New GPS units on the market - a run down

There are just two many out at the moment to post about separately, so I’m putting them all down here, condensing the specs to the most interesting points. We have the Tchibo unnamed low-end machine; the latest multimedia system - the Delphi NAV200; JVC’s entry into the GPS market and finally Via-Michelin’s X980T. So here we go…

A super-low-end device from Tchibo. Entering the market at under £200, it has an SD slot and pre-loaded UK maps, is apparently powered by AA batteries and can be charged in your car or from your PC. It is currently an unnamed model, and doesn’t look too exciting compared to the other sub £200 devices on the market.

As you can see by the image, Delphi’s NAV200 has everything from Navigation, to music, to movies and picture viewers to games and even a world-clock function. It has a sizeable 400Mhz processor, a 1.5GB SD card (oh you heard me - 1.5GB) with US and Canadian Navteq maps (can’t find out if a European one is on the cards yet), SiRFStarIII receiver and can accept a TMC real-time Traffic accessory. The 3 hour battery life may be its downfall, but you can charge as you use it in the car. Aimed at 1st time users it can be set to “standard” and “advanced” to appeal to a wide range of customers. Good idea in my book - one device for the whole family - technophone parents and computer-age kids together.

JVC are the latest home-technology type company to enter the GPS market. Their all-in-one system offers a HUGE 20GB hard-drive with 13million POIs! It also offers a music and video player function, and easy connection to a PC for transferring files. It is a monster of a system, although the price reflects this - retailing at $750 on the JVC site.

The latest Via-michelin Navigation 6 software, Teleatlas maps a 416Mhz processor, SiRFStarIII receiver and set to retail at about £450. Need I say more? OK, how about you can change the front cover to match your car, it has a huge 4.3″ wide-screen, and a TMC receiver. Fair enough it won’t win a bonny baby contest but it’s a nice high end entry into the over-crowded market.

So, any preferences? What’s missing, what’s included that shouldn’t be? Let me know.