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(More customer reviews)An unexpected pre-Christmas surprise: This DUAL portable GPS navigation system. Something I might never have bought myself - but a marvelous piece of technology - both a useful device to have, especially when traveling in unfamiliar areas - as well as a toy to play with, experiment with all the things it will do and to enjoy in the months and, I hope, years to come. Never having had a GPS before, the only things I have to compare it with are 1) a man's admittedly limited intuition for directions, 2) road maps - I never seem to be able to find the one I need when I need it, or 3) stopping to ask directions which tend to be about as unreliable as #'s 1 and 2!
The device itself is about 5" long by 3" tall by 1" wide. The visual screen is a 3.5" (measured diagonally, of course) LCD. Small speakers are mounted on each side and there is a jack for headphones. While driving, it is plugged into the 12v plug on the dash and when used as a portable unit, it runs off a rechargeable 830mA Li-polymer battery that recharges whenever the unit is plugged in. One structural oversight seems to be the complete lack of an AC recharging option for when you are at home - and in the house - and need the thing charged.
In the first several days of playing with it, I have found it relatively easy to program and use - at least as far as it's navigational features. You can program in your own home address so it can always guide you home! It gets it's information from a network of 28 satellite processed by the on board GPS computer and a national map, that comes preloaded on a 1GB Secure Media card. Other cards can be used to carry additional regional/worldwide information or to provide the material you would need to use it's several other possible functions which include: Playing MP3 files and movies, viewing photos or gaming. The audio output jack is a 3.5mm. I have not tried it yet. It also contains a worldwide clock and multi-function calculator. My intended use is purely for it's navigation function so I will focus there and leave review of it's other capacities to those who are more apt to make use of them.
An antennae unfolds from the rear of the unit and connects with the GPS signals within a minute or so after the unit is powered on. Selecting the Navigation function from the initial menu, allows choices that include the two basic ones of 1) programming in an address you want to get to - whereby the device maps your most direct directions per the most current information available to the satellite network (like having MapQuest in the car!), 2) Indicating you preprogrammed home address from wherever you happen to be, yielding your way home without having to find crumbs you dropped on the path along the way. The feedback on the screen is a little distracting and takes some getting used to. An arrow indicates your car: streets (and stores) that you are passing or approaching all show up and, when a turn is coming up that the directions think you should take, left or right directional lights flash on the unit along with, should you choose to program it this way, a verbal cue that a left or right turn is coming up. 2 or 3 dimensional view are both available as optional settings and day/night viewing is controlled, automatically, according to a build-in clock that you program for your own locations. Any or all of these customizable presets can be quickly over-ridden when circumstances require it! (A dark day, or driving through a dark tunnel, etc.) The screen options/selections are touch controlled - either with fingers or, for smaller items - like entering an address via the screen type board, a small stylus is included and has a home in the device itself. The screen offers 9 degrees of zooming in and out.
I tried fooling around with it. I deliberately went a different way than it suggested. Immediately, the GPS compensated for my action and reprogrammed the directions for the remainder of that drive having taken my spontaneous turn(s) into account. It IS a reasonably complex piece of equipment and I expect my learning curve will develop with it over time. I already called support one time to find out if the unit needed to be powered on or off while charging the battery. I have yet to receive a reply - but it IS just after Christmas!
The unit comes with a windshield suction mount device, a soft carry case, the necessary 12VDC adapter and the 1GB SD memory card ... which I hunted through the box for before discovering that it was already placed in the slot it resides in.
My experience with technological things that appear quite wondrous at the outset is that, with time and experience, they seem a bit less wondrous and more apparently imperfect. In this instance, this DUAL portable GPS navigation system and I are off to a very good start!
I'm not sure what 'artificial intelligence' is - but this might come close!
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Product Description:
The Dual Electronics NavAtlas XNAV3550 Portable Auto Navigation System is a wide-screen GPS navigator with multimedia playback capabilities. The NavAtlas XNAV3550 comes with complete maps of the entire US that can be easily upgraded, with millions of points-of-interest (POIs) pre-loaded on a one gigabyte SD card, and can also run MP3 music files loaded to the unit via the SD card slot.
The XNAV3550 features an easy-to-read, 3.5-inch digital TFT LCD touch-screen display with crystal-clear resolution. Utilizing an easy-to-operate graphic interface, this unit not only quickly guides you through its operations, but uses voice directions for turn-by-turn guidance to your destination, and includes handy left and right visual LED indicators. Depending upon your needs, you can start your guidance search with options such as address, intersection, POIs, locations from your address book and previous destination.
The navigation functions on the XNAV3550 offer plenty of convenience features, such as a 9-level selectable zoom, both 2D and 3D map views depending upon your preference, day and night views selectable based upon your lighting situation, and a GPS status indicator that lets you know signal strength and availability. And as previously mentioned, this handy unit not only is a complete navigation system, but it also provides you with on-the-go entertainment, allowing you to play both your favorite music files in MP3 format, all in one completely portable device. Designed to be compact so it can follow you from vehicle to vehicle wherever you go, the NavAtlas mounts quickly and simply via an included, on-glass suction-style mount.
The NavAtlas 3550 utilizes a 400MHz processor with 64MB of RAM and a 12-channel GPS receiver providing both plenty of power and accuracy, and runs on the Windows CE.Net 4.2 operating system. This unit has an internal speaker for its voice guidance system, but also includes a 3.5-millimeter audio output for connecting it to your automobile's sound system. The Dual Electronics NavAtlas XNAV3550 runs on an internal 1100 mAh rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, weighs 2.1 pounds, measures 4.2 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches (W x H x D), and is backed by a manufacturer's 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box
XNAV3550 GPS unit, 1GB SD card, 12-V DC adapter, stylus, windshield mount, carry bag, map database DVD-ROM, and quick start guide.
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