Garmin - 50LM - 5'' Touchscreen (with Free Lifetime Maps)

The device feels solid in the hand and the build quality is impressive. There are no squeaks or other sounds when handling the device. But the screen looks somewhat cheap when turned off. Now a days touch screens are everywhere and the contrast ratio has gone up multi-fold since the old days. Our AMOLED equipped phones are capable of producing absolute black colour and thus this grey screen looks old and faded. But for the purpose of the device, the screen suffices and it does its job well. Once turned on, the resolution is just about average but it's not an eyesore (Its 480x272 to be precise).

Positives:
Extensive POI database
Excellent voice navigation in English,Hindi and other regional language.
Lifetime free updates of maps and ability to update maps by connecting to the computer.
Responsive touch screen makes it a breeze to use.
Flexibility to add maps from other service providers.

Negatives:
Limited battery life of only about 2 hours
Not able to save routes
No data cable and wall charger included in the box
Map display not progressive (Too bare bones at lower zoom setting and a barrage of information at higher zoom setting)
NOT A SINGLE service center facility for Garmin in India incase something goes bad.

This product helps me reach faster at any location. Wonderful product, work well in cities. It is very user friendly with easy to understand menu.

Had researched this in the offline market and found the cheapest price on Snapdeal.

Great product at the price ! Fantastic hardware and is expected considering its imported.

Maps are not as detailed as MapmyIndia but it has free lifetime maps so I am not complaining.

Buy it - You wont regret !

After using Garmin in US for more than 3 years, I was sceptical when buying a GPS in India because on unplanned roads and Indian names. I chose Garmin over MMI as I knew its hardware quality would be anytime better.

Now after using this GPS multiple times, it has never taken me to a wrong destination. For such unplanned roads in India, this GPS is really a miracle.

Negative points:
- Say if road name is SV road, it calls out South V road instead of Swami Vivekanand Road. Similary NS Phalke road is being called as North South Phalke road :)..its actually funny.
- Although it takes to the final destination, it sometimes choses bad quality inner roads instead of highways.

I am very happy

Touchscreen is very responsive. Screen is larger than actually necessary, but good quality product and mount. Bright and loud. Good database, more intensive than it shows on search (it could'nt find my building in search, but my building showed up on the map). I have tried it only for 2 days for commute between my home and my office (roughly 22.5km one way) and the experience was good, except that it mislead me in a few places. Did not recognise the Mulund flyover over EE highway which is probably 2 years old now (wrongly asked me to keep to the left to go below the bridge for some reason), and did not recognise Chandivali flyover over JVLR, again wrongly asked me to continue whereas I would have had to take the service road. I think the maps could do with an update.
Registration of product on web was easy, and software and map checks are easy too.
Thumbs up!

The Garmin 50LM is a great product. I am using a GPS device for the first time. I found the build quality to be solid. Setting up the product is quick and easy. Navigation is clear and simple. I am yet to check the battery life and the navigation during long drives and unknown places. The only challenge I found was to find a place in map as the names are not rightly spelled. Road names and building/locations are not named correctly.

An excellent GPS Navigator for a Car which connects to satellites within no time and guides you to your desired Route. It is very easy to operate. The only minus point is the Company has not provided the product with a room charger & a USB cable which is needed to update the software via internet.

to be quick,,the build quality is very good for an entry level Personal Navigator, the menus are easy to understand and it functions ok. We have an Indian English accent to choose from which is welome. The street names are more or less corretly pronounced.

However, as it can be understood, using maps in India is not very easy. Finding an address in this navigator is no easier than finding it on our own. :-). There is no real search functioanlity to search places by keying in. We need to go through the points of interest. If we dont know the right menu, we are lost. Finding a street name in just one or two steps is not possible whatsoever. This funcitonality (similar to what we are used to in Google Maps) is a must in India.

If we are able to read and understand the maps in the device correctly, we can mark any spot as favourite.

Till date, i did not find any mistake in the routes determined. It was able to bring me out from unknown places within the city quite easily. :-)

Summary...we cannot expect the typical failities we get from the recent Google Maps navigation for India. However, it solves simple purposes like coming back home or going to well known localities or spots.

Completed all the steps to register the device aas well update the software. the device is supposed to have the india maps loaded but i cannot locate them on the device. the only maps there are of malaysia/singapore ect. when one tries to download the india maps the device it says not enough space. contact the local garmin assistance as well aas the seller who is new delhi. he immidiately agreed to take it back and replace but now i have to ship it back.

Loved the product, now i can drive all over India without getting lost. The voice backup is also great, very clear. It gives directions at the right time.

Totally recommend this to all users who have trouble navigating...

The battery backup is also pretty good and no need to charge daily.

Garmin is the best hardware. Can't say the same about Maps. Map loading & Update Instructions are unclear and very bad. Quick Start Manual extremely poor. Bangalore Maps require much improvement and upgrades, which I am sure will happen over time. Satellite acquisition is painfully slow, not instant like I am used to in the US with Garmin.
But the device does get you from point A to B.
Overall a good device with life time update.
Note: Don't know why Garmin is overcharging here in India, when it is just INR 7000 in the US - perhaps Garmin thinks we are gullible idiots.
Still I have given it 4-stars because of good Garmin technology and my usage of Garmin in the US.

Good screen size and an excellent device. All streets covered in Urban areas and about 95% streets covered in rural areas! I have been using it for the last 3 months (in Kerala). Better than what I expected it to be.

This works just fine and loved the free lifetime updates on this. Only issues are lack of USB cable and AC Adapter. Luckily my older Garmin's USB cable came in handy, but the AC adapter isn't compatible. However, one may not really need both since hooking it to the computer will charge the battery as well.

I haven't yet found the time to put it through acid-test, but it does take particularly long to latch-on to the satellites. But once it does, it's stays well connected.

Although the battery life is on the lower side (~2 hrs. at best), it isn't a major concern since we'd anyway be connecting it to the 12 V supply in the car (the cable connector is provided with the GPS unit)

Will update this review once I've had the time to test it well...But for now, it does look like a worthy purchase and well worth its price-tag.

Require USB power / data card in the box. Also A/C charger to be included. Without these the product is not adequate. Though these can be purchased separately, if they are included, the purchase shall be completed at one go.

I have used GPS navigators before but the level of detailing of maps that Garmin provides is really great. Indian ascent navigation is something that really stands out & if you are living in a metro and love to drive this product is must have.

Easy to use.
Looks are ordinary.
Quite expensive.

The product is great!!
I am very happy with the product!!

nice product with great features. must buy!

Helped me a lot during long trips to locations I would never have reached without Garmin help.