0ur opinion:

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ln 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.

• More about Navigon

Navigon...James Navigon
The first thing you notice about the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator is, well, the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator. lt's beautiful. lt's the kind of device you'd expect an international spy to have in their rocket car. lt's less than an inch thick, and its shiny black casing will go well with just about any car interior. Paying the same attention to every detail, Navigon's included car mount raises the bar even higher, with a design that is not only easy to use, but echoes the 7100's in a way that makes device and accessory become one, adding a touch of style and elegance to any vehicle's interior.

The Navigon 7100 offers a premium navigation experience in a sleek package. View larger.

lntuitive, animated menus offer predictive text input, helping you select your destination quickly. View larger.

The lane assistant provides guidance to the optimal lane for your route. View larger.

The reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions. View larger.

Packed with Features
When you stop ogling the outside and really start using the 7100, what you notice is that Navigon has decided to avoid media support and instead has focused on navigation-based features. This means the 7100 is packed, offering an array of features that are, at the time of this writing, unmatched at this price point. lt provides you with turn-by-turn directions, including actual road names via text-to-speech. lt includes built-in Bluetooth technology that enables hands-free mobile phone integration, which not only increases driver safety, but is fast becoming a necessity as states pass laws against talking on a cell phone hand set while driving. lt warns you when you are exceeding the speed limit. lt offers 2D and 3D map views with incredibly precise road visualizations (more on that below). lts Navteq data contains millions Points of lnterest (P0ls) such as restaurants, hotels, golf courses, gas stations, banks, etc.




Reality View and Lane Assistant
The 7100 has two features that are a great help in negotiating unfamiliar or complicated road systems. Lane Assistant recommends the best lane for you to be in relative to the proposed route, so you won't find yourself trying to move over three lanes when the freeway splits.

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.



Free Traffic for Life
This is a biggie. The Navigon 7100 comes is the first GPS device to offer subscription-free, real-time traffic information via the integrated traffic receiver with no additional fees or setup for the life of the product. Be advised on traffic flow and incidents, as well as the best alternate routes. The traffic info starts working as soon as you get the 7100 out of the box.




Zagat Ratings and Branded lcons for P0ls
All of Navigon's gps navigators offer Zagat ratings and reviews for their P0ls, so while this device may not get you a beer, it can tell you where to find the best one. Branded icons displayed on your map make it easier to navigate to a familiar location of your choice.



Superior Software and Hardware
The features and functions of the Navigon 7100 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 4.3-inch, full-color touch-screen display with an easy-to-read 16:9 aspect ratio for an exceptional view of the road. The Navigon 7100 includes 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 piano black housing that weighs only seven ounces, and measures just 5.1 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D). The Navigon 7100 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 7100 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 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.



What's in the Box
The Navigon 7100 preloaded with North American maps, 2 GB SD card, car charger, wall charger, car mount, USB cable, CD and user manual on DVD, quick installation guide, and warranty information.




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: - * A giant leap forward for low-end driving GPS ...
I owned a TomTom 510 that died. I could have purchased another TomTom but they are all quite expensive compared to this unit. The Navigon 7100 is a slightly older model, but now on sale due to Navigon's recent updating of this line. The advantage is that you get the Zagat Ratings, large brand-badged POI database, and lifetime traffic reporting. Map updates are pretty cheap too. That makes the 7100 package a no-brainer if price is a factor.

This unit is more navigation-feature-rich than my aged TomTom 510, but not has fewer user-configurable settings. You can't choose voices or screen themes for example, and there is no computer interface at all. The screen, however, is stunning and bright -- brighter and sharper than the TomToms, which I've seen side by side at Frys. It's not as colorful, choosing pastel tones over the TomTom's bright urban-yellow landscapes, but I think I prefer the subdued imagery.

After a month of use, Navigon's routing and traffic reporting has proved more reliable than that of my older TomTom -- not surprising, since Navigon makes the maps for everybody's GPS units. The Navigon is also easier to route around obstructions, but I gather TomTom has improved its interface in that regard. Spoken instructions are clear, although the female voice is a somewhat strong New York accent. The point

Others here have detailed the user interface features of the 7100. So I'll discuss just one that is particularly helpful but somewhat maddening: the highly-touted Reality View. This works, but not the way I expected. The "photo-realistic" view is a canned city skyline with a cleverly rendered synthetic (not photographic!) view of an upcoming intersection. However, it's static, not moving. The signage is accurate, but the frozen view can be a little unnerving as twelve lanes of traffic swirl around a complex LA freeware confluence. The view eventually reverts to the motion display, but for a minute or two you lose situational awareness.

The windshield mount is interesting. It works reliably, a feat my TomTom never achieved, but it's bulky and seriously ugly. Someone asked me "what is that thing in your windshield? A prosthetic arm?" Attaching and detaching can be a trick, as you have to align the arm's notched ring in a groove on the back of the GPS. I can finally do it, but it's not something I'd attempt while driving.

Overall, for the money, a fantastic deal.

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Buyer's feedback: - Not a bad little unit
If you need help just to drive around your local area, my advice is not to buy any GPS. Simply put, every GPS I have ever seen will route you to the state or county road before they put you on some backwoods road that all the locals know can save them 5 minutes.

On the other hand, if you're driving in a place that you are totally unfamiliar with and are uncomfortable driving in strange areas, then IMO there are few GPS units out there that will hold your hand like this one.

There are a few little quirks, for example I'd prefer if the unit told me to "bear" left as opposed to "turn" left. However, when you are in a strange place you want to know one thing: when and where do I turn? IMO, this is the strong point to this unit. It gives you ample notification and portrays nicely on the screen what you should do. Will you get there as fast as the locals? Certainly not. Does it remove the uncertainly and fear some people have of driving in strange places? Yes, I'd say it does a good job of that.

I've seen some postings about a few negatives concerning this unit. For example, there a lot of complaints regard the the mounting unit, which I agree is just waiting to break. One word: velcro.

The battery life is nowhere near as long as they claim. I haven't met a manufacturer of ANY battery powered that's told the truth about battery life (I'm talking to you, Dell and HP). However, I must point out that they give you a car charger, a USB charger and a regular home charger. Who needs battery power?

The pronunciations are a bit funky at times. I was in Louisiana recently and "Nancy" (I agree with the one poster who said it is impossible to give the unit a name)was really wrestling with some of the pronunciations there.

The traffic reports aren't as dynamic as you'd like, but I found that tends to vary from city to city. In Philly they were pretty darn accurate, in New Orleans they tended to lag somewhat.

So here's my bottom line on this unit: it's not going to find a way to save you 30 seconds on the drive to your local supermarket, but it will give you a LOT more confidence if you don't like driving in strange areas.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Good Navigation System ...
This is a very good Navigation System. Its Bluetoth capable for cell phone hands-free operation. Its also voice command enabled, it has very good graphics and free traffic updates. Its slightly expensive but I think its worth it. The price has been reduced by at least 30% since my purchase. There is a newer 7200t version but its even more expensive.

I do have one issue however, the maximum volume setting in my opinion is not loud enough.

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Buyer's feedback: - Don't buy it for the traffic feature...or for quickest route...
I went through the reviews and decided I'd give it a try (big mistake!).

My main interest in this GPS was the free traffic alert feature. Yes, it does include it but it is seriously lacking! All it tells you is either "slow traffic" or "stopped traffic". Well, I'm not sure what the system means by "stopped traffic" because more than once I got off a highway because of the "stopped traffic" alert and it turned out not to be stopped, just somewhat backed up. There are times when you're better off staying on the backed up highway than taking a detour that requires you to go miles out of your way in equally backed up traffic because you thought the highway was completely shut down due to an accident (in my opinion STOPPED means NOT MOVING at all). I've never purchased another GPS system, other than my AT&T TeleNav on my cell phone, so I don't have much to compare it to. THe traffic updates on my AT&T TeleNav work much better-it tells you what kind of traffic situation there is, whether it's an accident, lanes blocked, which lanes are blocked, etc. Of course, I am paying $10 a month for that service but that actually is 95% of the reason I purchased the Navigon. I know how to get around town and I, unfortunately, don't go out of town often enough to need directions. So as far as I am concerned, the Traffic information provided by the Navigon is completely worthless.

As for directions...Wow, it really throws out some wacky directions sometimes. I went to the grocery store one weekend with my son and he wanted me to have it direct us home. I live 3 miles east of the store - off the same road as the store. So basically it should have been a go straight 3 miles and turn right on my street, 4th house on the right...Well, not so with the Navigon. It wanted me to take a right halfway home, head 1.5 miles south, turn east again and then turn left further up to head back north the 1.5 miles it had me go south to get me back on the main street I had already been on...HUH?!?! I thought there might have been some exagerating on some reviews or maybe the routes mught have been more complicated but I realized they were dead-on with those reviews.

And then there was the time I didn't want to take the exit off I-95 that it wanted me to...so after I passed the exit, it directed me to make a U-Turn...Ummm....last I checked, you can't make U-Turns on I-95...(& this is with the feature asking it not to use U-turns)...

I tried to like it, I tried to find it useful...But I couldn't. And I couldn't return it because the whole mounting thingy is a bit on the flimsy side and when I tried to remove it, something broke off and it's pretty much permanently attached to the arm. I'm sure that it was partially my fault, that maybe I didn't attach it correctly, so I don't feel right in asking for a refund on it...I'm a sucker that way...I take responsibility for my mistakes...so I'm stuck with it...Not that I'm using it.

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Buyer's feedback: - * GPS works well, holder is a joke ...
This is my first GPS unit and I have really enjoyed having it. I really like the lane assist. I find it to be accurate. Its directions are 98% of the time the route I would have taken. 2% takes me on a scenic drive that I don't really understand why it thinks is faster. It functions great and is quick enough that I don't feel like I wait on it. My biggest complaint is the holder to attach the unit to the windshield. I read the reviews about it being loose and really tried to be careful with it. It became so loose in 4 months that I had to call and get a new one. They sent me a shipping label to return it and got a new one in under a week. Driving down the street the new holder just snapped and the GPS unit went flying to the ground. They can't seem to build a quality holder. I am looking into other options since it cost enough that throwing it away and starting over isn't an option.