Garmin Zumo 550

Last Update: Review by CNET (added on 22/02/07)

Garmin Zumo 550 is measures at 4.8 x 3.9 x 1.6-inches (WxHxD) and 10.6 ounces of weight featuring SiRF Star chipset, preloaded City Navigator NT street maps, waterproof, bluetooth-enabled, and also comes with an optional XM subscriptions and an XM antenna. The price of Garmin Zumo 550 starts from $ 708.90

Garmin Zumo 550 Latest Price Info

+ REVIEWS (last updated: 22/02/07)

CNET has a review of the Garmin Zumo 550 rated it 8.3/10 and writes;
“The good: The Garmin Zumo 550 provides text- and voice-guided directions to motorcyclists and comes with an easy-to-install mounting kit for a motorcycle or a car. All maps are preloaded on the device, and the unit has a built-in MP3 player and integrated Bluetooth for hands-free calling. The bad: The Garmin Zumo 550’s points of interest database is outdated and occasionally gave us wrong street names or no street at all for some side streets. Also, automatic route recalculation is a bit on the slow side. The compass only works in off-road mode, and there’s no Mac support yet for Garmin’s MapSource software.”

GPSinformation has a review of the Garmin Zumo 550 ;
“With a Bluetooth handsfree cellphone headset, one can activate the Connect Headset feature in the Tools Menu. We tested the unit with a Morotola H3 headset (about $65), and the audio range was about 30 feet. After having selected the headset, reconnecting is about as simple as we’ve seen. First turn on the unit, then turn on the headset. The headset connects automatically. The zumo does not need to be in the mount or powered to hear audio directions through the headset.”

YourNav has a review of the Garmin Zumo 550 ;
“The unit feels a lot more solidly fixed in it’s mount than the RIDER does. The zūmo is attached by four pins: it sits on two at the bottom, and then the top two are clicked into place with a lever, making a very solid and secure fixing…Positives: Interface, MapSource software, shipped with bike AND car mount! Negatives: shipped without Bluetooth earpiece, jerkiness of screen.”

Gaj-it has a review of the Garmin Zumo 550 ;
“The waterproof Zumo sat on the bars and wirelessly hooked up to my Bluetooth-enabled helmet. I was able to navigate around the map using the touch screen, without having to take off my gloves and the chunky left-hand friendly control helped me pick my desired destination…The batteries lasted for only four hours between recharges however it had all of Garmin’s points of interest in it, so if you need a quick stop at the service station to rejuvenate yourself then you can instantly divert. With Garmin’s new voice technology which spoke the names of the roads as well as turning instructions it made instructions very clear.”

Dealtime has a user review of the Garmin Zumo 550 ;
“Pros: For motorcycles, but also great for car and handheld usage; Works for geocaching. Cons: No Mac OS X support yet; Routing sometimes takes you onto very secondary roads. Bottom Line: The best GPS I ever had, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just for motorcycles, or just for navigation.”

+ VIDEOS:

- NaviGadget has a video review of Garmin Zumo 550 and writes;

“Some of the other motorcycle friendly features of the Zumo are buttons mounted on the left hand side of the screen so you don’t have to worry taking your hand off the throttle when you’re riding down the street. Also it’s got a big bright touch screen with big glove friendly buttons. It’s got a standard audio jack on it to connect to your intercom system so you can hear voice prompts through your helmet and it’s also got a sweeet MP3 player.”