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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:12 pm Post subject: Which Navman? (looking for cheap SatNav)
I'm considering a cheap Sat Nav (mainly for long journeys), and whilst I was initially interested in the icn 330 that Halfords have for £99, have now seen that there are various places offering icn 5xx at reduced prices.
Are the iCN520, iCN 530, iCN 550 similar just minor tweaks up in each?
iCN520 is obviously the oldest but prices are now reaching almost down to £100, so seems a bargain
The iCN 530 is an upgrade to the 520 - is it mainly just the button layout thats redisigned? The manual says the GPS receiver is vers 2 - so much better - prices neart £140
The iCN 550 is on websites as "the top of the range" (clearly out of date now!) but is it an upgrade to the 520 or the 530? I like the idea of the 4GB HDD, and also the Traffic Control Support - Some reviews say it doesn't "look" nice as its a long wire aerial that placed along the windscreen but it doesn't cost much (priced for the 550 are £200 or £220 with TCN).
£200 is about the max I can afford, and I'd prefer £100 for something that may not get used too much. (90%+ of my driving is local and I know all the roads by now)
Joined: Feb 10, 2005 Posts: 1951 Location: Mostly somewhere in Essex
Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject:
It's very difficult to advise, as so much comes down to personal preferences. I have found that despite initially thinking that a device, be it a computer, phone or GPS will have limited use, one tends to rely on it more and more and then wish for something bigger and better.
However, with what you have said, I would go for the iCN520 - there is an upgrade to it coming along this month but that will cost a lot more. The current version should, therefore be had quite cheaply. It is a tried and tested machine and does the job albeit with little quirks that most GPS machines have - who hasn't ended up down a country lane It should come with the full european street mapping. the software is the SmartST2005 - an upgrade over the iCN510. I think you can also get it without the Eurpean street mapping at a cheaper price.
Ask the owners what they think of it _________________ Gee-Pee
Lifetime member PGPSW - time rapidly decreasing
I have found that despite initially thinking that a device, be it a computer, phone or GPS will have limited use, one tends to rely on it more and more and then wish for something bigger and better.
However, with what you have said, I would go for the iCN520 - there is an upgrade to it coming along this month but that will cost a lot more.
Thanks. The 520 doesn't have support for traffic control, but this shouldn't matter unless I decide I want more!!
Quote:
The software is the SmartST2005 - an upgrade over the iCN510. I think you can also get it without the Eurpean street mapping at a cheaper price.
Ask the owners what they think of it
will check - can't remember if it said UK or whole Europe. Opinions would be great
With the 510 and 520 theres a Premium option thats all of EU, or the standard is UK only - make sure you get the right one. Price will be a good indicator. If it's really cheap make extra sure it has the EU maps.
The 320 and 330 are good entry level products, but have some limitations that make them very hard to recommend - (no speed cameras).
I made an earlier post re upgarding to a 530 from a 510- my comments are valid for you, however I would think carefully about the 530 or N20 if you can afford it. The better GPS hardware would be a key issue for me, and the ablity to buy the traffic module if you decide you want it. Navman appear to have standardised on the one traffic module so it should be around for a couple of years. (Except the 550 - it is an orphan)
I would wait till the new softwrae releases are out, as the cost of S/W Upgrade is now more than you will pay for an older 520, or do not plan to upgrade and accept what you get is what you get.
In the end, it's a hard choice - like any new technology the new relase will be cheaper, better and faster, a week after you buy yours. The key here is the main selling season is Xmas, so a whole new range from all the manufacturers is about to hit the shelves. Now is a good time to pick up current units cheap - for a good reason, they won't be current in a month.
If you read my posts you will also know I currently do not recommend people buy a navigation unit unless they have a specific need, and understand that the technology is not particularly robust at the moment.
Good luck, I hope you are happy with your final choice.
Hardware - The 550 appear to be an orphan. It has traffic, but not the same module as all the new Navman units use. The 530 and 520 are similar with the 530 having SiRF III GPS (better) and an optional traffic module.
The software is similar, if not the same, in all of them.
Thanks for the replies. I checked on the 520 - it has the UK only, so guess that's out.
The software upgrade costs are a lot, so it probably does make sense to see what I can get in a few weeks. Maybe current models with the new software or wexisting models cheaper?? Is it just simply "due out any minute soon" or is there an expected press release date.
A pity the 550 is an orphan, it seems a good price (considering its still £639 on Amazon!), but would I be right that its more based on the 520 with some updated elements like the buttons (and the added features HDD/TCM) rather than the 530, which seems to have a larger flash memory (64MB) and better GPS (III v2) (couldn't find the GPS spec for the 550).
Whilst I've not had a SatNav, I hopefully do understand technology. When considering PDA's I was loooking at PPC and trialled a HP and a Loox (PC worlds return policy is great for testing and returning :D) before I went for a P900 so I could have one device for contacts and phone.
Now whilst there are PDA GPS out there (the PiN 570 is now under £150 so a good option for many), I mainly have two considerations.
* Journey planning/navigation. Currently I use streetmap/multimap/autoroute for planning journeys (depends on if I'm planning from work or home) and then often have to memorise key junctions (especially if involving motorways where you can't realistically pull over). If travelling alone I can simply pull over and glance (or parouse a road map if gone wrong and commit corrections to memory, easily done), if travelling with others this can often be frustrating as I expect them to co-pilot (easily by following the route as we go) but usually this never happens and when I'm unsure its a case of trying to find out where we are ("what road was that", "wait a minute I need to see some street names", ..) and it inevitably ends up with me pulling over and DIY.
So a Sat Nav should really help me. Additionally I've been in several cars/taxi's with them fitted and observed them as we've gone along, which seems good.
* Traffic Control. A sat Nav itself would be great, but the possibility of adding traffic avoidance to that would be great. I understand there are limitations - I have had a Roadwatch device for several years (not the subscription one) which will tell me when there's hold ups ahead, unfortunately not what I can do to avoid it - for that its either take a break or rely on passengers finding a route ("where are we? etc...).
The Costco 530 offer does look good, but there's Vat on that, so not so good (I can buy using a relatives membership, but can't ask them for the vat!). Willit include the EU unlock keys too though??
I suppose it depends on what new models come out, and take advantage of stock clearance or introductary specials prices
The Costco 530 offer does look good, but there's Vat on that, so not so good (I can buy using a relatives membership, but can't ask them for the vat!). Willit include the EU unlock keys too though??
The Costco price above of £141 includes the VAT. It's 119.99 without VAT. It has the UK & Ireland pre-installed and European Maps on CD. I think this means you can copy areas of Europe onto your Navman when you need them, rather than them being all installed from scratch. Anyhow, Euro maps included.
Joined: Feb 10, 2005 Posts: 1951 Location: Mostly somewhere in Essex
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:27 pm Post subject:
Quote:
It has the UK & Ireland pre-installed and European Maps on CD. I think this means you can copy areas of Europe onto your Navman when you need them, rather than them being all installed from scratch. Anyhow, Euro maps included.
The Europe maps will have to be copied onto a SD card as and when you need them i.e if you are going through France to Spain, only copy France and Spain on to the card (actually you need only copy the regions of each country through which you will pass). _________________ Gee-Pee
Lifetime member PGPSW - time rapidly decreasing
The Costco price above of £141 includes the VAT. It's 119.99 without VAT. It has the UK & Ireland pre-installed and European Maps on CD. I think this means you can copy areas of Europe onto your Navman when you need them, rather than them being all installed from scratch. Anyhow, Euro maps included.
Thats good. Is that the price only with the passport voucher? Just I don't think the passports were sent out, so no idea if the stores still have them.
So looks like iCN530 or the N20 (the pdf manual for the N series on the navcom site says it comes with Smart ST 2006)
Get yourself down to Costco on 23rd - 28th October 2006, ICN530 on offer for £119 + VAT = £140 (Normal price £211) ..... absolute bargain and they work well.
Also, Costco being Costco, if you dont like your purchase for any reason, they will give you a full refund ..... no questions asked.
You can pick up the voucher in store when you arrive.
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