(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 spent a lot of time trying out GPS units, and have compared Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and several factory GPS units. All of these GPS units tell you how to get somewhere and will re-route if you make a wrong turn. However, Garmin is my absolute favorite, and here's why:

1. The most important thing about Garmin units is the user interface. It is simple to understand and easy to use.

2. The Garmin unit uses a built in database of sunrise and sunset times (based upon your location) to automatically change from daylight mode to night-time mode. This is important because the daylight screen is much too bright for use at night. With the Tom Tom, you must make this change manually.

3. If you have the Garmin unit plugged into your car power, when you turn off the car (and the cigarette lighter power goes off), the Garmin unit will detect that and automatically turn itself off (it gives you 30 seconds to override and keep the unit on).

4. When you start your car again, the Garmin unit will detect that too and automatically power up. If you were in the middle of a trip, the Garmin unit will pick up where you left off, and you won't have to tell it where you were going again.

5. Unlike most factory GPS units, Garmin will allow you to select your route and make changes while you are moving.

6. The Garmin units have an extensive database of locations and the excellent interface makes it easy to search the database to find what you want. Do you want food or gas? Just click three buttons and a list of locations (sorted by distance) will appear. If you know the name of the place you want, you can type it in on the on-screen keypad and Garmin will find it for you. You can even add your own locations using the favorites feature. I first started using this when I was out of town, but its amazing what you'll find near you when you look.

7. While you are driving, the Garmin unit will both prompt you to turn and give you a written explanation of the turn (including the street or highway name and direction) at the top of the screen. The Garmin unit also shows an estimated arrival time (usually a few minutes earlier than you'll actually arrive) and the distance to your next turn. A separate screen gives you detailed trip information, including how far and how long you've been driving and your maximum speed. I used mine on an airplane once (yes, it is allowed - read the back of the airplane magazine), and it now says that by maximum speed was 590 miles per hour.

8. I often use the Garmin even when driving locally, becase it often finds better, faster ways to get there then the way that I usually use.

9. Garmin offers a variety of installation options and accessories. My favorite is the friction based dashboard mount (three weights connected to a center stand) which is much more convenient than the supplied mounting system.

10. If you turn off the GPS receiver (see settings) and then look up another location, you will get the option to set this new location as your present location. This will allow you to use search Garmin's points of interest for the new location. This is a great feature when planning trips, because Garmin's points of interest database is quite extensive and includes all of the typical tourist attractions, plus food, shopping, gas, banking, etc.

11. Be sure to check for the latest map and firmware updates at Garmin's web-site.

I've had my c330 for about three months now. I did tons of research and decided that only Garmin, Tom-Tom, and Magellan offered what I wanted: portability, touch screen, ease of use, and quality. To make a long story short I decided on the Garmin, mainly due to my previous positive experience with a Garmin aviation GPS unit.

Things I've noticed about the unit:

1) It's nicely portable: I remove it from my windshield and put it in the glove box every time I park.

2) The data base is very extensive and easy to use: For example, the other day I wanted to go to a sporting goods store. I only knew part of the name of the store. So I put "Mel" into the unit, and it came back with "Mel Cotton's Sporting Goods". Right next to that was a green button that said "GO". I touched the button and the unit started directing me to the store!

3) The unit has many great things about it that I'm not going to list here. Suffice it to say that I'm very happy with mine.

Having said that, I think it's important to mention that it's not perfect. And here are some of the unit's shortcomings that you should know about:

1) I've read other reviews which complain about the screen. I've found the screen to be nearly perfect in all conditions...except one: the screen nearly disappears if you put on polarized sunglasses.

2) It would be nice to track routes (where you've been, how you got to where you are).

3) The time to destination and time to turn should change with your speed (The Tom-Tom has this feature).

4) It would be nice to zoom all the way out to see where you are in a city. The c330 only zooms out enough to see a few blocks.

5) The unit gives voice directions something like this: "In 300 feet, turn right". At first, I thought the unit should say something like, "In 300 feet, turn right onto Smith Avenue". The problem with this of course is pronunciation. Some streets are pronounced differently by different people. Imagine the cost involved in programming a unit to say street names like: "In 300 feet, turn right onto Auzerais Street" - an actual street in San Jose, CA.

In conclusion, I recommend the c330. It does what I want it to do, which is get me places without having to go inside, turn on my computer, enter relevent data, print it up, etc. Also, being male, I don't like to ask for directions ;-)

I just bought the Garmin C330 for our 1-week trip to California. Before I left Iowa to fly into LAX, I entered all the addresses I planned to visit. This unit took me to all the right locations (hotels, restaurants, attractions, friends',etc) in San Diego, Orange County, San Francisco, San Jose and back to LAX. Particularly, I had to stop by a house in Newport Coast, CA unexpectedly. This house is in a gated community on a hill top overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It requires many turns to get there. I consider myself a good navigator with traditional map but I think I would have difficulty trying to get there without the GPS. People at the house were shocked that I was able to get there the first time given just the address. I was really impressed with the C330's capability. I also like the POI's features, especially the "fuel" and "restaurant" features. At anytime, it can show me the restaurants (by type such as Fast Food, Chinesee,etc) nearby. It really helped because sometimes a McDonald is only a street or two from either your left or right side and you do not know it. The unit will show all the restaurants nearby around your current position.

On I-5 from LAX to San Francisco, it took us to a gas station that had been closed. Luckily, there was another gas station that was about a mile away. New businesses open and old ones close everyday, so I do not expect the POI (point of interest)to be 100% updated and accurate.

Negatives: I think another reviewer has pointed out, the volumn control does not work very well. It is either max (a little loud) or you cannot hear it if you turn it down. However, I consider it a minor problem. I wish they have a listing for "pizza." My daughter loves pizza especially Pizza Hut and Papa John. I was having difficulty finding it at first under "fast food" but later on found out they were listed under "Italian." They don't seem to list pizza places that only have carry-out and delivery. Before I leave for a trip, I normally check the Pizza Hut and PPJ websites for their locations, then enter them in the unit.

Mounting: The unit comes with suction cup, but I have not tried it out. Since I was going to California (it is against the law in CA to have anything attached to the windshield) I bought the dash mounting kit. The mounting kit worked very well in my rental car. It never slipped even going on the steep hills in San Francisco. I plan to use this dash mount in my own car in Iowa also.

I considered a Magelan unit first but after reading user reviews I decided to buy the Garmin C330. I saved about $75 by buying from Amazon compared to same unit sold at Best Buy and Wal Mart.

The C320 unit does not have the preloaded map. You would get a CD and need to connect the unit to your PC to download the map of the region to plan to travel to from the CD to the GPS unit.

The C330 has preloaded map. It keeps telling you how far before your next turn (e.x "in 1.2 mile turn left, in 500 ft turn left") but does not tell you what street to turn to. All you have to do is glance at the unit. The top of the screen instructs what street to turn to.

The C340 is the same as the C330 except it has 2 additional features: the voice tells you which street to turn to, and the traffic management feature (I think you have to subscribe to this service.)

In conclusion, I really like this unit. I thought I would not need a GPS since I was very good at navigating using traditional maps. Now, GPS is the way to go for me. Another benefit is when it is foggy or raining and it is difficult to see the street names, you can tell what streets you are coming to next by looking at the GPS.

Thank you the US Department of Defense for making the GPS available to us.

Just got the unit today. I love it. The one thing that I wish was different is: From the first screen you touch "Where to?", then you can select from icons and it will automatically search near your current location OR you can touch "Near" and it gives you the option to select a different city, current route or destination. I wish there was an option to choose one of your saved destinations from this screen. It would make things simpler. Instead, you must first select your destination from the saved list, then come back to this screen and select "My Destination". It's not a major complaint - just a pet peeve. I'm looking forward to driving around with this little baby. Too bad gas has gone up so dang much! Honestly, I was a little apprehensive about the screen size but it will do. I'm used to having a 7" diagonal GPS in my car in Japan. Spoiled. Also, I have no idea why they don't offer Japanese as a language selection considering they offer such off the wall choices as Svenska, Dansk, Norsk, Portugues, etc. Why no Japanese? I don't get that one. Oh well. Bought at GPScity.com for $750 free shipping.

This is my second GPS unit and it blows away my first (NAVMAN on an iPaq). We just got back from a two week trip throughout the National Parks of Utah, Arizona and Colorado and it performed flawlessly.

Here is my top 10 reasons that it is better than my old one (in order of importance to me)

1. Preloaded with very detailed street maps of the entire U.S. It had every dirt road and mountain trail that we took!

2. It finds the satellites VERY quickly, rarely longer than 20 seconds. My NAVMAN took minutes.

3. It powers on when the ignition is started an off when it goes off. Very convenient. My NAVMAN would get confused if we stopped for gas, often requiring a reboot.

4. It has very convenient travel features such as show me the closest 5 McDonald's (or closest 5 fast-food restaraunts)

5. It's time estimates for when we would arrive at the destination were incredibly accurate. We could drive for an hour and the estimate would change by no more than a minute or two. My NAVMAN would often miss by more than 20%!

6. When not navigating to a specific destination, the "View Map" mode is extremely helpful in showing the names of cross streets as you approach them.

7. The screen is very readable in both day mode and night mode. The 3-D view is easier to follow than my NAVMAN's 2-D view.

8. The screen automatically switches from day mode to night mode. Very nice.

9. It has a responsive touch screen (no stylus!)

10. It has a trip summary (avg speed, idle time, top speed, etc.) feature. No such thing on my NAVMAN.

My wife gave me this Garmin C330 unit as a B'day gift to me and i was more than delighted to have it since i was already looking for one.......coming straight to point:
Good Things:
1) Works out of box......switch it on n u r ready to roll
2) Easy to use......even the not so tech savvy among us will find it very easy to use...very simple and practical menu without frills
3) Fairly accurate (i'd say 97% of times)
4) Very strong signal reception(works even in my house)
5) Quickly computes alternate routes (i.e. if you take wrong turn) without user intervention
6) Screen is very bright and can be seen easily from angles too.
7) Very loud voice prompts (u can hear them with windows rolled down....some ppl say we cant hear this unit with our music on...i feel sorry for them....i wud suggest try to reduce music vol...lol)
8) Handy and portable (important coz its gud idea to remove the unit when the car is parked away from sight.....will easily slip in ladies purse, glove compartment or center console)
9)Very easy to mount on stand provided and easy to detact too.....mounting stands holds to windscreen like super glue
10) Very decent batttery life (mine goes for 7 hrs without charge)
11) Volume control is external and old school rotating type (easy to increase and decrease volume)
12) Touch screen is very responsive

Bad things:
1) No user manual.....u can find one on garmin's website but it is not very comprehensive....u can use it out of box but need to spend some time to learn about complex features.
2) No instructions on how to connect to computer.
3) Can have more features.

Some ppl write that unit cannot be operated while driving.....this is wrong...there is safety feature built in by garmin to dissuade people from fiddling with the unit while driving, this feature can be easily disabled and then u can use the unit while driving (not recommended thou)

abt dirt roads: Some ppl say that it does not show country and dirt roads, this is wrong, by default dirt roads are not displayed but u can switch them on n c them all (most of em)

I would like to add that there is no unit on planet earth that will have complete exact maps of every thing, that is just not possible, some minor roads might not be there in the map and some places might be missing but this is absolutely ok. I would suggest to buy an upgraded maps CD (available on garmin website) and upgrade the unit every year or two.

Other than that this unit is just perfect in every way.....its easy to use and there r no complex menu's to mess around with....its among the very best one's out there.

I just got this from Amazon and I had it up and running in about 15 minutes...right outta the box!! Its very intuitive and simple to use. I tried it out on one short local trip and I was simply amazed at its accuracy and simpleness of operation. I haven't had a chance to really put it through its paces yet. And, I haven't even hooked it up to my PC yet. But, with the battery already charged from the factory and maps already pre-loaded, you just can't beat this thing!! Nedless to say, I'm VERY pleased. Yeah, like with almost anything electronic, I'm sure its got some "glitches". I noticed on my "test trip" that the voice directions can be a little confusing sometimes. But, in my experience, it was not the device's fault but rather the way the roads and intersections were laid out. It was tough enough to understand how to navigate some of those roads and intersections WITHOUT the Garmin. So, I think the device perfermed very, very well in those circumstances. As I use it more, I'll see if I notice any more "glitches" or problems. If so, I'll come back and add a P.S. to this. But, so far, I think this is exactly what I need. A great, ready-to-go navigation system at a very reasonable price. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because...well...nothing's perfect. ;-) Thanks Garmin!! :-D

I took it out the box and had it up and running inside of 10 minutes. I especially like the fact that there is no thick instructional manual written by techno geeks, just a quick pullout diagram with easy instructions and screen shots. Overall, a very user friendly unit. I highly recommend this item.

I travel alot and got tired of printing maps and getting lost, so I broke down and bought this Garmin. It has changed the way I travel. All you have to do is type the address and it does the rest.
I don't normally write reviews but this is great!
There is nothing else to say, it is easy to operate and it works in addition the price is right.

Bought this model two weeks ago. On my first out of town trip, 30 miles of one US highway and 15 miles of another state highway opened last year were completely missing from the screen. Don't depend on this for your sole source of information and don't try to call Garmin for help. They don't answer their phone.

Very nice product overall. It is ready to use as soon as you plug it in and it acquires enough satellites to navigate. The touch screen is small but easy to see and colorful. It also makes entering information a snap. The only problem is that it tends to be hard to see if it is in bright light, if you tilt the display down or can mount it in a shady place it is alright.
The detour button is a nice feature to get around traffic and the unit offers plenty points of interest.
The rechargeable battery and built in speakers make this a truly portable unit and the battery life is around 4 hours.
Overall I'm very satisfied with it and it's operation.

Amazon's listing for the C330 says that "every unit sold will come with the most recent map version". This statement is not true. I just got a brand new C330, which is loaded with City Navigator North America "V8" maps (found by touching Map, then Map Info). Today I visited the Garmin web site, went to the map update page, and entered my device's serial number. The web site told me that an update is available for my unit: "Map Update 2008 City Navigator".

Somewhat perplexed, I called Garmin's customer support line and received the following explanation from Peggy. The V8 map package was issued in June 2006. A newer mapset, version 2008, was issued in June 2007. However, the size of the improved and more detailed database in version 2008 is larger than will fit in the memory of the C330. Therefore, when you install the update, you have to choose whether you want to load the database for United States, or the one for Canada. The Canadian subset includes all of Canada plus the border states (including Massachusetts, not strictly a border state, but useful for Canadians who visit New England).

If you purchase the 2008 Update, you can make the decision about which subset to load into the C330 repeatedly. So it can be updated first with the V2008 maps for the US, and then subsequently loaded with the V2008 maps for a vacation trip to Canada. Of course, if you're not living in a border state, you won't be able to use the Canadianized C330 to navigate to Canada, but once you're there, you're all set.

Should you choose to install the US portion of the database, all of the old (V8) Canadian data is deleted. Similarly, should you install the updated Canadian 2008 maps, the V8 US information is wiped. In my view, this was a poor design decision.

Even though the C330 has an SD slot for expansion, it is not possible to load the US database from the 2008 update into the unit and put the Canadian database into an SD chip (or vice versa).

The Map Update 2008 is $70US and is shipped on a DVD. Whichever subset of the data you choose, a PC or a Mac is required to load the 2008 update into a C330.

If you want your cake and eat it too, you have to buy the complete V2008 Mapsource City Navigator North America NT map product from Garmin ($140US list). The entire North American database will fit on an SD card.

Peggy was unwilling to provide me with a free update to the 2008 maps, even though I just purchased a brand-new unit that was advertised as having "the most recent map version". I have read elsewhere that some purchasers were able to obtain an update to 2008 maps at no charge, but Peggy would not be swayed. Her explanation, which was carefully wordsmithed by Garmin's marketing department, was that the V8 maps are the 'latest that were shipped from the factory' with the C330. Thus, the unit that I purchased, in Garmin's opinion, is the most recent version that was offered for sale.

According to Peggy, the same limitation in map storage and upgrade applies to the StreetPilot C530 version, a more modern unit that was recently discontinued by Garmin.

I am now debating whether to keep the C330 or not. It's a nice product, and seems very easy to use. But I resent being sold a mapping device with map data from 2006, especially when it was explicitly advertised as having the most recent map data "through April 2007". Garmin's policy to then demand an additional $70 to upgrade strikes me as designed more to satisfy shareholders than customers.

This unit can be used by anyone in just a few minutes right out of the box. I was amazed! The detail of side roads, street names, and lists of businesses just amazed me. I was expecting abreviated mapping data, but no; the detail is great. Comfortable to use in 2 minutes.

For about $500 the C330 brings easy to use gps navigation to everyone. The unit does not require a computer to load maps as they come preloaded. And what good maps they are. Garmin uses Navtec maps which are incredibly detailed and adds to the routing capablity of these units. TomTom uses Teleatlas maps which have large sections that have not been updated in 10 years.

Garmin is the leader in gps navigation and no one is close. Do a little research and you will see many Garmin units in all shapes and sizes and at all price points. Great support and they continually upgrade the product software for free on their website, although you do have to pay $75 if you want to update you maps in a year or two.

I've used them all, and this one is the best for the average joe.

i resently bought the garmin c330 for my truck and i thought it was very easy to use right out of the box i didnt even have to use the manual to learn how to operate the thing and it really helped me out with hard to find locations its a very helpful unit to have i love it very much

Took me from SE FL USA to my brothers doorstep in SC USA no problem. Route was a bit long...map is already dated. You can go a better route using a map....but I made my trip without a map or a hitch. I just listened to it.

Screen is great. Touch screen great. Ease of use great.

A bit pricey though. Also look into the i2, i3, or i5.

The maps cannot be changed. They are preloaded. So very soon it's out of date.

Some other models..."cheaper models"...load selected map data into memory card. These models have small cards, but bigger ones are cheap on the net.

If you have money to burn, go for it.

I am opting to try out the i2 though. I don't use it except for occasional long trips or occasional hunt for new local place. So you have to weigh the cost with the use if you are budget minded.

Stick to Garmin. They are easy to use and have good support. A "con" is phone support. Average wait times are over 30 minutes.

Go to the Garmin site and look over product manuals. And search the net for reviews and such. DO RESEARCH.

I have tried other brands, Garmin is goodness.

After searching and listening to GPS users, I decided the unit for me was the c330. I was worried by reviews of the Magellan 760 (reliability, customer no-service, etc.). This unit is easy to install and use--and being battery powered, very easy to swap from vehicle to vehicle. There are more sophisticated (read: more difficult to learn/use) units by Garmin and others, but for everyday use, I found the c330 extremely pleasing and reliable. Get the 120 volt charger accessory and you can charge the c330 indoors--expecially nice if you're travelling, plus you don't have the car charger wiring hanging from the rearview mirror! I mount the unit in the upper left hand side of the windshield and it doesn't interfere with line of sight (safety) and it's more in line with watching the road (safety and convenience). Nifty feature is that is can automatically shift into night driving mode (screen background goes black) so it won't cause distraction.

I got this yesterday..guess what, the maps are from 2005 so anything new the the last 2 year won't be on here.Please look at the dates on these reviews before you make your purchase. Think you can update this? Garmin was giving me a 10% on the 2008 update which cost about $66.00 and guess what else, the memory on the c330 won't hold the entire 2008 maps you have to choose from either 48 states, hawaii and puerto rico or canada and the boarder states. Do you really want that? I went out tonight and got the c340 it has the 2008 maps preloaded and ready to go, plus it has text to speech which enables it the say what street you are turning onto.

I decided to purchase the c330 based upon many positive reviews supposedly written by other satisfied customers. The unit did arrive from Amazon on schedule. The ease of operation and graphics are outstanding (I am electronically challenged) as others had mentioned. However, in test runs in our neighborhood, the unit twice attempted to route us on roads that have been closed for 10+ years. This, of course, would be a major problem in an unfamiliar area at night. Also, the local Applebee's was shown as being 0.5 mile from its actual location. We plan to take a trip of close to 1000 miles this week. If my opinion of the actual navigational value of the unit imporves, I will submit an amended review.

Overall, it's a great unit. It gives good directions that are easy to follow. It knows both New York and Miami perfectly and gets us easily through scenarios where there are many hard and soft turn choices. Things to improve or think about when selecting:

1. It doesn't have the traffic feature.
2. The screen was a bit small for me. It couldn't always display the full name of exits on the freeway.
3. The find by business name was overall very good, but a few businesses had closed and it didn't know them. Overall, it scored about 95%.

This is the first GPS system that I have owned and I purchased it for the ease of use and simplicity. It lives up to the great reviews and has worked like a well-oiled machine since I got the unit. The points of intrest are a great asset with this GPS and the maps and voice prompts are easy and simple to use. It works right out of the box with all maps pre-loaded for the US and Canada. I would recommend this unit for anyone who is married and planning a driving trip. No arguing over directions, wrong turns or places to visit. Garmin takes care of it all even down to where we want to eat. This product is fantastic!

I was in a fix to either go for c340 or c330. Finally ended up with c330. The only two major differences are, c340 has text to speech and traffic ready option. Other than that, they are almost the same. The suction mount is very stable, the voice is very loud and clear. I agree with lot of other reviews about the non availability of good manual, but if you playaround with it, it should be fairly easy to figure out the functions and menus. About the Maps , I think the maps are pretty much up-to-date, considering the fact that there is no perfect map product.Overall, I rate it as an excellent buy and amazon.com price rocks!!!

This is my first gps system. I read a hundred reviews (from Amazon, circuit city, best buy, ect..) on them before ordering and decided to go with the garmin due to reviews. I wanted a gps because I am always getting lost and had piles of mapquest directions in my car. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who wants a good gps for good price. sometimes it takes a few minutes when you are trying to locate a restuarant, store, or something like that- but it doesn't bother me. the maps seem to be great so far ( I have had it for about 3 weeks now). if you are going to a store or something like that, you don't even know the address for where your going- you can just find the store and it gives you the address (and phone number)!!. Overall I think this is a very good product.

The maps in this unit are not current and for you to bring them up to the latest set will cost you $70 from Garmin because they dont think they should have to update the data for free. Buyer beware!!

THE STREET PILOT IS A GREAT ITEM FOR THE CAR TRAVELER, THE INFORMATION IT GIVES IS EXCEPTIONAL..I LOVE THE UNIT AND DOES EVERYTHING THAT THE SPECS SAY..MY PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS A BIT DIFFICULT TO SEE SCREEN ON A SUNNY SAY, POSSIBLY A SHIELD CAN BE MADE TO EXTEND OVER FACE OF SCREEN TO DARKEN PICTURE...

Like an earlier poster, I had problems with the unit not charging properly and the battery running down. I finally figured out that you have to push hard on the unit to get it to click into cradle enough so that it will charge from the lighter adapter. I tried e-mailing Garmin about the problem a couple of days ago, but still haven't gotten a reply. I was able to muddle my way through and find a solution, and now the unit works great. I found a manual for the c330 GPS in my Amazon media locker after the purchase, but it didn't help with the charging problem.

The GPS does take a couple of minutes to acquire the satellites in the morning when the unit "wakes up" but after that it locks on to the signal fairly quickly. It would nice to be able to format the display to the users specific needs, i.e., have the unit display the current time.

All that aside, the GPS function works like a charm. Directions are clear, consise and audible. Maps to this point seem to be updated just fine. I'd recommend this as a sound purchase for someone wanting a GPS at a reasonable price, but you might have to be willing to do your own troubleshooting.

I purchased this unit for my wife. She is a realtor and goes from address to address frequently. This unit is very easy to use, see, and understand. The only complaint I have is that I had to update it as soon as I purchased it to add in new roads or neighborhoods. Great buy especially for the money. I would highly recommend this product.

I love it! We moved recently and it has really helped me find my way around easily. It lets me know ahead of time how far away the next turn is, and which direction, so I know which lane to be in. That really helps in heavy traffic. The voice directions allow you to concentrate on the road and traffic with just an occasional quick glance at the monitor. I just passed my Real Estate licensing exam and will use it to locate properties. There will be a problem with a time lag on maps including new developments with new roads.

The dash mount purchased separately works well.
After reading reviews stating the Garmin case did not fit, I ordered a Case Logic Large Camcorder Case and it works well.

The C330 performs well. It provides clear accurate info about roads and routes to specific addresses. We were able to drive right up to several difficult to get to locations with ease. While some of the pre-progammed points of interest are not 100% up-to-date, its accuracy of roads seems pretty good. The unit has more neat little tricks than the manual explains. These fine details where quickly learned while someone else drove the vehicle, freeing up the attention to different situations in real life/time. The best thing about this unit is its ability to show you the distance to the next turn, and what it will look like so you can be in the right position even though have never been there before.

I have not had one problem with this navigator. Since I am the driver most of the time when I travel, I have found that this device gives me piece of mind and less anxiety when trying to manuver my way around a city or state that I have not been before.

I'm not a gadget guy, but this thing has done so much to simplify my life I can't say enough. We explored the cheaper $350 model, but it was out of stock so I went for this one instead. It was the right choice because the touch screen (not available on the cheaper model) makes menu selections so easy! On two recent business trips in unfamiliar cities, it reduced my stress level by taking the unkowns out of getting around. My Garmin also made driving safer, tell me in advance when to shift lanes, and correcting me when I missed a turn. Only beef, in downtown cities with high buildings it struggles to find the satellites.

I did a lot of research before buying one of these. I'm very happy with the Garmin c330. It works even better than I expected. If you are only planning on using it in the middle of a large city (like Manhattan) you might experience a little signal interruption or reflection due to the tall buildings. But I found this to be intermittent only and tolerable. And I had one restaurant listing with an error in the address, but that's all. The interface is very intuitive, and I found that I never had to go back to the instructions after the first 15 minutes. The display is large enough and clear, and the voice commands can be heard even with a window open. I have not gotten lost, nor had to take written directions with me anywhere since I got this model. Highly recommended.

The Garmin C330 is "a good product." BUT, it is currently NOT "state of the art". For almost the same price you can get the Garmin C530. The C530 has a brighter screen. And, just as important, the C530 has a "Sirf" receiver. With the "Sirf" receiver I could "acquire sattlites" even inside my house---where before with an i3 I could not. And, I shopped around finding several places that sell the C530 for about $465. If you send me an email, if Amazon will allow it, I'll tell you where I found this lower price! Email:boland7214@aol.

PS: Yes, it's true the C530 does NOT have "voice recognition" announcing the upcoming street name. But, do you really need it? I don't miss voice recognition because the SAME INFORMATION is PRINTED on TOP of the C530 screen in BIG LETTERS. If you can read you WILL know what is the next street---you HAVE to look at the GPS anyway to see where to turn...so just READ the next street. It's "no problem" in my opinion.

Afterword: Stop! My C530 just died---won't start. I'll let you know more about what happens later.

In general seems to work well as you would see in other reviews
Couple of things to watch out for

* voice directions do not say the street names, so in certain cases you need to take a look. That can be distracting and sometimes annoying
* Seems to take a while to acquire satellite feed sometimes
* The default suction device sucks. May need to go in for the dashboard mount

Bought this for my wife because she liked my Garmin Street Pilot. Ease of use was very critical. This takes care of her problem of not being able to read a map. Have recommended to others, as well.

If you are looking for a simple to use out of the box unit that has enough advanced features to keep the enthusiast interested, this is a unit I would highly recommend. This is the 2nd unit I have owned from Garmin, They do make a high quality product, however, I know when this unit first appeared, it had some issues- now all fixed. Make sure you get Version 8.0 software- it is the most current base map set of the US and Canada. Garmin has weak product support so just know that going in.... if you call them for help be prepared to wait a long time for an answer. Regarding the unit, it does all it says. Yes, it will take you on routes that you know to be better because you are familar with short-cuts, so do not be upset it does not give you those routes- it is simply calulating what is less distance or faster according to local posted speeds- it does not know traffic jams- at least this unit doesn't. Only complaint I have is the volume control, It is either very loud, or I can barely hear it. It might be a defect, but not serious enough to send in unit for repair. You can put in POI's, but you have to know how to do that... no help from Garmin, Use Easy GPS- it is a free program on the internet. Once you get going, it is relatively easy and fun.

For the price, you can't beat this unit. For $100 more you can get the same unit that actually says the streets to turn on, not just turn in 3/10 mile.... Save the $100, and get this one.

This is a truly wonderful device. I love it. I can't compare to other units since this is the only one I have owned, but I'm very happy with it. I've used it to get to places literally in the middle of nowhere, with what seemed like 30 turns, some onto tiny little side streets. We took it on a driving vacation to Maine and it was such a pleasure - we drove all over and always knew exactly where we were and how to get to where we wanted to go, even without entering a destination. While I have the 330, I recommend getting the 340. Having the voice say 'turn left on 8th st' has got to be better than 'turn left' when you are in an area with short blocks - sometimes I am not sure what left it is referring to and have to check the display, which does show the name. Aside from that I have no complaints. If you are thinking about getting one of these, stop thinking and order already!! Even if you don't get this brand/model, I'm sure there are many good ones out there.
Negatives:
- wish I had sprung for the 340.
- Has once or twice taken me to stores that don't exist (selected from the internal directories). But anybody who complains about these things not being perfect should have their head examined, or stick to those wonderful paper maps, or revert to asking the nearest wino for directions.

I am very satisfied and would have given 4 and half stars (BUT NO OPTION FOR THAT) as it is not perfect and has a few minor glitches. HENCE 5 stars for phenomenal performance. WELL DONE GARMIN!

This is an easy to use and well designed navigation system. You can use it right out of the box and from vehicle to vehicle. It's the best gift my husband ever got!

This product becomes useful right out of the box. No need to read instruction booklet. The best user interface of any electronic device I ever used. Allows destinations to be programmed with a minimum of keystrokes. Occasionally loses the satelite connection (while driving and also when you're programming it indoors). Not sure if that is a shortcoming of the Garmin StreetPilot c330 or if it's caused by atmospheric interference beyond the control of the device. Overall, I'm a very satisfied customer. This allows me to be more adventurous during road trips to unfamiliar locales.

Audio and visual - system recalculates when you make an error. Has night mode s you see the screem easily at night.

Used the Magellan 700 and found it too complicated, unattractive, bulky and not as easy to look at or use than the Garmin 330. The Garmin is pre-loaded like the Magellan but the graphics and ease of use place the Garmin three lengths ahead of the competition. Only complaints are the washout of screen in normal bright daylight, the lack of alternate voices, and the absence of spoken street names and intersections as found in the TeleNav on my Nextel-Motorola i860 cell phone. Other than the "turn right and then turn left" it would be helpful to hear "turn right on Melrose Street and then turn left on West 32nd Street." All things considered, the 330 by Garmin beats the rest hands down. Used it in DC for the Fourth of July and it was flawless.

Bought a Garmin C330 a week ago. Tested it in San Francisco. It lost signals several times on crowed streets. It took at least 1 min to recalculate funny routes. There are 2 next exits: one to Freeway 101, the other to Hi way 280. Instead of following the exit to Freeway 101, it directed us drive to highway 280. After 5 mins, it asked us to take exit and go back to 101 to San Jose.

Will return it. Today it is not worth more than $100 even it carries a brand name. If you live in big cities, don't buy this out of date GPS. All new GPS have high sensitive receivers to catch the signals (20 channels) far better than Garmin C330 (only 12 channels).

Two stars only because new technology has passed it by. Otherwise a great unit for the price.
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br /I have had this unit for two years. Garmin discontinued it last year and is not supporting it. I do know that Garmin is not supporting the software I suggest that you ask Garmin if it will provide a free map upgrade for a newly purchased unit. The unit is a solid performer and easy to read. I recommend the dashboard mount. It does not move around and is easy to store when you park. GPS' are the Number 1 "smash and grab" item. Just leaving on the windshield mount may be enough incentive for some one to smash a window to see if the unit was left in the car. This Garmin has a number of outstanding features. My favorite features are its easy to read screen and its long battery life. Depending where I am, it takes between 30 seconds and three minutes to lock onto a satellite. The steps to input a destination could be more efficient. There are a lot of neat features to explore. The POIs are limited and out of date. If you do not mind old tech (slower satillite connection) and maybe an earlier map version, this is a great choice.

I have been a big fan of Garmin for years because they make great products and usually stand by them. Unfortunately, they seem to be making an exception in this case.

I have recently upgraded to the c330 from an i5 and found out the hard way that Garmin is selling the c330 with outdated maps and won't provide updated ones without charging you $70. Keep this in mind as part of the price of the unit.

So far it is great! I like it best as I get close to my destination and off major roads. What I don't like is that it doesn't offer options for directions. As I approached the suggested turn I ignored it because I prefer a different way. The closer I got, the voice sounded panicy. It finally recomputed for the direction I chose. I really like the "food" and "gasoline" feature. It is great to have quick directions in an unfamiliar area.

Product almost perfect except it has no traffic status. I live in a sort of new community and it couldn't be located, no way to update streets.

For the price it is a great addition to a Road Atlas but DON'T TRUST IT COMPLETELY. Maps are outdated and many times we were routed to incorrect locations, asked to turn left or right when neither was available. Have been sent on "wild goose chase" addresses for a business in a residential neighborhood that no longer existed or re-located, Home depot in a office complex and such. Features regarding restaurants and Hotels and Gas have worked well. MPH and trip features is also very nice.The screen is not very visible during daylight hours but great at night. Beware your settings. We took a trip from Kentucky to Texas and it took us on a HUGE detour through mississippi and Louisiana when all we had to do is go through Arkansas. It has gotten me out of several jams, and has many, many useful features for the price. Just don't believe everything it tells you.

This is my third GPS. My Garmin StreetPilot c330 came with up-to-date maps that are far more inclusive and accurate than the latest maps available for my Magellan Roadmate 700 (good) and my built-in Chrysler GPS (awful).

The most important measure of a GPS is the quality and accuracy of the routing it provides. All of the other bells and whistles pale in comparison to routing quality and accuracy. The c330 does a superb (and usually "correct") job of finding the fastest route -- and it performs that task very quickly. But I have 3 negative comments:

1. There are two mapping methods on the c330: quickest and shortest routes. Switching between them (to compare your possible routes) is a very tedious and distracting process that requires many "keystrokes" on the touchscreen. It should require just one or two keystrokes to switch between the "quickest" and "shortest" routing methods.

2. When you're traveling at 65mph on an interstate highway, you need plenty of advance notice when it's time to exit, to allow you to get over. The c330 is very inconsistent at providing ample notice. Sometimes you get just .4 miles' notice (about 25 seconds). You really need 1-2 miles' advance notice of your next turn, and I'm surprised that Garmin doesn't provide that.

3. The batteries are advertised to have an 8-hour life. Mine requires recharging after 5 hours.

Overall, I rate the c330 "4 stars", and recommend it. The high-res screen is excellent and the user interface is very intuitive. I'm impressed with the c330's low price.

I picked one of these up at a Black Friday sale for about one hundred thirty bucks. Best buy in a GPS I could find, and it is a great GPS. The maps are slightly out of date as other reviewers have indicated, but you can't go wrong for the price!

Pros:
Easy to use - Intuitive
Quick to acquire satellites
Clear Screen
Quick to calculate routes
Quick to re-calculate route after a missed turn

Cons:
Point of Interest (POI) database is out of date by a couple years
No Latitude, Longitude, or Elevation is displayable (nice for nerds like myself)

Bottom Line: Most other GPS units cost two to three times as much. This is a great deal if you can find one for less than one hundred fifty. If you go more than that you might consider something with more features. At this price point almost everyone can have a GPS if they want.

Overall the route calculations seem accurate, although it isn't aware of signals like lights and stop signs, so it doesn't always route you the best way. If I miss a turn, it usually has recalculated my route within a second or so. All the buttons on the touchscreen are easy to use, and it rarely registers something incorrectly. The menus all make sense with the exception of getting to the "dashboard" display, you have to click on the speed from the "map view." Remember that any GPS might not give you the best route for an area you know well, but this gives a good enough route to get you to your destination.

Satellites have usually been acquired by the time I get my seatbelt on and am ready to go, and it even was able to acquire a respectable signal inside my house.

I would buy one again given the choice. I am not disappointed with the 3.5" screen either, at first I thought I needed a 4+" screen, but after using this one I am perfectly happy.

To download custom points of interest you need to download software from Garmin, and it compatible with Mac and PC. The software included only works with PC, no Mac software is included, but is available for download.

Comparing the tomtom1 3rd ed to the Garmin 330...

In Indiana, my new tomtom is receiving signals from up 8 satellites. My new Garmin c330 often loses a connection, leaving a void in usefulness, similar to a cell phone dead zone. I returned the 330 for a replacement 330 after one week and the replacement is similar in connectivity. The 330 is only connecting to one satellite at a time.

Operating as designed? Antenna Strength? Garmin? Who knows...

Both units function well when receiving a signal.

After lots of research I chose this as my first Auto GPS. I have used it for the past 3 months around Atlanta, a medium trip to Alabama, and on a 850 mile trip to South NJ. I would buy it again.

Pros
-great windshield mount (holds well yet easy to take off)
-fast calculations
-easy to use
-clear audio
-precise location (I have used earlier Magellan hand held marine models that were sometimes off by what seemed dozens of yards)
-enormous database of attractions, banks, restaurants, etc.

Cons
-you may make an incorrect turn at complex intersections just because of the limited amount of time you have to chose the street the GPS has you taking
-loss of signal around tall buildings (normal)
-no real time traffic or construction info
-no one button addition of locations to your favorite list


The funny thing is that we have taken a 4 hour (each leg) trip twice and have been given different directions for all 4 legs ...although they all took about the same amount of time. You would expect you would be taking the same route each time. I don't mean minor variations either. We went to North Central Alabama from Atlanta via Birmingham (Central) AL and the return directions went through Rome (North), GA.

I have it set to the British Lady voice, I like the accent.

I have not updated the maps or software because I have read several accounts of doing so freezes up the unit. It works so don't fix it. :-)

I just replaced a Garmin C330 with a TomTom One 130. The Garmin unit was only a year old and the battery would no longer charge. Granted, I wasn't careful to remove it from the dash when it was not in use as often as I could have done so but I don't think it's too much to expect such a unit to be so fragile. I was also displeased when I learned that the battery was not replaceable. We are living in a disposable society, folks! The straw that broke the back was that the accuracy suddenly dropped to nothing. I am SO GLAD that I got an extended warranty from Best Buy but I could have saved a little by just getting a two year policy.
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br /I replaced the unit with a TomTom One 130 which I generally like but there is one feature I took for granted with the Garmin that I'm really missing. The Garmin let me navigate to virtually any arbitrary favorite location without much trouble, even if I ended up using roads it knew nothing about. On the other hand, the TomTom refuses to navigate even though I saved the favorite while sitting in the parking lot I wanted to remember! I hoped I was doing something wrong but TomTom Support claims this is working as designed and I have to save an address on the road closest to my favorite. What a crock! This is a design flaw and I'm already starting to miss my old Garmin.

I purchased the Refurbished Garmin StreetPilot c330 for my girlfriend who was always calling me for directions. The unit is ready to go right out of the box, almost no set up required. While not as customizable as my TomTom One, it has all the features that someone will need to keep from getting lost. This older model is perfect for someone who is intimidated by tech gadgets. It locates itself rather quickly, the driving directions and POI's are easy to use.
br /I would reccomend this for anyone wanting a small simple gps.

I bought this device about 6 mos ago. It's a great gps! I've done several trips to Alabama and Louisiana with it and no complaints at all. Then I drove from MS to California. It wasn't a difficult drive but it got us to restaurants and hotels even displaying the phone numbers to the hotels so we could call to see if there were available rooms.
br /My 75 yo mom had to go to Los Angeles, to an unfamiliar address and I taught her how to use it (she is totally technology illiterate). It took her less than 5 minutes to figure out. She called when she got there and said she really liked it! She just got a new present:)
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I have been extreamly happy with this purchase. I use it in the cars, but also on my motorcycle which is where I fell in love with it. You can tell it to avoid Highways, toll roads and such and it moves you through areas you would have never tried before. When stuck in traffic, turning off onto a side road and fishing your way around the hold up is simple and you always feel in control. At the price this unit was offered at, it was a sure thing. I can't beleive I went without one for so long!

Part of me thought since I live in ALabama this wouldnt work with the back roads I usually travel on. I thought it would work best in big cities or well populated areas. For this reason I havent bought a GPS system up until now. All I have to say is that I was wrong, well at least with this system. So far it has had every travel destination I've entered into the system. The directions are awesome and since the gadget talks, you dont have to watch the screen while driving. It will tell you when to turn. The GPS also has already preloaded every gas station, food establishment, and lodging. And it lists them in order of how far away they are to where you are at. It even had bubba's steak and Grill. The reason why I shared that bit of info with you is because if they have that redneck restraunt in its memory, it will also probably have all of your favorite places already coded in. The screen is easy to read however its not big enough to obstruct your view while driving.

The bottom line is that you cant go wrong with buying this one regardless of where you live.

Daniel

I have directionally challenged. Trying to follow a map to find anything is my nightmare from hell. Family joke is: "Mom can't find her way out of a paper bag with a map and a flashlight." This is on top of being technically challenged as well. (Yes, I have issues:) Given my 2 challenges, Garmin has come up with the perfect solution! So perfect there is no manual to confuse me, just a quick reference sheet which I actually read AFTER I had figured it out just by playing with the buttons. So easy to use and it tells me when to turn with enough time to move to the appropriate side for the turn. Yes, there have been a few mistakes but the recalulating feature takes care of all that. This has made my life so much easier but now I have to find another excuse for being late to things....:)

A brilliant purchase. Helps me find my way through streets I've never driven on before and when I make a wrong turn it recalculates a new route. What a pleasure - takes all the stress out of navigating.

This is my first trip GPS unit. My dad had it for almost two years before he handed it down to me. I am amazed at how accurate the unit is. I have yet to end up anywhere but my intended destination! Being able to just hit a couple of buttons and not have to pull out the map everytime I have to go to one of the kids' friends house is priceless - takes a lot of stress off!

I have not figured out if the unit updates by satellite or computer, but have not seen any major errors on restaurants or businesses.

The biggest plus for this unit in my opinion is the durability. This unit has been in use for over two years and functions flawlessly - after being taken in and out of the truck hundreds of times. I wish my vehicles were that hardy :)

I highly recommend this or any of the other Garmin products!

All the best,

Jay

I had a Magellan 2000 before I bought the C330. It had two more bells/whistles which I never used, and only 2mil poi's. It was much more difficult to operate, and not as visible, and the voice quality was sub par.

The C330 is quite a bargain. The audio quality is loud and superbe and easiliy adjustable with a control rather than a screen command.

The picture is bright and large, the updates are frequent -- it will tell you when you are a mere 20 feet from a turn, and the reliability and ease of operation is unmatched.

I don't know how they do it for the money -- but I'll never drive again without one.

The garmin is a great product. Amazon does a good job with the shipping and prompt delivery

Great product. I used this on the way to my boyfriend's house and I was amazed at how accurate it was.

This item works great and has up-to-date maps already installed. This is a great companion to have especially for someone like me who likes to explore. Now I can go to new places with ease, knowing that I will get there, and then my Garmin Streetpilot c330 will bring me back home. I can relax because I know I am in good hands.

I have used this devices serveral time on trips to location I was not familiar with. The trip time was right on and the turn by turn directions were accuarate. Very happy with the purchase and the fact if was refurbushed is a plus. The price through Amazon warehouse was very reasonable.

Garmin StreetPilot c330 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
I have had a new Garmin c330 for 6 weeks. I have found many errors and outdated maps in the system. Some restaurants and other businesses that it locates have been out of business for at least 3 years. One recent error directs me to a non-existent street over a concrete retaining wall. There has not been a street at that location in over 50 years. Another problem is that it doesn't even show streets built in the last three years in newer housing developments.
The Garmin web site provides supposedly newer maps :( for a PRICE. The upgraded maps have the same errors and omissions that the original maps have. Garmin doesn't want this piece of junk back, and I can understand why! My next gps will be a Tom-Tom.

I boughtmy C330 at Walmart for $[...] plus tax. The maps are so old on the unit you really have to pay for an update that cost $70.00. I think this is an absolute ripoff. Garmin should not do this - that is sell old product that has to have an update just to be useful. I have contacted Garmin to see what they will do but I have not heard from them yet. I would be very careful buying this product if it is on sale - Make sure the latest updated maps are on the system. Otherwise it is pretty easy to use. I like the preloaded information that helps you look for resturants and other attractions. Very useful but also very much out of date. The versionof Maps on my unit is at least 2 years old. This shoudlbe a crime really. I have tried to return to Walmart and they would not take it back. Feel like I wasted the money. If I can't resolve with Garmin, it will be a long, long time before I buy another Garmin product.

I bought this as a Christmas present for my Dad. I didn't think about the risks of buying a factory refurbished item until I recieved it and tried to charge it and turn it on. It was completely unresponsive. The factory should probably run a few tests on these things before they leave to be resold.

I used it once, most words it said on my way is: lost the satellite connection..... I have to use my map that I printed out to find out which way should I go to....

I received this Garmin GPS for Christmas this year, and at first, I was really excited. Older streets and addresses are no problem for this device, so if you live in an older neighborhood, I might actually recommend it. However, I work in a newly developed area in South Atlanta, and very few of the businesses are listed in this Garmin. What's very frustrating is that the Garmin seems to find some sort of amusement in getting me lost. A few days ago, I was on my way to a meeting in a location where I'd never been, so I punched the address into the Garmin and hit "GO." The device told me to turn left and to turn right and, trusting fool that I am, I listened to it, followed every direction, and ended up in a neighborhood very far away from where I needed to be. The thing actually said "arriving at destination on right" when I was in the middle of nowhere! I had to call my assistant and have him use google maps to get me where I needed to be, which was 20 miles in the opposite direction! If I could upload new locations and save them into this device, I would not be so dissatisfied, however, since I cannot, I do not recommend this product.

If you plan on going someplace where there's been no new construction for the past 7 years, you already know where you're going or really don't mind getting lost with digital assistance this is the GPS for you.
br /Granted I didn't have the most up-to-date maps (didn't want to drop the $70) but would the map updates fix the fit of dyslexia the unit suffered while I was trying to go around NYC dumping me off in the Bronx? It literally told me to turn one direction while showing a turn in the other direction on it's screen. I had to shut it off to get back on the highway.
br /It also was nice enough to pull the same trick while I was trying to go around DC. Ever get dumped unto the wrong route while trying to go around DC just prior to rush hour? You get to enjoy the full brunt of rush hour traffic. This little toy cost me at least 3 hours of my life that I'll never get back. Did I mention that it completely lost it's bearings in the middle of NC? Had absolutely no idea where it was. Good thing one of had a clue...
br /Since this is/was my first GPS unit I can't be sure that these aren't just issues inherent to all GPS but I can't believe that to be the case. If they all suck as bad as this I'd imagine the universe would be torn apart be the sheer suck-age.
br /Don't get me wrong this unit works great some of the time. It just picked the absolute worst time(s) to fail for me. Maybe it'll work fine for you.
br /Do you feel lucky, punk?

I ordered this as a gift for my son. The first time he used it he got lost because the area he was going to was not even on the map. The gps itself seems nice. Large easily to read screen. But the maps are terribly out of date and updating costs $70. Not worth it. I ordered a new Garmin 4.5 inch screen for not much more than the cost of this one with the update. It came with the bean bag holder and is more slimline.

I have had nothing but problems with this unit. It does not find satellites quickly, sometimes 10 minutes into a trip it will finally find a signal, other times I have to turn it on and off to get a signal. The first unit was slow at finding a signal and then eventually I would be using it, driving along and the map would stop working. The unit would just freeze up. So Garmin tells me I need to reset it and also charge it on the computer sometimes which to me totally defeats the purpose if I am driving and on a trip with no computer access!!! So, after the tech staff finally accepted that this unit was not working, I send it back. They sent me a refurbished unit which was much faster than the first one I had leading me to believe it was defective from the start. The refurbished unit worked great for 2 weeks and then I go to use it on a trip and it will not work either. I had used it on a long trip and removed it from the car so it was not in the sun and when I went to use it again, nothing! Call Garmin, they tell me to hook it up to a computer which does me no good 20 minutes into a 2 hour trip. But, charged it on the computer over night and absolutely nothing works now. I am very disappointed that I have had gone through 2 units now and when I need a GPS the most, I am without it. The turnaround on a replacement is over 2 weeks which is too much time without one when my job counts on finding locations.
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br /I will not be buying a Garmin again and wish I could get my money back to go buy another brand. Thumbsdown!

I have returned this item only because it did not have text to speech technology. I replaced it with the garmin nuvi350. It was just a little bigger then I preferred. The nuvi350 is much smaller. I would recommend either one of these. Especially for the price!

The product is good and 80% of the time, I am happy with its performance. The issue that I face is that at times, the touch screen does not capture your touch properly and your selections go haywire. I try to touch an address that is on top of the list and the screen selects an address that is down below.... this becomes a hassle when you are trying to punch an address and the system picks up wrong alphabeets or numbers. While this does not happen all the time, but on occassions when this does happen, it is very frustrating. I havent browsed the net or spoken to the customer service yet to check on what could be the reason... probably i shd do that i guess.

I actually bought this item new. But as I am looking for an additional GPS and am having a difficult time deciding, I thought if someone else was in my same position this might help them if they are considering this unit.
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br /Initially this unit worked pretty well most of the time. We have taken it on numerous vacations, as well as using it locally to find businesses we did not know the location of. It will usually get you to within sight of where you are going. Occasionally it has taken us right to the front door of our destination with no mistakes. Unfortunately, it has also in the same city directed us to turn the wrong way on a one way street. (Savannah) Or, in the Nashville area, it lost signal and would not re-obtain it when I was in a busy and unfamiliar part of town. One of my biggest complaints is that on cloudy days always, and sunny days sometimes, it will lose signal and the unit will have to be completely reset. (Which is impossible to do while driving.) It also has very old maps. Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tennessee has been in business for 8 years and it was still not listed as of my last map update in June of this year.
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br /It is very "hit and miss" with this machine. You can not depend on it to always be accurate and it can put you in potentially dangerous situations. When it is accurate it is great!! But I would suggest keeping another source for directions as a back up. (Does that not defeat the purpose of the GPS?)

The product works great but they could have erased the previous memory out of it so I didn't have all the BS that was from the previous users.

I own two GPS units, the NUVI and the C330. If you want a very good, out of the box product, at an affordable price, buy the C330. Sure it has minor inconveniences in some of the trips it plots; however, for $400 this is a great practical unit. I use it everyday.

This system works great and is easy to use. It has lots of preprogrammed options for restaraunts, local sights, etc. My only wish is that there were more mounting options besides a suction cup to the windshield. Otherwise, it is a real great buy. Price at Amazon was almost $200 below national "big box" retailer.

This system is a major help for my driving and much better than couple of other system i tried. Couple of observations though...

Map is generally not upto date. Routing is not also as efficient compared to Mapquest or google. I choose the shortest time option and then i take a differnt route which ends up taking much lesser time than the original. However, in unknown zones, the system is my boss and i hardly disobey it and it repays the faith i show! Overall, a good buy!

This GPS was very easy to use and the only problem I have had is that it sometimes falls when you hit a bump on the road. I want to buy the dashboard holder so it is not on the window and I believe that will solve this problem.

It is a very good GPS. When I visited los Angelas and Grant Canyon, it gave me a big help.

I have been extremely satisfied with this unit, very easy to use, great to punch in a local address for clients and tell them exactly when i will arrive, etc.

Complaints are few, but there could be a few things to make it easier to use:
A way to change from shortest distance to shortest time would be nice, back country roads seem to be preferred instead of known faster routes.

easier way to update local maps instead of having to purchase entire new map version, guess they wouldn't make as much money that way though.

Some of the resturants in Cincinnati area are not in the memory.

Over all a great unit, just purchased this one for my younger brother.

This device has already gotten me out of a jam (doesn't remind you to get fuel, but does help you find the closest gas station!). I also used it to find the two US state capitols that do not have a McDonald's (I'm a trivia nut).

For the most part, this has given me great instructions. Sometimes, it would get confused and think that I am still on the service road that parallels the highway, when I'm actually on the highway. If I cross over to the leftmost lane as soon as I merge onto the highway, this doesn't happen.

The menu options are pretty easy and intuitive enough, and I learned it rather quickly after a few days of driving and fiddling.

The mounting suction to the windshield isn't very secure unless you wet it. It's fallen off many times when I've hit even the slightest of speed bumps, and the whole things comes crashing down. Surprisingly... it hasn't broken at all yet. I recommend keeping a bottle of water around in the car to just dab the suction cup before attaching it to the windshield (either that or spitting on it would also work... although it's more disgusting). The car charger however, did break for almost no reason. The spring popped out somehow and it took me awhile to notice why the GPS stopped charging. Fortunately, any USB car charger (like the ones for your cell phones) will work on this device.

Have used on trips and around the house and provides clear, concise instructions. It did show I was driving in the woods over the weekend (didn't hit any trees) when we travelled a newer part of the highway but overall is excellent traveling the interstates when you need to find particular gas stations, places to eat etc etc.

This GPS system tracks very well, and has only tried a couple of times to send me down a one-way street. You lose signal around tall buildings and heavy wooded areas (like any system does), and re-calculating sometimes seems like an eternity when you're at top speed.

All in All i prefer Garmins C330 over Dum-Dum anyday.

This is a great product, so much so that we bought each of our kids one. This one is much bigger than the new Nuvi. It's wonderful to be able to have directions available to you whenever you travel.

Garmin C330 is accurate and easy to use.

Pros:
- Relatively inexpensive
- Easy to use
- Accurate directions and time estimates
- Voice directions clear and loud

Cons:
- Screen is always visible but not too bright is sunlight
- Not many features or configuration options
- Exit names or number not displayed when traveling highways
- Image 2D/3D quality and update better on Mio

Second purchase as rehab. Found out later, new for same price. Operates well in both cars.

Garmin makes great gps units. I also have the Street pilot 340...better than the 330 in that it tells you the street names. But over all the 330 is a very good unit.... recommend this company for sure.

I have had my GPS for over a year and it has been great. Yes, the maps are outdated but lets face it, the roads haven't changed that much that it does not work. Momentarilly it thinks we are in a field but for the most part it gets us to where we are going. Now though, I might get an updated version. They are running cheaper these days and may have updated maps. My complaint is if I want to update the map I have to pay at least $50 - $70. They should have the maps cheaper since we just paid a lot of money for the GPS unit. I am hoping they realize this because we can buy a cheap GPS for the same price as an update. Eventually it will be cheaper to buy a new GPS than to pay the same price for a map update. All in all this is a nice GPS. I might choose the flat screen because it can be slipped into a purse. I didn't because I liked the feature of the speakers on the sides since I don't hear very well. But everyone says you can still hear and understand very well the flat screens, even though the speaker is in the back against the windshield.

Absolutly incredible as to what this GPS will do!! Very happy with this purchase. Worth every penny!

The greatest thing for the wrong turn person. I wonder though how it chooses it's routes sometime. When it tells you to make a right and you know that the left is quicker. But then, I use it when I need to go somewhere new. It is even better now that I upgraded the maps. ($70.00) It will be in my car forever.

It arrived in a timely manner. My wife loves it. Great price. Thank you. St. Louis, MO

Product was exactly as advertized. It worked well on a trip from Dallas to Missouri. Easy to learn to operate. I see this product as sufficient for most GPS needs. Why pay more?

Keeps my directionally challenged son from getting lost. Sometimes is a problem is streets are very close together but otherwise has done a stellar job on a number of different trips. Easy to use and understand,even the technologically illiterate can handle it.

I purchased a Garmin GPS system, it's not the latest and greatest, but it works well for what I need. Amazon is a great site to buy from.

Great product, only problem I have is getting it to route away from congested routes. I took a trip to GA from CT and was able to avoid Rt 95 by ignoring the commands. But when I came home I did not realize that it would not take me home the way I came and ended up in the middle of DC in 2 hours of traffic that I was able to avoid on the trip down. The directions in the manual are not clear on how to change the route to preferred roads.

this device provides excellent maps and accurate guidance. The reason I dock 4 star is that the calculation is not so fast, especially when i turn on it and the initial calculation usually take a little bit time.

I bought a C330 Garmin that had been refurbished and on arrival it would not accept a charge so I contacted the service department. The service technician was super nice and thorough with the problem asking me to try things and if it did not correct the problem giving me an address and authorization to return the item to Garmin. It corrected the problem and I am happy with both Garmin and Amazon. A good product at a good price plus good service.

I already had one of these for myself and bought another for a gift. Its simple to use - although it has led me down some dead-end streets, but I'm guessing that is a function of the satellite network. It has Good tonal quality on the audio. I'm sure there are better units out there, but this one is all I need and I like it.

I admit to having a terrible sense of directions. If I don't have the route to somewhere memorized or have highly detailed written directions, I tend to get lost. This tendency is pronounced enough that most of my friends and family are well aware of it. Which eventually led to some of them buying a Garmin c330 for me in the hopes it would let me actually make it to their house and/or arranged meeting place.
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br /Initially, I was suspicious. The Houston map grid is tricky and in the past Yahoo, Google, and MapQuest had all let me down when it came to directions. Generally by asking me to drive the wrong way down a one way street or turn left at an intersection that didn't allow that. So I was doubtful that a little gizmo I mounted to my windshield would actually do much better.
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br /As it turned out, I was in for a surprise. This device tracks the position of my car accurately and has yet to ask me to do the impossible or illegal when driving. The maps are accurate, the directions are clear, and the verbal instruction feature they added is really handy at making sure you don't miss a turn or merger.
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br /I was also impressed with how easy the whole thing was to operate. I enter mt intended destination and it sorts out the rest. Being able to tell it to get me how to get home with just a few clicks is a nice touch as well. This things was pretty clearly designed to be easily accessible to those who aren't all that tech savvy.
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br /The only complaint I have is that the StreetPilot regularly takes a few minutes to establish contact with the GPS satellites and start working once it's powered up. This isn't a big deal, but I've seen other similarly priced units that connect faster.
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br /Still, an easy to use interface, good directions, and an easy to read map make me an very satisfied customer. This is truly a handy device to own.

Excellent product. Will order again from this company.

This is a great piece of equipment to have if you are an avid travelor either for pleasure or work. I do homebased services and this has been a lifesaver in traveling rural connecticut.

I had been researching for a GPS system to use in my car and I read countless reviews and asked different people I know what they would recommend and one company they always mentioned was Garmin. I can now see why!! It is very easy to install right out of the box and the size of the unit is perfect. I have just had it for a couple of days but I went out on a test run yesterday and was very impressed. It was right on the money for the address I was looking for and the voice feature is great without being intrusive. A great product that I highly recommend!!

Bought it for my wife to use in her business. Very easy to setup and use. I recommend it highly.

It worked right out of the box, with 99.9% accuracy sofar.

Have used it for 5 long distance trips, and only one time was it 2 blocks off.

The only negative is it will not accept P.O. numbers without a street name.

I brought from amazon days ago.
I had a nightmare with Mio GPS.
After I returned that one.
I decided to change to other brand.
This device is clear and precise.
Even some fancy featrues are not avaliable. Counting on the price, it is reasonable.
For these guys who just hope not turning the wrong turns. It is nice choice.

They sent to me on time.Very efficient.You really can trust this store.The navigator(GPS) works very good.It's worth to buy.all function work very well.

During my trip to Chicago, I used this navigator to find the nearest hotel/motel.Just press the "lodging", it gives you the directions to all the nearest hotels and motels...so wonderful....

I really love this navigator...

My husband and I purchased this for our daughter. She used to be so reluctant to go anywhere new, not sure of directions. Not anymore since she got the Garmin. She loved it so much, that we purchased one for ourselves. I recommend this product to one and all.

This was a gift for a very good Friend. She is a real estate Agent, so she was very happy with it.

StreetPilotU c330 Mobile GPS Receiver
Wonder how I got any where before this thing. Perfect every time..

This GPS is a great value. It's a Garmin, which I believe is the best brand for GPSs. The price is good, and seems to be dropping every day. It's a relatively basic GPS, but not "bare bones". It does say the street name that you want to turn on, which some don't - and it's a very helpful feature. The screen is easy to read - I haven't had a problem with the size or glare. It works right out of the box - which is great for those of us less technilogically advanced!
The only minor problem I've found is that the volume is not very loud - and if you have the radio on or the window open you can hear the bell before the announcement, but it's hard to hear exactly what it's saying. But if you look on the screen it tells you, so it's not that big of a deal.
If you're looking for a little-more-than-basic GPS, this is the way to go. I bought one for myself and one for my mother-in-law, and we both love them!

I moved from South Florida (which I knew like the back of my hand) to the Atlanta area, and I was concerned about not knowing my way around. After a great deal of research (through Consumer Reports, as well as many, many consumer reviews), I decided on the c330 model. It's been great - the best investment I could have made. I love exploring, but then I love pushing the button to find my way home - it works every time! There are many new developments here, and the street names are not recognized, but overall, this is a great value for the price!!!

I bought this unit because I've witnessed the ease a navigation system can give you. With in a few minutes I had it out of the box and fully working. The system fits easily on my windshield. Entering or finding an address is easy and many popular addresses (malls,hospital etc) are already programed into the system. Also the voice feature is extremely important, it helps to keep your eye on the road and not the navigation screen. I like that I can take it anywhere and into another car. I really don't understand how to use the detour function. I do wish it has a where am I now function other than that the system works perfectly. I have no complaints.

The Garmin 330 is a no nonsense, simple to use GPS that has all the functions necessary to get from point a to point b. It has the usual data base of places but it excels at what I bought if for - accurate and quick help going where I am unfamiliar. Using it locally, it doesn't always pick the quickest route as I would, but it is usually very accurate. As a portable unit with a dash mount kit it travels with me and really saved me when going to appointments and working around traffic problems.

This unit was purchased by my 16 year old grandson, Jake. He just got his license, but wasn't very confident in his navigational skills. Using the Garmin, he has no hesitation about traveling, as the unit has proven it will get him to his destination and back home. This unit may not have all of the bells and whistles of a $700.00 unit, but it is a very good buy, and will do very well what most people need to do.

I bought a Garmin for a christmas present. The ordering was easy and fast. The shipment was here very fast. Would highly recommend this site to everyone

I bought this for my husband who is not very technical. He loves it. He's in outside sales and this really helps him find new customer locations easily. Works as advertised.

The Garmin StreetPilot c330 is a very user friendly device. It gives good precise dirctions and is helps get you where you want to go.

The most important thing to me, is it easy to use. Yes, but I also had some help from two fellows who have used it for two years already.

If it is not easy to use without a PHD in electronics, I don't want it. As Admiral Rickover said in designing the nuclear navy, "Make it simple stupid". Sound is good, clear and easy to see, we use it all the time.

This is our first GPS and find it very easy to use. The screen is large enough to be usable and viewable. The way to use it is intuitive. I can't believe we lasted this long without it. It may not have the bells and whistles that $500 models have but we need to just to get from here to there and somewhere in between find a Starbucks. It does all that with simplicity.

I owned a Lorance GPS until it was stolen on Boston. I bought a Garmin 330 because it was small and I could carry it from my car. I found it not only smaller but much better in every detail from my Lowrance. I love it.

Have now owned for a little over a year, and used both in local area and on numerous trips with our RV. Great in finding way in unfamiliar territrory, however, as with all GPS units, use should be in conjuction with maps, atlas's, and a good dose of common sense. Great in finding locations to within eye site, however, have on occasion, been informed desitination is on the left when actually on right and vice-versa. Maps are not always 100% accurate, which of course depends on software version and/or updates installed. User interface very friendly. Given the recent price drop this great little unit is now and even better investment!

The hardware is a dream, with clever things like auto dim at sunset. How does it know? Well, it knows where on earth the unit is and knows the date and time... a few calculations and voila!

If the update capability were not advertised I wouldn't miss it, but sadly the GPS will not communicate with my computer. It took a couple hours to figure out why; my system met the stated requirements. Alas, my computer has the popular VIA chipset, and the drivers are incompatible with VIA and several other brands. That tidbit is well hidden but it should at least be one of the FAQs or noted in the driver installation error messages. Instead, the setup program nagged me to turn the GPS on and connect it with the USB cable while Windows told me it couldn't find an unidentified file. In addition, the unit came with a nice quick start guide but I had to go to the Garmin website to get the full instructions.

With the current map, the POI list shows only about half the gas stations here in Flagstaff. It also navigates one of the largest and most confusing intersections in town incorrectly. Without update capability those shortcomings are chiseled in stone.

If I had to make the choice again, I'd still buy it because it works so very well. But it goes without saying Garmin won't be selling me any updates.

I used my friend's c330 in New England and had a wonderful time not worrying about getting lost in unfamiliar territory. When I returned home to the midwest, I researched several GPS receivers and settled on the c330. All the preprogrammed addresses and the 330's ability to quickly recalculate after a misstep make it a must have driving accessory. My wife is always calling me gadget man but even she loves the GPS. I may have to buy one for her. For my needs and the price, I couldn't find any thing better.

Traveling last weekend, not "lost", but confused. walked out of the store, plugged in, PERFECT directions home!!! Have had other GPS units in past, ok but nothing like the Garmin C330. Very easy to use,small unit easily attaches to windshield, but yet big enough screen to see and follow. Love it!!! Great value also. Looking in to expand for european country is alittle pricey, but I don't believe I could get lost if I tried!!!! No more excuses to the wife! LOL!! You will not regret this purchase!!!!

Well worth the money. This thing makes life so easy. I was suprised how close some resturaunts/stores were to me until I searched on this device.

This c330 is everything I wanted in a gps Very easy to use,you will like it clear & bright screen easy to follow ,clear voice I am very happy with it

I bought a Garmin 5 years ago and waited for the right one to come out. This thing is compact, easy to see and read , easy to use and everything is step by step.This gps works right out of the box. All you need is the address and it directs you to the front door. Highly recommmended.

I work at circuit city, In the car audio department where we sell Portable GPS units like this one. Whenever someone comes in and ask, "which one do u suggest?" i say any of the garmins, when they ask "whats the best buy?" I say, the 330 is. For the price u cant beat it. It has the best features as well as the best user friendliness in its class. it truely is awesome.

would advise anyone who is looking for gps to purchase .easy to use.
does not have unnecessary features.

Speedy, fast service...good review of product before I purchased it...all claims about the product was well founded..I could understand how to use it

very good product very seay to use use it quite often keep you right on track would but again.

For the money this is one of the best GPS units on the market. Easy to read, easy to hear and easy to operate! I highly recommend this product!

Bought one for myself and as a gift. It is great. Visual and audio assistanced map and directions. Every vehicle needs one!!

This is a pretty good gps. It works great for what a gps should. Enter an address, will take you there, pretty flawlessly.

Never had any issues with signal reception, even while driving in super urban landscapes (new york).

The POI are hard to search, searching is really slow.

I am more than satisfied with this unit and would order again. It works just fine. The voice is loud and clear. You can enter address and then mount it because it has internal battery. Unit feels sturdy.

I really like the fact that there is no flimsy antenna attachment because my last GPS (which was pretty pricey unit, some other company) broke because for some reason it stopped reading the antenna. Even an external antenna wouldn't work with it.

I recommend this product.

having a built in GPS in my wife's car, we were somewhat reluctant to purchase a separate one, however it was a gift to be... so, when we received it, we decided to try it out. It exceeded our expectations and the best part of it, when we arrived in a city for overnight, we punched in for places to eat and it took us right to the front door each time! Much better than the built in. Would never purchase a built in again. Several friends have bought the 330c as a result of our experiences.

I bought one for myself & liked it so much I bought a second for my parents as a gift. I've only found one location (Chicago suburbs) where the map was slightly inaccurate.

The Garmin Streetpilot c330 is perfect for those of us who just want to get where we want to go. I used to be very nervous about traveling to areas I was unfamiliar with. I wanted an easy-to-use, simple to follow GPS unit that didn't get me lost. This was definitely it. There might be all sorts of bells and whistles, but I didn't want those. I wanted to tell it my destination, go, and if I needed gas along the way it can redirect me. This is a simply wonderful, simple GPS.

This is so user friendly. I am not good with difficult things to set up, etc. This came right out of the box and was able to be used right away. It has helped me find my way all over. I would highly recommend this Garmin. Two of my friends have bought one since I bought mine. They love them, too.

Purchased this item to give as a birthday gift. Recipient loves it. Have spoken to others who also have this Garmin GPS, and they all think it's great. 5 stars to a well designed product!

This is an excellent item to have. Before I bought one, I didn't really believe a GPS would be as awesome as it is. Driving in strange cities is no longer intimidating because now you know where you're going, or at least the device does. And if you miss a turn, it just recalculates and gets you back on track. It's not perfect and the maps are sometimes off a little, but 99% of the time it was fine and worked perfectly. This is one of the few convenience items I would say is definitely worth the expense and everyone should have.

I absolutely love this little navigation unit. I moved to a new city one year ago, and I purchased the item to help me get around this big city. I use this unit almost on a daily basis and it saves me all the time. When we had a big snow storm and parts of the highways here were closed this little unit would modify my course so that I could get home even with all of these unexpected detours. My only MINOR complaint is that it is a bit bigger than other more expensive units. But that is not a really issue when you see how well this product works. I absolutely LOVE mine and would highly recommend it! money well spent!

********First things first, i must say that this is the only GPS unit i have used so i have no point of reference********

*********I bought this in September of 2007*********
I first to decided buy a GPS unit because of my new job. I am a college admissions counselor and during my first travel season, i was required to visit over 80 high schools and about 15 college fairs. After doing some research (mostly on cnet, amazon, and circuit city), I decided to go with the C330 because of expert reviews, user reviews, cost, and the features.I must say, this unit made my job SO EASY.

I was able to easily find all but two locations without any problems. The high schools and colleges were already programmed into the GPS so i didnt even have to worry about typing in addresses. The ones I was not able find are diffucult to find anyway, according to people i spoke with. My job does include some downtime but i was able to find movie theaters, golf courses, restaurants, malls, and much more, with no problems. I was also easily able to figure out how long it would take for me to get to my next destination. This unit also allows for me to type in a specific location and then easily look for different points of interest in that area.

Initially, my girlfriend thought i was wasting my money. She didnt see the need for the unit. That soon changed when i showed her all it could do. SHe has relied on it on many occasions to get to places. She is not the most tech savvy person but was able to use the C330 with no problems. She now loves having the GPS around and has no complaints.

With all that being said, there are a few cons about this unit, including;

*The maps are not the most up to date but are still fairly new.
*Sometimes the routes chosen by the unit are not the most efficient but not a major issue, i never had any problems getting to my destinations and was never late to scheduled appointments and events
*The unit does take a few minutes to warm up (find current location of GPS)

THe pros of this GPS definitely outweigh the cons. I was looking at many entry level GPS systems and am glad i bought this one. If and when i do finally decided to upgrade, it will be another Garmin for me.

The Garmin c330 has paid for itself by reducing the anxiety while traveling on vacation. We used the Garmin on a recent trip through Arizona and New Mexico and always knew where we were and how to get to our next destination. Even if we took an unscheduled side trip, the unit always got us 'back on track'. A great product at a reasonable and affordable price.

This is one of the best purchase I made in a long time. Very accurate with directions and estimated arrival times. Can't be without it now.

Could not be better used all over USA never a miss...be aware some states do not allow a windshield mounts ie: MN... there are other ways to mount

I loved it so much I got one for my Mom. I have noticed that it does have problems some times but I find it to be accurate over 95% of the time. I drive a lot through Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., & North Carolina just to name a few. I do print a paper map just incase I lose satellite reception (this has only happened once during a terrible hailstorm) & to check if I think there might be a better way. I find most people who have a problem find it quickly resolved once they set their preferences correctly... You can choose to avoid Toll Roads or Main Highways, You can opt for Construction Detours or set it for the Fastest or Quickest Route... These settings make a huge difference on the route the Garmin will take you. I stated out with a Cobra because the screen was larger but returned it quickly for my Garmin and I have been driving with it for nearly 2 years... I am LOST without IT!!!

The Garmin c330 StreetPilot GPS System is excellent. It's very simple to use. It talks to you the whole way to let you know ahead of time when to make turns. I never learn which way was north,south,east or west,so The Street Pilot is great for me. If you miss a turn,don't worry it will recalulate and get you on the right track. It hasn't failed me yet! Thanks,Garmin. The only bad thing that I encountered was the CD that comes along with it was broken in half. I did complain to the company about it,but haven't heard a thing from them. But I have an extra one,because this is my 2nd. c330 Garmin StreetPilot, the first was stolen out of my SUV. I sure if I would of complain to Amazon,they would have directed me to whom to go to. Amazon has "excellent customer service"
I give the Garmin StreetPilot c330 GPS system 5 stars!!!!!

Bought this for my 65 yr old retired parents. Now they never get lost no matter what state they're in. Mom says it makes traveling (with Dad)less stressful. Gives them places to eat, fueling locations loging info and detours when nessasary. Parents say best present ever!

I got my StreetPilot® c330 for Christmas '07 and I love it! It goes way beyond an old folded paper map or Atlas.
I would sometimes have to refer to the map or Atlas for directions numerous times during a trip. It is impossible for them to tell you exactly where you are any given moment. Now, my StreetPilot® c330 not only shows me where I am or where to turn, but also tells me in a plesant voice.
Many times I would have to go under an overpass to get on the interstate or other roadway and be in the wrong lane because a sign is missing or blocked by large vehicles. Never again will that happen!!! My StreetPilot® c330 shows me where the on-ramp or clover-leaf is and tells me which lane to get into, long before I get close to the overpass.
That alone is worth purchasing the StreetPilot® c330!

Some Background:
I had a Magellan Roadmate 300 which never seemed to work very well from day one. That was about 2 years ago and after about 1 year of trying to get it to work halfway decently, I decided to cut my losses and went with the Garmin C330

The C330
As a Basic GPS this thing can't be beat. It is very simple to use straight out of the box. If a Simple, Basic straight forward GPS is all you want, Look no further. It doesn't have the Bells & Whistles of more recent GPS's but it will get you from point A to point B with No hassles, It's accurate unlike my recent experience with the TomTom720 which is in another review. I've owned this C330 for a little more than a year now and have never had a single problem, nor has it ever failed to get me to my correct destination.

Features:
It basically has none other than Voice guidance. Basically enter your address and hit 'GO' and follow the voice prompts to your destination. The C340 gives you spoken street names, which while a nice add-on isn't a must have in my opinion. The C530 adds the C340 feature plus gives you Bluetooth for hands free phone calls.Since I have the C330 let's no get side tracked.

What I like:
The simplicity and ease of use. You really can remove it from the box and start using it without ever reading any instructions. The windshield mount is the strongest and best I've ever seen including my recent TomTom experience. The mount also is where you plug in the GPS to your Car accessory port or cigarette lighter for us old folks, What's nice about this is that you can remove the GPS without ever having to unplug it or remove the mount. Another nice feature is that the GPS automatically turns on when you start your engine, no buttons to push and hold. The POI's or Points of Interest is easy to use and handy when you want to find someplace to eat or buy gas in an area you aren't familiar with. There isn't a GPS on the market that will ever have ALL POI's preloaded, But the C330 comes with I think over 5 thousand preloaded, so there should be something for everyone, once you do find a place you want to eat, simply tap the screen and select go. The C330 will automatically route you there. the POI's aren't just for gas or food, there's also houses of worship, parks etc..Things I've never needed to use.

What I don't like:
Nothing really other than it's not feature rich like newer GPS's and some folks may not like the bulkiness as compared to newer slimmer GPS's.

The Bottom Line:
This is a true plug n play GPS and is the best Starter GPS you can buy.

My Garmin got stolen out of my car a month ago which is why I had to get the same one. If you are going to various places of interest, it will give you the first one (closest one) first and then the further ones down the line. It gives you the miles from where you are which is very helpful. If you are in traffic, you can press a button called "Detour" and it will take you another way.
I have a built in GPS in my car (HYBRID) which takes forever to load and press button so this is a better and quicker way to program to go somewhere. I would NEVER get another product ever.

I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE GARMIN C330 THAT I WENT OUT AND PURCHASED TWO OF THEM FOR MY PARENTS FOR CHRISTMAS AND WAS AMAZED THAT I FOUND THEM AT
A GOOD PRICE, THEY WERE WORTH IT, WAY TO GO AMAZON !!!!!!
PETER
LODI NJ

Ordered for two grown daughters and the husband. The girls loved them and used them right away. The hubby didn't think he "needed" it. (Genetic male flaw) Convinced him it would be helpful on vacations and he decided to keep his too! Very good screen view, very easy to use and just enough features. I wish I had purchased one for myself!

I don't know how I lived without GPS. And the Garmin is fantastic. Easy to use and fun to play with. Buy it, you'll love it too.

VERY EASY TO USE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE PRODUCT. A MUST FOR EVERY TRIP. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Gadgets can either change your life (i.e. make some aspect of your life easier/better) or they can be expensive paper weights. The Garmin StreetPilot changed my life!!! It's easy to use (idiot-proof, I promise) and means I don't ever have to call my husband and annoy him by asking for directions! Worth it's weight in gold just for that!
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br /I have tried using other more expensive GPS systems and they all seem much more complicated to use even if they have better features. I have had this Garmin for over 2 years now and STILL don't feel the need to trade-up.

The Garmin Streetpilot c330 is an excellent navagation aid. I do recommend this product.

I was so satisfied with my new Garmin GPS that I ordered a second one to give as a Christmas gift. It is wonderful not only for directions, but also to be able to find food, fuel and lodging while traveling.

I'll keep it short, this is a great, easy to use and solid GPS. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of some of the newer models and it is a bit on the larger side but it always gets me where I want to go. I would give it 5 stars for what it is factoring in the price. I paid about $130 for this a while back which was a good deal then and now for $99 with free shipping it's a steal. It's nice and loud and is generally pretty smart about re-routing. My next GPS will for sure be a GARMIN, just a newer model with traffic and street name pronunciation.

Unit works great, cuts traqvel time down by putting me in the correct lane on the highway for the exits. Love the addition info on the secondary screens. Maps clear, sharp and almostt always correct (95% of the time).
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br /Would recommend to anyone who drive in different areas for work or pleasure.

Let me first say shipping took about a week, which is pretty good as it was the free shipping option.
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br /So I just finished testing this unit while i was out and about on a film shoot this past weekend. The film had three different locations in So. CA that i had to navigate to and it worked awesome. Its super easy to use and worked awesome! I just typed in the address and it took me right to the place and often using the fastest route. For example; one particular location, everybody else took one route and I followed my GPS and I arrived there before everybody else.
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br /One thing that I love about it is how it re-calculates the route if you miss the turn (which I purposely did to test how it would react). It takes about 5 seconds to recalculate.
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br /A really cool safety feature is that while your in motion it doesn't allow you to input an address, which you shouldn't be doing anyway because you should be watching the road and not typing in an address so that's kind of a cool built in feature.
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br /The included mount is very secure and amazingly solid. I'm really impressed with it! The power cord plugs right into the mount so when you remove the GPS you don't have to unplug anything. That is a great feature! Way to go Garmin.
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br /The one "con" i noticed is that it didn't have a certain city in the map(Toluca Lake), which is a small city located between Burbank and Studio City. I'm not really that surprised it doesn't have that city because Toluca Lake is almost a city within a city.
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br /But overall this GPS Rocks! I am horrible with directions and have a knack for getting lost so I am really pleased that I finally picked up a GPS. With my busy schedule I just didn't have the time to Mapquest everything. Now I can just punch in the address and go. I will be using this all the time. I would definitely recommend it. It's one of the best purchases i've made.

I bought my first c330 2 years ago and thought it was great. Recently the battery went dead and I stupidly took it apart, bought a new battery and replaced the old one. Disaster!! I lost all the memory. I wanted to get another of the same model because I do not like the "voice" in all the newer models naming the street of the next instruction. The voice is chopped and I find it annoying. So I am once again overly pleased with the Garmin Street Pilot c330.

i purchased this item after being refurbished for a reduced price and it worked great right out of the box. i recommend it to everyone!

Garmin StreetPilot i5 Portable GPS Navigator
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br /The Garmin Street Pilot satisfied all my wants and needs and the price is great. Easy to operate and it is menu driven, you don't have to read the manual.

Customer service rep and Superviser were the worst I have ever ran across
br /All they did was telling Me what I did wrong
br /Never did they ask what can We do to make this OK
br /I can never tell every one I know or meet
br /You will never have a problem with Amazon
br /But product was great

BEST thing I have ever bought in my life, I once got lost and found myself in the next state (4hrs away) Not with this baby. I am going to buy a newer model soon. Customer service is lacking. But atleast you talk to a person. That's more than I can say for a lot of companies now a days.

This product is very good, it is easy to use, calculating very fast, the route is very clear, and the screen is clear. Good!

PRODUCT ARRIVED QUICKLY AND ON TIME. GREAT INVESTMENT. I AM FROM NY AND I TOOK THE GARMIN TO L.A. AND IT TOOK ME TO EACH DESTINATION WITHOUT A FLAW. PLACES TO EAT, GAS, HOLLYWOOD AWESOME DEVICE

Had this one for two years. Perfect operation. Calibrates quick when you turn it on. Skip the smaller fancier Nuvi models. They suck. You will spend more time waiting for it to calibrate than driving.

I was impressed by the easy to use touch screen and controls. Programming locations into favorits was simple. Entering destinations was easy as well as logical. When operating, the screen display is just the right size and has a very self explanatory map view with arrows and precise street names and map coordinates. It was like watching my car from a helicoptor while a play by play was given. The maps were so exact that my destiation arrival notification and finish line flag came right as I was in front of the destibnation itself. It was impressive. The voice was also very neutral and pleasent. I would definitely purchase this one again for it's simplicity while performing what really is amazing technology.
br /Amazon was very responsive when I thought i had a product defect. The battery gave a "low" warning when I turned it on. I was concerned about this so I emailed Amazon who immediately sent a replacement as well as a return shipping label, just to be sure i was completely satisfied and had no issues with the purchase. It turns out that the battery will read "low" but that is normal and it charges in no time after being plugged in the car. I'm writing this to be sure anyone ordering doesn't have the same concern and also to share my excellent customer experience. Amazon is the one site I really feel confident in.

Should have bought one of these things long ago! I'm not one to read the directions first, and that tends to get me into trouble down the line. However, with the Garmin c330, it was not a problem. I took it out of the box, punched in an address, and took off for Covington, KY. I'd still probably be driving around Cincinnati, OH if I didn't have the GPS!
br /I tend to be directionally disfunctional and I'm a man, so I'm not likely to stop and ask for directions! I'm sure the newer (More expensive!) models have more features, but this unit meets my needs very well!

I was quite happy with the product while it worked.
However, after 18 months it became unreliable and finally
died when the weather turned cold.

The culprit: a built in Li-ion battery that reaches
end-of-life after a year and a half or so. Bad design.
I probably wouldn't mind a unit that has a built in
death timer at $149, but I bought this when it was
quite a bit more expensive.

I've owned quite a few Garmin GPS units over the past
10 years or so. This is the last Garmin unit I'll ever
buy.

Let me first start off by saying, I never thought I would need a GPS Unit. I only decided to pick one up because of the great deal I found on the Garmin StreetPilot C330 (tragic foreshadowing). I must admit, a GPS unit is really quite handy. However, there is a secret to the C330. The maps are outdated.

I quickly discovered that my unit did indeed have old maps. In fact, my maps are from 2006. I navigated my web browser to the Garmin website (which also needs some improvements, but I digress) and I began looking for the map updates. What I found horrified me. You could buy a map update for $70.

I thought to myself, "I spent more than twice that for this unit, surely they can't want me to pay an additional $70 update fee for a new out of the box unit?" WRONG.

After waiting almost 30 minutes on the phone to speak with a representative, she shared with me the following (Side Note: She was a very polite and calm representative):

Customer: "Can I get a free update?"

Operator: "I'm sorry sir, your unit it not eligible for the free map update."

Customer: "Why?"

Operator: "Because you bought the cheaper unit."

(Well duuuuh. I was looking for a deal. Perhaps Garmin's next invention could be a time machine to take me back to 2006, at least then I would have accurate maps.)

Customer: "Which units from Garmin are eligible for a free update?"

Operator: "Virtually any other unit than the one you purchased sir."

Operator: "May I put you on hold?"....

Customer: "Sure".... No hold music

Operator: "I can offer you the update for half price."

Customer: "Do you think that's fair?"

Operator: "No sir, but it's company policy" (Hey, at least she was honest).

Customer: "Don't you think they should put a bright orange sticker on the box indicating outdated maps?"

Operator: "They probably should" (Hint to Garmin: Adding a sticker to the box might prevent all of us confused and cheated customers calling your call center. i.e. This might cut down on your ridiculous wait times on the phone. I'll accept a free map upgrade as compensation for my suggestion.)

Then the icing on the cake.....

Garmin Operator: "Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

Customer: "Tell me the quickest way to get rid of this unit."

Operator: "Certainly sir, you may return it to the store where you purchased it from."

..... Which is exactly what I plan to do. So ends my love affair with my poor man's GPS Unit and with Garmin. I bought it because they were rated so well. Now I must love another brand.

Thanks Garmin.

I borrowed my brother-in-law's. he just got it for Christmas. What a cool tool!

No instructions needed. It was particularly helpful when we ran into bad weather and decided to stop on the highway for food. In the press of a button, there were a dozzen options with mileage, directions, etc.

I bought the 2008 North America map update from Garmin for my Garmin StreetPilot GPS in August and was never able to install it. I kept getting an error message "The product key you have entered has already been assigned to a different Garmin GPS" The 8-digit "product key code" on the sticker which came with the disc was evidently not enough to unlock the disk. After 5 calls to customer service and 4 emails they finally acknowledge that they sent me the wrong disk - it had been assigned to 3 different unlock codes, so the maps could not be unlocked and loaded onto my GPS. This is another example of software protection run amok. It took 3 calls to customer service before they even gave me the 25 digit unlock code. If they are so concerned about security, they should send someone out to my house to load the new maps. Each time I called customer service, I had to wait on hold for 30-45 minutes to speak to a representative only to be told that they need to transfer me to the software division which was another 20-30 minute wait. The tech support in software has no direct line so each call took over 1 hour. When I sent a detailed email message to their customer support, I got an email telling me to call the 800 number. I am NEVER buying another Garmin device. I will wait until Apple makes a GPS.

I received this product from amazon today and i absolutely love it. It is really so easy to navigate and comes with more features than i thought it would. The problem is, im not sure if it was worth the hassle ordering it from Amazon. Something happened to my order where the computer system kept cancelling it whenever it tried to ship it out to me. I was on the phone with amazon at least 6 times in a week and a half. The most absurb thing was that not only could i not cancel my order when i wanted to to waste less of my time, but they couldnt either!! Thanks for the help amazon. Anyway, i got it for more than 100 bucks off what best buy was selling it for so i cant complain too much. I just dont like relying on a computer somewhere when id like to be able to buy it from a human being.

I am a long time Palm Pilot user.

I tried several GPS units; wired receiver, built-in gps (Garmin iQue 3600), dedicated Pocket PC (Pharos 505) and BlueTooth. All were quite complicated and have very low quality sound.

My gold standard is the Hertz Never Lost gps made by Magellan, I liked the ease of use and working without having to download maps to SD memory cards. I hsve a philosphy that goes, if it's complicated, it won't get used. Having said that, my spouse unit grabbed onto the gps and had it running within a few minutes.

Firsting thing I did was run the web-auto update. That brought the map and corrected software to 3.5 as of August, 06. The unit charged to using the 12 volt plug.

I find that using some dish soap made the suction cup stick. I will have to use the disk on the VW New Beetle convertable; the glass is too far to reach the gps.

More later.

This is a great product at a reasonable price. No more getting lost because of missing or ambiguous road signs. My husband and I love it.

I owned the Garmin C330 till yesterday when someone broke into my car and stole it out of my glove box. If you get the dash stand like I had keep it under the seat or something. I have never been truly heartsick about losing anything, but I loved that little thing. It was affordable (even less now than when I bought it in August 2007) It was sooo easy to use right out of the box and it has tons of poi locations, it also stores favorite destinations. it doesnt say street names but I found it didnt matter as the turn by turn with the voice was perfect but thats just me. If its a deal breaker try the C340 which has all of the same features but with the street names voiced. its very acurate. The only time I really lost the satilite was when I drove thru the heart of downtown Chicago (really tall buildings like those are bad for it) There is a nifty little feature that lets you check the entire route so you can make changes if you need to by using the avoidance features, I found that handy in the face of bad traffic and construction. The best feature for me was the one that recalculates the route if you make a wrong turn or miss your exit. (LOVED THAT) Bulky? A little, but it was so worth the small bit of space it took up it beats the heck out of getting lost! I used mine daily because of my job and it made me alot more confident in traveling by myself without getting lost not once! I also want to let you know about cases which is a must so, the cases offered on Amazon for this one are too small and sorta flimsy your better off going to Radio Shack they fit alot better and are better priced without cutting quality. As I type this I am waiting for a new one hopefully it gets here before I leave for Wisconsin on Friday.

This unit exceeded my expectations for ease of use, great default settings and clear display.

Out of the box it is a snap to use.

bought a refurbished one from fry's. it never locates satellites indoor and outside in open areas. I am in los angeles. had to return it, very disappointed.
pro: i like the interface, it is very smooth.

Trying to be cheap,I bought this refurbished unit. Alot of the road names where wrong. While driving along everything on the display would disappear except for the arrow indicating your vehicle. It's a discontinued model and a piece of junk.

I got the c330 model in November, 2007. It had been nice until April, 2008. All of a sudden, it began not to be recharged and keeps popping up "LOW BATTERY" message.
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br /I contacted the customer service center by email and they replied me three days later to test if it works with an USB cable. But it wasn't recharged and I let them know. Three days later, they emailed me to send the GPS unit. I sent it in the original box. About 10 days later, the device came back but the problem was not fixed. And the original box was changed into a typical package box.
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br /I emailed them again and they replied me three days later to test it by master reset. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. So, I let them know the result and they emailed me three days later to resend the unit (This time, they mentioned not to send the unit in the original box. Very funny!). I sent the unit again with a written message asking them to test if it works fine after repair and to send it back in the original box if possible. I got it back after about 10 days later not in the original box and it again shows the same symptom.
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br /At this point, I'm really getting mad. I've spent a lot of time and shipping costs on this matter but it's not fixed yet at all !!! And there has not been any explanation about the lost of my original box.
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br /I've already sent another message about the problem today (June, 2008) and I expect they're going to reply me three days later. They may give me another instruction that may not be working. And I need to send it again (This will be the third time). If it won't be working again, I'm going to smash it on street.

Recently used this product in a cross country road trip thinking it would be a big help. Of course bad luck was on our side and the product did not work at all.

For some reason it would constantly (And I mean Constantly) want to use Highways instead of the faster freeways, this was even when "Avoid Highways" was set to on.

Our route when viewed turn by turn went something like this...

Exit Ramp I90
Turn Right Highway 110
Take Ramp I90

It would go back and forth. Definatly not faster as Freeways provide no lights and faster speed limits, and not shorter either as at times it would take us 5-10 miles off the freeway and through a town w/ lights to reach a POI or address that is just right off a freeway exit ramp.

If you need to find an address somewhere local that you won't need a freeway to, this product is for you. However, if you're traveling long distance and would prefer to stay on fast roads with no lights and not go hundreds of miles out of your way... all I have to say is this:

Google Earth
It will figure out the best and fastest route and it's absolutly free. Downside is you'll have to look at a peice of paper now and then.

I bought this product about 6 months ago. At first it was great in the summer, but if there is a cloud in the sky, it loses satellite reception. It does not work in the city at all. I am terrible at directions and at first i felt comfortable just taking the gps but it has failed me once and many times after that. I am going to be looking for a new one...

Returned mine last night. Maps were 2 years old, and Garmin would not update them. Picked up TomTom 1 3d edition, and could not be happier.

I gave this GPS as a gift and it works fairly good. Used it driving across country from California to Minnesota it worked GREAT. I've noticed that now it takes a while to link up with the satelite and downloading the new maps didn't seem to help.

The Garmin GPS Street Pilot c330 works just fine however the instruction book is incomplete and does not cover the complete capability of the unit. Some functions I had to find by trial and error and I don't know what I have missed. The instructions could be a lot more complete.

After owning one of these for over 6 months, I think it's great. Not only is it EXTREMLY user friendly and self explanatory, it also nice being able to choose a decent restaurant when your in an unfamiliar area.
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br /Only thing I didn't like was the detour function. Doesn't seem to be very helpful at suggesting alternate routes when you encounter a detour.

I think everyone should own a gps ... sure makes finding your way around alot easier. More hands free.

Terrific GPS, and very easy to use. I bought one for my wife, and got a second for myself after using hers for a few months.

found one that sells cheap at UB Electronics in Brooklyn,NY but they also sell on-line.

I had an Iway 500 with 10GB mp3 player build in for awhiles now, finally I decided to give to my cuz instead. Iway is heavy and bulky(5lbs I believe), makes dents on my dash board. Rubber base doesn't work well on any curved surface. Suction cup is not strong enough, my unit fell off the window 3 times, and almost scratched up my car. MP3 player is useless, the sound quality is horrible, but you get a lot of noise with wireless transmitter. Lastly, it's sooooo slow, it takes about 10 minutes to warm up before it receives a signal. Plus, the address input is very difficult. C330 has none of these problems, it's fast, takes about 1 to 2 minutes to warm up max. Very light weight. The screen looks great even in the hot sun. The best spot to mount it is next to your rear view mirror. It has a rechargable bett., so you don't need to use the cord all the time. I love the volum wheel, Iway doesn't have that. Finally is the price. Best Buy is asking for $499, which I think is too much. I found that Fry's is only asking for $389, $10 less than Wal-mart. I print it out, took to Best Buy, they matched it. Even though I love the unit, but I think $422 with taxes is still too much. Sony's PSP has lot more technology and more stuff, it still cost less than 1/2. So, I only gave 3 on the Value. I don't believe it cost Garmin that much to manufacture it than Sony's PSP. If you call them for tech support, you will be on hold for hours! Other than that, I am very very very happy with it so far.

This is a very useful gadget for me as I am not road smart and have to move around the USA a lot. Really great product. Cudos to the owners of this software and hardware.

Easy to use right out of the box. I am not a technical person AT ALL and was a little apprehensive. Not to worry, it is easy to use, easy to see and fun! The whole family fights over who will put it in their car. I drive in Los Angeles all the time and I am always getting lost. Not any more! My 17 year old daughter needed to drive herself to an audition and I knew she would find her way with the Garmin. She is going to buy one for herself,so I don't have to share! The only problem was the dash adaptor didn't stick, so I have to attach it to the winshield. But other than that it is superb. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Simple to use and laid out in a logical manner. I was all ready to purchase a 2720 until I saw how small the screen was in real life as compared to the c330. The c330 has a perfect size screen for a dashboard. For my use, the only thing missing is text to speech but when she says "300 feet, turn left", the street name is in text on the top line of the screen so it's no big loss. I'm giving 'Quality' only 3 stars because it took 2 units before I got one that worked so I'm not so sure of the build quality. The unit I have now works flawlessly. I have not had to use Garmin Support but the download of version 4.8 was easy.

I just picked up my second Garmin c330 from Wal-Mart on Black Friday for $128. My wife and I love the GPS and it's good enough for most of what we need it for.

The one, and in my opinion, really bad downside is that the maps are approximately 2 years out of date. Further, in buying the unit, it requires a $70 update each time you want to get "current" maps. If that wasn't bad enough, the $70 map update that claims to be "2008" is still missing large chunks of roads and places that were opened up in early 2007.

Even if you buy a brand new unit, you still get old maps AND Garmin does NOT give you any sort of free updates on the c330.

If you live in a fast growing town, I'd look elsewhere for a GPS with a better system for updating maps and keeping your GPS current.

Update: 9/13/06 - Excellent customer service if you are willing to wait online for 30+ minutes -- My unit is perfect -- suction cupdidn't hold on the windshield nor on the disk provided for the dashboard. They are sending me another mounting device at no charge.

Original review August 2006:
Received the unit just in time for a trip to the mountains. Enclosed instructions incomplete and hard to decipher for a first-time GPS user. Contents in package not labeled or described -- you are on your own to figure out what the disk with the red bulls eye might be used for. Plugged it into the cigarette lighter and attached the suction cup to the windshield as instructed, turned the unit on and it worked perfectly, right out of the box. The suction cup mounting failed every time soon after attachment, no matter which part of the windshield to which it was attached. Finally decided that there had to be a better way to mount this.

On the way, two hours into our trip, holding the GPS because it wasn't sticking to the windshield, a low battery indicator came on, despite the unit being plugged into the cigarette lighter (not the source of the problem). Finally, the screen went blank and wouldn't come back on, obviously, this unit was either defective or not charging.

At our destination, I figured out that the black disk with the red bulls eye was actually a platform upon which to attach the suction cup of the unit to the dashboard. Unit inoperable, but attached.

Got back home after trip, called Garmin. After 50 minutes on hold (thankfully I have a speaker phone) a technician had me connect the unit with my computer & the USB cable. He informed me that my unit could be charged through the USB cable (not in the instruction book or the online download manual). We figured out that the charging cable for the Garmin & cigarette lighter connection was defective. Garmin sending replacement cable --which I am now awaiting.

Garmin's website with FAQ's didn't address queries including "low battery", "blank screen", and so forth.
I can report that during the two hours it did work, it was marvelous.

I can't comment on how this works in the United States but in Puerto Rico it isn't that useful. It does track your location accurately and it does acquire the satellite quickly. It rarely lost satellite signal. However, there were several issues with this unit. Most importantly, it does not always give the most efficient route. It also led me onto roads that I could either not turn on because they were one way, or would be dead ends. Also, when i would search for gas stations, it would show me stations 20 miles away when other stations were only a mile away or so. The points of interest were limited and some very important landmarks were not recognized. Also, it will say on the screen that a turn is approaching and how far away it is, but it will not say if you turn left or right, you must wait for the voice prompt to find that out.

Well I got the GPS. And they called me to see if it was ok. They said they would send me the CD that gose with it. Have not received it as of yet?? But over all I guess it was a good buy.. The biggest problem I had was it smelled like cigarettes smoke!! Yukkkkkkkkk

we got the product really fast...I think it was in 2 days. Good service.

Would like to hear more detail. ie "Turn right on Gate St." Rather than only "Turn right". The cost should come down.

Im sorry to say I can not review this item, it was supposed to be a gift for my sister but it arrived too late and I had to return it. But I have a Garmin NUVI and I love love love it. I wanted my sister to have a navigation because they are the best invention since the micowave.

The part I received had a broken seal on the envelope that says, " Please ensure the seal was not broken before you open this envelope." Also, the unit did not have the screen protector and had fingerprints all over it. Nice! What's up with that, AMAZON?