Garmin nüvi 500 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator |  | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy New: $230.75
as of 3/20/2010 00:58 CDT details
You Save: $269.24 (54%)
New (38) Used (1) Refurbished (1) from $209.99
Seller: stores123
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 2075
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 320 x 240
Display Size: 3.5
Battery: 1 Lithium-Ion
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 0.9 x 3.3 x 4.2
nv:Condition: New
Type: Handheld
Type: Marine
Type: Automotive
Type: Motorcycle
Waypoints: 1000
Route Capacity: 10
Display: Color
Display: TFT
Display: Backlight
Screen Size: 3.5"
Touch Screen: Yes
Voice: Yes
Expansion Slots: microSD Card
Battery Type: Rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery Life: 8 hours
Special Features: Bluechart Compatible
Special Features: Waterproof
Special Features: Geocaching Ready
Special Features: Spoken Street Names
Maps Included: United States
MPN: 010-00700-10
Model: NUVI 500
UPC: 007537590769
EAN: 0007537590769
ASIN: B001CSZSDI
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | High-Sensitivity GPS Receiver For Improved Performance And Reception | | • | Built-In 3D Basemap | | • | Includes Built-In Lower 48 Us States Topographic Maps | | • | 3.5-Inch Display, 320 X 240 Pixels | | • | Easy Touch-Screen Interface |
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Product Description
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.
Amazon.com Product Description
Perfect for crossing over the threshold from city to backcountry, the Garmin nüvi 500 provides a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with turn-by-turn navigation in a ruggedized, waterproof exterior that you can use while hiking, biking, or boating. With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix satellite prediction, nüvi 500 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons--whether in the city or out in the wilds. And it easily switches modes (driving, walking, biking and boating) to navigate through your active lifestyle depending on your activity. Other features include a 3.5-inch touchscreen, microSD memory expansion, geocaching GPX file capabilities for complete cache descriptions and hints, and Garmin Connect Photos--enabling you to associate your favorite images with saved locations. 
The waterproof nüvi 500 guides you while you drive, hike, bike or boat. | The nüvi 500 comes preloaded with the highly detailed City Navigator North America NT maps for the lower 48 states, which also includes topographic maps for a better perspective of your elevation. The map data, provided by NAVTEQ, features over six million points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, ATMs and attractions. 
The DEM basemap (above) provides shaded contours, and the nüvi also includes a digital compass. |  | Weighing 7.6 ounces and measuring less than an inch thin, the nüvi 500 fits easily in a purse, backpack, or jacket pocket. The 3.5-inch color touchscreen display (with 320 x 240-pixel resolution) is easy to read even in direct sunlight, and the nüvi's easy-to-use interface means you'll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and nüvi takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions, 2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map updates as you navigate. Its digital elevation model (DEM) mapping shows you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain. In addition, the nüvi accepts custom points of interest (POIs), such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. Garmin's HotFix capability automatically calculates and stores satellite locations, greatly reducing satellite acquisition time so that you can turn the unit on and get going. With HotFix, your nüvi 500 remembers the position of all satellites it is tracking when you turn it off, and calculates their movements in order to predict where they should be the next time you turn it on. HotFix can predict satellite positions for up to 3 days after the device was last turned off. Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD memory cards for all your outdoor activities on land or water. Just insert an optional Garmin MapSource card with detailed street maps (such as for locales outside the United States), and the nüvi 500 provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. And with optional BlueChart g2 Vision maps, you'll get everything you need for a great day on the water including depth contours, navaids and harbors. Plus, a user-replaceable lithium-ion battery will give you up to eight hours of battery life (depending on use).
Specifications
- User modes: Driving, Boating, Bicycling and Walking
- Expansion: microSD card slot for optional mapping and data storage
- Wherigo player
- Geocahing: Supports Geocahing.com GPX files for complete cache descriptions and hints
- Dimensions: 4.21 x 3.35 x 0.9 inches (WxHxD)
- Display size: 3.5-inch QVGA color antiglare TFT screen (320 x 240-pixel resolution) with white backlight touchscreen
- Weight: 7.6 ounces
- Battery type: user replaceable lithium-ion
- Battery life: up to 8 hours depending on use
- Waterproof standard: IEC 60529 IPX7
Navigate by Photo with Garmin Connect Photos
| Using Garmin's Connect Photos Web site, you can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google's Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.
- Choose from Panoramio's collection of photos from around the world.
- Easy to use interface displays photos on Google Maps.
- Search for photos by location name or map area boundary.
- Transfer photos directly from Garmin Connect to device with the Garmin Communicator.
- View photos in Google Earth.
- Supports Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+ on Windows and Mac.
| Play Wherigo Wherever You Go
This nüvi GPS device is compatible with Wherigo, the latest GPS-based activity from geocaching pioneers Groundspeak. Wherigo (pronounced "where I go") is a toolset for creating and playing location-based multimedia experiences in the real world. Using the Wherigo platform, Wherigo authors can build exciting adventure games, historical tours or other innovative activities. 3D Terrain Maps
Shaded relief terrain maps show you when to expect hills, mountains, forests and other natural features. Topographic terrain maps are viewable when using the 2D "birds-eye" view.
What's in the Box
Garmin nüvi 500, preloaded City Navigator North America NT Lower 48 U.S. states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico plus topographic maps, lithium-ion battery, vehicle suction cup mount, vehicle power cable, dashboard disc, quick start manual Which nüvi is Best for You? Note: All nüvis come with detailed NAVTEQ maps containing more than 6 million pre-loaded point of interest locations. | Device | Screen Size inches (W x H) | Included Maps | Text-to-Speech (Directions in Real Street Names) | Traffic | Bluetooth | Media | FM Transmitter (audio through car stereo system) | Multi-Point Routing | Battery life (hours) | | Cont. U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico | AK and Canada | Europe | | nüvi 500 | 2.8 x 2.1 | |
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| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 8 | | nüvi 205 | 2.8 x 2.1 | |
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| MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 205w | 3.81 x 2.25 | |
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| MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 255 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 255w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 260w | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
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| Photos |
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| up to 5 | | nüvi 265T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 265WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 275T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 285WT | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 465T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
| | up to 4 | | nüvi 755T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) |
| Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 760 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 765T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 775T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 780 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 5 | | nüvi 785T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 850 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 855 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 885T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (receiver included; 3 months free); FM (with optional receiver) | | Photos, MP3s | | | up to 4 | | nüvi 1200 | 2.8 x 2.1 | |
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| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1250 | 2.8 x 2.1 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1260T | 2.8 x 2.1 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1300 | 3.81 x 2.25 | |
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| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1350 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (with optional receiver) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1350T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) |
| Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1370T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | | | | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1390T | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
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| up to 4 | | nüvi 1490T | 4.4 x 2.5 | | |
| | MSN-enhanced (with optional receiver); FM (receiver included; Lifetime Traffic) | | Photos |
| | up to 4 | | nüvi 1690 | 3.81 x 2.25 | | |
| | NAVTEQ Traffic, 2 years free (Garmin nüLink! service) | | Photos |
| | up to 4 |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
 Exactly what I hoped it would be March 11, 2010
randyeller (So Calif)
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
 Not all I thought it would be... DO YOUR RESEARCH!!! March 10, 2010
J. Chatfield (Rochester, NY)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I did a lot of research when I decided I wanted to buy a "cross-over" type GPSr. I have an old Garmin eTrex, which works great for Geocaching, but wanted something that I could use on-road as well. The Garmin Nuvi 500 seemed like it would do the trick.
1. I had a terrible time trying to update the unit right out of the box. You are entitled to a free map upgrade within 30 days of your purchase, so I was able to update to the Garmin CityNavigator 2010.40 mapset. That was nice. It also took a LONG time to download, and I had multiple resets during the process which required me to restart 3-4 times before accomplishing the update. Also the firmware had to be updated to get some of the newer features, including text-to-speech directions. The web-updater ALSO locked up more than once. After you install the new firmware, you have to run the webupdater AGAIN to get the actual TTS voices to take advantage of the new features. MapSource does work, but hangs and freezes quite regularly for me. When you load waypoints to the Nuvi 500, be aware that it will REPLACE all the waypoints that were already there. Learned this the hard way.
2. One of the reasons I chose this unit was that it, unlike the 550, included US Topo maps. The included Topo maps are of no use to me, as they have so little detail at a local level. I called Garmin support because I didn't think I even had them - they had me zoom out to see the whole US, and I could see the mountain detail in the western states. Once I zoomed in to a New York state level, it was barely noticeable and at a city/town level completely worthless. Fortunately I was able to find a 24K NY Topo map for free online. While it does not have the 3-D information necessary to show ridges and valleys, at least I can read the line-drawn information.
3. Putting waypoints, maps, and geocaches on the unit is a nightmare. The manual gives little information on this, and I spent COUNTLESS HOURS on MANY different websites/forums trying to figure this all out. While one of the features of the Nuvi 500 is ability to download Geocaches right from the Garmin website to your unit. However, you can only do FIVE a day!!!! Anyone who Geocaches knows that you can't do much with FIVE listings per day. Anywho - you can do a pocket query at Geocaching.com (if you are a premium member) and then transfer the information to your Nuvi using GSAK - a free program that provides many benefits for Geocachers. Provided it ends up in the right folder on the Nuvi (the GPX folder) the Nuvi may actually recognize that it is a file of Geocaches, and display them properly.
4. Using the Nuvi 500 for Geocaching is hit or miss. As long as we took a direct approach to the hidden location and used a steady speed, it seemed to work well. If we deviated from the course, it took an excruciatingly long time for the compass to swing around to point us in the right direction. On a few occasions we didn't have enough time to wait and just headed back to the car. If you do find the Geocache, however, it has a nifty feature to allow you to "log" your find and write a short field note. This is saved on the Nuvi as a text file. When you next log in to the Geocaching website, you can connect the Nuvi 500 to your computer, and upload the text file directly to the site. HOWEVER, you then have to click a link next to each field note to actually complete the logging process. That particular step was quick and easy.
5. Using the Nuvi 500 for road travel is great. I have had no problems with routing or re-routing. Google Maps provides a "Send to" function for addresses and businesses. After you find your destination with Google Maps, if you have the Garmin hooked up to the computer (and have installed the Garmin Communicator plug-in from the Garmin website), you can just click "Send to" and it will transfer the address (inluding name and telephone # if available) to your Garmin "Favorites" folder. I enjoy that feature. You can make selections regarding the routing to avoid toll roads, expressways, etc, and you can set it to find the shortest or "quickest" route. It's fun to switch the vehicle icon and there are hundreds of them to be found quite easily on the internet. Likewise you can change the voices (either from Garmin's website) or from independent dealers so you can have fun and interesting voices guiding you along. (These do NOT work for reading the road names, however.)
6. Despite the manual referring to Bluetooth capabilities, the Garmin Nuvi 500 does NOT HAVE Bluetooth. Apparently there is a 510 unit available only in European countries which may include it, but the 500 DOES NOT. Also, it was clearly not a high seller/priority for Garmin, so you will have a heck of a time finding accessories for it, if that's your thing. I like to have nice-fitting and good-looking cases for my toys - I ended up buying a makeup pouch at KMart when I realized that there are NO cases that are the right size for this unit. It's bigger than all the other Nuvi's, and smaller than the WIDE Nuvi's... Good luck there. You get a window/dash mount in the box, and a car charger. You do NOT get the USB cord that you'll need (although it's a mini-USB to USB, you probably have one lying around) or a wall charger. These are extra.
Finally, I ended up having REPEATED problems with the unit looping through the intro/map loading screen and then getting stuck. Sometimes it would shut down, other times it would just loop until I pulled the battery out. This happened ONLY when I would unplug the cord - sometimes when I was done loading updates or Geocaches or waypoints, and sometimes when I would unplug it in the car for off-road use. I HOPE this was just a problem with the actual mini-USB port and not something in the firmware. Garmin was kind to respond to a few of my support requests, but I got tired of having DAILY problems with the original unit and returned it for an exchange. MANY THANKS to Amazon.com for replacing my item quickly and without hassle. (It's actually on it's way as I type this review.)
I hope the problems and solutions I have illustrated here will be helpful to others who are considering purchasing this item.
good gps January 9, 2010
A. Lee
Overall it is accurate and easy to use...does the job. Only negative thing I would have to say is for some reason it is hard for me to find the lake maps to download into this gps?
 Nice, but not ready out of the box December 31, 2009
TechieIam (Minneapolis MN)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I bought this unit for my wife, who is in home health and sees five or six patients a day. It works very well for this purpose: she enters where she has to go that day and the unit solves the "traveling salesman" problem and gives the shortest (least time ) route which can then be edited and changed. The navigation works very well. The unit can also be used for hiking, biking and boating, which is important to us.
The problem is that the unit is unusable as Garmin sells it. This is for two reasons. First, the maps are badly out of date: subdivisions old enough to be in the Hudson maps printed version of two years ago are not included. So, you have to update. To do this you need to connect the unit to your computer with a mini USB to USB cable. There is none in the box! I had one for my camera, but this may not be the case for many people. Then, to update you must connect to what must be the slowest server in the world. It took over two hours to download a program that eventually installs the maps. Over two more hours to download the regular maps. Then two more hours to download the topographical maps, which the system claimed needed updating (had the missed the last earthquake?) and one more hour for the actual installation. All of this in a three month old computer and a fast DSL line.
And you cannot leave it alone overnight, because it stops periodically until you click "continue' "next" "I accept" etc.
Second, the unit as shipped is illegal to use in my state (MN) as is also in CA and maybe other places that don't allow windshield
mounting. There is a little disk with glue to put on the dashboard but it won't stick unless your dashboard has a perfectly flat and non-textured area. So, you have to spend a few more bucks to get a cup holder mount or spend some time making yourself one.
Garmin should upgrade its servers, and ship this unit with more
up to date maps and with the USB cable. Where the law requires it, it should be shipped also with a non-windshield mount.
Bought for car and motorcycle December 23, 2009
Bradley Shelley
I originally wanted to pick up the Zumo for my motorcycle primarily, but couldn't justify the cost. What I really wanted was for it to be waterproof and have topographical maps. This one does both of those things and costs way less(I think I paid around $239 in 10/09). I use it daily on my service routes for work, on the weekends for trips with the family, and on my motorcycle as well. I like the ease of use and know that I can loan it to a friend and not have to explain how to use it. Sometimes my clumsy fingers hit letters that were not intended, but thats going to happen on a small screen. I wish it had a qwerty keyboard option. I was under the impression that a download was available that would allow text to speech, but I have not found one yet. I have not had a chance to play with the Geocache features yet. Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
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