We were going to France two years ago and so we decide to purchase a SAT NAV to help us find our way around France. We did our research and commited ourselves to the Navman iCN 530.
One of the main reason for buying the Navman iCN 530 was that it comes with an European map which suit our purpose then. The SAT NAV comes in a black casing with easy to use buttons, the TFT touchscreen is clear and easy to view. There is two switches, one on top of the machine for standby and the other at the bottom to turn the power.
For the voice guided directions, you can choose between a female or a male voice. We choose the female, UK accented voice instead of the american voice. Somehow it is more soothing even though we get irritated by her voice when she repeat the instruction once too often.
One of our favourite feature is the speed camera warning. At a small subscription ( cannot recall the price as we have not downloaded the latest updates for a while ), we can download the latest speed camera indication. This is an useful feature as it help us to adjust the speed when we are coming close to a speed traffic camera. The downside is sometimes there isn't any camera even though the machine gives the warning.
The buttons on the Navman iCN530 consist of a GPS button, the menu button, the nearest car park and petrol station. We were amazed by the number of satellite station signals received. We counted to more than 25 satellite stations at one time. In the menu button, you can select to adjust the illumination to day or night view. To get instructions to the destination, we would just key in the destination postcode or the address. We would then store this information under the favourite list.
There are multi view direction map such as 3D view, 2D view,next manoeuvre and minimaps. We prefer the 3D view as it is clearer and easier to follow. The 3D give you the same direction view of route you are currently travelling making it easier for you to identify upcoming turns.
The Navman iCN530 comes with a car suction mount to hold the machine, a car battery charger and an integrated Li-ion rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery does not hold the power very well, it never seems to charge fully and we have to always rely on the car charger to power the machine.
We have all heard about the problem of using a SAT NAV. We have learned that some common sense have to be exercised when using the SAT NAV. We have learned not to follow the machine directions totally as it had bring us to awkward postion especially in France.
We have no complaint using the SAT NAV, in fact, it have become a vital travelling partner. The SAT NAV have done us more good than bad. It is definitely less frustrating than using a map and it cause lesser tension between the driver and the passenger.
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Oct 8th, 2008
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