Quest to Zumo: My review

snoopy

Guest
I switched from a standard Quest to a Zumo 500 last week. I made the decision because I wanted bluetooth to connect the phone without buying a £100 autocom, and the 256mb storage was a nightmare for going through France & Spain with the v9 maps as I didn't carry a laptop or prepare to visit any Internet cafe's.

I bought the 500 over the 550 for two very good reasons. First I don'y have a car, so the mount was not needed and secondly an 8gb card is £20 on ebay. This will cover all of Europe, if not the world, and mp3's as well.

I am impressed by the RAM mount. The way it mounts onto the clutch housing is genius imho and works superbly. The magnet to hold the cover is brilliant. Having a cover stops the brass + plate from corroding - essential if your system is wired on all the time. But the security screw is a joke. If I want to nick on I'll cut the wire and thumb-turn the extender arm screw and it's mine.

However I am dissappointed. The screen, while having a higher resolution, sucks big time in anything over moderate light whereas the Quest screen got better the lighter it was! Navigation is a farce whereas the Quest's d-pad was brilliant for transversing the map. The interface has been designed for someone that is dumb. All the tweaks and advanced features have been removed. The amount of warning screens are irritating. Also, it's got a cheap feel to it.

The ZUMO is a higher-technology unit but the design and functionality have suffered greatly. Time will tell how we get on but there is a reason why they are so cheap compared to the 28xx series. If you are a Linux or Mac user and you know that feeling of going back to Windows, then you'll know what to expect with a Zumo.

Recommended, but only just.
 
B*gger

If I'd only bought your Quest off you, I could have sold it back at a profit!:D

Bet you'll get to like the Zumo, if only to feel better when the bill comes in....:rolleyes:

Keep..... er, philosophical?:augie

Martyn
 
i don't know how you could get used to a unit in a week... i think you may be being a bit unfair till you've used the Zumo for a good month or so
 
Yeah maybe, but first impressions show it to be a "dumb" device.

The address finding page is hateful. The Quest used to search and display as I typed.

Is there anyway to customise what's on the standard map? I want to display the time and elevation like I could on the quest.

Why in gods name does it have a picture viewer?

How do I record a new route when I'm out and about? It appears to just be automatic? I don't want everywhere I go to be a route only when I tell it to.

:rolleyes:
 
Don't know about the orginal quest but the quest 2 is a pile of poo compared to a Zumo 550, but most of these things need a bit of time to get used to them. I would agree the Zumo doesn't have the level of control over routing but it is way faster and once you learn how to use it it is quite easy to put in routes, add way points, etc. something that is quite tricky and slow on the Q2.
 
Don't know about the orginal quest but the quest 2 is a pile of poo compared to a Zumo 550, but most of these things need a bit of time to get used to them. I would agree the Zumo doesn't have the level of control over routing but it is way faster and once you learn how to use it it is quite easy to put in routes, add way points, etc. something that is quite tricky and slow on the Q2.

i heard the 500 is slower because you are not using on-board memory
 
Why in gods name does it have a picture viewer?

How do I record a new route when I'm out and about? It appears to just be automatic? I don't want everywhere I go to be a route only when I tell it to.

:rolleyes:

You can create a route when out and about.. it's a bit fiddly but gets better with practice (where to.. routes.. new..) and away you go..

I like the picture viewer.. it's like carrying a photo album about.. handy when visiting relatives...:D
 
The latest firmware on the Garmin site has the ability to chose between auto recalc/no recalc/prompted, so it's worthwhile updating. It also enables altitude to be shown on the compass page and when you create a waypoint.

Have you read the bit in the manual about adjusting the screen brightness?

I have mixed feelings so far about the Zumo 550's ability to replace a 2610, but am being patient and trying to work things through.

Tim
 
Sure, it's on 100% and still not close to as good as the Quest.

It is faster at redrawing, I'll give it that. And the MP3 is excellent, though it could do with a fade instead of cut out on voice instructions.

When I said new route I meant new track (sorry). I think I've figured it out.

The "remaining fuel" is comical as well. Did Garmin not know mpg differs based on external conditions?

The map scrolling is still a pita. I hate having to drag a heavy finger across the screen.



The latest firmware on the Garmin site has the ability to chose between auto recalc/no recalc/prompted, so it's worthwhile updating. It also enables altitude to be shown on the compass page and when you create a waypoint.

Have you read the bit in the manual about adjusting the screen brightness?

I have mixed feelings so far about the Zumo 550's ability to replace a 2610, but am being patient and trying to work things through.

Tim
 
Very interested in this thread as I am thinking of moving from Quest1 to Zumo550. A few questions though
1. As mentioned above is it possible to use trackback on Zumo - you said you have sorted it but didnt confirm how easy it was and if you had been successful.
2. I already have an Autocom but dont have the Quest connected to it for voice prompt - but I think I would go this way with Zumo because I have the lead which should do this - 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono to stereo - Is that the correct lead Part 1294?
3. I would want to use the Zumo with the phone feature (the main reason for wanting one actually) because it means that I can view the caller (as long as the number is programmed in my phone and choose to reject it. The question is does the phone speach communicate bluetooth with the Zumo and then this get relayed via the Autocom lead (the same one that does the voice prompts)
4. Music - can this be played at the same time as navigating without having to look at the "player" screen? and will it again be communicated to the Autocom via the same lead.
5. Does the music dim or cut out to favour voice prompts and does the phone overide everything?

The questions may sound strange but I have been shown a demo of a unit by a friend who has one but he doesnt use an Autocom or phone with it so if someone is doing the same or could try it for me i would be grateful.

Rik
 
I'm by no means an expert here, only had my ZUMO for about 6 months.
so..
1. ZUMO does not have track back.
2. Don't know.
3. Don't know.
4 (&5). Music can be played whilst navigating.. when a voice prompt comes on the music is paused. Don't know about the phone bit asI don't use this feature. I think one lead from the GPS is all that's used. Hope there's some help here.

1. As mentioned above is it possible to use trackback on Zumo - you said you have sorted it but didnt confirm how easy it was and if you had been successful.
2. I already have an Autocom but dont have the Quest connected to it for voice prompt - but I think I would go this way with Zumo because I have the lead which should do this - 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono to stereo - Is that the correct lead Part 1294?
3. I would want to use the Zumo with the phone feature (the main reason for wanting one actually) because it means that I can view the caller (as long as the number is programmed in my phone and choose to reject it. The question is does the phone speach communicate bluetooth with the Zumo and then this get relayed via the Autocom lead (the same one that does the voice prompts)
4. Music - can this be played at the same time as navigating without having to look at the "player" screen? and will it again be communicated to the Autocom via the same lead.
5. Does the music dim or cut out to favour voice prompts and does the phone overide everything?
 
Thanks Sleepy
As always i was a bit hasty off the mark - looking elsewhere on the forum uncovered the info that I need specific leads and converters to use phone and music with voice prompts for the Zumo - seems Autocom have now got a part number.

Thanks for your comments
Rik
 
Zumo Forums

There is a forum which may be of help to some of you. Imaginatively called the Zumo Forums it seems like a pretty useful resource.

HTH
 


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