Navigon Mobile Navigator 4, 5 and 6

The Navigon Mobile Navigator 6 has a lot of advanced features, but the hardware has durability problems, and the company service and support has serious shortcomings.

Tested hardware and software

The test has been carried out on a Fujitsu-Siemens Loox 720, then a Hewlett-Packard iPaq HX 4700 and now a HTC TyTN Pro which first used the version 5 and now the version 6. The GPS hardware tested was an original Navigon GPS, with the Bluetooth and TMC modules added. With the change to the HTC TyTN a switch was also made to the Holux GR-236 bluetooth GPS, which has been reviewed here on GPS Navigator Reviews. The software was first Navigon Mobile Navigator 4, and during the test period an upgrade was performed to version 5 and now version 6.

The Basics

The upgrade to version 6 was bought as a download via the Internet. It takes 2-3 hours to download it using an 8Mbit connection.

The Navigon Mobile Navigator 5 came in two parts - the PDA navigation software with a pc map install program, and the hardware. The version 5 software and map material came in a DVD box with 2 DVD's and the quick install manual inside. The quick installation guide came in a printed version, but the manual itself is unfortunately only available as a PDF file in version 5 and 6, unlike version 4 where a paper version was available.

Pros

A generally wellfunctioning feature is the ability to be warned if you are speeding. If you drive 5 or 10 kilometers an hour too fast, a voice warns you, and a sign is shown on the PDA screen telling you the maximum speed allowed on the road you are currently on. There are roadsections when the speed and road matching goes wrong, but this is fortunately rare.

Navigon can use TMC or Traffic Message Channel. If your national radio sends out the RDS signals used to do TMC, which is the case in most European countries, then the Mobile Navigator can see when there are roadworks or traffic jams up ahead, and either automatically or after having asked you, calculate an alternative route, so you don't get held up but get a chance to select an alternative route. You need to buy the TMC module for the Navigon GPS to be able to do this, at €129. Be aware that you need to be using the navigation function for this to work. If you are driving on a wellknown road and simply use the GPS as a map in its standard settings, then you won't notice the queue or roadworks ahead until you're there.

The Navigon software combines well with the Outlook version available in Windows Mobile, which runs as the operating system of most PDA's. Specifically, Navigon lets you open and choose a contact among your Outlook contacts on the PDA, and use either of the addresses found there as a navigation target. So when going somewhere, create a contact containing the meeting place, restaurant or hotel address, and simply select it when you star the navigation. Then you'll also have the relevant contact information if you need to call or email to let them know you'll be on time.

Cons

In version 6 it is assumed that you wish to use Navigon to do navigation when you start the program. If you simply wish to use it as a map then you have to choose Options and then Map, instead of having a map button directly on the first page.

The gps triceiver is very climate sensitive. If you have it up against the windscreen and turn the heater to max to defrost, then it's a matter of time before it stops working. And if you live in a relatively humid area, then you can't expect it to keep functioning. Every now and then it will stop working, and you then need to bring it home, take it apart and let it dry out for a while to get it to work again.

When looking for eg. a gas station in the local area, you can select the brand you want and a radius around you within which you want to find them. But when you are presented with the gas stations available, you are not told the direction or compass bearing to the gas stations from the car. Consequently you don't know if the choice you make will send you back to a gas station in the direction you came from, instead of going to one up ahead in the general direction you're currently heading.

If you get a new PDA, you need to have a new device ID code generated by the Navigon software. Then you need to send it to Navigon, or enter it at a page on the website, and have a activation code sent to you or generated. You must enter this activation code back into the PDA, and only then will the program begin to work. This means that you can't use it on more than one PDA at a time, because it gets locked to the one PDA, and you can expect them to be very suspicious if you do this procedure too often. If you didn't register at the Navigon website, then you have to fax a declaration to Navigon that you do indeed own a version of the software, to get an activation code back.

The GPS unit contains a rechargeable battery, which in theory should let you use the gps unit away from a power source. I tried doing this several times, most memorably when visiting Seville, and looking for my hotel in the city center, but the battery goes flat after a few minutes, even though it had been connected to the car power for several hours, and should be fully charged. You need to take it off external power and run on the battery most of the time to keep it alive.

Upgrading between 4 and 5 - a lawyer's dream

When I decided to upgrade from Mobile Navigator 4 to Mobile Navigator 5, I visited the Navigon website after receiving an email that an upgrade would cost from €49 and up. It turned out that the upgrade to the same level in version 5 as I had in level 4 cost me €149. €149 for an upgrade?

It turned out that in order to upgrade from version 4 to version 5, you need to send the version 4 cd's and the paper manual back to Navigon in a package. Only when they receive the package from you with the version 4 disks and manual, as well as the payment, they send you version 5.

So in reality, regardless what you are told, you don't buy the software - you only rent it. This is also the case between version 5 and 6 - when you register the version 6, your version 5 is made unusable next time it gets connected to the internet.

This kind of customer repelling procedure is only possible when the company lawyers and/or accountants get control of the company, and the sales and marketing people are taken out of the decision making. Navigon seriously need to change their customer approach to a more customer friendly style, or they will lose a large part of their customer base at every single upgrade.

Service nonexistent?

The hardware gps stopped functioning not long after the warranty expired. I went to the Navigon website to find out how to get it repaired, but apparently they are only able to offer support if the hardware is under warranty. So if your hardware stops working after the warranty ends or is voided for some reason, your only choice is to buy new hardware. I had to pay a total of €441,95 before shipping and handling to buy a new GPS unit like the one I originally bought. After using the hardware and software for a few months, the version 4 software began coming up with program errors. The program errors let up somewhat when I removed the software from the PDA and reinstalled it, but it has never quite disappeared. The software error makes Navigon close down after displaying the error message, so you have to restart Navigon program and do the full navigation setup all over again.

One constant annoyance is the newsletter you begin receiving after registering at the website to get the activation code. It often contains offers on software and hardware, which is fine. But when you visit the website to look closer at the offer, you usually find that it is an offer intended for German customers. As I'm not a German resident, and they know this through my product registration, why do I receive offers that are obviously not intended for me? And why are there never any offers that are intended for customers from my country or even Europe in general?

What has the Navigon system cost me?

The original cost was somewhat camouflaged as the Navigon system was purchased together with a PDA as a total package or a bundle. But if you buy it at the Navigon webshop, the software with maps of Germany, the GPS unit, the TMC unit and the Bluetooth unit cost a total of €448. On top of that you need to pay €299 for the complete European map. This gives a total of €747. The European map takes 1,4Gb space, so you need a 2Gb memory card to put in your PDA. A 2Gb SD card costs €189 at the Navigon webshop. This brings us to a total of €936 - without a PDA. After a year the software update cost €149. This brings the total up to €1085. Then the need for a new GPS unit after a bit over 2 years for €149 brings the total up to €1.234. Because the Bluetooth module from the previous GPS unit doesn't work with the changed GPS unit design, and the TMC module doesn't work with the new GPS unit design either, you also need to buy a new Bluetooth unit for €129 and a new TMC unit for €129. This brings the total up to a whopping €1.492. Split this up in 24 months, and you have a cost of €62,17 a month, still without the cost of a PDA, which comes on top of the €1.492.

Conclusion

When the hardware and software works, it is a great automotive navigation tool. It is not very handy to walk around with - for that you should look into an all-in-one gps device.

You need to be aware of the trouble, time and considerable amount of money you need to spend continuously to keep a Navigon Mobile Navigator system working.

Written by Hans-Henrik T. Ohlsen
Last update in May 2007