NaviGadget

Cobra NavOne 4500 Real Time Traffic and Traffic Cameras Reviewed

Jun 27, 2006 cobra, gps navigation, reviews

Today we are looking at one of the high-end all-in-one GPS units. The Cobra 4000 and 4500 are the same units, but the 4500, which is being reviewed here, has real time traffic. Common street prices are $599/$799 (4000/45000).

The 4500 is a large unit that has a full 5 inch touchscreen. To give you some idea of its size here is a shot of the unit next to my Cingular 8125 phone. The unit uses a SiRF chipset, but not SiRFIII. I found reception good, but it did loose lock several times in New York City and I would recommend an external or reradiating antenna if you are in a difficult reception situation. It comes with TeleAtlas maps of the United States and Canada and 7.6 million Points of Interest. It is a 12 volt unit and, unfortunately, does not have a battery. An AC power adapter is available as an optional accessory. It should be included, in my opinion, especially at this price. Also available as accessories are a carrying case and an external antenna. The unit comes with a suction cup mount which is strong and has withstood winter cold and spring heat. The traffic receiver is an extra piece and is velcroed onto the mount. Not a very neat installation, unfortunately. Cobra could have done better here. The traffic receiver also comes with an external antenna which is really two wires and suction cups that attach to the front windshield. You can see the receiver and extra antenna in the shot above. In my area of New Jersey the extra antenna is necessary, but it might not be for you. The unit does not do pictures or play mp3s.

The pictures you see in this review are based on the latest software update from Cobra, so current owners may be a bit confused. This update includes many excellent changes and will be made available shortly to all current owners at no charge. The changes are major and every owner should start getting excited now!

At the back the unit has jacks for power, external antenna (which uses a non-standard jack so you will have to get the antenna from Cobra or use a much cheaper re-radiating antenna which should work just as well), the traffic receiver and a mini-usb port. Updates to the machine are by means of this port and you will require external power to do them. You can get the AC adapter from Cobra or pick up one at Radio Shack. There are a couple of updates on the Cobra site, not including the major one I mentioned above, and they loaded easily and without problems.

The unit comes with a nice manual, but the manual isn’t necessary because it has two built-in help systems. The first are a series of help screens that can be accessed by hitting a button when the desired function is displayed. The second, which can be turned off, is a series of voice prompts that tell you what is going on when you access a new function. It’s very clever and works quite well. After you have heard all the prompts you can turn them off. The screen is bright, withstands sunlight well, and is visible with polarized sunglasses. The unit is made in Italy – which I find quite interesting.

lots more info and pics at the source