Navman F20 GPS Navigator Review
October 25th, 2009
Navman F20 GPS Navigator Review from TechGeek. Good Basic GPS System, I bought this unit on Thanksgiving Black Friday. I have used it for over 15 trips. I am totally satisfied with the performance of this GPS. I have tried it on different type roads in southen California, and it works great in all situations. Yes, it is just a entry-level GPS ( but don’t get this wrong ), here “entry-level” just means it lacks MP3, Pictures and Bluetooth functions. It has all essentail features with pre-installed the newest US and Canada Map. Re-calculating route is fast and route-picking is wise. The size and shape make this unit extremely portable, you can simply put it in your T-Shirt porket ( this is important since many cars have been broken for stealing the GSP. Don’t forget put the sucktion mount away from the sight of thievies also.) Touch screen and anti-glare is useful.
Just like other reviewers here, I expected there is connectivity kit and desktop software in the original package for updating the Map or customizing the POIs. However, the original package doesn’t have those in the box. But it is unfair to blame this for such a low price ( I got it at $200). Besides, I think all we only need is a USB cable and SmartST 2006 software in order to achieve the same features of N40i. I have contacted Navman customer service, they told me that the optional connectivity kit will be available at their online store by the end of Jan, 2007.
A neighbor of mine just bought a Garmin StreetPilot c550 for $699 (not include tax yet) a few days ago. We made a comparison test. We installed two units side by side, during the test drive, I found Navman F20 pick the route smarter than Garmin c550. Calculating time are almost same. For voice instruction, c550 will tell you the street name for turns which is a great feature, F20 doesn’t tell you the street name you are turning to at local but you still can see the next turning street’s name on the screen. F20 will tell you the freeway “exit number” on the freeway instead of the street name(someone will think this is even better but I still prefer sound out the street name like c550 did). While both of units’ voice instruction is very clear enough for me, c550 has much high volume voice than F20. The volume of F20 is OK for me but I hope it can be as high as c550. c550 has a better feature than F20, you can find POIs with detailed info, for example, with a few of touches, you can easily find restaurants or hotel around you with their phone number (This is a great feature my friend like the most since he is a salesman). For F20, it is only easy to find Parking and Gas Stations with one button touch. F20 also lacks the features like play musics and store pictures and bluetooth for making hands-free calls. c550 does have those extra features.
Bottom line, as a basic GPS device, it included the latest GPS technology and update Maps, it is accurate and reliable GPS with much cheaper price than other brands like Garmin an Tomtom. If you are looking for a basic GPS unit not a all-in-one unit, then this is the one I highly recommended. And remember, we should only compare two GPS within same price range.
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