Photograph: Rick Rizner
The $460 Garmin StreetPilot c330 excels at the basics. Its 3.5-inch color touch screen is big enough for quick and easy reading, but the unit isn't so large that it takes over your dashboard; I wouldn't think twice about stowing it in a suitcase or overnight bag for use during a cross-country trip. Its built-in maps cover the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and (like the maps of other units I reviewed for our recent GPS roundup) they are said by the vendor to include several million points of interest.
On startup, the screen confronts you with two big buttons: 'Where to?' drops you into a screen that has six categories, such as Address, Food, Fuel, and Lodging; 'View Map' shows your present location on a digital map, with good accuracy. All of the buttons, including the alphanumeric keys, are of a nice size for quick and accurate touch-screen data entry.
The graphics looked great, and turn-by-turn directions were clear and precise. The product gives you multiple language and voice options; I favored the female voice with the alluring British accent.
The Garmin's screen could be brighter, but a reflective coating makes it readable in bright sun. Address searches proceeded relatively swiftly, but some points-of-interest searches were painfully slow.
The StreetPilot c330 is a great choice for delivering affordable, no-frills navigation.
Tracey Capen
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