Customer Reviews:
 Garmin Zumo 550 September 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Overall an exceelent full featured GPS that easy to use as well as intuitive. I've had several Garmin products over the last 3 or 4 years and found Garmin to a very customer oriented company that stands beheind their products and administers excellent service.
 Problem September 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A great gps when it works. Stopped working three weeks after receiving. Received a replacement that only worked for a week.
This is the one. August 31, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I own it...it is awesome. I don't use the bluetooth or listen to music with it, so if I had it to do over again, I'd buy the 450.
Works great, even in pouring rain, gets great satellite reception, MadMaps tours can be downloaded into it...it is durable, bright, vibration resistant, and works in my car and on my bike. I love it.
Garmin rules!
Amazing device that delivers everything it's supposed to August 31, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've read a lot of the critical reviews on Amazon and frankly I just don't see where they are coming from. The unit itself lives up to all the claims and THEN some. It is very intuitive and does many things that are surprising. For example, the bluetooth capability (which linked up to EVERY phone I tried it with when I brought it to the Sprint store AND the Apple store [iPhone]) automatically downloads your phonebook. It also accesses your phone's recent incoming call, recent outgoing call and missed call lists in real time.
Of course as a navigation unit it is excellent. The interface is equally intuitive and it contains 6 million points of interest. You can search for PIOs along your route, at a destination, nearest, etc. Lots and lots of features and options are useful.
One thing that really impresses me is the overall feel and responsiveness of the interface and the applications. I had a Magellan 4250 before this, and that was a fine unit for the price, but the Windows CE environment was rather slow and (what else?) prone to needing reboots. The Garmin Zumo feels like it's totally integrated and gives a great level of confidence. The BEST part is Garmin's web updater that detects the device, figures out your firmware levels and automatically presents the any newer software with a description of what changed. Garmin seems to be pretty active in fixing bugs and improving features and they come up with updates every few months. To me, that is critical. I need to know that my unit is actively supported.
In terms of being a motorcycle unit, I give this a very high score. The mounting hardware is beautiful and the kit comes with everything: cable to hardware the mounting cradle to the bike's battery (optional, of course, but SO great!), car mount, car power adapter, USB cables, additional plastic bezels for when you beat the heck out of the original ones. I've gone mine mounted on a Ninja 650R and so far so good.
Yes, the price is WAY higher than anyone wants to pay, but it can be had from an authorized dealer for far below the MSRP, and you need a ruggedized unit to survive the vibrations of a motorcycle (no matter how smooth you think your bike is). The feature set is huge and the quality top notch.
To the folks giving this unit one star because of seller issues, this isn't a seller rating system. To those giving this unit one or two stars because it didn't work with some bluetooth device XYZ, whattiya gonna do? I've tried a ton of devices just for kicks and they all worked. Garmin can't control what other vendors do or don't do. Many people have given few stars because of issues that were fixed by firmware updates 18 months ago.
Bottom line is that this is a beautiful unit that continues to surprise me with it's feature set, completeness and attention to detail. Well worth the (admittedly nosebleed) price.
 BE AWARE - UPDATED August 28, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
UPDATE: Well, I've been using the Zumo for several months now. While my concerns below remain valid, I have to admit that I am very satisfied with the quality and workmanship of the navigation unit. Combined with the computer mapping software, I'm able to design my routes in advance and the unit confidently guides me to my location. Very nice feature. In addition, the unit has performed flawlessly - turns on every time, mount on my bike is solid and convenient. The Amazon editing system won't allow me to update my overall rating but if it did, I would revise to 4-stars as my satisfaction with the navigation has won me over my other concerns.
BE AWARE - Garmin advertises the 550 Zumo as providing high quality MP3 music. They also promote their Bluetooth technology. Be aware that the MP3 quality through the Garmin Bluetooth technology is, at best, very, very poor. In addition, XM radio is NOT available through their Bluetooth. What Garmin does not mention is that to achieve better quality or XM radio, you need to use a wired headset (as well as a $200 separate antenna for XM). In addition, Garmin provides very limited and disappointing factory support for cell phones. Be sure to check their web site for capatibility for your particular cell phone or you may be disappointed to find your bluetooth phone is not supported. At close to $1,000 for this unit, it is simply unacceptable for Garmin to put out this product with these limitations and not disclose these limitations up front. As a navigation unit, it works fine. However, there are much less expensive units available to provide equal or better functionality for GPS. Overall, I'm satisfied with other aspects of this unit as it mounts nicely on my motorcycle and seems to be built to withstand the rigors associated with motorcycling. I pair the Zumo with a ChatterBox GRMS X1 and this combination works well except for the MP3 music functionality. Sorry - I would think twice before investing in this unit again as I sincerely believe that I haven't received adequate value for its cost.
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