Automotive GPS Systems

5 comments

1. 

   Average Joe says:

   October 20, 2009 at 12:43 am (UTC -6)

   Rewritten on 10/15/09 – Would give this product 4 stars
   
   When I wrote my first review, the unit wouldn’t work correctly. I am not sure why, but it is working fine now. After putting the unit through multiple destinations and comparing it to a Garmin every step of the way, this unit worked just as well as a Garmin.

   The software navigation wasn’t too bad. It did take about 30 seconds to get into the navigation software but that is within the average boot up times for gps units. There is a toggle switch on the bottom that is an on/off switch. It has to be in the on position and then you hit the power button on the top of the unit. To me, 2 buttons seemed a bit awkward. When setting the destination, it eliminates any letters or numbers that aren’t possible as you type in the street, state, city or address which is a nice feature.
   
   The suction mount very bulk but does stay in place and doesn’t fall off the window. It is nice that the unit came with a wall charger and a car charger and a carrying case.
   
   When I opened the box, I realized the unit was very big and it seemed even bigger on my windshield. The unit didn’t wash out in the bright Arizona sun which is a huge plus.

   The software on the GPS unit isn’t streamlined and the main menu gives you the options of either GPS, Pictures or MP3 along with a options choice. I didn’t test the pictures or MP3 because I just can’t see a need for them in my life. The screen is a tad unresponsive so it felt like I had to keep pushing to select an option. Once in the GPS menu, it seems to respond better. The POI database is very extensive and found more local places than my Garmin.

   I took both the Nextar and a Garmin on a 200 mile drive and they both worked very well. I noticed the Garmin said we would be at our destination 45 minutes sooner than the Nextar. As we got closer, the Garmin adjusted its time upward while the Nextar adjusted downward and they both met somewhere in the middle. I am sure it has something to do with the mathematics and routing calculations. The only thing that differed between the two gps units was sometimes the Garmin would know the posted speed limit in rual areas while the Nextar wouldn’t I find the speed limit display on the GPS to be a VERY useful setting. I live in a city that loves speed cameras (both mobile and stationary) and if I am driving in unfamiliar territory, I love the fact that I can look at the GPS unit and see what the speed limit is.

   The Nextar allows the user to change up to 3 items on the left side of the screen. Choices range from current speed, posted speed limit, estimated time, etc. It will only allow 3 choices so choose wisely. You can change them at any time but I wish it would allow a 4th option and then it would display everything a person would need during a trip.
   
   All in all, this unit work well, even if the interface is somewhat clunky. Once it got a satellite lock, it worked as well as my Garmin. I didn’t test either the MP3 player or the picture as I view both as unnecessary features.

   Rating: 1 / 5

2. 

   Bladen's Mommy says:

   October 20, 2009 at 3:24 am (UTC -6)

   The Nextar SNAP5 GPS is the largest, in your face mobile navigation system I have ever used. When I first opened the box and revealed the sheer size of the display I was amazed. I was a little concerned it would take up too much room on my dash and limit my line of sight while driving, which wasn’t really an issue once I put it in my car. It comes with the car charger, home charger, and case, which was very nice, considering most others do not.
   
   I have not connected the Nextar to the internet and I have only used it as it was in the box. I took it out for a little test run. I attempted to locate a specific home improvement store in the next city with the intentions of having the Nextar SNAP5 get me there successfully. I did not know the specific street address of the business, so I simply typed in the name. The display is slow to respond to touch when typing. The device only would display the closest store which I wasn’t wanting and other stores that were 150 miles away, not the store that was only 10 miles or so away. So, I decided to put in one of the big name shopping stores. The store can be seen from the road I was on, but the device attempted to take me about two miles out of the way.
   
   I have used Garmin, TomTom and Magellan GPS systems and they all worked without this many issues. I would definitely recommend spending your money on one of the more reputable GPS systems. This one was simply not up to par. I will add a photo comparison to one of those units shortly, to show the size comparison.
   Rating: 2 / 5

3. 

   Gertrude, the Bad Queen says:

   October 20, 2009 at 4:11 am (UTC -6)

   This is an amazing gps! The flyover ability is worth its price alone.

   FINALLY! A unit that comes with an AC adapter! This unit came with everything: a car charger, the AC adapter, a carry pouch, an SD card, a USB cable, a dashboard mount, a bracket, and a magnetic cradle (which also provides a new charging outlet). My unit was missing the stylus but the stylus is neither necessary nor probably useful on the road when we have long been used to touch screens on a GPS unit.

   One very interesting find on this unit is that it provides latitude and longitude coordinates for its location. This is a huge plus on board the boat. We use radar and satellite navigation, of course, but this unit is much easier to use and it can be kept on deck more easily than a computer or going below to the navigation station to check the radar.

   This was not all easy. It did seem like there were things – like the direction book – that could have been made a lot more user friendly. English is my first language but I’m not sure about this direction book’s. It took an inordinate amount of time to input simple information such as addresses. Page 32 has a short section on adding addresses quickly. It’s not. And it won’t allow me to use the name of the city nearby. The name of the city is Holland, but this unit insists it is Holland(Zeeland). It’s not. It also takes extra steps to input names for favorites – not a big deal – but you have to start by deleting the address, which fills the name spot by default. Adding a series of addresses that you intend to delete as soon as you have found them is also time consuming.

   The magnetic cradle is nice but I still try to keep magnets away from my laptops so I try to remember to disconnect it before connecting ithe unit to a laptop using the USB cable. The only other problem with the magnetic cradle is that it weighs down the unit.

   Comparing this unit to other units, I did have some problems. Glare on the screen. This could be a significant problem. (In Michigan, in the fall? Not so much.) This screen may be larger than most but it leaves more surface to turn in different directions to get the view that you want. My Garmin nuvi 660 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator in its entirety is the same size as the screen on this unit. But the Garmin does not generally have glare problems. The nextar is heavier and does not get thrown into my purse as easily. As a result, it is much more likely to end up living under the seat. However,, my Garmin nuvi fits into my pocket.

   Another way this unit falls short is that it does not provide an easy ETA. Often when I have been stuck in traffic, I get frustrated because I know I’m going to be late. The primary reason I have a gps in my car is because I have a tendency to get off the highway looking for a faster route. The Garmin fixes this by putting the arrival time on the map screen. On the nextar unit, this is not so simple. You need to go to Route menu and then Route info.

   Overall, this is an amazing unit. It has a lot of great features as described in the product information. The price is also amazing!
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. 

   Barb Nicolson says:

   October 20, 2009 at 6:09 am (UTC -6)

   Having never personally owned a portable GPS device, I was surprised at how big the Nextar Snap 5 was. At first, I thought that the 5-inch screen would be too much for portable navigation but it seems much better compared to the navigation units my friends have. The Snap5 is actually pretty light for such a big screen and that is probably due to its slim design. Compared to my friend’s Panasonic navigation device, the Snap5 is actually similar in weight even though the Panasonic is smaller.

   The menu feature on the Snap5 really is easy to use. As soon as you turn on the device you can select music, photos, setup or the navigator function. The one thing that is somewhat disappointing is the load time for the navigator program – but that is probably the only function that is slow on this device. The Snap 5 instantly recalculates directions after making multiple wrong turns – a very important feature. The system itself is set up very nicely for simple use. I’ve used other navigation devices in the past and this seems to be one of the most simple-to-use devices I’ve come across so far. I was very surprised that the preloaded “points of interest” actually had all the places that I looked up.

   The nighttime screen application is a very impressive feature. Instead of having the bright glow of the map while driving at night, the nighttime screen offers a vivid navigation screen without the glare. The voice-guided navigation is also a great plus on this system. My friends and I have found that this system provides more reminders while navigating than other systems. Some people can consider this a plus or minus, but it definitely helps when driving around new places. Also, since the speakers are built in to the unit, there is no mess with dealing with additional cables. The speaker is quite adequate even at 50%.

   This navigation system is well worth the money and is a great deal. This is definitely a device I would recommend to everyone, especially for those looking for an affordable option.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. 

   John Duval says:

   October 20, 2009 at 6:37 am (UTC -6)

   As long as you use this indoors or at night, it works great. But if you take it out in daylight the screen appears blank. This includes the bright interior of a car dash, which is about the only place you would use it. The screen is as large as I would ever want in a windshiled mount, but not too big. I actually mount it over the radio display in both of our cars, where there is a recess to keep sun off.

   Menu navigation: excellent. This is the first unit I have had that is fast and logical. You can get to almost anywhere in the menu structure in 3 clicks. It makes me wonder how Magellan managed to make theirs so convoluted and exasperating.

   Finding places: excellent. It even found my office by name, and we are a 7 person design firm. Finding places to eat, get gas, or anything else can be done anywhere on route, and sorted by detour from route, destination, or current position. My ancient handheld Garmen was far superior to my 1 year old Magellan at finding gas stations and food, but niether can touch this unit!

   Route planning: ??. Haven’t tried this yet. It is so easy to use the history, or find things, this seems a lot less important than in my earlier units.

   Turn notification: excellent. It shows you 2 turns ahead, which I have never had on my other 2 units or MS streets. This makes a HUGE difference and should be standard on all GPS. It shows landmarks and signs on route in 3D. It even distinquishes between lanes under certain circumstances, such as carpool lanes and some transition ramps. Notifications are clear, and it reads the distance to turn in yards, not .1 miles, so it is easier to anticipate.

   Mount: good. The magnetic mount is outstanding but the arm is quite long and visually bulky on a low sloping windshild. It feels like it would vibrate, but the harmonic does not match the car (as it does on shorter mounts), so the unit remins surprisingly steady and easy to read even on bumpy roads and freeways. The arm is so long, in fact, that the unit is in front of the dash when mounted just below our sedans rearview mirror. However, windshield mount only works at night, since the display is almost unreadable during the day.

   Accurcy: Once it indicated an offramp 4.5 miles after a “keep left”, but after passing the “keep left” it immediately said exit in 1.5 miles. It was hard to exit the carpool lane and 6 lanes of traffic in that much time! No wrong turns yet.

   This is by far my favorite GPS ever, but the display nearly spoils it. How could they think this thing trough so perfectly in so many ways, and miss something so basic?
   Rating: 4 / 5