Sony XNV-770BT has three main functions and they are spelled out by the device – BT Phone, Navigation and AV source. The handsfree calling functions are handled by the BT phone section. After pairing the handset through the four digit PIN number, you get the option of syncing the phone book. Once you do this, you can browse through the address book using the touch screen interface. There is also an option for browsing phone book for the devices that cannot sync. Finally, you get access to the recent calls list and manual numerical dialer. The frequently accessed contacts can be saved in one of the six preset keys on the home screen of the phone menu. The main screen of BT phone menu also has a key for voice dialing; which gives up the commands for the voice dialing engine  [...]

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Alpine INA-W900 is an all in one in-dash receiver which rolls DVD playback, digital audio integration and navigation in to an easy-to-install box with seven inch screen. This is an excellent device but it misses just one feature – Bluetooth hands-free. Just like most of the DIN car audio receivers, this device has a big LCD screen. In this device, the TFT 7 inch screen gives 800x600 pixels resolution. I was happy with the graphics, it was better than most other in-dash receivers I have tested in my labs to date. The screen gave good quality in video playback or while displaying audio source in the AV mode. For the navigation mode, the graphics were a bit fuzzier. Beneath the screen, there are 8 physical buttons and also an IR receiver. The buttons are eject, mute, volume  [...]

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Tom Tom GO 930 is different from the earlier GPS models as it now has an all-black chassis instead of the silver standard casing. It looks pretty sophisticated and sleek and I think it will go well with any car interiors. The gadget is 3.3 inches tall, 4.7 inches wide, 1 inch thick and weighs about 7.7 ounces. This makes it easy to carry around and you won’t have any problems transporting it between different vehicles. Apart from that, the soft-touch finish on the back gives a better grip courtesy of the rubber texture. Tom Tom GO 930 has a big 4.3 inch spacious WQVGA display having a resolution of 480x272 pixels. It supports 64k color output. The maps looked bright and clear and the display too was readable in different lighting conditions. The map colors  [...]

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Magellan Roadmate 1212 has a 3.5 inch touch screen which is a bit smaller than the Magellan Roadmate 1400 series’s 4.3 inch displays. The manufacturer has put a feature called Auto NightView which makes it easy to view the device at night. It adjusts contrast and color for the lower light levels during the night. The device has a pocket sized, compact design which makes the gadget very easy to carry around. Magellan Roadmate 1212 is powered by Centrality Atlas III processor which comes with a GPS receiver integrated. Due to this, you get fast satellite  [...]

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Colorado 400t is a waterproof and rugged GPS which can be used for boating, hiking, in car, and Geocaching. It is available in four different versions and there is an innovative scroll wheel joystick controller which I really liked. The price of this device is $499 and $599 depending on the models. The 400t and 300 come with "Digital Elevation Model" (shaded relief) World Base Map. The manufacturer says that this is the first handheld GPS to have this resolution level. In the 400t, there are in built TOPO maps for US along with 3D detailed elevation perspective which looks just like a photograph. On the other hand, the 400c is made for your boating trips. It has costal water maps for Bahamas and U.S. The 400i has maps of navigable rivers, lakes and inland territory. You  [...]

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The design of the Garmin Nuvi 295W is the same as its predecessor. This device has a soft touch, black finish which easily attracts a lot of fingerprints. The gadget is 4.4 inches tall, 0.5 inch thick, and 2.3 inches wide. The screen size is 3.5 inches with 272x480 pixel resolution or support for 65,000 colors. The display is a bit small consider this is a car navigation device. On the positive side, the screen is bright enough with crisp colors and the text too is legible. The screen only falters in bright sunlight but that is not unexpected from an LCD display. On the Garmin Nuvi 295W’s top, there is lock/power button along with headphone jack. On one side, there is camera button and volume rocker. The other side has car dock connection port, mini-USB port, and micro-SD card slot. There  [...]

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Magellan RoadMate 1470 stays true to the traditional roots of portable GPS navigation gadget form factor. It is 3.3 inches deep, 7 inches wide and 5.2 inches tall. The device is really thin and this makes it very easy to put it in your pocket. The front surface is dominated by a big touch screen which is ubiquitous in GPS devices these days. But most of them have a standard 4.3 inch screen where as the 1470 has a big 4.7 inch display. The extra real estate will help a lot when you are viewing the turn by turn directions. The screen has a matte finish and thus there are not a lot of glare problems on this display. The back lighting too is bright enough and the unit can be used in direct sunlight too. On the top of the Magellan RoadMate 1470, there is a power button. The slider will come back  [...]

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Garmin made its car GPS debut last year with the Nuvi 880 and it really was a great device. It was the first ever Internet enabled PND (portable navigation device) by the manufacturer and there was MSN Direct data service. This service is going to stop soon and hence, Garmin has signed up with AT&T in order to create Garmin brand of data service and it is christened as NuLink. Garmin Nuvi 1690 is the new first PND to sport this feature. Garmin Nuvi 1690 works along with NuLink service for giving turn-by-turn directions, traffic data, live fuel prices and Google White and Local and Pages for searching the dashboard. This service is available for free during the first two years after which you have to pay a fee. Garmin Nuvi 1690 has a typical car GPS touch screen along with suction  [...]

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Dual XGPS300 GPS Navigation is meant to be used along with you iPod and it gives GPS feature to your music player. You can also use it as a battery backup for your iPod. Along with this, both TomTom and Magellan have jumped the iPod Touch GPS cradle bandwagon so there is plenty of competition for this gadget. This system consists of two parts, a cradle and shell. On the shell’s back, there is a switch for choosing between battery, GPS mode or you can turn it altogether off. There is also loudspeaker at the back which is for turn by turn directions. Finally, there are a couple of LEDs which tell you the battery status, each light shows an increment of around 25%. If all the four lights are lit, it means the device is on full charge. On the side of Dual XGPS300 GPS Navigation’s shell,  [...]

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Insignia NS-CNV43 Internet connected GPS grabbed my attention because of is Internet connectivity for fuel prices, live traffic and other such services. But the what really got me excited was the manufacturer’s claim of this being the first GPS device ever to have twitter integrated on to it. The price too is kept low. The GPS device has a 4.3 inch touch screen and it is surrounded by gray glossy black frame and it has rounded edges. You use the touch screen for all the interactions and along with that, on the top, you get a power button, volume rocker and Mini-USB port. Screen of the Insignia NS-CNV43 offers haptic feedback for the touch screen. You will feel a vibration when you touch the screen and when the device registers your touch. If you touch too lightly and if the device doesn’t  [...]

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