Entered CNET Catalog: 10/06/2004
SKU: 028377500152
Manufacturer: Cobra Electronics
Manufacturer description
NAV ONE 3000 is a full-featured vehicular navigation system that combines the latest GPS technology with a detailed map and database. The easy-to-install unit is supplied complete with a secure windshield mounting bracket, a 12-volt DC vehicle power adapter, a built-in patch antenna and a high-resolution color display.Product summary
The good: Large, bright screen; accurate receiver; quick satellite-signal lock; precise voice-guided directions.
The bad: Expensive; no touch screen; unintuitive menu system; too heavy for mounting hardware.
The bottom line: The NavOne 3000 is a respectable performer, but for $1,300, we expect top-of-the-line features such as a remote or a touch-screen menu control.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/17/2004
The right side of the unit contains LCD brightness and contrast controls, while the power switch and the IR port are located on the left. Around back, you'll find a USB 2.0 port (for map and firmware upgrades) and a 12-volt power connector. Unfortunately, an AC adapter isn't included, so you'll have to purchase that separately for $18.95. Finishing out the NavOne are a port for connecting an external antenna to the bottom of the device and a socket for mounting the unit on a tripod. The suction-cup mounting hardware clips onto a socket on the back of the unit and attaches to the vehicle's windshield. The mount is very flexible and can be adjusted to any viewing angle, but we found that it couldn't support the weight of the NavOne for long periods and became dislodged when traveling over rough terrain.
The Cobra NavOne 3000 uses a 12-channel receiver and comes with a 20GB hard drive, which holds map data and stores custom route and trip information as well as approximately 2 million POI, including hotels, airports, restaurants, and local attractions. As with other units in this class, there is no need for CDs or memory cards since street-level maps for the North American region are preloaded on the hard drive. The NavOne features an internal gyroscope to calculate your movement in the event of signal loss. It also uses Cobra's proprietary iASAP (Intelligent Accelerated Satellite Acquisition Protocol) technology for quick satellite-lock times and enhanced signal strength in dense environments.In addition to the usual vehicle-navigation features, including voice-guided and text-based driving directions (in English, Spanish, and French); automatic route creation using addresses or POI; automatic route recalculation; and compass, odometer, speedometer, and trip-timer functions, the NavOne 3000 gives you trip-planning capabilities. These features let you preprogram up to 10 destinations for each trip, and you can store up to five trips (or plans) at a time. We liked that you can mark and store waypoints with this unit, a feature not available on many vehicle-navigation systems. Also unique is the IR port, which lets you beam address information from your PDA (compatible with Windows Pocket PC 2002 or later and Palm OS 5.0 or later) directly into the unit's address database.
Although the NavOne is ready to use right out of the box, we recommend thoroughly reading the user manual to get acquainted with the menu system, which is unintuitive and requires knowledge of the submenu structure to plan trips and display certain status screens. Entering address or city information requires scrolling through the letters of the alphabet using the rocker switch, which is an inconvenient and slow process; again, this is where a touch-screen solution is needed. Furthermore, while the screen displays GPS-satellite signal strength in bars, the unit lacks a true GPS status page for tracking the number and the position of locked satellites.
The first time we powered up the Cobra NavOne 3000, it acquired a strong fix (measured by green signal bars) within 30 seconds and, on subsequent tries, was equally fast. We tested the unit in New York City and were impressed with the accuracy of its voice-guided directions and the precision with which it tracked our location on the map. Also impressive was the NavOne's ability to hold an adequate signal lock in areas where the sky was partially blocked by trees and tall buildings. As expected, we momentarily lost reception in lower Manhattan, but the NavOne reacquired a fix within 5 seconds. The internal gyroscope also did a good job providing a virtual lock while we drove through the Battery Tunnel, although we were out of the tunnel for about 20 seconds before our location on the map reflected our true position.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8out of 8 user reviews
Very good machine
Pros: Very, Very Acurate
Cons: Not Very Pretty
out of 8 user reviews
Don't waste your cash on this one
Pros: Durable construction, easy to use.
Cons: Frequently locks up when programing a route. Some major highways are years out of date.
out of 8 user reviews
I would go for a another!
Pros: Has the entire map of US preloaded, voice instructions, recalculating the route, ...
Cons: Entering anything sucks because it has no touch pad system, it takes almost 10 minutes to load the map when I start the car sometimes
I dont think its worth the money i spent. it seams to be feature rich (except for the touch pad), but its performance not at all satisfactory.
i wont go for it if i had another chance.
out of 8 user reviews
Excellent value for the money spent
Pros: Clear screen and excellent voice prompts the directions are to a T and that is taking the unit to a no address location where we ended was where we needed to be. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase again
Cons: If you are looking for a touch screen I guess that would be the only one
As with any GPS unit it is going to direct you to the route you select with the input you provide, sometimes that may not be the way you intended to go but it is providing the shortest and fastest route to your destination. The distenance was accurate to with in 1/10 of a mile, as for the time it cahanges according to the speed you are traveling and the amount of stops you make along the way. If you go off route it is recalculating immediately to either get you back to the orginal route or calculating another one for you to follow. Note of advice, shop around you can get this unit for less than $639.00 with free shipping.
out of 8 user reviews
Techno junkie loves this thing!
Pros: Large screen, clear loud voice guideance, easy to set-up and use. on board hard drive with data for all 50 states +, no memory cards to mess with or CD's to extract data from all ready and stored on board HD. Automatic day night mode dims the display for
Cons: No AC power adapter, sold seperatly, street maps are somewhat spartan, not a lot of details, Cobra could change this with future software and map updates, no 3D views, all maps are displayed in 2D. Brightness and contrast buttons on the side have little u
out of 8 user reviews
Very helpful to get from point A to point B
Pros: So far I have not had any problems with the Cobra
Cons: Expensive
out of 8 user reviews
GPS 3000
Pros: Large screen and she speaks loud and clear. easy to use. Great for domestic travel, salespeople etc.
Cons: Do not Recommend for commercial drivers.Dosen't have Truck routes or reliable innercity friendly roads. Found it has limits on streets, intersections, hwys, exits and address's. Freezes up sometimes and have to reboot.
out of 8 user reviews
Easy for non-technos to learn
Pros: Large screen, easy to hear voice, very easy to install, no extra memory cards to buy, PDA friendly.
Cons: A little tedious to enter address for techie.
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