Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
 It could be a great product but... September 15, 2006
SRN (Boston, MA USA)
196 out of 231 found this review helpful
I just got my new SkyScout and decided to update the firmware using the Update utility. What a mistake. After 3 sets of batteries and 3 tries I finally got it to take. The first two attempts ended with a "writing to block" error. After such a failure the unit is dead. Both failures occurred at different points during the updating firmware phase. This was after waiting 15 minutes for the download phase to finish on my 8meg broadband connection. The unit is running on battery through entire process (no AC adapter) and the batteries fade fast. And what a pain to change them! You need a screwdriver and a lot of patience to swap them out. I'm surprised that it only uses 2 AA batteries for such power hungry device.
I spoke with Celestron tech support. No help there. By the way, they answered their main phone number with a simple "Hello". I had to confirm that I was actually talking with Celestron. The tech was unfamiliar with the product and needed to talk with someone else. He was supposed to call back in 30 minutes. He never called back. Fortunately I was able to get the unit back running again by myself.
With the exception of the battery and update feature the unit seems well engineered and very easy to use. It quickly acquired the GPS satellites and was up and running fast. I love the cool red backlighting and the audio prompts as well.
Despite the cool features I just can not recommend this unit at this time. The poor customer support, battery and updating issues seem to indicate that Celestron still needs to do more work before the SkyScout is ready for prime time.
 Excellent Product July 27, 2006
DJF (Tsawwassen, B.C. Canada)
125 out of 139 found this review helpful
In a word this product is fantastic.
I ordered my Skyscout on May 3 and rec'd it on July 25th. The delay in delivery was frustrating (not surprising with a new product of this complexity)but worth it. I had the device working within a minute of taking it out of the box. Just insert two double A batteries, turn it on and within a minute the GPS had located my position and the Skyscout was ready to go.
The Locate and Identify functions work exactly as desribed, the accuracy is amazing. The interface is very user friendly and informative. You get look up stars, planets, other objects, constellation (it can show you maps). You get a primer on astonomy and famous astronomers plus lots of other features.
The device feels solid, it is easy to grip and is not heavy to hold. It comes with a USB cable and software that allows you to check for updates from the Celestron site.
I've used it five of the past seven evenings and have enjoyed every minute of it!!
Great way to start to learn the night sky! February 2, 2007
Michael J. Wood (Tucson, AZ)
76 out of 78 found this review helpful
I ordered my SkyScout in September, hoping that the initial rush on this item was over and that it would be in stock (as listed) when I ordered it. Sadly, it was actually out of stock, and took a few months to arrive. The unit powered up and seemed to function, but was unable to get a GPS fix in a clear field. Hoping that it was a simple matter of updating the unit, I attached it via USB to my computer and followed the simple directions on the screen. It updated quickly and easily, but I still was unable to obtain a GPS fix. Using the instructions provided, I contacted Celestron, and was directed to return the unit to them for evaluation and repair. Less than two weeks passed, when a new unit straight from Celestron arrived in the mail. This one worked perfectly and as advertised, and without any problems!
Now that I've actually used my SkyScout, I can say that it is great fun to use! Now, December and January in Wyoming isn't the best time of year to be outside at night...wind chill last night was -40F for example, but the SkyScout still works like a champ. Multiple modes of function exist as listed in the description, but my personal favorite is being able to identify just about anything you can see with the naked eye in the night sky. Just view the object through the sky scout, push a button, and you'll get the name of the object as well as at least a few lines of text of information. Brighter objects or better known objects also have an audio commentary that will teach about the history and/or significance of what you're looking at.
While I was disappointed about my first SkyScout not functioning properly, the quick customer service and the replacement working flawlessly have overcome my initial disappointment. The SkyScout is quite simple to use and provides a great way for anyone who can read to start to learn the night sky. I highly recommend it for individuals with an interest in astronomy, families, star parties, and youth groups such as the Boy Scouts.
A Revolution in Astronomy December 18, 2006
Tom Campbell (Seattle, Scottsdale, and Beijing)
56 out of 57 found this review helpful
I have literally been waiting for the Skyscout all my life. I always wanted to be able to look in the sky and identify celestial bodies but just didn't have the kind of brain that could wrap itself around star charts. Nor did I know anyone who could stand there and discuss it with me on a chilly night.
The Skyscout is like no other astronomy-related device because for the first time, you can just take it out of the box, put in the batteries, wait a few seconds for it to find its location via GPS (same as a car navigation system), point at something in the sky and press the IDENTIFY button to have it identified to you. Think about that for a second. At last, you have an easy-to-use handheld device that can tell you what star or star formation you're looking at!
Or you can work the other way. Have it list celestial bodies and formations for you, press the LOCATE button, then helpful arrows in the readout will blink until you've pointed it in the right direction. And many of the entries in its database have audio accompaniment so you can learn about them through the included earphones! How cool is that? It has a slot that will eventually accept cartridges with more stuff as time goes by, but the built-in database is pretty big as it is.
And for what it's worth, because the Skyscout uses built-in GPS, you can use it to display your locaiton using GPS coordinates. I have a nav system on my car but the SkyScout is still better than that, because I can't figure out how to get that info out of the car! on the Skyscout it's just one button.
All this stuff is particularly easy to access, and even the error messages are helpful. For example, on one particularly cold Seattle night I tried to use it from inside my car. A magnet icon popped up, and an error message explained that magnetic interference by something such as the chassis of an automobile was impeding it. Slick.
The gizmos currently included with high-end telescopes come nowhere near this facility. First off, you need a telescope with you. The Skyscout is the size of a hotel alarm clock and has its own (non-magnified) viewer. Just whip this thing out of your pocket and go to town. Second, the ones with telescopes are agonizingly slow to calibrate, like half an hour or so, and must be reoriented every time you pick up the 'scope and move. Plus you have to enter all kinds of location and time information on many of them; the Skyscout just finds itself. And finally, none of them of course can simply tell you what you've pointed the 'scope at. The Skyscout can. I also need to emphasize that it neither needs nor comes with an 80-page manual like the ones that come with telescopes. It's like 1 printed sheet, and that's plenty. The UI is very, very simple.
This is a revolutionary 1.0 product. My only complaint is that goes through batteries like I eat Lucky Charms. Bring an extra set when you go out. Oh, and one reviewer said that for $400 it should come with a lens cap. Fair enough. But remember that the optics are almost irrelevant--it's just a plastic cover so you can see the lighted guides pointing you in the right direction. Get a fingerprint on it, fine--just wipe it off with any lens tissue. The unit won't be damaged, nor will its usefulness be affected in any way by a dirty lens. Your telescope has the magnfication and the useful optics. If you even brought it with you--I never have, so far!
 Answers to Supposed Flaws November 15, 2006
Ms. Walrus (USA)
49 out of 54 found this review helpful
I haven't bought this yet, but I e-mailed the Celestron Tech Service about the flaws I had read about in these amazon reviews. They replied with,
"Battery life varies with usage. It has a range from 4-8 hours. More locating and identifying will use more batteries.
Magnetic interference has nothing to do with the GPS. GPS works pretty much anywhere in the world, as long as you have a clear sky overhead.
The magnetic interference issue is relative. If you have many powerlines, or are around large metallic objects or electrical junction boxes, then the magnetic sensors will most likely be affected. Most of the time simply moving a few feet away will remedy any issue.
Any crashes or shutdowns due to the firmware were remedied with an online upgrade months ago, and are no longer an issue.
Yes, the SkyScout will shut down after five minutes. This is to conserve battery life when not in use. It will prompt you with a message telling you that it will shut down in a few seconds, and allow you the option to not shut down."
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