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| Date Reviewed: 09/05/2006 |
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Strengths: Easy to use, Blue Tooth connectivity, current maps, Fast satelite aquisition, Portability, Touch screen, Not a lot of extra fluff.
Weaknesses: Volume could be louder in the on board speakers.
Summary: The Garmin c550 is amazingly easy to use right out of the box. I used it for 3 days before I had time to read the owners manual. The Blue Tooth feature is really easy to connect and it works great. Anwsering calls hands free is another great feature. So far I've used the c550 in the Appalachian mountains and in Baltimore city. Traveling in low valleys and between tall buildings I haven't lost the satelite signal yet. The points of interest feature is very useful when your in an unfamiliar area. I've located dinning, fuel, and other poi's with just a few taps of the screen. The maps are suprisingly accurate and current. Automatic re-routing works well. The c550 is extremely portable and functions for 8 hours on a single charge or you can plug it into the cigarette lighter and use it while it charges. Super simple touch screen (no stylis needed) programming plus easy to use value added features make the Garmin c550 one of the best gps units on the market.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/18/2006 |
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Strengths: Display and ease of use.
Weaknesses: Audio is a weakness but workable.
Summary: I am sometimes prone to purchase the latest GISMO. I was a little concerned when I decided I wanted a Garmin Street Pilot c550. I had owned a number of Garmin StreetPilot GPS’s. I always was satisfied with the products but it seemed that each product was an improvement but something was lost on the upgrade. I had a c320 and wanted some improvements:
1. A screen that was better in strong sunlight 2. A strait forward way to create waypoints from the current location 3. A more secure mount 4. A mount that when running from a battery would not have wires daggling.
The C550 delivered all of that.
In addition I thought the Bluetooth capability with the Cell Phone was interesting. My experience with Bluetooth devices and my cell phone has not been great. The Garmin works great with my Motorola Razor. Voice dialing works without a bunch of retries, Phone Book and Call Logs sync on connection. The voice transmission and reception is good but not exceptional. The person receiving the call through the Garmin generally says that the call sounds like it is coming from a speakerphone, go figure.
The MP3 capability was interesting but not one I particularly cared about. The interesting thing was that the Garmin looks like a storage device on my PC and MAC. And I was able to move music from my ITunes and photos from IPhoto on the Mac to the Garmin. Let me not mislead you all the programs for managing the Garmin, Webupdater, Mapsourse are developed for the PC.
Inn case Garmin reads this the next upgrade should include a good FM transmitter for audio through the radio.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/19/2007 |
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Strengths: This unit is handy, has multiple features, and especially the bluetooth capability makes it all the better.
This item makes it easy to get around,and now i can't live without one.
Weaknesses: Well this was my first GPS, and unfortunely was stolen. Please use your garmin lock, and pick a location not near your house to unlock the unit. I will be buying another c550.
Summary: Overall the best Garmin unit to date. I am considering bying another one to replace my stolen one, thats how much i like it. The unit is hands down the best value for your dollar.
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| Date Reviewed: 08/13/2006 |
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Strengths: o Quick set up.
o Locks on satellites quickly.
o Easy to use.
o Quick to update display and compute routes.
o Clear, bright display.
o Compact for travel.
o Easy to update software.
Weaknesses: o Small display size.
o Price.
Summary: I bought the unit as a gift for my wife. My point of reference is an in-dash GPS system in my own car. The Garmin C550 is a far better value, delivering greater functionality (live traffic) for about a third the cost of my in-dash system. The C550 was easy to set up (10 minutes). I updated the internal software in about 15 minutes. The unit's compact size makes it a great candidate for use in a vacation rental car. Live traffic is of immense value in busy urban driving conditions. I recommend this GPS system for anyone desiring the latest functionality and technology in a compact, portable package.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/17/2006 |
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Strengths: Ease of use, ability to hold reception, voice prompts, traffic reports, amount of data it holds, ability to stop route easily with 1 or 2 buttons, rerouting after missed turns
Weaknesses: Wish power cord plugged into base instead of unit. Must turn volume up 100% to hear voice prompts when on freeway. Speaker cracks a little at full volume. Have to buy traffic reporting subscription
Summary: This is my first GPS unit so take this review for what it's worth. I'm an HVAC service technician and I travel to 8 or more different places every day. This was bought to allow me to concentrate on driving and not having my head in a map book. It has worked out perfectly. I haven't been so impressed with an electronic gadget since I got my Tivo. I can enter my whole days list of stops, cancel them, then pull them up with one button under "recent searches" to have it route me from one to the next in no time. I can ask it what kind of food is either near my current location, on my route, or near my destination so I can pick up lunch during my day. It's uncovered many good places to eat that I was never aware of. It can tell me where the nearest gas station is, or the nearest bank/atm. I've already loaded it up with 120 MP3's to listen to. Don't know how many the internal memory will hold, but I can always add an SD card to hold many more. This unit has a "take me home" button that has been a lifesaver after a long day. The first day I was sent to deep downtown San Francisco in an unfamiliar area. It got me there with little problems. I say little problems because at one point between several skyscrapers it lost it's signal and couldn't locate me. After I cleared the skyscrapers, it reaquired my location and recalculated me on my previous route. At the end of the day, I just hit the "take me home" button and it easily plotted me a path through the city to the nearest on ramp and home. When I was about 5 miles from home my "low gas" light came on. I checked the c550 for the nearest gas station. It pulled up about a dozen in a 1/2 mile radius.
A couple of things I didn't like for my particular application were as follows. My work van is pretty noisy with all my tools and parts bouncing around inside. When I'm on the freeway, I must turn up the volume 100% to be able to clearly hear the voice prompts. At this volume, the speakers begin to crack when playing MP3's. I remove the unit every night to prevent theft. It's very easy to remove the unit from the windshield mount but the power cord plugs into the unit instead of the windshield mount so I must unplug it every time. I worry about the constant in and out of the plug causing wear. The power plug is similar to the flat cell phone charger type of inputs, not the round plug type. Finally, I thought the unit came with traffic updating included,(which it does for 3 months) but you must buy a subscription to continue using it. It is a nice tool to avoid traffic with though.
Overall I'm very impressed with this unit. I showed it to a co-worker who said "Oh, that's the same as mine" until I showed him some of the advanced features like "text to speech" and traffic reporting. Then he said "my doesn't do that". I was almost ready to buy the Tom Tom 910 but was turned off buy reports of terrible customer support and problems with the mounting bracket. Hope this review helps with your decision.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/26/2006 |
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Strengths: The unit is very easy to use and comes with too many features to list. See below for further details.
Weaknesses: The C550 weakness are few: Using the touch screen it ends up with a number of fingerprints which show when the sunlight is directly on the unit and it becomes difficult to see. The lock feature if you
Summary: There are many strengths regarding the C550: The unit starts working directly out of the box and automatically starts when power is turned on when the unit is plugged in. The included integrated traffic receiver/adapter works very well where I live picking up a traffic signal and holding on with a pre-paid subscription for 3 months. The traffic receiver will reroute you if it detects a road problem ahead. The GPS unit picks up a solid satellite signal in about 30 to 45 seconds (in my area) and maintains the signal under rain, clouds, forest, tall buildings… etc. The unit comes with 6 million + Points-of-Interest like: Places to eat, Stay, Repair stations, Gas, Government (Post Office, Court, City Hall…), Entertainment, Shopping to name a few. The unit comes with a built-in password protection when turned on (in case of being stolen). The unit comes with Blue tooth (which I do not use and cannot comment) and a MP3 player with two speakers, which works well. The unit also comes with an 8-hour battery, which is one of the main reasons for buying this unit.
As a summary of the C550 let me start by staying that if you are a first time GPS user, I would recommend this unit. I have used for a number of years the first Street Pilot unit and was used to using the Mapsource software and seeing the Points-of-Interest as I made each turn and it has taken me a few weeks to get used to not seeing them. As stated in the adds the unit comes with Mapsouce City Navagitor lite which does not show the Points-of-Interest while driving. The C550 Auto-Route function works very well and includes a Home button where wherever you are you can press the Home button and it will AutoRoute you home. A nice feature. Also to note if you miss a turn the AutoRoute will reroute quickly and get you back on track. The AutoRoute function also displays the arrival time, which I have found to be an accurate time. I make a number of trips for work and the C550 will provide you with the miles traveled and log the total time and resting time and average of MPH traveled. It also records your peek MPH which you m ay want to remove once in a while (not that I travel faster than the posted speed limit or anything…)
As a last note: Looking at the other StreetPilot units, the C550 comes with a brighter screen then the older units, has a night feature where the screen inverses for night time driving, is easy to use and tells you where you are going. I am happy to recommend this unit.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/21/2006 |
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Strengths: Ease of use, pre-loaded map, FM Traffic receiver, bright screen, clear voice prompt, bluetooth, lightweight, lock feature, MP3.
Weaknesses: None so far
Summary: This is my first GPS and I am quite impressed. It is so easy to use just right out of the box. The map is pre-loaded, it is so easy to navigate that I didn't have to read the manual. The bluetooth technology that connects to my treo is very convenient (check cellphone compatibility). The FM Traffic receiver on detours & traffic incidents is a life saver for me during rush hour. It only takes a few seconds to recalculate when I missed a turn. The voice language is very clear and can be changed into different accents and languages. For added security, it has a 4-digit PIN to lock the GPS. It is very light that I can put it inside my bag. For me, this product is highly recommended.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/10/2006 |
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Strengths: I love everything that they offered. Bluetooth, MP3, bright screen that can be seen even in the sun, SD memory card reader, Speakers, real time traffic information, speedometer...and many more...
Weaknesses: None that i can think of....the suction cup for the windshield doesn't stick as well but it's ok...
Summary: I really really enjoy using this product everyday because i commute from school and also go to work. I drive during traffic hours so the traffic information tells me where there is traffic and guides to a different route. The timing is very precise and i never got lost since i got this GPS. I used this GPS to go to Lake Tahoe from Los Angeles with my family and got no problem with it. Got there in time and never got lost. I think that was a very good test and it passed. OVERALL i love this GPS and i would not replace it even with the tomtom 910. I think the StreetPilot c550 is better.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/18/2006 |
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Strengths: Ready to use out of the box; Compact size; Display; Built-in battery; Integrated traffic receiver; Fast recalculating feature; Voice prompts; 3-D maps; Easy user interface; Vehicle icons; Lock; Blueto
Weaknesses: Unit is not waterproof!!; Price; Garmin’s quality control
Summary: This is my first GPS unit. Overall, I love it and highly recommend it for purchase. There's so many features that the $800 price tag almost feels like a bargain. I researched many different GPS models and decided on the new Streetpilot c550 because it had all the features I wanted and not as many extras that I didn't.
I pre-ordered the unit online and received it very quickly. It was ready to navigate right out of the box, but you need to register the unit to use fun features like changing vehicle icons. I began using the unit right away around town to learn all the features. I quickly realized that it does a great job finding the fastest or shortest route; though it does not take local traffic conditions into account. I assume all GPS units are like this. So I use my knowledge of local traffic conditions with the c550 to find the best route. This is where the super-fast re-calculating feature comes in handy. My friends call it the “Ah ‘ight!” feature.
My first unit died after 7 days of use. I assume it was a factory lemon. I returned it for an exchange. The second unit I received has been working great but the power adapter was not completely assembled and came apart in the cigarette lighter. This caused the fuse to blow as well. My husband was able to retrieve the pieces left behind in the cigarette lighter, saw the extra pieces in the bottom of the box, and reassembled the adapter. After replacing the car fuse it has worked with no problems the last month. Hopefully, Garmin's quality control did a better job with other units.
The integrated power adapter/traffic receiver was a GREAT addition for the c550. I live in a covered area for the traffic service. It does a real good job warning you of traffic back-ups, constructions, and traffic accidents that happened at least 20 minutes before. It is not as quick as local traffic reports to pick up new accidents. For example, there was an accident on my way home from work. The radio traffic reports were announcing the new accident and I was able to detour around it using the GPS to find a new route, but the unit never provided me with the accident information. Sometimes, it will also tell you that there is heavy traffic congestion but when you get there it isn't. Still it's been right more than not and I'll probably continue with a paid subscription once the free trial period ends. Hopefully, we'll be like Europe soon and a lifetime subscription will be included with the purchase of the traffic receiver.
The turn by turn voice instructions are handy. There are so many voices and languages to choose from as well. The voice doesn’t sound completely natural but it’s not robotic either. Since the voice is computer generated, occasionally it mispronounces words but it’s never been a problem yet. The display is easy to see day or night! The auto backlight adjustment works very well. I would love to use this unit to navigate on my motorcycle as well as my automobile. Built in battery power lasts about 6 hours and is good enough for most rides. Now how hard would it have been for Garmin to add a waterproof gasket? I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Garmin does this to the next generation of cStreetpilots. For now, I’m going to use it on days that look sunny and clear. If I happen to get caught in some rain, I’ll pull over and quickly put it away.
I do not have a Bluetooth enabled phone, so I do not have anything to comment at this time. My next phone will be Bluetooth so I look forward to using that feature then. I have not used the MP3 player either. My iPod is directly connected to the car’s stereo system. So the MP3 player is an extra feature that I didn’t want or need.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/29/2006 |
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Strengths: accurate maps..accurate direction.
Weaknesses: volume could be louder,mouting feels weak but works fine.could improve on text to speech.
Summary: this is my first automotive gps. it does good job to get me to my destination. no problems. the volume coming from the speaker could be louder..i have to close my door windows to hear the direction. so..i decided to buy a audio cable and connect it to back of unit and to back of my car audio head unit. now when jill gives direction..the aux out from audio reciever. sends the signal to all 4 of my car speakers and i can make the volume louder by turning the volume on my audio reciever.i have 1 gb sd card. i store music and it plays through my car speakers. but when getting direction the music pauses and then continues playing music after jill stops talking. u cant listen to audio from cd's or radio and also get direction from c550 like this. the suction mount is strong.. but the ball joint tht connect to back of unit seems not tight to hold the unit in place. it feels tht way.so far the unit is not moving on the ball. but i think..it will become loose ..from continous removing and installing. i had the unit for only a week.I hope this will not be the case. some words like name of street , or route jill says is not clear. overall.. this is best out there now in my opinion. i have read about all types of plug n play navigation products over year until i finally bought one. my other choices were. garmin I5 & c340
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| Date Reviewed: 07/10/2006 |
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Strengths: easy to use. all-in-one including traffic and bluetooth. small size. bright display.
Weaknesses: speaker. price
Summary: This is one of the best GPSs in the market. If you are looking for an easy-to-use GPS, this is the one you want. It comes out of the box ready to go even with the traffic information. The new display works great even in daytime. The only drawbacks are the relatively weak sound quality and the steep price.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/14/2007 |
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 Garmin difficult to deal with Strengths: Unit is quick, much faster than Magellen unit replaced. Bluetooth, MP3, as well as map unit is great ... no problems.
Weaknesses: Unit came with cig lighter plug with receiver for traffic. Worked once-stopped working-circuit board parts had fell off-Garmin gave me the finger and would not replace.
Summary: The C550 unit works well but Garmin does not support their product. If you buy a Garmin unit do the following;
1. Keep box, wrapping, and all paperwork - forever. You will need to return complete.
2. If you purchase C550 with traffic receiver and it does not work - thanks for spending $179 for nothing because Garmin does not support their warranty.
3. If you call Garmin about a warranty issue, make sure to get your next meal in place as you make the call, you will be on the phone forever - also write down the names of people you are passed around to - I suggest having a full writing tablet. (FYI - I was on the phone from the Canadian boarder to the city limits of Seattle trying to get my traffic receiver replaced).
4. Purchase unit from "the Nerds" or other pro group. I purchased my C550 from a sporting goods store (very famous chain) and they had no idea what they were selling or how to resolve issues.
Very dissapointed with Garmin - I suggest trying another brand.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/25/2007 |
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Strengths: It has every latest GPS feature at a more than fair price. It just works very well.
Weaknesses: Cigarette lighter power cord plugs into into unit instaed of mount making it cumbersome to take in and out of vehicle. Not a big deal though
Summary: I researched GPS units for about a week, reading reviews and doing comparisons. This one won hands down! I have been using this for 3 months now. I travel every other week around the country and Canada and I no longer bring paper maps of any sort. I also make multiple planned stops per day on the road and by saving my stops in favorites I have been able to add an additional stop per day because of the travel time I have saved (or I just finish my day early and start to have fun). This product works great. I was just in Baltimore airport (BWI) going to Harrisburg PA. The C550 took me the longer driving route through downtown Baltimore to get to Harrisburg. On the way back the next day at the same time from the previous day, the unit took me back the shorter driving route around the city. The other side of the highway was so backed that the unit probably saved me an hour or more of drive time on the previous day based on the traffic it saw from the FM Traffic system. FYI all Traffic System cost $$ per year. Clearchannel version to me is the best.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/07/2007 |
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Strengths: bluetooth capatible,volume level is very good.
Weaknesses: A light sensor would be nice to tone down the display automaticaly
Summary: The Garmin 550C performs very well in all conditions. I use it in my diesel pickup and it can be heard above the noise.It finds the satilites very quickly and seems to lock on even under the worst conditions. It is simple to use,I would highly recommend it.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/14/2006 |
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Strengths: It is extremely easy to use almost intuitive, and gets a strong satellite reception every where on the road. I really like the graphics. The window suction cup is works very well.
Weaknesses: I wish the mount came out a bit further form the window. Pricey but worth every extra penny.
Summary: I upgraded from the handheld eMap from Garmin. Some of the features I miss were extra on the eMap. Cool things like when the sun and moon are setting. I knew it would not have these features because it is an automotive GPS. My eMap was kind of both but not exceptional good and one thing of the other.
StreetPilot c550 – Opened the box, plugged it in my 12v jack. Two or three minutes later it acquired satellites for the first time. It then walked me through a set up. I register the Traffic code and I was getting updates on traffic conditions. Very cool GPS unit. Also I have a Motorola v3 RAZR phone which integrated 100% with the StreetPilot c550.
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