5. Mounting the StreetPilot c550 in the car

Figure 33: StreetPilot c550's Winshield Mount

Garmin's new suction mount deserves some kudos. Both TomTom and Magellan have been plagued by mounting hardware issues, and Garmin has hit a home run with this very simple, yet highly effective, mount. The mount attaches easily and securely to the windshield.

Once clamped in place, the mount feels very sturdy. You attach the c550 to the mount by simply applying pressure until you hear the ball on the mount click into the back of the Garmin StreetPilot c550.

Figure 34: StreetPilot c550, Mounted in the Car

Once attached to the mount, the c550 can be swiveled in any direction. The c550 is nice and light (.59 lbs), and the mount is very sturdy. So when you're driving, the unit doesn't bounce around or move position from the movement of the car or from touching the screen.

Figure 35: StreetPilot c550 Mounted in the Car

The StreetPilot c550 is small enough that it doesn't obstruct the view through the windshield. A single power cable connects the c550 to the cigarette lighter adapter.

6. Navigating with the StreetPilot c550

Figure 36: StreetPilot c550's Main Menu

Once powered on, the StreetPilot presents you with it's main menu. From here, you tap "Where to?" to route to a destination, or View map.

Figure 37: Where To?

Tapping on "Where To?" bring up this sub-menu. From here you can choose a street address, a POI, a saved address, or "Extras". As of this writing there are only a few commercial Extras available via Garmin's Extras website. Looks like you can add things like travel guides and custom POIs here. Not terribly useful now, but potentially useful in the future as Garmin releases extras.

Figure 38: Entering the State Name

Tapping on "Where to?" (shown in Figure 36 above) brings up the State selection screen. By default it shows the state you are currently in, or you can spell out a different state.

Figure 39: Spelling the State Name with the On-Screen Keyboard

The way you enter names into the c550. As you type out a name, the c550 narrows the list of available destinations. So, for example, if you enter N-E-W-Space-Y, the c550 will automatically suggest New York. This works well, although I felt this is one of the weaker aspects of Garmin's software. Both Magellan and TomTom have slicker interfaces for entering street names. They all operate basically the same way, but they show you the list narrowing as you type. The Garmin waits until it thinks the results are suitably small enough to show you. So the process is slightly faster with Magellan and TomTom.

Figure 40: Confirming the Destination Address

Once you've entered your destination, the Garmin gives you the choice of seeing it on the map, dialing the number (assuming your phone is linked via Bluetooth), saving the destination as a favorite in your address book, or routing you to the destination. This is all pretty standard on all the GPS' now days, although I did like the large green button saying "Go!" instead of something more cryptic (i.e. Route, or Navigate to)

Figure 41: Garmin StreetPilot's Map Screen

The is the map view with the route you're supposed to take highlighted in pink. The lower left shows the estimated arrival time, the lower right shows the distance to the next maneuver. The plus and minus icons are for zooming in or out on the map. I liked the icon of the 3D car, and overall I found the c550 very easy to read in the car. I also found the 3D perspective on the Garmin to be easier to visually process than on the TomTom 910, which, in my opinion, has the 3D angle too steep.

Figure 42: Turn Details Screen

If you prefer, you can disable the 3D view and enable a more traditional 2D split screen view.

Figure 43: Main Menu During an Active Route

Multi-destination routing isn't possible on the c550, but you can insert a single additional stop along the route.

While navigating to a destination, tapping on the menu icon brings up the usual "Where to / View map" page, but this time you also see too new options: Stop, and Detour. Stop allows you to cancel the route (I was very happy to see this option so prominently displayed. On the TomTom 910 you have to drill down several menus deep before seeing an option to cancel the route). Detour allows you to enter a new destination along the way to your final destination.

Figure 44: Trip Information

While driving to a destination, tapping on the lower left hand side of the c550 brings up a virtual dashboard with all the vitals of your trip. Not particularly useful, but pretty nonetheless!