5. Navigon's Map Screen

Figure 33: Navigon's Map Screen

Navigon's map screen displays the following information when navigating to a destination:

1. Speed Limit - When available, the Navigon 7100 displays the speed limit for the current road you are driving on
2. Highlighted Route - The highlighted route is "painted", or marked, in orange color
3. Vehicle icon - This icon represents your vehicle's position on the map
4. Upcoming Turn - Displays the distance to the next turn as well as the direction of the next maneuver. Tapping this icon repeats the last voice instruction
5. Map Options/Detour - This bar displays the current road you are traveling on, as well as the name of the next street/highway you'll be driving on. Tapping this bar brings up a menu for switching the map between 2D/3D, inserting an interim destination, detouring around a blocked road, toggling between Day/Night mode, and finding a POI along the current route
6. Cancel Navigation - Cancels the current route and exits to the Main Menu
7. Options - Accesses the Options Menu
8. Phone - Tapping the phone icon brings up the phone menu (you'll need to pair a compatible Bluetooth phone with the 7100 in order to make use of this icon. Note that the phone icon appears even when no phone has been paired with the GPS)
9. Volume - Increase or decrease the speaker volume
10. Zoom - chance the zoom level of the map
11. Event/Incident Icon - Displayed when a traffic alert is received
12. Remaining Time/Distance
13. Current speed & Elevation
14. Device Status Area - GPS, Power, Traffic, and Bluetooth status icons are displayed in the Device Status area of the map screen.
    • GPS signal strength is indicated by one of the following three icons:
      

      No Icon	No GPS signals are being received
      	Poor Reception - signals are being received from fewer than 3 satellites
      	GPS Ready - signals are being received from at least 3 satellites and the GPS is ready to navigate

      
      
    • Power Status is indicated by one of the following icons:
      

      	The device is receiving power and the battery is charging
      	GPS is running off internal battery power
      	GPS is running off internal battery, and the battery is low

      
      
    • TMC (traffic information) is displayed using one of the following icons:
      

      No Icon	No traffic antenna is connected
      	Traffic antenna is connected, but no signals are being received
      	Traffic messages are being received

      
      
    • Bluetooth status is displayed using one of the following icons:
      

      	Bluetooth is not active
      	The GPS is paired with a bluetooth device
      	Bluetooth is turned on, but the GPS is not connected to any bluetooth device

The navigon 7100's map screen suffers from information overload. There's too much data displayed on the screen and it's overly complex to look at. Making matters worse, the font is tiny and virtually unreadable from the driver's seat. Take a look below at a how the Navigon's map screen looks from the driver's seat:

Figure 34: Garmin nuvi vs. Navigon 7100 Map Screen

The text on Navigon's map screen is almost illegible from the driver's seat. Compared to the map screen on Garmin's nuvi 660, Navigon's interface looks cluttered and is overly complex. Notice how Garmin's unit displays the next turn in the large green bar across the top of the screen. Garmin's distance to next turn and time of arrival indicators are also much easier to see than Navigon's.

Figure 35: Upcoming Turn Indicator

I did like Navigon's inclusion of an arrow that indicates the direction of the next turn so you can see if the next turn will be left, straight, or right -- a feature sorely missing on Garmin's units.

Notice also that Navigon's upcoming turn indicator also displays a countdown along the left hand side that ticks down as you approach the turn. This is another nice feature that makes it easier to gauge the next turn.

6. Reality View

Figure 36: Navigon's "Reality View"

Probably the most talked about feature on the Navigon 7100 is the unique "Reality View".

When approaching a highway intersection, the 7100 automatically displays the "Reality View" of the upcoming junction, as shown above in figure 36. Reality View shows a 3D view of the pending highway intersection (along with signpost names), and marks the lane or lanes you should follow.

Reality View remains on the display until you pass the highway junction, then the 7100 automatically returns to the normal map screen (note that you can manually exit Reality View anytime by tapping on the screen).

Figure 37: Navigon's Reality View

Navigon's Reality View is visually exciting and does add value to the navigation experience. Sure, it's mostly eye-candy, but in very complicated highway junctions the Reality View does a nice job preparing you for the maneuver.

Figure 38: Reality View vs. Real World

In my testing I found the "Reality View" didn't always match the real-world signage on the highway. Nevertheless, Reality View is a nice, though not essential, feature that does make complex highway junctions easier to navigate.