» Navigon 2100 and 5100 CES 2008 Award Winning GPS Navigators - Review

The Navigon 5100 and 2100 GPS Navigators were both recently honored by a 2008 International CES Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award in the In-Vehicle Accessories category. Navigon also picked up two other awards for the Navigon 2100 and the Navigon 5100. Quoting the CES Awards Announcement in regard to the Navigon 2100: Slim, easy-to-use and affordable, the NAVIGON 2100 surpasses the basics to deliver an intelligent, premium navigation experience in an innovative package. The Navigon 5100 was described as; Offering state-of-the-art navigation technology in a polished design, the NAVIGON 5100 helps consumers reduce stress and get wherever they need to go more efficiently. 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.

Navigon is not as familiar a brand as some others in the GPS navigation device market however, it does have a long history for this new industry and has notched up achievements such as the creation of the world’s first dynamic personal GPS product in 1996. In 2002 it unveiled the first Traffic Message Channel-based (TMC) avoidance feature on a mobile navigation product. Recently Navigon acquired NAVTEQs navigation software business.

The Navigon 5100 has a higher specification that the Navigon 2100 including; guidance on lane selection through the Lane Assistant feature, a free lifetime subscription to traffic reports and free subscription to ZAGAT Survey Ratings and Reviews. There is actually Navigon 2120 which has maps for North America as opposed to the 2100 which comes with maps for the lower 48 states.

A couple of standout navigation features which may have contributed to the Navigon’s award are its Reality View and Lane Assistant (Navigon 5100 only). Reality View provides is photo-realistic3D image of complex interchanges as they are approached. It’s a feature that needs time to get used to as the Reality View replaces the tracking view before and intersection meaning you loose seeing your vehicle’s position on the map but, you do have the advantage of seeing a more detailed intersection map. Lane Assistant is a feature providing suggestions for the best lane for your traveling 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 includes a lifetime traffic updates subscription for the 5100 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.

For the 5100 Navigon also provides 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 5100 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 units is a database of some four million POI (Points of Interest) for navigation assistance.

Both the Navigon 2100 and 5100 come with text-to-speech (TTS) functionality enabling them 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 3.5 inch, color, touchscreen display to read the street names.

SiRF Star III GPS Receiver

Both Navigon units GPS capability is provided by a SiRF Star III receiver, renowned for its high sensitivity satellite signal lock maintenance 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 2100 and 5100 GPS Navigators?

• 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 (5100 only)
• AC Adapter (5100 only)
• Car Charger
• USB Cable
• Car Mount
• Quickstart Guide

Further Reading - Other GPS Navigators to Consider

The premium model of the Navigon GPS Navigator range is the 7100 which also won a CES 2008 and has the addition of integrated Bluetooth for safe hands free cell phone calls and a larger 4.3 inch widescreen display (16:9 aspect ratio).

Another NAVIGON model to consider is the recently released NAVIGON 2100 max.

NAVIGON’s TV Promotion

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

Amazon are always a good source for user reviews and competitive prices.
Navigon 2100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
Navigon 5100 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Newegg.com also have user reviews along with their keen prices.
NAVIGON 2100 3.5″ Automotive GPS Navigation
NAVIGON 5100 3.5″ Handheld GPS Navigation

Visit TheNerds.net as well.
NAVIGON 2100 PORTABLE GPS NAVIGATOR
NAVIGON 5100 PORTABLE GPS NAVIGATOR

And Buy.com
Navigon 5100 - Portable GPS System with Reality View - Built in US Maps

Resources for Navigon 5100 and 2100

NAVIGON 2100 Datasheet (PDF)
NAVIGON 5100 Datasheet (PDF)

User’s Manual Navigon 2100/2120 (PDF)
User’s Manual Navigon 5100 (PDF)

Quick Start Guide: Traffic (PDF)

Quick Start Guide: Zagat (PDF)

Navigon 5100 and 2100 Features Summary

• Intuitive Menus, 2D and 3D Map Views
• Photorealistic junction views (Reality View)
• Lane guidance (Lane Assistant) (5100 only)
• Automatic Speed Warnings
• Subscription-free lifetime traffic(5100 only)
• ZAGAT SURVEY Ratings and Reviews(5100 only)
• Text-to-speech with spoken street names
• Carrying cases, touchscreen protectors, adapters, chargers & more
• Samsung 400Mhz processor
• 3.5 inch touchscreen display with 4:3 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
• Measurements 2100: 4.0 x 3.1 x 0.8 inches
  2500: 4.2 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches
• Microsoft Windows CE Net 5.0 operating system

Technorati Tags: Navigon 5100, GPS Navigators, Navigon 2100, CES Awards, Reality View, Lane Assistant, Lane Assistant, traffic reports, text-to-speech, TTS, SiRF Star III GPS Receiver