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.\r\n\r\n
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The bad: The TomTom One’s points-of-interest database is a bit outdated and doesn’t support text-to-speech functionality.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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Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
