Navman iCN 320
Author: Haje Jan Kamps
Published: 18 October 2005
The Navman iCN320 is the baby brother of the Navman satellite navigation systems. It is one of the most affordable stand-alone solutions, but it is obvious that Navman had to cut a few corners to be able to cut the price. The lack of full postcode mapping, the uninspiring build quality and the relatively small screen are some of the gripes. It is not a bad unit as such, but we figure that anyone who buys one is left wishing that they had spent the extra £50 to buy the the Navman 520 or a Tomtom GO 300 instead.
What is it and how does it work?
Satellite navigation systems use radio time signals transmitted by satellites to enable mobile receivers on the ground to determine their exact location. The relatively clear line of sight between the satellites and receivers on the ground, combined with ever-improving electronics, allows satellite navigation systems to measure location to accuracies on the order of a few metres in real time. The Navman iCN 320 essentially combines a map - which comes on a memory chip the size of a postage stamp - and the above technology, which tells you where you are and what way you are heading at any given time.Installing
Installation procedure: Take it out of the box, plug it into the cigarette lighter on your car, and insert the memory card into the unit. Does that sound easy? Well, that’s because it is. The Navman iCN 320 attaches to the windshield with a suction cup in a cradle, upon which it is ready to use. This also means that it is easy to move from one vehicle to another The Navman includes a battery, so it can keep track of where you are even when you go walkabout (or if you find a way to mount it on a bicycle?).User-friendlyness
The Navman brand has been famous for high levels of quality and usability. The iCN 320 is the bottom-of-the-line budget edition, which means that there is no touch-screen, and the buttons feel cheap and plasticy, compared to the more advanced models from the same company. Having said that, the NavMan is simple enough to use - there is a menu button which takes you where you expect to go (that would be the menu, then), a set of contextual buttons, which do whatever is marked just above them on the screen, 4 directional buttons, and an ’ok’ button. Between them, the total of 11 buttons on the front of the iCN320 make the unit reasonably easy to use. Its biggest rival - the Tomtom GO 300 - features a far easier-to-use user interface, but is also nearly 40% more expensive.Finding our way
The Navman iCN320 doesn’t have a full UK postcode map. If you were to navigate to, say, EC1R 0JY, the unit only understands EC1R, and from there on, you have to search by street. This means that it takes a little longer than with some other units to select where you are going. If you are used to full postcode mapping, this is a bit annoying, but ultimately, it makes very little difference in the grand scheme of things - what is important is getting there. When the Navman has found where you are (by comparing the signals from up to 12 different satellites), and where you are going (because you told it), it plots out the best possible route. When it’s done that, the map window gets reduced to a 1.8-inch-across area, and the rest of the screen gets taken up by the driving instructions. We still find ourself wishing for a moving 3D map, instead of the near-useless mini-map on the 320, but we suspect that the weaker processor (the NavMan 320 runs on a 200 Mhz processor, whereas its bigger brothers run on 300 Mhz processors) may have something to do with this. On your way, the unit keeps track of how far until your next turning, and tells you in a loud and clear voice when it is time to make turns. As with most SatNav units, the Navman occasionally gets a little confused once you get close to your destination - especially in the rural areas - but mostly it is an effective guide from where you are to where you want to go.Problems?
One of our reviewers noted that the suction cup on the satnav unit gave in, causing it to tumble to the ground. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the slob hadn’t cleaned the inside of the windshield, and that the dust meant that the cup failed to get a good grip. On a more serious note, the iCN300 did have a nasty habit of saying "keep left... keep left... turn right". With all the braveness of kamikaze pilots, we didn’t dare to cross 4 lanes of traffic in order to make the correct turn. It would have been okay if this only happened in one particular location, but all three of our testers mentioned that the same thing happened to them - in completely different parts of the country.Who is it for?
The Navman iCN320 is a fantastic replacement of a map - for one thing, it has street-level mapping of all of the UK built in, but using the SatNav unit means that you never get lost - it will always show you exactly where you are. In conclusion, the Navman iCN 320 is excellent for anyone who occasionally uses maps, and occasionally gets lost, such as on longer trips, on holidays, etc. If you do a lot of driving, however, the iCN320 has a few flaws that makes it terribly annoying compared to its competitors. Primarily, because of the troublesome destination programming, the unit is less than perfect for professional drivers who do a lot of multi-destination trips in a day.It is by no means a bad unit in itself, but we can’t help but feel that the iCN320 is a satellite navigation system for people who don’t actually need one - and for those of us who do, it isn’t quite good enough.
Would we buy one?
Maybe. You can buy a full set of maps for just about anywhere you are likely to go for a fraction of the price of a NavMan - but cutting down rainforests is very 1990s - we live in the new millennium, and electronics is where it’s at. If you don’t need one that often, and can live with having to spend a little longer programming it before each trip, you can’t get much better value for money: The Navman 320 has a recommended retail price of £279. Or you could do the sensible thing, spend £50 extra, and buy a good SatNav unit: the 320’s bigger brother - NavMan 520 - or the TomTom GO 300.
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