StreetPilot c330

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If you want a relatively simple, no frills navigation unit, this is a great product! It's thoughtfully designed, low cost (bought mine for $300 at WalMart.com), accurate, and feature-rich for the price. At first, I was on the fence about not having text-to-voice, but after reading some complaints about the way more expensive units mis-pronounce street names, I'm just as glad not to have it. Anyway, it's not a big deal to confirm the "turn left" command you hear by glancing up at the big fat arrow showing you exactly where to make the turn.

In all fairness, though, I am new to GPS technology, and I'm sure that others with more expensive units will be able to offer commentary on other features such as traffic alerts, etc. You should absolutely check into a features comparison to help identify and understand what is important to you versus what you can do without.

Overall, I think think the C330 is very solid, and you would not be disappointed.

I bought two units for Christmas, one for me and another for a friend.
I downloaded/uploaded the Spanish speaking voice for my friend, so that he can understand the directions better.
THIS UNIT IS AWESOME! I just love it. You will not be disappointed.
I haven't had the chance to work with any other units with voice activation, but... the Garmin c330 will get you there... very easily. Again, it is AWESOME!!!!

I also bought C330 on Boxing Day sale. This is my first GPS system. I am very happy with it so far. Maps are quite uptodate. I would say this unit is quite good for the money spent. It is a basic navigation system without any bells and whistles but it does the job nicely.

I have the Garmin C550 and really like the voice that announces the up coming streeet turns. I dont have to look at the unit so I can keep my eyes on the road.

Bill1480

thanks for all the help....

I got the c320 because I wanted a fully solid state GPS (ie, no hard disk) so it would last longer on batteries and I don't have to worry about a hard disk crash. After adding a 2GB flash disk, it stores all of the North American maps.

This is an outstanding GPS for the price. Very good satelite reception on bad weather days (much better than my Navman) and the display is very easy to read.

Actually I didn't think any of these units had a conventional hard disk (i.e., hi-speed rotating) in them, thought they were all solid-state, so to speak. I know my Garmin C530 is. But I am certainly on expert, so maybe I'm missing something? Sure do wish my battery life were better though - my spec'd "8-hour" battery life is more frequently closer to half that, so I just typically run with it plugged in.

My c530 does give me the battery life specified. Do you have WAAS turned on? If so, Garmin says that will dramatically reduce the run time on the battery.

I have traveled all over the US using various GPS units in my motorhome. We used a couple of different map software packages on our laptop for our last trip. It was quite satisfactory but the laptop is a bit cumbersome. Last Christmas we saw a Garmin C340 on sale so we bought it. We are very happy with the unit and it works very well. I kept my old Garmin Emap which is a handheld unit that I like even though it is old. It serves to record my routes for my walks or bike rides. Overall in terms of user friendliness and usability I would rate the Garmin C320, C340, and C350 series very high. Simple to operate, one button on, and nice intuitive touch screen interface. Even though I am a retired geographer I often don't look at the map as the voice prompts have proven to be very reliable for my local travels. We have not used it on a long trip yet but our plan is to use our C340 for our primary navigation unit in the motorhome and our laptop GPS system as our campground database and navigation tool running the Trailer Life Campground software.

Hope that helps

I just returned home from a 2000 mile road trip from Atlanta, GA - Owensboro, KY - Lansing, MI - Saginaw, MI - and back to Atlanta. I was very pleased with my c330. I used to print of several pages of driving directions of where I was going. Not this time, I was never lost, I also was 3 miles from getting on I-64 and there was a wreck, road closed, nobody was moving. I went to the detour button and I was on the interstate in no time. Well faster than sitting and nobody moving.

If you want a GPS and only that this one is a very good unit.

I am indeed running with WAAS turned on, and I had heard that also about its impact on battery life but forgot as with most everything else (!) - but, think I'd rather have the accuracy and shorter battery life, will just run with it plugged in most of the time. Thanks!

i work for about 12 hours and at the end of the day still going strong. here is a plus when down town phila. you must get the external antena

External antenna is a good idea. It easily loses satellite signals when mounted inside the car other than very close to the windshield. Even when mounted near the windshield, in numerous times signals are lost while driving.

I had checked amazon and it was the best selling GPS so I picked one up at Wal-Mart ( needed the instant gratification!) It's a great unit and it's extremely easy to setup and use.

Just found this place and thought I'd share some info. I have had a 330 for well over a year. Contrary to popular belief, this unit does not contain a hard drive. I have taken mine apart and I assure you there is no drive in it and I have an early one from October of 2005.

The biggest downfall of the 330 (and the 3x0 range) is the screen. It washes out very easily in sunlight making it barely readable. The 5x0 range has the screen technology used on the larger 2600, 2700 and 2800 series (I also have a 2720).

Of course, the 5x0 series is more expensive.

One feature that was added by Garmin because of complaints by users was the insertion of a via point - basically you can have the 330 take you to a destination via another poi or favorite. This was not an original feature so Garmin do listen to users.

Lastly, I had to return my unit twice for a failed USB port. I attribute this to the fact that I would charge it up using the port quite often. Garmin took care of it.

If you're looking for a basic GPS with not a lot of frills, this is it and it is quite inexpensive.

What it won't do:

Text to speech (it will not pronounce street names which, when you have lived with that is an awesome feature).
Multiple via points - one is the max.
Create, sort and save routes and POIs on PC and upload (except for preformatted POIs using POI loader).
Create POI categories.
Display not very cutsomizable.
I did not get the mapsouce DVD. Garmin told me that there was no need since you can't change and upload info.

For all the reasons above, I bought a Garmin 2720 and use the 330 only occasionally.

I'd have to agree that the screen washout is the worst feature of the C330...we have the 33 and the 530 and the 530 screen is BY FAR the more easily readable.

That said, the 330 has been a flawless performer save for a few "dead" spots locally. Personally, I'd spend the bucks for a 5X0 for the better screen BUT the 330 is a great low cost unit

Regards, Ted

I bought my C330 3-4 wks ago...love it...so easy to use!!! Go for it...price is right! I bought online from Best Buy.ca refurbished for $269.00 + 2 yr warranty for $40.00 Cam

I believe you can get the c530 for around the same price online. Advantages are that you can load POIs from the SD card and it has the SiRF III sensor, and the screen is antireflective. It does not have TTS, if that matters to you.

Yes...but I am in Canada! I never looked at the 530....went by recomendations and fair bit of research...but again...so many models out there....and was looking at the 3xx series...live and learn I guess...for me is just fine though....Cam

Great unit for money, Bought month ago Simple unit to use. Works right out of box, Add custom poi{points of interest}simple ,Alerts pop up, Saves position, for money paid $266 month ago I can't believe theres a better unit for money out there,totally pleased, love it, The c340 speaks the street name to turn, c330 just tells you to turn. c330 works for me, would highly recommend for money best there is

I Just checked the C530 on ebay....$299.99 but that is US$ that is about 350.00 canadian$ then shipping charges....say $20.00 plus customs fees/import fees/duty and taxes I have to pay when I pick it up...I am looking at least $430.00.00 ...that was another reason I went for the C330 Cam