An incredible value in an automotive GPS device...

With the flood of automotive-based GPS devices that have hit the market recently, I figured that it was only a matter of time until I took the plunge & bought one for myself. Like I normally tend to do, I shopped around ad nauseum; comparing features & prices & such before committing to any particular one.

One thing was sure... whichever unit I decided upon would be made by Garmin. Period!

My seemingly myopic devotion to this particular manufacturer is the result of many, many years of actual experience with their eTrex line of handheld receivers (from hiking to geocaching to simply being able to avoid getting lost in a strange city while on vacation). The quality of Garmin’s products is superb, & they back their units up with some of the most comprehensive customer support/service that I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

After weighing all of the stats on what was available, I came to the conclusion that the c330 was the one for me. At just under $150 (courtesy of eBay), the price was right. One can spend a whole lot more on one of these devices than that, but the extra cash outlay really only gets you certain features that I, personally, don’t feel the need for, such as blue-tooth linked hands-free speaker phone capability, real-time traffic information, etc. (holy smoke… one step at a time here!). It does come with a nice, infinitely-adjustable suction cup mount that also acts as a charging base.

As GPS’s of this type go, the c330 could probably be considered to be a “basic” unit, & unless you simply can’t live without little niceties like those listed above, “basic” is a good thing when it comes to the learning curve. I’ve owned it for two days & I’ve used it extensively, but I have yet to even look at the instruction manual (so intuitive and straight-forward is the operation)! When inputting your desired destination, you can either enter a specific address, or you can choose from within the impressive internal database of locations and services in a particular area.

As my inaugural test, I plugged in the address of my friend’s house across town. Not only does the large, full-color screen give you a very easy-to-follow view of your orientation, but a clear, easy to understand voice offers turn-by-turn prompts as to what you’re about to encounter (& where to turn when you get there). Not surprisingly, my new toy led me right to my friend's driveway. Originally, I was a bit concerned that a device with such relatively tiny internal speakers would be able to produce enough volume to be easily heard over typical road noise. I’m happy to report that my concerns were for naught; the female voice is pleasant & comes through with plenty of clarity (even at freeway speeds). As a long-time GPS user, I was astonished by how quickly the c330 acquires & latches onto a usable array of satellites (way faster than any of my eTrex’s, but it’s probably got a bigger internal antenna, which could explain it).

If there’s one thing that I might have reservations about, it’s the fact that the c330 uses an internal, non-user replaceable Li-Ion rechargeable battery (though I get the feeling that this unit would suck the life out of ordinary dry-cells in no time at all… perhaps making such an arrangement necessary. Hey… if this battery manages to last as long as the one in my iPod has, I‘ll be satisfied (same technology). Plus, when/if that time comes, I know that Garmin will do me right. That‘s just the way they are).

As a first-time automotive-GPS buyer, the Garmin c330 is everything I hoped it was going to be. To say that I “got my money’s worth” would be an understatement… for the price, I can’t see how any other unit can touch it.