This review is from: Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
Friday, April 1, 2011
Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
This review is from: Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics)
It's going to be a long review.
For starters, I've used in-car OEM GPS for the past 2 cars, and I've seen how they have evolved and technology has really improved over the years.
I really enjoy the GPS/bluetooth/audio integration (in my Honda Civic Hybrid) but since this is a hand held unit, I won't complain. Besides, it's fractions of the cost 1/10 of the OEM GPS Navigation units).
The screen size is just right. Even though I've enjoyed the OEM 7" GPS, but this one packs lots of information in the 4.3" very nicely. Even when you are driving at a location with 7 lanes, it highlights exactly which lane you should be driving. It is very updated (there's a location nearby my house finished construction 2 years ago but my new 2009 Civic didn't have an updated map of that Freeway interchange. But this one did. And it is a very confusing interchange, but this one executed the command and routing beautifully.
The speed in pulling up a destination is a bit slow when compared to my in-dash unit. And the GPS signal sensitivity is a bit low (since it has no external antenna. when I am in a car port or under a highway overpass too long, it may lose GPS signal.
The routing announcement is tooooo frequent. I guess if you are in a new area and are stressed out trying to find your destination, it's good to be constantly reminded. But if you are just driving around in an area you are fairly familiar with but just making a detour or need to make sure you are making the right turns, the announcements are too frequent. And there's no way to reduce it too. (You can only choose the types of command to on/off.)
No media player (good or bad? you decide. Some people want it, but I'd like it simple.)
It has great bluetooth/hand free phone integration. As soon as you start the engine, and if the charger is plugged in, the unit turns on and immediately links to your cell phone.
The call display is great too. Clearly displaying who is calling and not distracting your drive. The sound is loud enough and the mic is right at the front right hand corner to capture all of your voices. I don't know whether it has noise cancellation build in, so I don't know if the caller on the other side can hear me well or not.
The traffic update is great. I usually use my iPhone to check traffic condition before I drive home or go to work. With this, it tell me if there's traffic with advance voice warning and red lane indicator.
The screen can be a bit too sensitive when you are trying to enter destination info when driving. So I strongly recommend you stop completely to enter the destination before you even change gear to drive.
The command to turn is the only major complain I have. Many times you are already at the corner and the voice command prompt you to turn. So, do look at the screen if you know you need to turn soon, or it will be too late.
The battery doesn't last that long if you are not plugged in--only 2.5 hours.
The cradle attachment is very well designed and sticks to the windshield like spiderman would do. I wish it came with a pouch to store the GPS unit so you can carry it out side your car. It is another prime target for car break in to steal the GPS.
I tried connecting the GPS to my computer using the USB, but it doesn't do anything to check software update. I can not find any information on software/map update in the user manual or online at motorolla site. I don't know if they plan to support this unit with new firmware or new map updates, etc.
So that's what I could think of so far after one day of usage. I haven't used the call feature to Bing or other services. (It uses your phone via bluetooth to make a call to a 408 area code number to check on everything (weather, point of interest, stocks, etc.) So it's not a 3G or edge network subscription. The traffic update, however, doesn't require your phone.
For a fraction of the cost of an in-dash OEM GPS navigation unit, I'd strongly recommend getting this unit (the lifetime traffic update is a dream come true.)
For most cars, a factory installed bluetooth hand free integration is about $500. Why buy that when you can have a GPS and bluetooth hand free for under $300? Do your math.
To be fair, I've only used a Garmin unit once when I went out of town trip with a friend. So I borrowed a Garmin GPS (don't even remember the model number).
That unit was very nice too, very intuitive in usage. But this one, has much more features built-in and at a lower price.
The only thing missing now is a speed radar built-in. They could make a receiver unit in the cradle and the software in the GPS unit. So when driving it will you know if there's a police with a radar gun ahead. Oh btw, this one tells you if there's photo radar enforcement ahead too.
It really packs a lot of feature in there with a reasonable price tag.
Highly recommended buy.
***Update***
After using it for a week, I want to update additional worth mention features.
1. I've lowered it to 4 stars. Reason for dropping one star? The mix of the following reasons:
a. unable to add previous destinations to favorites; it only shows 10 previous destinations. no choice on selecting one of them and add it to favorite or contact list so you have a quick list.
b. the phone call to BING is a drag. It takes up the phone line to do data stuff like an old modem. I can't believe Motorolla would use this old technology on this device.
c. it's impossible to handle the unit without accidently hitting some buttons (volume + -, mute, etc.)
2. A good feature: I drove with this GPS unit on but without a destination entered. It is still doing it's job even without a destination: a. still warning you of any photo radar spots, b. still has active bluetooth sync to your phone. c. still shows traffic data; d. still shows your driving speed if you are over the speed limit.
Still a recommended buy.
Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator (Electronics) at amazon.com
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