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This GPS has an amazingly long battery life - mine has been going strong for over 5 hours. After a lot of research I settled on the c530 for the price. I haven't tried updating the maps, and since I bought a refurbished unit some maps were outdated, but in general I haven't had any trouble with it. I'm terrible with directions, and get lost a lot so this was beginning to be a necessary purchase. This GPS is great.The screen is easy to see, and the auto-adjust mode is really helpful. I honestly can't say anything negative about the c530. For what I paid I've been extremely pleased.
people complain that they are "optimistic" which its supposed to be as the gps beleive or not doesnt know how many redlights u will hit. I can be on the interstate and it may want to send me down a small highway that would take 20 minutes longer than just staying on the freeway.
I use it nearly everyday as i drive for a living, it never gets me lost no matter how many wrong turns i make. I have owned the garmin c530 for about a year now, and i have to say its quite nice and performs well.
i wil say though on the other hand its is bad when i tcomes to picking the best route. It has a vast amount of points of interest stores in it allready with the ability to add more.
It has an excellent battery life, and is also quite durable. also drive times are quite accurate also.
also u can program red light cameras into it so it will alert when ur comeing up on one.
The map data will always have minor problems so don't expect it to be perfect and 100% up to date. It's $120 on Garmin's site and you really have to look for it to find it. Also a great value. Excellent for planning trips and other things. Also you can transfer new POIs and waypoints (favorites) back and forth. The maps that came in the unit were out of date (they always will be out of date.
When you have what you want, turn it off. but the GPS engine is the latest with WAS and the display is excellent. Excellent SAT acquisition - even in the house. Garmin is the leader and is not taking any prisoners in their markets.None of the Garmin or other mfg's GPS Navigation units are not infallible so don't expect them to just choose the route YOU would take every time without your help. If you don't like that one, do it until you get the one you want. What more do you want from a GPS. This is a very good value if you want just a mapping GPS. Try this: When you know you are going to use it, the night before your trip, pop a beer, take the GPS inside and get comfortable in your easy chair, fire it up and program your trip (before you are pulling out of the driveway as you try to remember if you packed your cell phone charger).
Wow. American maps installed. The subscription gets you map updates 4 times a year for as long as you own the unit. It has an SD Card slot that takes high density (I tried a 4G) SD cards so it should be able to hold all the stuff you want to store in it. Google Earth in integrated.
See below. I was a little concerned about all the reliability problems in reviews but so far this one is just fine. It has 1G of memory which is mostly filled up when you get the No. YOU are responsible for driving the car and IT is an aid but if you turn over ALL of your navigation decisions to it, YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY. It will NEVER be up to date. It gets Garmin's MapInstall and MapSource software running with full maps on your PC.
Unit has great screen, battery life and windshield mount. Review the route by stepping through it (touch top bar on display to advance). IT has none of the latest add-ons (I call them distractions). Work WITH it and it will be a faithful and valuable servant. That's what you bought and that is the state of the art for now. IF you don't like the route, check to see that you have the map preferences set right.
You can also force it to go by one additional waypoint so you can steer it that way. For the price, I am not worried about leaving it in the car on the floor out of sight. I bought the lifetime North American map update card on Amazon for less than $100. The unit will pick a different route. You then have all of the maps and POIs on your PC. It's not "shirt pocket" thin like the newer ones but it's still pretty compact.
IF that's OK, hit Menu and then "Detour". When you pull out of the driveway the next morning, turn it on and it will be ready to go - the way you two decide was best the night before.
This unit works great, it is easy for my wife to use and large enough for her to see the display in all light conditions. Great price and warrenty on the unit. I
Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Purchased on 12/11/2008) by Garmin I purchased this item as a gift for my son and his family. Also the GPS is not up to date on structures in my area that have been in place for several years, and the Garmin website has no available updates to improve on the preloaded data in the unit.I personally was somewhat humiliated by the lack of quality in the reburbishing of this unit. By whom one might ask.
On his second attempt to use it, it would not power up. I took the item home with me and after some research at various online feedback sites (not Garmin), I was able to find a recommended proceedure to get the GPS functional again. He used the product briefly one time.
Even if the item was refurbished, Garmin should have wiped the registration clean prior to reselling it. He charged it and tried again. When he went to register it online, he was informed this product was already registered.
Again the Garmin website was of no use. I would be hesitant to recommend another Garmin refurbished product based on this experience.Sincerely,Lee Sylvester
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