LG Portable Navigator LN740 Review (GPSmagazine.com)

14. Pros

Unsurpassed routing engine outperformed all other units in the test, including Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom
Minimalist, slim design
Easy, one-button access to the map screen from all sub-menus
Convenient physical volume controls
Large, 4-inch display
Nicely engineered windshield mount is simple, effective, and easy to use
6 hour battery life
Text-to-Speech (GPS announces actual street names)
Large POI database (7 Million)
Real-Time Traffic Data (provided by NAVTEQ with coverage in about 50 U.S. cities. Comes with 90 day free trial, then requires annual subscription)
Supports multi-stop routing with route optimization
Powerful POI search options
Fast routing/re-routing
SiRF's powerful StarIII Receiver provided excellent GPS signal performance, even behind tall building, canyons, tree cover, etc.
NAVTEQ mapping data
Only GPS I've tested that supports searching POIs by multiple, user-specified categories
Address book supports creation of folders for grouping similar addresses

15. Cons

Screen not as bright as Garmin nuvi or Magellan Maestro 4000-series GPS units
Screen resolution lower than most other 4-inch models
Traffic service requires additional unsightly antenna to be connected to the windshield
Occasional bugs during testing (these will no doubt be resolved via firmware updates, but during my testing I occasionally noticed quirky behavior. For example, the voice prompts stopped announcing during one trip, and twice I had to cancel and re-enter the destination before the GPS started routing)
Underpowered speaker sounds tinny at louder volumes
Menu icon on map screen is too small. Hard to press while driving
Power cable connects directly to the GPS instead of the windshield mount
Color palette on Map screen is bland, depressing to look at
Text on map screen can be difficult to read
Annoying "TMC" logo always displayed on map
Slow zooming in/out on the map
"Night" mode only darkens the map screen; all other menu screens maintain the same color scheme and brightness as "Day" mode, making menus blindingly bright in a dark car at night
Lackluster MP3 player & Photo viewer cannot be accessed while navigating
Music Player has no "Night" mode - only a manual brightness control
"Home" address hidden within the "My Places" menu
No Bluetooth
Use of 2006 (Q2) NAVTEQ mapping data is not the most current mapping data available. For example, Magellan's Maestro series is using 2007 NAVTEQ data, and Garmin is planning to release updated maps by August 2007
Menus require you to press OK to confirm each command - slows things down and gets annoying after a while

16. Conclusion

LG has created a GPS that not only competes with the very best devices from Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom -- it actually surpasses them in several areas! This accomplishment is a testament to LG's commitment to develop a GPS product that is top-notch, and not just saturate the ultra-competitive GPS market with yet another lackluster product that uses outsourced hardware and software from the lowest bidders. Instead, LG has obviously spent the time and money to develop it's own hardware and software, and the results are nothing short of impressive.

The LG LN740 is an extremely capable navigation device that exhibited some of the best routing logic I've seen to date. The interface is relatively simple to use, the mounting hardware is effective, and the unit includes everything you'll need to receive real-time traffic data.

Overall the LN740 is an excellent GPS. However, I found the 4-inch display of lesser quality (brightness and resolution) than other competing 4-inch models from Magellan and Garmin. The traffic service requires an additional antenna that must be routed along the windshield, creating unsightly clutter and additional steps to connect/disconnect the GPS from the car.

I also found LG's color palette on the map strangely foreign (and somewhat depressing). The map screen isn't as refined as Garmin's, nor is the LN740 as easy to use.

Given the LN740's $500 price tag, Bluetooth should be included. I was also irked by several user interface issues, and the virtually-useless music player & photo viewer.

The LG LN740 (LG might want to consider a more user-friendly product name) performed superbly at its core intended purpose: getting you from point A to point B. The excellent routing engine combined with a huge POI database and flexible routing options make the LN740 a top GPS to consider. All other issues were mostly minor annoyances rather than major deficiencies, and shouldn't prevent you from seriously considering the LN740 as your next GPS.


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May 26, 2007