Drive, hike, bike or boat. With the rugged, waterproof, multi-mode n?vi 500, you can do it all. Packed with detailed street and topographic maps, n?vi 500 is ready for adventure both on and off the beaten path. Like the 550, n?vi 500 switches modes to navigate your active lifestyle and provides spoken turn-by-turn directions to your destination.n?vi 500 features driving, walking, bicycling and boating modes which customize your n?vi specifically for your method of travel. This portable hybrid combines the advanced navigation features and large, color display found in automotive units with the durability of an outdoor handheld. Sleek and slim, you can slip n?vi 500 into your pocket or backpack. The user-replaceable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery lets n?vi navigate you on roads or off.n?vi 500’s intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions : “Where To? ” and “View Maps.” touch the color screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions to your destination. It comes preloaded with city navigator NT map data for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico or one European region or country (click versions tab to view all). It’s packed with millions of Points Of Interest (POIs) and features digital elevation maps that show you shaded terrain contours at higher zoom levels. With n?vi 500, you can upload custom Points Of Interest (POIs) and navigate to geo-tagged photos. If you’re lost, use the Where Am I? emergency locator to view your exact latitude and longitude coordinates the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and fuel stations.

5 Responses to “Garmin nüvi 500 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator”

1. Wolfgang says:

   May 23, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Background: Late in 2008 I decided to buy a GPS unit for a cross country tour with the motorcycle.

   Total miles 4800

   Based on reviews and specs I decided to go for the nuvi 500.

   Features I required:

   Waterproof: Yes IPX7

   Rugged: Yes

   Battery life: about 5-6 Hrs in real life, degraded over time to 3-4

   Mac OSX Interface : Yes via Roadtrip, however Garmin hasn’t updated Roadtrip since 03/24/09

   Waypoints/Favorites: Yes up to 500

   Routes: Up to 10

   Fast Satellite reception: Slow, takes quite some time to acquire signals

   Features I would have liked in addition:

   - Faster satellite reception

   - Lane assist

   - It should be possible in Roadtrip to add an address & telephone number as a waypoint not as a text box

   - It should be possible to set a specific location as a “day” destination within a 2 week trip

   - Altimeter function

   - Keyboard layout should be like a real keyboard

   - The unit could display miles to go for the day, not how much remains for the entire trip

   - The software needs to more accurately calculate the total miles for a trip showed in roadtrip 3621, when we actually travelled 4800

   - If certain roads are closed due to weather it would be nice to get an indication.

   - Daily mileage display, display could be more configurable

   - When routes are imported it should show version or date/time of import to better determine what route to load.

   - Delete function of imported files within unit.

   - Optional time display on main screen

   - Allow MAD maps to be displayed in Roadmap/Mapsource

   Real life experience

   So by end of December 2008 I received my Nuvi500 and got started with Roadtrip on my Macbook Pro.

   This is my first GPS so it took some time to get familiar.

   In the car when I entered a single destination the unit worked always flawless without problems, no complaints except the slow signal.

   After I planned a short motorcycle trip for a day I learnt that the waypoints have to be placed very precisely since the unit directs you literally exactly to it. When I used the optimize waypoint function I learnt that some of them are not placed where they should be. So you may end up at a turn where you should turn right and the unit makes you turn left and then a U-turn.

   So after working with the unit for 5 month I imported a route, which according to roadtrip was 3621 miles including 80 waypoints. We started our cross country tour on June 16th arriving on the East Coast on July 1st

   So when I imported the route into the Nuvi500 it first said the route is too long. OK, so no big deal just calculate as you go. Then the system was asking if it should navigate to the beginning of the tour, which I confirmed with “NO”

   For some unknown reason the system wanted to make U-turns for the first 100 miles, really annoying.

   However for another unknown reason the trip was calculated with 7156 miles, didn’t plan a de-tour through South America??

   So waypoints got duplicated even so I deleted all routes, performed a factory reset a couple of times.

   Finally I got a mileage which seems half way accurate 3981 miles.

   So we are on the tour for a couple of days and it starts raining, and suddenly the unit turns itself off and on again and is stuck in an endless loop. So finally in the Hotel I perform another factory reset and delete my route all my favorites and addresses.

   The good thing is I got my MBP with me and re-import the map. This time it works however only for a couple of days. When in Lake Placid rain started again and the nightmare continued.

   Overall impressions:

   Reliability is questionable in rain

   Route calculation is sometimes calculating air way, until you perform a re-calculate route?

   Software seems not as stable as I would have hoped.

   Calculation of total mileage seems off

   A friend of mine ordered the same unit this year and has exactly the same issues I had last year however he is using mapsource? So you start to wonder….

   Recommendation

   So overall I’d say don’t buy this one for a motorcycle. Look at other reviews for motorcycles. If you are looking for single destinations for use in a car, the unit is OK.

   Any recommendations from riders?

   The ZUMO665 seems improved but $999 is not something I would consider. Any feedback on the BMW Navigator III?
2. Gayle H. Disch says:

   April 21, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Garmin nüvi 500 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

   A must for every off roader – don’t be concerned about getting lost ever again. There doesn’t appear to be the smallest trail out there that this GPS topo can’t find. It is taking some extra effort in learning the ins and outs, not as easy as I had thought but slowly it is making sense. The instruction booklet isn’t the most explicit. The display is easy to see and large enough to use from the dash board.
3. C. A. Bartels says:

   April 6, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Great GPS and long battery life. Got it for using on the motorcycle and in a vehicle.
4. Toad says:

   April 2, 2010 at 12:00 am

   This is the first GPS I have purchased. I bought it for the Topo/Street map combo. I have a jeep and love the off-road adventures, I figured it would be the best of both worlds and I was right. I don’t need a state of the art GPS for off road and street use. It’s water proof and is big enough for the dash or the palm of your hand, put it this way if you want a system for street and one for topo maps I’m sure you can get them. But for me it’s all I need. As far as battery life goes it’s good enough for what I use it for, small hiking trips, bike rides and recently I used it while riding my motorcycle to find a way to a local motocross track through trails and small roads. I carried it in my back pack and pulled it out to use at varouis points along the way. The only major draw back is you have to e-mail Garmin to get it updated so it will say the Street names. Yes I would recomend this item to anyone.
5. randyeller says:

   March 11, 2010 at 12:00 am

   If you want the perfect set up for day-to-day navigation as well as a perfect off-road navigation capable portable GPS the Nuvi 500 hits it out of the park….. I love it and look forward to running a lot of trails in the So Cal desert and mountains and who knows where else… I use it in my Polaris RZR-S… This was definitely one of my best purchases for family fun as well as safety