Pros & Cons
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- 4.3-inch widescreen display.
- Text-to-speech conversion.
- Subscription-free traffic.
- Built-in traffic receiver, multi-segment routing.
- Reality View.
- Zagat guides.
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- Can't search POIs near a destination or a specific address.
- Bluetooth phone interface doesn't synch phone's contact list or call history.
- Separate TMC antenna makes for messy-looking dashboard.
Navigon 7100 Specs
| 3D Lane Assistance: | Yes |
| Built-In Speakers: | built-in |
| Dimensions: | 5.2 x 3.7 x 0.85 inches |
| Display Type: | Touch |
| Flash Memory Type: | SD/MMC |
| Hard Drive: | No |
| Multi Segment Routing: | Yes |
| Power: | Adapter |
| Power: | Battery |
| Preloaded maps: | Yes |
| Supports MP3: | No |
| Turn-by-turn: | Yes |
| Type: | Portable |
| Waterproof: | No |
Navigon isn't exactly a household name in terms of Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs). Even so, Navigon has been around for quite some time, acting quietly behind the scenes as an OEM supplier of navigation software to its partners. For example, I recently reviewed the
For this review, I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the first preproduction Navigon 7100 models. The 7100, with a list price of $649, features a 4.3-inch widescreen WQVGA display, a SiRFstarIII GPS receiver, and Navteq maps for North America (48 states plus Canada), Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. For those on a budget, the Navigon 5100 ($499) is a version of the 7100 with a 3.5-inch screen and without the Bluetooth phone interface found on the 7100. So far, these products probably sound similar to many other PNDs, but Navigon has also thrown in a few features that distinguish them from the crowd.
The Basics
The Navigon 7100 measures 5.2 by 3.7 by 0.9 inches and weighs 7.8 ounces without its mounting bracket. My preproduction unit didn't have a mounting bracket, but from the pictures I've seen as well as the circular mounting slots on the back of the unit, it looks as if the bracket's design could be interesting. I'll have to reserve judgment until I see a shipping production unit. The device has a black housing and a single on/off switch. On the bottom of the unit, there's an antenna jack for the built-in live traffic receiver, a mini USB connector, and a reset switch accessible with a paper clip. The top of the GPS has an SD card slot that contains a 4GB memory card—the largest I've seen to date on a PND.
Though it carries a premium price, the 7100 does have some unique features. First, it includes five Zagat destination guides for places to go in over 70 U.S. cities. The guides provide reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and nightlife and other attractions. This Zagat data is available from the POI (points of interest) menu as separate categories. If, for example, you tap Zagat Restaurant, you have the option of finding all nearby Zagat-rated restaurants or you can search simply by decor, best buy, top food, best service, or most popular. Once you make your selection, the screen displays the address and phone number. You can get additional information about your selection by tapping the "I" information key, or you can dial it if you're paired with a Bluetooth-capable phone.
Both the 5100 and the 7100 have a trademarked feature named Reality View. This view gives you a photo-realistic view of upcoming complex intersections on your current route. Reality View, combined with Lane Assistant, which provides optimal lane information, really helps when you're driving on complex interstate roads in an unfamiliar place. (Be sure to check out our slide show for examples of Reality View.)
Both models also feature subscription-free live traffic. Still, I found that even in the metropolitan New York area, where signal strengths are pretty strong, I needed to plug in the accessory (included) antenna in order to receive traffic information reliably. A traffic icon on the map screen shows whether traffic information is available. You can set the Navigon units to route you around traffic incidents automatically. Although the traffic data is subscription free, the data is not as robust as I've seen with other live traffic systems. For example, the incident data is fairly basic and does not include the traffic flow data found on other services.—
Hands On
That the Navigon 7100's menu system felt very familiar isn't too surprising. It's quite similar to the Navigon-powered Pocket LOOX. When you first power up the 7100, the main menu has four large icons: New Destination, My Destinations, Take Me Home, and Voice Commands. I found it an odd choice that you had to go to the options menu and select Show Map in order to see a map view. It's nice, however, that the 7100 recognizes voice commands for saved destinations. As you save a favorite, you have the option of entering a voice command with the destination's name. Then from the main menu, if you tap Voice Commands, you can speak the name of one of your favorite destinations, and if the 7100 finds a match, it will automatically generate a route.
Finding a new destination is fairly simple. Tapping the New Destination icon brings up two choices: Enter an Address, or search for POI. For finding a new address, the 7100 gives you the option of entering data in street>house number>city or city>street>house number order. Navigon also included three user-definable "Direct Access" icons that you can use for your favorite categories in the POI list. Each of these three direct-access icons provides you with single-tap navigation to the nearest POIs in your defined categories. The default categories are Fuel, Parking, and Restaurants. An extensive five-million-plus POI database is divided into 26 categories and the five Zagat categories. You can search for POIs nearby, within a city, or nationally. I find this less useful than features of other units that allow you to search for POIs near a specific address, near your destination, or along your route. If would be helpful, for instance, to search for restaurants on a particular street rather than just, say, "San Francisco." This is the same shortcoming I found on the Pocket LOOX, and hopefully Navigon will make improvements in this area.
The Navigon 7100 supports the traditional three map views found on virtually all PNDs: 2D north up, 2D track up, and 3D track up. Through the seven-screen settings menu, you also have some screen customization options. You may choose to display speed/altitude, compass, remaining distance, duration of journey, ETA, and speed limits. Optionally, you can display speed limits only if you are exceeding the limit. There are separate configurable speed warnings for urban areas and outside of urban areas. The 7100 does not, however, appear to support custom POI databases or traffic/speed camera databases.
I'm happy to say the 7100 has good routing profile support. It supports car, bicycle, and pedestrian speed profiles, as well as a choice of Fast, Optimum, Short, or Scenic routes. You can also allow, avoid, or forbid routing that involves highways, toll roads, or ferries. In addition, the 7100 supports multi-segment routing.
As with most of the more expensive PNDs, the 7100 boasts a Bluetooth speakerphone interface. BlueSoleil's version 2.0 Bluetooth stack powers the 7100. To test this, I paired the 7100 with my LG VX9900 and had no problems. The 7100 was able to make and receive calls, and the call quality from the built-in microphone was good. I was disappointed, however, that the contact list and call history from my cell phone didn't propagate to the 7100 as they did with Garmin Bluetooth-enabled PNDs. Also, I had to repair my phone to the 7100 after leaving my car and then returning.
My road tests yielded no surprises. The 7100 generated the same "shortest" routes on my test routes as those of other Navteq-based PNDs. The text-to-speech engine did a good job of converting street names to voice prompts, and the Reality View is a feature I really like when traveling the highways.
Navigon's first entries into the PND under its own brand offer some nice, unique features. If you're traveling to one of the cities covered, the Zagat guides are handy to have. With some improvements in POI handling and the Bluetooth interface, the Navigon 7100 could be a winner.
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