NaviGadget

Navman launches F10

Oct 2, 2007 gps navigation, navman 20 Comments

Right after renewing its S series sat nav systems with S30, S50, S70 and S90i, Navman is adding a new member to its F series: Navman F10.

F10 will follow the form factor of the F series, and will look quite similar to the F20 which we had talked about here at NaviGadget. F10 is an entry level model and it uses a light version of Navman’s navigation software called SmartST 2008. As usual F10 also offers preloaded radar database. On the other hand, it does not come with a USB cable nor the Navman Desktop software, which is necessary for the update of the radars. It is an optional add-on for 15 €. F10 also is not compatible with live traffic information.

The maps come from Tele Atlas and dates back to April 2007 and it is stored on the 512MB internal storage like the S series. F10 comes with a SiRF Star III GPS chip and has a 3.5″ display.

Navman F10 will be offered at 150 € (appx $213).

Navman F20 for only $158 (but refurbished)

Jun 8, 2007 gps navigation, navman 2 Comments

If you’ve been waiting for sub $200 but didn’t feel like spending your money on a brand you’ve never heard before you should check out Navman F20. Navman is a known brand – specially in Europe, and they recently expanded their entry level GPS navigation systems with the F20 series.

Navman F20 features two easy access buttons on the front: one of them to direct you to the nearest gas station and the other to the nearest parking lot. Here are some of the other features:

• 3.5″ colour touch-screen
• Eight-digit postcode search
• Fuel and Park buttons
• Traffic-compatible via optional T1 Traffic Pack
• Safety camera downloads
• Latest SiRF Star III GPS receiver

Navman F20 will be added to our sub $200 GPS navigation systems list.

gps navigation systems for $200 or less

May 11, 2007 gps navigation 11 Comments

Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of GPS navigation systems going below the $200 mark. Most of these are from manufacturers you’ve probably never heard of before but that’s not necessarily bad. The hardware is usually standard and the software is sometimes identical in these machines. Here is our roundup:

Magellan Maestro 3100 for $200

Evesham Nav Cam 7700 for $160

InVion GPS-4v106 for $200

Aytobe for £100

PIVA PNS350 for $190 or L100 for $175

JVC KV-PX9 for $180

Mio C220 for $180

UPDATES:

ViaMichelin X930 for $198

NaviBlue NBC3500 for $155

Navman F20 (refurbished) for $158

FineDrive 400 for $190 or $99

Holux GPSmile 52 for $170

Sanyo NVM-4030 for $200

MORE UPDATES:

Lowrance iWAY 250c for $190

Jensen NVX-225 for $190

Nextar HGPS35 for $156

Navman iCN 330 for $130

Evesham NAV-CAM 7000 for $181

Are we missing anything? Even if it’s after rebate, let us know. We’ll update the list.

UPDATE: July 2008 – We now have another list cheap GPS navigation systems.

Navman F40 Europe

Feb 12, 2007 gps navigation, navman Leave a comment

Navman F40 is just like F30 but different. How different? Take out the TMC traffic receiver but instead this time throw in a cradle for bluetooth support. Another enhancement over F30 is the addition of maps for all Western European countries.

Navman F40 Europe enhances the F20 with European maps and Bluetooth hands-free functionality. The F40 works with all Bluetooth compatible phones and can be paired with up to five different phones at any one time. This means no re-programming of settings. Plus the on-screen caller display allows users to safely see exactly who is calling them.

So how much extra do you have to pay for a bluetooth cradle and more maps? Only £30. The Navman F40 Europe will sell for £229.

Navman F30

Feb 12, 2007 gps navigation, navman Leave a comment

Navman just announced F30, a new member of its F family. The new Navman F30 enhances the F20 model by adding TMC real time traffic information and with a lifelong free subscription. However real time traffic information will only be available in the following countries: UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

It sounds like Navman improved on F20 by only adding new external hardware:

We’ve, therefore, added our T1 Traffic Pack to create the F30. Now you can find your way around the jams as easily and simply as you find your way from A to B.

Some of the other features of the Navman F30 are:

• Spare SD card slot for additional maps
• POI import capability, so you can add your own places of interest, such as safety cameras, using the optional desktop connectivity kit
• Drive-Away so it’s ready to use out of the box
• Automatic re-routing with Back-on-Track
• Pre-installed regional map
• Wide range of accessories

The Navman F30 will sell for £199.

Navman F20 review

Dec 22, 2006 gps navigation, navman, reviews Leave a comment

Navman F20 is an nicely built entry level navigation that costs around $300. PCMag just published a review and gave it 3.5 points out of 5. Not sure how it lost those 1.5 points but it sounds like they didn’t like the fact that it doesn’t have a multimedia player. The pros are the menu system, SiRF Star III GPS receiver and the route demonstration mode.

In screen views, Navman broke ranks with other GPS manufacturers. Rather than the traditional 2D North up, 2D track up, and 3D views, the F20 has only a 3D view in the direction of travel. A magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner of the screen gives you the option of changing the zoom level, selecting auto zoom (zoom level based on current speed), or of changing perspective. By changing perspective, you can go from a fairly oblique 3D view to what’s essentially a 2D view in 13 increments. This ability to select the angle of view is unique to Navman products, and I’m glad the company included it on the F20.

We think it should’ve received a better grade for such a great value.

Novogo S700 review

Nov 10, 2006 gps navigation, reviews Leave a comment

The first reviews about Novogo’s S series started surface and the first one is on Novogo S700 from PCW magazine of the UK. It sounds like the reviewers like the GPS navigation capabilities of the device but they don’t necessarily recommend it for there are other brands offering more functions (such MP3 player and bluetooth) for the same or a lower price.

You have full control over elevation, viewing angle, and a number of displays from birds-eye-view to a close-up mode to help negotiate tricky junctions. There’s also an effective smart zoom control that allows you to set a maximum and minimum zoom distances and overhead view configuration, so if you prefer a certain type of display you can set things up just how you like them.

There are no additional features such as an mp3 player or currency/unit converter with the S700, but as a pure GPS device it shouldn’t steer many people wrong. The main problem is that there aren’t really many reasons to recommend this unit over cheaper alternatives.

In case you wondering Novogo S700 costs £270 ($515) where as a Navman F20 costs about £168 ($320 ).

garmin nuvi 660 review

Sep 27, 2006 garmin, gps navigation, reviews 16 Comments

PCMag just released a review of Garmin’s new nuvi 660. It already received the Editor’s Choice status from them. It pretty much just talks about how wonderful this product is and just like previous nuvi’s this one is also very easy to use.

It’s really difficult to find fault with the Garmin nüvi 660. It’s the first shirt-pocket portable with a WQVGA, 4.3-inch screen. In addition, the integrated traffic receiver and Bluetooth speaker phone interface round out a set of features that is, once again, the best in the shirt-pocket GPS category.

We agree with the whole review about how high quality this product is but when there are GPS navigation systems out there for less than $400 do we really need pay $1000 for the nuvi 660? Is it really ~2.5 times better than the cheaper ones out there? It maybe Editor’s Choice because the editor probably didn’t pay a dime for the nuvi 660 :).

new Delphi NAV200 is only $350

Sep 21, 2006 gps navigation Leave a comment

Priced at $350 NAV200 is another great entry-level GPS navigation from Delphi. But you are probably saying: “what do i get for only $350?” Well just look at the image. You are getting a gps navigation system, audio-video player, image viewer, games, calculator, and a world clock. Is that enough? Another convenient feature that you can’t see by looking at the picture is the SD slot for moving files back and forth.

Some other features are:

• Powerful 400 Mhz processor for fast routing
• 1.5 GB SD card preloaded with NAVTEQ maps of the U.S. and Canada
• High sensitivity GPS antenna — SiRFstar III
• RDS real-time traffic ready
  (optional TMC accessory required)
• MP3 player, movie player, photo viewer, game, world clock and calculator
• On the go flexibility with 3.5″ bright, anti-glare, full-color LCD touchscreen
• Built-in 3-hour rechargeable battery

Of all these features the only problem we see is the battery life, at 3 hours that sounds a bit too weak. But anyhow, you can’t beat this price. Sounds like a good buy.

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Navman F20 GPS navigation system

Sep 20, 2006 gps navigation, navman Leave a comment

Navman just introduced a brand new basic entry level GPS navigation system called F20. The device is expected to cost around $320 (£168) and be available in the UK as early as this month. This price is about $120 cheaper than the most basic N series NavPix N20 they announced last week.

A simple but nice feature on the F20 is the two dedicated buttons on the upper right corner of the device. One of them is for the nearest gas station, and the other for the nearest parking lot.

The F20 also offers traffic information via the compatible T1 traffic module. Simply plug it into the F20 and it will warn you of any traffic on your route – it’s even capable of replanning your route to avoid traffic jams. So, as well as directing you to your destination, the device can steer you away from any problems you might encounter on the way.

Here are the main features of the new F20 from Navman (F for freedom)

• 3.5″ colour touch-screen
• Eight-digit postcode search
• Fuel and Park buttons
• Traffic-compatible via optional T1 Traffic Pack
• Safety camera downloads
• Latest SiRF Star III GPS receiver