navigon 2100 max review

navigon 2100 max review

General

I was excited to evaluate the Navigon 2100 Max GPS Navigator. When I received the unit I was impressed by the sleek and simple casing. I have always been apprehensive to put a GPS unit in my Acura MDX because I was afraid that adding a separate GPS would look strange with the nicely integrated console. However, the Navigon 2100 + Cam-action suction cup mount integrated itself well. The mount is easy to use, move and adjust; The Navigon unit can be easily seated and removed.

Let’s take a look at the specs and features of the Navigon 2100 Max:

• Samsung 400MHz processor


• 4.3″ touchscreen display with 16:9 aspect ratio


• Fully integrated SiRF StarIII GPS chip


• SD Card


• 512 MB RAM/64 MB Flash ROM


• 3 hour 1200 mAh lithium ion battery


• Measures 4.8″ x 3.0″ x 0.75″


• Weights approx. 6.3 oz


• Up to 12 map updates when you accessorize with FreshMaps


• Real World Sign Text (see picture)


• Extra guidance with exclusive 3D Reality View


• Text-to-Speech Technology


• Intuitive touch-screen menus and stunning 2D and 3D maps


• Mini-USB power port

As I had mentioned before I was impressed with the sleek packaging offered by Navigon. It is not as small as the Pocket LOOX N100 but still compact enough to carry around in your pocket if you wanted. I’m a big fan of the smooth casing with no protruding buttons. The Mini-USB power input provides a nice standard interface whereby you can charge the unit with the provided charges or a standard USB cable connected to your computer or even possibly your mobile phone charger if it has the same connector.

The screen on the Navigon 2100 was the most impressive feature. The 2D & 3D maps were crisp and clear. The screen is capable of high-color but most of the navigation screens use different shades of grey and don’t really utilize the screens full potential.

The Navigon 2100 has 2 display modes; 2D & 3D Reality View. The 3D mode is my preferred mode of operation and with that you also get Real World Sign Text (see picture above). With this mode you get a cool picture of highway street signs, pretty close to how they would appear as you are driving on the highway. One piece of negative feedback no the view modes is that switching between 2D & 3D takes two actions (taps on the screen) I would have preferred having a toggle button on the main display instead of requiring selecting the mode on a separate menu window.

I very much like the speed limit information posted on the top left corner (when the information is available) and an audio warning can be set to warn the driver if they are exceeding the speed limit by a tunable amount (5 ,10, or 15mph over).

In either 2D or 3D view, Points of Interests (POI) can be set to be displayed which is a nice feature. For example little McDonald’s or Burger King Icons show up if they are in the vicinity. I find that the onscreen icons (battery, mute, etc) in the upper right corner are too small and the zoom-in & zoom-out features are not the most intuitive or user friendly.

Hardware

-Sound-

The Navigon 2100 offers Text-to-Speech Technology. So while driving the unit will tell you a change in direction is approaching and what street or exit to turn on. This is a great feature and requires less reliance on the Turn-by-Turn feature which is also available. The volume on the unit is good but I find that as the volume goes above 50% it is less clear and harder to understand. The unit has a mode that will increase the volume amplification as the car accelerates. This is a cool feature that some radios have built-in as well but also the feature that introduced me to the poor sound quality at the higher volume levels

-Interface-

Interaction with the Navigon 2100 is entirely through the touch screen. This works fairly well but in certain menus where you have to type out a destination or address the keyboard has small letters. In my opinion I don’t have fat fingers but I definitely struggled to type out an address correctly the first time with the small keyboard. The keyboard is 1½ inches wide with each key being 3/8 of an inch wide. It would be a nice enhancement to be able to expand the keyboard the full width of the unit in addition to the vertical configuration offered. Much as the iPhone allows users to do.

When using the unit up close this size works but if the unit is mounted almost an arm length away a lot of mistakes can easily be made. Especially if (heaven forbid) you try to enter in a destination while driving.

The interface on the Navigon 2100 is simple and easy to navigate but there are some bugs and much more to be desired. I’ve encountered problems where I’ve entered in a restaurant name and the Navigon finds it but the Start Navigation button is unavailable. I’ve had to exit out of the menu and try again, performing the exact same steps and then finally being able to select my destination. Likewise if the unit doesn’t know your POI there isn’t much of an alternative to finding your destination. Having the ability to enter in cross streets would be useful. Also when searching for a location under All categories can severely slow down the unit and cause a 5-8 second delay per tap so it is necessary to specify if you’re looking for a gas station, or restaurant etc.

Saving a destination is not as intuitive as I would have hoped. When at a location you have to hit the magnifying glass on the bottom right corner, which will then allow you to click on green check mark that will let you save the current destination. I think putting the save feature would make sense in an area like the options menu rather than the zoom menu.

Conclusion

In conclusion the Navigon 2100 is a good sized unit with a great display and good hardware features but in need of a software upgrade to work out some of the bugs and user-friendliness.

The first few days were frustrating and trying my patience but as I used the unit more I figured out what the Navigon 2100 wanted from me and we had a more working relationship.

(Via NaviGadget.)