Photos: Top four navigation systems
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CNET Reviews editor Bonnie Cha recently put together a list of her favorite portable navigation systems. While most systems do a solid job of getting you from point A to point B, it’s things like design, interface and features that really make the difference. Here are Bonnie’s four favorites to come through the Reviews room.rnrn
1. Garmin Nuvi 350
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The Garmin Nuvi 350 is ideal for those who travel overseas. This model includes extra features, such as foreign language dictionaries and city guides, that make it a true travel companion. Plus, it’s got a great, compact form and solid navigation capabilities.
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Editors’ rating: 8.3
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Users’ rating: 8.7
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The good: The compact Garmin Nuvi 350 has a strong GPS receiver and includes lots of travel-friendly features.
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The bad: The Garmin Nuvi 350 is expensive, and the traffic receiver and the travel guide programs cost extra. The Nuvi also lacks an external volume control.
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The bottom line: No bigger than a deck of cards, the Garmin Nuvi 350 is more than just another voice-guided GPS device, packing in travel tools, entertainment features and good performance; just be prepared to pay a price.
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2. TomTom One
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For pure ease of use and simplicity, the TomTom One is, well, the one. It’s ready to use right of the box and has an admirably minimalist design.
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Editors’ rating: 7.7
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Users’ rating: 8.0
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The good: The TomTom One features a sleek design and is simple to use. It offers accurate text- and voice-guided directions and is affordably priced.
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The bad: The TomTom One’s points-of-interest database is a bit outdated and doesn’t support text-to-speech functionality.
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The bottom line: Offering just the navigation essentials and accurate directions, the TomTom One is an affordable and easy-to-use in-car GPS device for first-time buyers or anyone who wants a no-frills nav system.
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3. Garmin StreetPilot c550
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The Garmin StreetPilot c550 is one of the best systems we’ve seen to integrate advanced features, such as Bluetooth, real-time traffic info and music playback.
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Editors’ rating: 7.7
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Users’ rating: 8.2
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The good: The Garmin StreetPilot c550 offers real-time traffic information, Bluetooth and MP3 playback. The compact GPS device also has an accurate receiver and text-to-speech functionality.
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The bad: The Garmin StreetPilot c550 is occasionally slow to acquire a satellite fix, and it’s a bit pricey.
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The bottom line: The Garmin StreetPilot c550 offers accurate driving directions, integrated Bluetooth and real-time traffic info in one slick package.
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4. Navman iCN 750
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The interface on this isn’t great, but the NavPix software and 1.3-megapixel camera are noteworthy features. Essentially, this allows you to take a picture of a location and, as long as you have a GPS fix at the time, the unit will record the site’s coordinates. Then you can save the photo as a favorite or point of interest, and use it to quickly get directions the next time you want to visit the location. In-car GPS devices are evolving, but this is one of the more innovative features we’ve come across.
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Editors’ rating: 7.0
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The good: The Navman iCN 750 has a 1.3-megapixel camera that lets you create photo-based points of interest and comes preloaded with maps of North America.
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The bad: The Navman iCN 750 is a bit sluggish to perform tasks and its interface isn’t always intuitive. The screen is also hard to see in bright sunlight.
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The bottom line: Though a bit sluggish, the Navman iCN 750 is an innovative image-based navigation system, offering an integrated camera and accurate driving directions.
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