Navigon 5100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
by Navigon
|
List Price: Our Price: $329.00 You Save: $170.00 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $67.99 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Navigon 5100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Customer Review: Impressive performing GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
I did a little research before deciding on the Navigon 5100. The features that sold me on it were: 1) Text to speech 2) Real time traffic 3) Reality view (tells you which lane you should get into) 4) Upgradeable maps 5) Lots of POIs.
I have yet to actually need the unit to find my way, but I have put it to the test on a journey I know well. The GPS connected to the satellites in a reasonable amount of time. I live in a wooded area so I suspected it wouldn't connect instantaneously (my Sirius radio takes a bit of time too). It did try to bring me on the shortest route, but that would have taken me smack dab into the middle of the Yale campus in New Haven. I took my usual route and it quickly and flawlessly re-mapped the route. I was impressed at the number of POIs it found. I actually had to filter them down a bit because they were cluttering the map so badly. It found churches and schools that I didn't know existed in my own town.
I also liked the windshield mount. I heard other people complain about the mount but I thought it was very convenient. It let me tilt and postition the GPS in virtually any way I wanted.
Now I didn't give it a 5 because it has some flaws (perhaps a future update could fix). The text to speech was good but the female voice had a decidedly German accent. The easily pronounced streets were fine, but I live in Connecticut where 30% of the street names seem to be of American Indian origin. It was comical hearing the German lady try to say "Quinnipiac" or "Totoket".
Another flaw was that the audio wasn't as loud as I would have liked. With the volume I play my music (moderate but not loud) I had to strain to hear the directions. I hooked up a small pair of external speakers and that made it easier to hear.
So all in all this was a good investment. I'm sure you could spend twice as much and get a more polished product. But you probably couldn't get all the features that this unit has. If they fix the few minor flaws, Navigon will be a force to reckon with in the American GPS market.
Customer Review: A great GPS!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been looking at GPS units for a long time, unable to decide based on all the hype. Along came Navigon. The free map upgrades and lifetime free traffic service really piqued my interest. This unit is simply great so far. I tried it on two trips this last week, one a short 200 - miler and the other a 1300 mile adventure to Oklahoma. I had been on both before, sans GPS, so this was a test. "Miss Daisy" ( that's what I call her ) did very well on both. She got a little flummoxed when I took alternate routes locally, as I know my local roads, but the "recalculating route" feature worked very well. I really like the Reality View on major interstates - showing upcoming exits and lane changes that way is superb. The traffic alert worked great, even without the external traffic antenna. There is major construction ongoing around Indianapolis and she took me on the exact alternate I had already used before, no problem. The so-called "hockey stick" windshield mount is rock-steady and actually looks great - much better than all the other mounts that hang right in your vision next to the mirror, with ugly wires dangling all over. The only real negative so far is the volume on the voice alerts. Even at maximum loudness it's hard to hear with the radio on or any traffic noise. The pronunciation of some roads is a little off, but whose isn't? Every area has different accents and no computer-generated voice could ever perfectly duplicate regional speech ( think New York versus Georgia for example ). The battery is listed to last 4.5 hours and I got just under 4, but I think that after "exercising" the battery a few times it'll be fine. Even so, if you only need to plug in the DC cord every 4 hours I see no problem. I'm planning another long trip next week and I'm sure Miss Daisy will do fine. A note to those who don't read the setup instructions : you really should -- even if you "know it all" about every GPS out there. After setting my preferences ( POI, etc.), it does what it's told. All in all, I think Navigon has a winner here.Customer Review: Its nicer than the Magellan 4040
Summary: 4 Stars
As a 2 month user of the Magellan 4040, I have a good comparison to the Navigon 5100. The Navigon is better executed than the Magellan and here is why.
The voice is used much better and more sparingly.
Turn prompts are delivered at a useful distance for you to take action. The routes are saner.
Its much faster in calculating routes than the 4040 and faster to recalc, a very important function.
Much easier to type in destinations than the Magellan.
Auto lookup of streets and cities is far superior.
Touch screen is very sensitive unlike the Magellan.
Navigon is cheaper than Magellan, $[...](rebate) to >$[...].
Navigon is made in USA, Magellan is China
Navigon has many more useful options than Magellan, such as speed limit warnings which you can disable or it will tell you when you are speeding.
Traffic warning, Magellan doesn't have it for free.
As for the cons,
Magellan has more POI's.
Its a 4.3 inch screen, Navigon that tiny 3.5 inch and its hard to read text, although the map is fine.
Its mount is usable either on the window or console. The Navigon can only be used on the window. Slick mount though for the Navigon.
Magellan voice is louder but diction not as clear as Navigon.
User interface on Magellan is easier to learn.
Magellan has bluetooth, Navigon doesn't.
Sometimes Navigon gave a goofy reroute on the first iteration, then within a couple seconds, it would recalc with the right way to go. In the time it took me to realize it had made a mistake, it was telling me another route that was right, so no big deal. Never had this problem with Magellan.
Magellan does update its website with patches, not sure about Navigon.
Overall, for the price, the Navigon is a great value. But if you got the coin, get the bigger screen on the 7100, its probably worth it.
Customer Review: Navigon 5100 super buy
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I might have wished I purchased the 7100 for the extra features, my heart says that I got the most bang for the buck.
This is a quite extraordinary device as compared to the many other GPS innovations I have worked with over the years. I have an RV and a GPS in my laptop, but it is too cumbersome to drive the big rig and navigate. The Navigon 5100 removes all the mumbo jumbo and takes me exactly to the destination I entered. I love it and am very happy I purchased it.
As a deficency, and in reading other reviews on Navigon I also find that the route is not always the best, shortest, or fastest. It seems to want to take you in a round about way on occassion when simply, if you stay on the highway or road you are on you would get there more quickly. Yet, it doesn't complain, yell or bitch when you just keep driving. It may say make a U Turn etc. but quickly calculates another way, alwayss trying to get you back to the orignal recommended roads. Just keep driving the route you know and voila it finally figures it out.
All the features are first class. The roads smoothly track and everything you need to know is on the screen. I like the McDonalds and Burger King symbols etc. as one might fancy a different restaurant, or a different Gas station because of price.
I like the window mount, and rather than mount it in the center, the mount is in the lower left side of my windshield facing in, and does not block my vision-left or right. As I said, this is the best GPS I have been worked with for several years.
For those who don't like menu's, remember this is a computer not a person sitting in the other seat who knows everything. And, for the men, YOU STILL DON'T HAVE TO STOP AND ASK DIRECTIONS. HE. HE.
Customer Review: Navigon 5100 gets a C- AAFES BX/PX
Summary: 2 Stars
After much deliberation over which one to buy, I choose the Navigon, predominantly because my BX had it on sale ($395 Aug 07) and because it came with North American and European Maps.
I read other reviews, that warned that the speaker volume was very low, and that there were potential problems with the mounting system.
Well....They are correct. The mounting system officially broke in December. It has a bayonet lug system, but the plastic depressor piece broke which means it stays on the mount, or I wrestle it off when I need to take it down.
Volume on the system is a problem. Even on its highest setting, it struggles to compete with a moderately loud car stereo, and has no chance of being heard over 2 kids under six in the back seat, and a wife who takes any opportunity (like a 20 minute or more car ride) to begin "relationship" "discussions".
Also, my Navigon has Frozen up twice. Its running Windows CE, so that shouldn't be a surprise, but getting it unfrozen is a lot more difficult than CTR+ALT+DeL. Their website is absolutely no help either.
There is no forum, so you are forced to only search through Q&As that have been chosen by the company to put up. So there is lots of "I love my Navigon, where can I buy leopard skin protective covers for it" and nothing to help someone get their GPS unfrozen.
A lot of people have trouble getting a decent route. This may be due to the settings. You have several options for route picking... Fastest and Shortest come to mind. That might mean that the fastest route is longer, but uses roads that travel faster (65mph). Shorter routes might take more time because they route you through ever school zone between you and your destination.