NaviGadget

Sony NVU-83T

Jan 6, 2008 CES 2008, gps navigation, sony Leave a comment

Sony just announced a new GPS navigation device at CES 2008 called NVU-83T; a new addition to their nav-u series for the U.S. market.

NVU-83T seems to have all the high-end features such as the text to speech, voice commands, and real time traffic information. Of course it also has bluetooth capability for taking or making phone calls with a bluetooth enabled phone.

Another feature that is definitely worth mentioning with NVU-83T is the 4.8″ screen with anti-glare coating and the ultra thin body similar to Sony’s Bravia.

Sony’s new GPS navigation system not only has the super sensitive SiRF StarIII chip but also features Position Plus which utilizes a pressure sensor, gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor to keep track of your position when satellite signals are weak.

NV-U83T will be available in February for $500 directly from sonystyle.com.

Sony NV-U2

Oct 11, 2007 gps navigation, sony 6 Comments

Sony just expanded their NV series in Japan with the NV-U2. It is quite similar to the older NV-U1 which was released earlier this year but a lot slimmer, measuring only 20mm in thickness. Also new on the NV-U2 is the chipset which is called G Position Plus is supposed to be superior to older kind. Sony is very generous again when it comes to display size, equipping the NV-U2 with a 4.8″ LCD touch screen at 480×272 pixel resolution. The device also supports various multimedia files

Not likely to be offered in the U.S… via

Sony NV-U93T

Sep 3, 2007 gps navigation, sony 4 Comments

Sony has a bunch of nav-u GPS units, most of which never made it to U.S. and we just got the news that they revealed a new one called NV-U93T – and this one will probably be available only Europe as well.

NV-U93T offers live traffic information unlike the basic the NV-U93; however both units have a variety of high end features such as the big 4.8″ touch screen that can read your hand gestures, Bluetooth functionality to pair up with your bluetooth enabled phone, maps of Europe, and text-to-speech for pronouncing street names.

Both models will be available in Europe as early as November and NV-U93T will sell for 380 Euros ($520 USD)… via

Sony NAV-U GPS review

Aug 12, 2007 gps navigation, reviews, sony Leave a comment

British site Computeractive now has a review of Sony’s NAV-U NV-U51G which is currently only available in Europe.

It looks like the reviewers were not completely dissatisfied with U51G but there was nothing special about it either.

That’s not to say it makes no improvements over previous versions. You can now, for instance, search by full post code, making it easier to pinpoint the exact location of a destination. But yet again, Sony has failed to provide a memory card slot, limiting the opportunity for expansion. It comes with maps for the UK and Ireland, and it is possible to buy additional maps, adding them to the unit using a PC.

Probably something you want to buy if you see a really good deal on it. NV-U51
currently sells for £140 on Amazon – but keep in mind review talks about U51G, not U51.

Sony NV-U81T finally coming to U.S.?

Apr 4, 2007 gps navigation, sony 1 Comment

Back in September 2006 we talked about Sony’s announcement of NV-U81T for the U.S. market but it never actually saw light of day until last month; this time in Japan under a different name, called NV-U1. However there’s still some chance U.S. may meet the hard disk based NV-U81T. Or why would they get an FCC approval for?

Sony NV-U81T features a 4.3″ touch screen and has hands-free bluetooth support. It also comes standard with traffic message channel receiver, and a 4GB 1″ hard disk for storage.

Other fancy features Sony integrated into the NV-U81T are gesture commands and position plus.

The position plus makes predictions about the location of the vehicle by listening to its acceleration sensor and a pressure sensor to provide more stable, reliable positioning information, even when GPS signals are degraded or briefly unavailable.

Still no word on pricing or availability.

Sony NV-U72T – reinvents windshield mounts

Mar 28, 2007 gps navigation, sony 1 Comment

Sony’s new PND (personal navigation device) NV-U72T is expected to be available in throughout Europe in June 2007. NV-U72T will come with 2GB flash memory that includes maps of 21 Western European countries.

A new thing Sony is trying out with their new nav-u series is a different kind of windshield mount that folds and fits onto itself:

The beautifully portable NV-U72T and NV-U52 include an ‘all-in-one’ cradle and suction cup that folds neatly into the body of the unit for transportation or storage. With no cradles or suckers left on show, both units can be slipped into a bag or briefcase for maximum convenience and peace of mind when your vehicle is left unattended. Attaching to a dash or windscreen with a single push, the advanced suction cup mechanism simplifies hassle-free mounting anywhere in the vehicle.

Another convenient feature would be their “gesture command” which lets you sketch a simple figure on the screen with your finger in order to tell the device to take you to a frequent destination such as home, parking, or gas stations (or “petrol” as Brits would say).

TMC receiver capability on this new device puts the T in NV-U72T, allowing drivers to avoid traffic jams. While traffic message channel is free in most European countries, Brits and the French will have to purchase an activation key.

The NV-U72T uses a 3.5″, specially coated anti-glare screen that is also finger print proof (don’t ask us how that works). Even though we’re not sure how much NV-U72T will cost we do know that the cheaper model, NV-U52, will cost only 249€ leaving out TMC and replacing Europe coverage with only regional coverage.

Sony reveals Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T

Mar 28, 2007 gps navigation, sony 1 Comment

At Sony Media Experience 2007 the Japanese brand presented a new range of personal navigation devices.

Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T both have a 4.8″ screen which is quite unheard of in portable GPS navigation electronics. Most main stream brands only go as big as 4.3″. Anything larger is usually made for in-dash systems.

Both devices feature “Position Plus”, which helps improve your location info by considering acceleration, in order to interpret the position of the vehicle for places without proper GPS signals such as tunnels.

Other new characteristics of Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T are their slim design only measuring 2cm’s thick (0.8 inches) and a new windshield mounts which are much smaller than their predecessors.

Just like Nav-U51 and Nav-U71T, these new PNDs feature “gesture commands” which by drawing a preset symbol on the screen makes it possible to directly reach functions such as “go home” or “find nearest gas station”.

Common features of Nav-U82 and Nav-U92T:

• Integrated GPS Receiver with GPS SiRF III
• 4.8″ touch screen with 32K colors at 480×272 pixels resolution treated with anti-reflecting material and an automatic light sensor to adjust brightness
• Intel PXA 270 processor at 300 MHz
• Hands Free Bluetooth Kit ??
• integrated 512MB flash memory for Nav-U82 and 2 GB for Nav-U92T
• Memory Stick Duo Port
• 1200 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery for 3 hour run-time
• Mini USB 2.0
• RDS-TMC traffic receiver integrated into windshield mount (Standard on Nav-U92T, optional on Nav-U82)
• A customized version of Navigon MobileNavigator 6 as navigation software
• Navteq maps
• Weight: 250 G
• Dimensions : 14.5 x 8.7 x 2cm

While the specs are not finalized both are expected to include hands free bluetooth kits. It’s a shame that the Japanese giant still chooses to use their proprietary Memory Stick Duo and not the new SD memory standard.

The Nav-U82 will be provided with maps of certain European regions depending on where its sold. On the other hand Nav-U92T is provided him with maps of 21 countries of Western Europe, namely Germany, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, San Marin, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican.

Both will be available in Europe in May 2007 and will be sold for 349€ for the Nav-U82 and 499€ for the Nav-U92T… via

Sony NAV-U NV-U1

Feb 27, 2007 gps navigation, sony Leave a comment

Sony just released NV-U1 from its NAV-U series for Japan only. It was supposed to be released in North America last year as NV-U81 but that never happened. Let’s have a look at the specs that the Japanese get to enjoy:

• Display: A-si TFT active matrix, 4.3″ wide screen
• Aspect ratio: 16: 9
• Picture resolution: 480×272
• Back light control: Automatic ON (10 stages) /OFF and automatic dimmer
• Speaker: 2W mono integrated speaker
• Memory: Memory stick duo slot
• Battery: 4 hours in normal and 6 hours in stamina mode
• Dimensions: 134 x 79 x 44 mm
• Weight: 360 g

The navigation software on NV-U1 provides lane information, toll road fee guide and 3D maps. It is advertised to be available “soon” for 59,800 Yen, roughly $500… (picture via akihabaranews)

Sony NVX-P1

Dec 19, 2006 gps navigation, sony Leave a comment

Before Sony started the recent Nav-U series that was announced fall of this year it did have another product called the NVX-P1 which mostly existed in the UK market. It is a bit bulky compared to todays pocket-sized GPS navigators but has a strong set of features: It comes with 2.5GB of memory, enough to cover 21 European Countries and a very extensive POI list. The TFT screen measures 3.8″ and can display info in three modes: 1) Map, 2)Turn-by-turn, 3) Mixed mode. In addition the NVX-P1 speaks 8 different languages.

Since Sony wants to make the new Nav-U series the flagship product for its navigation system line you can find the NVX-P1 for a low price, ranging from £220 to £360.

Sony NV-U71T available for pre-order

Dec 9, 2006 gps navigation, sony 1 Comment

Sony’s Portable Satellite Navigation System NV-U71T is now available for pre-order for $500 on Amazon.com. But be cautious since Sony’s website says the expected ship date is March, 2007. Who knows what kind of new sat nav systems will be out by then. Possibly cheaper too.

The NV-U71T boasts many features that mid-high range GPS sat nav systems have such as the RDS-TMC real-time traffic information receiver, good battery life (4.5 hours), and lots of POI (7 million in this case). One other feature Sony likes to mention with their nav-u series is the ‘gesture command’ feature which saves you the trouble of going through menus and buttons, by a swipe of your finger on the screen. Upside down ‘V’ would be the ‘go home’ command for example.

Other specs:

• 2GB flash memory
• 3.5″ a-Si TFT active matrix system screen
• USB Jack
• External GPS Antenna Jack
• TMC Antenna Jack
• 20×40 mm speaker
• dimensions: 103.8×87.6×32.8 mm (4.1×3.5×1.3 inches)
• weight:280 grams (9.9 ounces)