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 as good as anticipated
Summary: 3 Stars
I had another vendors GPS and the cord was shorting out and had a protection plan. When I went to have the cord replaced the store no longer carried the brand and I would be entitled to a new unit. A comparable unit was the Garmin C550. After some time I decided to get this unit. After getting it home and checking it out further I hooked it up and it would not acquire satelites after 45 minutes. I took it back and enroute it finally acquired the satelites. I returned home. The next day after over an hour it never did acquire satelites so I returned it for another. This one did acquire satelites. Since I was going on a driving trip I was anxious to use this GPS. Well enroute to our destination it had us turn off the interstate and go through some local roads for no apparent reason. I just returned to the interstate even though the unit was not directing us to do so. Then we were going to a specific location and it was off by more than 2 miles as to the actual location. On the return trip it took us to an old 2 lane curve laden road to arrive at a destination. This road, in my opinion, would not be able to be traveled by anything bigger that a car. Luckily I was not driving the RV or I would have never been able to naviate this road. My older unit had some features I would like to see on this unit such as, selecting the use of toll roads or not, the screen identifying the direction of the next turn so you do not have to wait until you are .3 miles from the turn. I will continue to use this unit but I did buy another protection plan with this unit allowing me to exchange it. Time will tell how this unit performs. Hopefully Garmin will update the software to satisfy user comments about the unit.Customer Review: c550 - Good but Not Perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned other Garmin vehicle GPS units and hands down they are the best brand you can buy. I personally wouldn't buy an in-dash GPS unit if it wasn't powered by Garmin.
I did however find some disappointment in the c550. The feature I was most excited about was the bluetooth phone feature. To my disappointment, this feature doesn't really work all that great in all vehicles. My 2005 4runner has too much background noise when on a highway or interstate... virtually eliminating the use of the bluetooth. Those I call cannot understand what I'm saying. Maybe this feature works great in a high class luxury vehicle but not for me. It works better when I'm in slow traffice but I still feel I have to talk above my normal voice level for the other person to hear clearly.
The mp3 player feature is also virtually useless. The music only plays out of the unit and the sound quality is poor. With the popularity of other mp3 players (ipod)... this feature is never used.
The traffic fm receiver is cool but will only help you if you live in a big city. I live in a mid-size city and the traffic alerts are minimal. It might be very helpful in a larger city with more congestion. This feature is free for 90-days.
The other features can be found in lower models like the c340. I'd almost prefer that I would have purchased that model over the more expensive c550.
It all comes down to the features you want. If you need the traffic receiver and so-so bluetooth features... then this unit is for you. The navigation and quality of the product are what make this 4-stars. If you don't really need the added features... go with the c340. Same thing... minus the add-ons.
Customer Review: Great GPS, questionable Traffic avoidance
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a long time Garmin customer who previously owned C320. I was excited to see Garmin released C550 earlier this spring (2006) with bluetooth connection , mp3 player and traffice avoidance funtionallity. I immediately sold C320 off EBAY and bough C550 from CC ($ 680 by using 15% discound coupon + ordered from NH to save some tax). The GPS works 99% as same as C320. There are not much improvement in term of navigation.Though , Gamin improved some POIs and mapping issues( add more voices, icons , search , dragable map). The most important resons why I bought this unit are bluetooth connection and traffic avoidance abilities.
As far as I concern after using the unit for about 2 months, the Bluetooth connection work perfectly with my phone ( I have Samsung a-900 "blade" from Sprint. C550 always be able to sync with my phone (Address , call history , etc) perfectly. Though , I am hoping that Garmin update it software for C550 to be able to read text messages like the one Tomtom can. I somehow disappointed with traffic avoidance system. The adapter does not work the first time I bought (broken, had to exchange). Then when it works, it does not help me that much. Yes, it helped me avoid jamed traffic by putting me into local road which will double or even tripple my driving distance. By avoiding traffic you get to drive longer which sometime you better off waiting for trafic to move (i'm in Boston, traffic is not that bad here anyway) . Overall I'm impressed with the unit in terms of accuracy , entertainment , easy of use. I would rate this 5 out of 5 if the traffic function got improved.
P.S. please forgive my grammar and vocabulary as English is not really my first language.
Customer Review: Great GPS!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this product for almost a month now and it is flawless. I've not experienced the lock up or crash problem some have had when using the SD card slot while playing mp3's. Maybe they upgraded the flash and/or software since then. However, I also don't intend to use it long term to listen to my music in the car. The sound is still tinny and thin because of the small speakers.
Right out of the box it is ready, willing, and able to go. I needed it a day after I got it. I plugged in the address, portions of the address really, it filled in the rest, gave me a choice for multiple addresses, and, BAM, got me going in under a min. As a consultant, I'm always going to new locations around the Puget Sound and even Portland areas. This device makes it SO easy to get where I need to go without the worry of printing out online maps.
However, that does not mean it doesn't have some flakiness to it. The Bluetooth seems to have some weirdness about connecting and being connected to. It has disabled itself several times. On one occasion, it disconnected itself right after I hung up a call. Another thing that Amazon STILL has not updated is their web site in recommending the car adaptor when you buy the c550. First off, you don't need one for car because it comes with one. Second, is the fact it is the WRONG adaptor. As stated in another reviewers review. What makes it even worse; I had to pay to send the adaptor back.
However, overall, this is a great product and I couldn't really be any happier. No longer do I need to GoogleEarth or Mapquest a location, print it out, and then read it while I'm driving the road.
Customer Review: All of the Muscle and None of the Fat
Summary: 4 Stars
I do not have the world's best sense of direction and I am a lousy map-reader. So this type of product is a lifesaver for me. I chose Garmin because my husband and I have had good experiences with other Garmin products. I chose this particular model because it had the features I wanted without too many extras to drive the price up. I did not need to spend an extra $200.00 for a photo viewer, e-book reader, etc. I just want it to tell me how to get where I am going, and that, it does.
The features for which I bought it include the glare resistant screen, Bluetooth compatibility and Text-to-Speech. (TTS means is says street names when it is telling you to turn.) The screen works well in all lighting conditions and the volume is amply loud, even in traffic. I haven't set up the Bluetooth yet, so I can't say how well it works. (I don't honestly know that I will, but I want to know that I can.) The voice isn't unduly mechanical and I feel more confident when it tells me the street name before a turn. You can set it so that it will "Ding" before its spoken warnings, but it has not been needed thus far.
It has a few quirks. First of all, it is bulkier than some other units. (It cost less, so I could live with that.) If you go off-route, it says "Recalculating" in a voice that slows down just slightly, giving me the impression that I have annoyed it. (It's an electronic "Jewish Mother")
It does not always pick the route I would have picked on my own. That's not that big a problem, because it will recalculate and in any event, it will get you where you need to be. All in all, it is a good product that keeps me from getting lost.