Nav It Your Way

With all the vehicle navigation options available today, there’s just no excuse for getting lost anymore. Plus, prices have dropped significantly over the last few years for nearly every type of navigation device, while the inevitable trickle-down of high-tech features from expensive nav systems to those on the budget end of the scale has made it possible to get even more for your money.

Below we look at three navigation categories—portables, in-dash and cell phone and PDA solutions—and within each one we give examples of products designed to fit nearly every budget and every lifestyle. Pick the one that best suits your needs and you’ll always know where you are and how to get to where you want to be—and have lots of information about what lies in between.

PORTABLES

Because you can move them from car to car, portable navigation systems are ideally suited for drivers of multiple vehicles or those who frequently find themselves in rental cars. The latest and greatest portables not only get you from point A to point B, but also offer bonus features such as MP3 players to keep you entertained along the way and real-time traffic info to help you avoid gridlock.

Alpine Blackbird

Alpine has been an in-dash navigation trailblazer for over a decade, but the Blackbird PMD-B100 ($500) is the company’s first portable offering. In typical Alpine fashion, the company made sure to offer a trend-setting product before going portable. For example, an onboard MP3 player can be loaded with tunes via an SD card slot. Even better, an FM modulator built into the Blackbird’s supplied windshield cradle wirelessly wings music files to a vehicle’s FM tuner. With the Blackbird’s optional wired perch (the PMD-DOK, $200), MP3s can be piped directly into the audio path when paired with one of Alpine’s A/V head units. Plus, the Blackbird’s nav functions can be controlled from the Alpine head unit’s touch screen. In addition to all of the standard guidance functions—voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, automatic rerouting, comprehensive mapping of the U.S. and Canada—the Alpine Blackbird also has a built-in radio data system (RDS) tuner that accesses a subscription-based NAVTEQ Traffic service to alert drivers to accidents, congestion and construction up ahead. For periodic updating of maps and software, a USB 2.0 connection is on tap.

www.alpine-usa.com

Magellan Roadmate 2000

The Magellan name is synonymous with portable nav systems due to the popularity of the company’s RoadMate line. Touted as the “world’s first pocket-sized, full-featured GPS navigation system for under $400,” The RoadMate 2000 ($399) is indeed a textbook example of how good things come in small packages. All functions are controlled via the RoadMate 2000’s 3.5-inch touchscreen and you get all the nav basics: turn-by-turn guidance, an address book to store frequent destinations and over a million points of interests (POIs) loaded into the mapping database. But this small but mighty nav system also boasts such fancy features as SmartDetour, which automatically prompts you to reroute around congestion, and a 3D bird’s-eye map view. www.magellangps.com

Garmin Nuvi 360

Garmin is another major player in the portable market and the company’s powerful Nuvi 360 ($857) shows why. About the size of a deck of cards, the Nuvi 360 not only packs a solid array of nav features, but it also serves as a great traveling companion. A built-in SD-card slot allows you to play not only MP3s but also audiobooks from Audible.com, while a JPEG picture viewer lets you share your snapshots. Software packages available on SD cards include a Travel Guide that offers reviews of restaurants and advise on points of interest along your route, and a Language Guide that provides words and phrases in nine different languages and five bilingual dictionaries. www.garmin.com

Lowrance iWay 250C

If you’re a fishing enthusiast, Lowrance’s iWAY 250C ($350) may be the way to go. In addition to a touchscreen, MP3 player and digital picture viewer, the 250C supports Lowrance’s plug-and-play map options such as Fishing Hot Spots Elite, LakeMaster ProMaps and NauticPath. It comes preloaded with U.S. and Canadian maps and points-of-interest on a 2GB SD card. There are 40MBs of free space on the memory card for your photos or a few MP3 files. In addition, you can customize the look of the LCD screen with skins you create yourself. Lowrance’s Web site contains simple instructions for creating skins and loading them onto the unit. www.lowrance.com

IN-DASH

In-dash navigation systems typically offer more processing power and features, yet are also more expensive and have to be installed. The two below are in-dash units, while most other nav systems of this type are hideway units that attached to and are accessed via an in-dash head unit.

Pioneer AVIC-Z1

As the first company in the aftermarket to offer real-time traffic information in conjunction with route guidance, Pioneer has always been at the forefront of navigation technology. And with each successive generation of nav products, Pioneer adds on more innovations and useful features. For example, in addition to offering top-notch nav features such as voice-activated destinations entry, the AVIC-Z1 ($2,250) places an emphasis on entertaining as well as informing. CDs can be ripped directly to an onboard 30GB hard drive, and the AVIC-Z1 also plays DVDs as well as MP3- and WMA-encoded CDs. It’s XM Satellite Radio ready and, of course, has an AM/FM tuner. For even more entertainment options, the AVIC-Z1 has an optional iPod interface that allows you to control the device directly from the double-DIN head unit’s 7-inch touchscreen, while a Bluetooth cell phone adaptor lets you use compatible cell phones hands-free. www.pioneerelectronics.com

Eclipse AVN5495

The double-DIN Eclipse AVN5495 CD/DVD receiver ($2,700) also has a 30GB hard drive, but it serves as a navigation database as well as a music server. A third of the disc’s space is devoted to nav duties to provide lightning-fast loading of turn-by-turn directions to destinations in the continental U.S. and Canada and info on thousands of POIs. The rest of the disc stores up to 3,000 tracks of CD-quality music that can be ripped directly from the AVN5495’s CD drive. Because it also offers DVD playback, movies can be viewed on the AVN5495’s own 6.5-inch touchscreen monitor or a video signal can be routed to additional screens elsewhere in the vehicle. The AVN5495 is also Sirius Satellite Radio-ready and it can play music files loaded onto a Memory Stick as well. Plus it has an auxiliary input for an iPod. www.eclipse-web.com

HANDHELD ALTERNATIVES

Just a few years ago, if you wanted a navigation system the only options were the pricey systems offered by auto manufacturers and car-stereo companies, and even portables were priced at around the $1,000 mark. But now nav functions are being integrated into cell phones and PDAs as an economical alternative.

Verizon VZ Navigator

Verizon Wireless just introduced its VZ Navigator service, which provides mapping, voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions and info on over 14 million points of interest while on the Verizon network in the continental U.S. (The service doesn’t work while roaming.) Initially rolled out on the Motorola v325, the service is now available on 10 others phones. Users simply download the VZ application through Verizon’s Get It Now service and launch the VZ Navigator when they need directions. The phone communicates across the Verizon Wireless network and its location is triangulated via the nearest cell towers. Mapping info is then downloaded to the phone so that routing can begin. The dial pad is used to enter destination information or to find POIs. The phone’s screen orients itself with the direction of travel and, as with other nav systems, you can zoom in and out on the map. Icons pop up on the screen to indicate turns and these are coupled with voice commands. Pressing the OK button repeats a command, and when a call comes in navigation is suspended until you hang up. The service is available for $9.99 for unlimited monthly access or $2.99 for 24-hour use, and charges for download and airtime charges also can apply. www.verizonwireless.com

TomTom’s Navigator 5

This software application ($230) turns select PDAs into a nav system. About the size of a candy bar, the Navigator 5 has a Bluetooth capability so the only thing that needs to be plugged in is the Navigator 5’s cigarette-lighter adaptor, and only when it needs a charge. After loading the Navigator 5 software onto your PDA, you can select the maps you want to install either by state or by region. The system uses large, easy-to-read icons as well as 2D and 3D maps to guide you to your destination. You can even punch in destinations directly from your PDA’s address book and receive audible alerts when you’re near a pre-selected POI, such as Starbucks. And with TomTom’s Plus service you can download real-time traffic and weather information and other services for a nominal fee.

www.tomtom.com

Sprint Find It!

While not strictly for navigation, Sprint partnered with mobile media company InfoSpace last spring to launch a new locator service called Find It! Available initially on Sprint/Nextel phones and now compatible with other carriers, the subscription-based service lets users find nearby restaurants, movie times and shopping information as well as get maps and driving directions. With a few clicks, for example, you can locate a nearby theater, find out what’s playing and at what time and choose a nearby restaurant and get directions. Find It! also allows searching multiple directories and using navigation applications simultaneously. The fee is $2.99 per month. www.mobile.infospacefindit.com