GPS Sat Nav Systems

The Vexia Econav 480 is kind of a new-bie in the world of GPS devices; but they are definitely there to win some hearts and sneak through to get a spot in the niche market. The device not only shows the drivers how to go from A to B, but it even seems to be showing how to save some precious fuel in that process. With the ever increasing petrol prices, and a seemingly incessant need to look for a greener and much more budget-friendly ways to survive, a sat nav such as this one seems to be destined to be successful. Basically though, the Vexia Econav 480 is just a traditional in-car sat nav that has all of the usual accessories, with a collection of local tele Atlas maps and a slim as well as lightweight design. If you are one of those with the need to get directions quite too often, with a strong eco sense, the Vexia EcoNav 480 Sat Nav is one you might like, and can pick it up for about £130.

Alternate version:

The Vexia Econav is also available in another flavour, named as the 380, which has a 3.5” screen. The 480 model we are discussing today makes use a little bigger as well as easy on the eyes, 4.3” display. Both of these models can be obtained with either UK and Ireland or, with European maps on a pre-installed SD memory cards.

Slim and Stylish:

The model we are reviewing today, the Econav 480 Sat Nav System has the all-important style factor that today’s consumers are looking for. The GPS is quite slim, weighing almost nothing, which would contribute for its transition into an amazing media player that is portable; unfortunately though, there is no media functionality, however, you do get heaps of navigation-based additions. Its back also sports a glossy black chassis that adds some extra oomph to the style factor. What is more impressive about the design is its cool mounting arm that is a twist-for-suction pattern. It weighs just 154 grams and measures (H x W x D) 117 x 74 x 11.5mm.

User Interface:

The interface of the Vexia EcoNav 480 Sat Nav Unit can be well configured and also offers a range of options to fully customise it and route preferences. It features easy to navigate menus, again only if you have the audible feedback enabled, through which you know if your swipes are registered. Else majority of the time you might have to tap twice as the system is kind of slow to respond. As far as the Eco part of the software is concerned, it comes into play the minute the unit is turned on. We loved the postcode-entry screen that disables the irrelevant buttons on the keyboard, and then automatically switch to the numbers and back to letters as you type; this is a feature that its rivals should take a note of. The company should have also used the same way to get the input of the departure location, when you would like to plan a trip in advance to avoid being bizarrely transferred to some island at one end of the world from where you sadly need to manually navigate back to your chosen location.

Driving view:

The “Driving View” is amazingly clear with it auto zooming with an approaching junction. You get to see the ‘eco’ information in the sidebar or in full screen too. In the full screen mode, the display is mostly occupied by the gear indicator with braking, current speed limit, acceleration warning and safety camera displayed in smaller icons towards the left. In a bar below the gear indicator, it shows how economically you are driving, which turns green if you are quite safe, orange when you are doing just ok and red when you are doing it dangerously. The only concerning issue with the interface is that, there is no easy way to adjust the volume while driving or in EcoNav view. The main navigational software proved to be bit of a hit and miss. This is because; it is based on Sygic mobile apps that include all of the vital ingredients such as lane guidance, pre-planned itinerary and also the ability to include custom POIs. Some features like lane guidance proved to be hard to make out on the display and it also lacked the core features like Bluetooth ad well as live traffic information.

Features:

The device has employed a lot of the recent developments in this industry, including the safety camera alerts, lane assistant for the major roads, a wide range of points of interest, bike and pedestrian modes as well as the text to speech for the road names and junctions. Additionally, there is a unit converter, world clock, calculator together with the ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness by default. The ambient light sensor was unreliable, as it constantly changed the brightness for no apparent reason. Of course, there are some extras, but the gimmicks such as travel aids, TMC alerts, media support, and Bluetooth for mobiles, all of these features are the ones that helped TomTom stay on the top in the recent years are conspicuous by their absence.

EcoNav:

The highlight feature using with Vexia has been advertising its EcoNav 480 is that, it is capable of reducing power consumption by about £400 and even reduces carbon emissions by 30 percent each year. However, looking deeper, we found that the Econav achieves these in rather elementary means, and this can be recognised by anybody who has ever travelled with a kid or irritating back seat driver. A unique feature is that, it asks you to choose the type of vehicle that you are driving, out of its database of about 11000 vehicles and, it also calculates how quickly you are travelling as also in real time, calculates the gear you should be driving for a much more efficient use of the engine, which in turn results in reducing CO2 emissions and also increase fuel economy. With your car being absent in that list, you might have to do a manual configuration of the vehicle’s parameters. There is also additional option to select the number of passengers in the car and even your level of driving expertise can be configured separately.

The EcoNav in practice:

As sound as the idea of the eco mode sounds, it often seems to be proving wrong in practice. At the time of reviewing the unit, the EcoNav 480 actually recommended that we drive our car in 30mph in 3rd gear, when we could have definitely achieved a better fuel economy with lesser wear in engine and less pollution too, by just doing the same speed in 4th or even 5th gear. We also found similar issues with a range of other gear and speed combos. However, when we tried and followed the recommendations of the Econav’s gear, we felt as if we were trying to mimic the drivers who have no sense of economic driving habits whatsoever, and making the engine slog harder than what was necessary.

You need the patience:

We are not trying to say that the recommendations are wrong, but it is just that the gear recommendations are extremely annoying. The prompts seem to come at times when you might not naturally want to change the gear, and the choices do not make you feel as though you are driving more efficiently. You will be able to tolerate the device announcing “one, two, three, four and five”, every time you are driving, only if you are a Yoga master. This becomes particularly annoying if these instructions are not really useful and lead to unnecessary engine torture and additional use of fuel. Of course, there is an option to disable the audible prompts and just rely only on the visual cues. However, if you are going to take your eyes off the road in order to get some reassurance from the GPS as to what gear you have to be in, trust us, you have more issues than just the high petrol bills.

The graphs:

However, what was interesting though was the ability to view the reports on a daily, weekly, fortnightly, annual on the ‘most efficient journey’. Even though it effectively collates the sort of information you would find on a trip computer, it also offers an efficiency percentage that you can use to judge improvement over time. If you are considering the Vexia EcoNav 480 GPS sat nav System only because you find yourself in the wrong gear too often, we just recommend the age old trick; drive your car in the highest gear possible, and go for one gear less, when you get the feeling that you are about to stall.

Less Points Less Fines Technology:

Apart from the claim that it will save you fuel and save the planet some carbon, the Vexia EcoNav has another great, but common feature, known as “Less Points Less Fines Technology”. This comes in real handy with bringing down the speeding tickets that one would procure, by educating you on speeding. But the bad news is that, this feature too has a great deal of shortcomings as in the eco mode. This system is quite basic and also triggers a oral warning of the speed limit you are breaking, the number of points you might lose and the terrifying amount of fine you might get. During the initial few minutes, you might think that this feature is very interesting and useful. But, if you are one of those who does not care to do a 42mph in a 40mph zone, this feature is going to drive you nuts.

The sat nav feature:

Having discussed the gimmicks that the Vexia EcoNav 480 had to offer, we should not forget about the sat nav that is in there. Though this sat nav is quite basic, it is not too bad. The module is easy to use and has a complete 7-digit postcode entry, which does guide you more accurately to your destination and also reduces the hassle of entering long street names. The sat nav module too has got its own set of worries. The maddening voice instructions that haunts the eco mode and ‘less points less fines’ feature also has made its irritating presence in the navigation part too. For instance, if you have to turn left is a roundabout with three or more exits, the device says, “go straight over the roundabout and take the first exit”.  This is the same case irrespective of which exit you take, the unit always asks you to go straight over before announcing the exit road number.

Performance:

Taking to A to B:

The GPS was capable of doing a cold satellite fix in just under a couple of minutes, and setting up the route was very straightforward. Though the voice prompts are irritating, the directions are quite clear, and accurate as expected. The routing is quite sensible, and it took that best routes for the journey we were well aware of. We also liked the option that shows full sign boards, which were capable of accurately replicating the road signs. This will be very handy if you had missed the real thing.

The Issues:

The Vexia EcoNav 480 Satellite Navigation System has a number of issues that we encountered while testing; while none of these issues were major, they are the areas that we would like to see improved. To begin with, the EcoNav does not give any visual or audible warning in case you take a wrong turn, the device silently recalculates the route. If you are quite sharp, you will be able to notice a progress bar while recalculating, but trust us, you will easily miss it, and we are sure everybody would like some indication if they have taken a wrong turn. Another major issue is that, you will not be able to enter the destination until a satellite signal is obtained. This can prove to be extremely annoying if you are looking to check or pre-plan your trip indoors before getting on the road. With the other manufacturers, there is an “offline” mode, which allows you to calculate a route without the need of a satellite signal.

Warranty:

The Vexia EcoNav 480 sat nav comes with three years square trade warranty.

Verdict:

While the bonus bells and whistles of the Econav 480 should be given the device an edge over its rivals, unfortunately, they are either too flawed or too basic or too irritating. All you can expect out of the Vexia EcoNav 480 sat nav is just some guidance to get from A to B.  Weather it does it economically or not, its ability to give the right direction is of utmost importance and it is pleasing that the EcoNav is very much capable of this. Though the idea behind EcoNav is pretty sound, the system did not cut the mustard in practice. Overall, it is a little hard to like this GPS model. It is not as well built as the TomTom and, some Anglicisation is poor. It will not get you any magical extra miles from your car, and you will be able to achieve the optimum fuel efficiency just by accelerating, stepping on your break gently, and also by being on the highest gear possible for road conditions. The Vexia EcoNav 480 is reasonably capable, but not to forget the heaps of great models out there.

Vexia EcoNav 480 Sat Nav – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Vexia
Model Name	Vexia EcoNav 480 SatNav
GPS Application	In-car
Design	Ultra-thin and lightweight
Dimensions (H x W x D)	74 mm (H) x 117 mm (W) x 11.5 mm (D)
Weight	154 gram
Display	High quality touch screen
Display screen size	4.3 “
Display resolution	480 x 272 pixels
Navigation views	3D View
Memory	2GB Flash Internal Memory – 128MB SDRAM
Memory slots	Micro SD expansion slot
MP3 Player	No
Maps included	Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Vatican City. The map coverage also includes the connecting roads of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and the Russian Federation
Free TMC Reception	Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden. Premium TMC reception is charged for in Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Sweden and UK
Voice	Navigation instructions Voice command recognition
OS	EcoNav
Processor	500 Mhz Dual Core
Audio	Stereo 3.5 mm audio output jack
USB	2.0 up to 12 Mbps
Software features	Econav Technology Vexia Radar Plus Econav Report E-Change Safe following distance IEA (Excess Acceleration Indicator) IEF (Excess Braking Indicator) Gradient input (up to 3% uphill) Current speed Road speed limit Ecolights (Optimal speed) Ecotips
GPS Receiver	Sirf Atlas IV
Features	Voice instructions (Over 20 languages) Pre-installed Safety Cameras Lane Assistant Tunnel mode Detailed exit indications Road Sign Panels Maximum speed of the road Pedestrian mode 3D View Coordinate search Econav Information
Features to save energy	Intelligent Light (light sensor)
Box contents	Sat nav Navigator Car mount kit Cigar lighter Charger 12 V USB cable for PC connection Preloaded software Quick user Guide Protective Pouch
Guarantee	Three years

Overview:

Pros:

• Rugged design
• Bright display
• Ambilight sensor
• Intuitive interface
• 3 axis compass and barometric altimeter
• Selective load of data with the file management system
• Availability of aerial imagery
• Easy to load map
• Internal memory of 3.5GB
• Full sized memory card
• Capability of highway navigation
• Improvised battery life

Cons:

• Proprietary cable
• Tiny display
• Thumb screws on the battery compartment
• Limited track navigation
• Only one file can be opened at a time
• Bad highway navigation
• No advanced geocach filtering

Review:

Following the incredible success of the PN series 20 and 40, DeLorme has upgraded the series with the latest PN-60 and PN-60w. The improvements include an enhanced battery life, additional internal memory and also a set of features and functionalities similar to the one found in Garmin handheld GPS devices. PN 40’s major let down was with the battery life, and with that being taken care of in this new model, we are pretty sure that this DeLorme is here to stay.

The basic features of the PN-60w are same as that of its PN-60 sibling, but the PN-60w has the additional functionality of wireless communication between devices, with a promised firmware update. This device can be paired with the SPOT Satellite Communicator that enables users to send messages from the field through satellite. The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 promises to be a revolutionary device from the market leaders of handheld GPS.

Design:

Durable as always:

DeLorme has tried not to change the form factor of the PN-60 Handheld GPS System from that of the previous generations. Being designed to be mainly taken on hikes and trekking, the PN-60 has been tested under extreme conditions like biting freezing arctic conditions on the poles, and dust and heat of places such as Afghanistan. Sporting a strong as well as a smart design, the DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 can look good in both day to day and recreational times.

Slots and connectivity:

Nobody is happy with the thumb screws found on the battery compartment, but fortunately, with the improvised battery life, you may not have to deal with that very often. You will also find a full sized memory card slot inside the battery compartment. The data cable connectivity option provided is proprietary, which is not a good thing, but it does get rid of the issue of water-proofing that the mini-USB ports demand.

Power management:

With the improved battery life, comes the changes in management of the available power resources. For instance, now there is an ambient light sensor that can be used to control the backlight of the display and it also allows the accelerometer to sense when the device is not in motion. This even allows GPS tracking to be minimised or switched off temporarily. Both of these features are enabled once the device is set to power saving mode.

Features:

User Interface:

Similar to the design, the user interface too remains to be same as that of its predecessors. However, the main menu seems to have got a minor makeover with the graphics.

Function pages:

With the easy to use, icon based navigation on offer, the user can easily select the desired function in DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 Portable Sat Nav Unit. Just press the menu button twice to get back to the home page from any of the inner pages. You can get access to the second page of the icons by just navigating left or right. The main function pages include Satellite, Compass and WayPoints detail, which can be seen below. The satellite page gives you a review of the signal strength; Compass page, as the name indicates is a three axis digital compass that works while held in any orientation. Waypoints page is nothing but a list of the marked important places and storage of waypoints of interest.

Trips and Activities:

Earthmate PN-60 Sat Nav has information about your trips and activities. In these pages, you get to customise the details about your trip, such as big and small text display options, choosing from about 45 various types of information and just customise the layout with activity.

Utility pages:

DeLorme has also offered a few interesting utility pages, such as information for the nearby tide stations, sun and moon rise and set times along with the moon phase, and also hunting and fishing predictions for any of the date, time and locations.

Activity Profiles:

The other enhancements made with the interface of the PN60 include a set of activity profiles such as Hiking, GeoCaching, Cycling, Boating, Hunting, off-Roading, Fishing, Driving and Custom. With screen rotation, you get to flip the device upside down, but note that it does not work in the landscape mode.

Maps:

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 comes in with a set of discs containing the UK maps. The company has made is incredibly simple to pick a region and just install it into the device. If you wish to get the raster imagery such as aerial shots and topos to the PN60, just process them via the TOPO software. With this software, not only do you get the topo maps, but heaps of other stuff such as black and white aerial imagery, colour aerial imagery, high resolution colour aerial imagery, marine charts and SAT 10 imagery.

Performance:

Being adventurous:

We tested the performance of the DeLorme PN60 Portable Satellite Navigation System with some cycling and hiking. Mostly it was going to a point and coming back through the same way; in this way, we get to test the handheld device’s track separation errors, like how far each of the tracks vary on the way back, when compared to the way in. Most of the time, this removes the problems that come up with the satellite constellation variability, as well as aerial photo registration accuracy, etc. This is basically testing the device against itself, which allows you to see how well the track matched with both the trips within a short time slot. Performance of the Earthmate PN-60 is comparable to the other Garmin, Navigon and TomTom devices. At times, the performance of the PN-60 Handheld seemed to be better than that of the other Garmin units. As far as the altimeter accuracy is concerned, the Elevation Climbing data field seems to be recording a total ascent of about 10% higher than what is expected. There were some occasional delays of about a second or so, in response to the controls. Though it was not too often to be very annoying, but just enough to be noticed.

Tracks and profiles:

The tracks and profile pages allows the user to record their trips and have details of elevation. It can record any of the ride, hike, bike or any other type of routing on offer. In the profile page, you get the detailed elevation profile and the in-detail profile stats can be got on the profile stats page.

GeoCaching the pages:

With the GeoCaching Pages, you get complete paperless geocaching with full cache details and logging. The features include Pocket Query Support, See cache description and hint and Compose Field Notes. In order to load caches, you will have to transfer a single geocache directly from the site geocaching.com. Then, make use of the Cache Register Widget from DeLorme or, just transfer a pocket query through Top0. The DeLorme PN-60 GPS Sat Nav System managed to be as accurate as that of Garmin, and it also settles down pretty quick. It is a hassle to scroll down each time to get the logs and, there are also no separate menu items to access them. But the most irritating of them all is that, it does not have the ability to filter the caches based on difficulty, size, terrain etc, which is a very handy feature that was introduced in models of Garmin and Magellan.

Data Management:

As far as Data Management is concerned, the PN60 makes use of a file system, which has its own set of boons and banes. You get to have waypoint files for particular areas and even track files for particular trails, and just load the ones you wish. The bad news is, you will not be able to load a file of waypoints and a pocket query file of geocaches at once. It is not capable of navigating to a particular waypoint and also display the nearby geocaches on the map. There are options to combine data sources and also get all of them in one file of format .gpx, but all of this takes off more out of your precious time. Again, you will be able to add just one track file at a time and if you got trails for a specific area set up as one trail per track file, you do not get to see all of the trails. However, you will be able to get rid of the issue with some data manipulation with the Topo.

Waypoints and Geocaches:

The navigation through the geocaches and waypoints, as well as following the routes is just straightforward.

We fell in love with the Advanced Track Navigation of Garmin and, were left quite disappointed that the PN60 does not have the capability to display the distance to waypoints through the track. As you can see in the image below, the track being navigated is shown. Though the distance to the end of the track is displayed, you cannot get the distance to the waypoints along it. Though DeLorme says that there are a few enhancements to be done on the roadmap regarding this issue, we are not sure on how they are going to be implemented.

On the roads:

One of the biggest advantages of the Earthmate PN-60 is its integrated ability of highway navigation. The small screen comes in as a disadvantage to this boon, as it makes processes such as entering the address, very tough and the database is also limited. Never buy the PN-60 thinking that it can act as your primary GPS, it is not going to give a hand in any urgent situations. However, this is a great option for the geocachers, hikers and other adventurous people, as it is more than just capable of getting them to the local trailhead they wish. You can get the most out of it by using it in combination with the waypoints, POIs as well as geocaches on the PN60, instead of entering the address. Even if you are going to give a specific address to the device, it is never going to take you to the exact spot. When we entered a specific address, the best PN60 was able to do was to give a 10 block range.

Package contents:

The package contents of the DeLorme Earthmate PN60 includes the handheld GPS itself, Regional Discs of PN-Series Maps, Quick Start Guide, two Lithium AA batteries, User Manual, Certificate for free downloads, USB Cable and Neck Lanyard.

Warranty:

DeLorme Earthmate PN60 Handheld GPS comes with one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 Handheld GPS is a great upgrade for those who are looking to upgrade their PN-40 or PN-20. This latest version in the PN Series is quite a capable handheld, sporting plethora of features and functionalities. But its usability is restricted to those adventurous and for consumers looking for anything beyond that will be disappointed and will simply kick themselves. The small screen comes in as one of the major disadvantages of the device. The first time users will find the device to be extremely complicated, though it is nothing more than the first-gen Garmin Handhelds. Overall, the Earthmate PN-60 is an excellent choice as an upgrade from your previous handheld, and that is about it.

DeLorme Earthmate PN-60 Portable Sat Nav – Product Specification Table

Manufacturer	DeLorme
Model Name	DeLorme Earthmate PN-60
GPS Application	Biking, Hiking, Trekking etc
Colours Available	Red
Dimensions (W x H x D)	5.25 x 2.43 x 1.5 inches
Package Weight	5.28 ounces
Colour display	Yes
Display screen size	1.75 x 1.38 inches
Touchcsreen	No
Display resolution	220 x 176 pixels
Navigation views	Visual map display
Memory type	Internal 3.5GB
Expandable memory	Yes
MP3 Player	No
Maps included	Road / Topo
Voice	No
Compatibility	Windows
Position accuracy	WAAS-enabled 3 meters
Preloaded geocaches	No
Basemap	Yes
Number of routes	Unlimited
Number of waypoints	Variable
Wireless communication	No
Compass	Yes
Altimeter	Pressure-based
Camera	No
Quad helix antenna	No
Compact antenna	Yes
Battery type	2 AA
Battery life on single charge	14 hours
Warranty	One year

Sony comes very close next to Apple when it comes to innovations and revolutions, now, who can forget their signature Walkmans and Handycams? Right now they have made a brilliant move with the merging of the successful navigational system in to Sony’s own in-dash A/V units. The series comes with two products: the XNV-L770BT and XNV-L660BT. In the following review, we will see about the advanced Sony XNV-L770BT GPS system. In this case, Sony has actually joined hand with the GPS market giants, TomTom to assist the clueless European and American drivers. Both the navigation systems of the series shared most of their features. The major difference between the both is that, while the XNV-L770BT had a display size of 7 inches, the XNV-L660BT has a step down size of 6.1″. Read on to find more about the Sony XNV-L770BT GPS and comparisons with its siblings in the series.

Sony is actually not the name that comes to your mind when it comes to GPS. Instead, it is TomTom and we think of Sony only with words such as great displays or attractive PSP like user interfaces. It is good to know that instead of rivalling this brand perception, Sony has embraced it with this XNV-L770BT in-car AV/GPS receiver. Most would think why Sony did not choose Garmin, which is the usual choice of most manufacturers for such products, but TomTom sure has a lot of extras, and Sony would love to prove the sceptical wrong.

Design:

Stunning display:
A little while back, Sony had bought its double-DIN car audio receiver into the market, which managed to provide the company some success. With the XNV-L770BT, Sony has decided to stay with the looks of its established receiver gadget, with a motorised fascia with over 90% of its real estate dominated by a huge 7″ LCD display.  Needless to say that the display is absolutely stunning with a resolution of 800 x 480 WVGA pixels. This resolution is heaps higher than what you will usually see on a car’s dashboard.

Ports and slots:

Most of controlling of the device is done through the touch display, however there are some physical controls too along the bottom edge of the display bezel, they include: source selection/input, volume up/down and a strangely labelled “Top” button that takes you to the main menu. In the rear of this motorised panel, there is a single slot CD/DVD optical drive and unlike most of the all in one GPS units in the market, you will not find any SD card slot for media playback or even updates for GPS maps. We also have to mention here that Sony has got quite an interesting way to provide its consumers with the later of these features.

All in all, at the rear, you will find 2 video and audio inputs, 2 stereo audio outputs, a video output, a single USB connection, a monaural subwoofer output and you will also two other ports for stuff that are not included in the package: one for an external satellite radio tuner and also a dedicated input for a rear-view camera. Note that, these connections can be configured in ample ways to support whatever device you wish to use. For instance, the included 30 pin dock connector allows you to bridge the USB port and even the video input to allow for the iPod video playback.

Remote Control:

There is also a small infra red remote control that comes in the package. In the remote, as always, there is the power button, and the other controls include Monitor off button, Position button which is to switch the listening position (front L, front R, front, all, custom and off), return button to go back to the previous display, a equilizer button to select curve from 7 music types (Xplod, vocal, edge, cruise, space, gravity, custom and off), number buttons, clear button, ATT button, play/pause button, forwards and rewind buttons, DVD playback settings buttons, zap button, enter buttons, source buttons, mode button and volume buttons.

Installation and Set-up:

At the time of installation, the external TomTom GPS module and cradle has to be installed in a used accessible place; for instance, the rear of glove compartment or footwell. This unit is actually the heart of the processing of Sony module’s navigation functions. It displays an interface that is same as that of TomTom’s PNDs on the touch screen display of the XNV-L770BT. You can just remove this GPS module from the cradle and connected to a PC with the help of a USB connection for updating with TomTom’s famous Home suite. After the updates are done, the GPS can be put right back into the cradle and the device resumes navigation. It is just that the XNV-L770BT will be functioning even without the GPS unit in its location, but the navigation features is not available until that module is connected. Depending on how you do the installation, an external magnetic GPS antenna might be able to provide you with some superior positioning sensitivity. And, the vehicle speed sensor connectivity aids the car tracking while the satellite signal goes unpredictable. At the time of installation, there is a sun visor-mounted microphone that can be even placed on the external dashboard. With the help of this microphone, you will also be able to make hands-free calls. This mic is connected to the rear panel of the L770BT, that comes with a great deal of connectivity points for the sake of audiovisual inputs, outputs, pig tails and wire bind.

Being one of the do it yourself installations, we would rate the difficulty level of this installation to be moderate. You may have to put in some effort to mount the external GPS module’s cradle, tap the car’s speedometer and route connections for the external mic, parking brake sensors, and GPS antenna and also make some standard connections for ground, power, speakers and external amplification, that is, if it is available.

Features:

Both XNV-L770BT and its sibling have rear USB ports for the sake of iDevice connections, with support for multi-channel audio playback and, what is to be noted is, about 45 European countries maps, thanks to the TeleAtals Maps. You will also be treated with the familiar extras of TomTom such as about six million POIs, IQ Routes, Advanced Lane Guidance and MapShare.

Interface:
As far as the User Interface is concerned, the menus and audio source information comes on very crisply. However, considering the fact that you will be able to input only standard definition videos, the ultra high resolution display simply seems to be a gimmick or simply needless. Anyways, this resolution of 800 x 480 pixels seems just great for the 480p encoded DVD video and we would have complained even more if the pixels were too little too. Since the screen is of the resistive touch sensitive type, you have to press really firm to register you input and we also have to mention here that the display is responsive enough for you to get through with finger swipes. The main menu of the unit has three main options including Navigation, AV Source and BT Phone.

The only thing that we were left wishing for on the Sony XNV-L770BT  integrated Sat Nav Unit and in-dash A/V Receiver is its menu control and structure that needs some tweaking. For instance, while enjoying music, if you liked to make a call, you have to go back to the main menu and enter the phone menu. Same is the case when you wish to change audio tracks at the time of navigation. Hence, it is a whole lot of button pressing to be done for a gadget that is to be used on car on motion.

AV sources:

When you get on to the AV sources menu, then you will find a nice bird’s-eye view of the video and audio entertainment sources available. The sources available include USB/iPod connectivity, auxiliary analog audio, Bluetooth audio streaming, CD/DVD playback,  and video input and AM/FM radio. Out of these, the iPod connectivity is the most fun. When attached properly with the help of a dock connector, you will be able to playback video on Sony’s display while the car is parked. However, we did not know why it did not coax playbaxk out of the iPod Nano and Classic sans issues, and the iPhone 4 came up with a “Device not compatible” message. In spite of getting this message, you will be able to get the Sony XNV-L770BT playback audio from the unit.

BT Phone:

The entire hands-free calling functionalities are handled with the BT Phone option. Once you have paired the phone, with the help of a four digit PIN number, you will be able to sync your GPS’s phonebook. As soon as this is over, you will be able to manually search with the help of touchscreen interface. You will also find an option to browse the phonebook residing on the device that is not capable of syncing and also that of the latest calls along with a physical numerical dialler. You also get to save the frequently accesses contacts to one of the 6 available predetermined buttons on the menu screen of the phone. In the main display of the BT Phone menu, you will find a button for voice dialling that provides commands to the paired handset’s voice dialling processor. We were left wishing that this control was not left deep inside two levels in the main menu. As with everyone, we are not so keen on having to do multiple presses to access the voice command; a simpler access to this voice command will be appreciated in the next version of the device, even a small physical button on the bezel of the device will be great.

Navigation:

As far as the Navigation option is concerned, that is produced by the exterior TomTom GPS module which actually mirrors the TomTom PND of akin vintage, like that of the TomTom XL 550. The main menu of navigation has two major options for selecting destinations using either an array of menus and searches or by just browsing a map with the graphic Point of Interest icons. In the second row, you will find smaller icons that allow you to adjust and fine tune the options that have things to do with navigation.

A separate interface:
Since Sony seems to be importing the navigation interface of TomTom on wholesale, the GPS functionality seems to be completely separated from the other functions of Sony. This will be odd when you wish to do other stuff except for navigation, like changing radio stations at the time of navigation or just selecting a different song in the playlist of iPod. Hence, if you wish to access any of these functions, then you will have to go back to the main menu and back to the audio source menu, which seems to be a little clunky. You can even overlay an optional audio source window onto the navigational display in any of the screen’s 4 corners. However, this solution too is clunky because the new window always seems to be in the way of some part of the map or the onscreen address entry keypad. We also found that, TomTom’s navigational interface runs at a lower resolution than the native resolution of the 7″ display of Sony. The difference is visible and would not have been noticeable if not for the contrast with Sony’s stunningly crisp interface graphics. Though this is not a big deal, it is just worth noting.

Zappin:
Having Sony’s Zappin technology, it allows you to easily select your music and can also be connected to a wide range of digital music players such as iPod, Walkman, USB Memory drives and iPhone.

SensMe:
There is also a feature known as SensMe which will help you in choosing the songs to be played that is based on the places you drive on. For instance, the XNV-L770BTwill play you a few upbeat songs if you are driving on a highway and slow songs when you are driving slow in hectic traffic. This feature is fun and useful too, keeping you entertained during the entire trip. SensMe has to be set up before it starts to work. Connect the registered USB device to your computer and drag and drop tracks from Windows Explorer or iTunes, etc to “content transfer”. The SencMe has a list of channels options which includes three main channels list: Recommended/ Shuffle All, Basic Channels and In-Car Channels.

The Recommended or Shuffle All option plays tracks that are recommended for each time of the day. The options include Morning (5:00 – 9:59), DayTime (10:00 – 15:59), Evening (16:00 – 18:59), Night (19:00 – 23:59) and MidNight (24:00 – 4:59). The Shuffle All option plays all of the analysed tracks in a random order.

The Basic Channels option plays tracks according to the music type. “Energetic” option plays high spirit tracks, “Relax” plays calm tracks, “Mellow” means melancholy tracks, “UpBeat” as you can imagine plays happy tracks to enhance your mood, “Emotional” plays Ballad tracks, “Lounge” plays Lounge tracks, “Dance” plays rhythm and rap, rhythm and blues tracks and the “Extreme” option plays you the intense rock tracks.

Finally, there is the In-Car Channels that plays tracks that are suitable while driving. The “Freeway” option plays speedy and high sprit tracks, “Chillout Drive” option plays intoned, healing ballad tracks, “Weekend Trips” plays delightful, bright and happy tracks, “Midnight Cruise” plays jazz or piano-featured tracks with a mature mood, “Party Ride” plays up-tempo and lively, “Morning Commute” plays bright and breezy tracks and there is even “Goin Home” playing you warm and relaxing tracks.

Local Search:
Having been built on the same platform as that of Sony’s popular XAV-70BT, the XNV-L770BT too enjoys the Local Search with Google that allows you to look for restaurants, local shops and other businesses with the Google Map option. The best part is, with the BT Call function, you will be able to make a call to book a table or whatever, right from the search page.

HD Traffic:
The HD Traffic information is updated every three minutes, so that the drivers are kept updated about the incidents on road and delays.

MapShare:
As always, the TomTom MapShare means that you will be able keep the maps up to date, with corrections made from other drivers through your system and TomTom’s free Home software.

Safety Alerts:
The Safety Alerts on the GPS provides advance warning of safety cameras and dangerous places.

Performance:

Irrespective of how good the design and features might me, the performance is what is essential, especially if the device has the job of driving you around. In that case, Sony XNV-L770BT all-in-one GPS catches the satellite immediately and drives you properly even through the most complicated junctions. The Audio is very important for such as device. Being able to playback all types of formats, it produces some powerful sound with its built-in amplifier and seven band equaliser. You will be able to experience a 5.1 surround sound experience by the centre stage optimiser as well as the advanced sound engine.

Warranty:

The Sony XNV-L770BT all-in-one GPS comes with one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Overall, XNV-L770BT Satellite Navigation System does a great job in playing to its strengths and also outsources its alleged weaknesses with the external TomTom GPS module that engulfs the dazzling seven inch display with the complete TomTom navigational experience. It can be said that it is quite a novel approach that manages to keep Sony from going through the trouble of reinvent the wheel with its own navigational software and put it into test with its valuable consumers.

The display of the GPS is a real treasure. If you are one of those who like watching video inside your car while being parked, you will not find a better GPS than this. In addition to this the device has a great deal of inputs and outputs that make it an amazing starting point for, say, a video game. The external GPS module of the device does add some complexity to the installation of the device. Yet, you do get an established interface that is familiar as well as functional. It also takes advantage of TomTom technologies like IQ Routes as well as Map Share, which is a great additional effort. Though there is a minor quibble with the menu, there is a lot to love about Sony’s latest all-in-one GPS. It is a high performer on features, design and performance, hence, it gets a “highly recommended” from us.

Sony XNV-L770BT Sat Nav System – Product Specification Details

Manufacturer	Sony
Model Name	XNV-L770BT all in one Start Satellite Navigation system
GPS Application	In-Car
Colours Available	Black
Dimensions (W x H x D)	178 mm x 100 mm x 189 mm
Package Weight	2.7 Kg
Display	Wide LCD colour monitor
Display screen size	7 inch
Display technology	TFT active matrix
Display resolution	1,152,000 pixels (800 × 3 (RGB) × 480)
Navigation views	2D and 3D
Memory type	Internal flash memory
MP3 Player	Yes
Maps included	UK and Ireland
Voice	Navigation instructions Voice command recognition
Compatibility	Windows and Mac OS X 10.3 and above
GPS Module	Highly sensitive GPS chipset
GPS Receiver	Highly sensitive GPS Receiver
Features to save time and money	HD Traffic IQ Routes technology Safety Alerts QuickGPSfix
Enhanced safety features	Help me – emergency menu Safety preferences
Radio	Yes
Included GPS Software	TomTom HOME
Included accessories	Remote Commander: RM-X170 Parts for installation and connections (1 set) Microphone CD-ROM (Application disc) GPS antenna (aerial) Navigation module Car dock Plastic stud (3) USB cable
Outputs	Video output terminal (rear) Audio output terminals (front/rear) Subwoofer output terminal Power antenna (aerial) relay control terminal Power amplifier control terminal
Inputs	Telephone ATT control terminal Illumination control terminal Remote controller input terminal Antenna (aerial) input terminal Parking break control terminal Microphone input terminal Reverse input terminal Camera input terminal AUX audio input terminals AUX video input terminals USB signal input connector
Optional accessories	USB and Video connection cable for iPod: RC-202IPV Rear View Camera: XA-R800C
Battery type	Internal lithium ion
Battery life	Up to 2 hours autonomous battery life
Guarantee	One year

Most hype in the market of satellite navigation has always been about the mobile data enabled, the so-called ‘live’ services and also the increasing importance of the smartphone apps. However, the standalone PND devices have been cursed to be chunky and they remained to be quite heavy for a long time now. But, with the latest Nuvi 3790T, Garmin has put the PND into a serious diet. Not only has it managed to make it the thinnest and lightest, but also to be on par with the iPhone on the ramp. It has a set of specifications that screams that “I am the next iPhone”. We cannot stop raving about its stylish designs in the introduction itself, so the “style” factor of this sat nav is guaranteed; read on to find out to find if its features and performance too compliments its style factor.

Design:

Seriously thin:

For most part of their existence, the stand alone navigators have retained their same form factor; each one looked like the other, with the major differences being just a fold-out or an integrated antenna and just a big or small display. With some intense competition from the smartphone space, the biggies of the GPS market like Garmin and TomTom keep coming up with ways and means of innovation to retain their stakes in the consumer PND battle. The Garmin Nuvi 3790T has its looks very similar to that of the iPhone 4 (but with better reception), and it is seriously thin. Here are its dimensions to give you an idea on how seriously thin the GPS is; (H x W x D) 75mm x 122mm x 8.7mm. being thin does not mean that it compromises on the build quality by any means; it feels quite sturdy and well made when held in hand.

Display:

So, what is new with the display? To begin with, it is a capacitive multi-touch display. While Garmin’s “older” Nuvi screens came with some of the finest resistive displays that we have laid hands upon, this one surpasses its predecessors. The 10.9cm glass WVGA display of the Nuvi 3790T is quite bright and easy to see even at bright sunlight. The fact that the glass is reflective will not cause any issues while at the road.

Buttons, slots and ports:

The rear of the Nuvi 3790T GPS device has a mixture of black brushed aluminium and plastic finishing. This is where the speaker has been placed and the edge of the unit has been given shiny chrome covering with a power switch placed over it. As with all the traditional PND devices, the bottom edge houses all the ports, such as a USB 2.0 port for syncing to your PC or Mac using the supplied software, along with a proprietary windscreen mount. For additional storage, there is also a microSD card slot at the right edge.

User Interface:

Once you get over with amazing hardware of the device, Garmin blows you all over again with its incredible user interface which is simple, smart and jam packed with features; each better than ever before. From the start-up menu to the sub menus, Garmin has offered you with huge, bold buttons and beautiful graphics that makes the user interface an absolute breeze to find your way around. We think that the whole interface had been designed by somebody with a strong fetish for iPhone; the difference notable is that, the results seem to be simply spectacular. And it all gets only better when combined with the high resolution display. For instance, you get details of the terrain in 3D namely the valleys and hills, Photo Realistic illustration of Junctions depicting what the road ahead looks like along with loads of eye-candy buttons.

It is a fairly smart move from Garmin to have taken advantage of the extra pixels – the 800 x 480 pixels WVGA resolution allows for placement of 4 information boxes alongside the map, both during navigation and with just plainly browsing through the map with no route plugged in. Things like driving direction, elevation, current speed, time and speed limit, time and distance to destination all of which can be arranged and selected with the option to priorities info as per your choice, all with a single press.

Features:

Features wise, you are offered with free lifetime traffic alerts, which is appreciable but not a new concept, text-to-speech for spoken street names, lane guidance, junction view, Bluetooth hands-free, speed and red-light camera alerts, lane guidance, speed limit display, and map. It does not have MP3 playback or internet connectivity.

Accelerometer:

The insides of the Garmin Nuvi 3790T Satellite Navigation System is equipped with all the usual suspects, along with a few unusual ones too, including an accelerometer to be used with a full capacitive touchscreen that we had mentioned earlier. This accelerometer helps you to use the device on the windscreen mount on either portrait or landscape mode and works like a real charm with the orientation changes in the screen occur in mere seconds upon being tilted.

nuRoute:

But, Garmin Nuvi 3790T is not all bells and whistles. Going deeper into the user interface, you will find the nuRoute with Traffic Trends and myTrends, which are nothing but Garmin’s version of IQ Routes and HD Traffic. The nuRoutes option will work out the best route for you depending on the destination and time of the day, and in fact, it also takes in to consideration your preferred driving style. The good news does not end here, as the route calculation is pretty quick and the system is actually intelligent enough to adapt in case you had chosen to go off-route. And as soon as it realises that you are actually ignoring all its nagging requests to get back on the route it had chose for your previously, it then plots another based on the current route that you had decided to pick; not many sat nav systems are actually as quick as this one on the uptake. There is also two specific ways to route; you can select automobile or pedestrian, and then customise options within each.

Address entering:

When entering a destination, you can search for an address by street only across an entire country without needing to know the town, and you can search for a Point Of Interest by keyword across an entire country. Nevertheless both of these are separate entities wherein certain Satnav’s allows search of both the databases concurrently like the Mio Navman Spirit devices.

Point Of Interest:

The Garmin Nuvi 3790T Sat Nav Unit excels at Point Of Interest too and scores really high. While the low-end Sat Navs are quite happy to just serve you with a list of fast food establishments when you ask for the local restaurants, the Nuvi 3790T actually goes to the extent of asking you what kinds of food you would like to eat; from American, Indian, Italian to Mexican. The POIs have also been presented in logical categories; for instance, the Transit one is very handy if you are in search of a train station or airport. And, since you are subjected to switch between being a car driver and pedestrian at times, the device will continue to plot your route on foot. It can even assist you find your car again using what Garmin calls as ‘Park Position Recall’.

Voice Command:

Coming to the Voice Command feature if the 3790T we have to admit, it is fairly robust. With Microsoft’s SYNC system having left us with sore disappointment Garmin sure did come to our rescue with their markedly superior implementations. You will have to be fairly slow in your speech and it just proves to be handy only with locating nearby address/places that is already saved; meaning you cannot voice out a full address if you are doing so for the first time, but well it sure does seem to be a nice addition. So long as you are clear and audible, you get to control majority of aspects like POIs, postcodes and addresses. There will barely be instances where the system misinterprets your instructions and even by chance if it does so, backtracking is fairly easy. To such an extent entering the address manually would begin to feel clunky.

Extras:

There are heaps of other goodies too. One of the license saving feature is that, they way the Nuvi 3790T Portable & in-car Sat Nav pulls out Cyclops safety camera alerts on the display. They are actually a black dialogue box if you are on the speed limit and it pops up again in red if you are overdoing the limit. These dialogue boxes are actually very informative, it tells you whether the camera is a red light one, mobile camera or fixed camera that you have to be worried about.

Performance:

Garmin Nuvi 3790T’s exceptional design and features is very well complimented by its performance, which impressed us the most. Both the 3D and 2D maps are striking with impressive load times when compared to the slower and older versions. Likewise the street and town names auto-populate at phenomenal speed. We were actually surprised at the route that it took to the destination, going through roads we had never dreamed of travelling on before. The best part was that, it was actually right and the route it picked was pretty clever as they were practically empty and hence, managed to miss most of the jams. The PhotoReal representations of some of the most complex junctions are very clear and easy to understand. The entire gadget is such a doodle to use and anybody will fall in love with it so easily. If you are an existing Nuvi user, then you might find the navigation functionality pretty much familiar, but having said that apart from the on-board EcoRoute function, enhanced pedestrian options and lifetime alerts on traffic, there is nothing much software-wise to encourage an upgrade.

The Garmin Nuvi 3790T Sat Nav is absolutely a gorgeous gadget loaded with features that goes on to include a capacitive touchscreen, a display boasting a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and a UI that seems pretty much akin to Apple’s playbook; just a thousand times better. The TomTom Go 950 Live sure is one of the best satnavs around, but the Garmin Nuvi 3790T has managed to surpass it by a great deal.

The speaker and voice:

The only real complaint that we have with the Nuvi 3790T is that, it has the same curse as that of the Mio Navman 575. It has the horrible robot lady voice that comes out through a really poor speaker that seems to distort easily if you turn up the volume even a little bit. Even weird is the accent used, it is part west country, part German and part Geordie.

Battery:

The battery life of the Nuvi 3790T is hugely impressive with its lack of space for a bulky cell and also the very fact that it remains On for the entire span of navigation. Also we would be glad to support Garmin’s claims that it can run up to 4 solid hours with a full charge.

Package:

The box contents of the Garmin Nuvi 3790T includes the device itself, a 12v power adaptor, a USB 2.0 cable and an FM antenna that can be attached to the windscreen to receive all the traffic information and these updates are absolutely subscription free. But, it is on you to locate a screen protector of some sort if you think this will end up in your pocket, backpack or purse on a semi-regular basis.

Verdict:

You are asking us for a verdict after all of this? Well, we do not mind saying it all again. Garmin has done it again with the Nuvi 3790T. It is already renowned as the maker of some of the best known GPS devices, now it has completely wrong-footed its competitors by coming up with something that is in shouting distance of the iPhone 4, both for its touchscreen and its interface’s ease of use too. What else can we say? Its design is brilliant, looks fantastic, excellent ease of use, an awesome set of features and absolute performance. What really stands out is just how amazingly simple, well thought out, insightful and hassle-free the entire thing is. Features such as PhotoReal Junctions, swooping, swiping and the finger-pinch zooming has a geniuses’ touch to them. As we had mentioned earlier, if there is anything at all to be grumpy about this magnificent state of art Sat Nav, it would be the quality of the speaker and the iffy accent of the lousy robot. Overall, the 3790T is possibly the best in the current GPS arena.

If you ask us that if it is worth its hefty price tag, well! In case you are looking for a standalone navigator, the answer is a big yes. Then again, if you are an existing owner of an Android that successfully gets you from point A to D, then the 3790T could be a tougher sell really. Is it worth an upgrade? If you are using a TomTom unit, the answer is an emphatic “yes.” Then again if you are an existing user of a fairly new version of the nuvi, then the answer would be a no because there are no bells and whistles in terms of mapping changes  here and you are still stuck with the familiar robotic gal who just gets you ready for an approaching turn.

Check other Latest GPS Sat Nav Systems, TomTom Sat Nav Reviews in this website.

Garmin Nuvi 3790T Sat Nav – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Garmin
Model Name	Garmin Nuvi 3790T
GPS Application	In car and pedestrian
Dimensions (W x H x D)	4.8″W x 2.9″H x .35″D (12.2 x 7.5 x .89 cm)
Weight	4 ounces (113.4 g)
Display	Glass, dual-orientation, WVGA color TFT with white backlight
Display screen size	3.7″W x 2.2″H (9.4 x 5.6 cm); 4.3″ diag (10.9 cm)
Display resolution	800 x 480 pixels
Memory type	internal solid state
Memory card	microSD card (not included)
Map provider	Preloaded City Navigator® NT data for the UK and Ireland
Maps included	Base map, preloaded street maps
Ability to add additional maps	Yes
Waypoints/favorites/locations	1000
Voice	Voice commands
Connector type	USB
Compatibility	Windows and Mac OS X 10.4 and above
High-sensitivity receiver	Yes
GPS Module	High Sensitivity with Hot Fix
Water Proof	No
Includes lifetime map updates	No
Ability to add maps	Yes
Included GPS Software	Preloaded City Navigator® NT data for the UK and Ireland
Features	Voice prompts Speaks street names Voice-activated navigation Lane assist trafficTrends™ myTrends™ 3-D building view Auto sort multiple destinations Auto re-route Choice of route setup Route avoidance Bluetooth® wireless technology FM traffic compatible Speed limit indicator Where Am I? Garmin Locate™ ecoRoute™ Qwerty or ABC keyboard Custom POIs Garmin Garage™ vehicles compatible Garmin Garage™ voices compatible Photo navigation World travel clock, currency & unit converter, calculator Picture viewer Garmin Lock™
Included accessories	Vehicle suction cup mount, Vehicle power cable, Dashboard disc and a Quick start manual.
Battery type	Rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life	Up to 4 hours
Warranty	One year