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jonandmarkuk
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Location: Derby
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jonandmarkuk
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Joined: Aug 06, 2006
Posts: 832
Location: Derby
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 Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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| In answer to an earlier question. Street names only show in the standard 2D and 3D modes. The view 3D mode just shows major areas.. i.e town names that your driving past. |
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DaveMatthews
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Joined: Dec 25, 2004
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| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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| jonandmarkuk wrote: | | DaveMatthews wrote: |
Thanks very much indeed for those initial impressions - it sounds very promising! One question, however. From your description it sounds like the only way to use TMC is to have the unit plugged into the power socket (ie the car's cigarette lighter). Does this mean that, unlike previous Navigon units, it won't take a feed from the car's radio antenna?
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Yes I'm afraid so, I can't see any way you could connect your own aerial. I think most of the TMC aerials seem to be heading to this style. Reception does so far seem better, |
If using the iTIS (Classic FM) system, use of the car's antenna was essential across many parts of the UK (due to lack of transmitters rather than the ability of the reception end of things). I understand Navigon have now switched to TrafficMaster but there's clearly still a reliance on radio reception. Either way the inability to use a proper antenna on the 8110 is potentially a showstopper for many parts of the UK. 
Incidentally as the "User Guide" doesn't cover the TMC functionality in any great detail, do you know if incidents are accompanied by any projected delay information (eg "Accident at M6 J15. Delay: 10 minutes"). TomTom provide this... although they can't get it to work properly in the UK at the moment!
| jonandmarkuk wrote: | | but I miss being able to check a route before I leave the house. |
Yes, a valid point.
Thanks for the pics you posted and the link to the user guide (though the latter appears to be a basic "Getting Started" guide).
I take it there is no "QWERTY" keyboard option for input, just "ABCD". Nor does there appear to be the option to specify the vehicle type (eg "Normal car", "Motorcycle, "Pedal cycle", "Pedestrian", etc).
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Cheers,
Dave |
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jonandmarkuk
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Location: Derby
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| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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There is other options, I only snapped a pic of one option screen but it lists car slow car motorbike lorry and pedestrian and bicycle.
As for the TMC I'll have to try and look, but until something shows on a route I may not see what happens.
I wish the UK would broadcast TMC on more than one station. If it's any interest on the traffic info that was showing the icon next to it said 'Premium TMC' |
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DaveMatthews
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| Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| jonandmarkuk wrote: | | There is other options, I only snapped a pic of one option screen but it lists car slow car motorbike lorry and pedestrian and bicycle. |
Excellent! That's something I missed greatly when I moved from old Navigon MobileNavigator 4 to the lousy NavMan unit I've got at the moment. (Though I've actually gone back to using MN4.)
| jonandmarkuk wrote: |
I wish the UK would broadcast TMC on more than one station. If it's any interest on the traffic info that was showing the icon next to it said 'Premium TMC' |
In theory, then, it should be handling the full TMC data feed - again something that the NavMan unit doesn't do.
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Cheers,
Dave |
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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| Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 12:25 am Post subject: |
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Just for the record RDS-TMC within the UK is handled by two companies, iTIS Holdings supply data to TomTom and Navman as well as other manufacturers.
Their competition is from TrafficMaster, so the UK is far from a single source of data.
As for only one Radio station being involved with the transmission of data, there are considerably more, in excess of 100 radio stations transmit the data within the UK, most using different frequencies spanning the FM band - Mike |
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jonandmarkuk
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| Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:06 am Post subject: |
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| mikealder wrote: |
As for only one Radio station being involved with the transmission of data, there are considerably more, in excess of 100 radio stations transmit the data within the UK, most using different frequencies spanning the FM band - Mike |
I just assumed it was only one as I have only ever seen my TMC units tuned to Classic FM. 
Even better if there is more as the TMC built into the power cable does appear to work better |
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EddyDC
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Joined: Oct 04, 2007
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| Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:31 am Post subject: You have to look araound |
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Guys,
You have to check the German forums on Navigon. You'll find a link with a coupon code, which gives you 15% reduction. I first thought it would be DE only, but it works on Navigon shop in other languages - in my case Dutch speaking - shop for other countries too.
Alternatives are German shops; which are certainly cheaper than BE. Most of them ship outside DE also.
Eddy |
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jonandmarkuk
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Location: Derby
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:12 am Post subject: |
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Have taken a few more pictures today. Found a good route which comes up with the lane assistant information and reality view |
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DaveMatthews
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:48 am Post subject: |
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Thanks very much for those new pics and vids. Text-to-Speech and Voice Input seem to work very well - the latter being particularly impressive!
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Cheers
Dave |
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jonandmarkuk
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Joined: Aug 06, 2006
Posts: 832
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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I have to load a few more videos and pics onto the website, but unless I can get WiFi outside in the back yard today it won't be until the sun goes in ;)
Have used the Navigon a fair bit this weekend and I'm really pleased with it.
Tried out the FM transmitter and that works well, however I would only recommend playing MP3 files while navigating on longer journeys down the motorways as it does start to annoy when it keeps lowering the MP3 volume to announce directions.
But like I say if you have miles to go before an instruction then the MP3 playback via FM would work great. I'm tempted to get a larger memory card as you only get a 2Gb SD card however they can take the SD HC cards which go upto 8Mb.
I'm also pleased with the screen brightness as even though it's been really sunny I have been able to see the screen fine (was wearing sunglasses so could have made a difference, but in this bright weather most people would).
The only think I have found is the Lane Assistance seems very sparce.. I'm not sure how complex the junctions have to be before you get the lane info. |
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DaveMatthews
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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| jonandmarkuk wrote: | | The only think I have found is the Lane Assistance seems very sparce.. I'm not sure how complex the junctions have to be before you get the lane info. |
It may depend on the level of detail in the mapping provided by NavTeq - other countries (whose transport infrastructures are superior to that of the UK) may be served much better in this respect.
One thing I am a tad concerned about is the apparent lack of press (in-depth) reviews for this product - there were loads of glowing "previews" for it earlier in the year but now it's finally here, all seems to have gone quiet. This was also the case for earlier Navigon units, which subsequently turned out to have major problems such as slow-running, software instability and - particularly in the UK - non-functioning TMC.... not helped by their abysmal organisation and professionalism when it came to customer support.
Navigon have a lot of work to do to restore their reputation - indeed the dazzling array of features on the 8110 would appear to be a strenuous effort to regain the foothold in the SatNav market that they had - and quickly lost - four years ago - not helped by the mess they made over routing algorithms for the North America maps on the 7100. (Interesting to note that the 8110 will not be available in the US!!)
So, if the 8110 is "well-sorted", why haven't they been sending units out to journalists or forums like this one? There's not even a "professional" review on Amazon's German site.
I am very excited by the 8110, though!
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Cheers
Dave |
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jonandmarkuk
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Posts: 832
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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I agree about the mapping detail and the lack of reviews.
However the Navigon 8110's have only just come out and I have read that there is no more stock available until 15th May at the earliest.
Foreign language video demo's have started to appear on Youtube and there is a review on www.nav-user.com but it's all in Dutch Only thing I noted at the bottom of the review was it appeared to score very highly.
You can post questions on that forum as the mod seems to know English very well.
Have to say not noticed an issues with the software on the unit at all, in fact speed wise I'm very impressed. I believe the USA routing has since been fixed. ?
TMC certainly seems to be working for me, just need to plot a route that has an incident on it 
They haven't released the 8110 in the USA but they have released the 2100 Max which also features the v7 Navigon software. Maybe the American accents confuse the Voice recognition software too much 
I'm sure we will get some UK reviews soon  |
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DaveMatthews
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| jonandmarkuk wrote: | However the Navigon 8110's have only just come out and I have read that there is no more stock available until 15th May at the earliest.
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If the units are as good, fast and stable as they appear to be from your own experience, then that makes for good publicity (And of all major SatNav makers, Navigon is the one who needs as much good publicity as it can get given its recent history!). Unless they have been "debugging" the units right up until the end of April, it seems astonishing that they did not use that month to dispatch a handful of final production units for press reviews.
| jonandmarkuk wrote: |
Have to say not noticed an issues with the software on the unit at all, in fact speed wise I'm very impressed.
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Excellent! 
| jonandmarkuk wrote: |
I believe the USA routing has since been fixed. ?
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Quite possibly - but not until after there had been literally dozens of scathing reviews for the 7110 (look at Amazon US for example!). I think I'm correct in saying that this was Navigon's first attempt to break into the US market, so it was disastrous and humiliating for them - but deservedly so given that they clearly didn't bother to do any testing Stateside. (Just as they hadn't done any testing of TMC functionality in the UK when they launched MN5 back in 2005). And that's why I would have thought they would endeavour to pre-empt old cynics like me by getting independent feedback prior to launch. The fact that they haven't done so makes me a little nervous.
I really do want Navigon to succeed with this - if they screw up again then they'll probably lose the American market forever. I've not got anything against TomTom and they seem to be comfortably ahead of Garmin - but if there is less competition for them, then we all lose out.
| jonandmarkuk wrote: |
TMC certainly seems to be working for me, just need to plot a route that has an incident on it
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Ah well you can't yet know that *is* working then, can you? 
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Cheers
Dave |
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jonandmarkuk
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Joined: Aug 06, 2006
Posts: 832
Location: Derby
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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They seem to be fairing well in the USA now.
"CHICAGO, April 23, 2008 — NAVIGON Inc. claimed the number four position in the personal navigation category in Q1 2008 in both unit and dollar volume, according to The NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service. NAVIGON earned a market share of 7.7 percent, up 4.1 percent compared to Q4 2007. NAVIGON’s unit volume in Q1 2008 was 69 percent of the volume in Q4 2007, which is above the market average and industry expectations."
If I can get a plug in adapter or spend a bit of time in the car playing with routes I'll see if I can get it to warn me about traffic info and see if it offers me a re-route.
I know the same questions were started to be asked over the TMC on the ViaMichelin devices.
Have just tried to get an online translation of the review on Nav-user but some words make little sense |
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