Navigon N100 LOOX Sport GPS

The Navigon GPS Navigator is compact and strikingly elegant in design. View larger. View Navigon software demo - View device in 3D.

Robust 3D maps make it easy to see where you are going at a glance.

The user interface is easy to navigate.

Load up your music and jam out. The device supports MP3, WMA, and AAC music files.

Have some fun with the included games.

A mini-USB port on the side of the N100 does double duty for charging and data connectivity, making it simple to upload music, photos, and videos to the device from your PC. Other highlights include a removable battery that lets you carry a spare when you're away from an outlet for extended periods, and a small (perhaps a bit too small) stylus that's tucked away in the rear panel.

Navigation
Powered by the latest SiRFstar III chipset, which is designed to improve communication with GPS satellites for smoother, more accurate navigation, as well as a 300 MHz processor, the N100 has all the right muscle--at least on paper--to provide a great handheld GPS navigation experience. The rubber really hits the pavement, though, when you evaluate how well the hardware interacts with the software on a GPS device.

Fujitsu-Siemens has chosen to go with Navigon's MobileNavigator 6, which has a slick, relatively easy-to-use interface, clear mapping details in 2D or 3D, and voice guidance. Our gripe with the software, though, was its rather sluggish performance on this device. Menus opened slowly, screens were slow to refresh, and some actions froze the device entirely, forcing a rather lengthy reboot process.

With a destination entered into the N100, the Navigon software does a passable job of getting you there, although it can struggle to quickly attain your direction of travel when you're first getting started, which can lead to bad directions and missed turns. Voice aids are handy, as is the N100's "lane advice" feature, which suggests which lane of a highway you should enter to be in the best position for the next maneuver. The N100's points of interest system is robust, offering easily recognizable company logos for common destinations -- now you can have the Golden Arches on your GPS screen, too!

Multimedia
The N100's small size makes it a perfect multimedia companion. Fill up a MicroSD card with all the music, video, and photos it will hold and you've got a great little entertainment center in your pocket. The applications that power the N100's media functions are a bit simplistic and unrefined, but they do the job. One big plus is the N100's support for a wide range of music formats, including MP3, WMA, and AAC. Video support is less robust; only WMV-format videos are supported. A world clock and calculator are included, along with two games, Bricks and Smart Pixie. The latter is a Pac Man reproduction that is sure to please.

At the end of the day, the N100 is a well-designed device that suffers from sluggish performance and a lack of polish when it comes to integrating hardware and software. However, if size is your chief concern when looking for a fully-featured GPS device, this one might be just for you.

Pros

• Small and pocketable
• Robust points of interest database
• Good multimedia features

• Sluggish and unresponsive at times
• User interface could use some refinements

The Navigon N100 utilizes a brilliant, 2.8-inch QVGA display with a color-transmissive TFT LCD touch screen to provide you with stunning 3D maps that make it easy to see where you are going at a glance. This compact unit comes with complete maps of the Unites States, including Puerto Rico, and Canada pre-loaded, so you can find anywhere from just about everywhere right out of the box. This powerful navigator includes predictive text, and smart features such as voice guidance, lane indications, speed information and brand icons. Additionally, this compact unit has an integrated microphone, a built-in loudspeaker, and a headphone jack so you plenty of options for using it to your best advantage.

More than just a convenient and powerful navigator, the N100 Pocket LOOX is a mini entertainment center that fits in your pocket. This unit has a built-in music player that is compatible with MP3, AAC and WMA digital music file formats, so you can listen to your favorite songs wherever you go. What's more, this all-in-one digital device comes with a photo viewer so your favorite pictures are always in your pocket, as well as a digital video player so you can both watch, and share your favorite video clips no matter where you happen to be. The N100 even includes a world clock so you always have the accurate time, a calculator for tallying up quick totals, an alarm so you are never late, and some retro-style games for keeping yourself entertained while you are waiting.

The N100 provides you with quick, highly-accurate mapping via its fully integrated SiRFstar III GPS receiver, and has built-in mini SD card slot for unlimited memory expansion capabilities. The Pocket LOOX runs Navigon's MobileNavigator Premium Software on its 300 MHz Samsung processor with 64 MB of RAM, and is powered by an internal, rechargeable 1150 mAh, lithium-ion battery. This unit comes with both an AC adapter for home recharging, as well as a 12-volt car charger for vehicular use. What's more, the N100 includes a USB cable for fast data transfers, headphones for both loud and quiet environments, and a 2 GB mini SD card for storing additional maps, as well as your digital music, video and photo files. The Navigon N100 Pocket LOOX Handheld GPS Navigator weighs only 3.9 ounces, measures 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches (W x H x D), and is backed by a manufacturer's limited two-year warranty.

What's in the Box
Navigon N100 Pocket LOOX handheld navigator, AC power adapter, 12-volt vehicle power adapter, USB cable, headphones, windshield and dashboard mount, changeable cover, 2 GB mini SD card, user's manual and quick-start guide.