Garmin Nuvi 500/550
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Written by Kate on January 30, 2009 – 10:51 am
I have decided to combine the reviews for the Nuvi 500 and the Nuvi 550 because they are the same GPS except the Nuvi 550 has preloaded maps for the continental United State plus Canada and Alaska, while the Nuvi 500 has preloaded maps for the continental United State plus Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Other than that, the two are identical. The Garmin 500 series is a GPS for the car but also can be used outdoors as well. So it has all the features for a car, biking, walking, boating, spaceship, whatever form of travel you decide…ok maybe not the spaceship, they are still working on that.
Features
The Nuvi 500 series has millions of POIs (Points of Interest) that you can use to find the destination you desire. A new feature is the ability to create custom POIs on your GPS using the POI Loader software you can download from the Garmin website. It allows you to upload custom POIs and put alerts on your Nuvi500/550 to tell you when a POI you are interested in is nearby. So, let’s say you are an avid Starbucks fan and you always want to know when one is nearby. You put an alert on Starbucks and every time one is close, your GPS will alert you!
Another cool feature is that you can geo-tag your photos on your Nuvi 500/550. What that means is let’s say you love the Daytona Beach sunset and you have an awesome picture of it. You can load it on your GPS and have it represent your favorite Daytona Beach spot. From then on, whenever you want to go to Daytona Beach, you find the picture on your GPS and you are on your way!
If you would like to navigate on the water and know where you are going, then you can purchase BlueChart® g2 Vision and Inland Lakes Vision microSD cards to plug into your Nuvi 500/550. The bad thing is…you will be out at least another $545.21 paying for the cards…and that is each for only one territory. Although expensive, it’s pretty cool to know where you are going when you are boating.
It is even cooler if the GPS is waterproof…which in this case- it is! The Nuvi 500 and 550 are waterproof, so you can drop it in the water (or a toilet??? Ever done it? Tell us!) and it will still work! If you are on an outdoor trip in the mountains or caverns and you are worried about your GPS signal being blocked, no worries with the Nuvi 500/550! It has HotFix™ satellite prediction that is super sensitive and will keep its connection no matter what kind of terrain you are around.
The Nuvi 500 and 550 are not only GPS models. They also come with a world travel clock with time zones, a currency converter, a measurement converter, and a calculator. You can even upload pictures to your GPS and look at them with the picture viewer. Have you ever wanted to go treasure hunting? Do you like scavenger hunts? The Nuvi 500/550 has compatibility with geocaching.
The website has instructions you can download to your GPS so that you can find your treasure!
Your Nuvi 500/550 also comes with a scenic MAD Map of Route 66. You can get turn by turn d
irections on motorcycle friendly roads, if that is your source of travel. If you are on the road, the Nuvi 500/550 supports FM traffic alerts or optional MSN® Direct content if you would like as well. You can even download a personal icon on your GPS for free in the Garmin Garage.
Cons of the Garmin 500/550
The problem with this being a portable GPS for the outdoors is that it is heavier than a lot of the other Garmin models, which is not convenient for walking around. It is also not as sturdy as it could be. The purchase of a carrying case would be essential if you think there is any chance of you dropping it because it could possibly crack…and that would NOT be good if you are out in the wilderness or on a boat without another form of direction…Basically, always bring a map as a backup. And along with the additional expense of the $545.21 cards to use for boating, the Garmin 500 series does not come with a USB cable either. Annoying.
Pros of the Garmin 500/550
It is WATERPROOF! It is waterproof for up to 30 minutes… so if you drop your Garmin 500 series in the water, you have 30 minutes to retrieve it- cool! Plus the battery life is 8 hours! You really can take this with you when hiking around for a day. The Where Am I? feature keeps you safe, which is definitely a pro. The screen is bright and easy to see in the sunlight. Plus the fact that it is versatile for walking, biking, boating, driving, and even flying…
This GPS is made for the all terrain warrior, by car, by boat, by motorcycle, and by feet, this GPS is for you. What do you think of this GPS? Leave a Comment!
| Nuvi 500/550 | |
| Physical & Performance | |
| Unit dimensions, WxHxD: | 4.21W x 3.35H x .9 (10.7 x 8.5 x2.3cm) |
| Display size, WxH: | 2.8W x 2.1H (7.2 x 5.4 cm) |
| Display resolution, WxH: | 320 x 240 pixels |
| Weight: | 7.6 ounces |
| Battery: | rechargeable lithium-ion |
| Battery life: | up to 8 hours |
| Waterproof: | yes |
| High-sensitivity receiver: | yes |
| RoHS version available: | yes |
| Maps & Memory | |
| Basemap: | yes |
| Preloaded maps: | yes |
| Ability to add maps: | yes |
| Accepts data cards: | microSD™ card (not included) |
| Waypoints/favorites/locations: | 1000 |
| Features | |
| Voice prompts (e.g. “Turn right in 500 ft.”): | yes (internal speaker) |
| Speaks street names (e.g.Turn right on Elm Street in 500 ft.): | no |
| 3-D map view: | yes |
| 3-D building view (displays buildings in 3-D): | no |
| Auto sort multiple destinations (provides most direct route): | yes |
| Auto re-route (fast off-route and detour recalculation): | yes |
| Choice of route setup (faster time, shorter distance, offroad): | yes |
| Route avoidance (avoid highways, tolls etc.): | yes |
| Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest): | yes |
| Hands-free calling with Bluetooth® wireless technology: | no |
| FM traffic compatible: | yes |
| MSN® Direct for U.S. compatible: | yes |
| XM® Navtraffic (includes basic weather) Radio for U.S. compatible: | no |
| Where Am I? (find closest hospitals, police; gas stations, nearest address & intersection): | yes |
| Photo navigation (navigate to geotagged photos): | yes |
| MP3 player: | no |
| Audio book player: | no |
| Document Viewer | no |
| Picture viewer: | yes |
| Garmin Garage™ (select car-shaped icons for map navigation): | yes |
| World travel clock, currency unit converter, & calculator: | yes |
| Touchscreen: | yes |
| Qwerty or ABC keyboard (choose keyboard layout): | no |
| Remote control: | no |
| FM transmitter: | no |
| RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver | no |
| Headphone jack/audio line-out: | no |
| Dead reckoning: | no |
| Garmin Lock™ (anti-theft feature): | yes |
| Motorcycle-friendly: | no |
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