I am in love!...
Written: Sep 18 '04 (Updated Sep 18 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Auto-route recalculation, screen brightness, voice quality unit size.
Cons: Rare navigational errors.
The Bottom Line: Go for it! You will thank me!..
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| gknyc's Full Review: Navman iCN 630 GPS Receiver |
Being a gadget guy I have made good number of impulse purchases on hot electronic toys in the past and went through the regret of doing so shortly after. Yet, NAVMAN ICN 630 is a complete exception to this. This is the first time I felt like an item I have purchased really improved the quality of my life. I must admit I'm in love with this little navigator.
It's been about a week since I have installed it in my car and since then it didn't stop impressing me.
Although it was without problems initial setup and registration of the software is a bit involved. Through out the process I expected something to go wrong but pleasantly disappointed. Once I have finished the registration I have loaded a couple of states and hit the car to install the unit which took me no longer than few minutes. Initial time ICN 630 took to acquire the satellites was about 60 to 90 seconds. Since then I don't recall waiting longer than 5 to 10 seconds even with a cold start.
For the area I live in (NY/NJ) I found the maps to be pretty accurate exception of the occasional left turn instruction where it was not allowed (Apparently ICN 630 is not fully aware of our famous and ample NJ jug handles).
Unit feels solid and screen is great and very bright. Although I had the initial impression that the screen was going to be too small, it turned out to be the perfect size for the purpose. Since I didn't want to make a permanent installation I have used the windshield suction cup option which worked magnificently.
The voice instructions are very clear and can be set as loud as you want it to be within reason. I didn't feel the need to study the user guide as the unit's interface is very intuitive.
I love the ability to setup routes at home using the simulator feature without the GPS.
I read few reviews prior to my purchase of the units where there were a few complaints against units lack of consideration for the speed of the vehicle when providing voice instruction for turns. I had no such experience. I have noticed a distinct difference on the frequency and type of voice instructions between the highway and 25 mph local road.
One thing I should mentioned as I didn't get a good idea reading the other reviews was the storage capacity one would need. Unit comes with 64MB which in really turn to be only 48MB. While the state maps varies anywhere between 2MB to 50MB approximately, you can typically store 2 to 3 states without needing the SD memory card. I have added a 512MB SD card and I was able to load the whole east coast states map CD without problems.
If I have to pick one feature I love the best, it would be the ability to recalculate the route if you made a wrong turn or ignored the instructed turn. It is virtually impossible to get lost with this unit, even in New Jersey.
Overall I can't find anything to complaint about this unit and boy let me tell you I don't give good reviews that easily.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gknyc
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Reviews written: 1
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