0ur opinion:

Manufacturer's Description--September 15, 2007:
With free lifetime traffic, Zagat Ratings, 3-D images of highway interchanges, Lane Assist, and text-to-speech, the Navigon 5100 is rich in features that directly empower navigation. Plus, it looks great on your dashboard. lt’s slim — less than an inch thick — and sports an easy-to-read 3.5' touch screen wrapped in an elegant chrome frame.

The 5100 is the smaller sibling to Navigon's flagship 7100. The 5100 has a 3.5-inch screen, while the 7100 has a 4.3-inch widescreen. The 7100 also adds bluetooth-capability for hands-free mobile phone integration, so if you want that feature, do check out the 7100. 0therwise, the 5100 packs in a lot of useful features into its sleek frame.

Key Features

• Lifetime Traffic gives you traffic flow and incident information and alternate route suggestion for the life of your unit (Learn more)
  
• ZAGAT Ratings and Reviews gives you over 21,000 ratings and reviews for more than 70 cities in the U.S. and Canada  (Learn more)
  
• Reality View: 3D images of highway interchanges with actual road sign text so you’ll never miss your exit again (Learn more)
  
• Spoken Directions with Text-to-Speech: keep your eyes on the road with spoken turn-by-turn directions and real street names. 
• Lane Assistant:. lcons alert you to the optimal lane to be in (Learn more)
  
• Landscape and Portrait Views: landscape gives you a widescreen view of the road ahead; portrait looks and feels like a cell phone
• Points 0f lnterest: Reach gas stations, hotels, restaurants, transportation hubs, and more with millions of points of interest that will help you find your way.
  
• Branded icons: places are so easy to find that everywhere will feel like home.
• DirectHelp: At-a-glance information helps you find emergency and roadside services—and helps them find you. Just push a button and get instant directions and phone numbers to the nearest hospitals, police stations, roadside assistance companies and pharmacies.

Easy Add-0ns

• FreshMaps gives you up to 12 regular, trusted map updates for three years with a simple activation code.

Which Navigon is Right for You?

• Click here to see a chart comparing features on the entire family of Navigon portable GPS navigators
• Learn more about Navigon
  

Learn More

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Software and Hardware

The features and functions of the Navigon's portable GPS navigators 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 elegant, high-contrast, full-color touch-screen displays.

Navigon portable GPS navigators run on a powerful Samsung 400 MHz processor, a fully integrated SiRF Star lll GPS chip, 64 MBs of both RAM and R0M 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 housing.

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Free Lifetime Traffic

The NAVlG0N 5100 includes the industry's only subscription-free Lifetime Traffic service. Dynamic, real-time traffic feeds show you where traffic is slow and suggests alternate routes. Save time and stress. Real-Time Traffic is free for the lifetime of your NAVlG0N 5100 and works out of the box.

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Reality View

Reality View™ provides 3D images and actual road sign text when approaching complex interchanges — so you’ll never miss your exit again.

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Lane Assist

No more wondering what lane you need to be in to stay on course. Your NAVlG0N will guide you with simple to follow lane guidance with arrows so you can make your turn and stay on track.

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Zagat Ratings

Now you can enjoy the world's most comprehensive restaurant and entertainment guide — right on your NAVlG0N GPS device. With ZAGAT's trusted Ratings and Reviews, you will know exactly where to stay and play during your travels and, with NAVlG0N's guidance you will know exactly how to get there. The guide includes over 21,000 entries covering a variety of categories, including restaurants, hotels, golf courses, nightclubs and attractions in over 70 cities in the U.S. and Canada. ZAGAT SURVEY Ratings and Reviews is a standard feature on both the 7100 and 5100 models. An additional accessory purchase is required to activate the service on the 2100 model.

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What's in the Box

• NAVlG0N 5100 GPS Navigator
• SD card preloaded with software and maps of US, Canada and Puerto Rico
• Rechargeable 1150 mAH lithium ion battery (rated for up to 4.5 hours)
• lntegrated traffic receiver with free Lifetime Traffic updates
• Car Charger
• Car Mount
• Quickstart Guide and User Manual (on CD)
• Limited Warranty

Note: All Navigon GPS Navigators run 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 R0M 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.

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The Navigon Family of Portable Navigators

	Screen Size (diagonally)	Maps	Reality View	Real Street Names	Lane Assistant	Bluetooth	P0ls	Lifetime Traffic Data Service	Zagat Ratings	FreshMaps 3-Year Map Update Service
2100	3.5 inches	continental U.S.					1.3 million	Requires Activation	Requires Activation	Requires Activation
2120	3.5 inches	U.S and Canada					1.3 million	Requires Activation	Requires Activation	Requires Activation
2100 Max	4.3 inches	continental U.S.					1.3 million	Requires Activation	Requires Activation	Requires Activation
5100	3.5 inches	U.S and Canada					millions	lncluded	lncluded	Requires Activation
7100	4.3 inches	U.S and Canada					millions	lncluded	lncluded	Requires Activation

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NAVlG0N Real-Time Traffic City Listing

USA Albany, NY Albuquerque, NM Allentown, PA Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Baton Rouge, LA Birmingham, AL Boston, MA Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC Chicago, lL Cincinnati, 0H Cleveland, 0H Colorado Springs, C0 Columbia, SC Columbus, 0H Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX Denver-Boulder, C0 Des Moines, lA Detroit, Ml Ft. Meyers, FL Ft. Pierce, FL

Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Greenville, SC Harrisburg, PA Hartford-New Britain-Middletown, CT Houston-Galveston, TX Huntsville, AL lndianapolis, lN Jacksonville, FL Kansas City, M0 Las Vegas, NV Lexington, KY Los Angeles, CA Louisville, KY Manchester, NH Madison, Wl Memphis, TN Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, FL Middlesex-Somerset-Union, NJ Milwaukee-Racine, Wl Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Nashville, TN Nassau-Suffolk, NY

New 0rleans, LA New York, NY Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA 0maha, NE 0rlando, FL Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Pittsburgh, PA Portland, 0R Portsmouth, NH Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, Rl Raleigh-Durham, NC Richmond, VA Riverside-San Bernardino, CA Rochester, NY Sacramento, CA Salt Lake City-0gden-Provo, UT San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA Sarasota, FL

Seattle-Tacoma, WA Springfield, MA St. Louis, M0 Syracuse, NY Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Toledo, 0H Tucson, AZ Tulsa, 0K Washington, DC West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL Worcester, MA Canada Toronto, 0N Montreal, QC 0ttawa, 0N

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About Navigon

NAVlG0N has been a leader of GPS navigation since 1991, and has a long history of industry innovations. NAVlG0N 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.

NAVlG0N 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 NAVlG0N's award-winning MobileNavigator(MN) software delivers reliable information on millions of destinations in an intuitive, easy to use format. NAVlG0N is a valued partner to the automotive industry, and in 2006 strengthened its category competency by acquiring NAVTEQ's navigation software business.

NAVlG0N is a privately-held software company based in Hamburg, Germany, with NAVlG0N USA headquarters in Chicago, lL.

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Testimonials

Average Buyer Rating:

Buyer's feedback: - * Amazing GPS ...
This GPS blows away the competition and the so called cheaper GPS that preted they are the real deal for $200. Navigon has almost 5+ years for features ahead of the other GPS systems. Not only does it auto track a route but does it in a split second so you do not have to wait for the signal or the satellite to show your the 'new route' when you miss a turn. City navigation is awesome with the real time graphical exits that it shows. I have used this in Boston and New York alike and blazed the streets like it was my hometown :D

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Buyer's feedback: - Someone did not understand what drivers need...
Rather than going into a prolonged review regarding the items I would like to focus on the issues that make this GPS most annoying. So much so that after having had it for 2 months I stopped using it altogether.

Here goes, not in any particular order of annoyance:

#1) Switching it on: there is a tiny leveled button that you, according to the manual, have to hold for 6 seconds to turn the GPS on. It is more like 10 seconds and you will be leaning forward reaching over your steering wheel to do this. Not a disaster if you are parked but if you decide to switch this on while driving you are in for a real treat that is actually dangerous.

#2) In conjunction with #1 this is a real annoying one. The item is ALWAYS powered. So even if you turn off the car this baby is sucking the life out of your battery. Ind it does so pretty aggressively due top a lack of powersave or sleep mode.

#3) The text is SOOOOOOO small. I mean as in TINY. I have 20/20 vision and for the life of me cannot read any of the detail on the display unless I stoop over and put my face right in front of it. DANGEROUS if you are driving. Add some of the extra info to the screen and this becomes a joke. Note that my car is a 2007 Honda Civic and the swingarm is right next to the speedometer... What the hell, Navigon.

#4) The Traffic Alert feature, main reason why I bought this GPS, if just a pop up list with slow traffic or accident alerts. Here's where it just does not work:
- there are so many alerts that it becomes a barrage of messages when you live near a great city
- the messages display as text with an exclamation. So expect something like SLOW TRAFFIC NEAR SIBLEY, but it does not show where or how you will be hitting Sibley nor if it is even on your route. HOW THE HELL do I know if it is common to have traffic on Sibley and how bad is the alternative? Well, I tried the AVOID option and landed in the heart of traffic lights and more cars and got completely jammed up. Since there is no traffic alert on the reroute the cure sucked worse than the disease
- the listings are so tiny that you cannot read them unless you lean real close
- the listings require you to choose AVOID or SKIP every time. Not so bad if you live in Montana but I drive around Chicago and the listing is a NEVER ENDING barrage of pop ups and YOU CAN'T see the navigation unless you click away the pop ups. Combine this with a tiny screen that is far away due to the crazy crappy mount (other #'s) and you will switch the feature off pretty quickly. It is dangerous as you are constantly interacting with this GPS rather than driving your car.

#5) The sound... oh the sound... I mean WHAT SOUND. The speaker CANNOT be heard if you are doing 65 miles an hour with your radio off unless you have a whisper quiet Lexus or Caddy. I drive a Honda and it must suck to be me as I cannot hear the lady speak. This forces you to read the tiny micro font... 'nuf said about that.

#6) The mount works but that is about it. It if nice that you can tilt the screen etc but it is not flexible and forces the GPS to be VERY far away from you if you want to put it at the right height. Dilemma that cannot be fixed. Especially not when you drive a Honda.

#7) The REAL VIEW feature is only available in what they think are complex situations but frankly when you need it it does not show up. Most complex situations have enough signs to guide you through open heart surgery. I need it when there is nothing telling me where to go. Not worth the hype.

#8) Turning it off. I have to sit stooped over squeezing (or hoping I am hitting it) a tiny hidden button for what seems like an eternity until the damn things switches off... unless you want it to stay on into eternity.

#9) It is completely unclear form the manual and package how to update this thing online. I plugged it in an nothing happened. Since I stopped using it after 2 months I guess it does not matter much. I am back to my monochrome and beloved Garmin, sure if falls of the windshield when it freezes outside but I can still hear her telling me where to go.


Final thoughts of a raging gadgeteer: I wonder if it can be used as a projectile in road rage situations. I also wonder who let a computer game designer spec a GPS unit; obviously the design team is a bunch of treehuggers on bicycles that have not yet had the pleasure of trying the Navigonad 5100 in a real car. Blah and much cursing.

Final final remark: I have it on a well-known auction site without a minimum price, but note that you were warned if you decide to bid.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Very nice little device ...
Had this for 2 days. Works very well. It shows POIs that I did not even know in my area. The functions are much better than the GPS I had in my car. USB does charge the 5100. The handle is weird but does it job well. Nothing comes loose. The looks and feels of the 5100 are definitely of German quality. So far I have entered 5 locations and the 5100 finds them all. The Traffic warning has saved me time on one occasion where there was a sig-alert on Freeway 10.

The price/features of the 5100(when on sale on Amazon) is unbeatable.

I would strongly recommend the 5100.

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Buyer's feedback: - Great GPS for the money
I bought the Navigon 5100 on Black Friday and have used it a number of times. My previous GPS was a Mio 310x and I've used a Garmin C330 a number of times when renting vehicles. For the money, the Navigon has hands down been the best unit that I've used. It's always difficult for long time users of another GPS unit to get used to a new device; however, the Navigon was very easy to get up and going.

The Navigon 5100 has a lot of great features that make it a great value. The real-time traffic alerts (no subscription required) are helpful in metropolitan areas and provide options of routing around the issue or ignoring it. The unit lets users customize how to receive alerts (e.g. all, on-route only, etc). The reality view feature is also really nice when traveling on major interstates. It momentarily shows a realistic view of interchanges and clearly designates which lanes you should stay in and which to avoid.

The styling of the unit is very clean and European. I like the windshield mount as it allows mounting it in such a way that it can be completely hidden by the GPS unit itself. I have noticed some vibrations, however, once the GPS is mounted on when you drive over bumps, etc. It would be nice if the whole mount assembly allowed less tolerance/movement and mounted 'tighter' to the GPS unit. Also, I've read other reviews suggesting that the GPS won't charge when being used - I've not had any problems that way.

The fonts do seem a bit small on the device; however, the resolution is very good and I like the smaller size to fit more information on the screen at a time. The menu system and user interface are very good and intuitive. The device excels at setting up and navigating trips easily. POIs are clearly marked along the route and provide actual logos in many cases. Searching for POIs leave a bit to be desired relative to other devices. The default is to first select a POI category and then to filter within that category. I've found it easier to just begin typing within all categories and let the system filter results for you as you type.

I haven't had issues with weird routing that other users have identified in reviews as of yet. I did go ahead and update several of the XML files (it was really easy) on the system with the suggestions found on: [...]

All in all, I give this unit high marks for its design, functionality, speed, and feature set. For $[...], I'm not sure how you could do any better.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Bought one on Saturday & returned it on Monday ...
Pro:
Sleek design
Sleek mount
Lane Assist for exits
Shows traffic updates & construction sites
Shows speed limit

Cons:
Horrible POI & not easy.. Garmin & Tom Tom r so much better.
CRASHED after 4 hrs of use & I was stuck in ME. Had to ask ppl for directions to get back to MA.

Returned it to the store today.