Amazon.com Product Description (9/15/07)
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.
The 5100 is the smaller sibling to Navigon's flagship 7100. The 5100 has a 3.5-inch screen, while the 7100 has a 4.3-inch widescreen. The 7100 also adds bluetooth-capability for hands-free mobile phone integration, so if you want that feature, do check out the 7100. Like the 7100 however, the 5100 packs in a lot of useful features into its sleek frame.
The Navigon 5100 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. |
Lots of
Features
Navigon decided not to try to add multimedia features like a photo viewer or MP3 player into its devices, but instead focused on navigation-based features. The 5100 This navigation device provides you with precise turn-by-turn directions, including spoken road names via text-to-speech, but that's not all.
Free Traffic for Life
This is a biggie. Like the 7100, the Navigon 5100 comes with subscription-free, real-time traffic information via an 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. Subscription-free also means easy setup. The traffic info starts working as soon as you get the 5100 out of the box.
Reality View and Lane Assistant
These 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.
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 5100 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 3.5-inch, full-color touch-screen display. The 5100 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 chrome housing that weighs only 6.3 ounces, and measures just 4.2 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D). The Navigon 5100 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 5100 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 5100 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:
Very nice little device.......2007-12-31
Had this for 2 days. Works very well. It shows POIs that I did not even know in my area. The functions are much better than the GPS I had in my car. USB does charge the 5100. The handle is weird but does it job well. Nothing comes loose. The looks and feels of the 5100 are definitely of German quality. So far I have entered 5 locations and the 5100 finds them all. The Traffic warning has saved me time on one occasion where there was a sig-alert on Freeway 10.
The price/features of the 5100(when on sale on Amazon) is unbeatable.
I would strongly recommend the 5100.
Great GPS for the money.......2007-12-31
I bought the Navigon 5100 on Black Friday and have used it a number of times. My previous GPS was a Mio 310x and I've used a Garmin C330 a number of times when renting vehicles. For the money, the Navigon has hands down been the best unit that I've used. It's always difficult for long time users of another GPS unit to get used to a new device; however, the Navigon was very easy to get up and going.
The Navigon 5100 has a lot of great features that make it a great value. The real-time traffic alerts (no subscription required) are helpful in metropolitan areas and provide options of routing around the issue or ignoring it. The unit lets users customize how to receive alerts (e.g. all, on-route only, etc). The reality view feature is also really nice when traveling on major interstates. It momentarily shows a realistic view of interchanges and clearly designates which lanes you should stay in and which to avoid.
The styling of the unit is very clean and European. I like the windshield mount as it allows mounting it in such a way that it can be completely hidden by the GPS unit itself. I have noticed some vibrations, however, once the GPS is mounted on when you drive over bumps, etc. It would be nice if the whole mount assembly allowed less tolerance/movement and mounted 'tighter' to the GPS unit. Also, I've read other reviews suggesting that the GPS won't charge when being used - I've not had any problems that way.
The fonts do seem a bit small on the device; however, the resolution is very good and I like the smaller size to fit more information on the screen at a time. The menu system and user interface are very good and intuitive. The device excels at setting up and navigating trips easily. POIs are clearly marked along the route and provide actual logos in many cases. Searching for POIs leave a bit to be desired relative to other devices. The default is to first select a POI category and then to filter within that category. I've found it easier to just begin typing within all categories and let the system filter results for you as you type.
I haven't had issues with weird routing that other users have identified in reviews as of yet. I did go ahead and update several of the XML files (it was really easy) on the system with the suggestions found on: [...]
All in all, I give this unit high marks for its design, functionality, speed, and feature set. For $[...], I'm not sure how you could do any better.
Bought one on Saturday & returned it on Monday.......2007-12-31
Pro:
Sleek design
Sleek mount
Lane Assist for exits
Shows traffic updates & construction sites
Shows speed limit
Cons:
Horrible POI & not easy.. Garmin & Tom Tom r so much better.
CRASHED after 4 hrs of use & I was stuck in ME. Had to ask ppl for directions to get back to MA.
Returned it to the store today.
Teutonic Revenge.......2007-12-28
No hand held GPS unit is perfect. At least I haven't been able to find one. But my Navigon 5100 (which replaced a Navigon 2100t) is not just weird, it's dangerous. Want an example?
1) Go to Google Maps/Directions
2) Enter Start address=4100 Northgate Blvd., Sacramento, CA
3) Enter End address=1600 Expo Parkway, Sacramento, CA
4) Mash "Get Directions."
This is how Mr. Google would have you drive from Frys Electronics in Sacramento, Caleefornia to Costco in the same burg. You don't need to do the first U-turn listed. Frys parking lot has a light.
How does the Navigon 5100 tell you to do the same trip? I'll spare you the gory details, but you will see a lot of stop signs (thereby increasing you knowledge of the local gangs "tags")--be routed the wrong way up a one way street--be told to turn on two streets with incorrect names--be forced to turn on to a street that isn't listed on your turn-by-turn list (the highlight of which is seeing a house with a yard containing more trash in it than the City Dump--really quite remarkable--see it on Google Maps)--and when you rediscover your route you will be asked to make a 540 degree "S" turn across four lanes of traffic and a set of street car tracks. This is the alleged "Optimum" routing. It's fun for the whole family!
If this were an isolated incident, I'd think about keeping this for entertainment purposes, but it isn't.
Don't get me wrong, it has its good points. For example, the free lifetime traffic and weather which announced the other night that there was "slush" on Interstate 80 outside of Roseville, CA. A quick glance at the outside temperature of 52 Degrees leads us to believe that someone visited a 7-11 and, finding the flavor of their Slurpee unpleasant, engaged in some littering.
It's quite an attractive unit and the Space Age Retro windshield stalk fits OK on the dash of my Prius. But considering I have felt it necessary to purchase a Garmin Mobile 20 from Amazon to use with my PDA so that I may actually get where I'd like to be in one piece, no matter how good it looks, the Navigon is Navi-gone.
Totally not worth it........2007-12-28
I have found other, far less expensive, superior units than this one.
The good:
1) Sensitive, accurate positioning.
2) Attractive design (if a bit bulky...)
3) Zagat ratings (when you can get to them) are fun and occasionally usesul.
4) Easy switch between 2d and 3d maps and easy switch from day to night modes.
The Bad.
1) Long acquisition time from cold start (~5 minutes). From a stand-by start, it's
<2minutes.
2) If there is a way to upgrade the maps or download foreign maps, it's not obvious to me.
3) Car mount is REALLY long and just is rotten for short-windshield cars like a Jeep.
The Ugly.
The software on this thing is ATROCIOUS. The on-screen buttons are too small. Too much information is crammed onto the screen. It can't pronounce any of the streets (it gets "2 Ave." wrong, for crying out loud!). It's too quiet to be heard. The zoom factor is based on speed, rather than on whether there is an upcoming turn. The coloring in the map is grey-on-grey. And that's just to start. Want those famed Zagat ratings? To get them you have to select a region and then do a POI search around it. You can't just tap a POI's icon on the map and get the Zagat rating. You can get its address and phone number that way, sure, but you can't get the Zagat rating. And the "real view" is a ridiculous distraction from driving. It doesn't help you navigate complex intersections at all. I go through complicated junctions all the time and the thing gets ahead of and behind itself. I've learned to ignore it.
The Infuriating.
I bought this thing to help me avoid traffic jams. Navigon advertises free lifetime traffic management service. Well let's discuss getting what you paid for: The unit has displayed precisely 0% of the traffic jams that I've been caught in. In fact, because I frequently see traffic jams in the opposite direction on the freeway, it turns out I've never seen the unit display one of those, either. And then there's the fact that exactly 0% of the displayed/predicted traffic jams I see listed actually exist when I get there. So it's completely useless. And I live in New York City and drive into the Bronx most days. I need traffic management service.
In summary, I simply cannot recommend this unit to anyone. The features are available on a Magellan unit for a lot less money and with a FAR superior interface. Navigon really needs to work on its software before it will be a serious contender in the GPS market.
Amazon.com Product Description -- November 11, 2007
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.
The 2100 is the lowest-priced (and smallest) of Navigon's line of portable GPS navigators. While it lacks some of the features of it's bigger siblings, the 7100 and 5100, it packs solid navigation and some unique features into its diminutive frame.
The Navigon Family of Portable Navigators
The 2100 and 5100 have 3.5-inch screens, while the 7100 has a 4.3-inch widescreen. The big difference is that the 5100 and 7100 come with free lifetime traffic data, while with the 2100 you have to buy an activation code separately. The 5100 and 7100 have a feature called "Lane Assistant" that will suggest which lane you should be driving in, but that's not such a big deal. Another important difference is that the 7100 also adds bluetooth-capability for hands-free mobile phone integration, which is really handy. If you want that feature, do check out the 7100. This chart may help as well.
|
Screen Size (diagonally)
|
Bluetooth
|
Lifetime Traffic Data Service
|
Lane Assistant
|
Reality View
|
Zagat Ratings
|
POIs
|
2100
|
3.5 inches
|
|
Requires Purchase of Activation Code
|
|
 |
|
1.3 million
|
5100
|
3.5 inches
|
|
Included Free
|
|
|
|
millions
|
| 7100 |
4.3 inches
|
|
Included Free
|
|
|
|
millions
|
Intuitive, animated menus offer predictive text input, helping you select your destination quickly. View larger. |
The reality view guides you with photo-realistic 3D images of junctions. View larger. |
Navigon decided not to try to add multimedia features like a photo viewer or MP3 player into its devices, but instead focused on navigation-based features. The 2100 provides precise turn-by-turn directions, including spoken road names via text-to-speech
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.
Superior Software and Hardware
The features and functions of the Navigon 2100 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 3.5-inch, full-color touch-screen display. The 5100 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 chrome housing that weighs only 6.3 ounces, and measures just 4.2 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D). The Navigon 5200 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 2100 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
Navigon 2100 GPS Navigator
, SD card preloaded with software and maps of the continental US, rechargeable 1150 mAH lithium ion battery (rated for up to 4.5 hours),
car charger
, car mount
, quickstart guide
, limited warranty
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:
Good system........2007-12-29
I got this unit the day after Thanksgiving for $99 with lifetime traffic. It has been great. We've used it a few times and the directions have been right on. Traffic feature has been used more than the navigation.
Lack of Customer Support.......2007-12-29
If you are looking for a product that is backed by (at least sort of) customer support, the Navigon is not for you.
The navigator that I own is not functional due to software related fatal errors. Neither reboot nor device reset helps. So does their customer support. I did not get any reply on my on-line request. When I called to customer rep over the phone, I was promised to be called back by engineers. Guess what?... I did not get any call from them.
So if you are experiencing any problem with the product and still can return it to the vendor, please do so. Dealing with the "customer support" may drag you past the merchandise return deadline, as happened in my case.
Also, if you are looking for a GPS navigator with up-to-date maps, the Navigon 2100 is not for you either. It shows businesses that were closed couple years ago and does not see some legitimate left turn point in my neigborhood promting driver to make U-turns a mile or so ahead.
Won't get lost again.......2007-12-29
I love my navigon because it gives you street directions instead of "right turn now." Then on a freeway, when you approach a freeway junction it shows you were to go with signs on the navigon. Then the touch screen is great once you get a hang of it.
I would stay away on Navigon 2100.......2007-12-28
The only thing good about this unit is text to speech, but the voice is sooo distorted. The unit is sooo slow. It does not tell you when you miss your turn and that is very very bad. Some highways, if you missed your turn, it will take you another 15 miles to go back. If it told you that you missed your turn, then you can just back it up slowly and turn, rather than silently routes you additional 30 miles roundtrip to get back to your destination. There are many good price gps out there that does not have text to speech, but it works ways better this this crap navigon 2100, such as Mio. Think about it, text to speech is not really needed when driving at night. You just can't look for street name signs when driving. It is good to have, but not have to have it. Just tell me exactly when to turn and that is what I need.
Good Value for Money.......2007-12-28
If you don't need all the bells and whistles (blue tooth phone, MP3, etc.)this little unit is great. Only complaint is the smallish screen, but ya git what ya pays for.
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GPS & Navigation
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In-Dash Vehicle GPS (Installed)
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On-Dash GPS
Navigon 3.5" Protective Hard Shell Case
Navigon AC Wall Charger
Navigon Touch Screen Protectors
Navigon 3.5" Premium Leather Case
Navigon Three-way Car Power Adapter
Scosche CL3 adapter Converts a cigarette lighter into two power plugs
Nav-Mat Portable GPS Dash Mount
SanDisk 2 GB SDSDX3-2048-901 Extreme III SD Memory Card (Retail Package)
