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

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

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

A year ago I paid $850 for a Garmin c330 and returned it because the display was not sunlight readable.

For the same price I was thrilled with the c550, which includes a sunlight readable display, talking street names, built-in real-time traffic information (first 3 months free, $60 for next 15 months), Bluetooth hands-free cell phone assistance, and MP3 player.

The touch screen is very easy to use, probably the easiest of any PND (personal navigation system) on the market.

It also includes one via (mid-trip destination) so that a sophisticated user can force the routing to take a known detour.

The real-time traffic updates work, at least in Chicago. In one case I was actually warned soon enough to take an alternate route. The c550 quickly recalculated a new route. Usually there's not much I can do about entering a traffic jam, but at least the c550 shows me how long the traffic jam is.

The talking street names are easy to understand and help keep my eyes on the road.

The Bluetooth worked with my cell phone even though it wasn't on Garmin's approved list (Motorola E815).

The speakers do not give the same audio fidelity as a car radio with built-in Bluetooth. They are adequate for navigation, OK for cell phone use, and unacceptable for MP3 music. There is no problem understanding the person on the other end of the cell phone conversation. The person I was talking to told me that my audio quality was excellent. They couldn't tell I was talking through the microphone on the c550 which was an arm's length away. My phone was in my pants pocket with the cover closed. Bluetooth will also dial numbers for me, either from my phone book which is automatically loaded into the c550, or from the phone number listed in a point of interest such as a restaurant.

To Garmin's credit the c550 includes a headphone jack that could be plugged into an external speaker. Talking on a cell phone with an improved speaker is like talking to the person next to you. Its more natural. But in a rental car on a business trip it would be too cumbersome to schlep around an external speaker.

I see the c550 as an excellent PND for car rental companies. But for personal use, the Garmin Nuvi is still my favorite because its smaller and has more features.

I buy lots of top of the line equipment, in just about every buying catagory you can imagine. The Garmin C550 is the most useful piece of electronic equipment I have ever owned. Its user interface is so intuitive, that you just don't need to review the owners manual in order to figure out how to use just about all of it's fetures. "Think Ipod"

I took it along with me on a trip through north east Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. Not only were the directions 100% accurate but when I missed a turn, it recalculated the route within seconds! I have read many GPS reviews where the units would let the driver go for miles before recalculating.

Route calculations and satellite fix occurs within three to five seconds, add in blue tooth phone compatibility and you can dail any number listed in the POI database or any number listed in your cellphones address book. You can even use voice dialing, if you phone supports it.

It earns it's keep and is worth every penny. Highly recommended.

In my home we've turned the phrase "green eggs and ham" into a verb, much like "google" has become indicative of a definitive action. To "green eggs and ham" something is to change your mind on some item or concept you had previously disdained. It started back in the early 80's when my Daddy finally permitted my Mom to purchase a microwave. For years, he'd held off, swearing that if his own saintly mother (the matriarch of seven kids) had done without one, we could too. Once she wore him down, Daddy was the first to admit, "Green eggs and ham - I love it! Why did we wait so long to purchase it? How have we done without it for so long?!"

This year, I've "green eggs and hammed" a techno gadget - the GPS unit. Who needs it when we've got something as nifty as Mapquest to get us from point A to point B? My mother-in-law foisted one upon my husband for his birthday last year and I scolded her vociferously. Her gift to Greg was the Garmin C550 Streetpilot GPS Receiver and I was upset with her for spending the money on something I was positive my husband wouldn't use. After all, he's one of those guys who absolutely refuses to ask for directions. I was sure it would sit unused in his car.

Wrong - a major "green eggs and ham" moment! We tried it out on a family trip a week later and became instant Streetpilot addicts. When my own birthday rolled around two months later, guess what my mother-in-law purchased for me? Yes, now we have "his and hers" models in our vehicles.

What's the good of this particular tech gadget? You'd be amazed! Here are some of my favorite features:

* Speed and accuracy. As soon as its been turned on, the Streetpilot determines your location and queries you about your desired purpose. Within minutes of entering your destination address, you receive a map and detailed instructions which are verbally given to you turn by turn. The GPS also computes your estimated arrival time - I've found it's accuracy on that item almost uncanny. The unit has options to update your route and travel time, accounting for delays in traffic hotspots.
* Ease of use. The Streetpilot has an easy touchscreen interface and gives verbal directions to walk you through the directions. It even anticipates which lane you need to be in for upcoming directions. Unlike mapquest pages which may require a solo driver to look at a paper copy of the directions, a voice (or rather, your choice of many voice styles) tells you exactly where you need to go without you taking your eyes off the road. Our voice of choice, Lee the Australian, has never led me astray and is even smart enough to recalculate when I make a wrong turn or miss an exit.
* Bluetooth. In many states, hands-free cell phone usage is now the law. The Streetpilot immediately converts my cell phone to hands free and has a clear signal for a speaker phone conversation that can be heard throughout the whole car.
* Doubles as an MP3 player. My Streetpilot holds some of my favorite tunes and podcasts, making my road trip even more enjoyable.
* Goes with the flow. Now, when we leave on a family road trip, we rarely scout out the directions beforehand. With the address, it's easy to drive straight to our desired destination. But we can also stop and smell the roses along the way, using the Streetpilot to direct us to upcoming points of interest, services, lodging, or even an emergency Starbucks stop.

I will never again go back to driving without my Garmin C550 Streetpilot GPS Receiver - getting to our family fun has now become easy and reliable.

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

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

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

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

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

My biggest concern before buying the C550 was whether it would work with my new Motorola Verizon E815 cel phone. I searched all over and other than Garmin's site having it not listed as a comaptible device, I took a chance as the unit is so new there were no posts. The only posts I found were people who had issues with Verizon phones not working very well with the Garmin (or any Bluetooth device for that matter other than headsets) as verizon cripples their Bluetooth phones.
Bottom line, the Verizon Motorola E815 seems to work fine... Bluetooth pairing, address book import, voice dialing, calling, receiving calls all seem to work. Amazing considering it's Verizon.
The only gripes I have with the C550 (after owning an original TomTom Go) is not having a compass on the map, having to dive into the menus to scroll the map, no in unit data transfer to/from an SD card, setting a "home location" not obvious, no extra voices (yet), no full Mac implementation (yet - just can see C550 as a drive), not being able to see the whole route easily, no included AC charger, limited customized options, and cartoony car icons (I'm using the arrows).
However, it outshines the TomTom Go in every other way. Great audio volume, bright screen, terrific Bluetooth implementation, traffic (we'll see how that works in real use later), more accurate maps (Navteq vs. TeleAtlas), seemingly better POIs and many more.

I use this unit because I am in sales in an unfamiliar territory. It is "spot-on" in it's ability to find any location. The traffic monitor is a "nice to have" feature; however, it notifies you when it is nearly too late to do a detour. The estimated time of arrival feature is invaluable. Unlike some other reviewers, I have had no problem with satellite access. I've gone through tunnels and it rapidly re-accesses satellites within seconds after emerging.

My only beef is that Garmin provided a windshield mount that is an absolute piece of junk. I have been driving along and the unit has fallen off. I was concerned that it was going to be broken. This problem, in my opinion, is serious of enough to consider a different unit that has a better mount. Garmin should "step-up" and design a new mount and ship it to those of us who "took the leap of faith" to buy this product.

What was Garmin thinking when they changed the mounting from the c300 series to the c500 series,instead of a secure mount that holds the unit in place.They added a ball and socket mount that literally gives absolutely no support to the unit.Go over a bump and unit will tilt downward.go over another bump and it moves to one side.another bump and it leans all the way forward almost facing the car floor.My unit in my old C340 never moved by itself,Garmin needs to rethink this mount and send buyers a new one that secures the unit.otherwise unit is great.For some reason i cannot downlaod POIs like i did in my c340.The blue tooth is great,I have no need for a MP3 Player as its easier just to put in a CD.And you can only program it to make one stop on your way to your final destination,inexcusable for a unit at this price.For those who no doubt will disagree with my opinion of the awful ball and socket window mount.Wait a moth or go over some heavy bumps and then tell me what you think.

What an impressive unit, and as advertised, it works right out of the box. I have used NeverLost many times in rental cars, so I was already familiar with the concept of using a GPS system like this in the car. This unit can easily be figured out without even reading the manual, and having it announce the streets that you need to turn on by name is a great feature. I haven't even used all the features yet, but navigation is the main reason I purchased it, and this one works great.

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

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

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

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

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

I live in Queens, NY and drive in high traffic areas in the Metropolitan Area.
I purchased a Magellan GPS and ended up returning it two weeks later. It had an old POI database...and seemed to think that everywhere in NYC was New York...which was frustrating.
I rented a 340 Streetpilot in Florida several months back and loved it... I ended up buying the 550 for a bit more money because of the spoken street names and built in FM receiver.
The POI database in the 550 is amazing! I have yet to look for something that it hasn't found... I purchase one for my 90something year old grandparents. They love it. I just purchased one for a friend of mine.
Another friend borrowed it and took it to Utah. It was fabulous. They were able to find lodging, restaurants, you name it..with minimal issues.
I have had very few issues with the 550. Once it wanted me to get on a bridge in Manhattan instead of taking an Avenue..which was totally wrong...however, it's always accurate otherwise (and this was a complicated intersection). I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm the most geographically challenged person..and I no longer worry about a thing. Well worth every penny!

I'm not an early adopter, and could have gone through life just fine without one of these, but... my away-at-college, freshman daughter called last week wanting to visit a friend in another city over fall break. She's never driven cross-country alone, and never been to the city she wants to drive to next week, and she's only been driving for two years... "hmmm, sounds like a good excuse to try out one of those Garmin things," I thought. A friend put me on to Garmin's stock last November, I've almost tripled my money in that investment, so I thought it was worth looking into... if the stock's doing that well, there must be something to the product, right?

I'm completely sold on these things, and although I was confused before purchase, simply because of the huge number of devices offered by Garmin, I think I made the right choice. As far as I can tell, this model is the least expensive one that comes with Bluetooth capability. I find that very handy. Not only can you talk on your cell phone through the c550 as if it were a speaker-phone, make & receive calls as well as text messages, it will also load your cell phone's phone book... you can scroll down the list of names & numbers in your cell phone right on the Garmin's touch-screen... much easier to do when driving than having to look down at your phone. Even better, this device can connect to as many as 5 different bluetooth devices (one at a time). Every member of my immediate family now has their cell-phone tied to the Garmin... you can switch what's "Bluetoothed" to the Garmin via a few strokes on the touch-screen... very easy to do.

My only gripes are these: the info is a little dated... for example, some restaurants shown in the c550 don't exist any more, in some cases for a year or more... maybe they should try to update that list as often as they update the street maps. That doesn't bother me a great deal, but some. The only real gripe I have is that the speakers don't work as well as I wish they did. In a really, really quiet car, they're fine. You don't have to turn the Garmin's volume up all the way and you can hear as well as understand the directions. In a car that has the least bit of road noise, like mine, I have to turn up the volume all the way, so that the speech comes out a little distorted, and it makes me think I may blow the speakers by keeping it turned up to max. volume all the time. The speakers are on the sides of the device, toward the back... I assume they were too big to put on the front of the box, but where they are now aims them at the sides of the car... if they can't be in front, would they be better in the back if they were aimed at the windshield? Maybe more sound would bounce off the windshield back to me better? I'll leave that to Garmin's designers... it's something that would improve the device in my opinion.

All-in-all, very happy. This is one cool, useful gadget. Love the Bluetooth capability, don't really need the mp3 player. This is a very, very easy device to use too.

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

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

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

If you are buying this and paying extra for the MP3 and Bluetooth options, DON'T. The GPS is fine. Like all GPS systems, it has it's limitations, but overall it works as it should. The MP3 player and the Bluetooth options are, in my opinion, terrible. The sound is very "canny." It looks as if Garmin could have installed some higher quality speakers in this unit. The bluetooth option requires too much interaction with the screen, making it dangerous to operate while moving. Do yourself a favor and get the C340 model if you are looking for a good GPS device and get yourself some other options for Bluetooth and MP3 player. The only advantage the C550 has over the C340 is the anti-glare screen, but you can purchase an anti-glare film to solve this problem, and believe me, the glare on the C340 is a problem. This is another place that Garmin has room for improvement.

Ordered it with Next Day delivery to the vacation destination in Washington State to get out of boring city. Used it on a 3 hour trip to Seattle and Point Defiance Zoo just by entering an address from a pamphlet.

Pros: The touch screen menu is very easy to use. You can play MP3 files from a SD card, and output into a car stereo with an input jack. At divergence or multiple junctions, GPS will instruct you to stay on the left or right. At a multiple junction, just listening to voice instruction may not be enough. Usually you need to look at the map.

Cons: The BlueTooth froze and had problem "enabling" after updating the software through the internet. You should backup the original files first. Contacted Garmin, and they were willing to replace it. They responded via e-mail very quickly. But I replaced it through Amazon. GPS may not give you a best route, but it will take you to the destination. If BlueTooth is enabled on the GPS, you can not use the BlueTooth headset.

Everything on this GPS is very easy to use and understand.

Having tried the Garmin Nuvi in the past, I wanted to find a similar GPS system without the cost - I found that in the Streetpilot C550. When compared to all other products it definitely provides all the best features at the lowest cost.

I spent a lot of time researching each model and realized the C550 had many advantages. The Streetpilot offers the following features that lesser models either offered none or few of;

1. Bluetooth (allows handsfree cell phone use while driving)
2. Mp3 player (you can take songs from your ipod and play them on the Garmin although the sound quality does suffer during playback)
3. Traffic receiver is included! (This is huge since with other Garmins, you have to buy it seperately at a cost of over $100 - plus they give you 3 months free).
4. Touchscreen - you can type in streets and addresses rather than scroll, which is very helpful.
5. Speaks street names - which is suprisingly helpful if you're in an unfamiliar area and have a lot of streets all coming together at once. This device will tell you to turn on "Elm street" rather than turn in 30 feet, which can be confusing if there is three different roads coming up in 30 feet.

The traffic receiver also includes a cigarette adapter charger, so don't think that you need to buy one seperately from the device which I almost did since they recommended it.

My only complaint about the Garmin, although trivial, it lacks common sense sometimes. When you calculate the fastest route, it really means the fastest route. It will tell you to take truck bypass routes or go down side streets (rather than along the main road) just to save yourself 2 or 3 seconds off your trip.

One surprising advantage to this device is how up-to-date the maps are. My neighborhood is less than 1 year old and it had all the streets. That was a surprise since every other GPS device I've used did not and also Yahoo and Mapquest don't even have my neighborhood online yet.

Lastly, the yellow pages feature makes this device worth the price alone besides all the other options. You can type in the name of where you want to go and it seems to have everything! Banks, restaurants (even obscure hole-in-the-wall places are listed), gas stations, airports, hotels, etc. and it includes their phone number which if you have your cell phone connected you can dial!

I highly recommend the Streetpilot C550!

This is a terrific product that does what it is supposed to do. I brought the C550 for my wife's birthday and she loves it. I got the C550 because of the built in BlueTooth connection to her cell phone. She keeps the phone in her purse sitting on the floor of the truck and when a call comes in or she wants to make a call, she just pushes a button on the C550 and it brings up her address book. She can touch the screen when the correct name appears and the system does the rest. The day after we got the GPS we went on a 1300 mile trip and it never missed a beat. The lady that speaks to you seems to get irritated if you don't turn when she tells you too. Example, we were in Williamsburg, Va. looking for a place to eat. We punched up fast food and saw a McDonald's and told Millie (that's the name of the GPS - you gota name her!) but just before we were supposed to turn on the street for the McDonald's we saw a Chick-Filet and kept going, boy did she get mad she kept saying "Re-calculating turn around in 500 feet) - Great product - good price if you look around the internet.

I love it! This GPS is AWESOME! I don't know which feature I like the most. It is either the text to speech (TTS) feature that reads the directions (and text messages) for you (with the female Austrailian accent - there are plenty of others), the Bluetooth feature for hands-free phone usage, the fact that you can load MP3 files directly on the 2GB internal Flash storage (about 650MB free from the factory) and also use SD Cards (I bought an 8GB Micro SD HC card, which works great!), or that fact that I can use all of the features at the same time. Yep, it's definitely the fact that I can use them all at the same time. I can set my destination, by entering an address, search by name (if it is a commercial location), or select a location that was saved as a favorite. While driving I can play mp3 files, and the voice prompts will interrupt the music when necessary. If the I get a phone call, the Bluetooth feature takes over and I have the option to ignore the call or answer it and talk hands-free while driving. It even shows who's calling, if you number is stored in your phonebook on the phone (I have a Razr v3). While talking the display shows your current location the the next set of change in direction you should make. Once the call is done, the music and voice prompts resume. When I arrive at my destination it says, depending upon the destination) "Arriving at Home on the right" or "Arriving at Work on the left" or "Arriving at Mom's House on the left" or "Arriving at Detroit Metro Airport Berry Terminal". You can name a location whatever you want and it will read the name speak it back to you when you get there. Finding places the Airports, Hotels, places to eat works great, even in Canada.
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br /The detour feature works great, as well. When there was some traffice congestion on the freeway, I took the closest exit the used the detour feature to get me around it. The GPS took me along road the were along side of the freeway to the next point of entry. So, I kept hitting detour button until I got to a point where the traffic was moving, six miles away. I got to see some nice scenery, while bypassing the sitting traffic. It was great!
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br /Speaking of Bluetooth pairing, which was easy, the GPS unit automatically connects when the phone is in range and not connect to another Bluetooth device. In my case, I was using a Bluetooth earpiece with walking to my car. Upone starting the car, the GPS powered up when it realized it was getting power to the plug. I turned off the Bluetooth earpiece and the GPS Bluetooth connected to the phone. All the while, I never stopped talking. Did I mention that your incoming text messages are read using the select text to speech voice? Cool!
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br /I got this as a birthday present from my wife and parents. After two days, my wife decided that she wanted one of her own.

This is my second Garmin GPS unit. I previously owned a Garmin Streepilot III which I absoulutely loved but unfortunately it got stolen.

As usual, the routing is outstanding and very accurate. The routing even routes past accidents and traffic jams if the FM Traffic service is activated !

The good:
1. Text to speech
2. Bluetooth - very good quality (Check garmin's site for compatible phones)
3. Suction mount works flawlessly
4. FM Traffic receiver
5. MP3 player - works well (For sound effects, suggest buying a $15 Belkin FM Transmitter rather than paying extra $$$ for the units with a transmitter) - check coverage in your are
6. Fast searches
7. Long battery life

The not so good:
1. No ability to add via points ( the sp3 had this as a feature added by garmin via a update so am hoping this will be added later as a software update)
2. Unable to preprogram routes and save them.
3. Just enough bulky to not fit into your pocket.
4. FM service is extra $60 for 15 months after the first 3 months

I would recommend this unit over all the other Garmin units as the price and features are well balanced. This is all you will ever need to be able to go from point A to B and anywhere in between.

This product is everything we expected except for the dash mount. I would have liked to know that the vaccuum dash mount required a permanent adhesive disk be affixed to the dash which made it not transportable to another vehicle. We want to easily switch between cars or even take the Garmin C550 with us to use in a rental car when we fly somewhere. It has taken some experimentation to see what the best dash placement for the GPS is. A permanent adhesive disk would have prohibited changing our mind. We went to Fry's Electronics to buy another type of dash mount -- friction mount. It works very well -- the Garmin does not move around on the dash even with sharp turns and we can just pick it up and take it with us to another vehicle.

I do not have the world's best sense of direction and I am a lousy map-reader. So this type of product is a lifesaver for me. I chose Garmin because my husband and I have had good experiences with other Garmin products. I chose this particular model because it had the features I wanted without too many extras to drive the price up. I did not need to spend an extra $200.00 for a photo viewer, e-book reader, etc. I just want it to tell me how to get where I am going, and that, it does.

The features for which I bought it include the glare resistant screen, Bluetooth compatibility and Text-to-Speech. (TTS means is says street names when it is telling you to turn.) The screen works well in all lighting conditions and the volume is amply loud, even in traffic. I haven't set up the Bluetooth yet, so I can't say how well it works. (I don't honestly know that I will, but I want to know that I can.) The voice isn't unduly mechanical and I feel more confident when it tells me the street name before a turn. You can set it so that it will "Ding" before its spoken warnings, but it has not been needed thus far.

It has a few quirks. First of all, it is bulkier than some other units. (It cost less, so I could live with that.) If you go off-route, it says "Recalculating" in a voice that slows down just slightly, giving me the impression that I have annoyed it. (It's an electronic "Jewish Mother")
It does not always pick the route I would have picked on my own. That's not that big a problem, because it will recalculate and in any event, it will get you where you need to be. All in all, it is a good product that keeps me from getting lost.

At 3 am yesterday, my wife's car was burglarized and her c550 stolen. I didn't write this review with the intention of discussing the different methods of trying to prevent such a theft. This review is to share with others the tremendous satisfaction we feel in knowing the crook won't be able to use the GPS because it was pin-locked. Yes, any portable GPS I buy in the future will have a pin/password-locking feature. I believe once the overwhelming majority of portable GPSs in use have this feature, the crooks will stop trying to steal them.

Great unit. Best I have used and I've used a few. Excellent receiver, gets signal very quickly, even works in tunnels. Amazon description is wrong. This unit does come with a car adaptor so no need to purchase an extra one.

Clear maps; clear instruction with ample time allowed before changing direction; recalculating feature in the event one would take a wrong turn; clear voice; changing the view of the map to zoom in on intersections where one has to take a turn or a different route.

I'll echo any positives that I read before deciding to buy - the c550 (my first gps) worked easily and immediately right out of the box, etc. - without ever having seen a gps, you use this intuitively. Mine was purchased in August, came with maps and software up-to-date; but going to the Garmin website was easy as well, downloaded some extras (nothing important).

But here's my story from our first real use of it this past Labor Day weekend. Returning to Connecticut from New Jersey on Friday, we were on a course to hit the usual parking lot on the G.Washington Bridge - turned on the radio advisory way ahead to hear that it's a 2-hr delay going over the bridge. Heard from someone at a rest-stop that the Tappanzee was just as bad so don't bother, sister-in-law at the same rest-stop making basically the same trip said she was just going to get in line and deal with it. To make a long story short, we decided to just let the Garmin take over and avoid traffic. It took us off the turnpike (saying that it was recalculating the route to avoid traffic tie-up), worked us through a couple little N.J. towns (during which we kept passing on-ramps full of parked cars), and got us over the bridge in maybe 20-30 minutes. As we approached the Connecticut border, called sis-in-law to see where she was - she was still in traffic not even yet in sight of the bridge.

Aside from my traffic story, I love this little machine anyway. Oh, and don't be an idiot like I was on the first try - use the locking lever on the suction cup mount (duh) to lock that baby down (could that mistake be why people are complaining about the mount?). It's not going anywhere...

I have only had my c550 for a couple of weeks so I haven't had the opportunity to fully use it. However, so far I think it's great. It is very easy to set up right out of the box (the instruction manual is very detailed and easy to follow). It is also very simple to use.

This is also my first experience with a GPS so I have nothing to compare it to. I bought this particular unit because I didn't want to spend a fortune but I did want the text to voice feature. None of the less expensive models have text to voice. Also, based on reviews I had read in tech publications, Garmin uses a better map set than other companies.

On a recent road trip that included multiple destinations the c550 worked almost flawlessly. I set it for "fastest route" and it delivered; sometimes taking me off the main highways for short cuts through some back roads.

I only encountered two problems. At one point it tried to send me down a one way street the wrong way. However, when I declined to do that it immediately recalculated and sent me off in the right direction.

The other problem was also minor on this trip because I had a general familiarity with the area, but could be a problem in unfamiliar territory. As I said, one reason I bought the c550 was for the text to voice capability. I wanted this so that it would give me the names of the streets (i.e. tell me to turn right on Main St. in .2 miles rather than just tell me to turn right in .2 miles). The c550 does just that but what was a problem is that it gives you the name of highways rather than their route numbers. For example, it referred to Route 1 as the Blue Star Memorial Highway. Unfortunately, all signs refer to the highway by its route number. In fact, I didn't see any signs that Blue Star Memorial Highway. This could be a bit confusing if you were not aware of the highway's name as well as its route number. I would find it much easier if the device used route numbers where they exist.

The bluetooth connection could also be useful. I didn't have the chance to use it so I really can't comment on it. However, I find the mp3 player to be useless. My car has something called a stereo that works much better. I think it would be better to drop the mp3 bit and lower the price by a few bucks.

However, overall I'm very happy with the unit and think that it is well worth the price. The few extra dollars I spent on this unit was well worth it.

I HAVE USED THE GPS MANY TIMES AND IT HAS BEEN A LIFE SAVER FOR ME
I TOOK A WRONG TURN AND SURE ENOUGH IT GOT ME RIGHT BACK ON TRACK
I LOVE IT

Great product for the price (I paid $306 w/ free shipping). Come with 3 free months of the FM traffic service. Comparable to a TomTom 720 w/o mapshare. The mount works on windshield only which is illegal in some states so you may require an optional dash or A/C mount. It has an optional safety feature that requires it to be at rest to program (which can be turned off). This is good because my wife has already had a near miss with a mailbox while trying to multitask. Mount it out of arms length for over ambitious types. Blue tooth works great with my phone. It automatically switches to night mode based on an internal clock. Great product I am considering a second one for my car

GarminC550 is easy to use.
Great features are: announcing upcoming turns ( including street name) well in advance, reiterating street and turn when you are a few feet away, estimated time of arrival, easy to follow road map (including what street you are on and nexy cross street.
Annoying features are: Even though I live near Boston, many areas it will not work, doesn't always give you the shortest route, sometimes thinks you are in another town, still does not come with the greatest attachments to your window.
Although this product is better than the 350...Garmin still has a way to go before it can compete with a factory installed GPS system/Garmin StreetPilot c550 Bluetooth Automotive Traffic GPS System Includes: FREE Shipping, FREE PhotoBlocker Spray, FREE E-Book, and FREE Database of Red-Light Cameras, Speed Traps, Speed Cameras, and DUI Checkpoints

I've had the unit for about 6 months. The unit no longer charges properly when plugged in unless the connector is wiggled for a while. Also, the directions can be off frequently (takes me off the freeway on the exit and then takes me right back in).

IM VERY HAPPY WITH MY PURCHASE, IT IS A GREAT PRODUCT, TRAFFIC CONTROLLER WORKS GREAT, AND THE ADDRESSES ARE PRETTY ACCURATE. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS WHEN ITS TIME TO TURN ON THE INTERSTATE IT DOESN'T TELL YOU WHAT LANE TO GET IN TILL YOU ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE TURN, LIKE HAVING TO MAKE A LEFT OR RIGHT EXIT. BUT OVERALL I AM HAPPY EXSPECIALLY WITH THE PRICE I PAID FOR IT.

We recently chose the SP c550, mainly for its sensitive SiRF receiver. A friend has one and it works great in NYC with no reported loss of satellite signals.

It does have one serious flaw. It does not properly compute the distance to destination. It appears that the "time to destination" is also too short because of the improper distance calculation.

For instance, our recent trip from Brooklyn, NY to New Bern, NC was calculated as 415 miles. MapQuest computed this distance as 515 miles, a 100-mile difference. Our odometer confirmed that MapQuest is right within a couple of miles, and that the Garmin indeed had a 100-mile error. A similar problem was noted between NC and FL.

I called Garmin and they answered the phone immediately. The rep confirmed that I had the latest software version. He said that the distance calculated is direct distance (as the crow flies), not the road distance, and that it is corrected once you get on the road. The latter is not true as I monitored the distance reported vs. odometer reading on our trip. The rep, although he considered these errors to be minor, said he would report this to the company.

The bottom line is that you shouldn't use this GPS for trip planning. You'll never complete the trip on schedule unless you exceed the speed limits.

Another interesting fact is that the GPS didn't report any loss of signals while passing through the one-mile long tunnels of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. As an Electronics Engineer, I can't believe that any GPS can maintain satellite signal reception under these circumstances. That seems like a bit of "slight of hand" programming to make the unit seem better than it really is.

Overall, we're very happy with the unit and eagerly await a software upgrade that will fix the erroneous distance (and time) to destination problem.

This is a great buy for the price. I bought it just before a trip to Canada and it was really helpful. I fed all the music into it, and the good part is that when it is time for the directions, the music is automatically paused, the direction is recited by the GPS, and music resumes. It's audio output port let me feed the music in the entire car's stereo system via cassette adapter. It's bluetooth connectivity lets one talk hands free, and the voice is audible to the other party, even if folks from back seat talk. I registered it on garmins website, and also got a free map update for 2009. This is my first GPS, I'm giving 4 stars. Nice one so far.

I've had the c550 for 2 months and SEVERAL road trips. In addition to just telling you how to get to your address (or city, or intersection), it also tells you hotels (with phone numbers), restaurants, entertainment, auto services, etc. along your route OR at your destination.

I can save your favorite spots, and it serves as a speaker phone for my Treo650, and an MP3 player.

This is simply an awesome device- I'm no longer geographically handicapped!!

I travel for a living and this Garmin is just about the best thing that I have ever purchased. I have not had any problems, technically or otherwise using the Garmin. I am driving in America and Canada, so the North American maps are a real plus. I used to have to rely on mapquest or google maps, and now all I do is use my Garmin.
The vendor was quick and I would not hesitate to do buisness with them again.

This is a great GSP system. I have see several of my friends use theirs and you need to have a great memory of where all the features are located. This model is easy to use that you don't even need to read a manual. I taught my father-in-law how to use it in 5 minutes but still has issues with his cell phone after 2 months. I was recommended to buy this from a sales man that trales all over the world and says he uses it everywhere. Great GPS all around!!!!

Very fast shipment, came on date as promised! Fantastic product! I just moved to a new city, and there is no way I could have gotten around without getting lost without the Garmin C550! It has saved me so much time driving and has also gotten me out of a few traffic jams! Love it!
:-)

I have had the c550 for a few weeks now and love the Bluetooth capability. The maps are right on and easy to read. The traffic alerts that came with the unit are not as accurate. It will alert me to an accident up ahead but when I reach that point there is no sign of it. Unless the traffic reports become more accurate, I will not spend the $60 for a yearly subscription. Other than that I highly recommend it.

Excellent product! Does mangle some French/foreign names now and then but sound quality is good. Visual display is sharp and colour contrasts good. Both time and distance indicators most helpful. Is there a way to speed up the simulated trip function?

I bought one c550 and liked how easy it was to operate so I bought a second one for our other car.
This GPS has everthing I wanted. The blutooth was a breeze and works very well.
I would highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a great GPS.

I highly recommend the Garmin c550 to anyone who is considering buying a GPS. In my job I always have to travel to different states of the U.S.A., I use to always carry my maps and made frequent stops to look at the map so that I could keep going to my destination. I was sometimes afraid of stopping in deserted areas at night. I decided that I deserved this gift so I shopped around and the very best price was offered by Amazon. My Garmin c550 is blue tooth ready so now I can also make or receive phone calls with both hands free to drive and I no longer have to have the blue tooth in my ear :) I LOVE IT!!!!!

This GPS takes you where you want to go! Very easy to set up and use. Excellent satellite reception even though I made a custom mount and placed it down low on my dash.
The bluetooth function works well, especially when the vehicle is operated at low speeds. At highway speeds, when there is a little wind or road noise in the cab it is not quite as clear for the person on the other end.
The FM receiver is of little or no value to me, since you have to be in a big city to receive a broadcast signal. When the 90 day trial subscription runs out, I will not renew.
Battery life is not quite as long as stated......only about 2-3 hours.
If you loan it to your kids, don't tell them about the function that records the maximum speed. I busted my youngest son for driving 96.4 miles per hour when he was running late for weigh-in for a wrestling tournament. Of course that only works one time.
Be sure to thumb through the owner's manual so that you can see all of the functions that are available. A friend of mine had one of these for a couple of months, and he was surprised when I showed him some of the things it could do such as dragging the map in the browse map function.
All-in-all, very easy to use, and a very effective navigational tool!

Spent some time reading reviews about the c550. Some were good others not so much. I went ahead with the purchase and am very glad I did so. I printed some of the not so good reviews and then sat in my car for about two hours using the 550. I found the unit to work as stated on the Garmin website. My money was well invested!!! I travel nationwide and the 550 has worked as advertised. Thanks Garmin, the c550 is a great product!

I did a lot of research before buying this. I didn't want to be a sheep getting Garmin just because it's popular. However, after exhaustive looking around at other brands, reading review after review, I chose the C550 because it was the least expensive GPS of quality that has bluetooth, which allows you to make hands-free calls through the unit if you wirelessly connect to a bluetooth enabled cell phone. You can then call all of the points of interest in its vast system as well as all of your own contacts that are in your cell phone listings.

I also realized that I rented a car last year and also rented a GPS unit, and it was an earlier model of the same general type, probably a 330. Anyway, my experience with that was so favorable, that I knew I'd like this one also. You see, that rental was in Santa Fe, and if you know the streets of Santa Fe, you know that it would be hard to find a more challenging place to drive around. Tons of one way streets, small, short, out of the way streets, etc. The Garmin I had then never failed to find anything I put in, and made our trip SOOOOO much easier than it would have been without it.

Anyway, I bought the C550 and operation was as easy as I recalled. I just plugged it into the car and it was ready to go. It "found" my bluetooth enabled RAZR phone in a few seconds and within seconds, I was talking to people on the phone through the unit, and they said they could hear me, and I could hear them loud and clear.

Now I can't wait to find all of the shorter routes I know I will find to places of interest. I was also glad that the unit came with an adhesive disk to mount the unit on the dash. My recollection about the suction cup on the window deal is that it can fall off. (However, if you have a GPS and only use windsheild mount, the trick is to wet the suction cup a bit before sticking it on, and then it will stay like a charm. I, however, use the dashboard mount, and the angle is perfect for me, and of course adjustable to however you wish to tilt it.)

It also plays MP3s, so you can load your ipod songs to an SD disk and play them, though I admit I haven't tried this yet.

Love it. Couldn't really ask for more.

Don't look at any other unit. This is the only one to put in your car. Maps are great, the hands free is so, so easy to operate. Your cell phone phone book is automaticlly read. I brought my second one a few weeks ago. Simple the best unit bar none.

This version (cu550) is a great product. The bluetooth function works great, the directions work great and its simplicity is amazing....its a shame there not making them any more...

...very simple, easy to learn, use. Others have more features, but if all you need is tool for directions, and you don't like reading manuals, this is great.
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br /One knock on Amazon: they suggest purchasing the car charger accessory when you go to check out, so I did...but there was already one in the box. I should have caught this, but so should Amazon.

I bought this from wal-mart.com about a year ago and have not had any problems with it. I love this thing! I tried not using it on a trip to Austin, TX, got myself lost, and then turned it on and found my way in a matter of minutes. The only complaint i have is that it sometimes takes a while to acquire the satellites but other than that, it's great! and the bluetooth handsfree feature for your phone works like a charm as well!

A wonderful help as I drive so much on my job. Makes life so much easier!

They mention they send me new products but its refurbish and i dont like this. Si i dont think so i will take risk to buy from amazon nect time.

The Garmin Streetpilot c550 refurbished that I received from the factory was as described and has great functions. Unfortunately, the unit was not working properly (would not connect through car adapter). I ordered another car adaptor thinking it was just the adaptor (paid an additional $24.00) and found it was the unit instead. So, the unit needed to be returned. I would expect that something that comes from the factory as refurbished would have been inspected. Now I am without the unit for a few weeks and incurred additional expenses.

I bet this is a great product but I don't know. I am sending my second one back. The one I received last week looked like someone had been in the box and the end piece on the traffic receiver was broken of so that the fuse would not stay inside. Sent it back on Monday. Thursday got the replacement -- Guess What -- looked like someone had been in the box and the end piece on the traffic receiver was broken of so that the fuse would not stay inside. I would say that Amazon was just recycling the same c550 but new comes from Irving, TX and old is shipped back to Lexington, KY.

Of course Amazon does not have any live people working for them or at least they have no phone service so you can't just call and say "Please check the product before you ship". I am going to keep trying until Amazon gets it right.

This worked great for two months then died completely. Now dealing with the fun of warranty service. Based on other peoples reviews and experiences with Garmin warranty service, I don't have much hope for this device, even if it gets repaired or replaced.
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Before I get into this, let me just say that we use the C550 daily and love the features/functionality......when they work.

Here's a short list of features with "features":

Bluetooth connectivity is inconsistent, but mostly problematic. When it works, it works all day, when it doesn't, might as well turn bluetooth off and save your battery. Most days (like 9 out of 10), bluetooth will disconnect continuously when using motorola razor or blackberry phones. These rarely found phones are NOT on Garmin's compatibility list...so guess that's my problem.

Text to speech is ridiculous....you would think that the abbreviation "Dr." would be assumed as "drive" in the context of a street name....instead, the text to speech says "doctor"...same goes for several other abbreviations, like "hwy". Noteable lack of quality control on garmin's behalf.

Although I'd rate the navigation engine very good overall, there are times when the system gets "stubborn" and insists on a specific track, even if it lengthens the trip by dozens of kilometers and would increase travel time by at least an hour. Although there seems to be a good accounting of one-way streets, there is no noticeable accounting for restricted turns (i.e. no left turn).


Other than that....I'm happy with the C550

Good Deal? I bought it with $160 when it was on sale. But this model is actually outdated. The manual is confusing. I spent some time to figure out how to download the free map 2009 and register the product on line. Not a Good Deal? You can find many other brands with newer model and pay less than $160. I have a TomTom One I have been using for a year and I love all the design. Today you can have it with $100. When I was in Detroit, the Garmin C550 drove me to a deadend road. I tried to find another way, but the Garmin did not help and nonstop reminded me to return back. I did not know how to ask it to shut up. Finally, I turned down the volume and started my TomTom One again. I compared the Garmin and the TomTom on my way home. TomTom always gave me a better way and reminded me one time ahead and second time like--turn right, turn left, stay on the lane, etc. Garmin didn't do like this. With the Garmin, I needed to pay attention on the street signs because Garmin only said one time at which street I needed to turn.

I have been looking to own this GPS for a while, finally I received the product in main on time. I was so excited to use. When I switched on the unit, it dispalyed "acquiring sattellite link please wait.....", I have waited for very near an hour or so but the link didn't come. Hoping that it will work next day. But the instrument died when I switched on next day. Even when I plug in the instrument, it was not being charged. Finally I have to return the product. But return was good though........I got my money back on time.

I had another vendors GPS and the cord was shorting out and had a protection plan. When I went to have the cord replaced the store no longer carried the brand and I would be entitled to a new unit. A comparable unit was the Garmin C550. After some time I decided to get this unit. After getting it home and checking it out further I hooked it up and it would not acquire satelites after 45 minutes. I took it back and enroute it finally acquired the satelites. I returned home. The next day after over an hour it never did acquire satelites so I returned it for another. This one did acquire satelites. Since I was going on a driving trip I was anxious to use this GPS. Well enroute to our destination it had us turn off the interstate and go through some local roads for no apparent reason. I just returned to the interstate even though the unit was not directing us to do so. Then we were going to a specific location and it was off by more than 2 miles as to the actual location. On the return trip it took us to an old 2 lane curve laden road to arrive at a destination. This road, in my opinion, would not be able to be traveled by anything bigger that a car. Luckily I was not driving the RV or I would have never been able to naviate this road. My older unit had some features I would like to see on this unit such as, selecting the use of toll roads or not, the screen identifying the direction of the next turn so you do not have to wait until you are .3 miles from the turn. I will continue to use this unit but I did buy another protection plan with this unit allowing me to exchange it. Time will tell how this unit performs. Hopefully Garmin will update the software to satisfy user comments about the unit.

This GPS device is easy to use. Aside from the basic point-to-point directions, you can find stores near you or near your current route, which is useful for finding, say, gas or a restaurant while on a road trip.

The basic GPS functionality works well. It doesn't always choose what I would consider the optimal route, but it always gets me to where I'm going.

I am less impressed with the traffic functionality, which is the main reason I chose this unit. It is slow to identify when there are traffic situations in the chosen route, and slow to identify alternate routes. As an example, I commute 50 miles to work each day. There are two main highways, and with no traffic the routes are within 5 minutes of each other. One morning, it told me to take the first highway, estimated travel time one hour. After about 30 minutes, it identifies traffic ahead, and the estimated travel time dramatically increases, and the alternate route is taking an early exit and a frontage road to go around the accident. But, the accident was quite bad, and had been there for a few hours, and so traffic was backed up even behind that exit. If the accident had just happened, I would have been perfectly happy with that option. But, the accident had happened long before I got in the car - so I would have expected that the traffic detector would have noticed it and adjusted the route from the start.

At first I thought I was expecting too much from a GPS traffic device. But, the map feature with traffic on the iPhone is much better than the traffic on this device. I've taken to using this device for a suggested route, but validating traffic with my iPhone before starting any long trips.

the GOOD:
-easy to use, intuitive
-good battery life
-good GPS functionality

the BAD:
-traffic detection
-offering alternate routes

If you are buying a GPS, be sure to get all the bells and whistles. Bluetooth lets you make calls using the device. If you are traveling you can check for restaurants and call ahead with a simple touch of the finger.
I love my Garmin and I strongly endorse it to my friends.

I am very pleased with this GPS unit, its sensitivity and operation. It is easy to use. My only complaint is with the FM Radio Data System used by the C550. I live in a smaller city rated as having some of the worse traffic in the country. The FM Radio Data System signal is not available in my area. So the FM TMC traffic receiver is of no value to me unless I travel to a larger city, which is not frequent. If the FM traffic information were available for my local area, I would subscribe. I understand there is a second type of FM or other radio signal that provides traffic info on other models of Garmin GPS units. (I think the signal is provided by MSN.) That signal is available in my area, but cannot be received by the C550. Other Garmin GPS units that receive the alternative traffic signal were costing, when I checked, about $100 more. Before buying a GPS, consider whether you would want the traffic info, and check signal availability for your area relative to the unit you buy.

I can get lost in my own neighborhood so GPS was developed for people like me. I delayed buying a personal GPS using the excuses of "they cost too much", "the maps aren't good enough", "not enough features for what I want", etc. I finally found the incentive to go out and buy one - my teenage kids driving 350 miles to visit relatives over Thanksgiving - without me. I did my homework, shopped at a competing electronics store and then purchased the Garmin c550 from Amazon. It arrived the next day thanks to Amazon Prime. I read the instructions and tried to get some music loaded on the Garmin but didn't have much luck. My music is not in the MP3 format so it wasn't recognized. But I didn't buy this gadget for music - that was just a nice plus. I plugged in the adapter that doubles as an FM traffic receiver and plugged in my work address. The directions were clear and gave me plenty of time to switch lanes and make my turns. When I chose a different route than the garmin, it "recalulated" my route and gave new instructions. The kids took it with them and they not only found the farm house down an old dirt road, they also made it to the airport to pick up their father and then to their uncle's house for leftovers. You have many choices for voices and accents as well as languages so if one voice is difficult to understand, try another.

This weekend I used the Garmin to find my way to a college town 3 hours away. I was able to enter a generic destination, pick an address and then find my hotel near my destination. Along the way, my son and I were hungry so we asked the Garmin to find a place to eat nearby. It was able to route us to the restaurant we selected from the list and then back on our route to the hotel. All in all, it did pretty much everything I wanted.

What didn't it do or did wrong? Just as we arrived at our destination, with one turn left, it locked up and required a reset. The reset button is found under the decorative plate in the front. This was not a good time to lock up but we had flipped back and forth between a couple of screens so it was probably trying to execute conflicting commands. My bad - I suppose. It would be better if it didn't lock up at all but it is a small computer. Another oddity is the pronunciation and interpretation of street names. FM271 North was pronounced "Federated States of Micronesia 271 North"; University Dr. was pronounced "University Doctor"! In other places the streets (these same streets) were pronounced "FM 271 North" and "University Drive". Eisenhower Drive was pronounce "ee sen HOWERdrive". You hear it, go "huh?" and then glance at the map to make sure you can find the street it just said.

I have not yet tried to use the bluetooth capabilities in this GPS but the traffic feature works fairly well in Dallas. If this feature is the main reason you are looking at this device, make sure the traffic feature is available in your area. It worked "okay" in Dallas, but its ability to recognize a traffic jam and re-route you is only as good as the traffic report.

Overall, I like my new toy. I was able to look up restaurants in the town where I stayed and get immediate directions to them. It took me straight to the parking garage on campus and got me back on track when I thought I was smarter than the machine and took a wrong turn.

The Garmin c550 is a great navigator but the points of interest are dated and may lead you to places that do not exist or are clearly wrong. My suggestion is if you're not familair with the location call using the bluetooth function. It's made easy b/c the phone #s are given and a couple of button presses away from a ring.
Also I have a Verizon Motorola Q and the bluetooth works great with phonebook and all.

I purchased this GPS as a gift for family. The only complaint I received was that the power ran down quickly during use, but I called the Garmin help line and they sent me out a new car charger. The system is fun to use and easy to learn.

I actually bought this for use in my rental car when I went to Missouri. It pinpoints hotels, places to eat, points of interest in a flash. It is easy to use and I like that the volume works well, even when I have the radio on. I have used this on a few trips now and rarely does it lose a satellite signal. The only bad thing about it is it tends not to give you the most direct route. I went maybe 5 miles around to get from one place to another, when I could have gone straight up the road to get to the same place. Too bad it took 3 days for me to realize that...I was only staying for 5.

INITIALLY THE SELECTED PRODUCT SEMED PERFORMED AS STATED, EXCEPT FOR A SPECIFIC MODEL PROGRAM MALFUNCTION WHICH PREVENTED START-UP. THE GARMIN QUICK EXPERT SUPPORT SUPPLIED ME THE UPDATE PROCEDURES VIA INTERNET WITH A GUARANTEE OF IMMEDIATE PRODUCT REPLACEMENT IF UPDATE DID NOT WORK. SUBSEQUENT TO PROGRAM UPDATE, THE MALFUNCTION DID NOT RE-OCCUR AND THE C-550 PROVED AS RELIABLE AS ADVERTISED AND VERY ACCURATE. OVERALL A VERY GOOD TRANSACTION AND A FINE PIECE OF KIT.

Good product works great. I don't like the position of the sockets for power and audio out. Kind of difficult to connect and remove.

I have been searching for the right GPS unit that had the feature that best suited my use. I have found it in the Garmin Street Pilot c550. The real selling point for me was the text to speech feature, the pricing and it having the Bluetooh capability. I really like the feature of being able to answer the cell phone see who is calling, and having my address book loaded into the unit. I also like the ability to load my music into it. The display looks good and is easy to read with great direction. I also like the ability of moving it between cars. I am impressed and satisfied with the unit features so far.

I bought this particular GPS Navigation system because it was the best deal for one having Bluetooth capability. The GPS system was easy to setup and the Bluetooth was easy to setup as well. Phone calls are easy to answer and make. Strongly recommend.

The Garmin c550 is great! I have nothing to say negative about it really other then it is BULKY!!!

I purchased A Streetpilot 550c primarily based on other reviews I had read as well as it having the features I was looking for. I like the portability because I transfer it between my truck and my patrol car. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and, so far, it performs as advertised. I an extremely happy with it. The price was right and the shipping was expedient.

Good price, works as expected. Has features I've never used nor plan to use! Meets my needs. 2008 map base. No AC charger. Would've rated it at 5 stars with an AC charger.
br /If you want to go from A to B it will get you there. It'll get you home!

I seldom make reviews unless an item perform exceptionally well or really bad. I purchased this unit for my wifes birthday based on the many reviews I read. I sought after affordability, ease of use, and performance. This unit fits the bill perfectly.
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br /My wife is a "team mom", and she frequently drives to various gyms for games all over town. She also had a bad habit of driving with the phone to her ear (she refuses to wear an earpiece). Now she can receive calls hands free, and the screen clearly displays the incming caller ID. I had limited experience with GPS systems, so I was a bit nervous about what top expect. After our 1st use, I know I made a good choice. Afer "playing" with it for 10 minutes, the wifey handles her navigation like a pro. With a touch of the "Where To" menu she enters the address (if known) or she searches for it by name similar to a google search.
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br /Its interface is simple and intuitave - we've yet to read the directions. The display is bright and clear under all lighting situations we've encountered; your next move is displayed clearly on the screen; and the spoken directions are given at about the right time as a reminder. There are several voice options, (my wife prefers the Brit guy voice, I prefer the Aussie babe accent :-)
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br /As far as the navigation goes, I've observed that it "links up" in 3 seconds or less, and if you chose to stray off course, it recalculates within a second or 2.
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br /I'm sure there are many more features, but we were looking for the ability to get simple directions clearly displyed and spoken. Really, I'm amazed at how often she uses it and how we got by this long without it.
br /Overall, you will have a hard time beating this model for something that works well.

I like the Garmin StreetPilot, I had a c330 befor this one and was very happy with it's performance. I find the c550 more advanced w//bluetooth feature and alot more road names including County(rural dirt roads).
br /The one thing I don't like is Charging the Battery. I'm a full time RV'er and I use the Cigarette Lighter outlet to charge it. On the c330 no problem when it was Fully charged it would "Beep" Charge Completed but not on the c550. I've left in charging over night and Yes the Battery shows all green(4 boxes) but doesn't beep or read Charge completed. I've used my computer w/USB cable to charge it as well, again no "beep" or read out on the screen.
br /I will call Garmin about this and see what they say. I also still have some problems with "Final Destination" It doesn't Always give me the "Best Way". I wish it would allow me to use coordinates.Some Parks are out of the way and use the nearest big city for address and doesn't bring me to the destination point.
br /Over All, I'm happy with the Garmin. They do have a Navigator that uses coordinates but was out of my cost range. Your price was Very Reasonable" and Less that Any Other Store or Web site. Thank You for the"Grat Deal".

This product is amazing! While you are driving it shows you exactly where you are. If you go off course then it tells you how to get back on course. This will be great for detours or avoiding heavy traffice. Also, it is very easy to use!

The Street Pilot C550 is a great buy. It has almost every feature of the high end navigators without the high price. The phone feature is not working right. The other party has hard time hearing you while talking. The satelite signal takes a minute or two for the GPS but other than that I am very happy with the purchase. The battery doesn't last 8 hours but long enough in case you have a motorcycle and want to take it with you.

Pro
br /Good product and value for money.
br /
br /Cons
br /If it can't find the satelites, goes to the indoor mode to make it work we need to reboot the toy. Guess its windows based ;)

This can do everything it advertises, with no problems. It's easy to mount, easy to set up, easy to use. I haven't used the traffic detection yet, so I don't know how good that is. But I've used this in two different cities, with successful directions for the most part.
br /
br /Trying to find a place is natural enough, as it breaks things down into multiple categories (example, Places - Food - Pizza, etc.) and returns places that are currently closest to you. You can also enter the address if you know it. You can also set a hot button to Home, which is nice to have a set favorite location to go to. The Bluetooth integration is nice too. It will give you a hands free setup, if you don't already have one.
br /
br /Of course there are some quirks that I found, which may or may not have solutions. The primary one is that once you enter your destination, and receive your path route, there isn't an easy way to get an overview to ensure it is taking you to the right place. Zooming way out on the map far enough, is rather painful. So, there is an element of trust that needs to go on. Luckily it hasn't steered me wrong yet (that I know of). The other minor quirk is that trying to browse places isn't as good as I'd like. I was in a strange city (Kansas City) and wanted to find good places to go. The places it returned to me seemed limited compared to what I had seen earlier in Google maps. But, it did return enough that we had a good time with what was provided.
br /
br /All in all, I would recommend this unit, since it definitely does what it is supposed to ,and it does it well.

Pricing was great. Product functioned very well, as designed. An abundance of features for the price. Hands free speakerphone was a pleasant surprise. Incoming calls ring in the GPS, giving you the option to answer and talk back. The screens are easy to follow. The bluetooth directory is a another great feature. The unit speaks the name of the street so you don't have to take your eys of the road. Just a reminder that no MAPS are perfect and neither is routing. Sometimes seemed to route the long way around. Might require some settings tuning for best inner city routes. All and all, a great value.

This is just what I thought it would be. It has all the great, basic features I was looking for in a portable GPS. The best part is the blue tooth hands free phone. It has good connection and excellent sound quality for such a little unit. Connects to my phone, contact list and gives me great area information for whatever I'm looking for. We bought some for our work vehicles as well. For some, we added an external microphone that made it even better, but we didn't need that for most applications. If you are looking for something inexpensive and still have a quality unit, this is the one.

Amazon's price for the Garmin StreetPilot c550 is excellent and the GPs system has easy to use features...and it also talks! Unfortunately, the power chord does not fit a VW Passat or Audi A6 cigarette lighter. Garmin says this is rare but acknowledges that there may be a few car models that cannot use the product. The literature does NOT include this caution.

Pretty much couldn't live with out the garmin GPS. My previous was a few years old and i liked the garmin product. This pretty much takes you dorr to door which of course is the important thing. The blue tooth works great with my cell phone and was easy to set up. Pretty much couldn't be happier with it.

The Garmin c550 is definitely a great buy. I was amazed at how fast it calculates routes. I definitely recommend this unit

After researching all GPS brands and options and reading the reviews, this being my first GPS, I decided to buy the Garmin c-550. For the price & the options it appeared to be the "best buy". Now that I have used it for a while I can honestly say I made a great choice and would highly reccommend this one. It's so easy to use. Just plug it in, it locates itself and you are ready to go. The unit quickly recalculated when I changed the route and the clear by-street name instructions really help. I was also pleased because the unit, within plenty of time indicated which lane of traffic to be in for your next turn. I really appreciated this on those 6-lane loops with exits on both sides! You are also given ample time (half mile) warning of next turn and the visual on the screen updates as quickly as you are moving. The memory slot worked great for adding my music to be played on the mpeg player and the Bluetooth phone option was easy to pair up. Just be sure to look and see if your phone is compatible. My high end palm treo was not but my wife's Razor was. Attaching to the pc was easy and although it needed no updating I can see it will be easy if/when needed. It has some customizable options that are handy as well. The size of the screen is perfect. It can be set to dim to the lighting and you really aren't staring at the screen that much to need anything bigger. I found this unit to meet and exceed all my expectations!

Excellent product and pricing. I did a lot of research prior to purchase including demo's at local stores and and happy with my choice. I travel extensively and expect continued good service for many miles to come. I initially had difficulty w/ the bluetooth portion but tech support emailed me the updated software and explained its' install in a timely manner. The unit is well made and not at all flimsy, like others on the market.

Have been using this for a few weeks now and overall is value for the discounted Amazon price. The traffic feature is mostly useless in the NY area. WHere there is traffic there are no alerts and where there are alerts there is no traffic.

Besides that the only other issue that Garmin needs to sort out is that once a route is decided, it does not necessarily take the fastest or best route if we turn off or miss a turn. It only finds a way back to the original route. Not all bad however, because one of the most important features of the GPS is having the ability to find your way back in an unknown area is veru useful.

This is the greatest GPS I have ever owned or rented from Hertz or Avis. Right out of the box and I was good to go. Lots of excellent features and up to date software. I was cruising cornfields in IL on county roads with corn taller than my car on both sides and I ended right where I wanted to be. So very simple to use, too. The estimated arrival time feature is great. I recommend this GPS to anyone needing an automotive GPS.

Great product. Easy to use. I truly did just have to plug it in. It took me where I wanted to go no matter how many wrong turns I made.

I was working in Auburn AL and did not know my way around. I was backing tracking all the time wasting time that I really did not have. I spoke with my supervisior about getting a gps and he said that was fine. A co-worker of mine had recently purchased a garmin 550 and loved it so I got one. It has been great. It doesn't do that well on detours but it has been a great investment.

I am new to the GPS world and have always thought owning one would be a good idea. I shopped around and found the best price on this model and ordered mine. Rec'd quickly and once I had it, took no time to set up. Attached mount to windshield, plugged in TMS receiver, and away I went. I also use the Bluetooth functionality and it works great. I use this every day on my daily commute and the traffic feature has helped me to avoid a massive tie up within a week of purchase. The traffic feature is handy when you are either approaching a tie up, or are already in it. I was already in it because as soon as I entered the highway it was jammed up. The unit told me that there was accident 8 miles ahead and that there were 3 different traffic warning due to this accident. I used the detour feature to have the unit send me off the highway. The alternate route was slower and the unit warned me of this, but at least I was moving when I took the alternate route.

I used this in NJ on a recent trip and was surprised that it did not suggest the route that I was taking. The unit wanted me to go on local roads at times instead of the main interstate. I didn't listen and "she" quickly figured out I was going a different way and caught up with me by recalculating the route. There was a confusing interchange just before the Lincoln tunnel and I surely would have been lost without "her".

Highly recommended.

Garmin Streetpilot c550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator A great price on a great GPS purchased through amazon and shipped by Beach Camera although i see that amazon is now shipping it for the same price. They shipped promptly and the unit arrived boxed with all components as advertised. This GPS has everything and is easy to use. See the product description, it does everything it says. The screen is very clear and easy to see even in bright daylight. The real time traffic feature also works great and you don't need to purchase a separate antenna as you would have to do with a "real time traffic capable" unit. The antenna is built into the power cord. This unit is also bluetooth ready. It is preloaded with current maps of the US and Canada. There is no need to spend more money on any other unit.

The Garmin 550 has it all. It may not be the newest product that Garmin sells but it is the most full featured for the price that I found. I was always going with Garmin, I had a friend that owned a 320 and he loved the simple touch screen interface and ease of use. The 550 has voice prompts (with street names) that was a must for my wife, the newer technology to acquire satellites that the more recent Garmins have and it comes with a 3 month trial of the traffic alert service. All this and it was easily $100 less than a similarly equipped model from Garmin. It also has hands free bluetooth so you can use it as a speaker phone with your bluetooth enabled cell phone. I thought this option would have limited features but when I started reading the clear, easy to understand manual (yes, I read manuals...) I realized how extensive the bluetooth options were. I would normally just use a GPS unit to navigate to locations that are unfamiliar or far away but the bluetooth options make it a must have in the car each day. You can even use the phone numbers that are included in the ~6 million POI database to call restaurants or hotels via the touch screen while your traveling. Very cool. One other note on the traffic alert feature, I was worried that the coverage would be underwhelming but once I researched the links provided on the Garmin site I saw that it is actually very good in an around the major metropolitan areas in the country. I live outside Boston and we pickup service nearly 30 miles west of the city. We actually used the alerts the first time we used the 550 to avoid an accident on Rt2. For just a yearly $60 dollar subscription I was sold. So, to sum up, I am more than impressed that a sub $300 GPS has all these features and the already well known Garmin ease of use. Garmin was also the only GPS manufacturer that got any good reviews for customer service I found. I have not needed it yet but hope that remains true if I ever do.

I was very pleased with the Garmin Streetpilot c550 and very pleased with the convenience of Amazon. The product is very user friendly and easy to deal with.

Love the Garmin Streetpilot c550. Had it for about a month now. Very accurate and user friendly. Great price from BeachCamera.com. Quick delivery. Would suggest you purchase the Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount. This really works well when using it in different vehicles and it's easy to remove from your vehicle to avoid theft. No having to stick it to the windshield or dash.

This has been a lifesaver. I got this just before moving to a big city and have used it so much for job hunting and learning my way around. It is very easy to use; I have still never used the manual! The touch screen is easy to use. My husband has a GPS included in his car, but we both prefer this one because it's easier to use and it doesn't "speak" unless necessary. We've also really enjoyed the "attractions" option while travelling because it finds us hotels and places to eat, then takes us there! I don't think we'll use a paper map again any time soon. Also, I was told that the Garmin brand products have more complete maps than the competition; I don't know how true that is, but I haven't been steered wrong yet!

This is a fantastic GPS! It is very easy to use. I have a handheld Magellan Medallion Gold which is very complicated to use, so I wanted a car unit that was simple and easy to use. I have used the Garmin c550 every day, switching from my truck to car to motorhome and it works perfect in all vehicles. It has been perfectly accurate and blue tooth works perfect. This unit is exactly as advertised.Price was great and was delivered as promised. Would recommend the Garmin c550 to everyone! Love it!

Easy to use and understand. Graphics are clearly visible, and the audio is easy to follow. So far very happy with the product.

Had this for alomost a month and I'd highly recommend it. easy to use and witht he traffic option (I use it here in LA) it gets me out of those long rush hour delays. the blue tooth option works great with my LG phone and it was easy to set up. It did take a couple of reset trys but the unit final recognise the ph. It receives and makes calls all from the unit via the phones blue tooth capabilities. I'm still learn new things it can do with adding topographical things for those out of the way places so it has room to grow as I learn more. You will be pleased and the price was very sweet and affordable for a GPS with blue tooth and traffic watch. You'll love it!

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!!!

This product is so easy to use. It recalculates quickly when you get off track or take a different route. Can be easily upgraded. Color is always easy to read day or night and voice is plenty loud enough. Only negative so far is that the Lock feature only gives you one try and then it is locked until you return to your home spot.

Very satisfied with the Garmin c-550 street pilot.Had to go to L.A.the week I purchased it.The Garmin performed stellar. I love not having to ask for directions

This is the first item i have bought off amazon and i was very pleased. This is the first GPS that we have owned so we are really new at this. The c550 is a great system and very easy to program. Our only complaint is that its off by a couple of houses when ever we go somewhere. which isn't a problem unless one of you try to come to my house you will end up down the block. All in all we are pleased and would buy again if had the chance.

I purchased the Garmin for Christmas and have only used it for a week, but it has been great so far. It recalculates your route very quickly if you go off your destination route. Haven't yet had to use the real time traffic. Love it!

I liked the Garmin Streetpilot C550 GPS so much I bought another for my wife.

I bought this for my husband for his birthday and he loved it! The unit is user friendly, yet has tremendous capability. We highly recommend it.

My husband is in his 70's and I'm 70yrs of age, and we really like our GPS. We used it for a trip to Detroit Mi
br /on labor day weekend to go to his brothers surprise birthday party and it was perfect. It gave us street by street
br /instructions and where to turn etc, never made a mistake. And if we had to change the street because of detour-it would re-calculate our directions immediately. We hadn't been to Detroit for five or 7 years and you
br /forget where to turn etc, so our Garmin GPS was very helpful to get to the hotel and then to his church where the surprise party took place . My daughter loaned us her GPS--the Garmin c550- and we liked it so much
br /we ordered our own GPS--the same as my daughters and we are very happy using it. So easy just touch and go.

this is one of the best investments I've made in a while. I can't believe how easy it was to set up and use. I am extremely satisfied with all the features. I will definitely buy more for my family.

The GARMIN 010-00522-00 Streetpilot C550 GPS Receiver is excellent to WOW! in all respects. The screen is large enough to be clearly visible even in a large vehicle, bright enough for full daylight, easy to program and use and has a lot of extras that are surprising for the low price. These include MP3 and bluetooth phone functions as well as the traffic FM service that is available. I am a tech type person and have harshly evaluated this device and find it excellent. I am buying myself one. The first was for the wife who is NOT a techy and she was able to set it up, punch in addresses and use it with ease..

I bought 3 of these for my delivery drivers. They are easy to use and my guys get directions and a hands-free phone in one unit.

My wife and I recently drove 3,500 miles from Southern California through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and back home. We had never used a GPS device but wanted to try one, so I researched them online and decided this was a best buy -- $158 for a unit that sold up to $400 just three years ago. It served us well, got us where we wanted to go and for the most part imparted accurate information. When I had trouble downloading the latest maps file, the company was nice enough to send me the maps on a CD, gratis. The only annoyance: getting used to the automated voice announcing "Recalculating" every time we deviated from the prescribed route.

I bought this Garmin for my wife. We had recently moved to a new area and she got a job that required her to travel daily to new and unfamiliar areas. After her first day with it she told me that it was the best gift she had ever received, and to this day...1 year later she still feels that it is perfect.
br /
br / The user interface is simple, easy to use and logical. Many, many POI's. The search function can be hit or miss, and at times can take a while. Searching for POI's in another location (not where you are currently, but for example your destination) is very difficult as it never seams to find anything. I know that each system has its quirks and specific ways to input info to get what you want, but I have no idea how to make it work if you are in Utah...Ex. trying to find the address 155 N 365 W , Provo, Utah (just an example) is impossible. It is not set up to recognize the address format, if you know how please let me know.
br /
br /Overall this is a wonderful product and for the price it is now- it is even better. I would buy this again if something were to happen to the one that we have.

This is my thrid GPS and by far the best so far. The thing I like over the others I has was the flexibility when searching. If a street has more than one name (eg Aurora here in Seattle is also known as highway 99), this system has both. Meggelan would only have one of the other, whcih was a major flaw.

This is the 2nd Garmin i have bought for myself and absolutely recommend them as the best GPS around. I have also bought a similar streetpilot for both my parents and they love them too! One note- the traffic adapter is also a car charger so don't buy any additional chargers unless you really need to have a second one. Also like the bluetooth integration for my phone. Only con is that the battery life is a little short so you defintiely have to charge this more often than some others i have had in the past.

Garmin Streetpilot c550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
br /I was first exposed to this unit when I rented it with a car on my trip to San Diego, CA. No instructions were included so it was plug in, push "Where To?", and follow the simple, easy instructions. I also connected my cellphone to the Bluetooth feature in a very few easy steps. Piece of cake!!
br /The sound from the speakers was ok, understandable but a little tinny.
br /The map display was readable even in the desert sun on I15 east heading
br /towards Las Vegas.
br /When I returned from my trip, I promptly ordered one. Although I have a NAV system and Bluetooth in one car, our other car does not so it is used for both purposes in that vehicle.
br /I also will have it for use when I rent a car again and I wont have to pay $12 to $14 a day for NAV rental.
br /Very good price and easy to use.
br /I had an issue with a free updated 2009 map download and tech support was able to help resolve the issue.
br /I do recommend the dash mount as it is illegal to mount this unit on a windshield in CA. Must have something to do with radar detectors, I believe.

This is my second Garmin since they are so user friendly and anyone can use them, I have stayed loyal to the brand. I purchased this second one for my husband who now uses it to go everywhere. I should mention he has a GPS built into his cars and prefers to use only the Garmin.

I purchased the Garmin c550 two months ago. So far so good.StreetPilotU c550 Mobile GPS Receiver

My Garmin has changed my life. I am much less intimidated about exploring new places now!! I recently had to take my boys to Boston to take one son back to school and the other on some college tours. Having the Garmin made what I expected to be a very stressful trip, into a complete pleasure. We were all amazed at how easy this GPS is to use, and how dependable it is. For me, it is worth its weight in gold!!

I searched and searched for the "right" GPS for me and found the Garmin C550. I absolutely love it. It gives great directions and I love the fact that it speaks the street names. I have only used it a few times going to places that I already know, but I am looking forward to using it on my almost cross country drive back to my parents' house. I downloaded some POI's so that I can find the nearest Wal-Mart and Dunkin' Doughnuts and oh yeah Starbucks. Only thing I'm not fond of is the battery life. It has died on me twice, but it does come with a plug so that you can charge it in the car/keep it powered while driving.

This GPS works great I would recommend the Garmin c550 to any one. It has a lot of great features and quick response time.

Garmin Streetpilot c550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator This my second Garmin c550. I like the unit because it does everything that I need and does it very well. It announces all street or other route names in PLENTY of time for you to be able to execute. This is an updated version and it has loads of current info. Instructions are simple and easy to follow, It also is bluetooth capable which is very important to me since I drive a vehicle with hand controls. The screen has great touch control and the speaker is sharp and clear. I have owned/own other Garmin products (Marine) and as usual they are USER FRIENDLY.

I was happy to see this item on the website. However, the item I received was not new in Garmin packaging. I thought I was ordering from a site that would have described the item as being either an open box item or would have clearly indicated that it was not in a sealed Garmin Box. It didn't mention that it was not in the original packaging. The item was loose in a reasonably sized, white gift type box.

This raises questions about this present which I purchased for my husband as a gift. I rely on Amazon for purchasing items and I have always gotten exactly what I expected. This was a disappointment and since I went through Amazon I would have expected a better description by those that use the Amazon site to list their items.

I got this garmin c550 a great deal and this gps is really do wonders with bluetooth, loud voice suport, tells the street names too and much more.... I would suggest to buy this....

This is my first GPS. It's pretty easy to use, does what it's supposed to, is fun to have, takes a lot of the anxiety out of going to new places. Voice is loud and clear, having the street names (text-to-speech) helps a lot. So far have discovered at least one new restaurant from POI.

Drawbacks:
When it gives you a route that, for various reasons, you really don't want to go (questionable area, propensity for sudden traffic jams even if it is unclogged at the moment, etc.) I haven't found any good way to get it to give me a different route instead. Yes, you can choose between fastest and shortest route, etc., but that doesn't usually solve the problem. In one case, I found I could get around it by indicating Triboro Bridge as a stop along the way, but overall it's a limitation. Otherwise, I can go my own way and listen to the voice get kind of peeved as it repeats, "Recalculating," and tries to get me back to the original route until it finally gives up. But that only works if you're pretty confident of a good portion of the trip already. The traffic feature, which is one reason I got this model, hasn't been much help yet and doesn't work in some areas, but I still have to give that feature more of a try. The thickness makes it impossible to stick in your pocket when you don't want to leave it in the car, so you need some kind of bag or case to carry it in. The manual is skimpy and leaves a lot unexplained.

Those issues aside, though, overall I'm happy with it, and some of the drawbacks are probably common to other GPS models as well. Final analysis, I recommend it.

I would recommend this unt for anyone looking for an all around naviagation unit, at a modest price. I like the less-glare screen (traded up from the c340 model) and the added extras (optional car icons) are cute. The traffic updater is very usefull and quite accurate. BLue tooth works somewhat well, and is a nice addition.

My husband and I used this nav system on our honeymoon in Hawaii. It was great. So we purchased this once we got home. We are very pleased with that decision.

I won't reiterate what the other reviewers have said, which is mostly accurate. I bought, and paid extra for the 550 for the traffic functions. I did not expect to be impressed and in fact expected to return the unit due to inaccurate traffic info.

Much to my surprise, the traffic in the NY-NJ area seems to be fairly accurate, timely, and better then I had anticipated. I am not anticipating perfection, and in fact had one questionable rerouting due to traffic in the first 2 weeks. But I also had several positive experiences. The data seems to be quite good.

One problem not mentioned in the user guide is that you need to unfurl the cable connecting the power supply / traffic receiver to the GPS fully in order to get the best traffic reception. Took me a week to figure that one out!

Also I emailed Clear Channel, who distributes the data, to complain about traffic coverage at my home and they got back to me quickly with news that they expected to be hosted on 3 additional FM stations in my (semi-rural) area before year end.

Overall a very positive experience, and I haven't even gotten my Bluetooth phone yet.

Highly recommended. Spend the extra with this model for the bluetooth (unless your car already has it, then go for lower model). This is a very easy to use model (UI). Highly recommended.

FROM ALASKA TO CHICAGO, IL TO DAYTONA BEACH, FL AND TO MICHIGAN AND BACK. THE GARMIN C550 WAS JUST AWESOME!!! NO COMPLAINTS, MONEY WELL SPENT!

I got my garmin promptly, and in perfect condition. It was so cold outside when I received it that I waited three days to finally plug it in & use it b/c i was afraid I might freeze it during charging. After plugging it in, I realized this was a needless concern. It worked perfectly as soon as I plugged it in.

I used a similar gps in a rental car on a trip to Ohio, and was was very impressed with it. It just makes your life a whole lot easier. I've only had the c550 for a month. This is a real nice unit, it works very well. I can't see how you can pay $2400 for an in dash nav system. I thought I needed a bigger screen, but at less than $170 this is fine. Occasionally, it will take you on some back or dirt road, but if don't want to, just take another road and in a couple of seconds you're re-routed. Also it considers Y's turns, so you'll have to get used that [you don't really make a turn]. If you're driving alone, it's just like having a co-pilot. The voice isn't bad either. I can't see any negatives. Once you use one, you'll have to have it. It's a real time saver, you won't get lost, and you'll save on gas. It will pay for itself. Best to get the a/c charger.

I got this 3 months ago after which it just didn't switch on with no response even with the usb cable. After sending it back to Garmin I got a replacement which was supposed to be new. The replacement was unable to detect the satelite signal and had a bad screen. I would pres one button and it would do something else. After working for about 30 minutes with tech support to try to fix this they asked me to return it back to them. I am waiting for my 3rd GPS unit. Luckily I did'nt waist more money on a second GARMIN that I was planing on buying just before thie nightmare happened.

the product was really good i really liked it the only problem was that it died after 2 weeks!!! of purchase.

I did quite a bit of research and after reading a lot of positive reviews, I decided to go with the c550. First, i'll start with the positives. Nice looking unit. Small enough to put in your pocket yet large enough to be seen on the dash board. The suction cup mount was easy to install and since I only had the unit a week, I didnt have the problem of it falling off like others said in their reviews. The unit was very intuitive to use, the touch screen was nice and no problems with it. I never used the mp3 player or the blue tooth options. However, the sample songs in it sounded horrible, like it was playing on an old transitor radio.
The negatives. The unit did not offer alot of features. I took a road trip from Florida to New York. All throughout the trip, hundreds of miles from home yet, the unit would tell me to get off the highway and take other streets. One address I put in, the unit took me to an old grassy field about 3 miles from my destination. Another time it had me drive past my destination about 1 mile, go about another mile in a circle and took me back to the destination. Another time, i knew I was only about 2 miles away from my destination and the unit kept telling me to make a u-turn. The traffic feature was a joke. it would say there was heavy traffic up ahead and suggest an alternate route. I would keep on my normal path with no heavy traffic and no problems. Although the unit would show businesses along the way it did not show rest areas along the highway or exit numbers on the exits.
I returned the unit to Circuit City and they charged a 15% restocking fee which was 120 dollars. I wrote to Garmin and reported everything and they responded with a form letter stating they were not responsible for the information the unit uses. Don't they test their products before subjecting the public to their crap? Very disappointed at the quality of the product and the poor customer service. I thought Garmin was suposed to be the best.
Bottom line: nice looking unit but has very few options inside it and the actual navigation stinks. I had better results from paper maps and Mapquest.
Stay away from this unit.

The dealer was fine, I should say that upfront. Our fist item worked for a few hours on Christmas day. The replacement has functioned well since we got it. The directions are sort of spotty and the maps are rather incomplete. They also have an auto complete on the street names that makes some streets impossible to get to. It is way too expensive to be a sometimes usable tou.

Update First:

Well, after a month, my c550 quit picking up sats. I had to call Garmin for technical support. I ended up being on hold about 5 hours over 2 days before getting a return authorization. They do have some really cool "on hold" music, but 5 hours is still not cool.

Day 1:

On hold for Over 3 hours. This is partially my fault because after a little over an hour I had to go to work. Went to work and called back (put the "on hold" music on the speaker phone and worked while I waited). After almost 2 hours I got on with a tech and he helped walk me and my wife through a reset procedure. Unfortunately, the reset procedure takes about a half hour to then pick up the sats again. So he had to hang up.

Unfortunately, this procedure did not fix the device. So I then followed the directs to update the operating system. This also did not fix the device.

Day 2:

On hold for almost 2 hours. After talking with the tech about what I had done. He gave me a return authorization.

My conclusion:

I would not buy another Garmin device. The c550 is really cool and when it works, it works really well. However, the company is really not worth dealing with.

The pros:

Great screen. Really good directions. Basically like having a dynamic Mapquest map talking to you the entire way. Recalculates quickly when a mistake is made. Really gave my wife a lot more confidence driving in places she is not familiar. My wife and I really love it. The database for locations and phone numbers of local things like gas, shopping, food and instantellers is really amazing and usefull.

The cons:

FM traffic report is basically useless in the bay area. Sometimes it tells you about a traffic jam after you are already in it. Other times it confuses the direction of the jam so it says there is a problem when the problem is on the other lanes. Also, Garmin advertises this is free for the first 15 months, however this option is not available on sign up. False advertising actually.

Also, as California does not allow windsheild mounted GPS, then the next step is to buy the dash mount system. This is a useless design and in the end, I had to crazy glue the mount to my dash to get it to not fall over. Crazy glue works great though. The device still wiggles in the mount however as it is just plane a bad design.

Too bad too because the c550 is a really nice device made worse by a bad mount design and a company that falsely advertises their traffic package. I guess they could correct this and this post could go out of date, however I question a company that has to be told that they a not fullfilling their obligations.

The very first time I used this unit, I got totally lost. But the problem wasn't with the GPS, the problem was the connection between the chair and the mouse - I programmed in the wrong address. When I got the right address I was right where I wanted to be.

Garmin have done a great job in making a car navigation system that is so easy to use straight out of the box. You can get where you want to go without even reading the manual, the software is so intuitive. And the Bluetooth connection to my phone is just wonderful - I didn't even choose the unit for this feature, but it is so useful I would consider it an essential on any future unit I buy. I have used the FM traffic service, but to date I haven't had to try any detours so I can't really comment on this feature.

I have had a hiking GPS for years now, and so I'm familiar with how they work. It actually amazed me that about the only thing that a hiking GPS and a car navigation system have in common is the connection to the satellites - the way they use and present the data is totally different. As a result of using the hiking GPS there is some functionality that I wish the car system had (Garmin software engineers, I hope you are reading this):

1. I wish the c550 would display current heading (in cardinal points or as an arrow on the compass (track-up or north-up), user selectable) on the map screen. You can get heading info on the "Trip Information" screen, but it means toggling back and forth. This is important information to know when you are navigating unfamiliar areas.
2. I wish the c550 displayed altitude. It could display this on the "Trip Information" screen. While not necessary for car navigation, it is interesting info that I've grown to love on my hiking GPS. Sometimes I even drive with both GPS's in operation, just to get altitude, which I guess makes me a certifiable gadget freak.
3. The next one might be a little harder to implement. I rent cars a lot, and have to fill up with gas near the airport. I would like to be able to aim the car at the airport, specify a detour along the way to a gas station (you can do this at the moment), but then I'd like to specify that the gas station must be the closest reasonable stop along my route to the airport. At the moment I take aim at the airport, then change my destination to a gas station when I get near the airport. Most times this works, but on occasions I've had a sizeable detour to get to the gas station.
4. A QWERTY "keyboard" would be more useful than the current ABCDEF one.
5. LAT-LON data would be nice too, maybe tacked onto the "Trip Information" page.

Keep up the good work, Garmin. I'd have given you four-and-a-half stars if I could figure out how to do so.

This is a great product, does what was advertised. I wish the touch screen keyboard layout was QWERTY rather than alphabetical.

This product has lived up to my expectations. I have yet to use the Bluetooth tech or the MP3 player but, then again, why do you buy a GPS? I live in a major city and the real time traffic alert is great. The only negative point I have is that the volume could be a bit louder, especially with the background noise while traveling at high speeds or with the window down. I highly recommend this product.

Blue tooth was a little bit of a struggle, but have been very happy with overall performance of the unit. Updating of the maps was a breeze!

gps was exactly as desrcibed we recieved early packaged well ,we been using since we recieved it works great and i am happy with it thanks

This is a great thing ever. My wife can not go places without this. I hope every people should have this product.

It's just the greatest. Speaking street names makes driving through complex intersections so much easier. Excellent value.

I found that the Garmin C550 was very easy to use and very accurate. The biggist fault with it seems to be the manual. I don't think that it covers everything the unite will do. I did have a problem with it but after I hit the reset button it was OK. I still don't know what caused the problem.

This is a wonderful little machine. I don't know how I functioned without it. It is so easy to use, and the directions are wonderful. The screen is clear and easy to read. This was an excellent purchase. Highly recommended!

I have been pleasantly surprised by this GPS. I expected a great product, but this is even better than I expected. The item arrived quickly and was exactly as advertised.

I bought this as a gift for my father. I had a chance to use this model in a rental car during my last business trip; I was surprised at how easy to use and helpful this system was. My own car has navigation built in and I was pleased to find that the garmin was just as easy and informative. Plus you get the added bonus of bluetooth with the Garmin; so you can use it as a handsfree device for your cell phone while you're driving. Great purchase...great features...great device!

This GPS has saved me a lot of time and effort finding my way around
places I have never been. It has also made driving in stange places a
lot safer, and the bluetooth makes using the phone safer while driving.
I would have missed my daughters house last December if I hadn't had it.
It's been a great buy and time saver. If you are going some place you
have never been I suggest you buy it.
Ben

My wife do not have good knowledge of driving directions. I bought this GPS for my wife. It works absolutely fine. I have no complaints so far. I would recommend this GPS 1000% for anybody. Driving to a unknown place is now a piece of cake using Garmin C580.

I love it! Would definitely recommend it to someone looking to buy a good navi system. It has bluetooth capabilities, as well as e-mail and lots of other cool features. Makes a great gift.

Fantastic price!!! Great product. I haven't had any problems and I use this GPS every day.

As one of the directionally challenged, I knew that I really needed to buy a navi system when I moved from Texas to the Seattle Area. My first purchase was a Nuvi 360, which was cute and small, and stopped working after the first day. So I took it back and did a little more research. Yes, the streetpilot is bigger than the nuvi. But you really get much, much more bang for your buck. I love my streetpilot. It's not that heavy, fits easily into my console hidey-hole and in general is exactly what I need and nothing more. I get built-in bluetooth, a mp3 player and text-to-speech. Perfect.

Although this was a discontinued model, it provides everything I needed in addition to features I would not have paid a premium for. Size is not a problem unless you really need to carry it around in your pocket.

This is the first GPS unit that I have purchased so I have nothing to compare it to, but I really like the ease of use and all of the things that the c550 can do. It gives very good direction most of the time. The only time it seems to get confused is when we pull slightly off our route to a restaurant or to get gas. We know how to get back on track so it is not a problem. I drive a truck for a living and have used it to find directions. You can even use it in "truck" mode for truck route directions. I would recommend this unit on my experience with it.

Thanks for the great pricing, reliable service and timely delivery. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.
br /Thanks.

I know it is a "dated" tool but it is easy to use for someone not technologically gifted...price if right and the delivery conditon, time. etc was punctual.

I received this for a Christmas gift and hoped it would help me with my Chicago area commute. I did a bit a research trying to figure out the skinny on how this unit gather traffic information and report it. As far as I could tell from the few reviews I read MSN was no better or worse than TMC. Some had good things to say others not so good. There seems to be a lack of information to find out who or where the FM signal for TMC or MSN is being broadcast from. So it's not like you can look at cell towers and figure out if you're going to have coverage. Garmin's site gives this generic map covering, of course, every place in the Chicago metro area and Milwaukee metro coverage overlaps it to the north. This unit comes with the gt20 TMC receiver built into the recharger/ power cord. I am coming from the 60031 zip code area and commuting south to elk grove. The first thing that I do is plug this thing in to get a look at traffic on 94 south. OOps, I had this for two weeks and have never seen it work out of my driveway. It usually doesn't get a (green) turn on signal until it becomes 294 some 13 miles away from where I start. When leaving work 60007 I have only once got a signal to give me the traffic conditions to give me an option of the route I could take. I have updated the software, again this is two weeks old and the software is out of date. Wow, that's sad. I have experienced on route 22 heading towards Barrington the garmins outdated map. It doesn't have the interchange/ bypass with 12 being there and panics and tries to reroute you on roads that aren't there. Sadly you can't even change the traffic you subscribe to. It is specific for each unit, msn is the 580, and I have no clue if any pilot series picks up xm's traffic I couldn't see it from their site. I am returning this and holding out for the dash express as my next best option for traffic. As it will get its traffic from two different sources, one, other dash units gps information and two, traffic.com.

I have been using another brand in UK and now tried this in US.
br /I am happy with the service from Amazon and not happy with the product. This doesn't have latest maps and trying to take me into busy areas. There was easy Freeway but it took me in different root.
br /
br /I am returning this device.

So far, we really like using this gps, but we haven't yet figured out how to get it to calculte alternate routes. For example, if there's an accident on the freeway and we'd like to go surface streets instead, when we get off the freeway and press "detour", the unit simply wants us to get back on the original route. I'm sure it's in the manual, and we are the types to not read the manual :) Other than that, it has provided us with everything we wanted and I would recommend it.

This a great product, this is the second Garmin Navigator we owned, I have one in my car and Shaun has one in his car- they are more accurate than the ones installed in our cars

Good touchscreen and simple menu's do not make up for serious flaws in design -- all directions disappear when connection to satellite is lost (this happens often in metropolitan areas). What would be better is when the conection is lost only your location should should stay the same but the directions prior to the lost connections should continue to be displayed; directions are listed using north/south etc instead of right and left turns; directions only show next turn even when there is an immediate turn after the next turn; zoom out is very limited.

I have taken 3 trips with the GPS c550,Going there is horrible.On all 3 trips.the unit took me thru the boondocks,example,on my way to the Poconos.it sent me thru every small town and back country road in PA to get there.when all it had to do was put me on the highway 80e.On the way back.it put me on 80e.Going to Maryland,again i had to endure every small town and side road,and again it took me on the highway back.I have learned this is a bug in the c550 and most garmin units.it just avoids highways going to a destination,and uses them on the way back.Also,having just one waypoint in a $800 unit is crazy.garmin needs to update this asap.also the unit when on the awful windshield mount moves on its ball socket after every turn or rough road,and i constantly have to reajust it.annoying as hell and i dont know how garmin is gonna fix this disaster.plus,despite reports of its working under heavy skyscrapers,it says "unable to locate sateliites" whenever i am in Manhattan near tall buildings.I would not buy this unit until garmin gets the bugs out.and it LEARNS to use highways going and coming.

Purchased a Garmin c550 as gift we are giving today. Am sure it will be a good buy. However in the add for this garmin it listed below "better together" and showed a cigarette lighter cable to the garmin. I assumed this was the power cable and thought of course you need it. However the power cable came with the garmin and I have this extra cable for what reason I do not know. Amazon told me I bought the cable from another company and should return it to them. This involved shipping charges plus a restocking fee. Hardly worth while. After three E Mails I never did get an explanation of why the purchase was better with the extra cable. However when checking my Garmin from Amazon I was surprised to find this cable was supplied with mine. Needless to say I was't impressed with Amazon.

I can't believe that pay for a product in open box, i don't know who is the responsability, my concern is the somebody opened and it should be more serious in this matter.