- 4.3 Display
- 2 Watt Hands-free speakerphone with noise cancellation technology
- Live traffic with re-routing options
- 3 months free MotoExtras service package (Google Search, Weather, Fuel Prices, Flight Status)
- Voice Recognition
It's going to be a long review.
For starters, I've used in-car OEM GPS for the past 2 cars, and I've seen how they have evolved and technology has really improved over the years.
I really enjoy the GPS/bluetooth/audio integration (in my Honda Civic Hybrid) but since this is a hand held unit, I won't complain. Besides, it's fractions of the cost 1/10 of the OEM GPS Navigation units).
The screen size is just right. Even though I've enjoyed the OEM 7" GPS, but this one packs lots of information in the 4.3" very nicely. Even when you are driving at a location with 7 lanes, it highlights exactly which lane you should be driving. It is very updated (there's a location nearby my house finished construction 2 years ago but my new 2009 Civic didn't have an updated map of that Freeway interchange. But this one did. And it is a very confusing interchange, but this one executed the command and routing beautifully.
The speed in pulling up a destination is a bit slow when compared to my in-dash unit. And the GPS signal sensitivity is a bit low (since it has no external antenna. when I am in a car port or under a highway overpass too long, it may lose GPS signal.
The routing announcement is tooooo frequent. I guess if you are in a new area and are stressed out trying to find your destination, it's good to be constantly reminded. But if you are just driving around in an area you are fairly familiar with but just making a detour or need to make sure you are making the right turns, the announcements are too frequent. And there's no way to reduce it too. (You can only choose the types of command to on/off.)
No media player (good or bad? you decide. Some people want it, but I'd like it simple.)
It has great bluetooth/hand free phone integration. As soon as you start the engine, and if the charger is plugged in, the unit turns on and immediately links to your cell phone.
The call display is great too. Clearly displaying who is calling and not distracting your drive. The sound is loud enough and the mic is right at the front right hand corner to capture all of your voices. I don't know whether it has noise cancellation build in, so I don't know if the caller on the other side can hear me well or not.
The traffic update is great. I usually use my iPhone to check traffic condition before I drive home or go to work. With this, it tell me if there's traffic with advance voice warning and red lane indicator.
The screen can be a bit too sensitive when you are trying to enter destination info when driving. So I strongly recommend you stop completely to enter the destination before you even change gear to drive.
The command to turn is the only major complain I have. Many times you are already at the corner and the voice command prompt you to turn. So, do look at the screen if you know you need to turn soon, or it will be too late.
The battery doesn't last that long if you are not plugged in--only 2.5 hours.
The cradle attachment is very well designed and sticks to the windshield like spiderman would do. I wish it came with a pouch to store the GPS unit so you can carry it out side your car. It is another prime target for car break in to steal the GPS.
I tried connecting the GPS to my computer using the USB, but it doesn't do anything to check software update. I can not find any information on software/map update in the user manual or online at motorolla site. I don't know if they plan to support this unit with new firmware or new map updates, etc.
So that's what I could think of so far after one day of usage. I haven't used the call feature to Bing or other services. (It uses your phone via bluetooth to make a call to a 408 area code number to check on everything (weather, point of interest, stocks, etc.) So it's not a 3G or edge network subscription. The traffic update, however, doesn't require your phone.
For a fraction of the cost of an in-dash OEM GPS navigation unit, I'd strongly recommend getting this unit (the lifetime traffic update is a dream come true.)
For most cars, a factory installed bluetooth hand free integration is about $500. Why buy that when you can have a GPS and bluetooth hand free for under $300? Do your math.
To be fair, I've only used a Garmin unit once when I went out of town trip with a friend. So I borrowed a Garmin GPS (don't even remember the model number).
That unit was very nice too, very intuitive in usage. But this one, has much more features built-in and at a lower price.
The only thing missing now is a speed radar built-in. They could make a receiver unit in the cradle and the software in the GPS unit. So when driving it will you know if there's a police with a radar gun ahead. Oh btw, this one tells you if there's photo radar enforcement ahead too.
It really packs a lot of feature in there with a reasonable price tag.
Highly recommended buy.
***Update***
After using it for a week, I want to update additional worth mention features.
1. I've lowered it to 4 stars. Reason for dropping one star? The mix of the following reasons:
a. unable to add previous destinations to favorites; it only shows 10 previous destinations. no choice on selecting one of them and add it to favorite or contact list so you have a quick list.
b. the phone call to BING is a drag. It takes up the phone line to do data stuff like an old modem. I can't believe Motorolla would use this old technology on this device.
c. it's impossible to handle the unit without accidently hitting some buttons (volume + -, mute, etc.)
2. A good feature: I drove with this GPS unit on but without a destination entered. It is still doing it's job even without a destination: a. still warning you of any photo radar spots, b. still has active bluetooth sync to your phone. c. still shows traffic data; d. still shows your driving speed if you are over the speed limit.
Still a recommended buy.
Buy Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Now
Whats is in the box is a nice, sleek, apparently well made GPS, a window mount, a car charging cradle (that attaches to the window mount), a mini USB cable and a 12V power cable for the car. The quality of the mount is top notch with both up and down positioning and a pivoting head where the car charging cradle attaches. The GPS itself is heavy and has a substantial feel. It can be charged via the included computer USB cable or the automobile 12v accessory jack charger. However, if you want a 110 volt charger for the home, that is extra.
After charging the unit up and proceeding through the basic setup, which is very straight forward, I tested out the devices features. This is a feature rich GPS. Setting up the bluetooth and syncing my phones contacts was a snap (although the syncing part took several minutes). The voice prompts were clear and the voice recognition was both effective and convenient. I was able to retrieve contacts and dial them without ever touching the device. The sound quality of the speaker phone was good, but not great, for both sender and receiver. I didn't get a chance to really check out the noise canceling feature of the hands free operation, but more on that later. Finding gas prices and getting a stock quote was cool and easy. Just keep in mind that it needs a connection to your phone to do this. I was jazzed about this GPS and it's many capabilities. My mind was thinking of ways to make the most of its features. So I decided to take it for a real test drive, so to speak, and that is where the infatuation fell apart.
When I mounted the GPS on it's car charging cradle, it quit speaking and responding to voice commands. So I removed it from the cradle and it resumed listening and speaking. Tried it again with the same result. I unplugged the power, tried a reset, checked the settings...still wouldn't talk to or listen to me when it was in the charging cradle. Next, I visited the Motorola Motonav website and downloaded and installed the software required for updating the GPS. The software is easy to install and use and it informed me that there were three updates available for the device and it's maps. Thinking this would solve my problems, I updated the device (and made backups for the GPS a cool feature of the program). Yet, the issue persisted so I gave in to calling the Motonav support number. The helpful person on the other end sent me an RMA via email. Therein lies my issues with customer support. First, the RMA did not include a shipping label. I would need to pay for shipping a brand new item back for service. Second, I would need to send proof of purchase which was not included with this product because it was sent to me by Motorola to try out and review (with a very nice letter from the Motonav team I might add) via the Amazon Vine program. When I contacted customer service about the issue the response was simple, I pay to ship it back and they may or may not fix it since I do not have proof of purchase. In their words, "that will be up to the service department." Hmmm. I guess I'll be sticking to my Garmin. At least it still speaks to me and I won't have to deal with all of my rejection issues, but that is another story.
Read Best Reviews of Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Here
After spending some time with it, I'm finding the Motorola TN565T easy to operate, feature-rich and generally cool all around. The unit is rugged and obviously high quality with a legible 4.3" LCD screen, accurate touch screen and clear speakers. It runs about 2-3 hours on the internal rechargeable batteries, or it can be powered using a micro-USB adapter (included) in the car. The kit also includes a very rugged car mount and a USB cable for connecting the Motonav to your PC.
One of the unique features is that the unit can pair with a Bluetooth phone, enabling the GPS to access various information services such as live traffic, search (Google and Bing) and added services like stock quotes, weather, flight status, messaging and even up-to-the-minute fuel prices. You can also use the GPS as a "front end" to your phone, letting you place calls and so on directly from the GPS. For those of you having small, conventional (but Bluetooth-enabled) phones, this is a big plus while driving as you can use the big LCD screen on the GPS to work your phone, and it gives you hands-free capabilities. Being Bluetooth, there are no wires or anything.
If left on, the GPS will pair with your phone and periodically make calls to keep its information in sync. On a typical day, this seems to add up to about five minutes worth of airtime...not sure how I feel about that, given that I might be paying for the calls. Since I have wireless broadband and a data plan, I'd probably prefer if there was a way to use either an 802.11 or 3G connection, rather than dialing what to me are long distance calls to get this information.
The traffic information seems reliable, and it doesn't require an additional subscription (the unit in my car requires an XM subscription in order to receive traffic data). Still, I question how accurate it is, and coverage is far from universal. This isn't a gripe about the Motonav just seems to be the nature of the beast at this point in time. To its credit, the Motonav does support automatic redirection around congested areas, so if you drive into an area known to have traffic, the unit will automatically pick the least congested route for you.
The Motonav has a very good database of Points of Interest, making it easy to find many of the nearby locations I might want to search for. When entering destinations, it also supports voice navigation and direct entry using the touch screen. I found the voice navigation fairly good, so long as there's not a lot of ambient noise. The touch screen works fairly well since the screen itself is large, but of course, with lengthy searches, it can be annoying I much prefer the voice recognition. A nice touch is that once you find your destination, the phone number is shown right on the display.
At the moment, I happen to have access to four completely different GPS devices: the built-in unit in my car, the GPS that comes with my Droid phone (mostly based on Google Maps), a Garmin Nuvi and now the Motonav. This made it easy to compare the features and capabilities of each. One difference is the startup time. The unit in my car seems always ready and the Droid is nearly always-on as well. The Motonav, on the other hand, seems to take about a minute to acquire enough GPS satellites to be useful.
I'd have to say that the large display in my car was the most readable, but the Motonav isn't far behind. The Droid screen seems "sexier" somehow, but it's just small enough that I need to have it right in front of my face for it to be truly readable, where I can see the Motonav from several feet away. Accuracy seemed about the same across these three units. The Motonav offered better guidance in my opinion, warning me ahead of time for upcoming turns in a way that seemed to be more understandable. I also found the Motonav to be a bit more accurate in terms of ETA and other time calculations. Compared to the Garmin, I'd have to say that the Motonav is more up to date in terms of features thanks to it's more sophisticated software and Bluetooth connection.
I was surprised to see the screen compared to my Motorola Droid phone. My phone uses a very sleek and glossy mineral glass that I've come to really love. It's very vibrant and although small, displays a wonderful range of colors and high contrast images. By comparison, the Motonav screen isn't at all glossy, Motorola opting instead for a matte finish that probably works out to be a bit easier to read in direct sunlight. The images aren't nearly as impressive but I suppose they don't need to be...all the basics are there, and maps and so forth are certainly legible it just surprises me how different the technology is versus what Motorola is using in phones today. Not necessarily "worse", just "different".
Only thing I really find to complain about is the location of the buttons on the Motonav. If you use it handheld, it's hard to pick up the unit and not hit one of the buttons on the back of the unit. It's possible to lock out these buttons, but in the beginning, you'll probably be inadvertently adjusting the volume up or down quite a bit. Of course, mounted in the car, this isn't a problem.
Overall, I found the unit to be easy and intuitive to operate and to work about as well as anything else out there. If you need a GPS, this would be one of my top choices...definitely recommended.
Want Motorola Motonav TN565T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Discount?
I currently have an older generation and newer generation Garmin Nuvi, a Magellan Xplorist, an iPhone, and now the MotoNav TN565T. I also have a Whistler red light camera detector, similar in functionality to the built-in red-light camera database in the MotoNav.
What I Like about it:
-The interface, although very complicated-feeling at first, is very intuitive after you spend a few minutes playing around with it. The map fills the whole screen, unless you choose to bring up the left-side panel where you can view traffic information, see a list of nearby POI's, see a "dashboard" (speed, direction, altitude, etc.), or other useful information. Want to enter a destination? Just tap anywhere on the map, and it brings up a menu.
-It is fully customizable. You can change what the hardware buttons on the sides do, you can change the order of the menu buttons, and you can change the types of POIs that appear on the map, among other things.
-voice commands work very well. The unit has never had any trouble understanding what I say.
-Traffic information has been up-to-date and accurate in my experience. The unit can be set to re-route you automatically if the delay is longer than 5 minutes and a faster route is available. You can also set which types of traffic incidents to always avoid or ignore, such as construction, accidents, congestion, weather-related problems, etc.
-Even with all the customization this device is capable of, it still works great right out of the box. Motorola did a great job of catering to both the tech-savvy and the not-so-tech-savvy.
-Fast startup (startup for the first time takes a minute, but it's very quick each time after that)
-Faster than average GPS processor
-Traffic light camera warnings work just as well as my Whistler stand-alone unit, so I don't need to use the Whistler unit anymore. The service on the Motorola requires a subscription after 45 days, though, and the Whistler is free.
What I don't like about it:
-I wish the MotoExtras service utilized the cell phone's data plan instead of making a voice phone call to retrieve data similar to an old dial-up computer modem. It seems silly to me that I have to wait for the GPS to dial a number, listen to the "bleeps and bloops" on the other end, and then hang up, when my cell phone has an unlimited internet data package. As such, it only updates the MotoExtras information on-demand, so if you want gas prices in your area, you have to have the GPS dial out to the data center and download new information. If you drive 20 miles down the road, you have to tell it to dial out and get new information again. It would be nice if it was automated in any way.
-If you set your GPS to auto-sync information with your phone, you have to deal with a popup that covers the whole screen and says "auto-syncing, this may take a few minutes", which you have to press OK to close out of. Very annoying after a while! They should make it disappear after a couple seconds, like the "bluetooth connected" message that pops up when your phone connects to the GPS successfully.
-Bing VoiceSearch is really not as useful as they make it sound. It is not something that is integrated with the GPS; rather, it's more of a shortcut to dial Bing's "411" service. When you use Bing VoiceSearch to, for example, search for a business in your area, it just reads off the address and phone number to you. It does not send the address to the GPS, so unless you have a pencil and paper handy, it's virtually pointless. All in all, it is EXACTLY as useful as calling 411 from your cell phone.
-It would be nice if you could use voice commands to enter a destination. The 700 series allows you to do that, but not the 500 series. You can, however, use voice commands to dial contacts and other phone numbers.
-The buttons on the back are VERY easy to accidentally press when you're holding the GPS in your hands. Motorola does give you the option to turn them off, however. Also, there is a "lock" switch that allows you to carry the GPS in your pocket without pushing any buttons.
Some nice features but this GPS also has some very weak points.
1. The bluetooth and handsfree work better than my Garmins (Nuvi and Streetpilot) but it can not dial the number of your destination. The GPS is not "smart" enough to add a "1" prior to the area code. I called customer support and they agreed it was not fixable. No problem using the contacts on my phone since I already have a "1" as part of the number. When I tap on the number on the GPS, I get a recording that says "Your call can not be completed as dialed." FYI, I am a Verizon wireless customer.
2. I primarily bought this GPS for the traffic since the Garmin does a poor job of rerouting me. The Garmin will tell me to get off the freeway for one exit and get back on. It says 1 minute delay when it should say 20. It will re-route you for a minor time savings. It will take me off the freeway onto city streets and grossly mis-estimate the time. The Motorola GPS is a little better but also grossly misstates the arrival time in traffic. It will also describe a 30 minute delay as 1 minute.
3. What's up with the half inch black border around the screen? Garmin does not have it. This annoying border reduces the size of the display.
4. Motorola should have an option to diable the ads. They are not money saving coupons and I am not interested in Red Lobster's Festival of Shrimp.
5. Would rather have stock quotes as an option instead of weather. Why not both like Garmin has.
6. It is impossible to avoid hitting the side and top buttons accidentally. They are too big and sensitive.
7. I would like more language options besides English. I like the scary Halloween voice available on Garmin as well as the multiple icons (firetruck, airplance and hundreds of other choices).
8. It kept replaying a demo screen and I could not figure how to diable it. It eventually stopped by itself. Seems the unit automatically shows help for every function the first time you use it. After loading the updates from the Motorola web site, it reset itself and assumed it was a new unit and did a demo for every feature.
9. Does not show the street I am on when driving. It assumes I know and only shows me the names of the upcoming intersection.
10. Customer service on the phone was excellent. I called twice and got thru right away both times. Agents were friendly and helpful.
11. Icons on screen are hard to figure out. I looked at the manual and there is no legend.
12. Speed trap warning is excellent. It shows a surface street trap near my home very accurately. It is too expensive to renew subscription, however, after the free trial is over. Much better than Garmin.
13. I miss the recent destinations folder. Correction: I found it but it is in an unusual place.
14. I liked the Garmin Nuvi ability to lead you back to your car if you were in an outdoor parking lot. Correction: Its not mentioned in the manual but it does have a last location and when you disconnect the power, there is an option to switch to pedestrian mode.
15. Bing is worthless. There are too many menus to go thru and the voice recognition is awful. It is also talking and you have to wait until its finished or it gets confused when you try to shout instructions which is the only way to interupt it. Not a big deal because I will not pay to continue Bing once the free trial is over.
16. Entering destinations is 100 times better than Garmin. It is very easy to add a partial name and change the city. This one aspect of the Motonav makes me like it over Garmin.
17. Updating software and maps is ok except the first time I did it, the web site said there was not enough free space on the GPS. I hit every help button I could find and there were no instructions about what to do. I decided on my own to copy Canada onto my computer hard drive and this did the trick and I was able to update everything.
Here are my current GPS devices however these are older products and newer models are available.
Garmin StreetPilot c580 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with MSN Direct
Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Magellan RoadMate 1412 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
I was looking for a fridge/cooler for me when I travel and camp. I typically go for 2-7 night stays camping in very remote places. In the summer, ice does not last and its a pain. My review on this product has some mixed feelings about it.
