Garmin StreetPilot C320 - 3.5 in. Car GPS Receiver
- Form Factor: Fixed
- Map capabilities: Map cartridges / Data cards, Download maps
- Receiver Type: 12 Channels
- Enhanced accuracy: WAAS enabled
- Screen Size: 3.5 in.
- GPS Type: Automobile
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Exceeded all expectations
Pros
easy to use, well timed instruction, nice size
Cons
software: some locations do not display when prompted (see review)also no beanbag for dash
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
For the money, I cannot imagine a better unit.
First off, I love this thing. My wife got it for me at Costco for $270. I figured with technology changing so rapidly, anything I get will be outdated in a few years. So why not go with the least expensive unit in a well established brand.
The fact is that I love this thing. It is so much better than I ever anticipated. Now, I have never had one before, so I do not have much of a reference.
I bought a 2 gig card for $20 and put a map of North America in it. As my first trial, I drove out to the back roads of the Texas Hill Country. I read about a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the middle of nowhere and typed in the name in my Garmin. Sure enough, there it was witha a phone number to call and make a reservation (yes, a reservation, go figure, it seats only like 25 people). I digress. So, when I left from another remote location to get to the cafe, I needed to get there fast. Garmin plotted a course and I took it. Let me say that these were some small roads. Heck, at one point I thought I might have wondered onto private property, but I did not. I got there on time as was predicted.
I love the ETA display. The voice that instructs is a bit mechanical but very clear and audible. I am only now finding out all of the features.
On another back road I was really close to being out of gas, I pushed the gas button and Garmin directed me to the closest station around (5 miles back from where I came) that was all good. By the way, the ETA is close to spot on if you obey the speed limit.
The only short coming is hard to explain. When I type in a certain name of a restuarant or store, Garmin does not find it in its memory, but if I do a search by some other means, Garmin will find that same location it could not find earlier. Similarly, sometimes I type in the name of a restaurant chain and it will give me some but not all of the locations in the area. The bottom line is that you cannot be for sure that you have run a complete search if you are looking for, but cannot find, a particular location. As I see it, this is a small defect in an overall cool system. I would also say that the system is a little bit rigid in that if you type an address and it does not acknowledge that address, then there is no convincing this machine that the address exists. Just a quirk.
If you are looking for a lifeline to the world that you can rely upon to get you everywhere all of the time, maybe there are better products out there. If you want good value and a very nice unit to help you get places on the fly, this is really cool.
Oh yeah, and my mom took it for a drive and already wants one.
The fact is that I love this thing. It is so much better than I ever anticipated. Now, I have never had one before, so I do not have much of a reference.
I bought a 2 gig card for $20 and put a map of North America in it. As my first trial, I drove out to the back roads of the Texas Hill Country. I read about a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the middle of nowhere and typed in the name in my Garmin. Sure enough, there it was witha a phone number to call and make a reservation (yes, a reservation, go figure, it seats only like 25 people). I digress. So, when I left from another remote location to get to the cafe, I needed to get there fast. Garmin plotted a course and I took it. Let me say that these were some small roads. Heck, at one point I thought I might have wondered onto private property, but I did not. I got there on time as was predicted.
I love the ETA display. The voice that instructs is a bit mechanical but very clear and audible. I am only now finding out all of the features.
On another back road I was really close to being out of gas, I pushed the gas button and Garmin directed me to the closest station around (5 miles back from where I came) that was all good. By the way, the ETA is close to spot on if you obey the speed limit.
The only short coming is hard to explain. When I type in a certain name of a restuarant or store, Garmin does not find it in its memory, but if I do a search by some other means, Garmin will find that same location it could not find earlier. Similarly, sometimes I type in the name of a restaurant chain and it will give me some but not all of the locations in the area. The bottom line is that you cannot be for sure that you have run a complete search if you are looking for, but cannot find, a particular location. As I see it, this is a small defect in an overall cool system. I would also say that the system is a little bit rigid in that if you type an address and it does not acknowledge that address, then there is no convincing this machine that the address exists. Just a quirk.
If you are looking for a lifeline to the world that you can rely upon to get you everywhere all of the time, maybe there are better products out there. If you want good value and a very nice unit to help you get places on the fly, this is really cool.
Oh yeah, and my mom took it for a drive and already wants one.
