Customer Reviews

Nextar Q4-MD 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with 1-Year MSN Direct Service Included

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

 

 

I bought this to replace my old Nextar, since it's maps were out of date and there was no way to update them. The new one is thinner, easier to read, has better spoken instructions, and has some very nice features. The MSN Direct, however, didn't work, and I found that even if it did, it would only be availabe for for a short time, as MSN was canceling the service. The problem is that you must use the bulky MSN Direct antenna between your car's power source and the GPS, creating a mess of cables. I was able to find a good power cable on eBay that bypasses the MSN Direct antenna, however, so that is no longer a problem. Since the MSN Direct services didn't really provide anything I need, and only works in selected areas, I don't really miss it. The future end of the service is probably why the unit is selling so cheaply; without the MSN Direct, the unit works well and is priced lower than comparable units from other manufacturers.
Pros:
You have your choice of five different "voices" (male and female) in three languages.
The screen keyboard is in QWERTY format
When entering an address, the only keys you see are those that are possible. For example, if you start typing Albuq, the only letter you can choose next is U.
On freeways, the screen will display the green overhead signs and highlight the one you should follow. If there are multiple lanes, it will highlight the lane you should be in.
You can choose which information you want displayed in addition to the map (i.e., distance to destination, time to destination, ETA, speed, speed limit, compass, etc.)
Cons:
The menus are not consistent in appearance or action, and it's sometimes hard to find the menu you need.
The map scale changes automatically according to speed and distance to the next turn, and sometimes it chooses a scale other than the one I would like. Manually changing it is difficult.
In one section of northwest Albuquerque it went nuts, sending me down streets that didn't exist and wanting me to turn into empty fields. Elsewhere it has been very accurate, though.
The POI were sometimes out of date, and accessing them on screen is not intuitive.
Bottom line, all GPS units have their flaws and foibles, and this one works just as well overall as any other, but at a much lower price. If you get one, be sure you understand the two separate on-off switches, which are not clearly explained in the manual. The button on top only switches the display on and off. The one on the back actually shuts the entire unit down. If you are not going to be using the unit for more than few hours, use the main power switch on the back to turn it off. Otherwise the battery will run down.

About this GPS, the navigation system itself is just like the Q4 that I bought before, it can connect to the satellite real quick and provide accurate route guide. Because I get used to the operating system of Nextar's Q4 already, for this product, what I am concern is the function of MSN Direct.

This unit comes with 1 year free MSN Direct service. It can tell you much useful live information, such as live traffic, gas price, news headline, local weather, and even the stock quotes. At the first, I am not sure if it can provide "real" live information about everything included in its service. Surprisingly, it does bring me the newest and correct information about the gas price and the live traffic report.........these two services are what I need the most. Through it, I get to drive to the Universal Studio on Sunday without sticking with the traffic on the freeway and find a Shell gas station with the lowest price for V-power gas. To me, these two practical services create a significant value for this GPS, not to mention that it offers lots more live information as well.

And for the most important of all, comparing to its price, the value it creates has greatly exceeded my expectations!

Most of them is going for Garmin or TomTom or Magellen. As I have used both Garmin and Nextar I find nextar features better than Garmin for my use. Price is less and also more accessories. One problem I see is that if you want audio player and also navigation at the same time its not possible in nextar. POI is better categorized in nextar and more update to date than Garmin. Lane guidance is available. The MSN traffic is not directly integrated into your route. It will warn you and you have manually do avoid those routes from the route. Garmin does not do that right any way. Overall I like it.

I had a nextar C-3 GPS previously, which was really great. That was one of the main reasons why I chose to buy this model (and of course, the price was really cheap!). However, I'm kind of disappointed with the way it operates. For example, on most occasions, it only says "In 0.3 miles, keep right and then keep left". There's no indication as to whether we neex to take an exit or not. Also, on most occasions, it does not tell you what highway/street you need to keep right onto. Sometimes, the "keep right" means take an exit, and sometimes, it just means stay on the current road and DON'T exit. I have had it for close to 2 months, and I still have not figured out which is what.

The POI feature is just ridiculous. There's no way you'll be able to find what you want. The same is the case is intersections. There are some cool features like 3-D view, but come on, we don't buy a GPS to look at the graphics! I wish they had takne care of user-friendliness rather than concentrate on these extra gimmicks, which don't serve any purpose.

The accuracy of the maps is pretty ok. However, I have had trouble several times in locating addresses. I don't think these maps have been updated in the last 2 years. Another annoying thing is the fact that the GPS fails to tell you which side your destination is. If you are on a divided express way, you simply won't know whether you need to take a U-turn and be on the other side or not. You need to be a good guesser :)

Over all, it is good if you are looking to buy something cheap. It has almost always taken me to the correct destination (or somewhere close-enough). But please don't buy this if you think you can afford to put in another 25-30 bucks and buy something better.

Don't buy anything Nextar! They're a total crock! They, without notice to registered owners, stop having updates for maps when they feel like it. It's one use like having to use an old Rand McNally atlas for the year you bought it forever. They want you to participate in their 'exchange program' and buy a new one! Buy from a more reputable manufacturer - please!

The good:
iGo8 software is awesome, with text-to-speech, lane assist, deep pool of POIs. In fact, the abundance of the POIs sometimes makes my thought of getting a smart phone (I think I will only use it for searching locations while on the go) sound stupid. MSN direct offers traffic update which I found useful a few times too.

The bad:
The biggest annoyance is whenever I let the device to shut down by itself after I cut the power off (iGo8 has this function), the device will have problem turning back on. I had to use the hardware slide switch on the back of the unit to cycle the power, which is a bit inconvenient.
The other issue I have is with MSN direct, and 99% of the people won't have it: I drive a diesel car, and MSN direct only shows gas prices nearby. This is a very useful function for most people, but I found it the other way. Unfortunately it cannot be configured.

So the bottom line is:
It does what it's supposed to do. for less than $90. I really have no complain.

I bought this as a back-up since our trusty Garmin 2720 acted up on a short journey, and we were going on a 4500 mile road journey to Yellowstone, Grant Tetons and back soon. So it was never intended as a "main" GPS device, but only a back-up. I installed all the necessary addresses into it and familiarized myself with it.

Cons: If I had realized Microsoft programming was involved, I would have saved myself grief and gotten a cheap remanufactured low-end Garmin for about the same money. The Nextar Q4-MD (which I admit I got a deal on, at $72) constantly locks up and/or crashes if you change ANYTHING from "default" setting. Now a mere 6 weeks later, it essentially won't restart at all without a hard reboot from the switch on the back of the unit.

It's kind of slow to start up/obtain the satellite.

Our Garmin with 2008 maps can find my home and my pal's house 2 miles away, but the Nextar can't.

It has few POI's compared to my old Garmin.

Pro's: When the Garmin sent us on a totally wild goose chase (once) on the big Yellowstone trip, I dragged this out of the glovebox, and it got us within a block of the motel. So you could say it did one thing right.

When my wife accidentally broke the power cord on the Garmin, it managed to help us find our way home on familiar roads over the last two days of travel (in other words, we really didn't need it for much). It did locate a restaurant for us.

It's a basic unit but I'd stay away if I were you....

Very impressive - I used a Magellan Roadmate for about six months before it was stolen out of my car. Needed a replacement and found this to be the lowest priced with a 4.3" screen. There's a slight learning curve with this one compared to the Roadmate, but it's not difficult. It locks in much faster than the Roadmate and offers more POIs. I do not care for the way the power cable is set up for the car as it comes in two pieces and provides a mount for one part of the cable, but I'm sure I'll understand why Nextar did this once I get further down the road with it. I like that it comes with a 120 volt power adapter so you can sit in the house and build your database of addresses; I have not tried the MSN Direct feature yet, but I will eventually.

I truly enjoy the recalculating feature, because I am a little hard headed and might miss a turn or don't want to get back on hwy and it just gives me direction from where I have ended up.

This unit has old maps and is just not very good overall. Look for for a good deal on a Garmin or Tom Tom unit that has great reviews.