Portable Navigation With Real-Time Traffic InfoNavigation is an indispensable part of the electronics a driver should have in the car, be it in-dash or portable. An integrated system offers obvious benefits, but a portable nav unit, such as the various models we've been evaluating the last couple of years, is becoming a more and more attractive option. If you don't have navigation, possibly now the problem isn't that you don't see it as an essential product, but rather that there are too many choices in the fast-flooding market. Seemingly every electronics manufacturer has an offering; and some have added it to their product lines simply because navigation is projected to be the fastest growing category in the industry.
Cobra isn't one of the companies that's simply throwing out a nav device with their name on it to make a fast buck. The Nav One 4500 is proof of that. Its predecessor, the 3000, while not exactly the most elegant solution, did have some commendable aspects. To Cobra's credit they kept the positives and rectified the negatives. Most importantly to consumers, overall they've produced a better product for a lower price. The 4500 is available for $999. You can expect the street price to be considerably lower. That's worth noting considering this is a great value with a terrific screen size and the optional real-time traffic updates.
FeaturesThe 4500 is aesthetically a huge improvement over the 3000. Actually, it almost looks like a different company made it. Again, the GPS antenna is integrated into the back of the unit, something we're grateful for-it's a welcome convenience not to have to unsnap the antenna and angle it up after you've already installed a nav unit on the windshield. And the mounting device is excellent, albeit we do prefer the previous design to the current one.
The contoured, nicely accented unit is still on the bulky side, but for the 5-inch TFT screen we would say that's a fair trade-off. There's something reassuring about viewing map information on a screen of this size. The touchscreen is a nice addition; just use your nails and not the fleshy tip of your fingers to avoid "mis-hitting" and you'll breeze through the menus.
The icons for the menus are large and quite attractive, and finding the right window or inputting addresses is enhanced by the style of this colorful and easy-to-decipher graphic user interface. Like most nav units you can search destinations by P.O.I.s (there are 7 million in the hard drive), Address Book or Location. There is a separate icon for quick access to navigation to your home location from wherever you are. Cobra gets extra points for adding this to the menu.
The 4500 comes loaded with map info for the U.S. and Canada. Another key keeper feature from the last nav unit, it has the off-road trail feature that will mark where you are going when not on a charted territory. Better still, the 4500 offers route choice for any destination. It will calculate two routes and show them on-screen laid over the map. You simply hit the icon for the one you prefer. All we can say is, it's about time. For driving in areas that you are semi familiar with, this is a great way to make sure you are taking the most effective way.
Crosstown TrafficTo make sure you stay on the path of least resistance, the 4500 has the optional traffic update feature. This is a subscription-based service that will cost the user $59 a year, with the first three months of service free. The information is provided through Clear Channel's radio network. You can overlay the traffic info on the map and see where trouble spots are ahead. If you see a red flag, there may be a delay up ahead. Touch the icon and get a readout. You also have the option of hitting the Page icon at the top right corner of the screen. In the next window select Traffic Ahead and you can read the status of traffic for the roads you will travel. While this feature can help you avoid some delays and help you re-route past them, don't expect it to be 100 percent accurate. We've yet to see a traffic info system on a nav unit, including factory systems, that is that precise. But believe us when we say that when you get stuck on the freeway and are wondering what's going on, you will regret not having this feature. It is as much for your peace of mind as for saving time. And that's worth a lot more than $59 a year.
Key FeaturesiASAP for fastsatellite acquisitionRoute option forgiven destination5-inch TFT touchscreenReal-time traffic information (via Clear Channel)Software update for product now shipping