With the development of the S-series, which consists now of four models, Navman seems to have turned a new corner. The S30, S50, S70 and S90 do not resemble the older Navman units at all.Improvement
The most notable difference from their predecessors like the F-series, N-series and iCN-series, is the complete lack of operating buttons on the device, apart from the on/off button. An improvement, if you ask us, because it makes the S-series look very slick. Apart from this, the unit is also nice and flat, and the colour scheme of the devices has also been adjusted a bit. Light grey is the dominant colour and the bezel around the screen is shiny black.The new S-series was announced with a lot of bells and whistles, and we decided to have a closer look at one of them. And we weren’t the only ones it seems, because we had to queue up in order to receive a review sample. Our patience was tested, but it was rewarded in the end.
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Navman S90i
Box
The Navman S90 is shipped in a fresh, compact box. As with all PND brands, the marketing department thought long and hard with regards to the look of the packaging; the saying ‘you’ve only got one chance to make a first impression’ certainly applies here. Next to a couple of images of the PND, the contents of the box are listed and the most important features of the device are explained in six different languages.In the box there’s obviously the PND itself, and also the windscreen mount, a 12V charging adapter, a USB cable, an RDS/TMC antenna, a carrying bag, two booklets and a CD-ROM. These booklets contain a ‘quick start guide’ and some legal information, both in thirteen different languages. The CD-Rom contains the Tele Atlas map material, release 04/2007. Apart from the map material of the European countries, which is already pre-installed onto the PND, the CD-ROM also contains North American and Australian maps. To be able to use these maps, an activation code needs to be purchased from Navman though.
Exterior
Before we took the device out for a ride, we had a closer look at it from all angles. The Navman S90i is made from a type of hard plastic which doesn’t seem to be as solid on every side of the device. The sliding panel on the back seems a bit fragile. The shiny black edge around the screen seems to be very prone to fingerprints.
Despite the large format screen, the S90i is very handy and portable. This is largely thanks to its flat shape, and since the unit doesn’t even weigh in at 200 grams, it’s also very light. As said, there are very little buttons on the device.
On top, there is the on/off button (1), the LED indicator (2) which lights up when the PND is connected to a power supply, and the button (3) for the built-in NavPix camera. To the left of the device, there’s a rubber cover plate, which conceals connections for an external GPS antenna (4), external microphone (5), and either a pair of headphones or the RDS/TMC antenna (7).
On the back there is a sliding panel (7), which conceals the 2 megapixel camera which shoots the NavPix images (more on this later in the review). The built-in speaker (8) is also located located behind a grille here.
On the bottom of the device is the USB connection (9) to connect the PND to a PC or power supply, and a slot for an SD or MMC memory card (10).
Mount
The mount for attaching the S90i to the car windscreen is surprisingly compact. We like this very much, never really caring for the huge car mounts some other brands like to ship with their units. It is unfortunate that the Navman mount is not an active model though. We would like to attach the TMC cable to the mount and then just leave it connnected, but this is not possible with this type of mount.However, the 12V cable CAN be attached to the mount. That way, we can insert the S90i into the mount and also connect it to the power supply at the same time.
The suction cup of the mount attaches easily to the windscreen. A handle puts some pressure onto the sucker, so it doesn’t come loose unexpectedly. We didn’t like the fact that the Navman logo is prominently visible on the inside of the sucker, because this makes the PND very obvious for others to see.
The navigational system is connected firmly to the mount. At first glance the setup may seem a bit flimsy, but fortunately that’s only a first impression. Experience has shown us that the suction cup attaches very firmly to the windscreen, and the PND attaches equally well to the mount. It’s even more firmly attached when the 12V cable is connected too.
En route
Okay, now the time has come to take this new Navman high-end model on the road. First and foremost, of course, it’s important to enter the destination. Here, the menu structure leaves little room for mistakes. After confirming our input, we see an indicator which shows the progress of the route calculation. But here is the first time we raise an eyebrow, because compared to the calculation speeds we’re got used to from TomTom and Mio devices, the Navman turns out to be a fair bit slower.The screen of the Navman S90i is very bright and clear. All information is sharp and readable. However, the amount of information shown on the screen takes a little getting used to. There’s an overkill of buttons, street names and route information, all shown on the screen at once. This might seem a bit daunting at first, but we soon found out where we could find the information we needed. If all else fails, the software also allows you to customise the amount and type of information which is shown on-screen.
Of course, the most important feature of the S90i remains it’s navigating ability. And it does that very well, with a clear navigational screen which leaves little to be desired in either 3D or 2D modes. It’s clear that the different colour schemes have been well thought through, because the route and indications shown really stand out from the rest in the background. The voice instructions sound crisp
and clear. We thought they were possibly a bit monotonous, but this isn’t too annoying and it never becomes a real issue. Voices are supplied for fifteen different languages and many support text-to-speech.Thanks to the renowned SiRF Star III chipset, the connection with the satellites is very quick and also very stable. Only in tunnels and in narrow city streets containing high buildings does the chip have any difficulty sustaining a fix.
For a higher accuracy whilst navigating, the S90i supports EGNOS (in Europe) and WAAS (in North-America), two satellite-based “augmentation systems” which supplement the basic GPS systems by reporting on the reliability and accuracy of the signals.
RDS/TMC
Navman ships its high-end model with an RDS/TMC module built-in, which enables the motorist to receive free traffic information onto the unit whilst driving. Unfortunately, we have to conclude the built-in antenna is not powerful enough to pick up the TMC signal on its own in most cases. Therefore, connecting the supplied wired antenna to the unit becomes a necessity. The antenna works in exactly the same way as those of competing brands: connect it to the unit, and attach it to the windscreen in order to receive the traffic info.
The RDS/TMC antenna itself is a somewhat sturdy transparent copper cable… the type which most users would rather poke underneath the windscreen rubber so they don’t have to look at it anymore! Unfortunately this is not an option: to use the antenna at its full potential, it really needs to be attached to the glass of the windscreen, otherwise you might as well not connect it at all.
When attached to the windscreen though, it performs admirably. The software offers the option of searching for the strongest RDS/TMC signal broadcast, or to have the user enter the frequency of a TMC broadcasting channel himself. This is a good thing, because not all TMC channels offer the same amount of information: there are differences with regards to the contents.
Navman also pre-installs a database of known safety cameras. To keep this list updated, a subscription is required though.
Hands free phoning
The built-in Bluetooth module and an internal microphone enable hands-free phoning with the Navman S90i. Here also we have to admit the feature is implemented very neatly, clearly and simply into the software. Pairing a (supported) mobile phone with the unit really is a cinch, as is the copying of the contacts list from the phone to the PND and - not unimportant - making the actual call is simplicity itself.The sound quality whilst phoning is good. The excellent speaker of the S90i makes for a very clear and understandable sound. The people we’ve called using the unit were also unanimous: they could understand us perfectly well whilst driving. Once or twice there were some occasional ‘ghost sounds’, but those never become a problem. With a number of mobile phones, the S90i can also display incoming text messages on the screen. Unfortunately we were unable to try this, because our Nokia 6233 does not support this feature.
NavPix
NavPix is a unique feature on a number of Navman PND’s. With the S90i, we imagine this will be especially appealing to the more ‘touristy’ motorist. A 2 megapixel camera is built into the back of the unit. This can be obviously be used to photograph locations, but not only that - when the photo is taken, GPS location data is also saved into it, so when the motorist wants to drive to that specific location in the future, all he need do is select the photo and the route will be calculated. Imagine how great this would be for pictures of the Grandchildren or other relatives! Photographs can also be shared with other Navman users via the Navman website.Currently the S90i is the only S-series model containing a camera, but these shared photos can even be used on Navman PND’s which don’t have an internal camera of their own, such as the Navman S70.
We think NavPix is a fun and useful addition to the navigational system. For vacations and/or city trips this is really a handy feature. But we also have to admit it is only good for people with a bit of spare time on their hands, It’s quite a lengthy process to take the photos and to share them with others on the internet, or to download photos others have taken to your unit. For 99% of users, we’re pretty sure the motorist will prefer to simply enter his/her destination by address or by selecting a POI (of which there are many on the S90i).
Extras
Apart from the features already mentioned, the user of an S90i is not ‘bogged down’ with extra functionalities like an MP3 player or a photo viewer. Although we’re sure some may miss these features, we’re equally sure most of the users won’t. We know from experience that these features are hardly ever actually used on a navigational system after the initial excitement!.What we do find lacking about the S90i is an FM transmitter. Despite the sound of the S90i’s speaker being more than adequate, the playing of route instructions or of hearing a phone conversation through the speakers of the car stereo remains a nice option, which we are now seeing on the top of the range models from other brands. Navman also does not ship a remote control with its premium unit, and it’s not even available as an accessory. The software also cannot perform speech recognition to enter destinations or commands to the unit simply by pronouncing them out loud. Competitors like TomTom do have this option on some of their most recent models.
NavDesk
In the box of the S90i, we found a second CD-Rom containing the NavDesk 2008 PC-application. More and more PND manufacturers are jumping to the assistance of their users who want a simple solution to update the maps, software or other content of their devices. What ‘Home’ is to TomTom, ‘NavDesk’ is to Navman: a user-friendly PC application which enables users to update their Navman PND’s software and maps, or to share NavPix photos with a click of the mouse.The supplied software is also capable of registering the data of driven routes, and then exporting that data to Microsoft Excel. This is a very handy feature for company car users who need calculate costs or simply justify every driven kilometre.
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