Navigon's 7100 focuses on navigation instead of music and media. But did it do a good job telling us where to go?
Review summary of the Navigon 7100:
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 The physical design of Navigon's 7100 is aesthetically pleasing, and while the actual unit is quite plain, we loved the smooth lines and the way the arm locked into the device. We had issues with the touchscreen, which wasn't as sensitive as we'd like, but the turn by turn direction was fantastic, vocally telling us to turn at the exact moment we needed to, taking out any guesswork of which road we needed to turn onto. The route planning and mapping software might need a little work, as when it directed us to a state park, it simply stopped once we reached the border, leaving us to find the entrance ourselves. Ultimately, we enjoyed the experience of using the 7100, but it can certainly use a little work. Release: October 2007. Price: $500.
Pros: Attractive design, free traffic info, ZAGAT Survey
Cons: Poor touchscreen sensitivity, route planning inconsistent
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Full review of the Navigon 7100:
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Design - Very Good
The Navigon 7100 follows in the same vein as all of Navigon’s units, and takes the standard rectangular shape of most GPS units. About an inch thick, it has a headphone jack, mini USB power port, a compartment for a stylus, a speaker and coupler for the included dash-mounted arm. There is also an SD card slot at the top, however this is what Navigon uses to store map information.
The Navigon 7100 is a very good looking device, much more classy and sleek than your average PND. The arm-bar that suctions to the windshield is elegant and clean, and the device itself is very attractive. The screen was a bit washed-out, especially in bright sunlight, but still quite viewable.
Interface - Very Good
Structurally, the 7100’s menus were not the simplest we could have imagined, but they did have a visual flow and were easy to follow, if not easy to remember. When looking for their destination, users can start by city, street or POI (Points of Interest).
Once the address is entered and navigation begins, the device automatically zooms in and out based on the speed you are traveling. When slowing to a stop, the screen zooms in on the street level, and when in major metropolitan areas like Manhattan, the view converts to a street-level 3D view, showing local Zagat-rated restaurants, although trying to tap the tiny Zagat icons for more info proved difficult. ATMs and other POIs were also visible.
On the HUD (Heads Up Display), the small turn-indicator box tells the user not only which direction, but also how sharp of an angle the next turn will be. We liked that the device guided you both before and during the turn, telling you to "turn left in .1 miles," and then when you were at the exact point, telling you to "turn now." This is especially helpful, especially in a city like New York which has plenty of 5-way (or worse) intersections.
The device can be set to warn the driver when traveling over the posted speed limit, at 5, 10 and 15 mph intervals. It measures your speed and checks it against posted speed limits, but it is not a good idea to rely on it to prevent you from getting pulled over.
Directions - Good
On our test trip to the mountains north of New York City, we attempted to create a multi-stop route with the route planner, but the device completely skipped our first destination. Even more troubling, when the device said we had finally arrived at the final destination, we weren't quite there yet. The checkered flag left us just outside a Metro-North rail station, and we had to continue two miles down the same road before we found an alternate entrance into the park that was our end point. We punched in directions to the town of Bear Mountain, and then we were led several more miles down the same road, and about 16 miles through mountain passes before we finally found our destination.
We liked the idea of traffic updates, but we didn't like how the 7100 handled traffic rerouting. When warning you of traffic jams, the device doesn't analyze all possible routes to your destination. For example, if traffic on one road is bad the Navigon 7100 offers to plan a new trip, but rather than create a completely new route with the least traffic, it simply avoids the road ahead, and if there is more traffic further in the route will ask you again if you want to avoid it. Instead of simply avoiding the road, we would prefer the Navigon pick the best approach, say the Lincoln tunnel into New York City instead of the Holland tunnel.
Hardware performance - Very Good
Upon startup, the device told us we were on 1st avenue and 12th street, but we were actually about a couple blocks northwest of that position. It took us about 30 seconds of inching along in traffic before the unit corrected our location. While it eventually recalculated the route, we found it a bit troubling that our location wasn’t corrected until we were moving, since Navigon warns not to operate the device while driving (thankfully, we had a co-pilot on our test trip). The predicted distances for the trip were also off a bit while we were negotiating the city. Once we began moving on the highway, distances were more accurately reported.
We found the touch screen was not as responsive as we’d like. We usually had to push very hard and multiple times on the screen in order to get a response. The included stylus helped, but again we could never advise using a stylus for input while driving, whereas using just the touchscreen isn't advisable, but is also less harrowing. The battery lasted for about 4.5 hours of use in various states of readiness (navigating, on but not moving and with the LCD off) before we had to recharge it, and though only about half that time was serious navigating, we were still impressed. Software updates were available after registering at Navigon’s Web site, and took about 15 minutes to install with the device plugged into the computer.
Comparison
Compare the Navigon 7100 with similar products
Price and availability
Available in the U.S. in October 2007, the Navigon 7100 is priced at $500 .
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