Navman’s new iCNs - worth the wait?

The long awaited threesome from Navman have arrived. I reviewed an iCN 530 last week, but the bigger babies in the litter are the iCN 720 and the monster iCN 750. These two feature the NavPix technology that allows you to navigate to a destination using just images, and some ridiculously high definition 4-inch widescreens - but what about the GPS technology? Are they yet another range that chooses multimedia over GPS? Would I be as well using a paper map and an iPOD?

Well aside from the camera and NavPix software, the two portable GPS units have second generation SiRFStar III chipsets…translation? Probably the most sensitive GPS receivers available on the consumer market. This gives reception in areas where GPS signals would have been weak or impossible previously (big cities where high buildings block sky, dense woods etc). The receivers also offer a low power consumption, so you get more navigation between battery charges.

The navigation software has also been enhanced, with new ‘advanced’ characteristics like improved motorway guidance and trip reporting features and an optional traffic pack is available, offering live traffic information with a one off subscription, and a downloadable speed camera database. They both have full maps of UK and Ireland, and the iCN 750 also has European maps, preinstalled on its hardrive. Navman also claim that these are the only two GPS devices that allow you to find petrol stations and parking spots at the touch of a button. So that’s them in a nut-shell, and on paper they have a good GPS spec, combine that with the imaging technology and these are two of the most interesting things to come out of the world of GPS in a long time.