Customer Reviews

Nextar P3 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I picked-up one of these as it was 50% off on after-Xmas sale at a local store. I've used other GPS systems on rental cars, but could never justify buying one for normal use. But at this price, I thought I'd give it a try. So far, I'm very glad I did.
Nextar is an unfamiliar brand name to me, and thankfully I haven't had an urgent need to contact the company. I made sure it was returnable at the store where I bought it, so if something was wrong I could get a full refund.

Personally, I found it a snap to just get it working. Just pop in the SD card and turn it on. Initially, I noticed it wasn't acquiring the satellite signal very quickly, but I know the GPS satellites are constantly orbiting overhead, and I figured I needed to enter the correct date/time and time zone to get started. As soon as I did that, it acquired a good signal in about a minute. I think the longest it's taken for a signal lock is about 5 minutes so far, but I'm sure it varies based on a lot of conditions. I get a strong signal inside my home, but couldn't get anything inside a large parking garage. Changing user-settings and picking destinations is easy. But I found the manual to be helpful in learning how to fine-tune your routes (choosing detours and stop overs). It is written succinctly, but is definitely intelligible and is easy to follow along due to the many screen shots included.

The map data seemed reasonably up to date. I live in a relatively new subdivision, and I've encountered GPS devices that didn't include it, but this one does. I estimate that the map data was accurate to about 2005 or 2006, which is acceptable to me. I'm sure it takes a while for all the street data to trickle down to the consumer.

The P3 unit runs the IntelliNav software version 1.1.6.0 (on Windows CE) and uses NAVTEQ digital map data. There's very little mention of map data on Nextar's web site. The SD card contains the US only (while some of their other GPS units also include Canada as well). I'm hoping that at some point Nextar offers upgrades to include more current map data and/or Canada and other countries. I'd say that's the main reason I'm not giving this unit 5 stars is because Nextar doesn't seem to have impressive support for it's products, but that's based primarily on their web site FAQ being so sparse and no indication whatsoever of future software or map upgrades or improvements.

In general though, I was very impressed with the finish on the unit, and the usability (for the price). It seems very sturdy and has a nice simple design. And it has an internal battery (but it's not user replaceable) that lasts about 5 hours on a charge, so it can be used handheld as well. The accessories are also of good quality. You get an easy to use suction cup mount, an auto power adapter, and a USB cable. It can also play MP3s, but you have to remove the Map SD card and insert another with songs on it--so the usefulness of that capability is limited in my opinion. They also sell an AC outlet power cable accessory, but I think they wisely left it out of the box. Instead, the USB cable can be used to charged the unit by plugging it into a USB port on a computer. I also found it charges fine when plugged into the USB port on my Apple iPod AC Power adapter.

There is a stylus included (that stores very inconspicuously on the back), but my fingertip works almost as well. I was very impressed with how easy it was to enter addresses. Just enter a state name, city, street name then street number, and it will find the address. You can add up to 300 favorite addresses and give them personalized names. That makes it very easy to quickly locate destinations. It also has a very impressive built-in database of points of interest (POIs). So it's very easy to locate nearby restaurants, shopping malls, gas stations, hotels, hospitals, ski hills, and more. You can easily search for them by name or categories (even food type in the case of restaurants) and it will display them by proximity or alphabetically based on your choice. They also appear as icons on the map as you drive by. Just click on them and the address and phone number appears. Apparently it's got a database of over 1.6 million POIs, so NAVTEQ has packed a lot of data on that 1GB SD card. And while I've encountered a few discrepancies, I was impressed by the wealth of locations included and again I estimate the POI data is accurate to within two years based on what restaurants it listed.

While driving a route, the unit speaks the turn instructions with a reasonable amount of warning and accuracy. It speaks highway names and distances to turns, but it doesn't have text-to-speech capability, so it doesn't speak exact street names. However, the display lists street names rather clearly, so I didn't find the lack of spoken names much of a disadvantage. It also recalculates routes very quickly when you go off course--usually within 2-5 seconds in my experience. And the IntelliNav software seems fairly intelligent. When driving on alternate lanes in construction zones, it could tell I was still following the main route even though I was actually off the trail by a hundred yards or so.

After three days of use, I haven't encountered a single problem, and have been generally impressed with it's performance. While I'm sure there are much more functional GPS units out there, in my experience they all cost at least $100-200 more than what I paid. So for the price, this seems to be a very good choice, and I'm definitely going to keep it.

Based on the stock photo and the picture on the box, I was expecting a cheap looking brick, but instead got a shiny, sleek, and relativly thin/portable GPS/MP3 player. I tested the MP3 out right away and it worked smoothly with simple, intuitive menus (It's not a Ipod, but it is much better than any MP3 player I've seen built into most MP3 capable cell phones).
As for the main funcionality, GPS, all the points of interest I could think of came up easily. I didn't read the manual but was able to figure out all the basics right away very easily (adding 'home,' favorites, changing volume, views, etc, etc, etc). Even has the option of warning you if you are going above a certain speed limit.
The one dissapointment was the initial GPS positioning took longer than expected, but on subsequent tries the unit was much faster. Overall this unit seems great and again, is much thinner, portable than expected.

If and when I get this product working, I will update this review.

The Nextar P3 did not work out of the box. The device could not read the map data files on the SD card. There is no mention of this issue on the Nextar tech support web site. Their web site is so slow that I wonder if they have a 56K modem connection to the internet.

I called tech support. After 20 minutes on hold, the person who answered the phone told me I have to call customer service and request a new SD card for the device. He said he could not order one for me.

I called customer service and was put into voice mail after a pre-recorded message stating they had a high call volume. The message said I should leave my name and a call back number and someone would contact me in 48 HOURS. After 5 seconds, voice mail stopped recording my message. Needless to say, I couldn't leave my name and number in that short period of time. I called back and was able to leave a message.

Not a good start for dealing with this company. Any product that does not work out of the box is a problem. But the bigger problem here is working with Nextar tech and customer support, and finding the patience to navigate a web site that is extremely slow and unresponsive.

This was a gift and did not work out of the box. The GPS could not read map data from the SD card. Tech Support couldn't do anything so they referred me to customer service. I placed 5 calls to customer service and was never able to speak to a live person. None of my messages were returned. If you read this string of reviews, they are critical of Nextar for a reason. Nextar has no consideration for YOU - their customer. I don't recommend buying anything from a company that operates like this.

I trusted some positive reviews and took the plunge and got it. Wow what a mistake.The first problem is that it makes a horrible sound when you plug it in to charge it and when you unplug it. The other part is that its not upgradeable and only comes with the USA map. The mp3 player is pointless as you would need to change sd cards out beefore you could use it. The software is glitchy and doesn't work when hooked up via usb to your computer. The points of interests are poor as well with very limited info. It boasts 1.6 million but doesn't even find a walmart, costco, or some other local stores that have been in business for over ten years at their current locations. Nextar wants you to pay for updated maps. Many name brand competitors give you upgrades for free. My suggestion would be to buy a tomtom for about 50 bucks more and at least in a year youll be able to find the places you need. I paid 114 and believe i overpaid, 50 bucks is more like it for a throw away gps.

I received the P3 for Xmas 2007. I was very impressed with the accuracy and ease of use for the first week while driving to and from work and stores. On my first long trip (3 hours) the unit kept freezing and had to be turned off and on around 20 times during the trip. On most reboots we had to wait 3-4 minutes for it to pick up a new signal. Twice it came up with a "Fatal Software Error" on the screen. I called Nextar and they said my unit was defective. I returned it to the store for a full refund.

My wifey got me this GPS system for Christmas this year (Nextar P3). I didn't think I was going to get one, but she surprised me with it. I was also surprised by the brand - Nextar. I had never heard of Nextar before holding one of their products in my hand.

On my mind for GPS brands was Magellan, Tom Tom, or Garmin. I wasn't expecting very much from this brand at all. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Touch screen display, VERY responsive. They even provide a little plastic pen-type thing that attaches to the back of the unit. Instead of using your finger or fingernail, using this included plastic pen works best. The included 1Gig SD chip with the entire US on it loaded just fine. At the first screen, after a quick boot (under 10 seconds) you're able to adjust brightness, volume of the keys, time, language, and see how much power is left on the internal battery. After about two hours of use so far it says it still has about 15% left on the battery.

Displays for GPS'ing - 2D, or there are three different 3D displays to choose from. I prefer the 2D display, always pointed north.

While driving, you can drag the map in either direction, zoom in on a spot, click on a POI, see the phone number to call, choose to navigate there or not, then go right back to where your vehicle is on the road.

You can search from your current location all sorts of different restaurants, get their numbers, choose to navigate there, etc.

While driving you can choose DETOUR, and it'll ask you which road you want to avoid.

There are four different night/day display settings. You can choose to remain in either day or night mode or have it automatically switch for you.

I haven't and probably will never use the MP3 option.

My only complaint thus far has been figuring out how to sync it with my laptop. Having NO PDA experience in the past, I had never heard of the program needed to sync this GPS to my computer - Microsoft ActiveSync. I assumed it would be plug and play, but when I put the USB in the computer it just connected and disconnected continuously. So yeah, you need to install MICROSOFT ACTIVESYNC in order for this GPS to sync with your computer. News to me.

The voice prompt is clear and spot on. It warns you at a mile/2000ft/and right before you need to turn. Right around the time you need to start slowing down to make a turn, a thick yellow vertical line appears to the right on the display and slowly becomes smaller, basically saying OK TIME TO SLOW DOWN. It's actually very useful.

The mount included in the box is very sturdy. They even include a sticky mount you can use to attach to an open area of your dash if you so choose. I chose to search the net for a vent mount instead. I found one at arkon.com. Not specifically designed for this GPS, but it works just fine.

5 out of 5 stars. Seeing as how wifey drives more than I do for her job, I plan on saving up some coinage and purchasing her this same GPS in the near future.

I have had this for 2 weeks and LOVE it, i have travled over 2000 miles while using it, its saved me hours by using the detour feature when there is a Road hold up. I love the MP3 player, i have upgraded the SD memory card to 4 GIG, so i have 3 GIG for MP3's the Transcend TS4GSDC. This device is NOT compatible witrh SDHC cards (Secure Digital/High Capacity.)

The directions are clear and acurate, the sound is very clear and loud. display is INCREDIBLY bright, but can be dimmed for nightime use, and actually auto dims based on time.

cant really imagine this working any better as a GPS.

I do wish you could listem to the MP3 player while seeing the GPS mapping, or at least have a way of quickly switching between them, unfortunatly you have to compleatly close the GPS application, to play the MP3's and vica versa, You have to reslect the destination when you switch back out of MP3 mode, a bit of a pain. Still all in all a small complaint.

I got this item as a Christmas present and it broke before April was over.
Although it comes with a one year warranty the company charges $25 to repair it and send it back to you. That's 30 percent of what it costs new.
Be careful about buying Nextar. Easily the most disappointing piece of electronics I have owned since, well ever. If I could give it 0 stars I would.
BTW, I've never posted a review like this before---that's how disappointed I was in this product and this company.

The unit worked well right out of the box. The display is fine and touch screen works without a problem. The voice turn by turn instructions are clear and the maps are up to date. The points of interests (gas stations, restaurants, stores) are outdated and there are NO map or POI updates on the Nextar web site. So if you don't mind not being able to look up recent POI's or update your map, it is a GREAT unit for the price.