Garmin Zumo 550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $595.00 You Save: $304.99 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Zumo 550 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Couldn't Be Much Happier
Summary: 5 Stars
To begin with, the turnaround on my order was much quicker than I expected; it turned out that I lived close to the distributor.
It was easy to mount the unit on my bike (Harley Sportster 1200), but I chose to have my dealer install the power cable for just over $50. It was super-easy to connect with my Palm smartphone and Blue Ant headset. I loaded about 7 hours worth of music onto an SD card and found that pretty easy, too.
The telephone and music features work well, and the navigation is excellent. I haven't figured out just what it is, but it's superior to the Magellan unit I was using.
Minor issues: When transferring trips from the Harley Ride Planner, stops are full stops, and that means that Point A to Point C by way of Point B becomes separate trips: Point A to Point B and Point B to Point C. On the other hand, storing waypoints on the Ride Planner (for a ride to collect ABCs of Touring points, for example) so they will be waypoints on the Zumo is difficult.
Three different power connections--different connectors for motorcycle, automobile, and AC adapter--seems a bit much.
The "security screw" only provides security against the unit bouncing out of its mount. While sturdy and easy to install, the RAM mount is easily removed.
None of these issues would keep me from recommending the Zumo 550.
Customer Review: Worth every penny
Summary: 5 Stars
This is truly the best GPS I have ever owned. It calculates directions fast and aquires satelites even quicker. This is the only GPS I have ever owned that aquired satalites and navagated inside my house. (my other 4 units won't do this)Out doors I have never lost the signal although I haven't used it in Philly or New York yet. (tall buildings can sometimes block the signal on my other units) When you go in a diffrent direction than the GPS is telling you It takes 10 - 15 seconds to generate new directions which is really fast. The only complaint I have is that the speaker in the car mount could be a little louder. At highway speeds if you don't have a really quiet car (we use it in a GMC Safari) it can be hard to hear. If you bicycle you can put the motorcycle mount on your bicycle and the battery last about 4 hrs.(imagine bicycling with XM Satelite and MP3 built right in) I purchased this for my motorcycle (Yamaha FZ1)and love it so much I use it in my car also instead of my other units. Water proof and shock resistant so the rain won't stop you either. It even will let you view photos on it. I keep a picture of my kids on the startup screen. It reminds me to keep the speeds in check. This is an A+ unit and I would say go for it. Go check out Garmin.com there is a realy neat forum where you can share favorite rides for others to download to there unitsCustomer Review: Excellent Motorcycle GPS
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been a long time user of Garmin's 2610, I was leery of another offering from Garmin, mainly because of the shortcomings with the software. Not to worry. The Zumo has cured the many problems inherent in the older models. Also it is so much easier to use while on the motorcycle, even while wearing gloves.
Even though the CD is rudimentary, and there is no paper manual, the software is intuitive and easy to use. The only problem I could see is if a new purchaser is unfamiliar with use of the Mapsource product to plan a route on the PC and download to the GPS, which is the way I plan all group rides that I lead. I could find no user guide to Mapsource. Fortunately I already knew how to map a route on the PC. Unfortunately the current Mapsource maps are not any easier to use in planning a ride on the PC than the prior offerings.
Many of the back roads I use are not visible on Mapsource until the scale is down to .3 of a mile. Then it is a slow process to map the route the entire trip. I note that other map providers, such as Google Maps, don't have this problem. Maybe Garmin will eventually solve this shortcoming, and I will have no complaints about the product.
All things considered, I give the Zumo high marks, and am glad I made the jump from the 2610.
Customer Review: Great Buy for this GPS Rookie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the Zumo 550 after seeing something very similar at the Harley shop for a good bit more money. My decision to make this investment was based on several experiences where I got lost and almost ran out of gas. I was impressed with the wealth of information available on various internet forums to aid with installation, setup, and navigation. I opted for placement in the center of the fairing on my '07 FLHTCU so it is right in front of my line of vision. Everything works great! I have used the included mapsourse software to plot several trips and have also downloaded directions to all HD dealers in the US. I am using a Bluetooth headset with the GPS and also have my iPhone paired with it. I tried putting some mp3 music on an SD card and the music doesn't sound that great via the mono bluetooth setup, but I can still enjoy music playing through the bike stereo, so its no big deal. There was an initial learning curve with all of the features, but it didn't take long to become familiar and comfortable. Now I take it everywhere I go and don't have to worry about getting lost or running out of gas; it even has a reminder for when I'm getting low and need to find a station. I would recommend this GPS to anyone that's looking for a tough and functional GPS for thier bike.Customer Review: Top of the line!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this unit in June 2007 for motorcycle touring and have not been disappointed! I use the XM radio feature to make those long trips more pleasant and the cell phone integration via Bluetooth with my J&M communications sound system on the bike work well, although that requires a Zumo adapter from J&M if you want to talk on the phone through the helmet headset Mic, but the adapter is not needed just to listen to phone messages. All mounting hardware is included for BOTH bike and car! Easy to update firmware and software via a USB cable and a PC. Also has an MP3 player! The XM weather feature is NOT real-time radar or weather mapping as in some other models! You get current temperature and forecast, but not Doppler radar. If you want real-time weather radar, etc...this will not display it. That saves some serious $$$ though on an XM weather subscription package!
However, the XM radio with the XM Traffic service is relatively inexpensive and is great! The only negative is that to use the XM features, one must also purchase the very expensive GXM antenna. I use the GXM-30. It works flawlessly, but good gosh...why couldn't they simply incorporate the small cheap XM antenna for those happy with just XM radio?
Rugged and dependable. I'm satisfied with mine!