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MattGSTL
13 Posts |
 Posted - 03 juil. 2008 : 18:59:19
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I'm surprised how hard it is to find fresh info on some GPS systems. Has anybody else noticed how wildly varying reviews are on various sites? Everything from CNET to Circuit City has these customer reviews for various systems... and it blows my mind how you can have one guy say it's the best thing since sliced bread, 5 stars... and then the very next guy doesn't think the thing's good enough to even be a door stop.
Here's my personal bottom line. The navigon has a lot of highly appealing features for me. I'm a couple weeks into a Garmin 760 and I feel this thing is so limited on info. I've also got a Mio c320, which has a very poor screen, but I love the amount of info it gives. So I'm looking at the navigon and seeing much of that same info in common... such as displayed POIs, the next turn listed, a little bar that fills up as you get to the actual turn (which for some reason I love, and the Mio has that too)... OH... and I forgot to put this in the ultimate gps stickie, I with the Garmin had more of an angle on the 3D view... instead of the 2.5D view. I like how on the Mio (and on the navigon) that the world spreads out away from you, truly in 3D.
So... I'm sitting here looking at Costco's BARGAIN deal on the 2100max this month... includes free lifetime traffic... and I am so tempted to buy one to see if the bugs have been worked out. Just looking at the display I think I'd rather have what I see then the Garmin, but there's so little current info on the Navigons.
I saw this german video on youtube for a Navigon 2100 max and the video makes it look like the thing works perfectly, and in the way that I want a GPS to function... but there are so many bad reviews for the navigons that I'm worried about it. I almost think some of the bad reviews are "seeded" but there aren't that many GOOD reviews either... so... any RECENT info on Navigon?
GPS is moving right in line with Moore's Law... so a year is forever. Problems people had last fall shouldn't still be that big of a factor (I would think).
Navigon... anybody? |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 03 juil. 2008 : 20:13:29
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| We have a 2100 Max in for review and should post it in a couple of weeks. If you have specific questions post them here and I'll try to answer them in the review. |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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MattGSTL
13 Posts |
Posted - 05 juil. 2008 : 18:30:11
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Here's what comes to mind regarding the issues that stood out in everything I've read, I think much of this is a common concern with any gps system, but well, here goes;
1) Acquire SATS. Many reviewers have pointed out that the Navigon was slow to get a sat fix. Some reviews say it consistently takes 7 minutes, which would be BEYOND ridiculous to me, BUT if it was never longer then that I could possibly deal with it... so long as I could turn the unit on and drop it in a pocket before I head out, and have it ready to navigate as soon as I get in the car.
As a contrast, my Nuvi 760 acquires sats very quickly. One or two times it may have gone to between 1-2 minutes for a sat lock, but it usually locks in less then 30 seconds. I have a Mio c320 and it has had very similar lock performance to the Garmin. Perhaps on a couple of occasions where I put them side by side did the Mio take longer to lock, but there have also been a couple times where the Garmin took longer.
2) Logical Routing. I've read some reviews where the complaint is that the Navigon routes stupidly. One of the most powerful sentences I read in a review said that the Navigon routes like a tourist, instead of a local... and that's a brilliant line to denegrate Navigon, but I'd like to know if this is really true.
I'm surprised at the contrast of reviews for ALL gps systems! In the same spread of reviews you can have people rating the same unit as a 10 and then another reviewer gives it a 1. How can the experience be SO different? The obvious possible answer is geography and accurate local mapping, but still... let's look into that.
3) Speed and efficiency of input! I definitely want a GPS that is fairly easy to use... or at least LOGICAL to use. For me ease and logic isn't the same. I personally would prefer that the Garmin had more info and tweakability, but I think they avoid this so that Grandma can still use it.
3a) I would also like to know the sensitivity of the touch screen. Not just how well it SENSES my finger's touch, but how quickly and without delay, the screen reacts to finger movement on the screen. One of my major gripes in most units (Magellan comes to mind) is that when I want to drag the map a bit the screen lags so much that it's ridiculous... while the Garmin reacts well and instantly... the unit defaults to a 2D north view... so if you're heading south and you want to see what's one street over you have one UN-intuitive choice... you can zoom out to see the streets WITH NO NAMES ON THEM... then zoom back in on that street until you get a name... which may have you RIGHT on it by the time the Garmin gives you that name... and when you do this you have to pay attention to your little car, because the screen re-orients to the north view... so even though you started dragging your finger to the left to see what was east... now in the 2D view you have to drag it RIGHT to see what's east... DUMB DUMB DUMB... on the Mio it doesn't even change the view at all! The map can be "slid" over to see what's next to you in the same perspective! THIS is brilliant... and it appears that the Navigon works the same way... so my question is... DOES it? And more importantly, how responsive it the unit to this?)
So the Navigon GUI appeals to me for many reasons. I like the little arrow/info bar at the bottom left. This shows you the direction of the next turn, and in that little box is a bar graph that fills up as you approach the turn. I love this feature. My Mio c320 has this and I think that it's very helpful for the times that there are multiple roads, especially when a street sign isn't visible... and you know that it's time to turn when the bar is full. I find the voice prompts to vary enough that this secondary confirmation became second nature for me. I like MORE info not less. Seeing things like this on the Navigon is making me raise an eyebrow to my Garmin. I MISS this level of info!
4) A biggie for me is FPS... FRAMES PER SECOND... the frame rate of the display! I think this should be a standard spec on any GPS unit. More then anything else I find this to be the difference between feeling connected to the driving experience, versus simply being shown the way. This is my single biggest complaint about the otherwise excellent Nuvi. The FPS is probably 1/3 the rate of the Mio c320. Now OBVIOUSLY the other factors of intelligent routing and accurate maps are more important to the reasons to have a GPS in the first place, but I enjoy navigating on the Mio c320 way more then I do on the Garmin. I mention this because the Navigon shares similar aesthetics to the Mio, and if the FPS is good then again... another tip that way for me.
5) Reality View! I used to be under the impression that this screen also flowed, or that would be the view I had the whole time, but I found that the screen is much more like the Mio (although probably an inferior map color scheme) and that the Navigon puts up a still frame showing the reality view. I want to know how consistent this is and how often it happens and how good the timing of this is? Clearly this is a major pull towards the Navigon brand... this IS the marketing campaign... so how well does this feature actually work?
6) RE-ROUTING! This is another area where I've read both complaints about total crap rerouting... and then I've read reviews saying rerouting was nearly instantaneous! So who is right?! Please clear this up.
7) TRAFFIC. The Navigon can sometimes be found on special, not only on sale, but with FREE lifetime traffic! This is a major consideration for me, IF IT WORKS WELL. I still think that MSN Direct is the future of GPS traffic, but until that future gets here in a few years I like the idea of not only getting traffic for free initially, but FREE until MSN Direct becomes the standard! Navigon sells this for I believe $99 normally, but for the lucky few who read this thread... I'll let you in on a little secret... look around, you can find this FREE with the 2100 max right now. Hence my strong temptation to go this route, pun intended.
SUMMARY... Paul, I'd say that I'm not that much different then most GPS shoppers. I admittedly have limited experience with GPS. I bought my first unit last fall on Black Friday and that was the Mio c320. I was so amazed at how well it worked that I probably sold a hundred of 'em for Mio through my blogging and posting about the unit... but I also wrongly assumed that ALL GPS systems worked pretty much the same within a zone of features. After inundating myself with every spec of info I could find I began to hear experts talking about how there's no perfect GPS system yet... and after experiencing my brother's Magellan (which he LOVES, but I don't care for)... and now adding this new Garmin (which I chose because I think MSN Direct is the best thing since sliced bread)... NOW I'm seeing why reviewers say there's no perfect GPS!
I was really surprised at some of the Magellan's routing, and it's over-all lack of response to inputs. I have been able to FREEZE up TWO of these units just by playing with them (with what I'd consider normal input on other devices)... and when I got the Garmin I was really surprised at some of the Mio features that I was taking for granted. To me the sliding 3D view should be totally standard... the other thing the Mio does is let you choose the ANGLE of view! So if you think it's stupid to have blue sky at the top of the display, then you don't have to... you can tilt the world slightly and have the screen full of map entirely... and it's STILL at a better angle then the Garmin's default "2.5D" angle. I like to see major streets coming at me from off in the distance... I like seeing my end flag on the horizon! By the time I see the checkered flag on the Garmin I'm less then a mile away!
So yes, what I really want to know is how the Navigon compares with the other units in terms of ZIPPY character versus SLOW operation... that means input, FPS, re-routing, etc. Then after that I'd like to know how well all the "bonus" features work... that means the things it shares in common with the Mio GUI, and then of course the reality view. Then finally, and obviously, I want to know how good it works as the tool it's designed to be... a GPS.
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kai34
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 08 juil. 2008 : 19:36:59
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| I had one a few days ago that I took back because of its routing. It was a 2100, not the maxx. I live on main highway that runs through most of town, but when I tried to get anywhere in town it took me the opposite way and had me going on two roads that eventually reconnected to the main road. You were on those two roads for about 4 miles to get 2 miles straight down the road. Another routing problem I saw was that when going to another county that I frequent, it had me go through town and then circle back to a road I could get to by going to other way, which is quicker and shorter. I will say that the second issue I was able to fix with the routing options, I think I had to set it on scenic; the first problem, which was the biggest, couldn't be fixed unless after everytime it routed me I went in and blocked the first mile of the route, then it would take me straight dow the highway instead of around the way. I took it back and have a Mio Moov 300 now, I am fairly pleased with it so far. I hope that some of this info was of help to you. |
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ThomSmith
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 12 juil. 2008 : 17:09:02
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I got the unit (2100 Max) on Costco.com for $199 WITH lifetime free traffic. My only complaint was the lack of Canadian maps. But I was able to get them on the unit, as well as the large POI database of the 7100. So far I am very pleased. As a long time user of GPS in aviation, I am surprised at the level of accuracy and features on these inexpensive GPS units. In the aviation world, you are talking thousands of dollars.
I find the sat aquisition to be seconds, to perhaps as long as a minute if I have moved from where it was last turned off. So for anyone having 7 minute aq's.... something must be wrong. As far as the text to voice goes, Sarah makes some humerous translations from the local pronunciatopns. Soft "g"s, improper emphasis etc .... but so what. I guess I could turn off the "speak street names" and just get "turn right in 500 feet" and so on. And they will likely refine that in the future. I like the support, the availability of software updates and map updates as they stand right now, so now if we could only figure out how to get into the OVM structure to add, subtract or otherwise tweak the POI database. XML is straightforward for those who want to tweak the unit...like colors, transparancy etc... I do not know if this is ditto on the other brands but I sure like it.
First post here.... sorry if it was long winded. C'yall! |
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curro
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 21 juil. 2008 : 20:17:57
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Greetings:
Thanks for your posts about the strengths/weakness of the Navigon GPS in North America. Well my Navigon 2100 Max mine should be coming in a few days from Costco. My first ever GPS so I am looking forward to use it, especially the traffic feature (I live in the Houston, TX area). I notice that you said you were able to update the 2100 with the POI of the 7100. Did you do this by the Navigon website route or is there another way? Thanks in advance for any pointers you may have in terms of improving the routing (I read some issues with U-turn re-routing, etc.). (sorry somehow I was not able to send you an e-mail when I tried).
quote:
Originally posted by ThomSmith
I got the unit (2100 Max) on Costco.com for $199 WITH lifetime free traffic. My only complaint was the lack of Canadian maps. But I was able to get them on the unit, as well as the large POI database of the 7100. So far I am very pleased. As a long time user of GPS in aviation, I am surprised at the level of accuracy and features on these inexpensive GPS units. In the aviation world, you are talking thousands of dollars.
I find the sat aquisition to be seconds, to perhaps as long as a minute if I have moved from where it was last turned off. So for anyone having 7 minute aq's.... something must be wrong. As far as the text to voice goes, Sarah makes some humerous translations from the local pronunciatopns. Soft "g"s, improper emphasis etc .... but so what. I guess I could turn off the "speak street names" and just get "turn right in 500 feet" and so on. And they will likely refine that in the future. I like the support, the availability of software updates and map updates as they stand right now, so now if we could only figure out how to get into the OVM structure to add, subtract or otherwise tweak the POI database. XML is straightforward for those who want to tweak the unit...like colors, transparancy etc... I do not know if this is ditto on the other brands but I sure like it.
First post here.... sorry if it was long winded. C'yall!
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pezhore
9 Posts |
Posted - 21 juil. 2008 : 22:21:38
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I snagged my 2100 from woot a few weeks back. The navigational software was ok for a moderate sized city (Rochester, NY). Recalculating routes seemed rather fast (I'd miss a turn and it'd take less than 3 seconds to suggest the next turn). The detour functionality was helpful, but I noticed that missing a turn while on detour took roughly 30-45 seconds to recalculate the next turn. Doing the free upgrade to 1.5 solved both issues. Finding a GPS signal seemed to take the longest when the unit was turned on after being off for an extended period of time or if it was turned on at a geographically significant different location (i.e. ~30-60 miles) from where it was last turned off. I'd imagine this is caused by the GPS first having to determine where the current satellites should be prior to connecting.
The thing I absolutely love about my Navigon 2100 is its customizability. Using the techniques found several places (this forum, woot's forum, slickdeals) you can access Windows CE and put an entirely different navigational software on the unit. Having multiple SD cards is a must (I personally have two 2gb SD cards - one for stock, one for playing around). I'm still trying to decide if the traffic is worth it... but so far I'm not disappointed I shelled out the $90 for this unit.
-pez |
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curro
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 22 juil. 2008 : 22:42:28
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quote:
Originally posted by ThomSmith
I got the unit (2100 Max) on Costco.com for $199 WITH lifetime free traffic. My only complaint was the lack of Canadian maps. But I was able to get them on the unit, as well as the large POI database of the 7100.
ThomSmith,
If you can tell us how to get the 7100 POI database into the 2100 Max that would be great!
Thanks in advance.
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JoeSp
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 26 juil. 2008 : 06:31:37
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quote:
Originally posted by ThomSmith
I got the unit (2100 Max) on Costco.com for $199 WITH lifetime free traffic. My only complaint was the lack of Canadian maps. But I was able to get them on the unit, as well as the large POI database of the 7100. So far I am very pleased.
Please tell us how you accomplised the POI database of the 7100? |
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curro
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 29 juil. 2008 : 23:00:52
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Ok to answer my own question if you go to this link there is a very good 'short and sweet' procedure to accomplish this task:
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=842960&page=10
I followed the instructions of the poster (TSYA) and so far so good.
quote:
Originally posted by JoeSp
quote:
Originally posted by ThomSmith
I got the unit (2100 Max) on Costco.com for $199 WITH lifetime free traffic. My only complaint was the lack of Canadian maps. But I was able to get them on the unit, as well as the large POI database of the 7100. So far I am very pleased.
Please tell us how you accomplised the POI database of the 7100?
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How is NAVIGON doing currently? Bugs fixed?
