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Welcome to Technical Itch. The home of in-depth and down to earth gadget reviews. I aim to publish reviews on a monthly basis. Listed below are the sat nav systems that have been reviewed to date. If you’ve got any questions or suggestions then use my contact form.
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Garmin Nuvi 770
The Nuvi 770 is a top notch sat nav system. It looks good, has easy to use on screen controls, has a huge POI database and the TMC reception is the best I’ve tested so far on a sat nav system. The speed camera and bluetooth features worked impressively well too.
I’m not convinced the FM transmitter is a useful feature, and in my tests it didn’t perform very well. When you consider the price tag I think the Nuvi 770 is a little overpriced, but if you’ve got the money you won’t be disappointed. The Nuvi 770 really is a superb unit.
Read the full review.
Garmin Nuvi 660
The Nuvi 660 is a nice sat nav system. It has the same good looks and easy to use features that are common across the entire Garmin Nuvi range. The navigation worked well and it is backed up by a huge Points of Interest (POI) database.
The TMC reception is excellent and the bluetooth and safety camera features worked well. The only disappointment was the cradle design.
Read the full review.
Garmin Nuvi 250W
Overall the Garmin Nuvi 250W is a great device which performed very well. The wide screen is excellent. This combined with the slimline looks makes this an attractive looking piece of hardware. The large touch screen controls are well laid out and easy to use.
If you’re looking for a large screen sat nav system, that is easy to use, and has extensive points of interest (POI), then this system is a serious contender for your money.
Read the full review.
Sony NV-U73
Overall this is a good sat nav system. The navigation works well and it has a decent set of European maps and Points of Interest (POI) pre-installed. The NV-U73 includes some nice features like voice directions including road names and voice warnings when approaching safety cameras.
My biggest gripe is the button presses often being ignored. I hope Sony can fix this in the future.
Read the full review.
Sony NV-U53
There are a couple of funny quirks with this device, such as not being able to enter a house number when navigating to a postcode and button presses sometimes being ignored, but overall this is a very nice sat nav system that performed very well.
When you consider the price tag, the Sony represents excellent value for money for a widescreen sat nav system.
Read the full review.
Navman S50
The S50 represents a welcome improvement over previous sat nav systems from Navman. It boasts a good selection of features including a 4.3’’ widescreen, Bluetooth hands free calling, safety cameras and WAAS/EGNOS support. When you consider the price tag of just over £100 it represents very good value for money.
Overall the S50 is a nice looking system that performs well, but it is let down by a poorly designed cradle that is in desperate need of a redesign.
Read the full review.
Sony NV-U51
The Sony NV-U51 has now been replaced by the better spec NV-U52. Having said that, the NV-U51 is not a bad performer, and there are good deals to be found if you shop around. Some stockists include a free TMC cradle for example.
If you’re not fussed about having the latest model and don’t mind the maps being a couple of years old then consider taking a closer look at this system. It also supports TMC which the replacement NV-U52 does not. Just bear in mind that since the product is discontinued you may get limited Sony support in the future.
Read the full review.
Navman N40i
The N40i is a welcome improvement over the Navman Pin 570 but it still falls short in a few areas. If Navman could iron out these issues then it would be a more impressive device.
I’d like to see more accurate mapping software, the ability to enter a house number when navigating to a postcode and a more intuitive demonstration mode. A higher specification camera rather than the 1.3 megapixels currently on offer would also raise the Navman’s appeal, allowing it to double up as a standalone camera.
Read the full review.
HP iPAQ rx5720
The TomTom navigation didn’t disappoint. The PDA is a good performer too providing easy integration with Microsoft Outlook, although you’ll probably find using Word and Excel on such as a small screen too fiddly. The lack of wireless out of the box may put off some people too.
If you’re looking for a great satellite navigation system, with built-in calendar and contacts list, then this could be the system for you.
Read the full review.
Medion MDPPC 250
This is a budget system so don’t expect an all singing, all dancing satellite navigation system. Having said that, there are some nice touches to this system, such as voice directions including road numbers. But overall it is let down by a lack of full postcode entry, low volume levels, and a basic POI system.
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind the weaknesses mentioned above then it is worthy of consideration. When you consider the cheap price which gives you both a decent spec PDA and basic satellite navigation system it represents good value for money.
Read the full review.
Mio C210
Overall this is a great satellite navigation system. It is surprising how many features it has when you consider the cheap price tag. The controls are fiddly to use unless you use a ballpoint pen, and it is a bit too chunky to fit into a pocket, but apart from that there are no real complaints. If Mio could develop a slimline version of this sat nav system then they would be on to a real winner.
If you want a cheap, reliable sat nav system you won’t be disappointed.
Read the full review.
Navman PIN 570
The Navman PIN 570 is not a bad performer from a navigational viewpoint, but it is let down in too many areas for it to be considered a good buy in my opinion.
The Navman PIN 570 is starting to look dated compared to the competition. The mapping software is several years out-of-date and inaccurate in places. There is also limited upgrade potential due to the product being discontinued by Navman.
This coupled with the fiddly on-screen controls and cumbersome user interface makes for a product that can be irritating to use.
Read the full review.
6 responses so far ↓
1 c series navman // Feb 18, 2008 at 12:43 am
had one for two weeks easy to use reliable gets you there its got a lot of good features well impressed
2 Mick // Jun 18, 2008 at 10:09 am
There are no english road signs in Libya and am looking for a sat nav that will allow me to drive from one destination to another and it stores the information for use next time.
I am a novice where sat navs are concerned and would appreciate a reccommended model to buy for this type of use.
Regards.
Mick.
3 Dean // Jun 18, 2008 at 11:07 am
The sat nav systems I’ve used cover just Europe and North America. I’m not sure what map coverage is like for North Africa but it is likely to be very limited or non-existent.
Garmin do a WorldMap CD-ROM:
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapSource/WM.jsp
But if you click on the WorldMap v4 link on the right-hand side of that web site, and zoom into Libya, it shows pretty much no coverage at all.
4 Mick // Jun 18, 2008 at 11:55 am
Dean,
What i need is a sat nav system that allows me to enter a start point and it maps the course as i drive along and then when i arrive i can stop it and save the course it has plotted to use it next time so that when my wife is driving alone it will tell her how to get there.
I feel sure there are sat navs that does this but being a novice then i need to know which one will do this as i am going to have to buy on line and get it delivered by courier service so want to be sure it works.
Best regards,
Mick.
5 Dean // Jun 18, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I’m not sure the answer Mick.
I think what you’re after is a tracklog facility which is like a breadcrumb trail which records the route you’ve taken. Some devices like the Garmin Nuvi 7xx series and Garmin eTrex support this, but I’m not sure whether you can then use that tracklog to create a route for future trips.
I believe these tracklogs are used for plotting routes used whilst hiking rather than driving. I’m not sure how practical it would be in a car, since the GPS will not be aware of any roads and will try to navigate you from point A to B without regards to roads, i.e. it may try and direct you off-road over rough terrain, etc.
You could try doing a search on Google, or maybe contact a couple of GPS suppliers for further help. Let me know if you have any success.
6 Mick // Jun 18, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Dean,
Many thanks for all your help will try the suppliers
Keep well
Best regards
Mick.
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