Customer Reviews

Garmin StreetPilot c330 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(583)
4 star:		(268)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

UPDATE:
Below is my review which a lot of people found useful. So, i want to write this udpate. Now, get the C340 & not the C330. the biggest difference is C340 spells street name out like turn left on main st, take 95S etc. It MAKES A BIG DIFF FOR ANOTHER $50 !!!

AND GET THIS MOUNT, IT IS FANTASTIC:
Garmin Dashboard Mount for StreetPilot c320, c330 and c340
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I have used Navman ICN 630, Megallen RM 700 & finally this one.

I can tell you this is the best & most of all easiest. This is why this unit is the best:

1. No downloading of Maps
2. Has most udpated Maps compared to other brands
3. Has 5 million points of interest compared to others
4. Touchscreen
5. Easiest of all to use. Easier than the Acura GPS i have used.
6. Very small but with most usable screen view. It doesn't take a lot of winshield space, doesn;t block visibility. Though screen is small, letters are SO BIG & EASY TO READ.
7. Very fast software
8. Very easy to carry while traveling.
9. Excellent windshield mount. Very stable
10. It comes on when Car is turned on.
11. It has rechargeable battery which lasts for about 3 hrs i think.
12. Loud/clear voice.
13. Very intuitive operating system.
14. Fixes the GPS signal instantly. Navman used to take longer.
15. This is interesting. You can remove the unti without unplugging the car DC cord. DC cord is connected to mount always.

The Garmin C330 is a well designed, easy to use GPS. It does not offer all the bells and whistles of the Garmin 2620 or Magellan RM700, for example - but the C330 offers simplicity and quality in a nice neat package. The advantages of the C330:
- The display is awesome - high resolution with good contrast.
- No buttons! Everything, except volume and power, is controlled by the touch screen.
- The software is fast; route calculations take just a few seconds.
- After the initial lock, this little unit locks on very quickly after powering up.
- The internal battery is terrific; you can do your route planning indoors without looking for an AC receptacle, and you can leave the unit on during a rest stop on your trip to preserve trip data. Battery life is 3 to 4 hours.
- The OS is super intuitive.
- The 3D view is simple to follow, but the map view is excellent, also.
- Navigation performance is excellent.
- Speakers are built in, with excellent sound quality.
- Windshield mount is small, sturdy and simple.
- The unit is small enough that it won't obstruct your view.
- The power cord is hardwired to the windshield mount - no plug to contend with.

A few disadvantages I've noticed:
- The battery is not user replaceable
- The C330 cannot save a route. But this is not a big deal. When you start up after a stop, you just have it calculate the route to your destination, which takes just seconds - or just leave it on if your stop doesn't exceed 3 to 4 hours.
- The display can get washed out in direct light on a bright day - but I expect that is common to all GPS units.
- As I mentioned, it doesn't have the bells and whitles of the 2630 or RM 700. For example, you can't monitor satellite signal strength from indiviual satellites. you can't determinen your lat/long position, and as I mentioned, you can't save routes in the C330. And you can't program it for several different users like you can with the RM700.

But all in all, the C330 is a winner. It's simple to operate, well designed, very effective, and reasonably priced. It's a strong buy!

This is my first Navi ever, but I'm no stranger to it, I just never owned one till now. For the features I was looking for, I narrowed my options to The Garmin 2620, Garmin C330, and Megellan 700. Needless to say the C330 was my pick.

I painstakingly reviewed these (3) GPS items and read every review and feedback I could find, then I comb the manufacturers websites for all specs and features,updates yaddy yadda, then I made a few trips to the store to get some hands on experience and feel of the products.

The C330 has a refreshing out of box experience. It can be fired up right away to begin use. I did not need to read the manual to start using it, the idiot proof interface makes it very easy to learn, which is a plus because my wife can use it when I'm doing the driving. The models that I also considered provided a little more features than the C330, But they did not have an internal power source. Memory-wise, the C330 has a 2 GIG micro drive, which is quite adequate for all the US maps and any updates etc.
Personally, my heart was set on the Magellan 700, but the cost and the fact that it only had 2 million POI (Points of Interest) compared to Garmin 5 million POI, turned me away from it. Of the (3) items I considered, the C330 is the only one that has a 100% touch screen interface and the smallest size so that it can be mounted/stored anywhere. GPSs' are not getting any bigger, with today's designers using micro/flash memory technology, our units will become more inconspicuous.The C330 can be a little difficult to see in the Sunlight, but not too bad. The Megellan 700 and the Garmin 2620 does have a port for an external antenna as well as the C330, which can be had for about $20 from a third party source.
The manual is very easy to read and colorful, but I found that it was not in-depth, some things I had to call Garmin to clarify. I was curious about the internal battery, that only they can change. It would cost $125 just to send the unit in if it needed work outside of the warranty period.....hopefully the battery will last about five years when I'm ready to upgrade.

Garmin updated maps usually comes out every 10-14 months so one is due out any time now. and it would cost me $75 to update the maps if I so desire. If you plan to get one and you get it on or after the new maps release date, the upgrade would be free.
I'm very please with the touch screen response and the layout out the maps, the list of Hotels, restaurants etc. all w/ phone numbers too. the volume is great, as long as you're not do 80MPH w/ your windows down. It recognizes dirt roads also - provided that the roads all existed before 2004 (the last map release date).
I will not be redundant and mention all the other points that the previous reviews mention, but for the most part the (3-4) reviews before mine were accurate and very helpful.
The C330 does not display your elevation, which is a minus, it's nice to know when driving in the mountains.
This unit has its share of nuggets to find that will just leave you in amazement. If I had to choose all over again I'll still get the C330.

Buyers beware, If you purchase the more expensive model (c330) it comes preloaded with all the maps so there is no need to be transferring data back and forth, but you DO NOT get the software on City Select CD ROM. If you opt for the cheaper version (C320) you will get the City Select CD, because the entire map can't fit on that unit..you'll have to transfer data via memory card.
I've also noticed that unless you are looking directly perpendicular to the screen, the colors don't show correctly, in other words if you are the driver or passenger and you look at the screen at an angle, it will be still visible but the colors tend to wash out, sort of like with a laptop if the screen is not tilted right.
My experience with Tech support is fair. The wait time is a little lengthy, but once one the phone, they don't try to rush you through your questions to get you off the phone. I was helped adequately with all my questions.
A great advantage is the mounting flexibility, any area of the windshield, the dashboard or console (comes w/base mount) or as a handheld providing the internal battery doesn't quit. Icons, splash screens and markers can by customerized via the Garmin software on their website. the images can be transported back and forth from the unit as BMP files and edited.

There are three ways to view the map
1) Bird's eye view with the map always facing north and the arrow/cursor moves as you drive.
2) Bird's eye view with the arrow remains still and the map moves around as you drive
3) "3D" mode. Where the view is the same as you would see out of your windshield except it's slightly elevated so you can see a wider angle and detect streets about a block away an all three sides of you.
The unit automatically detects your speed and zooms out when you're driving fast and zooms in when you're moving slow, so you're never over/under driving the map. The receiver is very good in my opinion, sometimes (depend on what part of the house I am) I get a good signal indoors. I have my C330 mounted above my rearview mirror in my vehicle (barely got it to fit) so it does NOT have a clear view of the sky and if it did, the factory tint in the windshield would also block it...yet I get a good signal. Mounting it on the middle of my windshield yield the best results and start up time, but I chose to mount it above my rearview mirror to eliminate any sunlight glare from hitting the screen and it's working great.

To respond to previous reviewers comments.... It was pointed out that Garmin should've added a feature where you can see an Icon or marker that indicated the locations of all the POI nearby as you drive by them. Well I've found a way to do it, although it's not noted in Garmin's sub-par manual. All you have to do is go to [Menu - Where To - Show Map] and you'll see all the attractions, lodging, eating, gas etc. locations on the road/area that you're currently on.
Another thing that's not mentioned on the manual. Lets say you're somewhere and you don't know the address, but you want to save and revisit that location. Go to [Menu - Where TO - Show Map - Info - Save]

Ok, I'm not going to give a super technical breakdown of the pro's and con's. You can read the 2xx other reviews for that. I will tell this much: c330 is a great unit for one heck of a price (299 shipped!!!). You really just take it out of the box and it's ready to go. First off, I've never owned any GPS equipment. So even though higher models like the c340 speaks the street names, or the nuvi 350 is no bigger than a deck of cards, the c330 has everthing a gps newb needs to get around town, or across the country. US and Canda are already loaded. I really wanted the Nuvi 350 but it was out of my price range. I was considering the c320 to save more money, but with the $20 price difference (on Amazon) it was only logical to get the c330. It's got most major restaurants, gas stations, attractions and a bunch of other categorized POI's that I'll probably never need, but just nice to know they exist if I need them...or if I'm bored and just want to see what other POI this thing has. As far as the voice nav goes she usually tells me to turn when it's at .1 mile. I think the "turn" prompts can be a bit sooner, but as long as you're aware you will be fine. Now it would be nice if it said the actual street name, but all it takes is a quick glance to see which street she's talking about and you're on track.

The text on the screen is clear and readable. I have mine mounted near the bottom of my windshield. Btw, that mount has very good suction. I don't know what people are talking about when they say the mount doesn't hold. Here's what some people might overlook on the mount: It's got a lever that is in the "locked" position when you get it. So what you've got to do is flip up the lever to "unlocked". Stick it to the windshield and flip the lever down to "locked" and that thing will be on there nice and tight! To take it off, just work it in reverse and off it will come.

There are a few things I noticed. Almost all routes chosen where the ones my fiance would choose (she's the Baltimore local not me). I have mine set to Fastest Route , but some destinations have me take a turn too early or go around. Case in point, I went to Costco today and was told it was right if off the highway, but the c330 told me to go right basically making one big circle. It was just a couple minutes extra so no big deal. Now if I was by myself I wouldn't have even noticed b/c I was not at all familiar with the area. So yes, there is the chance that it won't pick the most ideal route, but then again that Garmin route won't have you too far off from the route that a person familiar with the area would chose.

I haven't tested the SD slot, but I've read that it's pretty useless for loading custom POIs until you step up to the c530 models and higher. The SD slot does read maps for other countries so all hope is not lost if and when you plan to travel to areas outside the U.S. In order to load custom POIs you'd need to take the c330 in with you and use the USB to plug it directly to your computer. You'd basically load it directly onto the c330's internal memory. Garmin says its got 2mb of internal memory, though they didnt specify how much of that is actually used by the unit. So up to this point I don't know how much usuable internal memory there is. I don't plan to load tons and tons of POI so its doesn't seem to be an issue with me. What I've done in the few days I've used it is to look up where I want to go (on the internet) and get the address or just look it up on the c330. I've saved locations that I frequent in the Favorites section so they'll be there when I need them.

Another thing I want to mention is the size. Don't expect to fit this in your jeans pocket and not have people notice ;). Yes, it is small, but not Nuvi 350 small. But to get Nuvi 350 small you need to cough up about $150 more. May not seem like much more, but for those on a budget I think you can overcome the size issue. I usually keep mine in my jacket pocket where there's more space. I don't even notice it's there. I also carry a side bag, but I won't be putting it there until I get a case for it.

I haven't had the chance to use it in direct sunlight. People say the glare is killer, but I'm sure it's not anything that an antiglare screen can't fix. Amazon sells those too. They're from Boxwave if you're curious.

So there it is. Just a few minor setbacks that can easily be overlooked or overcome with a few adjustments. It doesn't have all the fancy features like an mp3 player or bluetooth, but if you just want to know how to get somewhere with confidence and at the same time have some really useful functions with a well known brand you cant go wrong with the c330...btw, did I mention it's only $299 :)

I've been a happy user of Garmin products for years. I often take long drives through the USA and Canada, and my old Streetpilot III has been a faithful helper through it all. The SPIII had one serious disadvantage, however: its flash card can hold only the detailed map data for one or two big cities. Even with the crude basemap information, the SPIII was useful, but detailed maps made it twice as good. So when I saw that Garmin was offering units with detailed map data for the whole of North America preloaded, I was psyched.

If you're going to get a unit with preloaded maps, you have two main options: a c3xx such as the c330 (this item), or a 27xx such as the 2720. What's the difference?

If you're the kind of person who hates complex controls, who feels a sickening sense of malaise at the thought of navigating through a menu system, who wants to just turn it on and have it work (whatever "it" is), the c330 is for you. It's simple and requires virtually no set-up. Its purpose is to show you how to get from here to there. It does that, and it does it well.

If on the other hand you're like me: someone who finds that the default settings are never quite right, who goes through all the menus first thing to find out what the machine is capable of, and ends up after a while using almost every feature, you should get a 2720. I was disapponted with the c330. It doesn't display points of interest on the map (so, for instance, you can't see at a glance how close you are to the next rest stop), doesn't allow you to save routes, doesn't keep track of where you've been (a useful feature when you're trying to find your way back out of some mess you've driven into).

In summary, if you want a simple (and less expensive) unit to give you directions, this unit, the c330, is for you. If you want a full-featured versatile GPS receiver, something like the 2720 would be better.

(I've made a few corrections and an update at the bottom)

I've had the C330 for about 4 months.
The good:

You've read it in most of these reviews: the C330 gets you from here to there effortlessly. The unit intelligently zooms into streets as you approach turns, the voice comes in a reasonable distance from a turn, and the route recommendations are well thought out (no, they won't beat your own prized routes if you know the area well enough, but then again, why use a gps under that circumstance?). If I had to summarize the unit in one word, I'd say "trustworthy".

Garmin keeps upgrading the unit's software -- just plug the unit into your computer using the usb connector, and you can get the latest software patches for free. And yes, you can also get map updates ( first update is free if you do it shortly after buying the unit, subsequent updates cost about $75. That's on par for other units).

The battery in the system serves a few good purposes. You won't lose your route if you have to turn off the vehicle (for gas or food), you can take your gps on foot, and you can setup waypoints from the comfort of your living room instead of the car.

And finally, C330 supports industry standard waypoint files. Which means you can download files from the web containing all the speedtraps in your area, or all the Dennys, or anything else you can find out there.

The bad:

Keep in mind that I recommend the C330 to all friends, because it excels at plotting routes. But I find reviews more helpful when they nitpick rather than gush. As such, here is a list of grievances...

First off, there's no way to alter how the unit sets up a trip. Let's say I want to get into New Jersey but avoid the George Washington bridge. There's no way to set such a parameter in the C330. The work around is to:
1. store a destination point that you`d ideally want to unit to take on the route. In this example, I want the unit to use the Tapanzee bridge, so I created a nav point to the bridge.
2. Then have the unit plot a trip to New Jersey.
3. Once the trip has started, I can set a detour to the Tapanzee bridge. Once the unit gets to the Tapanzee, it will route to the destination in New Jersey from that point.

The unit is at its worst when you don't know the exact address of your destination. A dated and sometimes idiosyncratic POI system can be quite frustrating. For example, I was looking for a beach in a town called Ipswitch. I wasn't exactly sure what the beach was called, but there's only one beach in Ipswitch. The C330 couldn't find it. I later realized that the beach was listed under "Ipswitch Town" rather than "Ipswitch". Ipswitch Town? Does that mean I have to search for things in Boston under "Boston City"??? That's just plain wrong. Another time I was trying to find a tavern in a golf course, but I didn't know the exact name of either the bar or the golf course -- since it was the only golf course in the area, I didn't think it was asking much of the POI system -- but no matter what I tried I could find neither. Dissapointing to say the least.

The screen size might seem smallish, but it is almost perfect for following the unit's route instructions. Where the size disappoints is trying to use the online maps as a replacement for paper maps. Driving through the Boston area, you can't tell that Mass Ave is 4 blocks away from Davis square and a good route to get right into Boston. Sure if you have an exact address, the unit will get you into Boston no problem, but my point is that you can't use the unit to get an idea of how things are laid out in a town . So believe it or not, I still have a road atlas in the car with me.

I've also noticed that a few times the unit gets the left confused with right when announcing what side of the street a destination is. For that matter, on one road trip I notice that the display had mislabeled the highway I was on -- it was putting the highway number on the road running parallel to the highway.

In bright sunlight, the screen can be difficult to see. And the volume control is extra sensitive. It would be great if the volume auto adjusted based on your speed, but that's probably asking a little much of a sub $400 gps.

Finally, there are a wealth of hidden functions that you'll have to search the web for to find -- functions you should know about: like the screen calibration feature and the reset function. I know they want to keep the doc light to emphasize the user friendly interface, but really!

Update:
I upgraded to the C340 thanks to a nice car thief who helped him/herself to my C330. The C340 adds the pronounciation of street names and realtime traffic alerts. So far I like the C330 better! The C340 has a well known problem with verbal directions coming too late (google "c340 late turn notification") -- and yes, I've experienced it myself. Also the C340 is buggier with maps not drawing correctly even with the latest firmware update. I want my C330 back...

I replaced a TomTom One with this device. It is so much better IMO. Bigger / nicer touchscreen and its maps are much more accurate. The menu system s very intuitive and really does work right out of the box. Within 15 minutes I was up and running. Setup my home location right away and added all of the places I will visit when I travel out of town this weekend to my favorites list (BTW the TomTom One couldn't find half of them.) It is great to have all the maps loaded for you already and not have to worry about it. It is larger than the TomTom One but it doesn't matter. Using the windshield mount I placed it right next to the rear-view mirror out of my direct line of sight. It works very well in this position for me. The accessible volume button is very useful as well. You can remove the power cord if you don't want wires hanging in the car all the time if the unit has been charged.

Most of what these reviews say about the unit is mostly true. But I was still disappointed with the unit's overall performance. To be fair, I think the biggest problem I had was how outdated the maps were.

My first trip was from my home to my office (to try it out). My office building was constructed about 3 years ago. The road and the building are not on the unit's map. So the directions were not optimal.

Later, I took a trip to the NC mountains. During one segment of the trip, the unit routed me way off course (about 1 extra hour). I know this because after I returned I typed the same route into Mapquest and Mapblast. Both routed me the better way. What was more annoying was that all of the roads were included in the maps in the unit. So not sure what the problem here was.

During multiple segments of the return trip, the unit showed my location way off the highway (i.e., running parallel to the highway, but about 1 mile north). I reset the unit and it corrected the display. This problem happened frequently, but was intermittent.

Summary:

The unit worked well about 75% of the time, but when I needed it most (i.e., driving in areas I'm unfamiliar with) I was constantly checking the unit against a map to see if it was working well.

Weighing all of the evidence I concluded that the unit was more distracting than navigating using a good map and a semi-functional brain. So I decided to return the unit and wait for better technology and/or a better solution to the map-lag problem (see below).

Note: I think the biggest problem with this whole approach may be the task of getting the updated maps to the units. Garmin told me the same thing that others here say: maps are updated about every 12 to 18 months. Assuming this is true, my experience indicates that that's too long. In other words, there were so many new roads added since the last map update, that the unit didn't perform well enough to meet what I consider pretty realistic expectations during the trip described above.

My only other exposure to GPS is the Pioneer Avic-N1, with that said:

The Garmin C330 is exactly what I researched. I wanted a unit that would tell me where I was and a unit that I could put in an address and and it will get me there. This unit does what I wanted and I got it for around $300.

Now, I will say that I looked at the C340 and although it has some additional options, for my purposes, the C330 is what I needed. The main difference in the C330 and the C340 is the "real time traffic". It sounds great, but internet reviews weren't all that favorable and after a free trial, you have to pay for the real time traffic updates. I read, it's an addtional $5 a month. I decided I didn't need another bill so I opted for the C330.

My experience was this. I pulled my unit out of the box, mounted it to the windshield and plugged it in. After a short first time set up, it quickly located exactly where it was. I called a friend that lives a few miles away and asked what her address was. She gave me her address and it the Garmin C330 gave me directions straight to her door. What more do you want in a GPS? It gives voice directions and tells me where to turn including giving me "estimated time of arrival" based on how fast I'm driving.

The Garmin C330 is a great GPS unit. If you're looking for a GPS unit that tells you were you're at or tells you how to get where you want to go... this is the unit for you. If you want all the bells and whistles that some GPS units have and the big price tag that comes with those units then this isn't the unit for you.

This is the second time that I purchased this item. Not because of problems, but because it makes a great gift. The first time I gave it, there was such a high level of excitement that I knew I nailed what would be a GREAT GIFT. So much for the reaction, what about the functioning of the device. Oh yeah - that.

Well first of all it is a compact and easy to use device. It is so small that it easily fits into the glove compartment when not in use. That is a great feature.

Out of the box, it is a simple matter of plug and play. There is such a short learning curve that it's not even funny. You need only follow the menu instructions on screen and program your locations. It's a breeze.

This product is full of location search categories that are current and convenient. This is especially helpful when travelling to unknown locations and areas.

I recommend it highly for the ease of use, wide range of data/information and the price value that it represents.