Review: Novogo S700 sat-nav device

Sitting at the cheaper end of the spectrum is the chunky Novogo S700. Its fashionably curved design makes it look more family-friendly than some of the more PDA-like models on test.

It’s easy to use too, with a simple touchscreen interface and a handful of function buttons. The software includes some interesting features, such as customisable colour schemes for its maps and alternative on-screen keyboard layouts (Qwerty or ABC).

Maps for the whole of western Europe are included, although the Novogo representative we spoke to couldn’t confirm for sure when downloadable updates either for points of interest (POI) or the maps themselves would be available or how much they might cost. Thankfully, at the time of testing, map data seemed to be up to date. Interestingly, the S700 offers ‘seamless’ international navigation, meaning that it’s possible to drive across borders without switching maps.

When planning a route, the S700’s support for UK postcodes makes a big difference, and the system seems to be comparatively fast, thanks to an Intel processor and 64MB of Ram.

A small but significant point is the Novogo’s sound quality. Good speakers provide better than average audio, which makes it much easier to hear the spoken directions. Cleverly, the device can alter its volume automatically in relation to driving speed, so that its voice can be heard over louder engine noise.

Also worth noting is the fact that the S700 provides access to the rechargeable battery pack via a removable panel on the unit’s rear. Again it’s a minor point, but it means that, theoretically, a replacement can be fitted without the need to send the entire unit back to the manufacturer.

There aren’t many extras (there’s no mains charger, for example) and the design might not appeal to everyone, but as a simple, reliable low-cost option the S700 is hard to fault.

This article is part of a group test of 10 satellite-navigation devices
See also:
Introduction
Acer p610
Garmin Nuvi 310
Magellan Roadmate 3050T
Medion Gopal PNA465
Mio Digiwalker C510E
Navman N40i
Sony Nav-u NV-U50T
Tomtom One Europe
ViaMichelin X-950
A tables of features can be read via our pdf download above

Review: Novogo S700 sat-nav device

Cheap, no-frills GPS unit with better-than-average audio  08 Jan 2007

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!