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With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you’ll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you’re forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi’s sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous
Categories: Garmin Tags: Flow Data, Fm Transmitter, Gps Navigator, Hands Free Phone, Inch Widescreen, Incident Data, Intuitive Interface, Microsd Card Slot, Msn Traffic, Onsc, Photo Viewer, Portable Gps Navigators, Rich Array, Smooth Speech, Stereo System, Street Names, Time Gas, Traffic Data, Traffic Flow, Traffic Incident
Sony NVU44 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Text to Speech Gun Metallic
Manufacturer’s Description (September 2, 2008)
Easily portable and offering power on-the-go navigation features, the Sony NV-U44 Portable GPS Navigator makes folding maps a thing of the past. First and foremost a portable navigation system, the NV-U44 offers Sony’s POSITION plus solution to difficult GPS reception conditions for navigation assistance even while under dense foliage or tall buildings. But it also features a photo viewer and Memory Stick Duo slot for uploading photo slideshows. Other features include pre-installed maps for North America, over 5 million points of interest (POIs) with quicker searching, an anti-glare 3.5-inch screen, Gesture commands to help you stay focused on the road, text-to-speech capabilities, and stylish black coloring.
The NV-U44 portable navigation device features a brightly colorful 3.5-inch screen with gesture controls and text-to-speech capabilities to keep your focus on the road. |
GPS signals can easily be distorted by tall buildings, very dense foliage, or blocked altogether when underground, and when this happens a GPS device can easily give a false location. Sony’s POSITION plus feature is a unique, hardware-based solution that consists of an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor and a gyro sensor that together can calculate the vehicle’s current position based on the last known GPS location. The result is a more consistent and accurate position that helps provide interruption-free guidance under the most difficult of GPS reception conditions.
Enjoy powerful, portable navigation out of the box pre-loaded map content covering North America–Canada and all of the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico)–as well as over 5 million POIs. During address searches, the device can automatically complete partial entries of states, cities and street names. The new Sony nav-u device also offers a revised search algorithm for quicker POI searches and the Quick Link search features that provides a one-touch search for your favorite POI. For example, you can save a favorite coffee shop destination to a Quick Link button and perform that search any number of times without having to retype the search string. Brand icons help users quickly and easily identify their favorite restaurants, hotels, gas stations, stores and other locations while traveling through unfamiliar cities. And this Sony nav-u unit now have 30 percent more brand icons than previous models (more than 150 brands).
With the new Gesture Command feature, you can jump to commands with one touch on the display. For example, you can advance to the next picture in the photo viewer with a swipe of the finger from left to right across the screen. Commonly used commands such as “take me home” may be accessed by gesturing an inverted “V” on the screen versus paging through numerous menu screens. Other gesture commands include zoom in or out and call home.
Stable and secure while driving, the NV-U44 can be easily removed whenever you want to take it with you. |
Using the included Super Suction Cup, mounting the NV-U44 to either the dashboard, console, or windshield in virtually any vehicle is quick and easy. Stable and secure while driving, it can be easily removed whenever you want to take it with you.
Other features include:
- 3.5-inch anti-glare LCD touchscreen with 4:3 standard aspect ratio
- SiRF star III GPS receiver with POSITION plus
- TTS (Text to Speech): The device utilizes spoken commands ensuring you are able to follow the directions by street names.
- 3D Junction Guide: The device’s dual view capability displays dynamic route information, in addition to the conventional map view, to provide an even clearer view of what’s at the next turn or in a highway merge scenario, which junction to take.
- The new photo viewer feature turns the screen into a picture frame. You can view your digital images by inserting a Memory Stick into the Memory Stick Pro Duo slot.
- Battery life: Up to 2 hours
- Battery charging time: 3 hours when on, 1.5 hours in standby mode
- Dimensions: 3.7 x 2.1 x 4.3 inches
- Weight: 5.5 ounces
What’s in the Box
Sony NV-U44 (black), car cradle, car battery adapter (XA-DC6), USB cable, quick start guide
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Unfortunately it broke
The GPS was working well for a couple of weeks and I was happy enough. Then when I returned from a trip to VA, it stopped working. Now the battery will not charge and the touch screen does not work. So it is dead in the water. I contacted Tech Support and they told me to return it for repair, so I am hoping to return it to Amazon for refund.
Too bad !!!
3 Stars Good while it lasted
I enjoyed this GPS while it lasted. After 3 months of not-so-heavy use, it no longer picked up the satellites. I returned it to Sony and since they no longer have any left in stock (getting out of the GPS business?), they refunded my entire amount. Also, the battery would not hold a charge after several uses which I didn’t care about too much since I had it mounted on the windshield and plugged in.
Overall, I liked the interface and it was very easy to learn how to use. The routing algorithm was a bit weird where it would take me off a major interstate too early, causing a longer trip. I did update the unit to the latest firmware and played with some settings but it didn’t help. Some addresses where hard to find as I had to type in alternate forms of the street address. However, as long as my defective unit isn’t a sign of common problems, I would recommend it as a cheap entry level GPS.
4 Stars Not Bad At All, I Like It Better Than Magellan
This is my fifth GPS. Three of my previous ones (a TomTom One, a TomTom One XL and a Magellan Maestro) were stolen and the third was a Magellan Maestro that I thought was dead but repaired. Nonetheless, I bought this one because I didn’t want to spend another $200 on yet another GPS.
My favorite of my previous GPS’ were the TomToms because of their user friendliness and their routing intelligence. The Magellans were just plain stupid and their user interfaces were klunky.
This Sony has a very nice user interface but doesn’t quite reach TomTom level but it is good. Address entry and marking locations on this GPS is pretty good. I wish there was a GPS that would just put the current state as a default before you type but I haven’t found one yet that does that. The order of entering the address is not what I’m used to. I think this unit does number, street, city, state. I like the reverse (state, city, street, number). But the entry feels less klunky than the Magellan.
At first, I was disappointed at how garbagey the graphics looks but I quickly got over it when I noticed that the response time this unit beats any other GPS unit I’ve had. The route recalculation speed on it is phenomenal as well. Also, the simplified graphics seem easier to follow. The voice navigation is much less annoying than others I’ve used as well.
All in all, it’s a pretty good device considering it’s sub-150. I’m going to keep using it for another week and if I still like it, my Magellan is going on eBay!
Update: I felt compelled to add this since it is pretty important to me. The unit is great but the PC software for this unit STINKS! In the TomTom, you can edit an address book with real addresses but with this software you have to enter actual coordinates. What geek knows actual coordinates of addresses off the top of his/her head? This type of nerditry is what makes Apple number 1 in consumer devices. They really got lazy on the software on which would otherwise have been a 5 star unit. The Magellan software wasn’t any better so I guess that gives me some comfort?
2 Stars cant find streets
unit will not find some streets by street names it decides that I need to know the county road number. It also will just not find some roads that have been around for over 20 years. Sony tells me that if I buy their $50 map update it “might” fix the problem. I wasted enough money buying the unit. It does no good to have a gps that is lost half the time. I’m going back to Magellan.
4 Stars Not bad for the price
I just purchased this gps system for about 79.00 at SEARS. I had some running around to do today and I just pluged in all destinations and the little device was really accurate. I am a first time gps buyer so I can’t say what I am suppose to get and what I am not suppose to get.
You can clearly hear turn by turn directions.
Im satisfied for now
**Cons*** None yet
Buy/More Info
Categories: Sony Tags: Acceleration Sensor, Accurate Position, Alaska Hawaii, Dense Foliage, Free Guidance, Gps Device, Gps Location, Gps Navigator, Gyro Sensor, Memory Stick Duo, Navigation Assistance, Navigation Device, North America Canada, Partial Entries, Photo Slideshows, Photo Viewer, Portable Navigation System, Pressure Sensor, Reception Conditions, Speech Capabilities
Navigon 2100 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator
In the U.S., German-based Navigon may be the biggest name in GPS you’ve never heard. Navigon has long been a major provider of navigation software to automotive manufacturers for in-dash gps navigation devices, but only recently did they introduce portable navigation devices under their own name. What they offer up, however, demonstrates immediately that this is a company that knows navigation inside and out.
The 2100 is the lowest-priced (and smallest) of Navigon’s line of portable GPS navigators. While it lacks some of the features of it’s bigger siblings, the 7100 and 5100, it packs solid navigation and some unique features into its diminutive frame.
The Navigon Family of Portable Navigators
The 2100 and 5100 have 3.5-inch screens, while the 7100 has a 4.3-inch widescreen. The big difference is that the 5100 and 7100 come with free lifetime traffic data, while with the 2100 you have to buy an activation code separately. The 5100 and 7100 have a feature called “Lane Assistant” that will suggest which lane you should be driving in, but that’s not such a big deal. Another important difference is that the 7100 also adds bluetooth-capability for hands-free mobile phone integration, which is really handy. If you want that feature, do check out the 7100. This chart may help as well.
| |
Screen Size (diagonally) |
Bluetooth |
Lifetime Traffic Data Service |
Lane Assistant |
Reality View |
Zagat Ratings |
POIs |
| 2100 |
3.5 inches |
|
Requires Purchase of Activation Code |
|
 |
|
1.3 million |
| 5100 |
3.5 inches |
|
Included Free |
|
|
|
millions |
| 7100 |
4.3 inches |
|
Included Free |
|
|
|
millions |
Intuitive, animated menus offer predictive text input, helping you select your destination quickly. View larger. |
The reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions. View larger. |
Navigon decided not to try to add multimedia features like a photo viewer or MP3 player into its devices, but instead focused on navigation-based features. The 2100 provides precise turn-by-turn directions, including spoken road names via text-to-speech
Reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions, complete with actual sign text and exit ramp guidance. This makes translating what the navigator is telling you to what you see on the road instantaneous.
Superior Software and Hardware
The features and functions of the Navigon 2100 are controlled via intuitive, easy-to-use animated menus that use predictive text input to quickly and easily select your city, state and address. Maps and menus appear on its extra-large and elegant, high-contrast 3.5-inch, full-color touch-screen display. The 5100 includes a powerful Samsung 400 MHz processor, a fully integrated SiRF Star III GPS chip, 64 MBs of both RAM and ROM built in, and a rechargeable 1,200 mAh lithium ion battery that is rated for 4.5 hours of continuous use. All this is housed in an ultra-thin, sleek chrome housing that weighs only 6.3 ounces, and measures just 4.2 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D). The Navigon 5200 even comes pre-loaded with complete maps of the U.S. and Canada, providing you with superbly accurate, seamless door-to-door directions wherever your vehicular travels might take you.
Note that the 2100 runs on the Microsoft Windows CD Net 5.0 operating system. A PC is required to use additional map data, and in such cases users require Windows 2000, ME, XP or higher, as well as a CD ROM drive and a USB port. An SD/MMC card reader is recommended as the 7100 not only uses SD cards, but also comes with a 2 GB SD card in the package.
What’s in the Box
Navigon 2100 GPS Navigator, SD card preloaded with software and maps of the continental US, rechargeable 1150 mAH lithium ion battery (rated for up to 4.5 hours),
car charger, car mount, quickstart guide, limited warranty
About Navigon
NAVIGON has been a leader of GPS navigation since 1991, and has a long history of industry innovations. NAVIGON created the world’s first dynamic personal GPS product in 1996, launched the industry’s first navigation software for the Pocket PC in 2000, and unveiled the first Traffic Message Channel-based (TMC) avoidance feature on mobile navigation product in 2002.
NAVIGON has helped revolutionize how consumers get from place to place with software products for practically any navigation-ready hardware. Personal navigation devices (PND), smartphones, and in-dash navigation systems directed by NAVIGON’s award-winning MobileNavigator (MN) software delivers reliable information on millions of destinations in an intuitive, easy to use format. NAVIGON is a valued partner to the automotive industry, and in 2006 strengthened its category competency by acquiring NAVTEQ’s navigation software business.
NAVIGON is a privately-held software company based in Hamburg, Germany, with NAVIGON USA headquarters in Chicago, IL.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great product
I am very happy with Navigon 2100, with a simple unlock you can even convert 2100 to a powerful PC and load other alternative Navigation programs.
2 Stars Nice features, but severely underpowered
To let everyone know, I’ve owned this product for over a year now and only now have I been compelled enough to write a review.
I bought this unit on sale during Black Friday at a local office supply store. The price was a steal at the time ($100) and it came with lifetime traffic alerts for life. I pulled the trigger and got it. Initially, I was in love with the Navigon. The lane assist feature was really helpful and let me know what lane to be in early enough to avoid driving like a jerk. The traffic features worked, decently, but as I commute weekly from San Diego to Los Angeles, there’s really only one way to get home, so I haven’t really gotten a chance to use the feature.
All was fine and well with the unit, but let’s just say, you get what you pay for.
UI:This unit is extremely underpowered. It is just too slow for what it can do. The buttons on the touch screen are extremely small and have a ridiculous amount of lag time. I’m an iPhone owner and even then did I have trouble entering street names. This unit just doesn’t cut it in terms of ease of use and intuitiveness. I often found myself punching a letter twice only to find out 2 seconds later that it didn’t even register. Bottom line, the touch screen needs a lot of work. On top of that, menus are not user friendly and require lots of backtracking to get to the screen you want. Not a very smart implementation, especially if you are on the go.
Navigation: Now, I will say that this unit does have it’s up sides, but there are many more downsides. The text to speech is decent, it doesn’t sound that robotic and pronounces most of the street names decently. In terms of the actual navigation, again, this unit is just too underpowered. Let’s say I miss a turn. This thing takes two blocks until it tells you where to turn, and by the time it tells you to turn right, you already overshot the turn by half a block, leaving it to recalculate again. The unit got so confused at a point that I had to pull over and wait for the unit to finish thinking before I could go any further.
The traffic feature is good, but if you’re in a major metropolitan area, it recalculates “due to traffic information” every five minutes. If you’re going on a long trip, say over 75 miles, the unit can take up to 20 seconds to finish recalculating. By then, you could have missed the interchange, costing you valuable time, and not to mention gas.
Overall, this is a satisfactory unit in this price range. However, I wouldn’t recommend this unit. Sure you save a few dollars, but it’s not worth the headache. Like I said before, you definitely get what you pay for with this unit.
2 Stars Poor programming means this unit will lead you astray
I purchased the Navigon 2100 after moving to Washington, D.C. not too long ago and becoming lost waaay too many times. I previously used Verizon Navigator on my cell-phone to help me get around, which worked wonders, but which also cost a monthly fee. I purchased the Navigon during an online deal. While the unit looks very modern and has a great display, the directions it provides are very poor. After doing some reading on programming forums, I read that because this item is an adapted German product, the programmers may not have fully known the appropriate “weights” to give to different types of roads here in America. One issue I’ve encountered is that the unit seems to take me on crazy backroads as opposed to the main route. I once was taken through a road in the middle of the woods (does “Beaver Dam Road” sound like the fast route?) as opposed to the quicker main route only a few miles away (and I did NOT have the unit on the “scenic route” settings either!). My friends know fully well that when I’m driving and I’m using the Navigon, it’s very likely we’ll get lost and it has now become an adventure to see how the Navigon will get us to where we need to go.
I do not recommend this product! There are many other GPS units out there that have a more familiar knowledge of American roads and highways.
1 Star Navigon service? Nonexistent.
The 2100 seems a good deal given it’s features. My problem was that Navigon did not put the SD with mapping software in the box that is packed and sealed by the manufacturer. I purchased mail order, or I would have went directly back to the point-of-purchase and exchanged. Still, I wanted to try the device, despite Navigon’s incompetence in packaging. The nightmare only got worse when I emailed, and got a generic and delayed response that told me to call.
I called.
One of the most emotionless and indifferent voices (was it human?) that ever answered a phone asked what the problem was, and, when I explained, she more less accused me of trying to get something for nothing and said that I would have to fax over copies of my receipts to prove purchase and then she gave me a tag number and didn’t tell me what was to be expected… when I inquired – she said “Thanks for using Navigon” – I said, “Well, I am trying to use Navigon, but can’t because I don’t have the…” > click <. I had to find someone I knew in business with a fax machine (I don't have one) and the copies were sent to the number she gave. I asked for a confirmation by email or otherwise to indicate receipt of the fax.
Nothing.
The week following, I called, and got a rep – albeit nicer than the one before, but not excessively attentive. I inquired about my fax, gave the number of it – he put me on hold for a literal 4 minutes 37 seconds, and said he couldn’t find the fax. I was LIVID. I let him have it. I told him I want the card that made this device work and I wanted it when I purchased it. I do not have time to run around tracking down fax machines and sending receipts. I want what I paid for.
He said he’d send an SD card with the mapping software.
Then, he started to ask me if the info they had on file was correct, and repeated it back to me. I asked him where he got this information from, as I did not provide it in my last phone call. He then admitted that he had the info on his computer screen, and it must be because they got the fax after all.
Not worth the money, even free. Search for better products folks. There are companies with better service (no one can be worse), and better websites with available software. Look at what software access you have on a company website before you buy! Look at what others write when they rate an item – and always look at the items that had problems and what customer service did about it and how they handled it. If Navigon depends on it’s customer service to survive, they’ll have to kiss it all goodbye right now.
5 Stars works great
I bought this a year ago. I have never owned a gps before. I love this unit. the reality veiw is very helpful.my mom has a megilin (not sure of the model) and i like this better, the only issue is there is some crazy routeing sometimes(it happens to all units ihave seen or used) when i got it and registerd it i got a free map update and that helped a bit.
Buy/More Info
Categories: Navigon Tags: Animated Menus, Automotive Manufacturers, Diminutive Frame, Free Lifetime, Free Mobile Phone, Gps Navigation, Gps Navigator, Inch Screens, Inch Widescreen, Multimedia Features, Navigation Devices, Navigation Software, Phone Integration, Photo Viewer, Portable Gps Navigators, Predictive Text Input, Realistic 3d Images, Reality View, S Line, Traffic Data
Garmin n vi 850 4 3 Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Voice Command and FM Transmitter Soft Black
With the nüvi 800 series, Garmin adds smooth speech recognitionto its bestselling line of sleek portable GPS navigators. As with all nüvis, you get a slim, pocket-sized navigator with a gorgeous display, detailed NAVTEQ maps that let you search by name for more than 6 million points of interest like stores, restaurants or hospitals, and an easy, intuitive interface. All of the 800-series navigators also feature a rich array of features including spoken directions in real street names, integrated traffic receivers, MP3 player and photo viewer, and an FM transmitter that will play all the nüvi’s audio, including voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle’s stereo system. The 850 also features an integrated traffic receiver and enhanced MSN Direct content with traffic data, reas-time gas prices, movie times and more.
 Key Features/Benefits
- New – Voice Recognition — Just tell it what you’re looking for (Learn more)
- Easy to use interface (Learn More)
- Integrated Antenna for a slim form factor
- Pre-Loaded Maps for North America with 6 million searchable points of interest (POIs), plus add your own custom POIs (Learn more)
- Multi-Destination Routing — tells you the best way to get to a lot of different places in one trip (Learn More)
- FM Transmitter lets you hear spoken navigation prompts, MP3s or audio books through your car’s stereo system
- Add FM traffic incident data or Enhanced MSN traffic flow data and content with an optional antenna (Learn more)
- Where Am I? — instantly shows you all of the emergency services nearby (Learn More)
- Where’s My Car? — never forget where you parked again (Learn More)
- Widescreen — gives you a better idea of what’s around you (Learn More)
- microSD card slot — store extra maps, travel guides, photos or MP3s
- Photo Viewer and MP3 Player (Learn More)
- Customize Your Onscreen Vehicle Icon (Learn More)
- Garmin Lock (Learn More) — keep others from using your navigator
- New – Photo Navigation lets you upload geo-coded photos from a phone, geo-coding camera or photo site and navigate to them. (Learn more)
- New – Send addresses directly to your Garmin from Google Maps or Mapquest (Learn more)
Which nüvi is Best for You?: Click here to see a quick, simple comparison of features for all Garmin nuvi GPS navigators
Learn More
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One of Garmin’s key product philosophies is, “to make extremely complex technology easy to use for anyone right out of the box,” and perhaps nowhere is that better exemplified than in the user interface for Garmin’s portable navigation devices.
Garmin’s interface is a key to their success and one of the things that makes their devices such a pleasure to use. Simple controls and sub-screens make it easy to enter or search for destinations and get data about your trip. |
Usable voice recognition is something we’ve been waiting to see for a long time. Reaching over to type out directions on your GPS isn’t just difficult, it can feel downright dangerous. There’s even a warning on every GPS not to do it. But who has the time to sit still and punch in a destination? Well, now you can have your hurry and your directions too.
The nüvi 800s aren’t the first GPS navigators to offer voice recognition, but the level of flexibility they offer sets a new standard for simple and intuitive use.
The device comes with a little remote control that mounts on your steering wheel. It has two buttons. One is, “listen.” The other is, “stop listening”. Hit the “listen” button to start voice recognition. Then you can speak any of the words that appear on the display, and the device will understand, or you can ask questions based on most points of interest. Say, “find nearest Italian restaurant,” for example, and you’ll get a list of nearby spots. Say “go to” and name of the one you want, and you get turn-by-turn directions to dinner. The nüvi also knows the names of many large business brands, so you can just say, “find place, Starbucks,” if that’s your coffee mojo.
Of course, if you know the address you want to go to, you can say that too, and the nüvi will give you directions, all without having to reach over to the dashboard and touch it.
Speech recognition is available for American English, British English, European French, European Spanish, German, Italian, and Netherlands Dutch languages.
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MSN Direct Enhanced Traffic and Content
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With an optional receiver, you can access enhanced dynamic content from the MSN Direct service. Check the weather, avoid traffic backups, compare local gas prices, get enhanced movie listings, stock information, news and local events when you travel with your unit. Even plan trips from the convenience of your computer, via Windows Live Local, and wirelessly send custom to your nüvi.
Check out a full description of MSN Direct content features, or a coverage map for MSN Direct services.
A 3-month subscription to MSN Direct is included with the receiver. After that, subscription fees are $49.95 per year, or $129.95 for a lifetime subscription. |
FM Traffic
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With an optional receiver, you can get alerts from TMC Clear Channel about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you’ll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you’re forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi’s sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, TMC Clear Channel traffic broadcasts are continuous
Categories: Garmin Tags: Flow Data, Fm Transmitter, Gps Navigator, Inch Widescreen, Incident Data, Intuitive Interface, Microsd Card Slot, Msn Traffic, Photo Viewer, Portable Gps Navigators, Rich Array, Smooth Speech, Stereo System, Street Names, Time Gas, Traffic Data, Traffic Flow, Traffic Incident, Voice Command, Voice Recognition
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