Car Stereo Systems

I am a relative newcomer to the GPS, but I learn fast. I tried different notes from friends and read dozens of reviews. NV-U94T received uneven reviews – some wanted, and some (like CNET) have been lukewarm. My first reaction, however, when seeing the poster of the Radio Shack has been very positive, so I took a closer look.

Sony has a reputation for companies like Garmin and TomTom have. I think this factor, combined with the initially high price for this device ($ 399 list until recently), and some routing Flakey with the first version of the firmware, which has led some to be a model “ignored this fall.

Although the NV-U94T comes to be published this autumn (in August 2008?) as the top of the range for programming fall of Sony, Sony has decided to lower the prices starting from $ 399 to $ 199 last week. While I admired the device when it was sold for $ 299 at Radio Shack before Christmas, when I returned a few days ago and saw a $ 199 (with an option for 30 days and 90 days, the currency option), I felt I had to take a chance.

In short – It’s been great so far.

The display is spectacular. A 4. 8 This is the biggest, brightest, display quality, I have seen anywhere near this price. The processor seems to be very fast: the user interface is quick and flexible route calculation is very fast as it re-load when I drive the recommended route. The unit boots and picks up satellite signals in seconds.

The user interface is pretty good, easy to navigate, and usually takes me a few blows to the desired function. After the menu buttons on the left of the screen, regardless of the display, that means I can always get a top-level menu with one touch. The series supports a 94T finger gestures (which has a laugh with my son) as the stripes form a roof on the big screen with your finger to indicate that you want the device to surf home, drawing a circle clockwise to zoom in clockwise or counterclockwise to decrease (for both select and set presets).

The feature set is fairly large. Bluetooth can be used in various ways: the device has a media player that can flow through the system car audio with Bluetooth, and can also act as a speakerphone for your Bluetooth phone (great work). Text to Speech is excellent, and you have a choice of languages and voices. There is an accelerometer built-in 6-way and a certain type of pressure sensor which helps you keep track of your position if you briefly lose their contact with GPS satellites. They call this position “more”.
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Sony Super Suction works incredibly well. It is quite typical of a suction cup, but with some form of hard gels on the bottom is a little “sticky to the touch. It is not a true adhesive, so that leaves no residue. but lets go faster than a dashboard texture securely in seconds – and can be removed as quickly, leaving no trace. I like the ability to quickly mount on my dashboard and delete it like this: my car is now for rent and I’ll be back in less than a year – no way I would put a permanent mounting on the car. In addition, being able to mount on my dashboard is excellent: it is not really obstruct my view out the windshield, and I heard the police in NJ recently ticketing people for having a GPS on the windshield blocking the view.

I am not sure this is common after all antennas GPS screen, but the 94T is a split-screen as you approach intersections, showing you a first floor Detail of the intersection on the left side of the screen and the map to the right. next show all avenues that are available and what to use or avoid. It works very well until now.

The camera does not always choose the same path that I want, but I think GPS not read your mind and always choose a route with the same logic you could. But the road is gathered, they seem to be a little less than a mile from the total length of the journey that I chose, with the total travel time to a minute or two I could choose the routes for those recommended by the GPS. In fact, it made me reevaluate the routes that I used for years – and seems to be well chosen so far. Also, if you continue to ignore a suggested route for yours, I read you begin to apply more weight in its routing algorithm of your favorite routes and possibly start using your preferred routes.

The drive I took last week that 2008 latest NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico is installed with more than 5 million points of interest included. I read that the Garmin Recent something like 6 million POI – certainly not what I’m missing, and so far, found all my restaurants, gas stations, etc.

The 94T also has built in traffic receiver and a separate antenna can string along the edge of the windshield. The 94T has a prepaid 3 months trial service for the traffic – I have not tried it yet, and you’re not going to sign anyway. I hope my only expense to come, it will be once the map update in the next year or two.

I got a good case for the aftermarket 94T at Radio Shack for $ 20 – is designed for the GPS 4. 5 “5″ series, and it fits like a glove. The case is and feels like a big nucleus with a cell phone case horizontal band of magnetic closure. I feel much safer than carry the 94T have drawn in this area.

Two things that I find a bit tedious
1) I like Sony does not require you to use their “Memory Stick” media for storage extended. I prefer more industry-standard mini or micro SD, because they can be found cheaper than Sony’s proprietary format. It’s not a big deal but I like standards.

2) I read that the battery life of this device is approximately 2 5. hours, it seems that high-end units TomTom and Garmin have double the battery life. I do not know if I could use without having connected the power cable cars. But I suppose if I ever have the batteries, I prefer to have the battery life better.

Although built in Lithion ion is not supposed to be easy to use, Sony provides removal instructions for recycling when you screw up the device. It seems very easy to open the device, and if the battery is to buy (online somewhere, I’d say), it would seem easy to replace, if necessary.

in all cases – except two minor issues above, I am very affectionate, the NV-U94T. I’ll try it on some trips this weekend (a few hundreds of kilometers), and we hope to give a good workout. So far I am very happy about this, and the new price of $ 199, I think it’s a good deal. (I’m inserting a link below, and you can buy at Radio Shack for $ 199, or order directly from SonyStyle for the same price)

– Jon

Sony NVU94T 4. 8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech < , br />
UPDATE 1/19/09: I have lived with this, using everyday (although I usually do not need) to see how it works, mania, etc. some others have posted from time to time showing a path a little “odd – but mostly, the proposed routes are perfectly valid, and sometimes faster than the “obvious” paths I choose usually.

I use those hours long enough to finally experience “learning” feature that I read. Every day after work I drive New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 11 to Exit 8A, then take different paths best in Princeton Junction. NV-U94T has tried to drive off the highway pay New Jersey at Exit 9, each day, taking me on Route 1 South, however. The path is “valid”, but ignores the fact that Route 1 tend to be a parking lot at rush hour . Know Bad Route 1 is, I ignore the signs NV-U94T and continue south past Exit 9, at the time that I heard, “Focus on”, and of course the new road from there.

Last week, the GPS continued to insist on exit 9, and actually I drove my preferred route – and has consistently for the last days of the week . As I mentioned at the beginning of this infomercial, I read that the device tracks the actual time that you ignore the suggested routes to other roads (which I think was an engineer for Sony to say – I’ll keep looking and post link when I find) and updates its “weight” of your favorite street for their algorithm also recommend ways best suited to your preferences. I was skeptical at first, but the new behavior seems consistent and complies with the article I read in the new system of weighting classes.

Last night I stopped by his friend family, and happened to bring * * the acquisition of its latest gadget – a new 4 Garmin. 3 “GPS (not sure which model – I think it’s a 760). We took both families out for dinner and decided to try to flank both GPS-by-side to see how it compared.

Both open almost as quickly. The Garmin has acquired satellites almost immediately, and Sony took about 10 seconds more – but then the two signals maintained for the rest of the night. Even if Sony calculates a new route quickly, the Garmin seems much faster to do about 3 or 4 seconds on the Sony, and almost immediately available on the Garmin. I guess the Garmin has a faster processor. But note: Even if Sony takes a few seconds to update a path, it is still fast enough to do so before reaching the next intersection, after missing a turn recommended.

The Garmin offers more options to customize it seems, with the possibility to download files from many different voices, while the Sony is limited to 2 choices in English (choice of male and female voices), and both males and females for 2 languages (French and Italian, I think). Garmin offers a choice certainly more in this area.

When driving escapades we took last night, the two devices have chosen the same path. Both have the same (but not identical) Tower warnings. My friends said that the Garmin says simply “turn right” (on any street name is) when you are above the intersection, while Sony says: “Now, turn right on” (whatever the name of street). I’m used to the NV-U94T, saying: “Now, turn right …”, but they have found an improvement with GPS to indicate clearly that you are actually in turn, rather than closer still. Point Subtle usability – not a big deal, but I agree – that many have said clearly that you are going.

The display on the Garmin seems a little “best shows your current road in a more realistic perspective in 3D compared to Sony, although the difference is subtle. I like how Sony displays street names on the card, however, and I found them more readable. The Sony screen POI “logos” that the Garmin has my logo display unit bit ‘for items such as Wendy’s, Hess, etc. – and even show a restaurant, “Italian song” logos (Italian flag), Chinese restaurants etc.

I noticed yesterday that the Garmin displays a line of railroad was under a bridge, we were – while Sony did not.

Sony has a couple of driving characteristics that I really love what I do * not * see on the Garmin. When you approach a turn-off, the screen changes to a Split vision: the right to display the standard card NAV, while changes to the left to show a closeup of the intersection, with more details, and the arrows shows the details of the shift of navigation. In addition The display is divided into two parts separated by a half-inch (approximately) wide vertical yellow bar that appears as a kind of long and narrow “VU meter”, consisting of a stack of yellow horizontal lines, which represents about 30 meters each. As we approach the turn, this guide gives you a clear view on his approach, and also summarizes the abandonment of standing at the top of the screen. This seems to work well, and when to slow down, the indicator seems to update every 10 to 20 feet of the approach of the tower.

Since I wrote this comment, I felt a part of Bluetooth. I associate my BlackBerry Curve with GPS, and used as a speakerphone. It worked perfectly, allowing me to dial by voice, and the sound is excellent – in the car. The people I called told me it sounded fuzzy compared to my normal “sound furniture” when you use a Jawbone 2. I think this is understandable because the reader (and microphone) located about 2 meters from me when he is on the dashboard.

Sony and Garmin all seem to offer some advantages over its other units, but in the end, navigation and basic characteristics seem incredibly close. I’m used to Sony, and even if I still have the opportunity to come back and buy the Garmin, however, has not considered it necessary ‘.

I went to a store looking for electronics for GPS systems. They had several brands side by side, and I could see the screen on the Sony looked much brighter and was much more lively than all the others that were on display. There was Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, and a couple of brands I never heard before.
Sony was not in stock at this store and I wanted to get something for a trip that was planned, so I ended up buying a TomTom Go630. The reason I bought the TomTom was because I read all the updates and synchronizes with mobile phones, you can add items and update your maps with added MapShare receive the latest Updated traffic.
I am a very technical “type of person, and I wish I had the gadgets with lots of bells and whistles. I came back, spent a couple hours to download the” latest “maps and voices and all the other things that I could download for free from the TomTom website (which has a program manager to install once the GPS is connected to the computer). Imagine how I was disappointed after spending a couple of hours to update the GPS to find my home address (or street, anyway) do not appear on the map! After computing and research satellites, has given my position as being in the middle of a field!
I had my house built and just moved last October, but development has been effective. 1 5 years now! I download a map that has more than 2 GB in size, and I had my way! In addition to this, I used to try to get to work the next morning and found a road that would add an additional 25 minutes driving time Oh, and I forgot to say that it would sync with my Verizon Wireless Phone Razor because he was not the latest model! So even if my phone could see TomTom TomTom refused to sync with it! What was the last straw. TomTom which was not cheap ($ 399) and was useless!
I took the TomTom and went to Amazon to see they had the Sony… and quite safe… fit! I sent through the service the next day. I downloaded the software from the Sony website and connected to my PC no problem. (I launch Vista Ultimate), but before you download the latest software, I looked to see if you know my position… Out of the Box and you knew my way, I am then went on Sony’s website to download the software update and saw that there was a warning to all those who have bought this model… Some models contain a virus! Luckily she had the serial numbers of all GPS systems infected… I wonder if that’s why none of my electronics stores have this GPS model in stock. My serial number was not affected by this, so I was very relieved.
In any case, this unit is far superior to TomTom! I read some reviews saying that the way this unit calculate routes are a bit Flakey “sometimes. . . But so far all the places I programmed was sent exactly the same way I would go. I was also able to synchronize the device to your phone! It was very easy to do. . . Enter the same PIN to 4 digits on both devices that see each other, and the connection was made! Less than 3 minutes!
The fact that this model is to split screen and shows exactly how much you where you need to activate is a great advantage over all other units. And the rapid evolution in terms of navigation “scroll” view is awesome too! You can scroll around to see what is around which is pretty sweet. And the icons for the POI (points of interest such as restaurants, gas stations, etc. ..) are much better than all other devices
I have not tried this part of the traffic generated by this device, but is equipped with an antenna is beautiful. Many other units have this feature requires an additional purchase. With the Sony, the antenna plugs actually across the device. This may not seem like much, but the fact that both the antenna and the power connector in the mounting bracket and the device makes it convenient to remove the GPS and take it with you. Removing the GPS is easy! Simply press a button and the GPS is separate from the mounting bracket. . . can be done with one hand!
The microphone (Bluetooth) works very well. My wife says I use when she feels well, but when you speak of “Echoes”. . . is common to many speakers.
So even if I did that for SONY 1. 5 days, I love it! I went to a seminar today, and not only me there without any problem, I could use it to find a nearby Starbucks and drink a cup of coffee!
The final impressive feature that I wanted to talk about is the approximate time of arrival. He “was very accurate! This device tells you not only said what the weather upon arrival, but tia tells you how long the trip has also taken on their destination (He talks about you when you arrive)
If you’re on the fence, I recommend this device! A ton of impressive features and is extremely easy to use! The screen size, appearance and user interface are this unit a winner! Considering that this unit cost less than $ 200 and adopt a model that was twice as expensive should speak volumes.

I read the reviews and saw that some people had problems with the GPS signal, but I bought it anyway. or was it just luck of the draw or what Sony has solved the problem. This thing is very fast. It locks up immediately. I like the Highway 3D puts you never in the wrong lane and you’ll never take the wrong exit again. Living in the same town all my life, I know my way around and the problem is it is taking side streets. But apart from that its been great. The touch screen is very intuitive and friendly. BUY on TomTom and Garmin, you will not be disappointed