... Instead it was recommended that I go for the Navman F20, one of the cheapest on the market at the moment. In fact at £149 it was Halfords cheapest GPS navigation system. There were a couple of things I was looking for from my Sat Nav system as it had to be able to keep me informed about Speed ... Read review
Advantages: easy to use, slim, one of the cheapest about at the moment Disadvantages: A lot of hidden costs, no AC adapter
...that I go for the Navman F20, one of the cheapest on the market at the moment. In fact at £149 it was Halfords cheapest GPS navigation system. There were a couple of things I was looking for from my Sat Nav system as it had to be able to keep me informed about Speed Cameras and I wanted something that would provide traffic alerts and alternate routes, but I'll get onto all that shortly.
The F20 is one of the more sleek designs on the ... ...a case of deciding which Navman model to go for. Of course the other models all had more features but at almost double the cost I thought I would be best sticking with this one, especially as it was £50 cheaper than the TomTom equivalent.
The Navman met my need for Traffic Cameras; I mean come on who could really deny how handy that feature can be. The locations all come pre installed on the handset, but to get any updates it does ... more
This years must have item seems to be Satellite navigation. Of course over the last few years these little in car devices seem to have been growing popularity but this years run up to Christmas has really seen an explosion in the advertising and purchase of them. So being into my gadgets and not having one I decided with the offers about it was time to invest, especially as I spend a lot of my working week in the car going from one place to another. I did a bit of research on which one to go for and in the end went into Halfords and asked the assistant.
I expected the hard sale and to be pushed towards some top of the range model that was miles out of my price range. Instead it was recommended that I go for the Navman F20, one of the cheapest on the market at the moment. In fact at £149 it was Halfords cheapest GPS navigation system. There were a couple of things I was looking for from my Sat Nav system as it had to be able to keep me informed about Speed Cameras and I wanted something that would provide traffic alerts and alternate routes, but I'll get onto all that shortly.
The F20 is one of the more sleek designs on the market and doesn't really seem as bulky as the two TomTom models I had a look at. Instead with it's touch sensitive 3.5" screen it has the width but with a lot less bulk behind it makes it a system that is easier to carry with you when you park the car. The thinner design definitely put a tick in the box and meant that it was simply a case of deciding which Navman model to go for. Of course the other models all had more features but at almost double the cost I thought I would be best sticking with this one, especially as it was £50 cheaper than the TomTom equivalent.
The Navman met my need for Traffic Cameras; I mean come on who could really deny how handy that feature can be. The locations all come pre installed on the handset, but to get any updates it does cost extra. With the price set at £49.95 for a years worth of updates it seems a little steep and something that may only be worth doing every couple of years rather than on a yearly basis. Of course in comparison the cost is about the same as the other GPS navigation systems on the market. As well as Cameras the F20 comes complete with a number of local amenities including cash points, restaurants and cinemas. Unlike other models out there it also comes complete with the locations of the nearest petrol stations and car parks at the simple touch of a button, something that again seemed like a handy extra to have.
The only attachment the F20 didn't have that I was looking for was the traffic alerts. In order to get these Navman have cunningly brought out another piece of kit, called the T1. This gives you the Traffic alerts service without the subscription fee the other companies are charging, but it will cost you a one off payment of £120 quid if bought from Halfords. Instead I managed to get mine for just over £50 from Amazon meaning I have paid the same as the TomTom equivalent but I don't have to pay a monthly fee to receive the traffic alerts.
My first and only real complaint came as soon as I opened up the box. The F20 doesn't come with an AC adapter, only an in car charger, meaning until you can get hold of one you can only charge the system in your car. The AC adapters can be obtained from the Navman website for £13.50 but I really felt this should have been included in the standard pack. The battery does have a two hour life span, so it doesn't have to be constantly hooked up to the cigarette lighter, but I'd much rather be able to charge it in the house occasionally. Likewise the PC connection cables are another extra, but that isn't really as important at the current time as I don't intend to buy the Traffic camera updates.
Installation of the device is incredibly simple. It comes complete with a cradle that simply attaches to your windscreen using a suction pad and a lever that locks it in place. You can choose any point on your windscreen and attach it with ease. I was offered a service where by Halfords, for just £39.99, would fit the F20 for me but with the installation as easy as it is, it really didn't seem to be worth it.
Once you switch machine on it comes with a little bit of charge. The menu and preferences are incredibly easy to setup and the tutorial leaves very few questions. Once you've set your home location it makes using the F20 a very easy process. Likewise entering your destination is incredibly easy as the F20 can look up street names, Postcodes and town names to try and get you to where you are wanting to go. After setting all that up the navigation is even easier. There are 4 different views from the straight forward directions to a moving map that shows any adjoining roads and any Points of interest you've selected in your preference menu.
As you drive along the F20 can give you vocal directions as well as onscreen and this can be quite handy as you don't have to constantly look at the screen. The display is very easy to read and with quite a simplistic look makes it easy to follow. The display has the options to see your current speed, estimate time of arrival and even the battery left on your F20. The only draw back will be for anyone with a heat reflective windscreen as for the F20 to work in these cars you will need an external aerial to pick up the GPS signal.
Overall for a reasonably priced Sat Nav system the Navman F20 is certainly a highly recommendable product. It's incredibly easy to use and makes for an ideal system if you have no experience with them at all. They do seem to sting you with hidden costs and extras but when you look deeper into all the systems on the market even the top of the range systems have a lot of similar hidden charges and necessary extras. The F20 is very good value for money and if you shop around the extras can be picked up for a lot less, meaning the Navman is still the best value product on the market, especially if your looking for something on a low budget. So if like me you're a big kid at heart and love to have the latest gadgets I can thoroughly recommend the Navman F20.
Halfords: £149.99 Amazon.co.uk: £149.99 AC adapter: £13.99 T1 Traffic system: £53.99 from amazon.
Advantages: Great Maps, Easy to use, I can use it.... Disadvantages: Hidden extras
...The gadget......
I bought the Navman F20 my first ever Satnav and so I didn't really know what to expect. What I got was a surprise, a lovely slender looking gizmo that has lot's of settings which can be programmed in a matter of seconds by touching the 3.5" TFT screen. Easy to use software and comes with a warning that appears on the screen when switching the unit on, warning of the dangers of using it whilst driving, and asking the driver to program ... ...was a little mean of Navman who produce an in house charger at £15.99 (Source Navmanstores.com). The unit can only be updated by purchasing a connectivity kit £9.99, and this would be general updates only (free). For updating the safety camera locations you would have to pay a further £34.95 for the UK only (12 months subscription charge). To get up to the minute traffic information such as accidents and traffic jams etc, you have to buy Navman T1, ...
pc2308 05.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
Advantages: Cheap, portable, back on track function, nearest parking and petrol buttons Disadvantages: some of the mapping dater is a little small touch screen buttons
...a replacement one, and the NAVMAN F20 seemed good value for money.
Getting the device into the car up and running is really very easy really, simply attach the simple suction cup holder to a suitable place on the windscreen and plug in the cigarette lighter. Answer a few simple questions about the type of roads you like, etc. the navman is up and running.
I didn't read the instructions, as it looked quite straightforward
The only real problem ... ...the maps you want the navman to list This is particularly helpful as if you are only using your sat nav within the area it narrows down the choice of possible destinations I live in Yorkshire and use my sat nav to deliver my bouncy castles which is practically help full if I have 6 or 7 to deliver in a morning as I can plan my routes much quicker than looking through a paper map at all the different addresses I have found that, that there are several ...
jsk1977 06.03.2007 (07.03.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
Advantages: You will never get lost again. Disadvantages: There is no home charger
...xmas and had received a Navman F20 as a present.
I think the sat nav is an amazing piece of kit, and has helped me a lot. (And it gives me somebody to talk to whilst I'm driving long distances : ) ).
When I received the present they were on offer for £149.99 at Halfords, but i know they are cheaper at other retailers. The Navman F20 comes in a small box which contains a 12v DC in car power adaptor, in-car mounting bracket and user manual with installation ... ...decide how you want the Navman to work, eg Male or female voice, fastest time or shortest distance, brightness of the screen, etc etc.
When you come to enter a new address you want to go to, You just press New address, you will then be given three options. City/Area, Post code and Street. Just press post code and the name of the street you want will programme in with the route you need to take. Sometimes it will show a different street name to the ...
peteandcesca 08.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
Advantages: Small, Cheap, Advanced Petrol, Parking Buttons, Back On Track Disadvantages: Quiet Voice if not paying attention, Few things out of date
Hi,
The NavMan F20, Firstly remember this is one of the cheapest SatNav systems available right now.
So, what do you get? Ok, you get the little unit itself, lots of instruction books, an in car cigarette charger and a windscreen mount.
This leads me to my first issue of debate, You don't get an indoor charger. I ended up buying one off of ebay for it, for this reaon, The little unit lasts for about 3 hours unplugged, which is pretty good by any ... ...sooner or later)
The NavMan F20 does what it's supposed to do, excellently. It's not a muddled together, camera, mp3/mp4 player, It's a SatNav! and Navigates extremely well.
To search for a location you can search by city, street, area, postcode (8-digits aswell! you can find anywhere!), once you've found you destination by tapping on the bright, crystal clear screen within seconds it's routed you to your "Destination".
So now we're navigating. ...
rally1998 04.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
Advantages: cheap, very reliable, excellent value for money Disadvantages: having to use your finger to press the screen rather than a pen
...year i bought him the Navman F20, he was overjoyed to say the least.
I purchased it from currys at £129.99 i was pleased with the price too, but i really was'nt sure what sort of sat nav i should be looking for,but i think i hit the jackpot with this one.
The Navman F20 is so simple to use even my kids could set it up, it comes in a perfect little box and is ready to use as soon as you get it out of the box, in the box you get with the navman F20 ... ...to go.
Fix your navman F20 to the in-car mounting bracket, plug the power adaptor into the navman one end and into the cigarette lighter the other end and your ready for your journey,
You can choose wether you have a male or a female voice direct you to your destination, and it tells you in plenty of time if you need to take a turning the visuals on this are fantastic very bright and vibrant and not to clutterd very easy to follow even if you could ...
sha-olga 28.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
Reliability
Ease of Use
Look & Feel
Battery life
Value for Money
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Advantages: Too many to list. Excellent value, efficient and easy to use Disadvantages: It has a car charger, not an ac charger. Is that too bad?
This Navman is brilliant!!! I have had mine for a while and am very happy with it!
The advantages of this are:
* It is reliable and always gets you to you destination
* The charge holds for quite a while (i've gone from harrow to brighton and back without charging)
* It is quite slimline
* Easy to use
* Cheap compared to other sat navs
* Has a number of different views for your journey and you can bring up a list of directions rather than a map if you prefer
* Tells you your estimated time of arrival
* Has quite a large screen
* You can find an address with a postcode, road name or simply a town
* You can search for local ammenities from a petrol station to an amusement park and find your nearest ones
* Warns you about speed cameras
* Tells you what speed you are going
* If you go the wrong way or choose ...
Advantages: Has nearly everything you could want in a Gps Disadvantages: Lack of a manual Block road function makes it useless
This is my 3rd GPS and what a bargain for £200 you get all the normal functions plus speed camera database ( which you have to pay to update) and the T1 module, which gives live traffic updates to reroute you.
I was very happy until I became aware of the lack of a manual block road function. Like I said this is my 3rd gps and a block road function is a very useful basic tool which has been invaluable on my previous GPS's. You arrive in a strange area and the road ahead is blocked for what ever reason now normally I would block the road and the gps will route me around the blockage. With the F20 you do not have this option, if the T1 does not list the blockage, (It does not list all local traffic info).
You have resort to driving off in a different direction and try to guess when the F20 decides it's found a different route ...
Advantages: Well designed and easy to use Disadvantages: Have to pay extra for computer lead, updates, case etc.
it that long but it hasn't got me lost yet! The Navman automatically senses whether it is day or night and adjusts the map accordingly to make sure it is easy to read.
The most annoying software fault I have noticed is that the Navman beeps once and flashes whenever a speed camera is in the area, even if it is not on the road you are currently driving on. For example, if two roads run parallel to one another then it will inform you that there is a speed camera on the road that is parallel to yours, even though this is not at all relevant to you. Apart from that the whole thing is really well designed and easy to follow.
The main disadvantage with the NavmanF20 is that there are many additional features you would have to pay for. You have to pay about £19 per year to download map updates from the internet. You have to pay for extra ...
hollypopple 24.01.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Navman F20
GPS navigation should help you get where you want to go easily, reliably and accurately. The F20 is Navman's simplest, most reliable GPS navigation system. Take the F20 out of its box and it's ready to use with a completely redesigned menu display on its high-quality, finger-friendly 3.5" touch screen. And if you thought its class-leading GPS capabilities and features would command a high price, think again. The F20 introduces a wealth of new features previously only found on much more expensive GPS navigation systems. So, you get dedicated buttons to find the nearest petrol station or car park - ideal when you're somewhere unfamiliar, full postcode searches and the easy-to-use touch screen. The latest GPS technology is also included in the F20 to achieve that accuracy and reliability, meaning you get high-quality navigation straight out of the box. What's more, the F20 is made compatible with the optional T1 Traffic Pack for real-time traffic updates where you most need them - while using the F20 in your vehicle. And as you'll see with the Navman F20, there's now no longer any reason to fear GPS navigation bamboozling you on your journey.
