Garmin StreetPilot c550

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 64 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  After several days of side-by-side testing, I’m taking my TomTom GO 910 back to Best Buy.

  by tdsmyers on July 3, 2006

  Pros: Ease of use, reliability, currency of maps, extensive capability.

  Cons: No itinerary planning capability, lack of customization options.

  Summary: This review is provided as a public service. It represents my own opinion and experience, so take it for what it’s worth to you.
  
  Like many of you, I
  
  ...

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  Summary: This review is provided as a public service. It represents my own opinion and experience, so take it for what it’s worth to you.
  
  Like many of you, I looked all over for some detailed comparisons of available GPS units before I bought one. What I found on the web didn’t answer many of my questions, so I decided to share my own GPS adventure with those of you still in the market. What follows is a comparison between the TomTom GO 910 and the Garmin c550. There are other units out there, as well, but this review may help make you a more educated GPS consumer – whatever you buy. Please, take advantage of my time without losing a lot of your own!
  
  Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):
  After several days of side-by-side testing, I’m taking my TomTom GO 910 back to Best Buy this morning, and keeping my Garmin c550. The 910 has enormous potential, but can’t yet deliver in the US; maybe in a few months or so it will. The Garmin is less flashy, but gets the job done.
  
  Intro:
  I was very excited about the TomTom GO 910 after doing some preliminary research and finding that it had enormous capability, customization and functional advantages over the competing Brand’s equivalent models. My initial excitement was reinforced when I opened the box. The 910 had the feel of quality equipment – it was solid and sleek; it had several “extras”, including an audio cable and a home computer dock; and the connecting hardware fit together firmly and securely with a sharp “click”. I continued to be impressed with the many Text To Speech (TTS) options available (I chose a very nice British female to guide me around Northern Virginia); the wide, attractive display and the MANY ways available to customize my display and navigation.
  
  A disappointment:
  My first disappointment came when I tried to set my home location and discovered that my street wasn’t included on the maps. I didn’t think too much about it, since I live in a fairly new development (the street was cut about two years ago), and set my home location at the nearest recognized intersection (about a quarter of a mile away).
  
  Another disappointment:
  My Mom became interested in what my GPS could do, since she has just arrived here in Northern Virginia and could use the help getting around. She didn’t need all the “Gucci” stuff the 910 had, so I looked for her another TomTom that would give her a basic GPS capability and enable me to home in on her position through the TomTom PLUS account’s “TomTom Buddies” option. Since I would probably use TomTom PLUS on my 910 for traffic and weather, I would set up the Buddy thing also. We chose the TomTom GO 300 for Mom.
  
  My second disappointment came when I tried to set up traffic services. I looked at the website to order an FM TMC receiver for my 910 only to discover that they aren’t yet available. No sweat, I thought, I’ll just set up my TomTom PLUS account and get the traffic via bluetooth connection to the wireless data services on my cell phone. Not so fast! My carrier (and many of yours, I suspect) Verizon’s data services are not compatible with TomTom equipment. Both TomTom and Verizon described this problem as one rooted in Verizon’s data network encryption, but neither company has provided me with information as to when - or if - this problem will be fixed. I have a family plan with Verizon that makes most of my air time free, so I chose to wait for a traffic solution…and give up on the “TomTom Buddy” fun for now.
  
  In fact, Mom’s 300 didn’t have traffic, bluetooth, or TTS capability; and, since she was spoiled by watching me with the 910, we sought another option. As I searched through other GPS units (I initially didn’t think Mom needed as much capability as the 910 offered), I investigated the Garmin c550; it was impressive enough for me to visit the local Circuit City and check it out.
  
  The c550 is comparable to my 910. It has hands-free calling capability through a bluetooth link; it comes with an integrated traffic capability (the receiver is built into the power adapter – great idea); it has a rechargeable battery and it is TTS capable. I liked it, so we bought two; one for Mom, and one for me to either keep (could this thing really replace my “Gucci” 910?) or return within the 14-day period of their return policy.
  
  Side-by-side Comparison:
  Over the last several days, I’ve tried both units side-by-side, and offer the following comparison. After each area subtitle, I have included which product has the advantage. Please bear in mind that this is based on my unique circumstances (location, cell phone, wireless provider, driving needs, etc.); your own needs may favor a different product.
  
  GPS functionality – Garmin sets the standard.
  The TomTom takes a good bit more time to acquire satellites and, in my experience, is slightly more prone to lose signal. The Garmin picks right up and nails your position, then maintains contact.
  
  Handling – Garmin is lighter and mounts more securely.
  The TomTom is a heavier unit, and its window mount has a tendency to droop after a while, so I mounted it so that the unit was sitting on my dash, but connected to the window as well. The Garmin is lighter, and stays put on the simpler ball-and-socket mount. While both units come with a protective pouch, the Garmin’s has a hole in the back so it can be mounted without removing the cover (simply unzipping the front exposes the face, then you can slide the cover back on the mount in order to plug in the charger and/or audio cable.).
  
  Power – Garmin lasts longer on batteries.
  Both units have car chargers. The TomTom’s plugs into the mount, vice the unit itself. The TomTom also comes with a home dock that includes a 110V power adapter, while the Garmin recharges through your computer’s USB connection (no dock, just a USB port). While both have batteries, the Garmin lasts about twice as long as the TomTom (8 hourse, vice 4 hours). This might be due to the power requirements of the internal hard drive.
  
  Ease of use – Garmin is silly easy.
  I didn’t even open the instruction manual until the second day I owned the device; and then it was just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything! The Garmin has fewer menus to go through to access capability, and the interface is much more intuitive than the TomTom. Neither one is hard to navigate, there are just many more options with the TomTom. Once you’ve mastered navigation of the menus, the TomTom – like anything else – would certainly become almost as easy; but the Garmin comes this way out of the box.
  
  Maps – Garmin, hands down.
  I have read the term “accuracy” a lot when describing these maps. Both seem to be “accurate” in different ways; for example, the Garmin more reliably displays bodies of water as a navigation aid, while the TomTom more reliably depicts merging lanes and access roads. Both maps seem to be right on the money with the actual GPS location of these features. The real difference is currency and comprehensiveness. The Garmin maps are MUCH more current (including recent construction) and comprehensive (including small town streets). For example, the TeleAtlas maps in the TomTom didn’t include my house; they also didn’t include an address – in an established neighborhood – that I was trying to get to for a friend’s birthday party. By comparison, the Garmin NAVTEQ maps included both my origin and destination, and the c550 navigated right to the correct driveway. The best I could have done with the TomTom alone would be to get in the same neighborhood as my buddy’s party, then call him or follow my nose to the grill.
  
  Traffic capability – Garmin has it available out of the box.
  The TomTom can access traffic info via FM TMC…after you buy the optional receiver…when the receiver becomes available…and unplugging your audio cable from the mounting bracket jack to make room for the receiver; or through your cell phone’s data connection…unless you have Verizon, which isn’t compatible. By contrast, the Garmin c550 includes a GTM-20 traffic receiver (integrated into the power adapter – very nice); a solution that enables you to get traffic updates (which are silently input into your device) while listening to your tunes.
  I used the traffic solution on the Garmin, and it works as advertised, just be sure to checkout the coverage areas on the Garmin website; your area may not be serviced by TMC yet. As an alternate option, the c550 can retrieve traffic info via your XM radio link.
  
  Bluetooth Interface – Garmin gets the basics right.
  Although it isn’t capable of using my Motorola V3c’s Verizon connection to access wireless data (of course, since I use Verizon, neither is the TomTom), the Garmin operates exceptionally well as a hands-free calling device (like a car kit or earpiece). It synchronizes with my phonebook each time it’s connected (vice simply initially importing the entries like the TomTom) and allows me to use my phone’s voice dial capability (which the TomTom does not).
  
  Audio – TomTom by a nose.
  The TomTom has an incredible 20GB of space to store MP3s on, so it wins the storage battle without a fight. The Garmin storage solution is a little less than 1GB available onboard, plus whatever you can get on an SD card. I have a 1 GB SD card, so I store about 2GB worth of MP3s. The TomTom’s speaker is also a good quality speaker. The Garmin has two speakers, but the sound isn’t noticeably better than the TomTom; in fact, I think the TomTom sounds a bit better. This isn’t important if you’re playing the files through your car’s system; which is supported by both products via an audio cable (the TomTom comes with one, the Garmin doesn’t). Also, when a driving alert comes up, both units pause the music playback; but the TomTom fades it out and back in after the alert, vice the abrupt pause-and-continue the Garmin uses. Where the Garmin gains some ground in this area is in its interface. Songs are played while their info is attractively displayed - including a graphic of the CD cover if the file includes one. This is in contrast to the TomTom’s surprisingly Spartan presentation during music playback. The control and playback option buttons on the Garmin are also more intuitive.
  Although the TomTom comes with some surprisingly clunky “TomTom Home” software that can load MP3 files, it – like the Garmin – can be synchronized using standard software like Windows Media Player. Both units basically interface with your PC as a mass storage device – like a thumb drive.
  
  Points of Interest (POIs) – Garmin seems to know the US.
  Display of POIs is slick on the TomTom (you can even customize the alert the TomTom uses when you’re approaching one – like “let’s eat” for restaurants), but the database is woefully inadequate. By comparison, I have yet to visit a commercial, government or social location that is not in the Garmin database. It is also much easier to telephone a POI using the Garmin; both in terms of the feature’s availability and it’s interface with my phone.
  
  Text To Speech (TTS) – Garmin is easy to understand.
  The TomTom includes more voice options, but I found the Garmin voices easier to understand. I don’t think this is the speaker, which is marginally superior on the TomTom; but rather the simulation itself. On the TomTom, simple universal words like “road” are sometimes difficult to understand.
  
  Display – Garmin, for simplicity and anti-glare.
  Although the TomTom’s screen is wider, more customizable and aesthetically appealing, it is also harder to read, especially in glare. Both devices allow brightness adjustment, but the simpler color scheme and superior anti-glare construction of the Garmin makes it easier to read. The TomTom includes modifiable color schemes, so you might be able to find one that works better with your vision, but it is hard to beat the superior anti-glare of the Garman screen.
  
  Custom features – TomTom, hands down.
  With the TomTom, you can customize almost everything. Of course, the enormous amount of options is also why it’s a bit cumbersome to get anything done with the 910; and why the Garmin gets the “ease of use” nod. The TomTom feature list is definitely where auto GPS configuration is going in the future…check out the link at the bottom of this review for a list of cool features.
  
  Itinerary planning – TomTom has it, Garmin doesn’t.
  One very nice feature of the TomTom is it’s ability to plan, and save, an itinerary. When you fire it up and load the itinerary, it guides you to the next unvisited point. Garmin doesn’t yet support this useful tool, although – like the TomTom – it does allow you to save points as “favorites” for easy access as you drive your route.
  
  Summary:
  Because of the traffic receiver’s (non)availability and data incompatibility with Verizon, the TomTom GO 910 is not quite ready for prime-time here in the US. In my case, the trumpeting of its amazing capabilities was muffled by the reality that they just aren’t available to everyone who buys one. In contrast, the Garmin is a solid, reliable and accurate GPS unit (which pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?) that offers an amazing array of capabilities, all of which are available right out of the box. The TomTom is much sexier, but I’m looking for a navigational aid, not a girlfriend.
  
  I’ll happily use my Garmin c550 for the time being and watch for TomTom to come of age.
  
  For your own comparison:
  
  TomTom GO feature list:
  http://www.tomtom.com/products/features.php?ID=212&Language=4&ShowAllFeatures=1
  
  Garmin c550 feature list:
  http://www.garmin.com/products/sp550/
  
  Good luck!
  T.D.

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  87 out of 87 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  pretty good device

  by Daaron1960 on June 8, 2006

  Pros: voice with street names, great screen, simple

  Cons: too heavy for optional dash mount (required glue), traffic alert useless

  Summary: Very nice machine.
  
  I got it for my wife who learned to drive very late in life and is scared to drive places because she is afraid of getting lost.
  
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  Summary: Very nice machine.
  
  I got it for my wife who learned to drive very late in life and is scared to drive places because she is afraid of getting lost. Recalculates trip on the fly and has really good directions.
  
  Basically about the same as having someone sit beside you and reading a mapquest map while you are driving and telling you when to turn at the right time. That and you get a nice map the entire time.
  
  This is a very refined device. Knows when the car is turned off (lighter power) and will auto shut-off unless directed otherwise.
  
  The mounting needs to be re-thought out. No directions in the optional dash mount (I live in California and windshield mounts are illegal) kit. Even still, the device is too heavy for the dash mount sticky system. I had to use both sticky mounts (it comes with a permanent and a non-permanent sticky in the box, no directs to say which is which) and some contact cement to get the device to keep from falling over.
  
  Still pretty nice. I got it at GPSNow. No plug for them, they just sold it to me at a good price and sent it promptly via overnight delivery.

  Updated
  I figured out which sticky was the temporary one. After about 30 minutes in the heat, the temporary sticky turned to puddy.
  
  I fixd the mount to the dash using the permanent sticky and crazy glue. It seems to be OK. Now however, the machine wiggles a great deal in the mount. The mount has a locking mechanism, however it still wiggles.
  
  The whole thing reminds me of what my music teacher told me when he saw my $2500 guitar leaning up against the wall: Why pay the big bucks for the guitar and be too cheap to buy yourself a good guitar stand?
  
  Same thing applies to the c550. A great device that is ruined by an incredibly poor dash mount design.
  
  My opinion of the device is getting lower. Maybe a 7 bordering on a 6. A 9 or 10 for the GPS, and a 1 or 2 for the dash mount.

  Updated
  Garmin claims that this service is free for 15 months. However, the website does not allow this option. So I had to pay for the traffic service even though Garmin claims it is free. Again, a great device made very bad by a company that seems to want to stick it to its customers (bad dash mount, misleading information about traffic service etc).

  Updated
  After 5 weeks my C550 could not pick up any sats.
  
  Trying to contact Garmin is the worse experience I have ever had. I have been put on hold by the worst of companies (ATT, PGE etc.), but this one takes the cake. I am presently on hold and have been all day. Cool "on hold" music, but after about 3 hours of being on hold, the cool music gets uncool.
  
  So there you have it. I can no longer recommend this product as the Garmin company has no concern for their customers. I wrote a support email and the responce said to expect 5 to 7 business days for a response. It is the most glaring example of poor customer relations.
  
  Too bad. It was a nice machine when it worked.

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  9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Outstanding All-In-One GPS, Love it over any TomTom Unit!

  by edvisor on July 19, 2006

  Pros: Accurate Instructions, Clear & Bright Screen in Sunlight

  Cons: No Wide Screen. Traffic info doesn't work without power cable!

  Summary: This is my first AIO (ALL-In-One) GPS and I absolutely love it. I used a GPS connected to my Pocket PC’s or Palm but the cable-clutter and price of ...

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  Summary: This is my first AIO (ALL-In-One) GPS and I absolutely love it. I used a GPS connected to my Pocket PC’s or Palm but the cable-clutter and price of additional accessories got to me. With features being added like Bluetooth and traffic info to the All-In-One GPS Units, I decided to give it a try. I got the Garmin c550 and compared it to my friends TomTom GO 910. I loved the Garmin c550 and feel its superior in many ways with the first two notes I mention below being the major factors.
  
  
  1. I live and work in NYC and the first thing I notice was the accuracy in directions and instructions of the software between the two units. For example. If I wanted to get off on Bay Street in Staten Island, it is the first exit after the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island, I would have to stay to the Rightside before the bridge and take the Lower Level. The Garmin C550 got this accurate where the TomTom instructed me to stay to the Leftside and take the upper level of the bridge, thus bypassing the first two exits off the Bridge. The TomTom made mistakes like this numerous times over and over again compaired to the Garmin c550.
  
  2. The screen on the Garmin annihilated the TomTom’s in Daylight/Sunlight. No need to explain any further here.
  
  The Garmin has an SD slot allowing you to add SD Cards up to 4GB. I use the additional memory to store MP3 music (Yes, you can play music from it). The built-in Bluetooth on the unit allows me to make and receive phone calls. This feature requires you also have Bluetooth on your mobile phone in order to use.
  
  The Traffic feature on the Garmin works as advertised. Very useful!
  
  The Garmin also has an Audio-Output, that lets me connect it to my Honda’s Audio Input. This allows me to listen to Music and Phone calls through the cars stereo speakers, very nice.

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  8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Great GPS.AWWWFFULL MOUNT

  by broadwayguyy on July 3, 2006

  Pros: FAST AQUISITION.GREAT SCREEN

  Cons: UNIT WILL NOT STAY STILL ON MOUNT.NOT SECURE

  Summary: What was Garmin thinking when they changed the mounting fron the c300 series to the c500 series,instaed of a secure mount that holds the unit in place.They added ...

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  Summary: What was Garmin thinking when they changed the mounting fron the c300 series to the c500 series,instaed of a secure mount that holds the unit in place.They added a ball hook that literally gives absolutly no support to the unit.Go over a bump and unit will tilt downward.go over another bump and it moves to one side.another bump and it leans all the way forward almost facing the ground.My unit in my old C340 never moved by itself,Garmin needs to rethink this mount and send buyers a new one that secures the unit.otherwise unit is great.For some reason i cannot downlaod POIs like i did in my c340.The blue tooth is great,I have no need for a MP3 Player as its easier just to put in a CD.

  Updated
  Love my garmin GPS.I Recently purchased Fodors North America travel guide sd card off ebay and now go everywhere.It somehow makes the GPS crash on occasion,but hopefully Garmin will work out this problem with the fodors card in a future update.The unit is great and so easy to use,my only complainst is why only one way point on a top level GPS.otherwise,its a great purchase.

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  7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 5 stars

  Average is about all that can be said...

  by gsantarelli1 on February 7, 2007

  Pros: Accurate maps, light, bluetooth works very very well

  Cons: Voices sound bad, really bad; routes are puzzling; not very customizable; died out after 2 days of use

  Summary: I have both the TomTom Go910 and the Garmin c550. I've been comparing both since last Friday. Here are just some random thoughts from using both units:
  
  - Satellite
  
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  Summary: I have both the TomTom Go910 and the Garmin c550. I've been comparing both since last Friday. Here are just some random thoughts from using both units:
  
  - Satellite signal: the c550 gets better signal; not much better, but better.
  - Mount: The c550 mount sucks. It won’t stay on the windshield of my car or the dashboard disk. Also, the socket ball is too loose. If you slightly bump the unit, you have to re-adjust it. As far as the TomTom mount is concerned, in the 2 months I’ve been using it, I haven’t had one problem; not one. It locks in securely and stays there, no matter what.
  - Maps: both units have inaccurate maps. While Garmin’s Navteq maps are a bit more accurate than TomTom’s Teleatlas, they both have many faults. My home and work address are incorrect on both units.
  - POI: both units have inaccurate points of interest. While the Garmin does have a lot more, they’re both fairly inaccurate. See maps above….
  - Routing: both have pretty good routing capabilities, but the TomTom does it better. The Garmin creates routes to destinations that are un-necessary to take. It also keeps re-calculating. On my 15 mile commute to work, it re-calculated 4 times. Also, it doesn’t prompt for faster trip or shorter distance, you have to change this in the settings before hand.
  - Bluetooth: the c550 works better than the 910, hands down. When speaking to a caller on the c550, they can’t tell your using a car kit. On the other hand, the 910’s barely works. Callers can’t hear me on either the unit’s mic or the remote mic. I believe the mic on the 910 may not be full duplex. This isn’t an important factor to me, though.
  - Traffic: I myself, not living in a metro area, don’t need it. It is clear though, that the Garmin would work a lot better than the TomTom for this function.
  - Voice guidance (TTS): is completely pathetic on the c550. The voices can barely be heard, and they sound like crap. The 910’s voices properly and nearly perfectly speak names of streets and POI’s. The sound is loud, and crystal clear. I’ve had much confusion listening to the c550’s voices.
  - “In the box”: Garmin’s bundle is a bit on the skimpy side. With the TomTom, you get A LOT for $599. One really good feature of the 910 is the included remote; with the Garmin, it’s not available at all.
  - Customizability: the 910 is FAR more customizable than the c550. You can barely change settings on the c550. This personally, drives me crazy. That hot pink line that shows your route on the c550 can’t be changed, while you can download at least 10 different color schemes for free for the 910. Even the keyboard on the 910 can be switched from a QWERTY to ABCDEF… this cannot be done on the c550; you’re stuck with ABCDEF…
  - Overall quality: the 910 definitely feels like a better quality unit. The Garmin is lighter, but feels a lot cheaper. The mount is probably the cheapest part of the c550 bundle. The whole ball and socket thing is bad, and is going to eventually wear out. Also, I read a lot of complaints about the c550 going dead. This is true; it happened to me on Saturday. Luckily, I was able to plug it into my PC and it came back up. The TomTom 910 that I’ve owned since December has never done this; I’ve never, ever had to reset it.
  
  
  My overall opinion is, they both work. They both have faults. If you need to choose either one, I’d go with the TomTom. It’s worked out better for me, and I rarely find fault with it. I’ve had it since Dec 12 and it’s never caused me a major issue. I’ve gone on many road trips using it, and it never failed. I’ve had the c550 since last Thursday and I’m ready to return it. I still haven’t made my decision on which to keep, but I’m leaning more and more towards the TomTom every day.

  Updated
  I ended up keeping the Garmin. I got to use the traffic function on a ride to Philly, which is great. Overall, the GPS itself is more accurate than TomTom, but the mount is it's worst point. It simply will not stay still. The unit is moved to a different position every time I look at it. The ball socket is loose and just won't stay in one spot. I tried the non-skid mount, same thing. I've decided to go with a Streetpilot 2720, a more professional and solid unit.

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  7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Only the best Mobile GPS on the market...

  by fmpanz on August 3, 2006

  Pros: User Friendly, Accurate, Voice Clarity, Screen Clarity, Bluetooth, Battery Life... Too much to list.

  Cons: Only the price stopped me from giving this GPS a rating of 10.

  Summary: I have owned the Garmin C550 for two weeks now. After reading Garmin's review touting how it's "ready to go right out of the box", I was a ...

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  Summary: I have owned the Garmin C550 for two weeks now. After reading Garmin's review touting how it's "ready to go right out of the box", I was a bit skeptical. I soon found out that everything they say is true about this product. I took it out of the box, powered it on and wow! There I was located immediately on the map right in front of my house. I was simply amazed. The touch screen makes navigating around the menus extremely easy and fast. The TTS (text to speech) feature is amazing as it tells you word for word what street to turn on. Not just "turn left in 200 ft." it says "turn left on MAIN STREET in 200 ft." It mounts easily on your windshield with the super-strong suction cup mount or on the dash with the dashboard disk. My first long trip was only 52 miles but it got me there with pinpoint accuracy, right to the doorstep. If you should ignore the units commands and miss a turn ot two, it quickly "recalculates" and gets you back on track. I can't say enough about this unit. It's my first GPS and probably my last. I will be shocked if Garmin can improve on this masterpiece.

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  5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Top of the Pick

  by DariusRob on June 15, 2006

  Pros: It is compatible with most phones and many POI in many areas and very accurate

  Cons: no remote control for easy usage

  Summary: I have had purchased the TomTom 910 and had to take it back. This by far passes the new TomTom naviagtion system. It is very accurate in giving directions and ...

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  Summary: I have had purchased the TomTom 910 and had to take it back. This by far passes the new TomTom naviagtion system. It is very accurate in giving directions and the traffic update works well me.
  
  This navigation speaks the name of the streets and it can find just about the smallest gas station around. I went and got mine from CircutCity roughly $800.
  
  The website offers updates that you can download through the usb cable included. Also the traffic receiver in intergrated into the navigation system! Just plug it in and go (although you have to register it online first)
  
  The screen offers large buttin to press and it recalculates direction if you pass you turn.Take it from me, I have already tried the competition. Don't waste you money or time going to another brand or model. This is the one!

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 6 stars

  Decent, can be much better

  by laxvenkat on December 1, 2007

  Pros: Quick to catch signal, good turn by turn voice signal

  Cons: user interface is not good, mount is weak

  Summary: I see that there are many Garmin fans here. While I feel that Garmin is decent, I feel that they are yet to evolve into great products as their user ...

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  Summary: I see that there are many Garmin fans here. While I feel that Garmin is decent, I feel that they are yet to evolve into great products as their user interface (UI) is not the greatest and they could be a lot more intuitive.
  I have owned two Garmin GPS till date for a total of almost two years - first a Streetpilot C530 which was stolen which I replaced with a Streetpilot C550.
  The following are the areas where Garmin can improve its UI:
  a) When you key in the address of your destination, the GPS does not pre-fill your current city’s name. Hence if you are going from point A to point B within San Francisco, the GPS requires you to type in San Francisco as your destination. Why can’t it pre-fill the current city’s name just as it does the current state? This may seem like a small issue but if you drive a lot within a large city like I do it can be quite a bit of pain. (I think TomTom pre-fills it – am not sure – TomTom owners please comment)
  b) After you have keyed in your destination the GPS does not tell you the distance to the destination. It just tells you the estimated arrival time. If you want to know the distance to your destination there is only a convoluted way to find it. You have to keep pressing the right arrow which takes you turn by turn till the destination giving you the distance to the successive turns every time you press the right arrow. When you finally get to your destination it tells you the distance.
  c) If you have a sudden desire to know where you are, you cannot just press a “where am I” button and find the address of your current spot. To be fair, I do not know if any GPS has this function.
  d) Also the keyboard for keying in address is alphabetically arranged, not Qwerty – not intuitive at all.
  All the above issues are common problems across the entire Garmin line of products including its Nuvi range. They are not earth shattering faults but nagging pains. Whenever I use Garmin I always have the feeling that they can be much better than what they are if a little more thought is given to the UI.
  Another nagging issue which is specific to Streetpilot C500 series is the design flaw on the suction mount interface. By design the windshield suction mount goes into a ball and socket type of joint with the socket being on the GPS. After frequent use this socket becomes loose very easily resulting in loose hanging GPS which starts facing the floor of he car every time there is a bump on the road. This happened to my Streetpilot C530 and before I could get it repaired it got stolen. This happened again to my C550 within five months of buying it. I contacted Garmin and they have agreed to replace the socket in the GPS as it is within the warranty. I noticed that this issue is quite common on C500 series. When I visited Garmin store in Michigan Ave in Chicago recently almost all C500 series units on display had very loose joints with all the GPS facing the floor at the slightest of nudge to the GPS. I am sure Garmin realizes the design flaw on this. That probably explains why the newer Nuvi units have a different design to connect the mount to the GPS.
  In the interest of presenting a well rounded review of Garmin I must say that navigational technology wise Garmins are good products. My Streetpilot C550 receives signals quite quickly in cold starts and does an admirable job of navigating me in the city even with high rise buildings (that is why I replaced my stolen Garmin with a Garmin in spite of the above flaws). I like the turn by turn voice signals which speak the street names too. Hence overall they are decent products but they can be improved to be great. Perhaps there is an update to the interface in the works. Keeping my fingers crossed….

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Good unit, very satisfied

  by norm294 on September 30, 2006

  Pros: Bright display, blue tooth with phone great

  Cons: Cannot scroll map while in navigate mode

  Summary: I have seen many complaining about the mount, either I am lucky, but my mount works great, no bouncing, holds well. Obtaining satelites: I have found if I don't ...

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  Summary: I have seen many complaining about the mount, either I am lucky, but my mount works great, no bouncing, holds well. Obtaining satelites: I have found if I don't start driving immediately for just a minute it acquires quickly, but especially when not home and start driving or turn on while driving (moving)it can take 3 or 4 minutes to acquire satelites. So far now for over a month once aquired it has not lost signal. I have not been in Manhattan yet, but other surrounding cities in the NY area with no problems. The display is fabulous, very bright even in bright sunlight. The maps could use a slight improvement and update, but overall very good. Some major highways that you are already on and traveling it will tell you to turn onto like it is a different road than you are already on. Like most navigators it doesn't always take the best route, but it will get you there. It reroutes quickly if you divert off its desired route. I have also had a few problems with roads that have and east or west before the regular name and it navigates to the wrong road, the one without the east or west, even though it knew there was an east or west extension. The bluetooth phone connection works great. I have no desire to play MP3 tunes out of the little speakers when my car stereo is so much nicer, but it does work ok. The traffic feature does work, but in a month now it hasn't really been very usefull. I had no problems with updates using my computer, it connected with no problems with the cable provided. I did drag over a few MP3's to test the music function and also had no problems with that aspect. It would have been nice maybe if it had an FM transmitter to utilize the car stereo easily, but there I go wishing. While driving the buttons on the display are easy to see and use. Overall I have been very pleased.

  Updated
  The bluetooth with a cell phone is fabulous. I laugh at those people with the thing stuck in their ear for hands free, with the c550 I just talk normally in the car and I can hear fine, plus the phone book coming up on screen and just a touch or two and I dial someone is great also.
  The traffic feature I never used, it only does "major" roads it seems. It might be helpful for some that commute the major highways daily.
  I still have not had a problem with the mount. If you turn it on while driving it does take a bit longer to find satelites, however turning on first and start the car and wait a minute, it aquires in no time. I have it on whenever I am in the car for the handsfree feature and am wondering why I didn't buy one sooner..

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Awesome! Peace-of-mind while traveling

  by WaveMagnet on April 1, 2006

  Pros: Portable, non-obstructive, accurate

  Cons: Occassionally gets wrong left/right voice commands

  Summary: I used this product while traveling out of state. It was very intuitive, I did not read the manual. It guided me accurately and comfortably to every location - no ...

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  Summary: I used this product while traveling out of state. It was very intuitive, I did not read the manual. It guided me accurately and comfortably to every location - no more high stress fumbling with Yahoo maps. Occassionally the left/right voice instructions were not correct, but a quick glance at the screen allowed me to make the correct decision about the route. The Garmin StreetPilot c550 makes me very happy that I did not purchase the $3000 GPS option in my new car.

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  3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

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