Garmin StreetPilot c330 Car GPS Receiver

I am a GPS fanatic. My fascination with GPS receivers started while taking some entry level forestry classes in California, which required the use of a handheld GPS. I had always wanted one for my car, but just 3 years ago automotive GPS devises were almost $1,000 dollars for just the basic models! I finally caved, and bought my Garmin c330 as a gift for myself in March of last year. At the time I bought my StreetPilot c330, it was still an extravagant purchase: costing about $500. That said, I expected a lot from this GPS receiver. Did the Garmin StreetPilot c330 live up to my expectations?

What is this thing?

The Garmin c330 is a relatively small GPS receiver, measuring 4.4" Wide X 3.2" High X 2.8" Deep. It weighs about 10 ounces. Unlike my other automotive GPS systems (a Nextar X4-T and my new Garmin Nuvi 680), which offer luxuries like a big touch screen display, weather reports, real-time traffic alerts, etc. the Garmin c330 is a simple unit designed solely for the purposes of getting you where you need to go and back: no frills.

How'd it do dat?

In case you are new to GPS systems, here is a very generic run-down on how GPS works. There are currently 24 US satellites (not counting the reserve satellites) that are in orbit around the earth. Your GPS locks onto the satellite signals (at least 3 satellite signals are needed for 2D display and 4 satellite signals are needed for 3D), and voila, you can now find out just about anything you want to about your location, i.e. your elevation (not available on the c330), distance to a desired location, your current speed, etc.

What you get in the box:

You get everything you need to operate the unit-

* GPS receiver
* A 12 volt A/C power adapter cord
* Vehicle suction cup (for vehicle windshield)
* Preloaded City Navigator
* USB cable for PC
* USB drivers disc
* Dashboard disk (for mounting on the dash board)
* Manual/Quick Reference Guide

Do I need to know calculus to work it?

The most difficulty you will probably run into with the Garmin is actually opening the package that it comes in. Garmin has recently changed the packaging of the c330 from being in a simple-to-open box, to those nail-breaking plastic shell cases (you'll need a good pair of scissors). Another problem can be finding a place to mount the receiver. While it was easy mounting the c330 onto my Civics' windshield using the jointed window mount, I imagine those who own cars with steeply racked windshields will need to use the dash mount (included) or another means of attaching it to a surface. It should also be noted that it is illegal to put anything with a suction cup on your windshield in California and Minnesota, so mounting the c330 to the dash will be necessary. Unfortunately, just mounting it to the dash isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. The hardware that Garmin provides for mounting the unit on the dash (small discs with double-sided tape) is highly inadequate for keeping the receiver secured to the dash on bumpy roads, making the standard dash mount useless for off-roaders. It also requires your vehicle's dash to be almost perfectly linear, so if you have a vehicle with a curvy dash surface, you will have to buy the optional friction mount (the friction mount *should* come standard, but will set you back about $40). It should also be noted that this GPS receiver doesn't come with a remote control. Most GPS systems still don't come with remotes, but I'd definitely like to see it as an option, as it can be back-breaking using the touch-screen if the unit is mounted at the base of the windshield or is out of direct reach of the driver.

Mounting issues aside, operating the Garmin c330 is a cinch. There are only three buttons on the unit: the power and reset button, volume control dial, and three ports (USB, MCX-type connector, car interface slot). That said, all of the navi-functions are via touch-screen. The beauty of the c330 is how self-explanatory the menu items are. Once the GPS system finds a satellite link (usually takes a few seconds once you turn the unit on) the c330 provides just two main menu options "Where To" and "View Map." Pressing the "Where To" icon provides a multitude of straight foreword choices, i.e. Food, Lodging, Fuel Etc. By pressing any of the choices, you are then provided a number of sub-menus, which allow you to choose what type of service you are looking for, i.e. Chinese food, hotels, etc. When selecting "View map," it brings up a current map of your location as well as basic information at the top and bottom of the screen. When a desired location is found, you are provided the address and phone number (if available) of that location. Simply pressing the "GO" icon on this info screen starts your journey to that particular local. Touching the speed icon will give you statistics regarding your trip information including speed, average speed, maximum speed, total time on trip, and much more.

The LCD:

The c330's 3.5" LCD is a mixed bag. While the this LCD offers decent graphics and color comparable to my more expensive Garmin Nuvi 680, it's not nearly bright enough (Even when brightness is set to max), making the screen look washed out at certain hours during the day. At night, however, the c330's screen is a beauty. The white back light allows for an easy to read display during the night hours without being blinding, albeit all GPS units can be distracting at times. The LCD's touch-screen is, for the most part, very accurate: meaning you won't constantly be using the back button because the unit thinks you pushed a different icon. But I digress, entering in the names of places can be a bit tricky due to how small the letter icons are (you don't want to do this while driving). Other than that, I am impressed with the c330's LCD touch-screen, especially considering the new low prices for this particular unit.

Screen Info

* 320 X 240 pixels
* 3.5"
* QVGA transflective TFT with 16-bit color (64K colors)
Touchscreen
* Bright white LED backlight

Features:

Compared to many new GPS models on the market, the c330 may seem a bit bare-bones in comparison. However, the c330 isn't without its fare share of cool features. Some noteworthy features for the c330 include the following.

* Fully customizable.
* The ability to view trip information, including your vehicles' speed, arrival time..
* Internal rechargeable battery (included).
* Voiced turn by turn directions.
* Route displays.
* Color LCD.
* The ability to zoom in and zoom out at maps.
* The ability to set a home location, so you will always be able to find your way back home.
* The ability to store favorite locations.
* You can add a detour in most cases.

The following paragraphs will have more info about these features-


Performance:

Signal:

Performance will vary on where you live. Living on the East Coast, I receive a strong satellite signal virtually all of the time (rain, snow, or shine) and even when traveling over the Appalachian Mountains. Locking onto a signal is also fast, taking less than 10 seconds to boot up (the first time you use this unit it can take a few minutes to lock onto the signal). Out west, however, the signal would occasionally get lost, especially when driving over mountainous terrain (The Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains were two of the worst places for signal strength).

Accuracy

The c330 is very accurate: being able to successfully put me on the best route to just about any location that I have been unfamiliar with. Newly developed locations can take awhile to be added to the database, so if you live in a newly developed area: stores, addresses, etc. will not show up on the GPS screen (it can take up to 8 months for new locations to be added). Also, some less traveled roads (even old ones) are not listed. I have the same problem with my Nextar and even the higher-end Nuvi 680, so this isn't too much of a complaint. As with most GPS units, if you go off route the c330 will automatically recalculate a new route. Also, if traffic happens to get crazy, you can find detours around congested areas. I never did use the detour feature, but it would definitely come in handy for those living in big cities where congestion is common.

Battery life: The manual claims that the c330's rechargeable internal lithium battery will last about 8 hours. I don't think I have ever had it off it's charger for that length of time, but during the entire time that I owned the c330, I never had the batteries go dead on me.

Audio:

The StreetPilot communicates directions to the driver via a female-ish voice. If you are coming upon your turn, for example, the c330 will say something like "turn right" and then subsequently say something like "Then drive 1.2 miles and then turn left." This unit does not voice the name of upcoming streets or even highway exit numbers for that matter: just the distance before you are expected to exit. My biggest rant with the voice, however, is its annoying Speak & Spell voice prompts. You'd think with all this modern technology we have in the 21st century, the c330 could have at least a somewhat human sounding voice for the directional prompts: it doesn't.

Customization

By selecting the "tool" icon you can fully customize your Street Pilot c330. The c330 allows you to customize map detail (the more detail the slower the refresh rate), how the map is displayed, screen color to suit the time of day, and you can even customize the system to prepare directions according to the type vehicle you drive. Though the c330 can be customized, the factory settings should be good enough for most consumers.

Reliability:

When I first opened the c330's package, the first thing that came to mind was "This thing feels cheap!" Although it feels cheap, the c330 has been very reliable. Despite falling off my dash more times than I can recall, it never stopped working. Also, I tend to neglect my auto electronics in the summer months by leaving them in the vehicle where inside temperatures can get as high as 140 degrees F. Though I don't recommend leaving the c330 in your vehicle on hot days (or anytime for that matter due to theft), mine never had any issues. This excellent reliability is the main reason why I chose to go with another Garmin product when it came time to upgrade.

Overall:

Although I'm not so sure I would recommend this unit for the price I paid, for the price it is now (around $150), the Garmin StreetPilot c330 is an excellent no frills GPS receiver. Although it lacks some of the cool features found in its competitors, i.e. weather reports, and real-time traffic alerts, it operates with the finesse of a GPS unit twice its cost. With prices for the c330 being as low as $128 at stores like Wal-Mart, this unit represents an excellent value for those on the market for an entry level GPS. If you are looking for a little more from your GPS experience, however, I highly suggest checking out some of Garmin's higher-end GPS units, i.e. the Nuvi 680.

Note: Looking for a GPS from Garmin with more features? Check out my review on the Garmin Nuvi 680


Thanks for reading!!!!