Customer Reviews

Navigon 2000S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought the 2090s from Radio Shack. It is simply a re-branded 2000s. One reason I chose it was the included two year subscription for "Fresh Maps". Having accurate maps is essential and map updates are expensive, so the two year subscription has significant value.

My unit came with a windshield mount, dashboard mount, car charger and USB cable. The latter is needed for installing map updates and can also be used for charging the unit. Regarding charging, at first it seemed like I had a bad battery until I learned that there's a difference between putting the unit into "sleep mode" (a quick button push) and turning it off. Sleep mode will save the current state, so if you're in the middle of navigating somewhere and make a stop the unit will pick up where it left off when you're back on the road. Sleep mode though continues to draw power from the battery. To prevent the battery from going flat you have to press and hold down the power button for 5-10 seconds - then the unit will properly turn off. This is not convenient and it is not explained in the minimal documentation. I learned about it by searching the support section of the navigon web site.

I find the navigation function very accurate. I've been testing by programming local destinations and observing the route choices. The GPS does not always choose what I think are the best roads so sometimes I ignore it and it quickly recalculates the route. The map display is pretty bland much of the time which I think is good (less distracting). However it kicks in the color and animation during special transitions such as approaching freeway junctions. The display and voice commands are very specific about which lanes to use to stay on route, and the timing of voice cues is accurate.

The screen has a day and night mode. The brightness for each mode can be set separately, and the night mode uses darker maps which is easier on the eyes. The switch between day and night modes can be set to "automatic" however the time cannot be set. The unit switches at 6 AM and 6 PM, and that doesn't correspond well with actual sunrise and sunset times. Fortunately, you can just touch the screen and instantly switch from one mode to the other.

The only function that the 2090s handles poorly is "points of interest". It nicely displays POI icons on the map as you drive, so it's easy to pick up on gas stations, restaurants, etc. nearby, however it is not possible to search the POI database using the names of specific locations. For instance, if I want to find a Starbucks in my area I can't just enter the name. I have to drill down through category menus. If I choose the wrong category I don't find the listing even though it is in the database. Starbucks is easy because there's a "cafe" category, but other stores do not clearly fall into the listed categories. This is really frustrating and if the "points of interest" feature is important to you I would consider this a deal breaker.

Generally I'm happy with the unit since I primarily use it for navigation, but I'm only giving it three stars because of the poor "points of interest" feature, the lack of included documentation and sleep/battery issue.

I own a Garmin 255W and love it, Garmin's are great in all areas but it only shows the direction of the next turn, not the lane to be in. I bought this Navigon 2000S for one reason, Lane Assist. Living in Southern California and driving the I-10 west into Los Angeles from the Inland Empire is nerve racking as other freeways branch off all the time and you had better be in the proper lane or your headed north to Sacramento or south to San Diego. In heavy traffic you may not have time to move three lanes over in less than a mile so you had better be in the proper lane when you get to the branch off. This Navagon takes the stress out of freeway travel by showing you the proper lane(s) to be in when the road branches off. A representative highway sign is also very helpful. This unit is feature rich and navigates perfectly, no problems so far, the TTS voice is clear and loud and very informative. It is very easy to program in a destination after a short learning curve. The fast start manual is minimal but all you need to learn is on "You Tube" tutorials or download a PDF file from Navigon's site. The only thing that's not the best is the amount of POI's, but if you need to find a gas station or restaurant you can, but don't expect to find Joe's bar and grill in your local strip mall listed, but the local McDonalds should be. The reason for only four stars is that you need to search for POI's by first typing in the city, that's tough if your unfamiliar with the area, this is where Garmin's shine. Now if I could only combine the quality screen graphics of the Garmin with the nice features of the Navigon at this price, that would be the cat's meow. This unit is fantastic at $100 and I highly recommend it for longer distance freeway travel over around town navigation because the screen is very small and local streets are difficult to read but not impossible to read, but it does a nice job on navigating local streets. The small screen is no problem on freeway travel, all information is very clearly shown and the TTS voice prompts are timely and informative. For the price, it's a steal.
UPDATE: Today I had to visit three locations I never visited before. The first two I used the Navigon 2000S and it was so easy to get there, absolutely effortless. On the third location I used my Garmin 255W and what a difference. I missed an off ramp on a freeway due to skimpy instructions that left me confused as to which ramp to use when there were two to choose from in a short span. The Navigon shows you the lane, overhead signs and talks you thru every turn, not just telling you to turn left on main street, it's amazing the help the Navigon gives you over the Garmin. I am so impressed with the Navigon I just ordered the 4.3 inch 2100 model as I like the bigger screens like my Garmin has. I'll keep the Garmin 255W as a backup and for the six million POI's but I'll use the Navigon for travel as its far superior for giving directions.
UPDATE: Received the 2100 Max and have sent it back. The 2100 Max is sluggish, has no lane assist and poor route choices, stick with the 2000S model, its the best....

I was concerned with reviews of previous navigon models, however after hearing that some of the interface and response problems had been corrected in the new navigon line, I decided to give it a shot.

This is a sleek, intuitive unit.

It acquires a signal very quickly, calculates routes quickly and gives great voice commands and directions. I like to set my navigon to "fast route" as opposed to optimum or shortest route. The interface is easy to use and its easy to enter destinations. I calibrated the touch screen with a stylus and it is very sensitive.

Smart speller is a great time saving feature. Auto day/night mode is also very handy.
Reality view and lane assist are excellent navigation tools which I want in any navigation system I purchase in the future.

My only major gripe with this model is that it is NOT compatable with lifetime traffic subscriptions according to Navigon USA.

There is no USB to USB mini cable included for charging with the PC, but I already had one handy.

If you want lifetime traffic, go with the 2200t. I got my 2000s for under 100 [...] but im thinking about upgrading.

Im going to stick with this product line. It would be perfect for me if I only had traffic capabilities I would give it five stars.

I bought this thinking I'd have to live with slow startups and slower route recalculations, but it's very impressive. I turn it on and go, it's that quick.

The easy access to POI's and the day/night vision option, are just a couple of the cool features on this unit. I find that it determines the speed limits in my area (Orlando FL) quite well, and programming some of my favorite spots from around the state was relatively easy.

The one feature I knew I wanted was the spoken names of roads, and this does it very well. The voice is loud and clear.

I'd definitely recommend this unit. The only thing that I could really say that I don't like, is the same as another reviewer has mentioned, that you can't just search the POI's by keyword, but I'll live with that.

GPS works as promised,Instructions are ok but could be more explict but the online manual is sufficent. It could use More POI's which I was told are in the making!All in all works as good as my $600.00 model!

This Unit is the best value for your dollar. I researched several GPS Units before I decided to buy this one. I was specifically looking for one that had lane assist, but most of those Units were very expensive and had a lot of other features that I didn't want or need. I bought this one on Amazon and use it everyday. It has worked great. It is simple to use, right out of the box. If you are in an area with a lot of trees, it can take a little long to lock in the satellites, but most of the time it takes less than a minute. I would recommend it for anyone!

Had bought a refurbished item from Amazon. It took forever to acquire the GPS signal. I returned it to Amazon & exchanged for another refurbished item no question asked, no postage needed (thanks for Amazon's great return policy). The 2nd unit works great. It acquires signal within 2 minutes from a cold start & less than 1 min waking up from "standby mode".

It has great features & interface. The 3-D graphic is great, lane assist is another amazing feature that others only provide in their high-end line-ups (>$250). The text-to-speech (speaking out street name) is another wonderful feature that I cannot do away with once I have experienced it.

Overall, it has a very nicely designed interface & feature set. The only issue I see is the problem in acquiring GPS signal due to poor hardware (I surmise). I wouldn't complain when I paid less than $70 (refurbished) for a product with such high-end features. All I needed to do was to rely on Amazon's great return/exchange policy & took advantage of this wonderful deal. I would have given it a 5-star if not for the exchange I had to make.

In all outward respects, this is a nice little GPS unit. Small packaged, lightweight, latest maps, quick satellite reception, text-to-voice. These are all nice features, but several other design shortcomings need to be addressed: (1) Grey lettering on grey background = hard to read (2) Voice commands not loud enough and not easily intelligible (3) Flat, lack of color display is boring (4) Terrible points-of-interest search engine (5) Lettering is very small and difficult to read (6) Display not very bright (7) Difficult to use "plus" or "minus" feature did not seem to work. (8) POI symbols are way to small to see very well.

Good features: (1) Excellent reality vue, but static. (2) Fast reroute feature (3) Accurate routing to destination (4) Good landmark displays (rivers, lakes, town names, etc.)

Good price but now there are too many quality GPS devices on the market to settle for less. Sorry !

This equipment is the best thing that I could have ever bought. I can never get lost again now that I have my navigon

I was looking for a GPS under $150 with text to speech, lots of POI's, and lat/lon. This one has it and I am fascinated with the way the voice prompts get me from here to there so accurately. Only, only thing I don't like is the way is repeatedly says "caution" whenever I exceed a posted speed limit- annoying. Maybe there is a way to turn the warning off and I just haven't found it yet.

I am amending my earlier review to say that the "speed caution" prompt can be set for 5,10,15, or 20 mph over the posted speed, or turned off completely. I just did not know how to do it when I did the initial review. Now I'd give it a 5 star rating. I have recommended this gps to two friends and they each bought it and love it (and one of them got it even cheaper than I did!).