Review of the Navman iCN 720 Satellite Navigation GPS Receiver
Navman have diversified from straight-forward satellite navigation devices by treating the iCN 720 to a nifty little digital camera, known as NavPix. Next up from the iCN720 is the iCN750, which will set you back a further £200, but it’s got many more features on offer. Design |
Taking into consideration that the Navman iCN720 is a revolutionary device, it weighs a ton due to its bulky 136 x 77 x 31mm dimensions. The luxurious widescreen measures a massive 4” diagonally, allowing plenty of space to show us what we want to see - the way to go! On the right-hand side is the volume control wheel, and on the opposite side is a connector for an additional antenna. Clustered in the same area is the power socket, mini-USB port, and an SD multi-media card slot. The front is dominated by the plush screen, and to the right of this is a collection of comfortable-to-use control buttons. |
| Setup/Installation |
You don’t need to worry about your eggs boiling over while you are setting up the Navman iCN720 as it only takes a matter of seconds. The windscreen mount sucks onto the window, and the device dock clips into the mount. A catch mechanism allows easy removal of the device, which is great for taking it into petrol station with you, rather than having to buy it back from the car boot at the weekend. |
| Features |
With the latest navigation technology and the smartest new software, the Navman iCN 720 is an extremely promising little (just a figure of speech, as it is rather big) device. Even more impressive is the bigger and better iCN 750, which comes with pre-installed maps for 17 European countries (the iCN 720 has these but you need to pay to have them activated). Also, if you want up-to-date traffic alerts you’ll need to buy a T1 traffic pack, which costs an extra £100. With an integrated digital camera you can point the device and shoot to take pictures; these can then be used for places of interest, like a photo of the Eiffel Tower for France, for example. Navman have aptly named the photo options ‘NavPix’, for which an option is available on the main menu as soon as you turn the device on. The Navman website allows you to upload your snaps, and you can also download images onto the device from other sources. On the initial turn-on you’ll be bombarded by important and inescapable questions before being given the normal 6-option main menu. These options include home, favourites, recent, address, directory, NavPix. The Navman iCN720 menu is easy to use, in our opinion it’s even easier than the notoriously simple TomTom go series. Our favourite navigation tool was the well supported postcode option. To see the menu in action, check out the website: http://www.navman-hosting.com/Nseriesdemo/selectindex.php?language=EN&productid=2&featureid=4 |
| Performance |
We liked the Navman iCN from the second we turned it on. The on-screen skippable tutorial should not be overlooked, as it provides you with a nice insight into what it can do. It provided us with a responsive service, and got us to the destination without any annoying problems that are used to with sat nav devices. The photos we had taken were of average quality, which is understandable seeing as it isn’t a camera. The spoken instructions were loud and clear enough, even with the window open. We especially liked the large screen, which provides plenty of room for lots of information. |
| What's In The Box? |
Windscreen mount Mains power charger Cigarette lighter cable USB cable for PC connection Smart ST Software User manual Map data In-car installation guide |
| Overall Opinion |
Revolutionary is the key word for the iCN720 satellite navigation, bringing a whole new dimension to the sat nav world. It performs just as well as our favourite sat navs, and is equally as easy to use. The only downfall is the humongous size, but we’re letting Navman off as they’ve included a digital camera. |
By Lisa Malyon
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Pros + 4” widescreen + Easy to use menu system + Supports postcode navigation + Integrated digital camera + Image-based POIs |
Cons - Large and heavy design - Live traffic information costs £100 extra |
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Ease of Use 9/10
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Display Quality 9/10
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Value for Money 9/10
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Overall Rating 
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2/11/2006 at 5:36:43pm
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