Garmin NUVI 500 Christmas Sales!
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Garmin NUVI 500 Christmas Sales!.
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Let me commence by saying that I currently absorb and exercise several different GPS units: Garmins Nuvi 750, Colorado 400t, Rino 130 (a pair), Magellan 1470 and a Shuffle Lisp (I've also owned Garmins 2720, 2820, Nuvi 350, and a 60CSx in the unusual past) . I have so many of them because I expend them for different purposes:
* Automobile navigation: I fade all over the country and always capture a GPS with me for spend in my rental cars.
* Walking in urban areas: I admire to stroll around tremendous cities and a advantageous GPS not only keeps me from getting lost, it helps me to fetch areas of interest.
* Hiking in rural areas: As a birdwatcher I salvage a hand-held GPS receiver distinguished. Getting lost in the desert or the woods is no fun at all.
* Bicycling: I savor to impartial bike and then try to figure out how to rep home later. A GPS makes it easy to catch my map encourage.
* Geocaching: A amazing hobby that involves finding things that others have hidden using coordinates posted on the web. A GPS is an absolute necessity if you want to do this.
So, why did I select yet another Garmin, the Nuvi 500? It is a portion of my eternal search for one GPS receiver that is appropriate for all of these endeavors. It is vital to understand that no GPS is perfect, nor is any one model ideal for everything. However, some do some tasks well but are useless for others. The Nuvi 500 (and it's brother the 550) are useful for all of my needs.
Instead of comparing it to other models that are more specialized, let me grade the Nuvi 500 in how well in works,proper out-of-the-box, for each task that I wanted it for:
* Automobile navigation: B-
There are worthy better units for this purpose if that is all you are going to utilize it for. Mild, it gets you there. One major feature that I missed at first in the Nuvi 500 was Text-To-Speech (or TTS) . This is where the unit pronounces the names of streets and roads. With it a GPS will say "Turn suitable on Broadway Street". Without TTS is will say "Turn true at the next street". However, in March of '09 Garmin released a firmware update that gives the nuvi 500 this feature! I have downloaded it to mine and it works unprejudiced like my nuvi 750 (earn distinct that you download some TTS voices as well) . I pick that novel units will have this already installed. Quiet, the point to is somewhat cramped for an automotive GPS, especially if the lope is deep and far from the driver. Although you can acquire an optional FM traffic receiver, some units, like the Dawdle Assert, have this feature built-in, plus it can connect via the internet and find real-time traffic info. My Garmin 2820 has built in satellite radio, however it is comely titanic and needs to be plugged in.
* Walking in urban areas: A
Here is where the Nuvi 500 shines. First, it is tiny enough to fit in a pocket (although I do wish that it was thinner) yet it's gigantic enough to discover the show without squinting. However, my approved feature is the user-switchable batteries. Most GPS receivers exhaust built-in rechargeable batteries; nice but when they hasten down you either have to obtain a dwelling to coast it in and recharge it or you are stuck without a usable GPS. The Garmin Nuvi 500's succor opens up and the expended battery can be swapped out with a unusual one. This is a Large back for anyone using a GPS in any space other than a car. Another nice feature for the urban tourist is that you can download photos from a special web-site and not only stare them on the Nuvi it will give directions to where the photo was taken. Chilly.
* Hiking in rural areas: B
The Nuvi is not as ergonomic as those units designed to be hand held. It is a flat, rectangular draw without a textured surface, serene it is very usable outdoors. What I like about the 500 is that it comes loaded with both City Navigator and Garmin's Topo Intention (the 550 does has more North American coverage but does not have topographical coverage) . Both units feature "digital elevation model" (DEM) mapping which shows you dismal contours at higher zoom levels, however, the Topo maps will indicate mighty, distinguished more. Details like elevations, streams, shrimp bodies of water, trails, landmarks and many other features that can really be useful when you are out in the boonies.
* Bicycling: A
I had my Garmin Colorado mounted on my Go 7300 bike and although it looked comic (I have photos of it on Amazon's Colorado 400t page) it worked O-K. Calm, it did not arrive with the same type of street maps that the Nuvi does (I could have purchased it for about $100 and downloaded it onto the Colorado if I wanted to) and it was not as intuitive to exercise as the Nuvis are. Also, the Nuvi 500 really looks nice on my handlebars. Since it is waterproof (as is the Colorado) you don't have to wretchedness about a rainstorm.
* Geocaching: B+
If you haven't geocached and don't ever conception on doing it then you might want to skip this fraction of my review. However, if you are on of the many thousands that bask in this growing hobby (over 800,000 geocaches have been placed worldwide) this is a GPS that can capture you from your driveway to the cache and aid effortlessly. Like the Colorado (and similar models such as the Oregon) you can download cache information directly to the GPS. Other Garmins can download the coordinates but the Nuvi 500 (and the 550) will note the cache information, hints, logs and unprejudiced about everything that you need to successfully derive what you are looking for. You can also portray the results of your search (found, did not procure, needs repair, etc.) for later transfer to the geocaching website. I've old-fashioned the Nuvi 500 to get caches and it took me accurate to it. I'll quiet expend my Colorado but if I only want to prefer one GPS with me, it'll be the 500.
Additional things that I like:
The Nuvi 500 lets you change your mode of proceed (car, bike or on-foot) from the main page. It will then customize you directions based on your mode of transport icon (for instance, you can navigate one-way streets worthy differently on bike or on foot vs. by car) . Another nice touch is when you decide a destination a cramped tab slides out from the "Go!" icon on the veil which shows your Usage Mode (car, bike, etc.) the Distance and the Time based on your chosen mode of recede. My 750 does not have this feature. Another thing that I like is that you can easily program the Nuvi 500 for on-road or off-road spend. If you are traveling on foot you are not restricted to directions that require you to stick to the streets.
Somethings that I am not crazy about:
The specs list the battery life as "up to" 8 hours. I site the backlight to 50% and got 5 hours of exhaust. Calm very usable and with a second battery (which I bought with the unit and highly recommend) you can fetch 10 hours of continuous exhaust without needing to recharge it or turn off the backlight completely. I also wish that the housing had a textured do on the outside edge, giving you something to attend you to support your grip.
One final gripe: I can understand why Garmin does not include the AC charger with other Nuvi models but this one should really reach with one. After all, it's billed as a multifunctional GPS, not an automotive GPS.
I am very tickled with my fresh Garmin. I will be recommending this unit to all of my geocaching, birdwatching and bicycling friends. If you're are looking for a GPS that does it all, so far this one is the best.
UPDATE 12/03/08: The mark has dropped quite a bit since I purchased it only a month ago. Now the value is even better! Grab it while you can. TR
This unit is fairly nice, but its more of an on-the-road GPS. It has a terrific 3D conception and works well at guiding you down the road. It does lack any plan of holding it when in the help country though, and has no cloak lock for when you throw it in your backpack, so the touch conceal goes nuts while in the pack. It also only comes with the 1:100K TOPO's which are about as useless as they win in the woods, and at the moment Garmin has no TOPO 1:24K maps for the NorthEast, and you have to prefer those separately. There is befriend for Raster images, but no arrangement to build Raster Maps, which would be a major plus if we could load on USGS 24K maps, which are reliable to the ones Garmin uses. I also found the Address lookup ability, which a GPS unit should excel at, was quite useless. There impartial isnt enough addresses in the unit, it has serious troubles when looking up puny towns addresses. I have a moral address and zip code and it refuses to gather it. It will suggest the next town over, or a set several miles from my home, and this is normal for all Garmin's. I accept this annoying, because like I said, this should be its strong suit, it is a GPS unit afterall.
I did catch some custom made 1:24K maps online, and they are elegant top-notch, but no where approach as marvelous as the USGS. Its a righteous unit, but they didnt reflect it thru very well, maybe the next generation of this unit will attractive better.
Things that need to be changed or added:
1) Should advance with 1:24K Maps
2) They need to score the Raster ability working so we can load USGS 1:24K
3) Address lookups need to be updated/expanded and more legal(This is a loyal let down fair now)
4) Needs a region to hookup up a strap so you have a arrangement to bag it while carrying it around.
5) Desperately needs a Cover Lock, even Garmin's vehicle units have this, but a Cross-Over unit that spends its time in the woods/backpacks doesnt?
6) Should be smaller, its impartial a microscopic to astronomical to carry around or occupy.(Maybe adding the ability to turn the unit and have the conceal understanding turn with you, its easier to acquire the unit the long draw)
I bought the Nuvi 500 to replace my tried-and-true Garmin StreetPilot i3.
One of my distinguished considerations is WATERPROOFness... my i3 has worked big on my MOTORCYCLE touring adventures, but when the rains came, it was either in the tank bag, or in a obvious sandwich bag, held in residence with a rubber band - not ideal.
There are motorcycle-specific GPS receivers, but they are all significantly more expensive. Frankly, I was attracted to the multi-purpose nature of this model. I've ragged it for motorcycle rides (honest trial runs so far), bicycling, hiking/walking, and driving. I'm confident there are better solutions for each individual exercise - if you can afford a CAR GPS, and a HIKING GPS, and a MOTORCYCLING GPS, and a BOATING GPS, knock yourself out. The Nuvi 500 seems to do a very adequate job at all of that stuff.
Another feature I was looking for - and the Nuvi 500 has it - is the ability to enter a very specific ROUTE into it, and query factual directions. (When I'm motorcycle touring, it's all about the Move, not the DESTINATION. I want to opinion the whisk, rather than leaving it to GPS-receiver silicon. I could conception my routes using the i3, but it was a matter of entering up to 50 waypoints, and then selecting each one in sequence. Now I can fair command it to "follow route Day 2," and off we go.)
It has "modes" for automobile, bicycle, boating, and walking. (With a myriad of avatar options... when you're hiking, you can utilize some tiny blue trudging feet to prove your unusual station. Cute!) Also, with a firmware upgrade (readily available at the Garmin website) you can add "Scooter" mode. (I'm guessing they don't have a "Motorcycle" mode for it, because they hope motorcycle riders will opt instead for the significantly-more-pricey Zumo models. But how different could "motorcycle" and "scooter" be, other than the gratified factor? That's unbiased a joke... scooters are vast!)
This model doesn't have some of the other features found on a lot of high-end models. If you want a unit that speaks street names, or plays your MP3 tunes, or doubles as a cell phone or bluetooth... this may not be the one for you.
My only suggestion for Garmin would be - add a situation to put a lanyard/safety-tether! It would be nice, particularly when hiking, to be able to hang this around the neck, or set aside it to a backpack with a carabiner. (Or to safety-strap it to the bicycle or motorcycle!)
Based on my experience, Garmin is VERY oriented toward customer service and satisfaction. They have hooked over backwards to hold THIS customer contented. (That's a nice bonus to the fact that they get an salubrious product.)
