» NAVIGON 7100 GPS Navigator CES 2008 Award Winner - Review

The NAVIGON 7100 GPS Navigator was recently judged a 2008 International CES Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award honoree in the In-Vehicle Accessories category. NAVIGON also picked up two other awards for the NAVIGON 2100 and the NAVIGON 5100. To quote the CES Awards Announcement, A composite of handsome lines and graceful curves, the NAVIGON 7100 features a bold new approach to a superb navigation experience. Competing consumer electronics products are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, independent engineers and members of the trade press. The most impressive products in each category are selected as honorees.

A couple of standout navigation features which may have contributed to NAVIGON’s award are its Reality View and Lane Assistant. Reality View provides is photo-realistic3D image of complex interchanges as they are approached. While you cannot see your vehicle position in this view you do have the advantage of seeing which lane you should be positioned in. Lane Assistant is the feature providing suggestions for the best lane for your nominated route. Lane assistance is available on some other GPS navigators on the market but, Reality View appears to be unique.

In an interesting move to build value into its product, NAVIGON include a lifetime traffic updates subscription freeing the purchaser from additional fees. This means that you have traffic reports enabling you to navigate alternate routes around traffic congestion right from when you pull the unit out of the box. You can view a list of all the US and Canadian cities with traffic report coverage here.

As well as the lifetime traffic updates, NAVIGON provide free access to ZAGAT Survey which is a provider of consumer survey-based information on where to eat, drink, stay and play. Ratings and reviews are based on opinions gathered. The NAVIGON 7100 provides access to five destination guides and ratings and reviews for U.S. hotels, resorts, restaurants, golf courses, attractions and nightspots in over 70 U.S. cities. In addition, pre-loaded on the NAVIGON 7100 is a database of some four million POI (Points of Interest) for navigation assistance.

Bluetooth wireless technology enabled cellular phones can be combined with the NAVIGON 7100 for safer hands-free mobile phone operation. Incoming phone calls are displayed on the 7100 and a tap of the display accepts the call. Any navigation audio is automatically muted during phone calls.

The NAVIGON 7100 comes with text-to-speech (TTS) capability which enables it to announce street names when giving directions rather than simply playing a recording of turn left or turn right. This feature gives confirmation that you are on the right track without needing to check the 4.3 inch, color, touchscreen display to read the street names. The NAVIGON 7100 comes with a stylus to use with the touchscreen so, if you only like using your fingers to navigate the menus or enter addresses then it would be best to make a practical assessment of whether this works for you before purchase.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver

The Navigon 7100’s GPS functionality is provided by a SiRF Star III receiver. This receiver on a chip is renowned for its high sensitivity allowing it to maintain a satellite signal lock even in poor reception conditions. The SiRF Star III also offers faster fix times and lower power requirements.

What’s in the box with the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator?

The NAVIGON 7100 comes as a complete package including notably both an in-car charger and AC charger.

• SD card preloaded with software and NAVTEQ maps of US, Canada and Puerto Rico
• Rechargeable 1150 mAH lithium ion battery (rated for up to 4.5 hours)
• Integrated traffic receiver with free Lifetime Traffic updates
• AC Adapter
• Car Charger
• USB Cable
• Stylus and Car Mount
• Quickstart Guide and User Manual (on CD)

Further Reading - Other GPS Navigators to Consider

The Navigon 5100 and 2100 both come without the Bluetooth Technology for hands free cell phone use and a smaller 3.5 inch display. The 2100 also does not have the subscriptions to traffic updates and ZAGAT Survey.

NAVIGON’s TV Promotion

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

See Amazon for customer reviews and keen prices
Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

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Navigon 7100 - Portable GPS System with Reality View - Built in US Maps

Resources for NAVIGON 7100

NAVIGON 7100 Datasheet (PDF)

User’s Manual NAVIGON 7100 (PDF)

Quick Start Guide: Traffic (PDF)

Quick Start Guide: Zagat (PDF)

NAVIGON 7100 Feature Summary

• Intuitive Menus, 2D and 3D Map Views
• Photorealistic junction views (Reality View)
• Lane guidance (Lane Assistant)
• Automatic Speed Warnings
• Subscription-free lifetime traffic
• ZAGAT SURVEY Ratings and Reviews
• Text-to-speech with spoken street names
• Bluetooth enabled for hands-free calling
• Carrying cases, touchscreen protectors, adapters, chargers & more
• Samsung 400Mhz processor
• Elegant 4.3 inch touch-screen display with 16:9 aspect ratio
• Fully integrated SiRF StarIII GPS chip
• SD card, 64 MB RAM/256 MB ROM
• 4.5 hour 1200 mAh lithium ion battery
• Integrated Traffic Receiver
• Measures 3.5 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Weights approx. 7 oz
• Microsoft Windows CE Net 5.0 operating system
• Preloaded software and maps NAVIGON 7100 is ready to go right out of the box. No additional software required.

Technorati Tags: NAVIGON 7100 GPS Navigator, CES Best of Innovations, Reality View, Lane Assistant, ZAGAT Survey, Bluetooth, text-to-speech, TTS, SiRF Star III GPS Receiver