what do you guys think about Navigon 2100?

[Semidevil]

I just need a budget gps that can take find me directions. not too concerned about bluetooth, mp3 player, poi...etc etc.

I ran across the navigon 2100, and it seems pretty good for the price. the most appealing thing is it's "3-d realistic" view and the text to speech.

anybody have this unit and have an opinion on it?

how does this 3d view work? is it just highways?

 

[aba4430]

Do not know much about this model, but OD has it for $120 this week. See link:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/p...100-Navigation-System/

 

[Funyuns101]

I, and tons of other people, bought one on Black Friday at Staples because it included lifetime traffic service for a total of $99 + tax. Some coupons were available back then as well.
Anyway, overall it's okay. It's not quite as good as the Nuvi's, but can definitely get you where you want. The 3D reality view is pretty neat & TTS works okay but does sound a bit like a robot. You don't get to choose any voices, just one generic lady. The 3D view only really shows up on major highways.

Inputs are a bit touchy and can be frustrating... sometimes you hit a letter but it doesn't register. It's very simple to use. It picks up signals fairly quickly but not inside of the house like some other brands can in my experience.
Navigon released a firmware update not too long ago which has helped with directions and TTS a little bit. I believe it uses NAVTEQ maps, which aren't the most up to date but are probably 2006 maps or so. I don't know when new ones will be arriving or if updates will be free or not.

The stand is okay, you get a much fancier one on the 5100 and 7100 series. It's just a suction cup type, but I feel it's better than the one that you get w/the TomTom One.

I'm not a big fan of CNET, but you can see their review here: http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gp...5-3430_7-32744602.html
You mention that you don't care about the extras, but just so you know: it is very hack-able. I've been able to get WindowsCE on it which can play mp3s and divx files.
Also, over at the GPSpassion forums there are tons of themes that you can download. This was especially helpful for me since I thought that some of the fonts were a bit small to read out-of-the-box but these tiny "hacks" have fixed these issues for me.

Any other questions?

 

[Semidevil]

so realistically, with this gps(and others), how reliable is it to use an outdated map? I mean, If I do not use the '2008 map,' does it usually cause trouble?

besides this navigon, are their any other alternates that is better or comparable(keeping in the same price range, + or - $50 dollars or so)

 

[Funyuns101]

Originally posted by: Semidevil
so realistically, with this gps(and others), how reliable is it to use an outdated map? I mean, If I do not use the '2008 map,' does it usually cause trouble?

besides this navigon, are their any other alternates that is better or comparable(keeping in the same price range, + or - $50 dollars or so)

To reiterate, I just wanted to give you all the cons and pros. I am very happy w/my decision to go w/this particular GPS. I actually prefer it over my gf's TomTom One which is a direct competitor in this price range.
The TT One is also pretty easy to use. This is also a very popular unit that tons of people have bought over the past few months.
I believe that the Garmin Nuvi 260 would a close competitor at about $180-200 or so.

Just take the maps thing with a grain of salt as a lot of people complain that new developments are in their maps... I haven't had many problems thus far with that except for finding the newly built Costco nearby.
IIRC, Garmin recently released a new map which is like $75 or so... they're not necessary unless you live in area that has a lot of construction going on.

You'll be hard-pressed to find another unit w/the same capabilities anywhere near this price.
My advice is go to a local Staples, Best Buy, etc to play with them and see which one is best for you.

 

[Pliablemoose]

If you haven't bought it yet, don't.

It's slow to pick up the satellites, the software is poorly executed, read slow, poor routing algorithms, it's not loud enough to hear the directions, I have a year old cheap ass Magellan that's worlds better.

Believe the poor reviews on this unit.

Navigon promises updates, but haven't delivered a substantial upgrade to deal with the problems.

<---The guy that keeps missing his freaking turns because of his slow GPS...

 

[DeMody]

I bought my 2100 last week and used on a trip of about 500 miles.
- quick satellite pickup, even in my hotel room when I was adding some destinations
- sound is too loud so I had to turn it down (it has a extra boost sound feature in options) and it now perfect
- the interstate divides feature is AWESOME - it will display an over head sign view that mimics the interstate overhead signs to show you what divides are coming up - this way you'll never miss your turn off
- the new 1.1 update gave updated maps (my street is now displayed)
- fastest, shortest and optimum map routing is availabe (advice, use optimum)
- POI are a bit tricky but in 3D view they will show up and even display the name of the POI (such as McDonald's, BP Oil, Shell, etc etc - sweet!)

For $120, you won't find a better GPS unit.