 "Skip it" | 2009-08-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1EFPCBTNLV2L0 |
This GPS unit has too many quirks. Move on and find one from a more reputable company. The routing is weird. It often routes an unnecessarily long path. Additionally, the design has not been thought out, and the plug is in the absolutely least convenient location. This seems like a small deal, but in reality it is very intrusive. The GUI is sluggish and the buttons don't respond like most other units that I have used. The POIs are not very thorough. Finally, Navigon's warranty policy is pathetic. If there is a problem, and you send it in, and if they disagree with you, they charge you a $30 before they charge you to fix it. I agree with "TheDeciders" more thorough analysis.
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| "Great until...." | 2009-08-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A13TZ0BJPZNQ4G |
| I Loved this little guy for almost a year, used it all the time even for short drives so helpful finding the kids friends houses that I had never been to, lots of neat info about speed, distance, poi. It was so easy to use, I didnt even need to read the directions, I really had no complaints until one day last month I plugged it in for a three our trip and the "searching for signal" came on and stayed on for 2 hours. I turned on and off, reset nothing worked. When I got to my destination I tried to look at the settings and the next thing I knew--"fatal error", that can't be good. Never worked again, from the looks of google I am not the first to experience this problem and I haven't even bothered trying to call the company based on all the bad press I see. That stinks, I miss my little Navigon, I used to tell everyone how great it was, regardless of how inexpensive. But even for $100, it should have lasted longer than nine months. I won't be able to recommend you anymore Navion....JK |
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 "Navigon 2120 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator" | 2009-06-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A39H0TELFJ4665 |
I have the Navigon 2120 device and it is identical to the 2100 model except that it contains both US and Canadian maps. You can load Canadian maps into the 2100 model too.
The factory Navigon software wasn't impressive; its route calculation is a bit slow & dumb, and the user interface has a lot of lag. The price was good at $80 CAD though.
At this point I would've given this product 3 out of 5 stars.
HOWEVER, I loaded Igo8 navigation software into this device and it does not lag anymore, its routes are faster & smarter, it shows 3D maps and buildings (if you're into that kind of eye candy). It's actually better than my dad's $500 Garmin. An easy 5 out of 5 stars. Two friends ordered similar devices (Navigon 2100 MAX widescreen for $85 and free shipping) and they're very happy with it. This beast with igo8 software makes Garmin and TomTom units look like overpriced brand-name units. |
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| "They should now be called NaviGONE." | 2009-06-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A31LSEU2EHJPTZ |
I bought my Navigon GPS (7200T) because it had the most features for the lowest price. That still holds true. Very nice unit- attractive and works well, too. Recently, I wanted to update the maps, but there was no Freshmaps Activation card in the box from Amazon. You need the code on that card to get updates. So, I emailed Navigon support for assistance. They sent the following:
'Thank you for your inquiry. Accessories, map material and content are not available in North America through NAVIGON. Unfortunately we don't have information concerning the availability of these products at other major retail shops.'
As has been noted in the posted comments, and which I discovered too late, Navigon is pulling out of the North America market. Beware of this major change, and buy accordingly. They should now be called NaviGONE. |
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| "Nice features, but severely underpowered" | 2009-05-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: AJ3M8ZLT6W5CC |
To let everyone know, I've owned this product for over a year now and only now have I been compelled enough to write a review.
I bought this unit on sale during Black Friday at a local office supply store. The price was a steal at the time ($100) and it came with lifetime traffic alerts for life. I pulled the trigger and got it. Initially, I was in love with the Navigon. The lane assist feature was really helpful and let me know what lane to be in early enough to avoid driving like a jerk. The traffic features worked, decently, but as I commute weekly from San Diego to Los Angeles, there's really only one way to get home, so I haven't really gotten a chance to use the feature.
All was fine and well with the unit, but let's just say, you get what you pay for.
UI:This unit is extremely underpowered. It is just too slow for what it can do. The buttons on the touch screen are extremely small and have a ridiculous amount of lag time. I'm an iPhone owner and even then did I have trouble entering street names. This unit just doesn't cut it in terms of ease of use and intuitiveness. I often found myself punching a letter twice only to find out 2 seconds later that it didn't even register. Bottom line, the touch screen needs a lot of work. On top of that, menus are not user friendly and require lots of backtracking to get to the screen you want. Not a very smart implementation, especially if you are on the go.
Navigation: Now, I will say that this unit does have it's up sides, but there are many more downsides. The text to speech is decent, it doesn't sound that robotic and pronounces most of the street names decently. In terms of the actual navigation, again, this unit is just too underpowered. Let's say I miss a turn. This thing takes two blocks until it tells you where to turn, and by the time it tells you to turn right, you already overshot the turn by half a block, leaving it to recalculate again. The unit got so confused at a point that I had to pull over and wait for the unit to finish thinking before I could go any further.
The traffic feature is good, but if you're in a major metropolitan area, it recalculates "due to traffic information" every five minutes. If you're going on a long trip, say over 75 miles, the unit can take up to 20 seconds to finish recalculating. By then, you could have missed the interchange, costing you valuable time, and not to mention gas.
Overall, this is a satisfactory unit in this price range. However, I wouldn't recommend this unit. Sure you save a few dollars, but it's not worth the headache. Like I said before, you definitely get what you pay for with this unit. |
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| "Poor programming means this unit will lead you astray" | 2009-05-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2YX6VTVQLPDYB |
I purchased the Navigon 2100 after moving to Washington, D.C. not too long ago and becoming lost waaay too many times. I previously used Verizon Navigator on my cell-phone to help me get around, which worked wonders, but which also cost a monthly fee. I purchased the Navigon during an online deal. While the unit looks very modern and has a great display, the directions it provides are very poor. After doing some reading on programming forums, I read that because this item is an adapted German product, the programmers may not have fully known the appropriate "weights" to give to different types of roads here in America. One issue I've encountered is that the unit seems to take me on crazy backroads as opposed to the main route. I once was taken through a road in the middle of the woods (does "Beaver Dam Road" sound like the fast route?) as opposed to the quicker main route only a few miles away (and I did NOT have the unit on the "scenic route" settings either!). My friends know fully well that when I'm driving and I'm using the Navigon, it's very likely we'll get lost and it has now become an adventure to see how the Navigon will get us to where we need to go.
I do not recommend this product! There are many other GPS units out there that have a more familiar knowledge of American roads and highways. |
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