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Garmin Zumo 550 Satellite Navigation System | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
Buy New: £479.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 2325
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.7
Dimensions (in): 19.7 x 19.7 x 19.7
MPN: Zumo 550
Model: Zumo 550
UPC: 753759061760
EAN: 0753759061760
ASIN: B000JIO9L4
Release Date: October 3, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
"Allmost a great product" August 23, 2008
Having used the TomTom V3 Europe for my bike for some time a 10 day trip to southern france was looming so i wanted a satnav that could do almost everything and was waterproof the the choice was obviously between the rider and the zumo.I had three days before my trip which included leading 7 other bikes down with me from sunny yorkshire around a 1000 mile trip in 2 days,after reading the reviews my choice was made to buy the rider unfortunatly everywere local to me was sold out and with only a day left to go my only other option was the zumo 550.The gps was simple enough to mount and was full of features not present on the tomtom but i can honestly say i liked the mapping on the tomtom better,saying that the zumo got us down to the border of spain quite well,i must point out that the zumo struggled slightly to find smaller villages so be aware of this unless you have the coordinates then the zumo will let you down proof of this is when it was 2am in the morning and we were looking for our digs in a place called "Le Struel" the zumo could not find it but my m8's tomtom had it listed in its mapping "tomtom to the rescue" also when navigating the zumo has a strange way of taking you down smaller roads and cutting accross country rather than sticking to the motorways even when faster time is used although in a bizzare way you still get there just as quick.
The mp3 is a great option i used a seperate 2 gig SD card and filled it up with music and had non stop tunes while biking,the zumo will interupt the music to give you instructions then return to the music which is cool,also you can upload your photos to the system which is a novel idea.The unit worked great hrough heavy storms on the way back home in the uk and was dropped a few times and never let me down,i have not botherd to make use of the bluetooth yet as i just plug headphones into the unit which for cheapness its a good option.Another life saver was the POI say for instance you were low on fuel somewere in western europe you just clicked the fuel icon and it gave you the nearest station was was great and the same goes for food etc.I dont really have any complaints about the system other than slightly more data would have been nice on smaller villages but once you have the coordinates to these it will take you there.
 Great piece of kit June 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I chose the Zumo 550 because although I am buying it for my bike, I don't want to have a problem using it my car too. This comes with car (in which it talks to me) and bike (in which it doesn't unless I use a Blue-Tooth head-set)with full maps for Europe and even a quality carrying case to protect it. I LOVE IT!!!
 Disappointing April 9, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
After using a Tom Tom configuration for 2 years which was a bit of a lash up I was looking forward to having the real deal. The Zumo feels and looks solid and both the bike and car mounts are very strong a wobble free. The securing method in both cases leaves you in no doubt that it is in place and will stay there.
It's the software that lets the system down. Although having the street announced can be useful and the POI information is more extensive than Tom Tom, the basic running and indication is way behind TT. The animation is unclear and junction routing is not the best. Most time it does not appear to be moving. Worst of all the count down to the next action is in smaller type and the next action indication (which is so reassuring on TT) is not there on the animated map. This makes audio near essential instead of a confirmation. The routing software for the PC is a great help but then is necessary as building a route on the unit is difficult.
This unit was intended for mainly car use with some bike use. If that's your intention get the TT rider 2. If you are crossing continents on the bike all year round the Garmin's hardware may shade it...but I doubt it.
Spot on for bike and car March 5, 2008
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I had a Garmin Street Pilot III for the bike and a TomTom3 for the car - both getting a bit long in the tooth, so needed a replacement that would do both jobs.
In the Zumo 550 I have found just the thing. Ease of use is excellent (I never really got on with the TomTom user interface). The MapSource software that comes with it is a little clunky to use at first, but you get used to its quirks. It allows one to manage POIs, routes and favoutites on a PC, and transfer them to the Zumo. There isn't anything comparable for the TomTom GPSs AFAIK.
I now have an all in one solution for the bike - the Zumo replaces the seperate MP3 player and wired phone connection that I used to have, with one device that is wired to my intercom. Now all sources are through one device, the phone connecting automatically through Bluetooth, and it's seamless. The big advantage over the TomTom Rider 2 is that, although it can connect to a Bluetooth headest as well, there are also audio in and out jacks, for better quality (and stereo) music output. You don't have this option with the TT Rider.
In the car, the unit is just as easy to use, and the phone connection can be used for handsfree phone use if you don't already have it. Again you have the wired audio output which you could plag into your car stereo. I wouldn't recommend using the MP3 player through the Zumo's speaker system, as the sound quality is not good enough.
All in all a good bit of kit, and for my own personal requirements, beats the TomTom Rider2 hands down.
Should of got the Tom Tom rider 2 February 3, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
After using a tom Tom for 3 years and in need of a new bike and car Sat Nav I went for the Zumo 550, and now regret not buying the tom tom rider 2. Zumo 550 lacks so many fatures of the tom tom, is absoutly crap at estimating ETA and Suggesting a good route and inputting your destination. After usiing both side by side for 2 months now there is simpl no choice for ease of use - Tom tom. The rider mount and robustness of the Zumo is good. Have not used the blue tooth connection on either so cant comapre them. Julian
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