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 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $363.79
Buy Refurbished: $99.99
You Save: $263.80 (73%)
New (20) from $149.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  254 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.4
Dimensions (in): 2.2 x 4.4 x 3.2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 010-00521-00
Model: 010-00521-00
UPC: 753759054472
EAN: 0753759054472
Release Date: July 10, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 I was lost but now I'm found December 10, 2006
36 out of 36 found this review helpful
What a life altering piece of technology this is. I'm very impressed. This is my first navigation system so perhaps I'm easily impressed. In any case, this is a very well thought out system. It is very easy to use. It is so easy you can use it without reading the instructions, but reading the instructions is still a good idea. My wife also has no problem operating it. Its got so many great features. The touch screen works very well. Want to see turn by turn instructions...touch the top of the screen. Want to see an over head map of the area, touch the top of the screen and select map. Zoom in and out with the +/- screen touch. You scroll the map by touching the screen and dragging the map. If you don't like the route it choose for you its easy to point to the route (just touch the screen) you want to take and select GO...it asks you if you want to include this as a way point and then changes the route to get you there. After you select your destination you can search for food or hotels etc. either close to your present position or your destination. Save locations to a Favorites folder and give them a custom name if you want. Save your HOME location to a special button...just press home and GO.
The screen is bright and easy to read. There is no need to have it announce the street name as you can easily see the next turn in big letters at the top of the screen. The volumn control has plenty of range though I think up down buttons on the side would be better than a wheel. The suction mount works great and the unit is easy to pull on and off of it. The power connector could have been a bit simplier to connect...but this is minor.
Before buying this my wife and I would always get lost and stressed out. Many an arguement would insue. Now we have a new sense of freedom. We can go anywhere without a care. The unit does a wonderful job of navigating. The voice instructions are great though at sometimes a bit too detailed...at least you won't mess up. And if you do happen to mess up or choose a different route, rather than yelling out you like my wife would, it simply re-calculates and routes you to the next best alternative...wonderful.
There may be other good units out there, but of this I'm certain...this unit is GREAT!!! Highly recommended.
Great Unit December 11, 2006
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I've owned a Garmin eTrex handheld for three years and wanted to upgrade to an auto unit. I've only had the c530 for a few days but it is magic. You don't need the voice announce on street turns and it may be confusing since some streets have two names (for example, 3rd Street may be the local name in the GPS database, but it is marked on the ground as US 331). When you get the unit upgrade to the latest software on the Garmin web site. Mine came with software two or three versions old and had a minor occasional bug. The upgrade also reduces the size of the auto icon on the screen which was much needed!
 Almost perfect, but pricey April 2, 2007
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
We have started using c530 for a week now and here are my comments about the unit.
Pro:
1. Compact and lightweight. It has no problems in staying put on the front glass and can be carried around in your pants' pockets. It is a little too big for your shirt pocket.
2. Easy to navigate. There is no set up or loading of maps. It took less than a minute to come on and find some satellites.
3. The announcements are enough, but not too much. It has no text to speech (does not say the street name where you have to turn.) I personally think this is better and less distracting. Being a male, my brain has a very limited capacity to process human speech!
4. The sensitivity is pretty good. Inside my house, I was seeing all but one bar indicating a strong satellite signal. Better sensitivity is the reason we went with c530 instead of the much cheaper c330.
5. There are no cluttering buttons on the front and the size of the GPS is just perfect. The small size does not obstruct your clear view of the road. A 5+" GPS, might obstruct your field of vision.
6. Thanks a million Garmin for including a very nice carrying case.
Now the bad:
1. Too expensive. I have paid $330 from Amazon. For another $25 more, I could have purchased TomTom Go 510 with a ton of additional features. I went with the c530 due to Country of origin (Taiwan vs. China) and probably due to lock feature (I could not find this feature in TomTom).
2. The sound is not enough. I keep the sound at the max, still can barely hear it with the road noise and the audio book playing in the background. Also, the sound adjustment is through an old style turn wheel. As you might know, the turn wheel audio control is very fragile.
3. When you take a wrong turn, the GPS takes a while to figure out that you have veered off course and start re-calculating for a better route.
4. Even in front of my house, I have to enter the password to unlock the GPS.
5. The next turn direction is not displayed on the bottom right corner. It says, "Turn in 1 mi". I think this is some thing Garmin can fix by releasing a new software update. The display could easily be "Turn R in 1 mi".
6. Another missing feature that could be fixed using a software upgrade is a speed warning indication. The GPS unit already knows at what speed you are moving. It also knows the allowed speed of the road. What is preventing Garmin software from adding a flashing yellow/red dot somewhere on the display to indicate that you are over the speed limit? It could probably display a yellow dot for speeds up to +10 miles over the limit and a red flashing dot for more than 10 miles over the speed limit.
I sincerely hope some bright software developer would take care of points 5 and 6.
That's all folks.
Never Lost November 6, 2006
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
The screen on our Garmin is very easy to see/read which was a concern because of an experience with a different model. We have used Garmin in several cities and multiple addresses in each city. One time took us through the country on roads I wouldn't recommend...but it got us to our destination.
I would like the ability to label address with name/business; it would be less confusing.
It would be nice to have a dash mount option (without sticking it to the dash); I can't reach the Garmin from the driver seat in my SUV!
Love My Garmin StreetPilot November 6, 2006
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
I have the factory installed GPS Navigational Systems in my Lexus and MINI Cooper. This Garmin c530 does everything those systems will do plus more, at a fraction of the cost. I totally love it.
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