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"False advertising on box; no use if you want to customize POIs" on by migboy
Pros: Easy to use; fuel, parking buttons
Cons: No software support, horrible tech support, no custom POI, outdated POI DB, inaccurate maps compared to garmin
Summary: 1. Navman website and the box itself say PC kit via USB is sold separately. Navman tech support just told me "it is not needed in the US" but is for sale in UK. When i asked what they meant by "not needed", since I, a customer need it, they said the company feels it is not needed. When i mentionred it is on their site and that is false advertising, they said they would take it off the site. Good thing i took a printout. WIll be useful for BBB, FTC communications. They don't realize this is not UK. You can return the silly thing for a full refund. This is a PR disaster for navman. Even an email from CustSvc says that since this is such a basic unit, the POI customization is not supported.
2 So if you plan on doing any custom POIs, loading other people's POIs etc this is NOT for you
3 Doesnt even include canada maps which garmin does
4. The unit itself is easy to use, but so is garmin
5. the POI database is old and has incorrect entries for businesses that are long gone. can be very frustrating if i need to call the business to find out beforehand if they are still there. Garmin POI is WAY better
6. CNET review "specifications" page incorrectly says that it ships with SmartST. You can't even buy it
7. Even if you had an earlier navman, SmartSt 2005 will not work with F20. I tried this
8. Map updates are not free. Garmin it is free
All in all, i am very dissatisfied with the arrogant customer support. They have a thing or two to learn abt the american consumer market and are in for a rude awakening. The hundreds of people who bought it for 200 after MIR on black friday are about to return it now if you believe the online forums.
BBB, FTC, here i come
IMHO the C320 from garmin is a much better buy at 270 shipped from 5 star rated store with better maps, 4times POIs, usb, software, free map updates, more accurate maps. run a price comparison on cnet/pricegrabber
or even c330 with hard disk is 306 shipped. -
"Awesome GPS system and very reliable." on by nstuart25
Pros: Bright Screen and viewable, Gas Button, Many Features, Voice Commands, Very Quick and Reliable Satellite, Re-route
Cons: As said in the review the POI's are outdated or not there. Customer Service from NAVMAN.
Summary: This is my first GPS system that I bought about 4 days ago. After doing months of research and going store to store I found the NAVMAN F20. The NAVMAN F20 is really simple to set up... You turn it on, you go past a few screens asking about basic questions such as language, State, Time, and if you would like a Female or Male voice directing you and you can go… no need to install maps from your computer since everything is already pre-installed in the GPS. Very easy. Then it was time for me to take it for a test run. I went from my house to the local mall. It gave me an advanced notice before the turn and at the turn. (It does not tell you to turn on a certain street such as Oak Lane... instead it says just "Turn Right") This was not a major problem at all. The screen is also a great thing to glimpse at with different options of viewing your route ranging from route summary and 3D View. On purpose I drove off the scheduled course and it directed me another way in less than 5 seconds. From there I wanted to go to another major retail store that was about five minutes away. The only problem was that the store was built within the past year so it did not have it on the GPS POIs or the address. But again if you just go to Places Of Interest from the main screen looking up any store is a breeze.(You can also get the phone number of the place for most stores, not houses though.) I had no problem what so ever with the ladies voice being too low as said in the CNET review. I believe I got a great deal and I would suggest this GPS to any one who wants a great GPS that performs among the top competitors at a fraction of the price.
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"Really nice, works perfect, fast, easy setup" on by fmklem
Pros: fast ,easy to AND hear, a leap forward from paper maps
Cons: Company WEB site is next to useless & they don't answer emails.
Summary: When I first got F20 I thought it was defective because it wouldn't turn on. I discovered that you need to hold the start button pressed until F20 turns on. (Instruction book doesn't mention it) Once done I was impressed with how fast it gets satellites and ease of use. I found the voice to be more than loud enough in my large car. All in all its a huge step forward from paper maps.
Before I retired I used a laptop GPS during work and this GPS is much better / easier to use because of the 3D effect. Never again will their be tense moments between husband and wife in our travels to unfamilar places. -
"Compared it to a NUVI" on by florence32596
Pros: Decent build quality, not confusing
Cons: it is a entry level gps
Summary: I compared the Navman F20 to the Garmin NUVI 350. The first thing I noticed is that the Navman has a decent build quality. The plastic that Garmin uses is cheap. Also it is easier to use the F20. The layout is simple. I used the NUVI but on the find destination you have to type in the address. I couldn't find how to access the POI's in the NUVI. On the F20 however, there is a shortcut key that goes to the POI's. Another thing that the Navman does better than the Garmin is the antenna. The Navman does not require an antenna to be extended. On the NUVI you have to do this or else the satellite signal will be weak. The F20 is an entry level GPS though. There is no MP3 player, bluetooth, camera, etc; but at about 200-300 dollars it is a bargain. The NUVI costs 500-700.
You can get a MP3 player for 50 dollars and a bluetooth headset for 50 dollars. It just doesn't add up. The Navman is the winner. -
"If this is one of the 'best' I'd hate to see the worst" on by TC Rider
Pros: Maps preloaded
Cons: Worst Tech Support Ever, No computer connection/software in the US, limited feature set, no user POI
Summary: Why is this even on the list of the 'best' at cnet? I guess if somebody mailed you one of these and you played with it for a day, you might think it was a decent value.
Ah, but if you ever needed help...
..you'd dig and dig through the web site, which is very euro centric, to even find a page related to the Americas. You'd try the number, and hear a cryptic voice mail, then your call is shredded. again, and again.
Then through some fluke of luck you actually connect to a live person, offshore, in the UK at least where English is a native lanquage. The connection is horrible though, some kind of nightmare VOIP line.
The tech advises you to mail it into a maildrop in California and tells you not to expect to see it for a month at least. Two weeks later they tell you it's dead, but they will give you a choice of sending the dead unit back, or giving you $100 off of a another model.
I get the impression that Navman is somewhat respected in Europe and Oz, but can't really commit to selling and supporting their product in America, maybe it's 'Garmin envy', maybe they just don't want to spend the money.
For whatever reason, they treat their American cousins like pond scum and it shows, it shows in the maps, in the POIs and how they treat their customers with broken units.
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