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The aim of the competition is ultimately to guess the correct answer to an elimination question. The closest guesses to the elimination question, “How many six-seat minibuses are filled during the great escape?” each win one of five all-inclusive holidays to Paris, Rome, London, Barcelona, or Athens, plus a Tele-Atlas powered portable navigation system.
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Verdict: Basic unit for the budget conscious — it does what it’s supposed to with no frills. Decent build quality; feels sturdy.

My predecessor Jill mentioned the iCN 330 on its release, but it doesn’t seem as though she got her mitts on one to review. I, on the other hand, have managed to score a refurbished unit from our warehouse.

As your typical average user, I reckon I’m perfectly-suited to review this unit.

continue reading "Review: Navman iCN 330 Refurbished"

Depite the huge amount of interest in the iCN 330, the lower end device of Navman’s last GPS range, the iCN720/750 have failed to generate the sales that everyone thought NavPix would. Their latest all-in-one devices might succeed where the predecessors have failed, however. The F20, N20, N40i and N60i (pictured) are to be launched this autumn, although no word of them as yet on Navman’s site.

So, apart from the new naming system, what else is diifferent? Well….nothing. They all look like various shapes, sizes and specs of the last range. All four are to feature the new interface as premiered on the iCN720/750, they will also have an integrated camera for use with NavPix, and the SiRFstarIII chipset, and the latest TeleAtlas 2006 maps.

continue reading "Navman launches 4 more GPS systems"

I know that I’ve complained before about GPS systems that focus too heavily on gimmicks and not enough on mapping and reception - but now I thought it was about time to see what is actually being offered attached to your GPS device on the market today.

Digital media for your GPS ranges from Bluetooth for handsfree calls to the ability to watch full movies when you’re not navigating. Both Garmin and TomTom have integrated Bluetooth connectivity into their latest models, and they are both offering real-time traffic data either included or as an optional extra. They are not alone in this function, with Mio, Navman, Destinator and others all offering a version of TMC modules, online traffic databases, and speed camera detectors, making this “addition” probably the most common features on the GPS market right now. Less common is the MP3 player.

continue reading "GPS now gets you from A to B in style"

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?

continue reading "Navman’s new iCNs - worth the wait?"

This GPS system from Polaroid (the MGX-0550 Portable GPS) is currently only available in the US and you have to wonder if it’ll ever be legal in the UK. The average in-car GPS device is combined with a DVD player, audio CD player, FM radio and Picture viewer to make one wholly distractable system. The GPS spec is nothing to write home about
continue reading "GPS that plays DVDs"

Navman have launched the iCN 530, successor to the popular iCN 520. I told you about the 530 along with the other new products from Navman, but now more details have been released, I’m wondering, apart from the obvious face-lift, is there really any difference between it and the 520? The pretty fella on the left is the 530 which boasts more memory and a more advanced GPS system (SiRFStar III Generation 2 rather than SiRFStar2 XTrac) but it also carries a little more bulk. Around 32g heavier (a packet of crisps or so) and a centimeter wider this isn’t much of a difference, but with all the effort Navman put into making things smaller, you’d think they’d manage it here aswell? SiRFStar

continue reading "Navman’s iCN530 - what’s the difference?"

Navman have unveiled the Jupiter 30 GPS module, or rather module for GPS integration (emmmm….). As far as I can gather from all the techy speak is that it is a high sensitivity surface mount receiver designed for use in places where GPS signal strength is poor, and where tracking has previously been impossible, inlcuding in shopping centres and multistories.

continue reading "Navman’s ultra sensitive GPS receiver"

Navman have launched three new GPS units: the iCN720, the iCN750 and the iCN530. Alongside them they’ve announced a system set to “change the way you navigate forever”. While the iCN530 is more of a sequel to Navman’s previous best-selling iCN series, the 720 and 750 feature NavPix, a system that integrates a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, allowing you to take photographs, whether of people or places, and automatically store the GPS co-ordinates for use later. So why do we need this new way to navigate?

continue reading "Good things come in threes - from Navman"

Navman’s latest GPS in car system, the iCN330 is designed to be “as simple to use as possible” according to its makers. They claim that this device, despite being priced at under £200, is all that the average user requires, and even if “despite their best efforts” you manage to take a wrong turn, “the iCN 330 automatically recalculates a new route with its Back-on-Track™” feature. So what does it have that the “average user” requires? The iCN330’s features include:

continue reading "Budget GPS from Navman"