c550 looks great. Any thoughts on the possibility of mounting this not on the windshield but on a gooseneck mount that is bolted to the center hump on passenger side? I have a TomTom Palm based unit there now and it is in a great location, but dont know if the mouning hardware exists to mount the c550 with the ball mount to the gooseneck. It may also stick out to far.

Dont want to put a new GPS unit on the dash - not very stealthy.

Also I am assuming with the SIRF star III chip it does not have to be right on the dash to get a good signal.

Great review.

Thanks in advance.

gg

gg – you can probably pickup Garmin’s optional Dash Mount (http://shop.garmin.com/accessory.jsp?sku=010%2D10747%2D02) for $23 and use the adhesive backing to stick it to your gooseneck mount. The c550 is very light weight, so I wouldn’t be too concerned with that. I can’t say if it will stick out too far (the c550 is 2.8” deep).

You’re correct about the SiRF Star III chipset being able to get a signal without being right in the dash. However, you would probably get better performance in challenging GPS environments (like Manhattan) if the unit were on the dash.

--Fletch

One feature that I like in theory on the Garmin, but have not ever used in practice, is the "Near" variable on POI, which lets you find POI near your current location, along your current route, or near your current destination. Have you tried these options, do they work in practice as they should? Seems like a great idea, if you are headed somewhere you are more interested in food/gas/etc. along the route than just near your current location.

I have used the Garmin "near current route" feature, and it does indeed work. It's great when you're on the way to return your rental car and need to find a gas station on the way to fill up.

Mike's right -- the Garmin does have a Near current route option, and it works quite well.
--Fletch

Just returned my 3rd defective TT 510 - since there were over 200 510's and 910's in the repair center there were no more working units to swap. I'm now using the c550 and it's a substantially better unit.

I have questions, I need answers:

I noticed on the unit (in store) that it switches to night driving mode during night, is this by a sensor or by an internal clock? I couldn't tell and neither could the employees I have talked to. Also, approximatly how long (in inches) is the traffic receiver, I'm afraid I might have a problem between my cigarette lighter outlet and stick shift if it is too big. Also, is there any compass feature, demo your route before you leave, etc.. comparable to the TomTom GO 910? Can it detect how fast you are going and alert you of going over the speed limit and warning of safety cameras? How many features does it have that the TomTom GO 910 has? How much internal memory can you store stuff on without an SD Card, can you download to the unit directly by computer without the SD Card, and is there software management for the c550 like the TomTom Home for the TomTom units? Does it have maps of North America including Canada and Europe? Is the Garmin Nuvi 360 more comparable to the TomTom GO 910? Help! Help! Help! Need information!

Also, wanted to add, about a month ago I e-mailed TomTom about the issues with their GO 910, they e-mailed me back (finally) today, and to my amazement (or lack thereof), they denied ANY problems with the unit and said they sell tons of them. Haha, yeah, they boast about selling many units, but do they ever mention how many returns they get? Shame on TomTom! I still might get a TomTom GO 910 in a year or whenever it is considered "acceptable".

Brian - let me answer your questions one at a time:

• The c550 switches to night driving mode based on it’s internal clock. This is different from the TomTom 910, which uses an ambient light sensor to determine when to use night mode.


• The integrated 12v adapter / traffic receiver is about 4.5 inches long.


• There is no compass feature.


• The only way I’ve been able to get the Garmin c550 to demo the route is by being indoors and far away from any windows. After a while the unit will ask if you’re indoors and want to simulate the route.


• The c550 does not alert you if you are driving over the speed limit


• You can store around 600MB of stuff on the internal memory.


• The c550 ships either in the North American version, which has maps of North America, Canada, and Puerto Rico on it, or the European version. The TomTom 910, on the other hand, ships with all maps internally.


• The c550 does not ship with any file management software. You just hook it up to your computer via the included USB cable, and then drag and drop files just like you would on an external hard drive. Although this method makes it possible to accidentally delete key system files from your c550, so be careful!


• The Nuvi 360 also ships in either a North American or European version. Beyond that, I cannot give any detials, as I have not reviewed the Nuvi 360.

Hope that helps,

--Fletch

Brian - one more thing I forgot to mention. It is true that the TomTom 910 has many more features. The question is, are those features deal breakers for you. Because if not, then I would recommend you go with the Garmin instead. It's less exciting than the TomTom, but it works well and is reliable. Moreover, Garmin is a real company that will give you proper support.
--Fletch

Thanks Fletch for the information, I still am interested in the TomTom GO 910 even though the c550 sounds okay, I prefer the features more and I think it could get better WAY down the months ahead, so I think I will put my purchase decision on hold for a few months and see what happens. As for now, it may be a good time to yank that editors choice award label from the GO 910 review and downgrade the grade you gave it on the review, then tell TomTom Customer "Service" over the phone that you withdrew your editors choice award because TomTom doesn't listen to customer complaints, they deny there are ANY problems with the units despite the overwhelming proof that there are problems, and have them remove your editors choice from their website. Maybe THEN they will start listening, but I think they have so much pride that they don't see the problems right in their face with the units. Just a thought... :)

Did anyone else notice Garmin's blog is giving away t-shirts for testimonials of their products. I'd like to hear from some others who have used the c550.

http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2006/06/weekly_winners_.html

Andy - I did notice that, and for a brief second I was even tempted to get my free shirt too. But then I remembered that GPSMagazine is an independent unbiased site. As such, I do not accept any gifts or gratuities.
--Fletch

Went to Circuit City again today to try the Traffic Report feature on the Garmin StreetPilot c550, works very nice and in true real time! I called Garmin yesterday to find out how big the power adapter/traffic receiver is and the guy said "12 inches" and I thought that was INSANE! Fletch however said it is 4.5 inches and the Circuit City guy tried to show me when I asked, but the demo units apparently don't have it attached but the traffic feature works anyways which makes me think it is built into the unit itself.

However, I still think the TomTom GO 910 is better in terms of it's features and whatnot. I just feel more obligated to buy the TomTom GO 910 once the company matures and fixes their GO X10 series problems. Circuit City I believe actually recalled their TomTom GO 510 units because of issues. I wonder when TomTom will update their website, accessories, UNITS and MOUNTS, and whatever else. I may wait until the TomTom GO 920 comes out (if it is indeed real). Any information on the TomTom GO X10 (specifically GO 910's) fixes, hardware, firmware/software from any legitimate source(s)???

How to get the Street Pilot to Demo a Route.

Press the "Tool" Icon and go to the System setting. Set GPS Mode to Off. The Street Pilot will Demo the Route.

I bought the Street Pilot for the Traffic Alert feature. My first Garmin purchase was the NUVI 350. I still love the NUVI 350.

I hope that the Street Pilot will improve the software to become more like the NUVI.

I live in Los Angeles area of California. I have found the Traffic Alerts to be extremely useful for my commuting.

Hi, good review!
Does the TTS function also read the road numbers rather than just the names?
In the UK most roads will have a name and a number, for major roads the number is what really matters. Also the TomTom system seems to give a direction of travel hint.
For examaple I've seen TT910 demos where the unit says 'A6010, nowhere street, towards Trumpton'.
Does the Garmin do that type of thing?

Dave,
Yes, the text-to-speech also reads the road numbers aloud, IF YOU SELECT A COMPUTER VOICE. On the TomTom GO 910, the default voice is computer generated, meaning that it doesn't sound quite as good as the human recorded voices, but it can then read aloud street names and numbers. The Garmin c550 includes both human recorded voice promts as well as computer generated voices. The c550 ships by default set to a human voice. So to get the c550 to announce numbers and street names, you have to set it to a computer voice instead.

Hope that helps.
Cheers!
--Fletch

Does anyone know how to calculate a route to GPS Lat/Long coordinates, or even pull up your current position in Lat/Long or elevation?? Did Garmin leave this basic but important feature out of the c550?? I don't use this feature often, but occasionally for my work I have to go to remote locations in which I only have the GPS coordinates to get there. I talked to Garmin support and they told me I should get a Quest 2. =( I know that the TomTom 910 has these features, but I like the Garmin unit and maps better. Does anyone know if they will be adding these features in a future firmware release?

As far as I know there's no way to route to a GPS Lat/Long on the Garmin c550. The closet thing I can think of is that you can type in a zip code instead of a street address. Dude - you have to go to locations that only have GPS coordinated to get there? That is some REMOTE work places! For what it's worth - you really REALLY want to get the NAVTEQ maps instead of TomTom's TeleAtlas maps.
--Fletch

Yeah I am a communication systems engineer for Motorola and I design RF sites, which are mostly in remote locations such as mountain tops. If I need to survey a few sites in a county for example, it would be nice to be able to put in multiple coordinates and draw routes to them as well as confirm and store my current position when I get directly under the site. This is helpful to me as I can take my GPS readings and plug them directly into my coverage model on my computer so I can estimate the extent of RF coverage, taking the terrain into consideration.

So, yeah my needs are slightly different from the normal consumer I guess. The catch is I want all the fun toys that are on the c550 and the TomTom 910, instead of some dumbed down hiking unit because I am driving 95% of the time. I purchased the c550 because I thought that being able to route to Lat/Long and viewing your current position were basic features included in pretty much every GPS on the market. Unfortunately, I can't do it with the c550 and I think I'll have to return it and get a TomTom 910 which does it. I also called Lowrance and their iWay 350c does it as well, but it doesn't have any of the cool features such as text to speach, bluetooth, or traffic updates.

Its a bummer because you are right Fletch, I really wanted the Navteq maps and I'm afraid that if I get the TomTom I'm going to be disappointed with the accuracy of the TeleAtlas maps. I just don't know what other options I have.

Wow, I've read that for the US the Navteq maps are generally more accurate than the TeleAtlas, but I don't think I've seen it stately so strongly before. Are the TeleAtlas maps really so inferior, and how so (inaccurate, incomplete, other)? Also, what is the typical policy regarding supplying map updates? Acura charge almost $200 for an upgrade DVD. Do Garmin, Tomtom, etc. offer updates, and if so how often, and what do they charge? Thanks.

Guy - Yes, the NAVTEQ maps really are that much better than TeleAtlas (in North America. In Europe, TeleAtlas is supposedly better than NAVTEQ). As for updates, firmware updates are free from all the big manufacturers (Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance, TomTom). But firmware updates do not include map updates. Major updates (i.e. version 4.x to 5) typically include new mapping data, and can cost up to $200. Although it's been my experience that by the time new mapping data is available, a new GPS model has come out that replaces the model with the outdated mapping information. Magellan charges the most for updates. Garmin the least. We'll see what TomTom charges if/when they update their TeleAtlas mapping data.
--Fletch

Brad - You might want to take a look at the Lowrance iWay 500C. I'm currently in the process of doing an in-depth review of it, and should have it up on the site within the next 2-3 weeks.
--Fletch

can anyone say definitively what the differences between the c550 and c530 are? Specifically, are the maps and POI database identical? I am not that interested in bluetooth, traffic, MP3 or text-to-speech capability. Also, how does the POI database compare to Magellan, which claims 6 million POI?
thanks!

Uh-oh, just read you can not input lat/long coordinates in the c550. My c550 is arriving today and like mentioned above, I thought that was a 'basic' feature of all GPS's. My wife and I go atv'ing alot and I use them to get to places (no street addresses) and then I use the Garmin Gpsmap76 on the quad for navigating the terrain. I might have to return this unit, unless someone knows of a firmware update to add this feature SOON.

Brad, Fletch, Others....

I found a work around for the lack of lat/long co-ordinates. Enter into your map software and download it to the c550. It works, but I'd still like to be able to enter/view my/any position with the unit itself. In our hobby accidents happen. All emergency vehicles (to my knowledge) have equipment in their vehicles to acknowledge lat/long. If you have an accident in the middle of no-where, you should be able to tell them lat/long of your current position so they can find you fast.

Anyways, I will keep this product (c550) I like it! and now I found out how to enter lat/long before our trip is good.

Question: (manual doesnt really say) how do you charge it? I have it plugged into the usb right now, will that charge it through the computer? 12v cable - is that the way to charge it? Isnt that the traffic cable? so if you got the c530 and it doesnt come with that cable, how do you charge it?

Sorry, bare with me. I just received this 4 hours ago.

Larry

How does the Garmin c550 work off road? Does it have an "off road mode" that you could "mark" your camp site,venture away, then find your way back? I am looking to buy a GPS that has all the fun features like the c550,but I need some off road provisions as well. The c550 sounds likes it has just about everything I want in a GPS, but the off road feature is very important to me. I like to cruise trails in the Ocala National Forest in Florida,and everything can really start to look the same after several hours of driving, and it is easy to get turned arounded or losted all together.
Any thoughts or comments? Is there a unit that is best suited for this type of driving?

Robert - the c550 does not support off road driving. If this feature is important to you, you might want to look at either the TomTom 910 or the Magellan RoadMate 3000T. Hope that helps,
--Fletch

Fletch - Great review! After reading this I'm sure that the Garmin is the right unit to buy. I have never owned a GPS, but I believe that I would value the two stereo speakers with good volume and depend on the voice commands rather than constantly consulting the screen. The Bluetooth option sounds cool as well. I have also seen lots of good reviews for the Garmin Nuvi 350. Which is better, the Nuvi or the c550? Also do you think the c550 can tolerate being removed from the mount fairly often to keep it out of view. I am a real estate agent and would sometimes worry about break-ins if left in plain sight.

Gary

Fletch, What do you suspect would happen if you tried to save a location in the middle of nowhere? Would the c550 be of any help to return to that point? After reading your stellar, unbiased review of the Tom Tom 910,I don't think I would purchase it. I must admit that the Magellan 3000t has peaked my interest.. as a matter of fact, the Magellan 3000t was the reason I stumbled on to your website...I was playing with this unit at my local Compusa and wanted to learn more. Although I agree with you about the design, it is still is not out of the question to maybe purchase one of these.
A little history about my GPS past: Before GPS became as popular as they are today,I had installed a 7" VGA touchscreen and connected it to a laptop running Delorme software. It was nicely installed with a little finger touchpad mouse to interact with the software. This setup did everything I wanted.. Mark camp sites, breadcrumb trails, save your trips for review etc. the only flaw was it is near impossible to create a route or enter an address.(and the maps are probably the worst ever) Recently I came across a close out deal on a Garmin i3, so I decided to buy it. I was so impressed with this unit and how easy it is to operate! I mean this thing is GREAT! I still can't believe how much Info is packed into that little case. I was so impressed, I took out my laptop system and permanently installed the i3. Now I'm chomping at the bit to get a more full featured Garmin since I love that little i3. I just wish I knew how it would act in an off road environment. What would Magellan do differant than the Garmin? What is "offroad mode" I hear about?
Thanks for all your help and keep up the good work!
Robert

I am having problems with POI alarms.

http://gpsinformation.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1215

If someone could help.

Thanks.

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=42816&highlight=garmin+poiloader

There seems to be bug at latest POI Loader program..

Older version does not show Alarm information of shops etc, only of speed cameras.

Anyway for somereason distance reading shows wrong.. I have set distance 400m for cameras and Garmin shows 2312m etc.. File is also named Redlight Camera, that should set distance 400m.

?

re: inputting lattitude/longitude info as a destination.

I don't do this, but couldn't you simply enter this info into a custom POI, load it to the c550 via POI Loader, select the POI in question from the c550 and tell it to go there?

Mark - you're exactly right. That is the workaround for the c550 not supporting long/lat entry. The downside is you have to have your computer with you in order to enter a non-street address. But at least there's a work around using the custom POI loader...

--Fletch

Gary - I haven't reviewed the Nuvi, but from what I can tell it is similar to the c550 but that Nuvi adds travel guide information (food / hotels / tourism info). The Nuvi is more expensive than the c550, but is smaller has has more functionality. One thing is i'd expect the speaker quality to be slightly poorer on the Nuvi than the c550, just based on the size of the unit and the single speaker on the Nuvi.

Hope that helps.
--Fletch

I've been using the older Streetpilot III and I like to create my own routes on my PC, then upload my routes & waypoints to the Garmin. Is this still possible with the c550?

Where I could find review of Garmin Travel Guide, Europe ?
Tryed Googling around, no help.

Dave - to the best of my knowledge that is not possible on the c550. Although you can save custom POI's using the included PC software. The good news is the c550 has a much higher performance GPS receiver, and will get much better reception than your StreetPilot III.
--Fletch

re "There seems to be bug at latest POI Loader program"

New version has been released. To wit:

"POI Loader software version 2.3.2 as of August 4, 2006"

http://www.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=927

Hi all,
I am living in Barcelona, Spain, Europe.
I am very interested in buying the the C550, but would like to know whether is supports alarms for speed cameras.
I have seen this service as an add-on, but only for UK etc, not Spain.
The question is: The default map of Europa, does it contain positions of the speed cameras in Spain?

Cheers, Peter

Atleast the default map doesnt contain speed camera positions from Finland.. But you can easily download those at POIs. Atleast at Finland we have nice free page that has lot users own POIs.. Including speed camera places. C550 can warn you of some pois, usually speed cameras.

There was a post earlier about Garmin C530 and I did not see any response. Let me repeat the question here and hopefully get a reposne:
can anyone say definitively what the differences between the c550 and c530 are? Specifically, are the maps and POI database identical? I am not that interested in bluetooth, traffic, MP3 or text-to-speech capability. Also, how does the POI database compare to Magellan, which claims 6 million POI?
thanks!

re "can anyone say definitively what the differences between the c550 and c530 are?"

Larry -- go here to compare:

http://www.garmin.com/mobile/compare.jsp

Will there be a review on the Garmin Nuvi 350/360? Or does anyone know (other than the size and travel options) the differences btwn the c550 and Nuvi?

I wonder when Garmin releases Vehicle icon editor.. It would be nice..

http://www.gpsinformation.org/penrod/poiloader/Custom%20Bitmap.jpg

Is it possible get arrows like this move map at C550 ?
Thanks

Which is better, the Garmin c 550 or the Nuvi 360. I would like to know ease of use out of box & which has more customer satisfaction rating. I would use the bluetooth in addition to city navigation. Occaisonally, I may transfer to another car.

Sam - I probably will not be reviewing the Nuvi 360, but I will be reviewing the up-coming Garmin Nuvi 660.
--Fletch

Larry - yes, the mapping data and POI database on the c530 and c550 are identical.
--Fletch

Any comments on comparing Garmin c550 and Magellan 6000t
Which to buy?????

Any comments on comparing Garmin c550 and Magellan 6000t
Which to buy?????

How do you enter address with Route in them? For example: 315 Route 17 S, Paramus, NJ, 07652. Thanks.

Wonder what logic C550 use when it does make route..
I did drive to my friends house other city today.. And when I ask C550 route back home.. Way back home was totally different..
Wonder why and how this routing works..

I just purchased the c550 to use with my Treo 650. Works great, but want it to see "all of my contacts" not just my quick contacts pages. If you have a solution, please email me the answer.

MKC - When you enter the street you're looking for, instead of type Route, enter 17. In the results list will be Route 17.
Cheers,
--Fletch

David - Did you synchronize the address book already? That worked for me (although I'm using a Blackberry 8700c).
--Fletcher

Horst - I like the Garmin c550 better than the Magellan 6000T. Only downside to the Garmin is that the Magellan will do multi-destination routing (trip computer), and let you route to a Lat/Long coordinate. But if all you need is street navigation, go with the Garmin StreetPilot c550. It's currently the best GPS I've tested.
Hope that helps.
--Fletch

I would only buy this unit for the street name announcement, however my fear is the computer voice announcing the names sounding bad/annoying. This was semi confirmed in the review, however can anyone else post their opinion concerning the voice quality of street name announcement? I don't think it's that bad to glance at the top of the map to see the street name of what to turn on. Dropping this feature would allow me to buy the C320 and save me $400 - $500

Tripp - The text-to-voice on the c550 is quite good. It's not as good as the TomTom, but it's much better than the Magellan. It's good enough not to be annoying.

Still, if that's the only reason you'd get the c550, then I'd go with the c530 or c510 instead. DON'T get the c320 -- you want to get a GPS with a SiRF chipset. GPS performance is much, much better with SiRF.

Fletch: Do you know what Bluetooth versions C550 supports? I cant find that info anywere. Thanks.
I was thinking Samsung X820 phone, but its not at list.

Mika - good question. I don't know what Bluetooth version the c550 supports. I was able to pair it with my phone (Blackberry 8700) without issue. Have you looked at garmin's Bluetooth site? http://www.garmin.com/bluetooth/phones.jsp

--Fletch

Samsung X820 is Bluetooth 1.2 and Samsung D900 Bluetooth 2.0. I cant find info what BT versions C550 supports from any review or Garmin C550 page. X820 is not at Garmin list. I even dont know what difference of BT 1.2 and 2.0.. I guess 2.0 has faster data transfer..

I just bought the c550 but can't seem to get the traffic icon to light up on the unit. I live in the Boston area (about 15 miles North). Any idea why I don't get the icon? Power adapter seems to be working fine.

Peter - Try updating the firmware. Garmin has released 2 new firmware updates since the c550 was released, one of which addresses a traffic issue. Download Garmin's WebUpdater (http://www.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp). After it downloads the updated firmware and installs it on the c550, take the unit back to the car and connect it to the 12v adapter/traffic receiver. It will then update the firmware in the 12v adapter. That should fix the issue for you. Let us know if it doesn't.
--Fletch

Hello,

Hello I've just bought my Garmin c550 a week ago and I was loving it till this morning when I tuned it on, it had a blank white screen, it is very hard to see anything on the screen, it is still giving directions and making the phone calls, just the screen is white, I tired dimming the light but still got nothing, someone please help me out.
Thanks

Yousuf - I had the same issue with the first c550 I bought. Did it happen after leaving it in a hot car for a while? Sounds like your LCD got "cooked". Since you only bought it a week ago, take it back to the store and exchange it for a new one. You have to be careful about leaving it in hot cars or direct sunlight for long periods of time.
--Fletch

I tried everything and the unit updated the FM transmitter module as you said it would. Still not getting the icon though...calling Garmin to find out what's up.

I took a road trip from Atlanta to Baton Rouge and not once did i ever have the option of using the traffic button(two cars) along the route. I DID HAVE THE 12V TRAFFIC ADAPTER PLUGGED IN. Any feedback would be appreciated on the problem

I just bought the c550 and I'm in love! My ONE AND ONLY complaint is it doesn't have a "routing preference" screen right after I tell it where to go, as in: Shortest Route, Fastest Route, Avoid highways, etc. Sometimes in a city you want to go "shortest" instead of "fastest". Sometimes you want to hit back roads. It's possible but you have to go through the menu system to get to it.

Another observation is the British male voice (Daniel) is the clearest of all the TTS voices in the unit. The drawback is some of the pronunciations are very silly. Example: Thwy in the US is "Thruway". Jack (the US male voice) says it right. Daniel pronounces it "THWEE" LOL. But I do get a kick out of hearing a GPS with a British Accent.

Hopefully there will be more voices and ever clearer US voices to choose from in future updates.

Does Garmin have a feedback email where we can send these comments to them? It will only make the product even better!

Update: I think the reason the FM receiver/traffic icon weren't working is my area has spotty coverage even though the coverage map says it should be ok. FM receiver and traffic work great on 128/95, and 93N of Boston, as well as sections of I90 near larger towns.

I heard that the Magellan units have a feature that if you are driving and the unit loses signal (say you go through a tunnel or some other problem), that the unit will provide written directions until the unit regains signal. This seems like a great feature. Will the Garmin C550 do this also?

Thanks.

I'm down to the Magellan 6000T and the Garmin C550. I may be hanging up on unimportant issues. This will be my first GPS, and it's more for my wife than me. Neither of us is technology challenged, but simpler is always good

The Via's.. how useful is it? Apparently the 6000T has 20 per route, and the Garmin, none.

The abiltiy to massage the route is nice too. I like the exclude road feature of the 6000T as well as the locate feature.

At anyrate, given the choice, which one would you seasoned GPS users choose?

I'm about to buy this GPS, was wondering what prices you guys all found, and where to get the best deal! Thanks!

How do Garmin C550 and Nuvi 350 compare? C550 sells for about $445 and Nuvi 350 for $380. Except for the form facttor are there any significant differences? We will be occasional users of the GPS, which one would you recommend?

Hem

How do Garmin C550 and Nuvi 350 compare? C550 sells for about $445 and Nuvi 350 for $380. Except for the form factor are there any significant differences? We will be occasional users of the GPS, which one would you recommend?

Hem

The Garmin c550 is slightly easier to use than the nuvi 350, because the c550 doesn't include the third menu of travel features that the nuvi has. If you're new to GPS, and will just use the unit for navigation, I'd suggest the c550 - which also includes traffic data (a nice feature).
Hope that helps.
--FLETCH

Is there anyway to get rid of the solid green bar at the top of the screen on the c550? The screen size of this unit is already smaller than alot of others and that green bar takes away from some useful map space - to see upcoming turns in 3D mode. Also, awhile back I rented a TomTom one(along with a rental car) and one feature that I thought was very useful on it was the direction arrow displayed at the bottom-left of the map/ screen- announcing the direction of your next maneuver. I notice that the Garmin units that I've looked at don't offer this feature. Can that be added with an update or is that an option that can be changed now?
Thanks, TomLa

Fletch:

Recently when trying to pair my c550 with my windows smartphone i noticed that in addition to the handsfree profile i could also associate somekinda serial-port connection with the c550. Does that mean i can use the garmin as a bluetooth gps for software like google maps installed on my phone ? Or is the serial port for getting the phone-book etc. I havent been able to make it work with google maps yet. :-(
Thanks.
-vcx

First off: excellent and very useful review.

Here's some languages you may want to have explained :)
# Magyar (Hungarian)
# Norsk (Norwegian)
# Portugues (Portuguese)
# Slovencina (Slovenian)
# Slovenscina (Slowakian)
# Suomi (Finnish)
# Svenska (Swedish)
# Turkce (Turkish)

Keep up the great work! :)

Fletch and others:

Just received a c550.
My problem is previewing the route.
After checking "Turn GPS off" the route demo runs very slowly - about the same amount of time it would take to drive the route. Is there any way of speeding up the preview?

Many Thanks

I got one of these last month and it is not good at all - I am going to return is for sure. If you have an iPod touch or iPhone and have used Google Maps the Garmin interface is sooooooo comparatively outdated it is almost quaint - like something from a museum. Also the map data is literally years out of date - a restaurant listed near my house was demolished 3 years ago!! Places I frequent are not listed at all!! Garmin customer service wanted $70 to update my maps on my BRAND NEW machine and there is no guarantee these updates are even in there!! What an easy way to lose a customer!!! A no brainer for me.

No doubt Google and Apple will eat Garmins's lunch in the not too distant future with the G-phone and next gen iPhone.

I recently got this C550 GPS. I have 2 phones paired as bluetooth to my GPS unit. I am able to select only 1 phone any point of time to be the active one. Is there anyway i can both the phones active so that I can talk or receive calls on anyone?.

thanks

I am planning to get the c550 GPS based on this reveiw. One question - can you use a GPS unit like this on battery while you are walking? e.g. you get to a pedestrain campus, get out of the car, and want to take it with you to guide you across campus - is this possible?

The trouble with your brand new machine is that it is at least two years old. Having said that they should upgrade you for free. It's not your fault that they couldn't sell all of them and they ended up at Costco for $200. If they want that much for a update they should have let you know that before you bought it.

I'm still thinking of getting one anyway, but the old POI database does give me pause.

Good luck

dgr

Sue:

Yes it has a rechargeable battery that the company claims that lasts 8h.

Currently there is a sale of C550. I am wondering if I buy an old model like this one now, will the maps included be the latest version or will they be the same as they are first introduced. The same question will apply to other GPS products of other brands.