Navman set to exit the market

[Darren]

It seems that Navman are about to exit the satnav market.

A company insider has told PocketGPSWorld that the next range of PNDs released will be the last to bear the Navman brand name.

After that, the next range to be launched will be branded Mio. Interestingly, Mio will be using re-badged Magellan software on this new range rather than Navman's SmartST/Spirit OS.

For those of us whose first true street navigation device was a Navman GPS sleeve coupled with a Compaq iPaq this comes as very sad news. Mio have struggled to find a niche in the extremely competitive satnav market. When they launched their first devices they chose to licence NavNGo's iGo software.

The purchase of Navman by Mio's parent company MiTAC in 2007 saw them move to the SmartST navigation engine much to the annoyance of many existing Mio owners. US company Magellan was sold to MiTAC in 2008.

Magellan has struggled to take any share of the UK satnav market and it remains to be seen how, or indeed if, MiTAC can turn that around if they were unable to do so using Navman's established brand name.


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Darren Griffin

[dougproctor]

I went off this brand when you had a limit of POI's on their units and I asked their support team what they intended to do about it and they said - NOTHING!
Never been back since! Serves them right, I'm afraid.
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Returned to a proper Garmin although still have Co-Pilot on a Galaxy S3!

[Darren]

Sadly Navman had long since had their heyday. Their PocketPC apps were goo, their early PND's were also good but it all started going downhill after that.

I spoke to Navman's MD some years ago and asked about 3rd party POI support. His reply? "We don't see third party POIs as a necessary feature"!

SmartST was way behind on features and the camera was a pointless addition to a navigation device. And then there is Mio's efforts post purchase, reduction in sales and support teams, closure of US office etc. Mio destroyed the market share Navman had and seem hell bent on destroying what's left.

Choosing Magellan seems madness to me. They have little market share in the US and almost none in Europe
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Darren Griffin

[DRP]

A very sad day indeed?
As my sig tells? I am Navman through and through? Firstly I had an iPaq and BT Navman receiver, then an N510, updated to 520, then an N60i which I still use for work with my B2 cradle. My latest is a Navman, Mio M400 WE with traffic interface. It works as well as any of my previous units but with one drawback. I run Windows 7 and it is not supported by Mio. I have got the software to work, but it is limited?
It is a shame, like Sony’s Betamax, in my opinion a superior product, but the wrong marketing philosophy, will kill it?
R.I.P
DRP
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Sharing information is the key to a better understanding

Mio M400 WEU, N60I, T1, 2x B2, iCN 510 & lots more

[jonandmarkuk]

Not surprising. Navman used to have the worse customer support ever and never fixed major bugs in the software.
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Navigon 8450 LIVE

[robertn]

A case study, if ever there is was one, of how a Technlogy startup can snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.

In the early 2000's, Navman had the world at it's feet. It lead the way with the Ipaq GPS sleave bundled with Tomtom PDA software in the late 90's. It was the first the relase a "modern" PND - before the phase PND was coined. (The Garmins prior to that were good, but old technology, slow, expenisive and hard to use).

It made millions selling the iCN6xx series, sold out to a large multinational that did not understand technology (Brunswick) - they make boats and pool tables. That multinational cash cowed it and flicked it on for much less than they though it was worth. It squandered opertunity after opertunity and has reaped the rewards of what it sowed.

Navman has got what it deserved.

However, watch this space, they aint the first, and won't be the last. PND's have to be a dieing market as convergence beings this capabiliy into a standard midrange phone for negligable cost. They market size will dwindle till tehers a few niche markets left. Only the agile suppliers will survive.

[LoveTomTom]

I am not surprised by this news at all

[CaptainDrift]

I heard about the name drop, but suddenly moving away from the Navman software!!!, so essentially they have bought Navman, killed off the name and now killing the software. what will they be called now Mio-Magellen?
Is Mio's plan to buy every competitor and then kill them off???

[mikealder]

[gem]

That is a shame as their clarity of maps is still the best I have seen - to this day.

This story reminds me of Trafficmaster and how such a useful produce and market leader can just fade away to the others.

My NavMan maps are FAR clearer than Garmin or Mio or Navigon. Manufacturers today are not going for absolute accuracy in road details but instead "simplifying" roads and then providing other features. There are times my Garmin unit is so simplistic looking in comparison with roads that look like ribbons.

I am already sad to see NavMan to all intents gone and will be holding onto my USA and Europe maps until they become simply too outdated.

A pity.....

[xtraseller]

It is a shame, because (from my icn630 through to my S100 and every model change inbetween) I have always kept a Navman amongst my Sat Nav collection - always wanting, wishing them to catch up with the marketing (or consumer ignorance) in thinking TomTom or Garmin is best - just because everyone has one

You are right, the clarity of the map and voice instruction timing and detail on the Navman was far in front of the field - they have let themselves down by more marketing, poor customer service and no product support

Hope Darrens source has got it wrong, and Mio instead continues to develop the Navman interface, and replaces Magellan's with it, because its not too far away from the field, and at the price points of their new 470, 475 and 575 units, outstanding value for money

After all with a few critical replacements within the Mio Navman team (people) surely they have enough market share and brand awareness to get it back?
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TomTom Go Live 6100, 600
Garmin DriveLux 50, D-Smart 70, NuviCam, 3598, 2699, 2798
Mio Navman 695
Nexus 6p, Apple iPhone 6sPlus and Microsoft Lumia 950xl running TomTom, Garmin, CoPilot, Navigon, Sygic, Here Drive, Google, Waze, MS Maps

[Darren]

Mio UK have been in touch to refute the claims made in this story. In the interests of fairness to all I have agreed to publish the following statement:

[xtraseller]

Got to use a friends brand new Mio Navman 575 today (just released) and must say its fuses the best of the old S-Series (S90) and the Spirit series together

For someone who wants a sat nav with all the best navigation features (LearnMe Routing which learns your driving style, IQ Routes (from TomTom!), Lane Guidance and Junction View) but doesn't want a complicated unit to operate, this must be on the of best options on the market

Its interface has been simplified and improved. The touch-screen much more responsive, and the routing really quite good

While I would like to see Quarterly map updates and HD Traffic in my unit, for many people this is more than enough - and at £120 for UK & Ireland its a bargain

Maybe there is life in the old brand yet...?
_________________
TomTom Go Live 6100, 600
Garmin DriveLux 50, D-Smart 70, NuviCam, 3598, 2699, 2798
Mio Navman 695
Nexus 6p, Apple iPhone 6sPlus and Microsoft Lumia 950xl running TomTom, Garmin, CoPilot, Navigon, Sygic, Here Drive, Google, Waze, MS Maps

[barnaby_s]

xtraseller, do you know if the 575 can take custom POIs as I can't find any reference to it in the manual?

My N20 is coming to the end of it's useful life and the 575 looks like a good replacement, but I would like to be able to load my own POI files on to it.

[xtraseller]

Will try and check for you over the weekend - I presume so because it uses NavDesk v2 like the others, which has POI import

My only concern would be if you overload custom pois - Navman's age old problem of a limit MAY still be there

Like I said will try and check the upload facility is there over weekend for you
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TomTom Go Live 6100, 600
Garmin DriveLux 50, D-Smart 70, NuviCam, 3598, 2699, 2798
Mio Navman 695
Nexus 6p, Apple iPhone 6sPlus and Microsoft Lumia 950xl running TomTom, Garmin, CoPilot, Navigon, Sygic, Here Drive, Google, Waze, MS Maps

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