SiRF Inside
Nüvi GPS Receiver Is Too Rough a Guide For the High Price Tag
WSJ, December 22, 2005; Page B1
WSJ's Walt Mossberg reviews a new portable GPS navigation tool.
For years, the portable receivers that use Global Positioning System satellite signals for navigation have been niche products. They have been favored by hikers and other outdoors enthusiasts, by traveling salespeople and other long-range drivers, and by GPS hobbyists.
The makers of the gadgets have been trying to move them into the mainstream. GPS navigation has shown up in cellphones, personal digital assistants and fitness gear. But these new incarnations have failed to make GPS navigation a big hit with average people.
Now, one of the top makers of GPS receivers, Kansas-based Garmin Ltd., has taken a bold step toward that mainstream. It has created a small, sleek portable GPS receiver meant to be carried everywhere. This new gadget has been recast as a "personal travel assistant," to shed its geeky roots. And it includes not only satellite navigation and mapping, but also a built-in music player, photo viewer, U.S. travel guide, audio-book reader, language translator, currency converter and more.
I've been testing this new gadget, called the Nüvi 350, in and out of my car, and I find myself torn about it. On the plus side, it's really well designed and has a good, simple user interface. It does what it promises for the most part, and requires no setup or technical knowledge.
But at $900, the Nüvi costs as much as a decent laptop, and more than double that of such established portable prodigies as Palm's Treo smart phone or Apple's top-of-the-line iPod.
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THE NÜVI STARTS UP QUICKLY AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, ACQUIRES THE SIGNAL FROM THE SATELLITES IN SECONDS, A VAST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST GARMIN MODEL I TESTED SOME YEARS AGO.
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As slick as the Nüvi is, I consider it too expensive for the value it delivers, at least for mainstream, casual users. |
