Navman S90i Review

From New Zealand's premier satellite navigation manufacture comes the much lauded Navman S90i. Like its little brother the Navman S30 this unit is applauded as much for its ease of use as its many functions and features. It is advertised as being ready to use straight from the box and this is absolutely true.

The package comes complete with an in-vehicle charger and mounting bracket and a TMC Antenna. The inclusive lifetime subscription to the Traffic Message Channel is one of the features that make this such a pleasure to use. A note of warning when installing the antenna though, it must be really straight in order to work well. The top of the windscreen is an ideal location for this.

The 4.3 inch screen (measured diagonally) is the industry standard for Sat Navs in this price range, and like other models by this manufacturer the screen is very clear and the graphics are arguably better looking than the TomTom or Garmin units.

The TTS (Text to Speech) capability means directions are given clearly by voice using actual street names and junctions to tell of upcoming turns. This feature allows you to keep all your concentration on the road ahead.

Battery life is only 4.3 hours fully charged, but as previously mentioned there is an in-vehicle charger included and this unit is more likely to be used in the car rather than out. Regional maps are preloaded and safety camera information is also preloaded but only on a trial basis - you will need to subscribe for updates on this. Be aware that if the notification of speeding is very important from your point of view, you may need to make changes to the settings as the default is both visually and audibly poor.

Like the S30 version, the software used is the SmartS™ 2008, the chip is the powerful SiRF star III and the data is from Tele Atlas version 2007.4. Although the 8-digit postcode search makes finding your destination very simple, it is not so intuitive as to recognize which country you are starting from as you have to enter that information first. This is the case even if your default country is UK, you still have to enter it each time.

Like other systems in this price range, the S90i is Bluetooth™ enabled making telephone calls easy and hands free. Another feature Navman have added is the unit itself can be used as a camera. For navigation purposes the picture you take can be added as a POI for future travels - cute but not an essential feature.

Again the negative comments have all been about the gloomy or tinny voices used and the flimsiness of the connection between the cradle and the unit itself. Although it does not match up to the TomTom or Mio in the "What Car" review, they admit this is more because of the excellence of the other models rather than any significant flaws in this device.