Navigon 7100 Review

Pros of 7100
- Excellent screen and info. I like info and I get all I need with the 7100. I especially like the upcoming turn arrow showing up if it is a close turn to the next turn you are taking.

- 7100 adjusts for your time zone automatically.

- The 7100 makes it easy to engage the night/day mode, as well as 2D/3D mode. Though an auto setting for day/night would be a nice add-on, it is too easy to do manually to make a difference for ME. And I like the color scheme of the night view. Very cool.

- Ability to block portions of route and have trip recalculated.

- Reality View is excellent. It has helped me on countless highways. Once though it showed one more lane than the highway had. But it helped me navigate the right way anyway. This is probably the number one feature for me. Lane Assist is not visible when Reality View is on, but if you hit the screen to disable Reality View (quick feature and easy to do) I often see the Lane Assist present there. Helped me getting to Oakland, Ca. airport as I exited and needed to turn left by showing me both lanes were left turn lanes way ahead of the pavement markings showing me that. Helped me to decide what lane to use for the upcoming turn.

- Speed warning (caution) has helped me keep my speed where I want it to be. Though I got used to it and needed to remind myself that it isnt always there, especially on the local streets.

- Fairly fast recalculation of route when turn not taken (I did that intentionally at times to test it out).

- Traffic info reception is excellent. External antenna not needed in major cities, but helps in outlying areas. Windshield mount is easy to put on and take off. Stable and secure. Wobbles on occasion but not noticeably an issue for ME. Brings the 7100 closer to you than any other system I have used that I mounted on the windshield. And I found it has lots of adjustment options to get the view I wanted. Had my doubts at first, but love how it just floats near you.

Cons of 7100
- No feature to avoid HOV roads/lanes. I have an entrance ramp near me to a major highway that is open only during morning rush hours and is only for HOV use. The 7100 always wants to take me to that highway that way. I can never use it since it is only me in the car. And the times it tells me to go that way it is closed anyway. I enabled the feature to avoid U-Turns, but the 7100 tells me to make them anyway, even if I could easily go around the block. I could understand it doing so if I am at a dead end but that hasnt been the case. There has been a clear view of the sky and good reception at the time.

- My saved destinations do not show up on the map. It would be nice to see them as I go near them. It would be nice if it showed all my destinations on the map as I go by them.

- Text to speech needs improvement. While I have found that most streets are named, the pronunciation is awkward. If not spelled in a conventional way it is mispronounced. Centre becomes Cen-tray. Marble is Mar-blay. Stonefield becomes Stoney-field. Toll roads are labeled as TOL for some reason. Even though there is plenty of space for it to be TOLL. As a result the text to speech says, turn onto xx tall for TOL.

- Battery life is not as good as I expected. It has a nice warning though to tell you that the battery is almost gone. Maybe Navigon should check with Apple and its iPhone for a better approach.

- Finding a Point of Interest if you dont know the city it is in is difficult. If I want a gas station nearby it doesnt tell me if it is ahead of me or behind me. Not knowing could mean circling back to get to it rather than hit something along the way. Its POIs on the route dont give you a lot of options. I would much prefer getting a list to choose from than the ones the unit selects to position on the route I am taking.

- Long start up time. Though it is a breeze when I stop for gas and get going again. It took seconds for the 7100 to crank up the times I bought gas or had a quick lunch.

Overall, I think the Navigon 7100 GPS is a great little device! Want to know more? Check it out HERE

Navigon 7100 GPS Portable Automobile Navigator

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The Navigon 7100 has been named as an honoree for the 2008 CES Best of Innovations Design and Engineering Award.

The Best of Innovations Awards are given to the most highly honored products in each category of this consumer technology award program. The Navigon 7100 was honored in the best In Vehicle Accessory category.

Products chosen as the most impressive in each category are selected as honorees and can be seen in the Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Showcase at the Sands Expo and Convention Center during International CES...read more...