Digital Trends

Navigon 2100 Max

April 28th, 2008 | by David Elrich

Performance and Use

The Navigon powers up and receives signals from associated GPS satellites rapidly, although the company warns it can take up to 15 minutes for the first boot. (It took less than a minute for us.) Before you get going, it’s wise to go through the Basic Setup. There are seven screens’ worth and you can customize the maps and data you’ll see on the WQVGA display (480x272 pixels) – a resolution similar to other 4.3-inch models such as the new Garmin nuvi 880.

The 2100 Max features a receiver that’s built into the unit and the antenna is part of the power cord. This is a nice solution and eliminates the need to snake a separate traffic antenna on your dash. Navigon let us try out the Zagat and Lifetime Traffic services, which will set you back $130 USD total plus the $299 USD for the unit. Enabling them is a multistep process that requires you to go to the Navigon website to get an activation code and then input that info into the unit. It’s not too onerous. Before discussing these features though, let’s talk about the 2100 Max as a pure direction-generating device and its ability to get you from Point A to B.

Entering locations is relatively easy. But the onscreen boxes for numbers and letters are a shade smaller than you may find on competing models. That said, it’s not difficult entering an address—still, you should keep a pen nearby to tap the screen, advice which holds true for any GPS (keep the point retracted, though).

Also important to ponder is the amount of time it takes to generate each route, with 2100 Max doing so in a reasonable 30 seconds. The aforementioned Reality View feature is also quite handy: When you come to a key highway interchange, it shows signs almost exactly as you’d see them appear on the road. The GPS will also inform you about slowdowns on highways up to 50 miles away – quite a nice extra.

Reality View shows you the signs in real-time

From a voice-over standpoint, the Navigon’s narrator is cheerfully quite forgiving and informative too. She’ll say “turn in 30 feet” or vocalize whichever other instructions are needed to keep you on track. The 2100 Max has another cool bonus as well—speed limit signs that appear on the left side of the screen. We were tooling down a 65 MPH highway and suffice it to say it was a nice reminder when we, er, “accidentally” hit 83.

Zagat restaurant ratings are a big plus for foodies too. With this option activated, you get an additional 30,000 POI (restaurants, hotels, golf courses, etc.) To find the info though, you have to enter the POI screen then manually review the local Zagat write-ups. This process proves clunky, and it would be preferable if the Zagat icons automatically appeared on the main screen and opened into another screen with the requested data once you tapped the display. What’s more, the 30,000 POI are geared towards big cities rather than outlying areas, which makes them useful primarily for those living in larger metropolitan areas.

A couple additional design niggles should also be noted. For some reason, Navigon engineers did not include an auto shutdown when you turn off the ignition. You’re forced to turn the device off manually when you leave the car… Otherwise it just keeps running, making it a nice beacon for thieves. Rival devices also offer preferable splash pages for accessing favorites, restaurants and other common selections.

Same with Garmin’s auto daylight/night display. When it becomes dark, the Garmin automatically go into night mode, changing the colors of the maps. With the Navigon you have to manually do this on the touch screen.

Conclusion

The Navigon 2100 Max is a solid, well-performing GPS that’s easy to recommend. At about $260 USD street price (as of April 2008), it proves well worth the investment for features such as the terrific Reality View option. By comparison, the new Garmin nuvi 205W with a similar 4.3-inch screen is due soon for $266 USD and lacks this feature, not to mention spoken turn commands. Since both use NAVTEQ maps, there really isn’t that much difference in terms of day-to-day performance as well. Navigon also has traffic alerts for $99 lifetime versus MSN Direct at $129 lifetime (or $49.95 annually) on the Garmin. However, MSN Direct gives more info such as movie times and stock quotes, so this is pretty much a wash. All told though, the Navigon 2100 Max takes the prize. And, better still, we love the fact it doesn’t nag us…

Pros:

• Sharp 4.3-inch touchscreen
• Reality View is outstanding
• Relatively inexpensive traffic info

Cons:

• No Bluetooth capability
• No shutoff or auto day/night view
• Should have more points of interest