Customer Reviews

Garmin Streetpilot C550 2.1-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(223)
4 star:		(91)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

This is the third Garmin GPS I've purchased, the first being a C320 for my mother and the second being a 2820 for myself. I've reviewed both of them here and I suggest you check those two reviews out first so that this one falls into better context.

Having purchased three Garmins I can say with no small amount of certainty that the c550 is the one I should have purchased for everyone. (As I write this I'm seriously considering selling my 2820 and buying the c550 for myself.) It is as close to a perfect GPS as Garmin makes. It really seems as if someone at Garmin took the best features of both the low-end and high-end units and put them together into this one unit.

As with other Garmin GPS's that I've used, the interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate. The LCD screen is touch-sensitive and all of the controls are laid out in a logical pattern with simple icons and bright (but not overwhelming) colors. It does everything you'd expect a GPS to do; it will create a route by speed ("fastest route") or distance ("shortest route"), allow you to save your favorite locations, etc. One of my favorite GPS features is the ability to make detours on-the-fly, and the Garmin makes this easy. Stuck in highway traffic? Touch DETOUR and it will plot a new course off the highway. I can't tell you how many times this has saved hours of potential sitting-in-traffic time. (The c550 is even better as it has the FM traffic receiver. If you drive through a supported area, the GPS will *AUTOMATICALLY* reroute you around traffic, construction detours, etc.)

The unit is slightly larger and bulkier than the smaller 300 series units owing largely to its additional features. Improving on the low-end Garmin units, the c550's screen doesn't suffer the wash-out problem that exists in the 300 series. The screen remains bright and clear even in direct sunlight. The screen itself is the same size and resolution as the 300 series but a subtle change in the bezel makes it look a bit larger. Like the 300 series, the c550 has a built-in battery that's good for about 6-8 hours under normal use (letting you use it outside of the car, particularly useful in case you ever get stranded in the middle of nowhere), simple external controls (power button, volume wheel, USB port), and an SD memory card slot. Like the 2820, the c550 has hands-free Bluetooth, will speak street names and exit numbers, and has the same anti-glare monitor.

There's only one feature that the 2820 has which neither the 300 nor 500 series have which I've found particularly useful. On the 2820's display, there is an arrow in the upper-right corner that shows you what your next turn will be and, below that, how far ahead the turn is. The angle of the arrow tells you how sharp the turn will be; an exit off a highway will be at a slight angle while a turn onto a suburban side street will be at a more severe angle. While this may seem trivial it becomes EXTREMELY handy on the highway, as the arrow shows you which side of the road the exit will be on. (So if the exit's on the left, the arrow leans to the left. If to the right, then then arrow is to the right.) Both the 300 and 500 series will show you how far it is until the turn, neither of them tell you if it's on the left or right until you're about a half mile away. Personally I like having this information well in advance and the c550 doesn't provide this.

The c550 also has features that exceed both units. For example, the c320 offers a mono speaker, no mic, no Bluetooth, and no traffic receiver, while the 2820 requires an external speaker and mic, and the built-in traffic receiver requires an external antenna at extra cost. The c550 has built-in stereo speakers, a built-in microphone, and a built-in FM traffic receiver with a built-in antenna. And while both the c550 and 2820 offer MP3 playback, the 2820 lacks an SD memory card slot so you have to connect the unit to your computer if you ever want to upload new MP3 files.

The c550 uses the same WebUpdater application that Garmin supplies (free), to keep your GPS up-to-date with software updates and such. This is a no-brainer application; plug the GPS into your internet-connected Windows PC and run the app. It will poll your GPS to determine its model and software status, then compare that to Garmin's latest and greatest. It'll then download and install whatever updates it finds.

I'm giving the c550 four stars instead of five, but I would really like to give it three and a half -- but Amazon doesn't let me do halves so I'm rounding up to four. Things I DON'T like about the c550: First and foremost, Garmin's support flat-out sucks. They NEVER reply to emails, pre- or post-sale, and their telephone representatives are significantly less than helpful. For this alone I take off a full star.

If I could remove another half star from my rating, it would be for three minor shortcomings. The first is the "arrow display" as I explained above. With the addition of that one 'minor' feature I would drop my 2820 in a heartbeat and buy the c550 right now. Second, Garmin doesn't include the map CD with the unit. Although the c550 is preloaded, so is the 2820 -- but the map CD came with the 2820, so why not include it with the c550 too? And third, updating the Garmin takes a REALLY long time. The unit itself seems to operate on a USB 1 interface so you don't get USB 2 speeds, and the Garmin update site (which the WebUpdate application accesses) is often very busy. It took over two hours to update my brother-in-law's c550. Fortunately this isn't something you have to do very often but even so, a simple USB 2 interface would have sped things up immensely.

I would definitely recommend this unit to anyone.

I've gone through two of these. The first i exchanged at the store, the second was past the 14 day return policy, so I had to mail it in at my expense.

They work great for the first few weeks. The first one died around when the temp was getting into the 100s, so I thought "Ok, maybe the heat did it". The second died overnight when the temp was around 60. Just won't turn on anymore.

I've read other reviews indicating a similar problem. Hopefully Garmin can send me a non-defective unit. In the meantime, be careful and make sure you can return it.

** UPDATE **

The returned unit from Garmin has been working flawlessly. I believe they have worked out the defect in the original batch.

We really needed a GPS in our family. My lovely wife, whom I cherish and who gets far too little thanks for driving our children to their many activities (and who might read this), would often call me at work to use Mapquest to help figure out where she was and where she was going. Much as I enjoyed these calls, I thought it would be best if she had an onboard co-pilot. After reading the reviews on Amazon, I thought the Garmin sounded like the best choice.

First, the unit certainly does what my wife asks it to do: chart paths between points A and B. At that, it has been essentially flawless over the several weeks since we purchased it. In addition, it is tremendously easy to install (taking just a couple of minutes) and use. In the first two weeks, my wife went from a techno-phobe doubter to a true believer. Asked about the purchase in that first 2 weeks, I'd have given it 5 stars.

Then it died, for no good reason. The company (Garmin) was a bit hard to reach, with limited tech support hours (including no weekends). We had to send the unit back, and we did promptly receive a second unit. That unit has worked great for going on a month now. Given that there are a couple of other users with similar complaints, I'd have to say that these units may not be quite as reliable as a typical electrical device. Also, we have not had any trouble with the mount, unlike several of the reviewers.

In summary, for its core function, I think the unit is awesome. There are some issues with customer support that Garmin should work on, but these are not enough to seriously tarnish our experience.

ADDENDUM (10/16/06) - after some use, I have concluded that the function which estimates arrival time does so by using a best-case assumption about your speed. It seems to predict that you will always be traveling at the speed limit on a given stretch of road. This means is does not anticipate the inevitable red lights. It consistently underestimates travel time for in-city driving. If I could deduct a 1/2 star from my original review, I would.

i bought this unit 6/14/'06-
so it's been 5 days since i started using it.

i was thinking about c330 for nearly 3 months but
decided to go for c550 as garmin claimed it had many improvements.

i've heard some bad things about c330's screen "washing away" under
bright sun lights, but so far c550 never gave me any problem.
(garmin claims c550's screen is superior to previous "c" series units...)

it's very easy to use, and despite the small screen,
it is very easy to read.

garmin claims it has "integrated" fm traffic signal receiver,
but the signal receiver is actually a part of 12v socket charger-
in other words, traffic receiver only works when the unit's power socket is connected to the car,
and when it is running on the battery alone, you won't get the traffic signal.

it's bluetooth feature is pretty helpful, too-
when your cell phone receives a call
it displays caller id, and you can use the unit to answer the call and use it as a speaker phone.

i've try to go about 6 different places i've never been,
such as restaurants, car dealers, stores... etc. and
it was very, very accurate.

it tends to get a bit "confused" if you are on a place that
does not exist on its map.
but once you manage to find the nearest road that is highlighted
on the screen you are good to go.

this is my first navigation unit and
overall i'm very satisfied,
and recommended to everyone...

pros-
1. bright, clear screen that is very easy to read.
2. accurate and reliable navigation.
3. bluetooth hands- free feature.
4. relatively small.
5. long battery life.

cons-
1. so- called "integrated" traffic receiver not truly "integrated."
2. almost useless mp3 play back feature.
3. text- to- speech (reads street names and exit # and such...) not so good.
4. still bigger than "nüvi" series.
5. wish the sound was a bit louder and clearer.
6. a bit overpriced.

I had been waiting for this spring's new generation of car GPS. I'm glad I waited.

The integrated traffic feature is incredible. Yes, its not perfect and often not quick enough. And common sense needs to be used on whether to accept the rerouting. But I commute several times a week outside of Boston for 90-120 minutes. There are multiple routes (495, 95, 93, 24) I can take. Within 5 minutes of leaving my house I can carefully monitor conditions and adjust my route at any time. I save 30-60 minutes/week since it lets me take more "aggressive" routes that are shorter but are often clogged with traffic. It also works well on bridge and tunnel traffic in NYC. Not so useful in areas which rarely have traffic (thus not updated as frequently) or where there aren't good alternate routes.

Bad points: Makes weird routing suggestions on many long distance trips. Sometimes, if you keep driving your way, it will suddenly agree and note that your way is ten minutes shorter than the way it suggested five minutes ago. I'm not sure why it didn't calculate that up front. Mount got sloppy after a month and falls off the windshield in high heat conditions. Also, the battery stopped working (only works when plugged in) which I haven't addressed with Garmin. It is hard to examine an entire route instead of just the current portion.

Good points: Traffic (see above). There are better deals if you don't need traffic. Spoken street names are great. In-city navigation is great. Bluetooth works well. MP3 is slightly useful. Having the entire database loaded is great (Canada works very well). The database of stores and landmarks is far more comprehensive than any I have used. Many golf courses. I will put in Walmart and it will show all Walmarts until you find one just off the interstate for a minimal detour.

The traffic feature is incredibly easy to use without the aesthetic and installation hassles of similar solutions.

Practically all of the Garmins in the Street Pilot and Nuvi series will perform equally well, so it may make sense to assess your needs if money should happen to be of any consequence. My wife loved my Street Pilot 340, so I got her the top-of-the-line Nuvi with the wide screen. She didn't like the price tag (even though it was my expenditure) or the small size of the unit, so I returned it for the c550. There's little likelihood she'll use the blue tooth feature for phone connectivity and less probability she'll find any use for the MP3 player or subscribe to the live traffic reports. We've noticed no greater speed in the unit's locking into a signal. The naming of streets is nice but not at all essential. Moreover, she's noticed that it seems harder to unclip this model from its bracket than my 340, and her tastes are "offended" by having a little car driving around on her screen instead of a simple arrow marker.

So why spend almost $200 more for the 550 than the currently deeply discounted 330? It comes down to one feature: a polarized screen that doesn't wash out during daytime use. Is it worth the premium price? Depends on where you place the unit in your car and also how important watching the screen is to you. Some users are perfectly content to respond to the voice directions alone.

As for the cost of these devices, you're paying for the technology, not the cheap (admittedly highly functional) plastic materials. The audio quality is sufficiently loud and clear for speaking purposes, but the plastic enclosure gives the sound a synthetic, dry, "plastic-like" quality that is ill-suited for long-term listening of any sort let alone full-frequencied, resonant music.

Look for the next improvements to be in sound quality (if Tivoli can get all that hi-fi sound from an iPal speaker, it can't be too long before miniature GPS units begin to come close). In the meantime, don't feel like all is lost if you have to settle for a Street Pilot 330, which is definitely the best "deal" at current prices. It's not clear that the 550 is worth the week or two of groceries it requires you to give up in exchange for a less reflective screen.

I am a long time Garmin customer who previously owned C320. I was excited to see Garmin released C550 earlier this spring (2006) with bluetooth connection , mp3 player and traffice avoidance funtionallity. I immediately sold C320 off EBAY and bough C550 from CC ($ 680 by using 15% discound coupon + ordered from NH to save some tax). The GPS works 99% as same as C320. There are not much improvement in term of navigation.Though , Gamin improved some POIs and mapping issues( add more voices, icons , search , dragable map). The most important resons why I bought this unit are bluetooth connection and traffic avoidance abilities.
As far as I concern after using the unit for about 2 months, the Bluetooth connection work perfectly with my phone ( I have Samsung a-900 "blade" from Sprint. C550 always be able to sync with my phone (Address , call history , etc) perfectly. Though , I am hoping that Garmin update it software for C550 to be able to read text messages like the one Tomtom can. I somehow disappointed with traffic avoidance system. The adapter does not work the first time I bought (broken, had to exchange). Then when it works, it does not help me that much. Yes, it helped me avoid jamed traffic by putting me into local road which will double or even tripple my driving distance. By avoiding traffic you get to drive longer which sometime you better off waiting for trafic to move (i'm in Boston, traffic is not that bad here anyway) . Overall I'm impressed with the unit in terms of accuracy , entertainment , easy of use. I would rate this 5 out of 5 if the traffic function got improved.

P.S. please forgive my grammar and vocabulary as English is not really my first language.

I have been using the c550 for two weeks now. The unit is extremely user friendly and feature rich. In the Metro DC area, the navigation has been very good with the traffic avoidance capability a nice feature. I have been frustrated on only one occasion where after asking it to find me an alternate route around a backup of a few miles, it had me exit, take a side road, then get right back on the congested road. The Bluetooth interface with my Motorola RAZR V3M works flawlessly. With the phone in my pocket, it "sees" the phone within 10 seconds and automatically populates the GPS' phone book and call history. Even the voice dialing, i.e. "Call Robert Smith", works very well. I highly recommend this unit if you have a Bluetooth phone.

Bought this unit a couple of days ago. I've had a chance to explore all the features, and overall, this is an EXCELLENT unit.

Here is what I like:
* From the time I opened the box to the time I started using it was less than 5 minutes. Very simple and intuitive interface.
* Incredibly sensitive satellite receiver. The unit even worked indoors in my kitchen when I first turned it on. How can that be, since I thought you had to have a clear view of the sky? I don't know, but it did. No issues in the car either. No dropped signals, and virtually instantaneous satellite acquisition.
* Directions for the most part were very accurate (see below for minor exception),
* You get plenty of advance warning for turns.
* When you deviate from the directions that the GPS gives you, it recalculates a new route almost instantaneously.
* Spoken street names.
* Anti glare screen (you can still see it in bright sunlight).
* Bluetooth phone link works perfectly with my Razor phone (see below for minor issue). Sound on both ends is crystal clear. I could even access my address book on the unit itself.
* Windshield mount is very easy to get on and off, and it held the unit very securely.

Here are the minor issues:
* Maps seem pretty up to date, but you still have to use common sense. There is a road that opened up near my house about 5 months ago, and the GPS didn't recognize it. It kept wanting to take me a different route, but since I knew the road was there, I took it. The good news is that it recalculated a new route almost immediately once I left that road. Along those same lines, I was visiting someone in a gated community, and I knew that you had to go in the front gate and not the back. The GPS kept trying to direct me to the back gate because it was closer. This is a common sense issue, not a technical issue.
* On very rare occasion it gives you an odd or unusual turn. Near my house, it wants to route me through a small subdivision to get me home (very small-only about 20 homes), when I can get there by staying on the main street and making one turn. Not sure why it does that (perhaps it may be a few feet shorter and the GPS thinks it's a shortcut).
* Remember to check or uncheck the box to avoid highways and toll roads depending on what you want to do. The very first time I used it, it sent me on a toll road for 1 exit, then had get me off and resume on surface streets. I could have gotten where I was going without going on the toll road. I don't fault the system because technically it took me the shortest route, but it's just something to keep in mind.
* When you are talking on the speaker phone, it mutes the voice giving you the directions. If you're talking and driving, that is a bit of an issue. You can still see the directions on the screen, but you lose the voice prompts. I read some review where the person said that you have the ability to change this feature, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet.
* Pricey, but you get what you pay for. The cost differential with the C340 (about $150) is well worth it in my opinion.

There are so many GPS units out there that choosing the right one was difficult. I was looking for specific features: Portability, FM Traffic/Road Conditions, Bluetooth cell phone link and easy programming. I had the opportunity to try a similar unit that was provided by a rental car company. As I was driving down the highway, it alerted me that a better route was available. I chose to take the alternate recommended route. I later learned that there was huge accident on the freeway that would have delayed me at least one hour if I stayed on my original course. I was also amazed as a approached a construction area, and the device warned me in advance. Remarkable!! This is right out of Buck Rogers.

We own a car with an expensive, built-in $1,800 GPS. It is impossible to program and about 70% of the time, it does not find the right street. It is practically a waste.

The Garmin c550 is perfect for those to need a dependable device that can be easily taken from one car to another.