Garmin Finds My 100th Epinion

What can I say about my Streetpilot C330 in-car GPS receiver?  I can say that I like it a lot.  I can say that it has its shortcomings.  I can say that it has been a lifesaver.

For Christmas 2007, my dad gave me a factory-refurbished Garmin C330 Streetpilot.  Since I happen to be one of those annoying people who always seems to know where they are and what direction they're going, (I can navigate the entire State of Michigan outside of Detroit without a map) I thought it was a really cool toy but was dubious as to its actual value.

Still, I resolved to give it a go.  The C330 is about as straightforward as it gets - pretty amazing when you realize that it manages to pinpoint your location within several feet by talking to objects in outer space, and it fits in your hand.  Anyway, it has a power button, and the screen is touch-sensitive.  That's it.  The on-screen menu system is dead simple.  You answer the "you understand that if you look at this screen instead of the road for too long, you will hit something and die" message with an "ok" button, and you are presented with two options:  "View Map" and "Where To?"  It doesn't get harder from there.  Entering destinations is as easy as tapping on the screen with your forefinger, with on-screen keyboards provided when text input is needed.  Saving places is also easy.  In fact...I don't think there is anything about the operation of this unit that is NOT easy, so I'll move on.

The C330 is provided with a suction-cup mount for the windshield - and for the states that prohibit things being attached to the windshield, there's an adhesive pedestal for the dashboard that the suction cup can then attach to.  I attached it to my windshield and plugged the power cord into the cigarette lighter.  (The C330 also has an internal battery good enough for a couple of hours of unplugged use)  I entered my work's location and set off on my daily commute.

First, the quirks and shortcomings.  Foremost, the road I live on is not in Garmin's maps, even though it has existed for five years or so.  "Home" is floating in never-never land between two roads, according to Garmin. (and Mapquest, and Google Maps, etc...)  Second, the C330 comes preloaded with the 2006 version of Garmin's map software - but more on that later. 

As for quirks, Garmin believes there is only one route to a place, and traffic patterns are not taken into consideration - though I understand that the uplevel models do get traffic information where available.  When I immediately went opposite to Garmin's will, the pleasant, female voice kept urging me to turn and rejoin the preferred route.  This has been a theme for the duration of our ownership.  Where the Garmin may want us to cross busy highways at intersections without signals, our experience tells us better.  This is most likely a feature of any GPS unit, though, as it figures out the most direct route to anywhere.

Overall, though, I would say that these quirks and shortcomings are minor.  Most of the time our Garmin gives us good, efficient, easily-followed directions.  The screen shows the route in bright red, with huge arrows to denote directions.  The voice prompts are very clear:  "In point seven miles, turn right."  Users can step though the route on-screen in advance of  arriving at waypoints.  Even neater, there is a "dashboard" feature which shows the current speed and direction of the car, as well as time spent moving and stopped, distance traveled and max speed.  And as a nice touch...at sunset the unit switches to "night mode."  The screen dims to half-brightness, and the map changes from tan to dark grey.

How useful has the C330 been to us?  Let me share a painful story.  My wife, four kids and I went on vacation in 2008, with the Garmin directing us from Michigan to Virginia.  Somewhere in West Virginia I succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning and passed out while driving. (we didn't crash)  I was hospitalized overnight in a strange town, while my dyslexic, directionally-challenged wife was left to find her way around while caring for our children, and worrying about me.  Afterward, she told me that she'd never have been able to navigate between the hospital and her hotel without the Garmin; that without it, she have circled the town for hours.  Additionally, the database of "points of interest" contained within the C330 also gave her the location and phone number of restaurants, hotels, and the hospital I was at.  At that moment, the C330 was truly a lifesaver.

Revisiting something I touched on previously, the C330 comes preloaded with the 2006 version of Garmin's map and points-of-interest database.  We have come face-to-face several times with walls that the Garmin says should be roads, and vice-versa.  We have followed the C330's directions to stores and restaurants that no longer exist.  Again, it says that no road leads to our house.  Naturally, I started to search around for a map upgrade, and happy day, the 2009 upgrade is available from Garmin's website for about $70.  It is either a 5gb download (eek!) or a DVD.  It is available on Amazon.com (or similar) for closer to $50.

However... read the comments on this upgrade.  I did, and I decided that I would pass on the purchase.  Apparently the upgraded software, in many cases, does NOT include any updated information on stores, roads, or points of interest.  In other words, the Burger King that didn't exist last year may still be in the new Garmin database, and the road that has existed since 2004 may still NOT be in the new database.  What does seem rather common, though, is that the upgrade wipes out any and all personal points that one may have stored in the unit - work, school, home, Aunt Gertrude will all be lost, with no option to save them.

By and large, though - say 90% of the time - we are really happy with our C330 Streetpilot.  The little "things" are generally just that:  little.  The overwhelming majority of the time, we get useful directions and information from our Garmin, and having had it for over a year, we couldn't imagine making a trip without it.