Navman invents sat-nav-by-pictures
It’s almost impossible for GPS news to quicken our pulse, but Navman’s new sat-navs have managed the feat of raising both our eyebrows: they pack new
It’s almost impossible for GPS news to quicken our pulse, but Navman’s new sat-navs have managed the feat of raising both our eyebrows: they pack new tech that lets you pick destinations from photos rather than addresses.
The images, christened Navpix, contain all the longitude and latitude info needed to give directions from wherever you are, which means you can rifle through places you like the look of, and immediately get on your way.
There are three main ways to get Navpix on the first devices, the iCN720 and iCN750. Both have built-in cameras, which means you can take photos at favourite locations and they’ll immediately store all the navigation info to help you return without having to find out the postcode.
There are tons of famous landmark Navpix on Navman’s website available to download – handy if you’re going on holiday to unfamiliar country – and you can also add any of your own digital snaps to the menu with their locations.
The sat-nav newbies look strong GPS devices in their own right, too. You get a 4in, TomTom-rivalling 480×272 pixel touch-screen [story here], the latest SiRF Star III chipset – complete with lower power consumption and quicker processing than its predecessors – and a new software interface.
For an extra £100, you can get an extra ‘plug and play’ traffic pack, which includes a lifetime traffic data subscription, and there’s an optional RF remote too.
The only difference between the models is the built-in mapping. The £400 iCN 720 covers the UK and Ireland, while the £550 goes the whole hog and includes maps of 17 Western European countries.
Both are expected to hit the UK in May – look out more info on Navman’s site.
Navman does sat-nav for the skint (iCN 320)
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
