Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $299.00 You Save: $100.99 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $59.99 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: I have to get one of those!
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife DocLuster already wrote a review indicating the beauty of the Bluetooth allowing you hands free telephone calls. Since we just traded in my Pontiac Grand Prix with OnStar I had to have this for my new Audi A3. Of course the main reason to have this device is the great job it does giving you directions to unknown destinations. The easily understood voice directions and clear map, nice portable size, and better features than many of the $1100-3500 models in cars make it a bargain. The fact you can take this out of the car put in an address and walk through your drive while in the comfort of your home is a much nicer feature than a in car model. Heck you can play with it while hiking, camping, visiting amusement parks, or any number of other outdoor activities. I have only seen one con and that was on one occasion it seemed to go bonkers and lose track of where to go. It may have been interferance from large cranes on the bridge, some secret communications jamming installation (it was near Washington DC), or all the construction in the area. Pros: Great directions, remembers places you have been recently, locates restaurants and other businesses easily, Bluetooth hands free set up with mobile phone, easily transfers to another car or to take with you anywhere (runs on battery or car adapter). Tells you your speed and distance like a heads up display in cars. Has MP3 feature. Cons: It may occasionally disconnect from GPS satellite link. Overall I am very happy with it and look forward to getting the one my wife just ordered for me.Customer Review: Great Little Tool!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first experience using a navigation system, but it is great. I am totally sold. I bought one for my son who is directionally challenged and it has gotten him everywhere he's tried to go. While you may not arrive with pinpoint accuracy, it certainly will get you within a block of your destination. My husband and I have both tried it and are thinking of getting one for ourselves.
The best feature is the text-to-speech which announces all of the road names that you need to turn on to. Others have said that it waits too long before announcing the turns, but I have not found that to be true. Plus, you can touch the screen anytime and get a list of your next several directions. It comes with a windshield/dashboard suction mount so that you can easily attach and remove the StreePilot, as well as a carrying case and in-car power adapter. You can search for thousands of points of interest from several different categories: restaurants, hotels, airports, car rental agencies, grocery stores...you name it! No, it doesn't list every single place of business in the country, especially those that are somewhat new, but the list is quite extensive and is listed from closest to farthest away from your current location.
I find the satellite connection to be quite strong and it will often work indoors. However, on cloudy days it will take longer to triangulate your position.
Overall, it is a great, handy little tool which I highly recommend buying.
Customer Review: IMPRESSIVE! (Don't forget to register/get a free map update!)
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first GPS, but I consider myself pretty tech-savvy, so I knew basically what to look for when I opened the box and started using it. What a great product! I saw June, 2008 issue of Consumer Reports after ordering and it rated this one (it gave a combined rating for the c580/c550) 8th out of 39 models, and gave a list price as $450... what a great price this is!
This model is very quick to acquire a signal and very quick to calculate directions. I live just 2 miles off a major interstate, but some of the places I go from home don't take me to the interstate and sometimes mapquest.com, google maps, etc. don't always take me the best way, adding 20 minutes to some 60 minute drives. I have "tested" this model by asking it to take me from home to some of those places, and it always gets it right! Obviously I didn't buy the model to get me to places I already know how to get to, but it's good to know we're on the right track!
I love the fact that when I registered at Garmin.com, I was prompted to update the map for free! It was a very large file, took about an hour to download via Cable modem, but great to know I'm up to date. My wife's office building is in a very new development, and they were listed already on the update.
Also, the item is more compact than I thought it would be. The pictures make it seem that the item is very deep and will be bulky to pack or when on your windshield. Not so!
No complaints yet!
Customer Review: Great GPS - A real asset
Summary: 5 Stars
The Garmin c550 is a very good GPS. It is very easy to use and its point of interest database is amazing. It seems to contain almost all of the business in our city (Sacramento, CA). We were able to find restaurants very easily. In addition when we enter "Macy" it located all of the nearby Macy's stores. We entered "Cingular" and it found all of the nearby Cingular outlets. Setting up the Bluetooth was very easy also. Once linked the "Caller ID" from the cell phone appeared when someone calls and it is easy as pressing the screen to answer and talk. Once the call is over another press on the screen hang-ups the call. Making a call is just as easy. You can use the voice call function of the phone, press the phone icon on a POI, or use the numberpad to make a call.
As far as the GPS function, it works great. You can go to an address, a POI, a favorite, or to cross streets with equal ease. The screen is very easy to read, the Garmin gives you a warning well before an upcoming turn, and keeps track of distance and time to arrival. If you make a "wrong" turn or take a different route the Garmin will continually recalculate the route and continue to suggest turns and route directions. Even if you are not using the Garmin for directions it is very useful to be able to see the map of nearby streets to help finding your way out of confusing neighborhoods. We are very happy with the ease of use and functionality Garmin c550.
Customer Review: Garmin c-550 Street Pilot
Summary: 5 Stars
After researching all GPS brands and options and reading the reviews, this being my first GPS, I decided to buy the Garmin c-550. For the price & the options it appeared to be the "best buy". Now that I have used it for a while I can honestly say I made a great choice and would highly reccommend this one. It's so easy to use. Just plug it in, it locates itself and you are ready to go. The unit quickly recalculated when I changed the route and the clear by-street name instructions really help. I was also pleased because the unit, within plenty of time indicated which lane of traffic to be in for your next turn. I really appreciated this on those 6-lane loops with exits on both sides! You are also given ample time (half mile) warning of next turn and the visual on the screen updates as quickly as you are moving. The memory slot worked great for adding my music to be played on the mpeg player and the Bluetooth phone option was easy to pair up. Just be sure to look and see if your phone is compatible. My high end palm treo was not but my wife's Razor was. Attaching to the pc was easy and although it needed no updating I can see it will be easy if/when needed. It has some customizable options that are handy as well. The size of the screen is perfect. It can be set to dim to the lighting and you really aren't staring at the screen that much to need anything bigger. I found this unit to meet and exceed all my expectations!