|
Navigon 7100 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator | 
 enlarge
| Brand: Navigon
Category: CE
List Price: $649.00
Buy New: $259.00
You Save: $390.00 (60%)
New (6) Used (4) Refurbished (2) from $187.95
Rating:  223 reviews
Sales Rank: 5002
Color: Piano Black
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Tracks: Unknown
Native Resolution: 480 x 272
Display Size: 4.3
Includes MP3 Player: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 1 x 5 x 4
nv:Type: Receiver
Expansion Slots: SD Card
Battery Type: Rechargeable 1200 mAh lithium ion battery
Battery Life: 4.5 hours
Antenna: SIRF-GPS antenna
Special Features: Bluetooth
MPN: 10000140
Model: 10000140
UPC: 898110001051
EAN: 0898110001051
ASIN: B000S11K5U
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | Precise turn-by-turn directions, including spoken road names via text-to-speech | | • | Lane assistant recommends the best lane for you to be in relative to the proposed route | | • | Photo-realistic 3D images of junctions, complete with actual sign text and exit ramp guidance | | • | Free real-time traffic information via the integrated traffic receiver | | • | High-contrast, wide-format 4.3-inch, full-color touch-screen display; unit measures 5.1 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D) |
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
In the U.S., German-based Navigon may be the biggest name in gps you've never heard. Navigon has long been a major provider of navigation software to automotive manufacturers for in-dash gps navigation devices, but only recently did they introduce portable navigation devices under their own name. What they offer up, however, demonstrates immediately that this is a company that knows navigation inside and out.
Navigon...James Navigon
The first thing you notice about the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator is, well, the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator. It's beautiful. It's the kind of device you'd expect an international spy to have in their rocket car. It's less than an inch thick, and its shiny black casing will go well with just about any car interior. Paying the same attention to every detail, Navigon's included car mount raises the bar even higher, with a design that is not only easy to use, but echoes the 7100's in a way that makes device and accessory become one, adding a touch of style and elegance to any vehicle's interior.
The Navigon 7100 offers a premium navigation experience in a sleek package. View larger. | 
Intuitive, animated menus offer predictive text input, helping you select your destination quickly. View larger. | 
The lane assistant provides guidance to the optimal lane for your route. View larger. | 
The reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions. View larger. |
Packed with Features
When you stop ogling the outside and really start using the 7100, what you notice is that Navigon has decided to avoid media support and instead has focused on navigation-based features. This means the 7100 is packed, offering an array of features that are, at the time of this writing, unmatched at this price point. It provides you with turn-by-turn directions, including actual road names via text-to-speech. It includes built-in Bluetooth technology that enables hands-free mobile phone integration, which not only increases driver safety, but is fast becoming a necessity as states pass laws against talking on a cell phone hand set while driving. It warns you when you are exceeding the speed limit. It offers 2D and 3D map views with incredibly precise road visualizations (more on that below). Its Navteq data contains millions Points of Interest (POIs) such as restaurants, hotels, golf courses, gas stations, banks, etc.
Reality View and Lane Assistant
The 7100 has two features that are a great help in negotiating unfamiliar or complicated road systems. Lane Assistant recommends the best lane for you to be in relative to the proposed route, so you won't find yourself trying to move over three lanes when the freeway splits.
Reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions, complete with actual sign text and exit ramp guidance. This makes translating what the navigator is telling you to what you see on the road instantaneous. Free Traffic for Life
This is a biggie. The Navigon 7100 comes is the first GPS device to offer subscription-free, real-time traffic information via the integrated traffic receiver with no additional fees or setup for the life of the product. Be advised on traffic flow and incidents, as well as the best alternate routes. The traffic info starts working as soon as you get the 7100 out of the box.
Zagat Ratings and Branded Icons for POIs
All of Navigon's gps navigators offer Zagat ratings and reviews for their POIs, so while this device may not get you a beer, it can tell you where to find the best one. Branded icons displayed on your map make it easier to navigate to a familiar location of your choice. Superior Software and Hardware
The features and functions of the Navigon 7100 are controlled via intuitive, easy-to-use animated menus that use predictive text input to quickly and easily select your city, state and address. Maps and menus appear on its extra-large and elegant, high-contrast 4.3-inch, full-color touch-screen display with an easy-to-read 16:9 aspect ratio for an exceptional view of the road. The Navigon 7100 includes a powerful Samsung 400 MHz processor, a fully integrated SiRF Star III GPS chip, 64 MBs of both RAM and ROM built in, and a rechargeable 1,200 mAh lithium ion battery that is rated for 4.5 hours of continuous use. All this is housed in an ultra-thin, sleek piano black housing that weighs only seven ounces, and measures just 5.1 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D). The Navigon 7100 even comes pre-loaded with complete maps of the U.S. and Canada, providing you with superbly accurate, seamless door-to-door directions wherever your vehicular travels might take you. Note that the 7100 runs on the Microsoft Windows CD Net 5.0 operating system. A PC is required to use additional map data, and in such cases users require Windows 2000, ME, XP or higher, as well as a CD ROM drive and a USB port. An SD/MMC card reader is recommended as the 7100 not only uses SD cards, but also comes with a 2 GB SD card in the package. What's in the Box
The Navigon 7100 preloaded with North American maps, 2 GB SD card, car charger, wall charger, car mount, USB cable, CD and user manual on DVD, quick installation guide, and warranty information.
About Navigon
NAVIGON has been a leader of GPS navigation since 1991, and has a long history of industry innovations. NAVIGON created the world's first dynamic personal GPS product in 1996, launched the industry's first navigation software for the Pocket PC in 2000, and unveiled the first Traffic Message Channel-based (TMC) avoidance feature on mobile navigation product in 2002.
NAVIGON has helped revolutionize how consumers get from place to place with software products for practically any navigation-ready hardware. Personal navigation devices (PND), smartphones, and in-dash navigation systems directed by NAVIGON's award-winning MobileNavigator (MN) software delivers reliable information on millions of destinations in an intuitive, easy to use format. NAVIGON is a valued partner to the automotive industry, and in 2006 strengthened its category competency by acquiring NAVTEQ's navigation software business.
NAVIGON is a privately-held software company based in Hamburg, Germany, with NAVIGON USA headquarters in Chicago, IL.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 A clear winner for me October 7, 2007
Michael (Fairfax County, Virginia)
454 out of 465 found this review helpful
I ordered my Navigon 7100 at the end of August and received it on September 7th. In the last few weeks, I have been all over .... New York City, Washington, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, San Francisco/Oakland, California, etc. For most of those journeys I have had my Nuvi 660 next to the Navigon 7100. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Overall, my personal conclusion is that the Navigon 7100 is for me the way to go. I will be packing up my Nuvi 660 in a few days and sending it off to one of my kids.
Below I will list some Pros and Cons of the 7100. The 7100 has not by any means been flawless. But its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. And most of my complaints are easy software fixes. I feel that Navigon has gotten the message from those of us in the USA and is attempting to address our issues. They won't be here long if they don't. They may believe that they have the superior product but they may go the way of Beta in the Beta / VHS competition, if you remember that from years and years ago.
I have spoken to higher ups at Navigon and they could have brushed me off. Instead, once I got that far, I found someone willing to listen, acknowledge their shortcomings and say they will fix things. So far they have done so with the 4 GB fiasco. The rest remains to be seen. I am hopeful. I believe that they will now do what it takes. The people I have dealt with struck me as sincere and willing to do what it takes.
By the way, while I adjusted the route profile based on recommendations on forums and even from Navigon to the Optimum setting, I have found the Fast profile setting works best for me.
I also have turned off the Menu animation setting which seems to work better for me.
-----------------------------------------
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.
The 7100 adjusts for your time zone automatically. You need to do this manually on the Nuvi 660. In California my 7100 showed the correct time while my Nuvi was on Eastern time. I was only there a day and didn't bother to change it.
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. Makes life easier if I want to avoid certain roads.
Seems to lock onto 1 or 2 more satellites than 660 when I was able to check, not always though, but a lot of the time which may help explain my next observation.
Its position in relation to the road in my observations was a bit more accurate than the 660. I would be just about passed the exit ramp when the 660 would show me just entering it.
I found the refresh rate to be a bit more frequent than the 660. While it may be an optical illusion, it seemed to be moving more often than the 660. Again, this is my personal observation and might help explain the above observation.
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 isn't always there, especially on the local streets.
Time of arrival is more accurate for ME than 660. The 7100 would on short trips show 5 to 10 minutes longer to get there but ended up being closer to the actual time of arrival than the 660. On a 5 hour trip the 7100 showed arrival to be 35 minutes longer than 660 at the start. Ended up being closer to actual arrival time than 660. Nuvi kept adding time, even though trip was going smoothly. Much prefer a more conservative approach. Again this is what I experienced in my journeys.
Fairly fast recalculation of route when turn not taken (I did that intentionally at times to test it out). Though once it seemed to take forever.
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. My Nuvi mount would fall off until I started using water on the rubber mount before attaching. Even then once or twice it came off.
Easy to spot a McDonald's on your route and by turning in its direction get to it fairly easily rather than search the POI database.
----------------------------
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 hasn't 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. The Nuvi shows 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 don't know the city it is in is difficult. The Nuvi will tell you all the POIs close to you, though you have a long wait as it loads them to get to the next screen. If I want a gas station nearby it doesn't tell me if it is ahead of me or behind me. The Nuvi would give me arrows to help me see where it was. Not knowing could mean circling back to get to it rather than hit something along the way. Its POIs on the route don't 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. My Nuvi was still loading as I headed on my way. Blocks away it joined the 7100. Most of the time though (other than the quick stop routine), the Nuvi was the winner here.
----------------------------------------------
Again, these are all MY PERSONAL observations. I know others have had different experiences on many of these observations.
All in all I find the Navigon 7100 to be an excellent GPS for MY needs. And even though I paid a higher price for it when I bought it than it sells for today, I think I got my money's worth.
Is it perfect? Not at all. It has many things that could be better. Is it the best GPS I have come across and owned? Yes, I can honestly say that it is FOR ME. I have owned the Tom Tom GO, the StreetPilot III, the Nuvi 350, 360 and 660. For now, this is the one for me. I change GPS units often. Buying the newer maps was not worth it for me since if I added to that price what I could sell my GPS on ebay for it would come close or fairly close to buying a newer model. And I need the latest maps, which are outdated when they are released.
All in all, I am sold on the Navigon 7100. For ME it is a clear winner!
---------
10-18-07
In the last few days I have been to Memphis and Boston. I must say I am happy to report that the start up time when I get into my rental car seems to be quicker. Also, while I didn't expect to get traffic info in Memphis and almost didn't hook up the external antenna to pull in traffic, when I did I got an alert quickly about a 2 mile congestion spot on a highway on my route. I hit avoid and got diverted to side streets which got me to the hotel fairly quickly. I passed over the highway I was to go on and sure enough it was stop and go traffic. Really saved me time and aggravation.
In Boston I noticed a few things.... one is that in the underground tunnels the 7100 kept moving along the route even though the speed i was traveling showed up as 0 (zero). As some may know Boston had a major construction project (The Big Dig) that put major roadways underground. I doubt I was getting any satellite coverage as I was under water for a time as well. I liked this feature. Reminded me of my old Tom Tom that kept moving as well. My Garmin would just shut down and tell me I had lost satellite coverage. And I had no idea what my next turn or exit would be. Not so with the 7100 (at least that experience the other night). One drawback though, when I got out into open space the 7100 told me to turn right.....there was no exit ramp, nothing but barriers on the highway. After a few seconds it must have gotten its fix and all was well.
I must say it really, really proved its worth when I exited the Mass. Turnpike for my hotel. The ramps and roads were so convoluted I would have never found my way at night. In fact, I just listened to the voice guide me and for the most part kept my eyes on the road. It was great!
I did have to turn off all the POIs since there were so many in the Boston area. I wish there were a simple way to do that rather than having to uncheck all 30 or so of them one at a time. Once I did, the screen was uncluttered and easy to view.
Regarding traffic, I got an alert for a Route 9 ramp being closed. I didn't expect that one since Route 9 is not a highway though it is a major roadway, but with lights all along it.
By the way, the Hertz gate agent noticed it on the windshield and said, "That is a nice unit. What is it?" I didn't expect that and was surprised to hear him say it.
All in all I continue to be extremely pleased with my experiences.
Great GPS - critics are overblown November 22, 2007
Bernhard H. Klinder (Cleveland, Ohio USA)
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
Bought this GPS because the display is large and bright, and I prefer the 3D view which is easier to follow when driving. Compared to the other models on the market, the price/features were very competitive. Absolutlely love the unit. I usually charge the unit at home, enter my destinations ahead of time from my desk, and then mount it and go. Noticed a few odd routing choices vs some of preferences in my own neighborhood, but when I'm in unfamilair areas, it always seems to do just fine. Haven't had any of the issues others have expressed - no U turns, no traffic data problems, POIs are good, satellite signal is not a problem in the car, mount is fine (I like the little flexibility), battery power is good, I like the portability of the unit. Unlike others, I like that it does not bug you when you make a wrong turn or modify the route yourself - it simply recalibrates on the fly. Haven't noticed any slowness, or bugs. Sure, maybe its not perfect - I can't imagine any mapping system is. But weighed against its features and ease of use, I'm still very happy I bought this unit and have recommended it to everyone I know.
Really enjoying my Navigon 7100! October 18, 2007
A. McCall (New Jersey)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've had the 7100 a little over a week. I've traveled from NJ to Philly several times. And if you know anything about the Philly streets, being narrow and plentiful and one-way, a good GPS is a life-saver. Well, the 7100 has been great. No bass-ackward routing at all. I've also gone to Baltimore this weekend from NJ. No problems with the routing to Baltimore or the routing within the city... as far as I know. The 7100 not once had me doing a U-turn for no reason at all. It directed me to the proper lane in plenty of time on the highways and other two-lane roads. I love the "Reality View"!! I had no idea that the 7100 would tell me to get in a left-turn lane in advance (when there was a left-turn lane), in order to make a left turn. And vice-versa for a right turn. Nice!! Seems like the mapping software is up-to-date.
It has been a very good GPS for me. During my testing around my neighborhood and to my job from my house, routing will change depending on if you select "Fast, Optimum, Short, or Scenic". So after entering my destination to work for instance, I looked over the "turn-by-turn" routing for each of the routing selections. I found that the route that I usually drive to work, the "Short" route selection was dead-on. The "Fast" route, took me to I-295 for about 20 miles, then connected me to the route further along in my usual route to work.
I think the 7100 knows when traffic is heavier. Can this be true? Because when playing around with the "Optimum" route, when I selected a destination during 2PM, the routing was slightly different, but not worse, from when I selected the same route at 5:30PM. As a novice GPS user, my question is, do GPS units know about traffic patterns at specific times of day and route you accordingly?
All in all, I've very satisfied with this unit. I'm not a "shill" for Navigon for heavens sake!!! I could care less who owns NavTec and who writes the mapping/routing software. All I care about is getting to my destinations with no headaches or idiotic routing. And so far, the 7100 has passed my testing and real-world routing criteria and as I said previously, I'm very satisfied with this GPS device.
Edited Review - Just Bought a 2nd for my Wife 4 Months Later November 16, 2007
MQu (KY, USA (Previously Edinburgh, UK))
23 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have had to edit my review after several weeks of owning it and here is what I would say now (can't edit stars but I would give a 4 rather than 5 if possible)
I had a bad experience a few days back trying to reach a destination with awkward routing, u-turn requests and some of what you've probably read on the lower rated reviews. This was the first time I struggled with it and despite being on a awkward small road and very unusual junction at the end of it, I had hoped my GPS unit would help me rather than worsen the situation. It was frustrating. In fairness, this is the first time I sturggled with it and although as I had mentioned previously it doesn't always choose the route I would on any of the settings to chosen destinations, it had never caused problems.
Despite this, and I believe this is easily fixable with new updates to come probably early in 08, it has so many outstanding features that I will not settle for another unit, even if Garmin have been the gold-standard so far.
This is the reason I won't trade it: I use my GPS to drive to work everyday and since I know my route well, no GPS will be of use or value to me on a daily basis other than this because of the free life-time traffic reports. They are incredible and so far very accurate.
I have provided a list of good and bad points which I think are a clearer way of reperesnting information
Good (almost in order of priority): [1] Free life-time traffic reports with areas identified and rerouted around [2] Reality View (looks and works amazingly well, very useful) [3] Lane Assist [4] Immense no. of POI's with associated logos on map [5] Quick satellite lock when in open areas [6] Quick route recalculation [7] Tells you which side of the road your destination is on (you'd be surprised how difficult it can be to find which side an address is on in unfamiliar territory) [8] Zagat reviews (I haven't used this feature but nice to know its available) [9] A fully functioning clear and loud bluetooth system (this at the price is a bonus and should be viewed as so. This avoids disppointment about the inability of the unit to load up a cell phone address book but as I say, at the price and for how well it works, its a big bonus) [10] Easy to add POI's-on-route or new destinations on the way [11] Speech to text so reads out street names (good enough robotic female voice which won't seduce you but will get you there... if that's what you're after) [12] Shows signs and road names two junctions in advance which is so useful [13] A nice feature which has never been mentioned is the counter on the left hand sign of the arrow which indicates how close you are, each box (out of 10) is 100ft from what I make out and this is immensely useful [14] Voice command responsive for stored destinations [15] Awesome display at night [16] Best looking unit on the market by far [17 A good point in my opinion is the lack of a photo viewer which is annoying since every other device I own has this now and I don't need it on my GPS].
Bad points: [1] Short battery life but can easily be mounted in profesisonally or charged at home or car since all adaptors are included [2] Flimsy long holder for windshield mount. Actually looks good when unit is off the mount but its length means it rattles when on poorly surfaced roads, perhaps Navigon can look into new holders for sale as separate units [3] Bluetooth address book issue as mentioned above [4] The rare issue with u-turns or choice of roads but see above for this.
I'm keeping mine because as I say, having a GPS without the Navigon features is useless on a daily basis otherwise whereas I can justify plugging mine in every morning when making routine trips. It looks amazing too (esp. at night with reality view) and that counts for something...
UPDATE (DEC) - REBATE ARRIVED 21st DECEMBER (~ 5 weeks)
UPDATE (FEB) - NEW "FREE" SOFTWARE UPDATE DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE FROM SITE ADDRESSING PROBLEMS DISCUSSED BY MANY ABOVE. SO FAR GREAT.
UPDATE (FEB) - CAN'T SAY I HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS AND HAVE BOUGHT A 2ND UNIT FOR MY WIFE. GARMIN WOULD HAVE BEEN 2ND CHOICE BUT REALLY DOES NOT OFFER WHAT NAVIGON DOES (FREE TRAFFIC, REALITY VIEW, LOOKS ETC.) AND SEEMS FLAWED ACCORDING TO MANY REVIEWS. HAVEN'T SEEN ANOTHER GPS ON THE MARKET WHICH I'D RATHER HAVE JUST NOW.
Hope this helps if even a little
Traffic updates are great October 24, 2007
Fitz (St. Louis, MO)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
I took a leap of faith and I bought the 7100 primarily for the free traffic updates. I am in St. Louis and the main highway through the city is going to be under construction for the next two years or so. So far I have been impressed. The display is very nice and easy to read. I like the 3d mode vs. the 2d overhead view.
The traffic updates have been accurate and helpful in planning travel around town. Recently I was heading into Illinois for a golf outing on a Saturday morning and was surprised when the 7100 told me that the highway was closed. Thinking that is was a mistake, I ignored the unit and sure enough the highway was shut down due to an accident. After exiting it a part of town that I was not familiar with, the 7100 rerouted very quickly to get me back on track.
I also really like the Blue Tooth however I wish it would synchronize with my contact list and the speaker could be a touch louder (I drive a truck and the tire noise drowns it out a bit). On the first use it took about 5 minutes to get a signal lock, but now when I power up the unit now it get the satellite lock in less than a minute. I can see the reality view being really nice when in a strange city, but for me I don't need it in my home town were I know the interchanges.
Now my wife could get lost in the backyard and can barely turn on a computer. After teaching her how to input an address I can send her off knowing she will get there and home again. So far she keeps coming back. I recommend this unit to anyone looking for a GPS device.
|
|
|
| |
