Hi Chaps, I have a lovely multistroodle (fastest black of course) and currently have a zumo 550. I have it paired to interphone headset and also paired to phone. So use it mainly for routing calls and gps. I use an ipod with a bluetooth adapter for music (I commute 2 hours each way and it gets a bit tedious at times). The zumo crashes constantly - not sure if its the headset or the phone but I'm a bit cheesed off with it. Changed headset and phone and it still does it now and again. Normally when I'm on a stretch of road that I can't really stop easily. Anyway its normally battery out to reset it which is a pain as its an allen key job. Anyhoo I can't justify a zumo 660 as I'm not convinced it'll be any better... I have a Sony Xperia Arc smart phone which 'seems' to have a decent GPS - has anyone any suggestions/comments (good or bad) about using a smart phone as your primary gps? I would need power as the battery life blows and obviously some sort of waterproof cover... Can you use the touch screen through a waterproof cover, with gloves on (I'm thinking not...). I have a RAM mount at the moment off the handlebars which works great for the 550... ta.
Depends on what you use sat nav for, one on my iphone you can only go from A-B using it, i cannot find anything on my iphone that will allow me to load waypoints. You may find it hard to use thro a waterproof case, but could also attach a stylus type thing, could make using it easier ???
hi, i have an iphone with garmin software which i use on my other bike, it works fine, however the touch screen does not work with gloves which makes it a pain if you want to change anything as you go along. its better than nothing but i dont think you can beat a dedicated gps.
Hi Jonny - yep I think you are right. I'm just trying to not spend 400 or so notes on a new GPS. I can't live with the zumo 550 anymore - do the miles I do and you need to depend on something that doesnt crash every half hour or so.
The Xperia probably won't work through a cover/with gloves on - certainly my X10 didn't and I'm fairly sure the screen setup is the same on the arc. I'm pretty sure the 660 has a different Bluetooth unit on it, it offers stereo music over BT, and A2DP - neither of which the 550 can do.
maigrait i have a tom tom urban rider, an htc desire and a sena smh10 headset. Can listen to music, talk to my mates on their senas and receive and make calls via the rider which imports your phonebook etc. I got the rider from tom tom as a recon unit i think £199 so a little cheaper maybe. Tom Tom powered mount wires straight in and works from ingition. Fits nicely in between the dash and givi tank bag which contains my phone. Good luck deciding though.
cool... i might check it out. I must admit I haven't looked at the tomtom at all - just went straight for the 660 but i'm all for cheaper options!! thanks
maigrait i have a tom tom urban rider, an htc desire and a sena smh10 headset. Can listen to music, talk to my mates on their senas and receive and make calls via the rider which imports your phonebook etc. I got the rider from tom tom as a recon unit i think £199 so a little cheaper maybe. Tom Tom powered mount wires straight in and works from ingition. Fits nicely in between the dash and givi tank bag which contains my phone. Good luck deciding though.
The solution could in fact cost you nothing ;-) The crashing/freezing screen was an issue for the 550 at one time, I can't remember the fix but it was either: a) Firmware update (have you registered on the Garmin website and logged in with the Zumo connected to your PC?) b) May have been a hardware issue with older units. Phone Garmin Support: Phone (freephone from UK landline): 0808 238 0000 Phone (within UK): 0870 850 1242 Phone (outside UK): +44 870 850 1242 ....they are really helpful ;-) Tons of info and support here: Login The 550 is an excellent bit of kit, way better than TomTom or others......the 660 is better still
Andy, yes i agree that the 550 really raised the bar when it was launched and is a great bit of kit still, in fact i prefer it to the 660, however having had a few garmins and different tom toms over the years the playing field is a little more equal now and would say that it is more an individual preference re routing options, display and not least budget. One mans meat etc etc!
yeh its got the latest firmware defo - i would say it possibly worse with the new one/new maps... i might indeed try garmin support. Like you say could cost nowt.
I have found their support top notch on a couple of occasions....worth a try. You're right of course, the Garmin will only win if you want/need all the extra features and will make use of MapSource etc..........personally I'm a bit of a fan I admit
TBH, I find for general usage the Garmin is much superior in terms of routing and interface for bikes. TomTom wins hands down in the car though, by a country mile.
absolutely Andy. I use tyre to plan routes a fair bit and found that the translation from tyre to tom tom a little simpler than to the 550 as you have to chose the correct routing option. Mind you that was a couple of years ago now so tyre has probably improved aswell
Just another option, garmin provide a service for a set fee can't rembrand how much, but it was about £130, where you send your faulty unit and they replace/refurbish to as new. not sure if it would solve your problem but You get an as new unit!
Been running with a 660 for over a year without a lockup and they are available for about £385 now not the cheapest option but they appear to have fixed the lockup problem
Zumo 660 and Sena headset for about a year now - no issues so far....(I've blown it now haven't I???)
