronesia 271 North"; University Dr. was pronounced "University Doctor"! In other places the streets (these same streets) were pronounced "FM 271 North" and "University Drive". Eisenhower Drive was pronounce "ee sen HOWERdrive". You hear it, go "huh?" and then glance at the map to make sure you can find the street it just said.
I have not yet tried to use the bluetooth capabilities in this GPS but the traffic feature works fairly well in Dallas. If this feature is the main reason you are looking at this device, make sure the traffic feature is available in your area. It worked "okay" in Dallas, but its ability to recognize a traffic jam and re-route you is only as good as the traffic report.
Overall, I like my new toy. I was able to look up restaurants in the town where I stayed and get immediate directions to them. It took me straight to the parking garage on campus and got me back on track when I thought I was smarter than the machine and took a wrong turn.