Hello, I hope you enjoy my reviews. I am a father of two, a boy and girl and have been married now f...
Hello, I hope you enjoy my reviews. I am a father of two, a boy and girl and have been married now for 8 years.
Member since:14.03.2007
Reviews:51
Members who trust:2
I never thought I would find myself buying one of these. Everyone around me appeared to be getting them and I vowed that I wouldn't. I kept justifying my decision - I don't go many places where I would need it, It costs too much, and I could use the money for something else, more worthwhile.
However, I found myself glancing through a shop window at the sale items and saw this little GPS beauty. The first thing that drew my attention was the price, it wasn't as bad as I had thought and very reasonable. Then I remembered that I would be going on holiday at some point this year, which would mean that my wife had already planned out throughout the week where we were going. This meant me driving all day and trying to understand the pathetically bad drawn road map on the rear of the amusement park leaflet.....and getting lost.
The idea..... Then it hit me, buy this GPS Satnav and all my problems would go as well. All I would need is the postcode and I could let the satellite do all the hard work
for me. I wouldn't get lost, I could probably be directed the best way possible by the gadget, and I wouldn't be bad tempered throughout the evening after driving all day listening to the kids asking "Why aren't we there yet".
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 it before starting to drive (which I thought was very responsible of the company to add this). I found that I could set it up in seconds. The time, my home address (so I could push 'home' and it would direct me home), and which maps you wanted (UK, Ireland already installed, Europe etc can be purchased separately).
The Specs..... The gadget has the following essential things:- Easy user friendly software. 3.5" TFT colour screen 8 digit postcode, navigation system SiRFstarlll latest GPS receiver technology Pre-loaded safety camera locations installed Nearest Fuel button Nearest Car park button 12V DC in car adapter Window mount User manual Great 3D colourful maps and different levels (views) Back on track technology included (brings you back on course if you make a wrong turn) Choice of Male or Female voice commands Favourite mode (to save addresses you may use over and over again) Places of Interest key ( so on your journey you can pop in to a place of interest)
Using it...... I installed the in-car window mounting and fitted the device within seconds and after programming the postcode (incidentally, you can use the street name if you prefer) and then pressed the go button, the box gives you a clear direction to follow. The voice was very clear in very good English and was not too loud but not to quiet either and handy, as you didn't have to look at the screen to drive. The holder was good and kept it into place. The car charger needs to be plugged in though. The battery life on this unit is about 2 hours and on a very long journey it would be needed. I found it very good and I am glad I bought it and should be of great use this year when travelling to and from our Holiday destination.
Not so good..... The unit comes only with an in car 12v DC charger. So you can only charge it in your car. I thought this 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, which attaches to the bottom of the unit and costs another (one off payment) of £69.99. Something else that is not advertised very clearly is the fact that if your vehicle has heated or heat reflective windscreen you may have to buy an external antenna, which you guessed it, is sold separately (£29.99)
Conclusion I found my first purchase in this area of technology a good deal. It is compact, easy to carry when out of your vehicle and easy to install / program / use. Clear mapping shows you where you are and how far you have to go and how fast you are going and how many miles left to do. The price was good and I am happy with my 12 month guarantee.
Overall I would recommend this unit to any one, if you are like me in just wanting a basic unit. I am not too bothered about speed camera locations as I don't speed, and as for the traffic information - well it's rare for me to leave my county never mind get in to a jam.....
Price £129.99 - £149.99
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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
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: Cheap, portable, back on track function, nearest parking and petrol buttons Disadvantages: some of the mapping dater is a little small touch screen buttons
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
Jun 5th, 2007
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