LG LN740 GPS Receiver review

The LN740 can create directions by shortest distance or fastest route, including or excluding toll roads, highways, or ferry ways. It also offers a "pedestrian" mode, if you wish to use the device while walking. Once the device has calculated a route, you can review a list of turn-by-turn text directions or get a route summary. We didn't find the summary helpful, as the level of detail is too superficial (a map overview with the highlighted route). If you don't agree with the provided directions or want to avoid part of the route, the device offers a reroute option as well as a detour function. What's more, LG provides a free 90-day subscription to Navteq's traffic services, so you can check to see if there is any congestion on your drive before you hit the road. To continue service after the complimentary period is up, you will have to pay $60 a year. The LN740 will also automatically recalculate the route if you happen to get off course.

Maps are presented in 2D or 3D and can automatically switch between colors representing day or night. A small on-screen diamond icon allows you to easily switch between the two map views; plus and minus signs located at the upper left and right corners of the screen let you zoom in or out. At the bottom of the screen, distance to and direction of your next move is displayed, along with current street name, speed, and estimated time of arrival. The street name of your next turn is listed at the top of the screen, which can be hard to read as it can sometimes blend in with the map. Fortunately, you don't have to rely on just visual prompts, as the LN740 also offers voice-guided directions with text-to-speech functionality. While the unit supports 16 languages, the text-to-speech capabilities are only available in English, Spanish, and French.

The one thing the LN740 lacks when compared to other systems in its class is integrated Bluetooth for hands-free calling. For better or worse, the LN740 does have music capabilities as well as a photo viewer that supports MP3 and WMA music files, as well as JPEG and BMP image formats.

Performance
We tested the LG Portable Navigator LN740 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit a solid 10 minutes to get a GPS fix and pinpoint our location. We got a bit impatient during this time (especially since we were just sitting in the car), but fortunately, subsequent starts were almost instantaneous and the receiver did a great job of keeping a lock on our position as we drove throughout the city.

We planned a few trips: one from San Francisco to Tiburon, and another from the Marina district to CNET's downtown headquarters. Both times the LN740 provided us with accurate and efficient directions. Voice directions were hard to hear through the unit's weak speakers, and the text-to-speech instructions were robotic, mangling the pronunciation of some street names. Still, we'll absolutely take the awkward pronunciations over no text-to-speech at all. Route recalculations were quick enough to give us new directions before arriving at the next turn. The LG LN740's internal lithium ion battery is rated for up to 6 hours of continuous use.