Garmin C550 Review

[crokett]

I ordered it late Thursday and got it today. Newegg is . Spent the last several minutes playing with it. I don't know what features most GPS units have, so I will just tell you what I liked. Setup was straightforward. I turned it on, it went through fixing its position then made me promise I wouldn't use it while driving because it is dangerous.

I tried the 'go home' option and the unit asked if I wanted to fix my current position as home. I said yes but this is easy to change. There are several options to search for a destination. You can enter an address, you can drag a map around or you can search for gas stations, restaurants, hotels etc. I tried all 3 and it gave me an accurate list of the ones closest to my house. You can also search for cities. It brings up a list of the nearest or you can enter one. It also keeps a history of where you've been and a list of favorites. The screen could be a smidge bigger. The touch screen buttons are a little small but then I have big fingers. I fed it directions to my folks' house, then it started yelling when I didn't start moving.

The big reason I got this one was bluetooth. I got it hooked up to my wife's phone pretty quickly and tested it as a handsfree device. There was a little echo on the call but I figure that is because I was talking to myself on my cellphone. Quality was decent. It accepted her phone book with no problems. She can either use the touchscreen to dial or use voice dia, if I enable it on her phone.

All in all I am happy with what I saw tonight. I am not sure I will check the accuracy of directions before I give it to her. That would kinda be like reading a book before you give it to someone.

I haven't tested whether you can change the voice prompt, etc. I gotta leave some fun for when she opens it Christmas Day.

[RayintheUK]

I haven't tested whether you can change the voice prompt, etc.

You can - it comes with one male and one female voice, but you can download alternatives. Great unit, enjoy!

Ray

[JimD]

I have the 350 (tells you street names and has MP3 but no bluetooth). We like it but the directions are sometimes a little goofy. I just learned how to check them, however. If you touch the top of the screen where it is telling you where your next turn will be, the list of turns comes up. You can review them. If you do not like the route, you can ask for a detour or change your preferences and try again.

When I say the directions are sometimes goofy, it may be helpful to explain what I mean. They will always get you there, in my 6 months experience, but not always the best way. For instance, when we initially used our Nuvi to go to Baltimore from South Carolina, we had to cross DC on a Saturday morning. The Nuvi tried to take us right through downtown at 11am. I think the problem was it did not know it was Saturday. Near noon on a weekday would probably have been OK but I don't think so on Saturday. Another time we wanted to come home from Atlanta and it was about 3pm on a Saturday. We had the avoid taffic option checked and it directed us way out on secondary roads to avoid the downtown interstates. Again probably not the best route but would have been a better option on a weekday. Lastly, going to Wilmington, NC, it repeatedly directed us off a 4 lane road onto a 2 lane that has stop signs and stop lights the 4 lane did not have. This was not the quickest option which is what I had requested at the time.

I think it helps to look at a map before leaving on a long route and check the Nuvi's route but for short trips it has been fine. For long trips, you may waste a little time but you will get there. It is always nice to have a reminder about turns and information on when you should arrive.

Jim

[just started]

They ALL do those 'goofy' routes sometimes.