Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.2 x 4.6 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001EYU6MS
• Item model number: NVU94T
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,722 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com

Manufacturer's Review (September 2, 2008)
In addition to excellent navigation and convenient handsfree communication with your cell phone the Sony NV-U94T Portable GPS Navigator is also loaded with such entertainment features as an audio/video player, photo viewer, and Bluetooth stereo music streaming capabilities. But first and foremost a portable navigation system, the NV-U94T offers Sony's POSITION plus solution to difficult GPS reception conditions for navigation assistance even while under dense foliage or tall buildings. And it can receive real-time traffic updates with the RDS-TMC receiver built into its cradle and a 90-day trial with the Traffic Message Channel (TMC) service. Other features include pre-installed maps for North America, over 5 million points of interest (POIs) with quicker searching, a 4.8-inch screen with Gesture Command, text-to-speech capabilities, and support for Memory Stick Duo media.

The NV-U94T portable navigation device also features a photo viewer, audio/video player and stereo Bluetooth technology for streaming audio and making hands-free phone calls.

GPS signals can easily be distorted by tall buildings, very dense foliage, or blocked altogether when underground, and when this happens a GPS device can easily give a false location. Sony's POSITION plus feature is a unique, hardware-based solution that consists of an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor and a gyro sensor that together can calculate the vehicle's current position based on the last known GPS location. The result is a more consistent and accurate position that helps provide interruption-free guidance under the most difficult of GPS reception conditions.

Enjoy powerful, portable navigation out of the box pre-loaded map content covering North America--Canada and all of the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico)--as well as over 5 million POIs. During address searches, the device can automatically complete partial entries of states, cities and street names. The new Sony nav-u device also offers a revised search algorithm for quicker POI searches and the Quick Link search features that provides a one-touch search for your favorite POI. For example, you can save a favorite coffee shop destination to a Quick Link button and perform that search any number of times without having to retype the search string. Brand icons help users quickly and easily identify their favorite restaurants, hotels, gas stations, stores and other locations while traveling through unfamiliar cities. And this Sony nav-u unit now have 30 percent more brand icons than previous models (more than 150 brands).

With the RDS-TMC receiver built into the cradle, you can get real-time traffic updates to help you navigate around traffic jams.

The NV-U94T's cradle has a built-in RDS-TMC real-time traffic receiver. With RDS-TMC real-time traffic functionality, the NV-U94T can notify you in available coverage areas of up-to-date traffic conditions. The device can automatically display the estimated number of minutes delay and if desired, can automatically reroute you around the incident. The NV-U94T comes with 90 days of real-time traffic free of charge. For continued traffic service, a subscription can cost as little as a few dollars per month after the initial trial period.

The new photo viewer feature turns the screen into a picture frame. You can view your digital images by inserting a Memory Stick into the Memory Stick Pro Duo slot. The NV-U94T also can play MP3 and non-DRM AAC music files and MPEG-4 video files from Memory Stick PRO Duo media. Sony has incorporated stereo Bluetooth technology (A2DP profile) into the device, allowing audio to be streamed wirelessly from the device to a compatible Bluetooth-enabled car stereo system.

Hands-free calling is also supported. With a built-in microphone, drivers can use voice commands to initiate calls via compatible Bluetooth-enabled cell phones. You can transfer your phone's address book over to the NV-U94T, which makes dialing a contact easier and safer. The phone dialing function is also linked to the points of interest (POI) database, enabling the user to search for a POI, such as a restaurant, and then call ahead for information.

With the new Gesture Command feature, you can jump to commands with one touch on the display. For example, you can advance to the next picture in the photo viewer or music track in the audio player with a swipe of the finger from left to right across the screen. Commonly used commands such as "take me home" may be accessed by gesturing an inverted "V" on the screen versus paging through numerous menu screens. Other gesture commands include zoom in or out and call home.

Using the included Super Suction Cup, mounting the NV-U94T to either the dashboard, console, or windshield in virtually any vehicle is quick and easy. Stable and secure while driving, it can be easily removed whenever you want to take it with you.

Other features include:

• 4.8-inch anti-glare LCD touchscreen with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio
• SiRF star III GPS receiver with POSITION plus
• TTS (Text to Speech): The device utilizes spoken commands ensuring you are able to follow the directions by street names.
• 3D Junction Guide: The device's dual view capability displays dynamic route information, in addition to the conventional map view, to provide an even clearer view of what's at the next turn or in a highway merge scenario, which junction to take.
• Battery life: Up to 2 hours
• Battery charging time: 3 hours when on, 1.5 hours in standby mode
• Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.4 x 0.8 inches
• Weight: 8.8 ounces

Nicely compact, the Sony NV-U94T provides excellent viewing of navigation while not blocking your view of the road.

What's in the Box
Sony NV-U94T, car cradle (with TMC receiver), TMC antenna, car battery adapter (XA-DC3), USB cable, quick-start guide

Product Description

The Sony nav-u portable satellite navigation system is more than basic digital maps; it is the system that gets you where you need to go quickly and efficiently with intuitive features that help you along your journey. The latest Sony navigation system brings Photo Viewerand multi-media playback capability to an already packed and helpful unit.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony NV-U94T gps -- good deal, December 31, 2008

By 

Jonathan R. Strong (Princeton Junction, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech (Electronics)

I'm a relative newcomer to GPS, but I'm learning quickly. I've tried out several, compared notes with friends and read dozens of reviews. The NV-U94T received uneven reviews - some liked it, and some (like CNET) were luke warm. My first reaction, however, when seeing it on display at Radio Shack was very positive, so I took a closer look.

Sony doesn't have the same reputation for GPS that companies like Garmin and TomTom have. I believe that this factor, combined with the initially high price for this device ($399 list until recently), and slightly flakey routing with the first firmware release, all led to this being a somewhat ignored model this fall.

Although the NV-U94T was just released this fall (August 2008?) as the top of the line for Sony's fall lineup, Sony decided to drop the list price from $399 to $199 just last week. While I was admiring the device when it was selling for $299 at Radio Shack before Christmas, when I went back there a few days ago and saw it at $199 (with a 30 day return option, and 90 day exchange option), I felt that I had to take a chance.

In short - it's been great so far.

The display is spectacular. At 4.8", this is the biggest, brightest, clearest display I've seen for anywhere near this price. The processor seems to be very fast: the user interface is crisp and responsive, route calculation is very fast, as is re-calculation when I drive off the recommended route. The unit boots up and acquires satellite signals in seconds.

The user interface is quite good, easy to navigate, and generally requires very few taps to get me to the desired function. Having dedicated menu buttons on the left of the screen, regardless of the display, means that I can always get to a top level menu with a single tap. The 94T supports a number of finger gestures (that got a laugh out of my teenage son!), such as swiping a large roof shape on screen with a finger to indicate that you want the device to navigate home, drawing a clockwise circle to zoom in or counter-clockwise to zoom out (both to presets that you select and set).

The feature set is pretty huge. Bluetooth can be used several ways: the device has a built in media player that can stream through your bluetooth equipped car audio system, and it can also act as a handsfree bluetooth speakerphone for your cell phone (works great). Text to speech is excellent, and you have a choice of voices and languages. There's a built in 6-way accelerometer and some kind of pressure sensor that help to keep track of your position if you briefly lose contact with the GPS satellites. They call this "position plus".

Sony's "super suction cup" mount works incredibly well. It's a fairly typical suction cup, but with some kind of gel disk on the bottom that's a bit tacky to the touch. It's not a true adhesive, so it leaves no residue. But it allows the mount to faster to a textured dashboard securely in seconds -- and can be removed just as quickly without leaving a trace. I like the ability to quickly mount it on my dash and remove it as well: my current car is leased and I'll be returning it in less than a year -- no way I'd put a permanent mount on the car. Also, being able to mount it on my dash is excellent: it's truly NOT obstructing my view out the windshield, and I've heard stories about the police in NJ ticketing people lately for having a GPS on the windshield blocking the view.

Not sure if this next point is common to all wide-screen GPS's, but the 94T goes into a split-screen mode as you approach intersections, showing you a detailed close up of the intersection on the left side of the screen, and the normal map on the right. The close up shows you all the lanes that are available to you, and which ones to use or avoid. Works quite well so far.

The device doesn't always pick the same route I would, but I imagine that no GPS will read your mind and always choose a route using the same logic that you would. However the routes it picks always seem to be within a mile of the same total trip length that I choose, with total trip time within about a minute or two of the routes I might choose in favor of the ones recommended by the GPS. It's actually got me reevaluating the routes I've used for years -- and it seems to be choosing well so far. Additionally, if you keep ignoring a recommended route in favor of your own, I read that it will start to apply a greater weight in its routing algorithm to your preferred routes, and eventually start using your preferred roads.

The unit I picked up this past week as recent 2008 NAVTEQ maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico installed with something over 5 million points of interest included. I've read that recent Garmin's have something like 6 million POI's -- not sure what I'm missing, and so far, it's found all my local restaurants, gas stations, etc.

The 94T also has a traffic receiver built in and a separate antenna you can string along the edge of your windshield. The 94T comes with a prepaid 3 month trial for the traffic service -- I haven't tried this yet, and don't plan to subscribe anyway. Hopefully my only future expense with this will be a map update sometime in the next year or two.

I picked up a nice aftermarket case for the 94T at Radio Shack for $20 -- it's designed for GPS's in the 4.5" to 5" range, and fits this one like a glove. The case looks and feels like a large generic horizontal cell phone case with a magnetic flap closure. I feel much safer carrying the 94T in this than having it bare.

Two things about this that I find a bit annoying:
1) I wish Sony didn't force you to use their "memory stick" media for expanded storage. I'd prefer more industry standard mini- or micro-SD, as they can be found cheaper than Sony's proprietary format. Not a big deal, but I prefer standards.

2) I've read that battery life on this device is only about 2.5 hours, while it appears that high end TomTom and Garmin units have double the battery life. I don't know when I'd use this without having it plugged into the car power cable. But I imagine that if I ever needed it on battery, I'd prefer to have better battery life.

Although the built in lithion-ion battery is not supposed to be user serviceable, Sony provides directions for removing it for recycling in the event that you're trashing the device. It looks exceedingly easy to open the device, and if the battery can be found for purchase (online somewhere I'd guess), it looks like it would be very easy to replace it if needed.

Anyway -- aside from the two minor gripes above, I'm loving the NV-U94T. I'll be trying it out on a few trips this weekend (a few hundred miles), and hope to give it a good workout. So far, I'm very happy with this, and at the new price of $199, I think it's a steal. (I'm inserting a link below, and you can pick it up at Radio Shack for $199, or order it directly from SonyStyle for the same price)

- Jon

Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech

UPDATE 1/19/09: I've lived with this, using it every day (although I generally don't need it) to observe how it works, quirks, etc. As some others have posted, it occasionally comes up with a somewhat bizarre route -- but most of the time, the recommended routes are perfectly valid, and sometimes faster than the "obvious" routes that I normally choose.

I've been using this long enough now to finally experience the "learning" feature that I read about. Every day after work I drive south on the NJ Turnpike from Exit 11 to Exit 8A, and then take various preferred routes over to Princeton Junction. The NV-U94T attempted to steer me OFF the NJ Turnpike at Exit 9 every day, taking me on Route 1 south instead. The route is "valid", but doesn't take into account the fact that Route 1 tends to be a parking lot in rush hour. Knowing how bad Route 1 is, I ignore the NV-U94T's directions and continue south past Exit 9, at which point I hear, "Updating route!" and it figures out the new route from there.

Last week, the GPS stopped insisting on Exit 9, and actually guided me down my preferred route -- and did so consistently for the last several days of the week. As I note at the top of this write-up, I had read that the device actually tracks the times you ignore recommended routes in favor of other roads (I believe it was a Sony engineer saying this -- I'll continue to look for the link and will post it back when I find it) and updates the relative "weight" of your preferred road so that their algorithm will eventually recommend roads increasingly in line with your preferences. I was skeptical at first, but the new behavior seems consistent, and is in line with the item I read about the system re-weighting the route.

Last night I friend stopped by with his family, and happened to bring along *his* latest gadget acquisition -- a shiny new Garmin 4.3" GPS (not sure which model -- I think its a 760). We were taking both families out to dinner, and decided to try both GPS's side-by-side to see how they compared.

They both booted up about as quickly. The Garmin acquired satellites almost immediately, and the Sony took about 10 seconds more -- but then both held the signals for the rest of the night. Although the Sony calculates a new route quickly, the Garmin definitely seems to do this faster: about 3 or 4 seconds on the Sony, and almost instant on the Garmin. I'm guessing the Garmin has a faster processor. Note though: even though the Sony takes a few seconds to update a route, it's still fast enough to do this before I get to the next intersection after missing a recommended turn.

The Garmin offers more options for customization it seems,... Read more ›

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best GPS For Us!!!, October 28, 2008

By 

A. Plummer (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech (Electronics)

Everything that it says it does, it does. Wonderful! We bought a Magellan 4250 before and it was slow, hard to use, and if we wanted to check out POI's we had to cancel our route first. Not user friendly at all. But the new Sony is everything we need and lives up to our expectations of a GPS system.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NO GPS SIGNAL, January 5, 2009

By 

Mariana Pulido - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony NVU94T 4.8-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic and Text-to-Speech (Electronics)

I bought this GPS last week and I already had to return it. It was taking a really long (30-40 minutes) for it to find a signal. I was on the phone with Sony for a really long time. They asked me to reset my unit and it worked fine for about half hour. Then it was back to taking really long finding a GPS signal. However, for the short time it worked, it was wonderful. The screen was big, it was easy to use, the double screen for turns was really useful. It even showed you which lane you should be on. Great GPS. I hope I just got a defective one.