| Products Electronics & Photo GPS Navigon PNA 7100 | Satisfaction | Experience | |
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| Name | Date | Helpfulness | Review | Overall satisfaction | Ease of use | Quality of Manufacture | Durability | more... |
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| Amazon.com customer | 2008-09-07 | | Great Unit But Text Too Small | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | This unit is every bit as good as a Garmin Nuvi that I also own, except that the text on the screen is too small unless you have perfect vision. The reality view is a huge plus over the Garmin. A few software problems out of the box such as rerouting always stated "make a u-turn" and didn't try to route you any other way; but after updating the software through their website it works pretty good. Also, the reality views were limited until I updated. Not dissapointed. Recommended to anyone. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-07-30 | | BAD ROUTING Good Features. | 6 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I have been using TOM TOM for past 3 years which is a good GPS. I bought Navigon cause my Tom Tom map was old so i have invest in map or new GPS i went for GPS. Looking at NAvigon 7100 which offers best feature for money i bought it. Well main feature of GPS is to take you from A to B, this is what 7100 doesn't do well it make me take internal route rather then HIGHWAY and also there is no way to change that. In Tom Tom every time u click on find alternative it will give u different route and u pick the best. This one doesn't give you that offer which is frustrating. They should have a at least given choice to select HIGHWAY and avoid internal road. Rest all features are great. I will return and buy again when they fix the ROUTING ISSUE which is the main feature of GPS. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 6 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-07-16 | | Great features, but unreliable | 2 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I purchased a 7100 7 months ago. It has been plagued with software problems. Fortunately their tech support is readily available and helpful. I have over 50 hrs. into troubleshooting on my own and with their help. They replaced the unit twice and the SD card twice. The earlier problems have not resurfaced, but the third unit locks up during route calculation/recalculation. That really messes me up when in heavy Seattle or Portland traffic. Even though they cannot fix it, they absolutely refuse to refund my money. Don't buy it. If they had the bugs worked out it would be a great GPS. The features are fantastic. I have not experienced the functional problems that others have reported. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 2 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-07-09 | | Cool, yet frustrating! | 6 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | We purchased our first GPS unit, the Navigon 7100, a couple of weeks ago and there's a few things I'd like to share. 1) It's not a user-friendly, out-of-the-box-and-start-using-it unit. You can't be lazy -- you really have to read the user guide. Unlike other units we tried in the store, such as the Garmin -- it's not intuitive. The user guide/instructions, which are on an accompanying cd (I would rather that it was printed) also doesn't really cover everything (like the problem I have with its Bluetooth capabilities actually working with my iPhone). 2) The keyboard buttons are TOO SMALL. Frequently, I am frustrated to find my finger on a "J" and it types "O". Sometimes, it doesn't even register my tap at all and I have to tap over and over and over again. Very very frustrating when you just want it to type where you want to go and not have it take about 30 minutes to do it! 3) Like another review, the pronunciation of the street names are off, but that's okay. 4) I like the widescreen very much, it's very easy and clear to read and the volume is loud enough for me to hear, even when I have the air conditioning and the radio on. 5) It takes a little long to load or "recalculate" routes. I guess this is due to the maps being on the SD card and not pre-loaded. 6) It's already frozen on us once in the few short weeks we've had it. 7) I like that it has the Zagat ratings -- that is very helpful when you have no idea where to go or what's good. 8) We were in San Francisco and where we wanted to go was on Post Street. We were already on Post Street about 8 blocks down, and it kept telling us to make a right off of Post Street. It's taken us the "very long way" to our destinations. I'm not overly concerned about it as long as it just gets us there, period. So, I have never had another GPS unit, so I can't really compare, but I have to say that at certain points, I've wanted to throw this out of the window. Maybe it just takes some getting used to, and I hope that Navigon works on the major issues. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 6 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-06-12 | | Very Disappointed | 2 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | My experience with a GPS is the Garman Ique-M5, so that set my expectations. The Navigon has traffic info, 3d images, and street names but the benefits end there. The Navigon gave really stupid directions and I tried all of the different settings. Setting it for "fastest route", it would take me off of a main road to go through a sub-division just to come back to the main road later, and that is only 1 example. Also, if the address does not exist, you cannot save your position. There is also no option to find a restaurant or gas station on-route; you can only ask if something is nearby, therefore if you search for a place nearby it may take you backwards from your route. It will also not allow you to put in permanent detours - say if a bridge is out, you cannot put it in there to not ever route that way. I was very disappointed, so I sold mine, and I am saving up for a Garmin unit. It will be about $100 more, but at least I will not get lost using it, and I will cuss less. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 2 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-05-25 | | overall good/battery life not so good/customer srv not good | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | product is worth it except for battery life. As I was told on the phone and via email replacement parts are not available as I am in need of the info disc and wall charger. The car charger fits loosely in different vehs the correction Navigon offered is to buy an adapter??? not good enough | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-05-10 | | Terrible Battery | 6 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I like the unit. The 3D display is great, it is easy to use, and so far it seems accurate. However, I only gave it 3 stars because the battery life is terrible. On a full charge, mine will only run for about 30 minutes...tops. The car charger takes forever to bring the battery back up to a full charge, and if I plug it into an "always-on" accessory port, it will drain my car battery overnight. Much more draw than leaving a light on in the car. And my car battery is new. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 6 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-05-07 | | I don't know why people are complaining about this item. | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I have used navigation software since PDA version mobile navigator, then to Garmin 650 after a long research, but due to limited functionality of the Garmin nuvi 650, I gave to my mom then switched to Mio C520 after debating between Navigon, Mio, TomTom. It was mainly because of the pricing being Mio being the lowest yet to provide so many funcitionality such as TTS, Bluetooth, TMC capability. I thought I was happy with Mio due to the fact it came with all the function mentioned above and also you can customize Mio's display. However the main part of the GPS navigation was not what I was expecting. The map location is off by more than half block, the map is old, it would give me some funky routing, and the display looked like childish cartoon. Worst part of all is that MIO is so persistant that unless I don't follow the direction Mio is giving it will say make U turn on every turn! After getting tired of hearing 'make U turn', I decided to buy something else....then I came back to Amazon and found Navigon 7100 @ $270 range! I knew this was selling over at $500 and seeing this at this price, I had to research why it was on sale. 'Is this unit that bad so retailer must to sale to move stock?' after reading the review, my feeling was half and half. Some say no problem, some say too many problem, it was either or. However after going thru such a bad experience with Mio, I decided to give a try with Navigon 7100 because I felt I hit the bottom alreay. After receiving the package and observing and using the unit for two days, here is what I think: 1. I was impressed with the look of the unit. It looke bulky in the picture because of the thick frame, but I think this makes the unit shine and stand out more. 2. Once I turned the unit, the map looked so professional as I already knew from seeing the demo. Some say navigation screen is cluttered, but you see mio first then look at this. This is organized. I agree with some people say data font is too small and it could be bigger, however it is customizable by hacking. 3. It tells you where your destination is either right or left. This is BIG plus and you will know why if you are going to new locations. 4. I think it has to do with Naviteq map, because Navigon is fare more more accurate than Mio (it is with Tele-atlas). I know this because as a ex-Garmin user the map was accurate with Garmin (using Naviteq) 5. Bluetooth: It pairs with my iPhone! Now I can call and answer thru Navigon while driving so that I don't have to use my headset anymore. Mio could not be paired with many phones including iPhone and tech support told me that they had no plans to get updates for such after contacting the customer service. 6. Traffic receiver: I never tried it before because you usually have to pay for this service. You get this for FREE with this unit and it works. It shows you where the traffic area is and it is a very helpful information. again, you get this for FREE! 7. Reality View: Very cool feature and it does help you when you are on freeway. Seeing is believing. Actually this is main reason I leaned towards Navigon unit. 8. Navigon just came out with update 1.2 with complementary map update. Unfortuanetly 7100 users must wait until 5/14, but I hear update are really improvements for 5100 users. They say it is faster and unit responses better. FYI, MIO just came out with map updates and wants $69. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here are some of glitches and concerns of the unit. 1.Bluetooth: it seems to lose its connection time to time and I must repair. I hope this will get fixed with updates. 2. Button responsiveness: You have to click the button firmly to enter the letter sometimes. But I hear this has been fixed with updates. 3. There is only one TTS voice. Not a biggie, but it would be nice if you had a choice. 4. dashboard mount: it is big so that it catches your eye inside of the car and it can lead to theft. So far I am very happy with this unit. I must say there are couple of glitches but this is for navigation. As far as GPS navigation goes, this is fine unit. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-05-06 | | Navigon 7100 Review | 10 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I will start off by saying that if I listened to the other reviews for this product I would have probably bought another type of GPS device. I am very happy that I did not pay any attention to the negative reviews for this product. This is a very good product. It gets me from point A to point B without any problems. It is very accurate a keeps up with the speed of the vehicle to ensure that I do not miss a turn. If by chance I do miss a turn, maybe due to not being able to get into the right lane in time, the Navigon will recalculate the route and it does it very fast. It has the U-Turn option that can be turned off if the user does not like to do U-Turns. I have this option set to off. The reality view is great for big cities. It shows what lanes to stay in to ensure that the user does not get into the wrong lane. The reality view does stay up for a little, but once that area of the directions is passed the map will go back to the original mode of tracking the vehicle on the map. This GPS does not have as many points of interest as with other GPS devices, but I did not buy a GPS to find POI's. If I want to find POI's I will do my research on the Internet prior to going on my trip. If I should get stranded on my trip, this GPS can show me restaurants, gas stations, and hotels (most have Wi-Fi for more POI research) in the area. These three things are probably all I need on a trip. Other than this, it shows traffic information for highways and interstates without the need for an Internet connection. There has not been any major traffic jams or accidents on the routes that I have been on, but this device is supposed to guide around these areas when possible. So far this device does everything quite well. So I will assume that it will also do a good job of rerouting around trouble areas on the roads. Bottom line, this a good GPS product that will get the user from point A to point B and will not cost a whole lot to do it. Garmin and other GPS manufactures have options that enable the device to play MP3's, view pictures, and other options, but I did not buy a Global Positioning System for these things. I bought this device to guide me to a location. Garmin, TomTom, and those other companies can keep all those fancy options. I am very happy with my Navigon 7100.
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| Overall satisfaction | 10 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-04-17 | | Not sure why the complaints...works as designed | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | Not sure why all the complaints. I've had the device a couple weeks, put it to the test and it faired well. Sure, there could be some tweaks (which is why the 8100 is around the development corner) but all in all a great unit. Some complained about the traffic feature. Said they never received traffic updates. I guess if you're in a rural area you may not, but to be honest, I'm only concerned about traffic on the highway as that's the biggest drain on the time. I've received several traffic updates. To my surprise, I was about 3 blocks from the highway route when I received an 'audio' update "traffic alert, please view screen". It informed me that there was slow traffic about 3 miles ahead. Gave me the option to ignore update, or reroute. I decided to reroute and it took me on a side road around traffic and back to main highway. Other times, it simply showed me flashing traffic signs on the highway in various other directions.. basically, though not on your route, it simply allows you to see what's happening in case you want to manually change routes. Thought that was neat. Someone else pointed out the start up as being slow. Yeah, when you first turn the unit on it doesn't automatically have a signal and each time you power off/on again you have about a 1 minute delay while the unit it finding a signal. I didn't find this to be a deal breaker. I think if you're traveling you don't know where you are anyway, so to sit in the car a couple secs while it finds a signal is no great hardship. Once locked it was locked. I didn't loose a signal under bridges/tunnels/or wooded areas which was great. If you're in unfamiliar areas you need a couple secs to gain/regain your bearings anyway, so why so impatient? My only complaints, again no deal breaker, was the 7100 should have come w/built in fm transmitter, but as I said, that allows them the opportunity to come out with the upgraded 8100 model (surprise, surprise it has a built in transmitter). Lastly, the routing is a bit ugly at time. When I was out of town, the routing was fine...(guess if you don't know the area you don't know if short cuts exist) but when I try to map to an outlet about 10 miles away...the first route try's to take you a couple blocks over, and back to the main highway when from my cul-de-sac it's a straight shot out and to the main highway. However, they indicate the patch to be released this month will address the fugly routing issues. I gave a 4 out of 5 simply for the last two issues. No matter what routing issues, it still routed me where I asked. Good Job!! | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-04-13 | | iPhone looks but VCR brains | 2 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | This is a sexy unit...and many of its features are great. But it has a few deal breakers and it is going back. The good news: Beautiful maps make it a pleasure to use this. 3D view gives you a great look-ahead view and adds greatly to your overall orientation. The voice directions are the best I've ever heard. (I'll miss her). The traffic speed warning is a useful, if sometimes annoying feature. I think it should be disabled after 3 or 4 warnings on the same road -- after that it's just nagging. The complex intersection view is fabulous. This was the biggest problem with my old Magellan -- by the time I figured out which lane to be in it was either too late or required a drastic maneuver. This unit automatically switches to a special view as you approach a complex, multi-lane intersection such as a highway cloverleaf and just makes it very intuitive. I just loved this feature. The deal breakers: It sent me to a few non-existent POI's -- the first one was when i was almost out of gas and it was none too funny. The documentation is horrible -- doubly bad since the interface is far from intuitive. Of course, after using an iPod or an iPhone every interface feels clunky but this is terrible. There are so many features -- like switching between 2d and 3d views you just tap anywhere on the screen -- that are impossible to find. I think the above example is a fine shortcut IF THEY BOTHER TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT but there is no way to duplicate this command via all the menus. I stopped roadside and followed every single combination of branching menus but couldn't find it. I had to go home and print out the large manual THAT THEY DO NOT PROVIDE from their website to locate this "feature". There are other similar examples of poor interface design. I accept these things are written in the mannual so if you like to read large manuals before using a product -- and agree that they need not be obvious or simple -- then you'll feel at home here. But the worse feature is their battery usage and shutdown. On the third day (after solving the above issues and feeling like I could get used to this temperamental but beautiful new cockpit compadre) I discovered a dead Navigon. The power was connected but all I got was a low battery icon. Customer service explained that I had failed to hold down the power key for fifteen seconds to properly shut the unit down and so the battery had discharged. Let me repeat that: they expect you to arrive at your destination, turn off the car, and sit there for 15 seconds with your finger pushing this tiny little button on the side. Actually, the unit "appears" to turn off immediately when you press the button -- but don't let that fool you! Just playin' possum. You have to sit there, counting slowly to 15, with no visual clues, to make sure it's off. To make matters worse, the unit needs to charge for a solid hour on your car battery when this happens before it will deign to navigate for you. That's right, its connected to power but will not tell you anything for an hour -- just to punish you for removing your finger too early. The customer service guys explained that it was just like your PC -- takes a while to shut down. But (1) you don't have to hold the key down on your PC, you're free to move about, (2) you get visual feedback from the PC so you KNOW when it's off, (3) you're not sitting foolishly in your car telling your wife, kids, or colleagues to just wait for 15 seconds, and (4) anybody who uses Windows performance as a benchmark is clearly picking the lowest possible standard. So annoying. Frankly I would rather have NO BATTERY -- why do I need this? I will use it plugged into my car 99% of the time. When I take a trip I will take the cig charger, so what? I want the thing to work, immediately and always, is that so much to ask? I have to admit the Bluetooth feature was pretty cool -- worked right away and sounded good. But I already have a wireless headset...and an MP3 player...and a photo displayer... I JUST WANT A FAST AND ACCURATE AND RELIABLE GPS!! Some of the other reviewers have told you to wait for the next generation. Go ahead. As for me, the whole design team would have to be "under new management" before I would look at the beautiful, seductive, though maddening device again. <sigh> so pretty though... | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 2 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-03-28 | | Odd occasional routing | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I bought the Navigon after looking at several TomTom's, Garmin's, etc. I really liked the reality view and it certainly helps negotiate city interstate exchanges. The only negative I've found is it occasionally routes you in odd directions, one example had me turning south on an interstate near my house going to the next exit, doing a u-turn and heading back north. I could just entered the interstate going north in the first place. Overall, I really like the unit, however, pay attention for quirks in the turn-by-turn before starting your trip. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-03-11 | | Great interface and nice design, | 10 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | Great design and great user interface, this GPS has a superb LCD screen in both day and night mode. The fine tuning of this unit is what makes it so powerful. Features like AVOID TOLLS and "Speed Check" which gives you a subtle warning that you are exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph for example make the unit extremely functional. The unit does occasionally get confused (Chicago - roads above roads confuse the GPS) and roads that dead end near your location (Cul-de-Sacs) seem to throw it for a loop, but other than that its gets YOU THERE or at least very close to your destination. I have noticed the battery life is very short, so you need to keep it plugged into the AC/DC unit in your car. The GPS sticks to a plate that can be attached to your dash or the window, the dash plate is nice and works well. FYI. Comes with a sticker that tells potential thieves that the GPS in this car is PIN protected. Great idea in theory, but bad in reality, as many people won't deploy the PIN setup, the thieves will smash the window just to see if you have a GPS in the car. I didn't use the sticker. The unit also has Traffic Warning/Avoidance which I am still playing with, in some cities it doesn't seem to find the traffic channel which it gets from a radio signal (e.g. FM 96.7). Very useful during rush hours. The GPS will route you around the slowdowns/backups. The unit needs a POI (Point of Interest) update as some major POI's seem to be missing or are difficult to locate. With all that said... Highly Recommended. Great unit and great tech support from Navigon.
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| Overall satisfaction | 10 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-03-03 | | Best I've used. | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | The 7100 looks good and has a great POI list. The software is a little slow but the text to speech and lane assist make it worth the slight delay. The windshield mount looks good but doesn't work as well as the Garmin mounts. I have used this in multiple states and it has very accurate map data. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-01-18 | | Very pleased with Navigon 7100....4.5 stars | 8 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I've been using the 7100 for 3 weeks and have been very pleased with the functionality to date. Mine is version 6.5, build 77. My main complaint HAD been short battery life, similar to many comments I had seen here. Upon calling Tech Support , I found out that I'd been unknowingly putting the the unit in standby mode rather than shutting it off. Turns out that one must press the power button for 10-15 seconds to shut off. Anything short of that blacks the screen but you are only in standby. When powering back on, the power button must be held for six seconds. Quirky, but at least now I understand it. I was needlessly charging the unit every day or two because in the first 10 days I had never completely shut it off! Now, with THAT out the way here are my pros & cons. I have been using this so far on routine driving on the Seattle Eastside, so performance may vary elsewhere. PRO: Elegant appearance, nicely designed case. Similar in size/style to Magellan 4250. Beautiful screen, clear images, nice interface, intuitive to use. Option for day or night view, and 2D or 3D. Clear, pleasant voice quality. Charger indicator light changes from orange to green when fully charged. Ability to key in zip code rather than city name. Possible matches appear as you type, so 5 digit often not required. When searching for nearby POIs, starts inside one mile, and allows to you manually expand radius - great when searching for restaurants. Free traffic reporting for life! (text; must hit icon to display). Extensive detail on nature of incident--accident vs. construction--along with length (miles) of slowdown. Thus far, I've not used the supplied antenna, but it does take several minutes for the icon to appear when starting up. Perhaps the antenna would speed it up, but want to avoid the clutter. Extensive settings menu re: visual options, type of detail on screen, choice of route profile (I find "fast" works better than "optimal" or "short". There's even an option for "scenic". Can choose to be warned when exceeding speed limits, 5, 10, or 15 mph over. Very fast reaction/recalc time when choosing different route. Seems to have some level of intuition based on travel signals: it selects a commute route for me that is 1 mile longer (on a 9-mile commute) than google maps, but due to fewer signals, this route is faster most of the time. Ability to factor in current traffic when plotting route. (applies to major highways) Good POI detail - includes many "mom & pop" restaurants & small retail that I hadn't expected. Easy handling of interim stops or itinerary changes (**need to select this option in settings menu) Three modes - car, bicycle, pedestrian. Canada and Alaska included. Canada is part of US map, no need to switch when crossing border. CON: Comes with only a soft felt pouch as protection. I ordered the "hard case" for $20 which really isn't that "hard", but is adequate. No printed user guide. Lengthy shut down. Standby is nice option for brief stops, but a separate standby button would have made more sense. When unit hits low battery warning, map freezes behind warning icon. Verbal routing continues. Only way to restore live map is to completely power down & reboot after connecting charger. Tech support says this is due to deliberate trickle charge requiring time to build power back. I'd like to note that I was VERY impressed with Navigon's Tech support. Short prompt menu, no nagging troubleshooting suggestions, live person right away. Rep was very articulate, conversational, and professional; really interested in being helpful. Felt like I was talking to Management rather than some bored low-level "tech". Tech support located in Indiana. This is my first GPS, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm very pleased thus far and cannot think of anything lacking in the 7100. The routing is occasionally a little off what I might choose, but not unreasonable. Did a wonderful job on a recent trip to Alaska, even in remote Kenai peninsula. Update 3/29/08: Having used the 1.1 software update for about a month, it seems response times are a little faster. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 8 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2008-01-04 | | Good Hardware, Pathetic Software | 6 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | PROS: GPS acquisition, bluetooth, feature-rich CONS: Unacceptable routing and other annoying problems (all software-related) I bought this unit thinking I would keep it and show-off really! It looks very sleek. GPS acquisition is very quick and solid. Bluetooth works as advertised, pairing was a breeze. Inbuilt mic is excellent and so is the voice quality. The problems arised when you try to use what you really bought it for... navigation! Strong GPS acquisition means nothing if the routing is bad to start with. Even worse the unit assumes that it is on a certain road whereas you really are on the other road of an intersection. TMC never really worked outside my home! On one instance it was asking me to make a right and the device actually showed me that I had to go straight! I was pretty familiar with the place and knew that I had to go straight. Biggest problem was getting out of a parking lot! You would get to an intersection and the device would assume you are already on the specific road (and facing in the wrong direction!!!!) and re-route you. Many POIs fail to show up when you search for "nearby" points of interest even though it is in the database. I wrote to Navigon regarding these and got some standard replies (are you sure you had GPS signal etc.) and was finally asked to call them. The representative asked me send them photos of some issues which I did but never heard back! The product went back to the store as a result. I hear they would be having a map update and a firmware update soon but I am not sure if they will have addressed all issues in the update. As I mentioned, the hardware is excellent and its not surprising given that it has a sirfstar III engine but the software needs more maturity. Seems like they hurried it into the market in time for holiday shopping without testing the produce sufficiently. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 6 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2007-12-30 | | GREAT | 10 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | This Navigon is great! Unlike other reviewers I found this GPS fast. It said it came with the version 6 windows os unlike most people's version 5 that could have made the difference. The reality view is great. Best price/performance out there. The vioce sounds a little robotic and its not customizable. It says turn right on Miami Bulevart. Other than that its great. Best mount! my friend has a Nuvi and it keeps falling off. Comes with a case. Free maps (garmin 70) free traffic. BEST GPS FOR THE $$$ | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 10 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2007-12-25 | | Serious flaws and glitches with the Navigon | 2 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I bought this GPS thinking that the real time technology was really neat looking, first of all, it does not appear anything like Navigons's advertisments make it appear. This GPS has major, major problems. The bluetooth phone feature is almost usless, because there is no storage feature on the unit for your cell phonebook. The display is not bright enough and very difficult to read during the day, in additon, you have to put this unsightly loose wire antena, suction cupped to your windshield for the traffic feature --- tacky. Next major problem, the battery died after only 3 hours usage after a 8 hour overnight charge (great), so half way though your trip, it dies and you have no GPS. You also must download the owners manual off a CD and print approxmitly 100 pages, (absurd for the price your paying, a printed manual isnt included) Its complicated to use, and I've owned 3 prior GPS units and none of them was nearly as difficult to figure out and use as this one. Worst of all, it's directional abilities are INACCURATE, taking me on longer, way out of the way routes time and again. The Navigon 7100 has major serious flaws and glitches to work out on this unit. Personally I feel Navigon released this unit prematurely (untested) without getting the kinks out. Needless to say, I returned my 7100 to the store after 3 days of total aggravation, and re-purchased a Garmin GPS. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 2 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2007-12-24 | | Beautiful Hardware, Bad Routing...(Edit to 4.5 Stars).but it grows on you.... | 6 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | I have been using GPS since 2002. They have all had their quirks, but one thing that was usually good, if not optimum, was the "routing" Navigon 7100, is beautiful, the software and the GUI is very nice, but what really takes a beating is the routing engine. On most of the routes, Navigon gives less than optimum routes - which are either much longer than the most optimum routes specially when compared to mapquest or yahoo maps - not only are they longer, but also, for no reason, Navigon insists on routing through by-lanes and single lane routes instead of faster options. I am hoping that the software update, expected to be released by the manufacturers in Jan 2008, will make at par with the Garmin Nuvi. If that happens, this will be the best GPS in the market - without it, even with its great features like Reality View, Free Lifetime Traffic, Speed Limit postings, lane assist feature etc, it remains inferior- because it lacks in the single most important feature of a GPS - optimum routing. The unit itself is absolutely amazing - i will hold on to mine for a while, hopefully the Jan 2008 update will take care of the routing. Until then, even though i am really "trying" to like this unit it doesnt win my trust. UPDATE: After using this GPS unit for over a month and after a couple of long trips - including New Jersey to Ottawa, Canada, my admiration for this unit has grown. I think i would like to bump up my rating to 4.5 stars. What i have mentioned about quirky and less than optimum routing above still stands, but i have noticed that it does not happen in every town - perhaps its a result of faulty maps / map compression for certain high density towns and cities. Nagivon is expected to release a software update soon - if that corrects the routing problem in the cities where it currently exists, this will perhaps be "the" best GPS Unit available in the market. For all those who jump to give it low star rating right out of the box - pl use the unit for a while - most of the frustations you face are more due to the "user error" than the unit itself, and hey, there is always a learning curve to any new interface - why do you expect it to be as you want it to be, right out of the box - go give it a spin - it will grow on you. | Satisfaction | Score |
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| Overall satisfaction | 6 |
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| | | | | | | Amazon.com customer | 2007-12-14 | | Outstanding GPS-Highly recommend | 10 | NR | NR | NR | | | | Helpful? | Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator First off, let me say this is my first GPS that I have owned, however I have spent many hours researching the internet and visiting stores to find what I thought would be the best GPS for the money. After all the research, I chose the Navigon 7100. It's appearance was more appealing as compared to others I viewed on line and in the stores. However, as we all know, looks aren't everything. I reviewed the pricing as compared to the Garmin, Magellan, and Tom Tom, models with similar features. The value was definitely the Navigon 7100-especially with the current $50.00 rebate. And finally, the free traffic reporting and 3D view capabilities finally led me to finally choose the Navigon 7100. I received it the other day and have been testing it out and I must say that my research paid off because it has been everything it was advertised to be. Here are the strengths and not so strong points I have detected. Strong: 1. Excellent satellite capture. I don't know why there are others complaining about satellite capture. My Navigon locks on in less than a minute each time. I average at least 9 satellite connections. This occurs both in the city (Jacksonville, FL) and 40 miles away in the country. 2. Fast re-route calculation. I purposefully have missed a recommended turn a few times to see how long it would take for the Navigon 7100 to recalculate another route. After being asked to make a few u-turns, it immediately assessed my location and re-routed me home and to work. 3. Excellent voice capture: The 7100 allows me to use voice commands to name locations to get directions to. Very handy. I have programmed "Home" and "work" as voice commands and it immediately creates a route for me. 4.Using the Bluetooth phone capability, I have found it to be an excellent speaker phone while driving. One drawback is that it does not import your call list. If this would be fixed by Navigon, that would be a very strong selling point. 5. Very impressive screen display, especially in 3D. Both day and night screen displays are crisp, clear, and provide a lot of information. 6. Sharp looking, sturdy mounting display provides great accessibility and viewing of the 7100. No shaking of display. 7. Free lifetime Traffic & map updates (next one is 1st qtr 2008. Not so strong: 1. Voice commands sound a little tinny. However, the speaker when using Bluetooth is clear, so I believe it is the digitized voice. However all the voice commands were on the money when I was instructed to turn. 2. Sometimes, the 7100 requests too many u-turns when missing a recommended turn. I would like to see that being an option of limiting the amount of requests of u-turns before starting route re-calculation. 3. Must read Manual thoroughly to understand menu selections. This could be a little more user friendly, but after reading the manual, I had a full grasp of using the 7100 and its features. I highly recommend downloading and using the latest edition of the manual that is on the Navigon Website in lieu of the one that comes on disk. Well, that's it. One recommendation I can offer is to copy/backup the 2gb card file to your computer in case your lose the 2gb card or it gets corrupted. If I had to buy again, It would definitely be the Navigon 7100, and I would buy it using Amazon, which not only had the cheapest price but free shipping. If you buy the 7100, enjoy it-I am
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| Overall satisfaction | 10 |
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