Garmin NUVI 500 Black Friday Sales!
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Garmin NUVI 500 Black Friday Sales!.
Product: Garmin NUVI 500 Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
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Let me begin by saying that I currently possess and expend several different GPS units: Garmins Nuvi 750, Colorado 400t, Rino 130 (a pair), Magellan 1470 and a Crawl Yelp (I've also owned Garmins 2720, 2820, Nuvi 350, and a 60CSx in the original past) . I have so many of them because I exhaust them for different purposes:
* Automobile navigation: I recede all over the country and always rob a GPS with me for utilize in my rental cars.
* Walking in urban areas: I cherish to stroll around enormous cities and a top-notch GPS not only keeps me from getting lost, it helps me to get areas of interest.
* Hiking in rural areas: As a birdwatcher I fetch a hand-held GPS receiver necessary. Getting lost in the desert or the woods is no fun at all.
* Bicycling: I esteem to objective bike and then try to figure out how to fetch home later. A GPS makes it easy to catch my plot support.
* Geocaching: A fantastic 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 win yet another Garmin, the Nuvi 500? It is a piece of my eternal search for one GPS receiver that is appropriate for all of these endeavors. It is well-known to understand that no GPS is perfect, nor is any one model ideal for everything. However, some conclude 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,moral out-of-the-box, for each task that I wanted it for:
* Automobile navigation: B-
There are remarkable better units for this purpose if that is all you are going to employ it for. Calm, 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 correct on Broadway Street". Without TTS is will say "Turn just 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 impartial like my nuvi 750 (fabricate certain that you download some TTS voices as well) . I catch that recent units will have this already installed. Collected, the note is somewhat little for an automotive GPS, especially if the scramble is deep and far from the driver. Although you can hold an optional FM traffic receiver, some units, like the Hobble Inform, have this feature built-in, plus it can connect via the internet and catch real-time traffic info. My Garmin 2820 has built in satellite radio, however it is resplendent stout and needs to be plugged in.
* Walking in urban areas: A
Here is where the Nuvi 500 shines. First, it is itsy-bitsy enough to fit in a pocket (although I do wish that it was thinner) yet it's tremendous enough to witness the show without squinting. However, my celebrated feature is the user-switchable batteries. Most GPS receivers utilize built-in rechargeable batteries; nice but when they hasten down you either have to get a status to gallop it in and recharge it or you are stuck without a usable GPS. The Garmin Nuvi 500's aid opens up and the expended battery can be swapped out with a current one. This is a Tremendous wait on for anyone using a GPS in any location 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 peruse them on the Nuvi it will give directions to where the photo was taken. Icy.
* Hiking in rural areas: B
The Nuvi is not as ergonomic as those units designed to be hand held. It is a flat, rectangular design without a textured surface, smooth it is very usable outdoors. What I like about the 500 is that it comes loaded with both City Navigator and Garmin's Topo Diagram (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 dim contours at higher zoom levels, however, the Topo maps will demonstrate grand, worthy more. Details like elevations, streams, cramped 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 Fling 7300 bike and although it looked amusing (I have photos of it on Amazon's Colorado 400t page) it worked O-K. Detached, it did not approach 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 expend 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 effort about a rainstorm.
* Geocaching: B+
If you haven't geocached and don't ever understanding on doing it then you might want to skip this piece of my review. However, if you are on of the many thousands that delight in this growing hobby (over 800,000 geocaches have been placed worldwide) this is a GPS that can lift you from your driveway to the cache and succor 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 exhibit the cache information, hints, logs and honest about everything that you need to successfully fetch what you are looking for. You can also represent the results of your search (found, did not gain, needs repair, etc.) for later transfer to the geocaching website. I've primitive the Nuvi 500 to procure caches and it took me suitable to it. I'll composed expend my Colorado but if I only want to rob one GPS with me, it'll be the 500.
Additional things that I like:
The Nuvi 500 lets you change your mode of recede (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 remarkable differently on bike or on foot vs. by car) . Another nice touch is when you settle a destination a slight tab slides out from the "Go!" icon on the camouflage which shows your Usage Mode (car, bike, etc.) the Distance and the Time based on your chosen mode of go. 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 consume. 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 location the backlight to 50% and got 5 hours of employ. Smooth very usable and with a second battery (which I bought with the unit and highly recommend) you can salvage 10 hours of continuous spend without needing to recharge it or turn off the backlight completely. I also wish that the housing had a textured achieve on the outside edge, giving you something to back you to maintain 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 joyful with my modern 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 label 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 design of holding it when in the abet country though, and has no camouflage lock for when you throw it in your backpack, so the touch hide goes nuts while in the pack. It also only comes with the 1:100K TOPO's which are about as useless as they accept in the woods, and at the moment Garmin has no TOPO 1:24K maps for the NorthEast, and you have to hold those separately. There is assist for Raster images, but no diagram to do Raster Maps, which would be a major plus if we could load on USGS 24K maps, which are proper to the ones Garmin uses. I also found the Address lookup ability, which a GPS unit should excel at, was quite useless. There objective isnt enough addresses in the unit, it has serious troubles when looking up miniature towns addresses. I have a upright address and zip code and it refuses to find it. It will suggest the next town over, or a plot several miles from my home, and this is normal for all Garmin's. I procure this annoying, because like I said, this should be its strong suit, it is a GPS unit afterall.
I did gather some custom made 1:24K maps online, and they are resplendent beneficial, but no where come as ample as the USGS. Its a top-notch unit, but they didnt believe it thru very well, maybe the next generation of this unit will attractive better.
Things that need to be changed or added:
1) Should reach with 1:24K Maps
2) They need to glean the Raster ability working so we can load USGS 1:24K
3) Address lookups need to be updated/expanded and more factual(This is a staunch let down moral now)
4) Needs a set to hookup up a strap so you have a blueprint to fetch it while carrying it around.
5) Desperately needs a Mask 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 limited to spacious to carry around or occupy.(Maybe adding the ability to turn the unit and have the veil understanding turn with you, its easier to fill the unit the long map)
I bought the Nuvi 500 to replace my tried-and-true Garmin StreetPilot i3.
One of my considerable considerations is WATERPROOFness... my i3 has worked ample on my MOTORCYCLE touring adventures, but when the rains came, it was either in the tank bag, or in a certain sandwich bag, held in spot 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 passe it for motorcycle rides (unprejudiced trial runs so far), bicycling, hiking/walking, and driving. I'm confident there are better solutions for each individual spend - 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 proper directions. (When I'm motorcycle touring, it's all about the Meander, not the DESTINATION. I want to thought the gallop, rather than leaving it to GPS-receiver silicon. I could opinion 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 unbiased vow 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 exercise some cramped blue trudging feet to note your fresh state. 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 delighted factor? That's unbiased a joke... scooters are tall!)
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 region to set a lanyard/safety-tether! It would be nice, particularly when hiking, to be able to hang this around the neck, or do 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 zigzag over backwards to hold THIS customer delighted. (That's a nice bonus to the fact that they produce an advantageous product.)
