Garmin Nüvi 550 is geared for adventure and is ideal for those who want to go out and explore the great outdoors in every and any way they can on land or on water, on two wheels or four! With a built-in compass and integrated Wherigo^TM and Geocaching player, this sat-nav goes beyond navigation to bring the fun of the many family treasure hunts and adventures available online. With detailed European street maps, text-to-speech spoken road and place names and topographic shaded contours, this easy-to-use sat-nav is the perfect companion for navigating your active lifestyle.

Multi-mode for Multi-purpose Navigation

The Garmin  Nuvi 550 boasts four bespoke user modes bring customised features for whichever activity you are doing;

• Driving

• Boating

• Walking

• Cycling

This flexible navigator combines the advanced navigation and large colour display of Garmin's Navteq based in-car sat-navs with the rugged resilience of the Garmin outdoor GPS handhelds.

One of the common grumbles when it comes to sat nav systems is that battery life is often too short. Well, the Garmin Nuvi 550 comes with a removable, rechargeable lithium battery pack meaning that if you are away from power for a long time and you have a replacement battery pack, you can simply switch and carry on! What's more, the Nuvi 550 will also fit comfortably into your pocket or rucksack thanks to it's slim, compact design!

Garmin also offer a range of mounting brackets to suit car, bike or motorbike should you need! Check out our accessories section for more information!

Driving

The Garmin Nüvi 550 like any sat nav makes driving safe, simple and stress-free. Garmin use the Cyclopse database of speed cameras containing literally hundreds of fixed, mobile, redlight and variable speed cameras. False alerts can be a pain however Garmin's smart GPS software uses a patented "corridor" technique of camera validation to bring you only the relevant alerts.

The Nüvi welcome screen greets you with two simple questions: "Where To?" and "View Maps." Making this one of the simplest operating systems on the market today. Just tap the full colour touchscreen to look up addresses and services and for voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions to your destination with road and place names announced as you approach, also known as text to speech. Add an optional traffic receiver accessory for live traffic avoidance using data from real cameras located every 2 mi (3,22 km) along every major route. This live analysis provides real-time incident reporting so Garmin can find the best route around the tailbacks.

Boating

You can add the optional BlueChart g2 Vision marine cartography to the Garmin Nuvi 550 and the waterproof GPS system will provide detailed chart-specific information, spot soundings, tides and currents, wrecks, port plans, restricted areas and more. In order to avoid water damage, Garmin have cleverly put the SD card slot within the waterproof battery compartment. Just select the boating mode and pair with optional marine mount to take your adventures to the water. nüvi 550 is ideal for the occasional boating enthusiast who wants one navigational device for foot, car, bike or boat.

Walking and Hiking

The Garmin Nüvi 550 takes walking and outdoor pursuits in its stride, with shaded, contoured maps and a sunlight-readable, waterproof touchscreen. Select the walking mode to activate the built-in compass page, journey track log and integrated Wherigo/geocaching player. Or plug-in optional topographic mapping for routing on road, track and path, with detailed contours, geographic points and shaded terrain.

Wherigo lets you create and play GPS-enabled adventures in the real world. Be guided by GPS technology to physical locations across the landscape and interact with virtual objects and characters.

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for the whole family, combining the thrill of a treasure hunt with the discovery of new places. Geocachers hide-and-seek prizes hidden across the landscape using clues posted on the internet and coordinates loaded on their Nuvi 550

Scootering and Biking

We are constantly asked for motor bike solutions however the high price of the Garmin Zumo and TomTom Rider systems puts people off. Purchase the Nuvi 550's optional scooter / bike mount to provide a secure fixing to cushion against vibration from your travelled terrain. The user interface is simple to control on the move, and you can enjoy clear directions on the go. Its rugged UVA/B and fuel-resistant design make it a trustworthy companion, while the waterproof casing braves all weather to give turn-by-turn directions for the most direct route in the quickest time. Just select the bicycling mode and you're away.

Advanced, Enriched Navigation

With a high-sensitivity GPS receiver and HotFix® satellite prediction, nüvi 550 locates your position simply, quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and near tall buildings and trees.

Garmin's Photo Navigation feature is great for sightseeing - simply log in and choose from the millions of Google Panoramio geotagged photo's online including landmarks, viewpoints and attractions. All you then need to do is select a photo destination and you will be guided turn by turn to your destination. Once you've arrived, protect your sat-nav with Garmin Lock^TM, an anti-theft protection system which uses GPS to lock to a secure location of your choice.

Expand your GPS

Navigation is just the beginning. nüvi 550 includes many travel tools, including a world travel clock with time zones, currency and measurement converter, calculator and more. Show off photos of your all-terrain excursions with the integrated picture viewer and discover Garmin Extras to get even more mileage from your nüvi 550. You will find free downloads including custom points of interest and brand new vehicle icons from the Garmin Garage^TM. Available third-party travel guides include The Good Pub Guide and Falk Marco Polo Travel Guide for directions to thousands of recommended places to drink, eat and visit.

Physical & Performance

• Unit Dimensions:        4.21"W x 3.35"H x 9"D (10.7 x 8.5 x 2.3 cm)

• Display Size:              2.8"W x 2.1"H and 3.5" Diag

• Display Resolution:    320 x 240 Pixels

• Display Type:             QVGA Colour Antiglare TFT with white backlight

• Weight:                       215g

• Battery:                       User-replaceable, rechargeable lithium-ion

• Battery Life:                Up to 8 Hours

• Waterproof:                Yes (IPX7)

Maps & Memory

• European basemap

• Preloaded streetmaps

• Ability to add maps

• Store up to 500 waypoints / favourites

Features

• Turn by turn voice prompts

• Text to speech

• Multi route sorting (sorts multiple destinations into most efficient route)

• Auto re-route

• Choice of route set up (fastest, shortest etc)

• Route Avoidance (toll roads, motorways etc)

• FM Traffic compatible

• MSN Direct Compatible

• Speed limit indicator

• Where am i? - finds nearest POI's to current location

• Custom POI's

• Garmin Garage

• Photo Navigation

• World Clock

• Currency converter

• Picture viewer

• Garmin Lock

• Geocaching-friendly

• Marine friendly

• Compatible with Windows 200 and later and Mac OS X 10.4 or later

• Nuvi 550

• City Navigator NT for Europe

• Lithium-ion Battery

• Vehicle Suction Cup Mount

• Vehicle Power Cable

• Dashboard Disc

• Quick Start Manual