Garmin nüvi 52LM 5-Inch Portable Vehicle GPS with Lifetime Maps (US)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Having been born with the dreaded condition NSOD (no sense of direction) a GPS is essential if I'm ever to end up getting to where I need to go. My last GPS was the Garmin 3790 which was excellent - however it froze up and died on exactly the 29th day of use which allowed me 24 hours to return it to Amazon.



As I researched a new GPS I found it more complicated than putting the specs together for a computer. Reviews are incredibly mixed on each model. All of them have plenty of pros and no shortage of cons. I decided to call the dedicated number for GPS units on Amazon. And doing so was an excellent experience and one that I highly recommend to anyone frustrated over which unit to buy. Amazon also has consultant Reps for computers, cameras, televisions and so on.



These folks don't work on commission - so there's no vested interest on their part in the recommendations the make it's a zero pressure approach and really an under estimated service - but a very valuable one. After going through the applications I was looking for i.e.: map updates, voice recognition, large screen etc - I was steered to the Garmin 52LM.



At the low price of $145 I was at first skeptical as the 3790T was $300



As I prowled through all the GPS units on Amazon the 52LM had the highest percentage of positive reviews - I was sold.



Quick Specs:



* Preloaded Maps



* Card Reader microSD



* Interface USB



* Voice Street name announcement,



* Navigation instructions



* Included Software Garmin City Navigator North America NT,



* nüMaps Guarantee



* Antenna Built-in



* Internal Memory Flash



* Speed limit warning



* Junction view



* Emergency Help



* Lifetime map updates



* Custom POIs (points of interest)



* Built-in speaker



* Gorgeous Display



* Trip Computer let's you Avoid toll roads



* Connector Type is USB



* Battery - Lithium ion



Included Accessories;

USB cable

Suction cup mount

Car power cable



This unit offers tremendous bang for your buck, I miss the photographic quality of the street maps of the 3790T but considering how beautifully the 52LM performs it's one issue that's easy to get past. The voice directions are crystal clear, set up is effortless and the large screen really makes an enormous difference.



You can spend more - however if your looking for a solid non problematic GPS that's going to get you to and from where you need to go, warn you of traffic delays, provide alternative routes and is absolutely effortless to set up and update - You'll be hard pressed to find a better GPS at any price.



Highly Recommended.

Garmin nüvi 50LM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps (US)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I upgraded from a Nuvi 205w, which Ive had for 3 years. The 205w has sure gotten a work out, I work for a large cable company, so I drive all day and the 205w has never failed me as it navigates 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for the past 3 years. The battery is at the end of its life as it holds a charge for a bit over an hour and the maps are outdated. As prices of GPS units are constantly dropping and being offered with lifetime map updates, I couldn't justify updating the maps on the 3 year old unit when for a few dollars more I picked up a new one when it went on sale.

I didn't need all of the bells and whistles like bluetooth, voice activation/voice commands, mp3 player etc. When shopping for a new unit I wasn't convinced that I needed the 5" screen as my old 4.3" unit was mounted next to the rear view mirror and about 22" from my face, and I could read the screen just fine. B*st B*y just happened to have the 50LM version on sale much cheaper than the smaller 40LM, so it was a no brainer. (I picked it up for $117)

After purchasing the unit I had it updated and ready for use in 34 minutes after walking in the house. The update included installing the Web updater, the lifetime map updater, registering the unit, updating the maps and firmware and rebooting the unit twice. Very quick process and everything went absolutely flawless.

After the effortless update process, I took it out to actually navigate, I checked the points of interest, looked up a pizza restaurant across town and it guided me there with zero glitches, hiccups, re-routes or misguided routing. While on the interstate, upon approaching an exit it switches to lane assist and junction view and the exit signs it shows are to-the-letter exact as the actual sign reads. Very impressive.

After getting to my destination I wanted to test the boot time, so I shut the unit completely off and then turned it back on, I did this several times to get an average boot time and was ready to navigate at the "Where To/Show Map" screen in 13 seconds every time I turned it on.

Using the 50LM side-by-side with my 205w they operate very similarly (if you own one you will be right at home with the new one), the 50LM is faster, has smoother map scrolling, has better touch response on the screen and even though the resolution is the same, the 5" screen of the 50LM looks noticeable sharper, and the difference in size is very noticeable. The volume is VERY loud at 100%; you could probably use this in a noisy convertible without problems. One other thing I noticed is the 50LM has very accurate speed zones, if I'm in a 35mph zone and then it switches to 50, the unit updates the on-screen speed zone within a second of physically passing the street sign.

While my 205w workhorse still works perfect after 3 years of constant use, the 2012 units are a very worthy upgrade, especially with lifetime map updates.



***UPDATE 12/23/2011***

After a full week of navigating since my initial purchase, I am happy to report that there have been zero hiccup's, freezes, resets, crashes or faults that I can think of. My unit is in use from 7:30am to 4:00pm everyday and has worked flawlessly, only once has it not found an address, and to its defense the address was a service road within the confines of a gated apartment complex. I cant comment further on the volume level or speech clarity, I have mine muted while driving and just frequently glance at the arrow on the screen for guidance. The screen is really bright and I find that for me, a comfortable adjustment is at 40% brightness in either day or night driving.

Again comparing this with my older 205w, I REALLY like the speed and sensitivity of this touchscreen much better, its almost like texting on an iphone, just light taps whereas the 205w, even after numerous screen calibrations, would take 2-3 taps of certain keys to get them to register. Map scrolling is much smoother and faster also, just swipe your finger across the screen while in 2D mode and the map rolls smoothly, almost too fast at times, I occasionally have to remind myself to scroll slower so as not to overshoot my targeted area.

Just a reminder, this is Garmins base model, no frivolous extra features to make it cumbersome or complicated - it navigates, and it does that task VERY well.



***UPDATE 08/06/2012*** Today my Nuvi50LM had to be replaced. It guided me to my job destination like always, but after my job, I turned the unit on to enter my next jobs address and all I got was a black screen with a faint GARMIN logo, I tried rebooting it several times and never got past the first Logo screen. Luckily I was a few miles from the Best Buy store where I bought it, they happily exchanged it for a new one, no questions asked. The new one already had the newest maps loaded, I just needed to register it online which took about 10 seconds as the website communicator auto-detects the model and serial number. Im hoping the new one works as well as the last one.

Garmin nüvi 2597LMT 5-Inch Bluetooth Portable Vehicle GPS with Lifetime Maps and Traffic

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased this to replace an older 5" garmin that did not have lifetime maps. I was getting tired of being nagged to pay for a map update on the older unit. Also I wanted to upgrade to a Bluetooth device.

I am impressed overall with the improved speed and sophistication of this device. Connecting to a satellite is improved considerably. Seriously it just takes seconds. My last unit kept searching for a satellite connection so long I was afraid I'd get lost in the process.

No more "recalculating" exclamations when you go off the suggested route. It quickly displays your new route with the suggested next turn.

There are many more split screen "junction view" occurrences. These rarely appeared on my last unit.

The user menu and graphical display has also been improved. The graphics appear cleaner and there is a menu tab on each screen.

Regarding Bluetooth, The ability to use as a speaker phone when connected to your mobile device is nice.

The Voice Command system is good but not great. it's fine when reciting pre-defined menu options but is hit or miss (mainly miss) when speaking addresses.

The build of the unit is solid. Slightly thinner and curvier than previous units.



I have not had any traffic alerts so really can't comment on that function yet.



I'm happy with the improved performance of this unit.



If Voice command and the speaker function are not important to you, you could save some cash buy getting the 2557 model.

Garmin nüvi 2597LMT 5-Inch Bluetooth Portable Vehicle GPS with Lifetime Maps and Traffic

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased this to replace an older 5" garmin that did not have lifetime maps. I was getting tired of being nagged to pay for a map update on the older unit. Also I wanted to upgrade to a Bluetooth device.

I am impressed overall with the improved speed and sophistication of this device. Connecting to a satellite is improved considerably. Seriously it just takes seconds. My last unit kept searching for a satellite connection so long I was afraid I'd get lost in the process.

No more "recalculating" exclamations when you go off the suggested route. It quickly displays your new route with the suggested next turn.

There are many more split screen "junction view" occurrences. These rarely appeared on my last unit.

The user menu and graphical display has also been improved. The graphics appear cleaner and there is a menu tab on each screen.

Regarding Bluetooth, The ability to use as a speaker phone when connected to your mobile device is nice.

The Voice Command system is good but not great. it's fine when reciting pre-defined menu options but is hit or miss (mainly miss) when speaking addresses.

The build of the unit is solid. Slightly thinner and curvier than previous units.



I have not had any traffic alerts so really can't comment on that function yet.



I'm happy with the improved performance of this unit.



If Voice command and the speaker function are not important to you, you could save some cash buy getting the 2557 model.

Garmin nüvi 52LM 5-Inch Portable Vehicle GPS with Lifetime Maps (US)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Having been born with the dreaded condition NSOD (no sense of direction) a GPS is essential if I'm ever to end up getting to where I need to go. My last GPS was the Garmin 3790 which was excellent - however it froze up and died on exactly the 29th day of use which allowed me 24 hours to return it to Amazon.



As I researched a new GPS I found it more complicated than putting the specs together for a computer. Reviews are incredibly mixed on each model. All of them have plenty of pros and no shortage of cons. I decided to call the dedicated number for GPS units on Amazon. And doing so was an excellent experience and one that I highly recommend to anyone frustrated over which unit to buy. Amazon also has consultant Reps for computers, cameras, televisions and so on.



These folks don't work on commission - so there's no vested interest on their part in the recommendations the make it's a zero pressure approach and really an under estimated service - but a very valuable one. After going through the applications I was looking for i.e.: map updates, voice recognition, large screen etc - I was steered to the Garmin 52LM.



At the low price of $145 I was at first skeptical as the 3790T was $300



As I prowled through all the GPS units on Amazon the 52LM had the highest percentage of positive reviews - I was sold.



Quick Specs:



* Preloaded Maps



* Card Reader microSD



* Interface USB



* Voice Street name announcement,



* Navigation instructions



* Included Software Garmin City Navigator North America NT,



* nüMaps Guarantee



* Antenna Built-in



* Internal Memory Flash



* Speed limit warning



* Junction view



* Emergency Help



* Lifetime map updates



* Custom POIs (points of interest)



* Built-in speaker



* Gorgeous Display



* Trip Computer let's you Avoid toll roads



* Connector Type is USB



* Battery - Lithium ion



Included Accessories;

USB cable

Suction cup mount

Car power cable



This unit offers tremendous bang for your buck, I miss the photographic quality of the street maps of the 3790T but considering how beautifully the 52LM performs it's one issue that's easy to get past. The voice directions are crystal clear, set up is effortless and the large screen really makes an enormous difference.



You can spend more - however if your looking for a solid non problematic GPS that's going to get you to and from where you need to go, warn you of traffic delays, provide alternative routes and is absolutely effortless to set up and update - You'll be hard pressed to find a better GPS at any price.



Highly Recommended.

Garmin nüvi 2557LMT 5-Inch Portable Vehicle GPS with Lifetime Maps and Traffic

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased this to replace an older 5" garmin that did not have lifetime maps. I was getting tired of being nagged to pay for a map update on the older unit. Also I wanted to upgrade to a Bluetooth device.

I am impressed overall with the improved speed and sophistication of this device. Connecting to a satellite is improved considerably. Seriously it just takes seconds. My last unit kept searching for a satellite connection so long I was afraid I'd get lost in the process.

No more "recalculating" exclamations when you go off the suggested route. It quickly displays your new route with the suggested next turn.

There are many more split screen "junction view" occurrences. These rarely appeared on my last unit.

The user menu and graphical display has also been improved. The graphics appear cleaner and there is a menu tab on each screen.

Regarding Bluetooth, The ability to use as a speaker phone when connected to your mobile device is nice.

The Voice Command system is good but not great. it's fine when reciting pre-defined menu options but is hit or miss (mainly miss) when speaking addresses.

The build of the unit is solid. Slightly thinner and curvier than previous units.



I have not had any traffic alerts so really can't comment on that function yet.



I'm happy with the improved performance of this unit.



If Voice command and the speaker function are not important to you, you could save some cash buy getting the 2557 model.

Transcend Information USB 3.0 Card Reader (TS-RDF5K)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have been using several USB 2.0 card readers in the past, including the Transcend M5 Multi-Card Reader and Sandisk Mobilemate SD Plus Memory Card Reader. With memory cards getting faster over the years, I started to get the feeling that my old card readers are limiting the Read/Write speed of my newer memory cards. That's why I purchased this Transcend Information USB 3.0 Card Reader (TS-RDF5K) just to try it out, even through all my computers only have USB 2.0 ports.



Upon arrival of the RD5F, I benchmarked over one dozen of my SDHC and microSDHC memory cards, with speed rating from class-4 to class-10 and UHS-1. The program I used is called "CrystalDiskMark v3.01 x64". It reports, among other things, sequential READ and WRITE speed of memory cards. To my surprise, several of my fastest cards showed about 50% improvement in Read/Write speed compared to when using the old M5 card reader.



As an example: for the HP CG790A-AZ 32 GB Flash Memory Card Class 10 SDHC I was previously getting 19.6MB/s in Write and 20.1MB/s in Read. But when used with the RDF5, its throughput jumped 50% to 29.7 and 34.8MB/s, respectively. The Transcend 32 GB Class 10 UHS Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10U1E also shows nearly identical improvement.



The above proves that using old card reader was the bottleneck for my fastest cards. On the other hand, improvements for my slower cards were less noticeable, typically around 5% or less. That include Kingston class-4 SD10G2/16GB, Transcend Class 6 TS16GSDHC6E, etc. See the summary of benchmark results I uploaded to 'Customer Images' section for details.



The only negative about this RDF5 card reader is that: it does not allow simultaneous usage of both SDHC and microSDHC slots. That is, you can only insert one card at a time, but never both.



Conclusion:

I am very happy with the dramatic improvement I can achieve with this card reader, even when it is connected to an USB 2.0 port. Once I upgrade to a new computer with USB 3.0 ports, I expect the benchmark results to be even better - at least for my fastest cards. In the mean time, I consider this card reader the cheapest computer upgrade I can recommend.



[Update on Dec 26, 2013]

I finally have a computer with USB 3.0 port, so I re-tested ~10 memory cards to see the difference.

- For any card marketed as 'UHS-1', I observed huge improvements in both Read and Write speeds.

- For any card marketed as 'class 10' but not UHS, I may see some increase in Read, but very little difference in Wrire.



Bottom Line: If you have an UHS-1 card, make sure to use the RDF5 card reader in conjunction with USB 3.0 port, in order to get the full benefit.