Navigon intros the 7200T, shows off 3D signage and landmarks

Navigon has just dropped it's latest satnav baby on us -- the 7200T -- and it comes with an extra side of slick... like, gooey slick. Upping it's game a touch, the device sports a redesigned OS which incorporates real-time traffic updates (free of charge over FM via Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network) as well as "Reality View Pro" and "Landmark View 3D," the former designed to whip up some photo-realistic 3D signage when you need to make a move, and the latter aimed at helping you notice the little things in life... like the Chrysler building. The unit features a 4.3-inch, 16:9 touchscreen display, 2GB of flash storage, a SiRF GRF3i+ GPS chip, microSD card support, 64MB of RAM, and it all runs atop a Centrality Titan I 600MHz CPU. The 7200T is slated for an October release, and will clock in at $449.

[Mike @ Aug 26th 2008 9:00AM]

Thanks Joshua, but that huge reflection really isn't required!

[Matt @ Aug 26th 2008 10:44AM]

What, you don't have a reflective dashboard? ;-)

[biglou @ Aug 26th 2008 2:26PM]

armorall works wonders

[David Rankine @ Aug 26th 2008 9:01AM]

They need to build a UMPC with this kind of UI

[kempcross @ Aug 26th 2008 9:15AM]

Done and done. This thing is sweet.

Any negatives or drawbacks for not purchasing this thing? I'm not that familiar with GPS units and have never heard of Navigon. Thanks.

[Rob @ Aug 26th 2008 9:17AM]

Not very convincing.... The permanent traffic jam on the Van Wyck Expressway is missing!!

[buttabean @ Aug 26th 2008 9:24AM]

haha you beat me to it

[Dave B @ Aug 26th 2008 9:30AM]

Ha ha, true dat, and a way for us NYers to navigate from the left Manhattan-bound lane all the way to the right JFK-bound lane through traffic gaps would be a nice touch ;)

[Jeff @ Aug 26th 2008 10:48AM]

They're actually on the LIE in that shot, not the Van Wyck (the sign is to get onto the Van Wyck from the LIE)... not that that makes it any more convincing.

And what city is that supposed to be in the background, San Jose, CA?

Not the best shot to give out for publicity if you're touting the real-time traffic and 3D landmarks features.

[buttabean @ Aug 26th 2008 9:23AM]

The picture is a lie. Wheres all the traffic?

[Anoldcarsnickname @ Aug 26th 2008 9:23AM]

Why is this considered to be something new when TomTom already has it on some of their devices?

[vwtoys @ Aug 26th 2008 9:33AM]

The traffic feature is nothing new. Last year's Navigon low end 2100T also sports the traffic info, along with Reality View, but no 3D buildings. It's more or less an updated software to make it a little more user friendly and more pleasing to the eyes.

[Brooks @ Aug 26th 2008 12:42PM]

It is considered to be new to Navigon, just the 3-D part is new. Navigon was the first one with "live/reality view" they've had it way before Tom-Tom, which is in desperate times. I love my Navigon. You should try one, has all of the features and more that Garmin has, but doesn't cost $800+ for those features.

[Vic @ Aug 26th 2008 9:30AM]

Lets hope...pray it's faster an address entry. The 2100 is the slowest on the market!

[broli @ Aug 26th 2008 9:47AM]

Let me take this chance and make the joke you forgot...

"Actually it was so slow that I could find the address myself while it was still looking for it."

[ov3rl0rdl @ Aug 26th 2008 9:59AM]

Did you try turning off the animation effect? That speeds up things drastically.

[Martin Vey @ Aug 26th 2008 9:39AM]

I think we'll see more and more of this here's another company that's working on accurate, visually pleasant 3D maps.
http://www.youcity.com

[9bit @ Aug 26th 2008 9:48AM]

At first I thought this was useful, but then I realized that I could just look out my windshield.

[PEZ @ Aug 26th 2008 8:48PM]

NICE!

[Khattab @ Aug 26th 2008 9:54AM]

I sent this one in (published during IFA), but engadget doesn't want to post them:

http://translate.google.de/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.golem.de%2F0808%2F61964.html&sl=de&tl=en&hl=de&ie=UTF-8

[Jeremy K. @ Aug 26th 2008 10:14AM]

Awesome, now us Americans can have what the Koreans have had for years.

[Oliver @ Aug 26th 2008 10:36AM]

Bei dieser Ansicht kann man endlich die Fenster komplett schwarz machen... Knight Rider lässt grüßen... Yeah i know, it´s German... Sorry folks.

[EdgeOne @ Aug 26th 2008 10:38AM]

Picked up a Navigon 2100 on Woot.com for $89 for my girlfriend who moved here (IN) from Denver. The sign view in this screen shot is very helpful when figuring out interchanges that your no familiar with. Interface is nice, POI are a bit lacking, and it ignores some streets in routing, but all-in-all its a good unit with with txt to speech for under $100 - can't beat it!

[Dan @ Aug 26th 2008 11:10AM]

wow... that ui is sick.

[Rohan @ Aug 26th 2008 11:30AM]

Do any other Navigon users find the interface / gui / menus really slow and sluggish to respond to key presses? Like there's a delay?

It might be because I have the low-end Fujitsu/Siemens Pocket Loox with Navigon, but it's really deadly.

[NHAnimator @ Aug 26th 2008 11:41AM]

The speed limit sign is not a good idea. Oftentimes these are temporarily changed based on work/construction zones, weather conditions, etc. Sometimes they are changed out permanently due to newer traffic studies.

Try explaining to an officer that you were basing your speed on what your GPS said and I guarantee that it won't fly. Here's a better idea: Keep your eyes on the road for SL signs and others of importance that you might need.

[lilcoop2 @ Aug 26th 2008 3:04PM]

Hmmmm... Let's see... Common sense would lead one to look out the window first for a speed limit sign or the impossible-to-miss construction zones. That's like saying the GUI is a bad idea because it does not show the traffic lights at intersections. Anyhow, Navigon has a map update pack that I think you pay $70 or $80 and get 12 map updates over the course of 3 years! Try that with your Garmin (1 update per year - correct me if I'm wrong)! On the down side, I still hear that adding addresses and all that is still sluggish on the Navigons...

[joe blow @ Aug 27th 2008 3:29AM]

But my GPS SAID to turn left onto these railroad tracks.....Geeeez.


Does this thing play Doom?

[NHAnimator @ Aug 28th 2008 10:47AM]

@lilcoop2:

"Common sense" refers to a very small percentage of drivers. People constantly get in accidents because they are doing things OTHER than driving. I seem to recall many people turning into woods, rivers, buildings, etc. because their GPS's said "turn now". I guarantee that if a GPS says 55, and a temporary/revised speed limit sign says 40, someone will blame the GPS when they get caught/cause an accident.

Also, while 12 updates a year is admirable, it cannot compete with ongoing construction projects (like I have near my home) which change lanes, directions, and speeds on an almost daily basis. They also cannot compete with temporary speed adjustments made by the highway department due to temporary adverse weather conditions.

[Jumbie @ Aug 26th 2008 11:58AM]

I bought a Navigon 2100 once because I got it super cheap from Staples. It's not a bad unit and it's hackable. As a GPS, it's decent but what I couldn't live with was the very poor speaker that is placed on the back of the unit. Very hard to hear. I returned it.

[SamNC @ Aug 26th 2008 12:45PM]

I don't need all fancy 3Ds. All I need is an accurate street/road/hiway routing GPS. None of the map software in the market was able to do accurately. Was driving last week from i79 to i77 (North to South) it (TomTom) decided to take me a little excursion off the i79. Was driving North i95 last year from Baltimore to New York with iGuidance 4, it took me off i95 to a small scenic route! A similar Navigator (a Navigon product) software was doing the same 3 or 4 years ago. I tried many All-in-one GPS, PDAs with Compact flash type GPS Receivers, bluetooth GPS Receivers, all of them were disappointingly inaccurate!

[dggraphics @ Aug 26th 2008 1:42PM]

That UI is not new. It is on their older units as well. I used a Navigon recently and the 3D reality view is very nice. They make nice units. ; )

[Trevor @ Aug 26th 2008 7:34PM]

Please conserve apostrophes.

"dropped it's latest" --> "dropped its latest"
"Upping it's game" --> "Upping it's game"