Navigon 7100 Review – Convoluted user-interface

Before this, reviewed Navigon 5100 and we really liked this new player in the GPS market. We were impressed by its navigation features which included 3D “photorealistic” view for complicated intersections, lane assistant mode and built-in traffic receiver. Navigon 7100 costs $749 and this time it comes along with a bigger 4.3 inch touch screen and an integrated Bluetooth. All this looks quite promising but when we tested the GPS in our labs, the experience was disappointing. The interface of the system is confusing and definitely not as user friendly as other GPS products. The device was also a bit sluggish which frustrated us a lot. To make matters worse, capabilities of Bluetooth are limited, you cannot transfer your cell phones call history or contact list on to the GPS. All this add to our grievance and we won’t recommend you this GPS. Instead, go for the Mio C520 or TomTom Go 720

Design:

Design of the Navigon 7100 is quite similar to Navigon 5100 with the sleek black finish and curvy, attractive body. It is a bit bigger than its predecessor at 3.5 inches tall, 0.9 inches wide and 5.1 inches wide. The GPS weighs about seven ounces.

Display:

The bigger size of the Navigon 7100 gives way to a bigger screen. This GPS has a 4.3 inch touch screen which displays bright colors and sharp maps. We were delighted that the screen was clearly readable seen even in bright sunlight.

Keyboard:

The virtual keyboard feels cramped with tiny buttons. Fortunately, there is a bundled stylus that lets you press the buttons with precision.

User Interface:

User interface of Navigon 7100 is similar to that of Fujitsu Siemens Pocket Loox N100 and Navigon 5100. On the user friendly main menu page, you get 4 intuitive and large icons – Voice command, Take Me Home, My Destinations and New Destination. We would have a Map icon to go directly to the map screen. Here, you will have to go to Options and then to Show Map. Once you go deeper, things get laborious and confusing. Icon functions aren’t intuitive and you will have to consult the reference manual a lot.

Buttons/Ports:

Power button resides on the right. Bottom panel has 3.5 mm head phone jack, mini USB port, and a reset hole. On the top, there is a SD expansion slot. Back of the Navigon 7100 has stylus compartment, jack for external antenna and speaker.

Included Accessories:

They include reference material, soft carrying case, USB cord, car charger, vehicle mount (dash and windshield) and an SD card which comes with preloaded maps of US and Canada.

Features:

Just like most GPS gadgets, Navigon 7100 lets you enter a location by user defined home, recent destination, point of interest, specific address, etc. There are four ways through which the GPS calculates the routes – scenic, short, optimum or fast. You get the option to avoid or allow toll roads and highways. There are also motorcycle, bicycle, slow car and pedestrian options. Other features include speed alerts, simulated demos, multistop trips, automatic route recalculation and voice and text guided turn by turn direction which includes text to speech functionality for select street names.

The Navigon 7100 comes with lots of beneficial and helpful navigation features. There is a built-in traffic receiver through which you get subscription free traffic updates. The exclamation mark on the map screen gives you the congested areas list. Tapping on a specific incident gives you more details. The GPS also has the capability of plotting an alternate route. The lane assistant mode gives you the best lane for your journey and this gives you the smoothest possible ride. Finally, for complicated intersections, you get a road’s 3D image. For instance, you get a road’s semirealistic view of what is ahead. This includes the road signs and so you won’t get confused about which exit to take.

Maps:

The maps can be viewed in 3D or 2D mode in night or day colors. On the map screen, you get lots of data like signal strength, compass, remaining distance, estimated arrival time, next turn distance, etc. You can hide the features you want in the Settings because the screen gets quite crowded if your turn on everything.

Points of Interest:

Just like Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX N100, you get an exhaustive list of points of interest database which includes branded icons for all major corporations like Shell, Chevron and McDonald’s. Apart from that, you can also search the POI through Zagat Survey reviews and ratings. It is available for restaurants, golf courses, attractions, night life and hotels. And once you select the category, you can go finer by best buy, top service, etc. The database was very much up to date but not perfect.

Bluetooth:

Integration of Bluetooth in the Navigon 7100 lets you hook up a compatible mobile phone and then use it as a hands free speaker system. Pair the handset and then use the GPS’s onscreen virtual pad to make phone calls or to see it there is any number associated along with POI. Our only complaint about this feature was that the GPS cannot take the phones contact or call history list. We paired up this GPS set with the Palm Centro and the Motorola Razr2 V8. The process didn’t take too long and was quite smooth.

Performance:

Navigon 7100 was quite sluggish in our tests; it took a while to respond when we touched the buttons. This didn’t happen all the time but when it occurred we were frustrated. When traveling through the tunnel, the GPS lost signal but once we were out of it, the service resumed quickly. We entered our trip within the city and the device could calculate the directions pretty fast. The voice prompting was sufficiently loud but text to text directions were a bit robotic, you get only one option for voice.

Pros:

Plenty of navigation features which includes text to speech functionality, lane assistant mode for optimal routing and built-in traffic receiver along with subscription free traffic service.

Cons:

Sluggish performance, interface isn’t user friendly, you cannot sync your cellphones call history and contacts.

Outcome:

We won’t recommend the Navigon 7100 because of its sluggish performance and convoluted interface.

Specifications:

• Navigon 7100 – Car GPS device
• 20 channel receiver
• Connectivity options – Bluetooth, USB
• GPS Functions / Services – Speed Assistant, Reality View, Lane Assistant
• Voice – Voice command recognition, Navigation instructions.
• Features – Hands-free calling via Bluetooth, 2D / 3D map perspective, built-in microphone, preinstalled POIs, built-in speaker.
• Internal memory 256 MB
• Supported Memory Cards – SD
• Software Included – Navteq on board
• Trip computer – Fast/short route, avoid toll roads, avoid highways, avoid ferrys, trip timer
• Display – 4.3 inches big (touchscreen), resolution 480×272 pixels.
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Included accessories – Car power adapter, AC power adapter, 4 GB SD Card, car holder, USB cable, stylus.
• Lithium ion battery has rated battery life of 4.5 hours.