Navigon 7100 Review

While not yet widely known in the United States, the German engineered Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator is quickly gaining notoriety as a leader of navigation with its award winning design that offers a distinct air of elegance along with unique features providing reliable service and a host of personalized options. Since the early 1990s, Navigon has been a pioneer in the world of navigation and continues to amaze the industry with its innovative features, and now, has a U.S. based headquarters in addition to their Hamburg, Germany location.

Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator

Product Overview

The Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator is a bit larger than other GPS units with the same size screen, which is 4.3 inches. But, with extras such as the stylus, ports for the mini USB cable and external antenna, and the mounting bracket, the extra space is needed and doesn't interfere with its portability or sleek appearance.

It is run by a rechargeable lithium ion battery will operate the unit for up to four and a half hours without access to a power source. The rather powerful GPS includes a SiRFstar III GPS chipset along with a 400 MHz processor by Samsung, and 64 megabytes of both RAM and ROM for optimal performance.

With Bluetooth technology already built into the unit, the Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator provides the ability to integrate hands-free mobile phone usage along with its other main features for a completely hassle free driving experience. With purchase of the 7100 comes a two gigabyte SD card, USB cable, both a car and wall charger, car mount, and a quick installation guide as well as user's manual on DVD and warranty.

Notable Benefits and Features

The Navigon 7100 GPS Navigator is loaded with many useful features, some of which are exclusive to this particular GPS unit, and all of which are accessed via the intuitive menu and touchscreen icons. But, perhaps the most notable of all is the traffic service that comes along with purchase.

Most GPS devices include a free subscription to a traffic service for a certain length of time, usually three to six months at most before the user must then pay monthly subscription fees to continue using the service. However, the Navigon 7100 includes this service completely free of charge for life, a perk not yet offered through other companies.

Loaded with data from Navteq that includes several million points of interest, also known as POI, users have instant access to a plethora of services and facilities with everything from gas stations and restaurants to hotels, motels, airports, golf courses, shopping malls, banks, and many more. Besides the preprogrammed POI and their pertinent details like address and phone numbers, Navigon went a step further and added in ratings and reviews so you'll instantly know which restaurant or hotel was rated the best.

For those who use their personal vehicles for business travel, the Navigon 7100 GPS includes a rather attractive feature that makes it simple to keep track of business related expenses. Mileage data is stored in an Excel readable file that can be uploaded to one's computer and sorted by user defined categories.

Advanced features of the Navigon 7100 include photorealistic images in 3D that provide a realistic view that offers the most precise visualizations currently available on a GPS. This, along with text to speech technology and turn by turn directions gives users the ultimate in navigation. The unit also supports multi destination routes and allows users to choose to avoid certain types of roads and highways including those with construction, detours, or heavy traffic patterns.

And, if you've ever traveled along unfamiliar roads, particularly those in other countries, you're already aware of how complicated and confusing some road systems can be, especially when trying to find a particular address or intersection. The 7100 includes a feature called Lane Assistance which automatically recommends the best lane for you to be in relationship with your destination, eliminating the need for changing lanes quickly or missing a freeway's off ramp

Technical Specifications

Antenna: Built-in
Battery: Lithium ion
Connectivity: USB
Dimensions: 5.1 inches wide, 0.9 inches deep, 3.5 inches high, 7 ounces in weight
Display: High contrast color 4.3 inch touchscreen
Included Accessories: 2 gigabyte SD card, car charger, car mount, DVD, installation guide, wall charger, USB cable, user's manual
Included Software: NAVTEQ maps of North America
Voice Capabilities: Yes, navigation instruction and voice command recognition

Actual user comments :

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. 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. - Michael C, Virginia, USA

This model offers high performance at a reasonable price. Great Satellite reception even on a cloudy day. The vehicle I used in had metalized heat reflective windshild and this units built-in antenna had no problem with reception where other types of GPS models had trouble finding positioning satellites. I did'nt experince drop outs or losing position even while driving though bridges. - F. Soliman, CA, USA

List Price : ~~$649.99~~

Click here for latest offer on Navigon 7100
Enjoy Free Shipping & Secure Shopping