Navigon 5110

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http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/handhelds/0,39030065,49293045,00.htm

Reviewed 27 September 2007

Reviewed by Brett James

The 5110 is Navigon's latest dedicated GPS receiver, which features European maps, Traffic Message Channel (TMC) and safety cameras.

At around £270, it's complemented by some unique features, such as the Lane Assistant with Reality View.

Strengths
From the moment you take the 5110 and its car cradle out of the box you can't help but admire their style and functionality. As the European maps are pre-installed onto the supplied 2GB SD card you can start to navigate immediately.

Reality View changes to a graphical, real time representation of the junction and gives you a view of your desired lane

The easy to use touchscreen display is aided further by an animated menu system. When an option is selected it will expand and when pressed again, it will retract. This keeps the menu structures simple and easy to negotiate.

During our tests we found its anti-glare screen was excellent and produced clear icons and directional aids even on its relatively small 89mm (3.5-inch) screen.

Its route/re-route calculations and efficiency were also quick, thanks primarily to the SiRF-Star III chip which pinpointed our location and kept it fixed throughout our journey, in clear skies or built-up areas.

The most impressive feature was the Lane Assistant option with Reality View. If you're driving near major junctions or roundabouts, the system will visually and audibly tell you which lane you need to be in. On motorways this is enhanced further by the Reality View, which changes to a graphical, real time representation of the junction and gives you a clear view of your desired lane.

If that was not enough, the Logbook function -- which is activated before a route -- can record trip information such as mileage and speed. The results can then be viewed back in Excel, thus making it an excellent tool for company car drivers.

You won't find any multimedia functions here as Navigon have opted to concentrate on the navigation experience. To compensate you do get a TMC aerial and safety camera alerts, which both worked well.

Weaknesses
While in theory, the navigational input screen is simple to use, it has a few problems that hinder its operation. For one, if you enter a full postcode you can't then enter a street or house number to refine your search further. It also lacks a full Qwerty keyboard option, so using an A-Z keyboard, you have to switch between different screens for numbers and special characters.

The lack of Bluetooth support means you will need a separate hands-free kit, thus doubling the amount of cables and power sources for your car.

Though the voice calculations are clear and precise, it has no text-to-speech support so road names are not spoken. It does speak major 'A' road names such as 'turn left onto the A5127'.

Conclusion
Navigon have produced a pure navigational device that contains some excellent innovative features: the Lane Assistant, Reality View and Logbook are impressive additions for serious drivers. Its lack of Bluetooth support cancels out the complete experience but its performance can't be faulted.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday